Literacy, Love, Loss and Arda Essay

Literacy is important in keeping the history of the Middle-earth. This is to ensure that the future generations could get a grasp on what has happened to the different races; ie Man, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Hobbits, Trolls, Goblin-men, Uruk-hai, among others. History and recorded accounts of significant events is especially important to the wizards. This is shown in the part when Gandalf the Grey desired to know more about the ring in Bilbo’s possession. He immediately took the initiative to set out for the right thing to do. He asked Bilbo to leave it, and transfer to Frodo, the one who would be tasked to carry the ring to Rivendell, and later on, to the Crack of Mount Doom. He went to research for records. Fortunately, he found accounts from Isildur. â€Å"It has come to me†¦ the One Ring. It shall be an heirloom of my kingdom. All those who follow my bloodline shall be bound to its fate for I will risk no hurt to the Ring. It is precious to me, though I buy it with great pain. The markings upon the band begin to fade. The writing, which at first as clear as the red flame, has all but disappeared. A secret now that only fire can tell. † (Tolkien) With the history kept intact in that library, he was able to think of the best thing to do – to destroy it. In the mines of Moria, they had to pass a tunnel but there was a door with inscriptures above it. Frodo was able to read what was written there, and asked Gandalf what was the Elvish word for â€Å"friend. † When Gandalf uttered Mellon, the door opened (Tolkien). This showed that being able to read and write got the Fellowship moving. This also reflects that if nobody was educated, it could have been that they were not able to enter that door. This goes down to the truth that the earlier people had educated themselves also as evident in that password, which was made by them. Inside the mine was the kingdom ruled by dwarves. However, they found him already dead, as what was carved on the surface of his tomb. The language of the dwarves – Dwarvish – was helpful in this stage, because Gimli would not have known that Balin was already dead if it was not for the writings. Reading and writing is important to all the creatures of the Middle-earth. It is the most powerful tool to drive back to history of a village, or to a well-known person. It is also used to conceal secrets to treasured places. It is significant also to inform relatives and the society that a respectable lord has died. Most important of it could be its usefulness in terms of transmitting message from day-to-day activities. 2. What is the role of romantic love in the Lord of the Rings? How big a part does it play, and just what is this part? Give examples. The most famous romantic love story exposed in the Lord of the Rings could be that of Aragorn and Arwen. This was exaggerated in the adaptation of the novel into movie. â€Å"I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone†¦ I choose a mortal life†¦ It is mine to give whom I will†¦ like my heart. † These lines of Arwen, possibly coming from the deepest portion of her heart reflected the utmost devotion and truest affection in her heart for Aragorn. This love for Aragorn influenced her to make the biggest and most daring decision ever – to give up immortality, which has been a precious gift to the race where she belonged. She opted to be mortal and loved Aragorn, who also loved her so much. Their love for each other was so powerful that gave them inspiration to head on with their lives. Later near the end of their journey, they had a child, who was seen by Arwen when she was walking towards a life that never ends. This made them strong against the dark force enwrapping Middle-earth and the loneliness that kept on haunting them (Tolkien). Smeagol also had this passionate affection with the One Ring. He stayed in the dark Misty Mountains all by himself, but never thought of leaving the ring to somebody. He felt in love with the beauty and power the ring was giving him – unnatural long life. When he lost it, he tried to recover it. He followed the trails of the Fellowship tasked to bring his â€Å"precious† to Mount Doom. He succeeded in getting it from Frodo’s hands, but unfortunately, he ended falling into the fire of the mountain, where the ring was forged. At the end of the Return of the King, Sam was seen with his own family. He married Rosie, and had children afterwards. Even after Frodo had fled to the Undying Lands, Sam remained loyal to him by taking care of the book given to him by his friend. No one could blame him for that because they had gone to a perilous journey that truly tested their friendship.