Literary techniques in the novel, make the story entertaining. Foreshadowing is used often throughout the book. “Indeed they hardly know a bit of good work from bad, though they usually have a good notion of the current market value; and they can’t make a thing for themselves, not even mend a little loose scale for their armour”# tells of Smaug’s downfall. Exposition is also used in the novel. The dwarves’ song on page18 is evidence of this, it gives the reason why the dwarves want to get the gold from the Lonely Mountain.
It is mentally frustrating for Gollum because the only thing he truly loves and needs is always 2 feet in front of him in the hands of Frodo the Ring Bearer. Gollum will stop at nothing to get his “Precious” back even if it means befriending the person he hates “We be nice to them, if they be nice to us” (Tolkien 504). The EGO acts according to the reality principle; i.e. it seeks to please the ID’S drive in realistic ways that will benefit in the long term rather than bringing grief (2). It is clear that Gollum will strive to do anything to retrieve back his ``precious`` but he is smart enough to know that he has to do so without hurting his well being.
Furthermore, the phrase ‘courses vain’ illustrates that Henry was not even addicted to something beneficial or worthwhile for anybody. It shows that he only cared for himself and would serve as a terrible king for the country, having all that power and misusing by being selfish. But when Henry’s father dies, he is burdened by the throne and must become a true king, eradicating all bad
By defeating Grendel, he shows that man, without armor and weapons, can defeat evil in any form including that of his enemy Grendel. Beowulf claims he is ‘as dangerous any day as Grendel” (577). In the biblical sense, this may represent how Jesus could heal anything with merely his hands. This is meant to show that Beowulf represents ‘good’. Beowulf also shows he represents goodness by volunteering to fight evil; protect his people, and doing it selflessly.
In Beowulf, the hero is referred to as "prince of the Geats" and "master-friend." This is not without reason: in the times of the epic, if you had the power, the spoils were yours. Therefore, those who wanted to be a skilled warrior had to demonstrate a leader's qualities as well as expertise in combat. As for the knights, they had their appointed ruler (King Arthur), and none thought of challenging him. Neither did any of the knights classify himself as a general; all of their feats were done single-handedly.
In the poems the Iliad and Beowulf heroes such as Achilles and Beowulf came from communities that were war minded. Whether these heroes succeed or fail in battle determine the height of their honor. The protagonists in both epics have similar supernatural qualities, are trusted with maintaining the fate of there country, fought for glory and fame, were aided by the gods, and faced a fate that led to death. The dynamic adventures that these stories take you through are complex, leaving the impressions that an intricate and very real tale has been told. The chief elements of an epic include: a depiction of the societies values and what is important to the people concerning the epic such as the warlike behavior shown in both the Iliad and Beowulf; heroes such as Achilles and Beowulf that are unafraid of the opposition they face and have courage in front of impossible odds; mythical creatures like Grendel and impressive beings such as Apollo that provide a challenge to the hero; settings like the heavily protected Troy and haunted Herot that capture the mind’s eye; and tales of wars and the battles that encompass them.
The battle is a sign that even though good has the advantage, good can never have an ultimate victory over evil. Through its powerful use of symbolism in Beowulf’s battles with Grendel and the dragon, Beowulf draws a clear distinction between good and evil, going on to show that the world is fated to a never-ending battle between good and evil. Throughout the poem, Beowulf matures from a good warrior to a good king. He follows comitatus; the relationship between the king and his thanes where the thanes are loyal and fight battles for their king, and in return, the king gifts them with winnings from the battle. A good king or warrior also pays wergild, the price a warrior pays to the family of a slain warrior.
Gandalf’s heroism is shown when Tolkien states, “It was the wizard’s voice that had kept the trolls bickering and quarrelling, until the light came and made an end of them”(41). These examples show how heroism is apparent through external conflict. Through characterization, Tolkien does a fantastic job of showing heroism. First, at the beginning of the novel Gandalf has words of praise for Bilbo when the dwarves talk bad about Murray 2 him behind his back. Bilbo being a hobbit is not the ideal robber and the dwarves know this and express their frustration to Gandalf when he proclaims, “There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself”(19).
Lines 115-116 quotes “Would sail across the sea to Hrothgar/ now when help was needed.” This explains thoroughly how Beowulf is daring and noble. Honest men fear neither the light nor the dark. Beowulf is willing to risk his life in order to earn fame by killing Grendel. Lines 357-358 quote, “From the rafters where Beowulf had hung it was the monsters/ arm, claw and shoulder and all.” Beowulf feels like a dynamic figure in the town. He has accomplished what no one could ever do!
“The Hobbit is read year after year and represents a fantasy world that learners are not always quite familiar with.” To some, The Hobbit comes across as a complicated and intricate book, yet it is a perfect example of a monomyth within the genre of fantasy. Monomyths, a basic pattern found in novels to describe the hero and his quest, usually consist of archetypes, characters or situations/events that are repeated time and again in novels. In this essay I will define two archetypes: the hero and the quest. I will also evaluate The Hobbit and argue whether or not it can be described as a Monomyth. Before we can begin defining the archetypes though, we first need to place the novel in a genre.