• This is similar to how you will do the PowerPoint for
your analysis requirement. You will need excerpts
from the novel and point out examples of different
elements. On this PowerPoint it “asks” questions of
the person reading the slides. Yours will not ask
questions, instead it will give information. For
example, you would have an excerpt and say:
metaphor. Then discuss how/why it was used by the
author. You will need to go in-depth on different
literary techniques.
The Hobbit by J. R. R.
Tolkien
Background on J. R. R. Tolkien
aka John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
The name "Tolkien" is
understood to be of
German origin. Tollkühn: foolishly brave, or
stupidly clever; for this
reason he occasionally
used the fictitious name
"Oxymore“.
Childhood:
He
was born on January 3rd,
1892 in Bloemfontein, South
Africa
When
he was 3, Tolkien went
to England with his mother and
brother on what was intended to be there new home. His
father, however, died in South Africa of rheumatic
fever before he could join them.
When
he was 12, Tolkien's mother died. He and his
brother lived with aunts and in boarding homes thereafter.
Education:
•Tolkien's mother strongly encourages education to her
children.
•When Tolkien was 16 he mastered Latin and Greek language.
•When he was 17 he began to create his own languages!
•When he was 20, he went to Exeter College,
Oxford. Where he studied Classics, Old English,
Germanic languages, Welsh, and Finnish.
•Tolkien published his very first poem when he was 22, called
'From the many-willow'd margin of the immemorial Thames',
in the Stapeldon Magazine of Exeter college.
•Tolkien went to Switzerland on a trip,
that was his muse for Bilbo’s quest
across the Misty Mountains.
•Tolkien entered the army in July1915.
•While he was in the army he would
write
letters to his wife. He at this point
had his
Life:
own language in which Edith
understood.
He could tell her exactly where he
was and
what he was doing with this secretive
translation.
•He went home from the army only
after 11 months because he got a
C. S. Lewis and Tolkien’s friendship
•At Oxford Tolkien became a founding
member of a group of Oxford friends "The
Inklings" who met for conversation, drinks,
and readings from their works-in-progress.
Another well-known member was C. S.
Lewis, who became one of Tolkien's closest
friends.
•Professionally, they both studied and taught the
literatures of medieval romance and, in Tolkien's case, the
background of Norse myth. And they realized that it was
only quite recently that such stories had become
marginalized as "children's stories." Through much of
Techniques used by Tolkien:
Tolkien’s main style was
lyrical prose, which is
used to express
feelings. Lyric poems
have specific rhyming
schemes and are often
Imagery:
•The narrator's highly descriptive
style conveys vivid images of Bilbo,
his hobbit hole.
•Example: In a hole in the ground
there lived a Hobbit. Not a nasty,
dirty , wet hole , filled with the ends
of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet
a dry , bare, sandy hole with nothing
in it to sit down on or to eat : it was a
hobbit hole , and that means comfort
•The description
emphasize physical details such as
color, shape, and size. The details
give us in depth symbolism for many
things, such as the hobbit hole round
door symbolizes an adventure.
Rhetorical Questions:
•The rhetorical techniques used to convey an oral
writing style continues throughout the book, but
become less blatant as the story develops.
•Example: “what a lot of things you do use good
morning for”
Simile:
A simile is a when two fundamentally unlike things are
explicitly compared, usually in a phrase introduced by like
or as.
Example: pg 126. The wind came down from mountains
cold, and like a tide it roared and rolled;
Personification:
Giving a non living object living characteristics
Example: The branches groaned, the forest moaned, and leaves
were laid upon the mould.
Repetition:
repetition of a word or phrase
Old fat spider spinning in a tree!
Old fat spider cant see me!
Old tomnoddy all big body,
old tomnoddy cant spy me!
Example
sing we now softly, and dreams let us weave him!
Wind him in slumber and there let us leave him!
Influences in history
and literature :
Most authors can be
influenced by many things in
their life such as; how they
were raised or what major
historical events happened
during their life. Many
authors also gravitate to
different types of literature,
that each use with their own
twist.
Historical Influences:
•Tolkien based the people of Rohan, the Rohirrim, on
the historical Anglo-Saxons (German tribes), giving
them Anglo-Saxon names, customs, and poetry.
The concept of kingship and monarchical hierarchy
is continually alluded to throughout the history of
Middle-Earth, the races and the construction of each
society.
•Lord of The Rings was influenced by Tolkien’s experiences during
WWI and his sons during WWII.
•Industrialization influenced his writing also. He hated it he believed
life should be simple. He rode his bike everywhere he went. Hence
the evil dragons name is “Smaug” and smog is a fog made heavier
and darker by smoke and chemical fumes
Religious Influences:
•Tolkien was a very spiritual man, he was
catholic. His close friend C. S. Lewis was an
agonistic at the time. They frequently debated
about religion and mythology. Unlike Lewis, who
tended to dismiss myths and fairy tales, Tolkien
strongly believed that they have moral and
spiritual value. Tolkien said, "The imagined
beings have their inside on the outside; they are
visible souls. And Man as a whole, Man pitted
against the Universe, have we seen him at all till
we see that he is like a hero in a fairy tale?"
•Tolkien once described Lord of The Rings to a
friend as a fundamentally religious and catholic
work. Showing good versus evil, humility over
pride, and the activity of grace, as seen with
Frodo's pity to Gollum.
•Non-Christian religious themes also had strong
influences in Tolkien's Middle-earth.
Literature Influences:
•Tolkien used Old English as a
basic foundation for his book. His
muse was a heroic epic called
Beowulf. He based lord of the
rings off of this Anglo-Saxan
poem. Beowulf is now considered
one of the most important pieces
of Old English literature.
Tolkien's Symbol:
The symbol that Tolkien
used in lord of the ring
represents his initials J. R. R.
T. . The symbol also
contains the One Ring, the
tree of Valinor, and the stars
of the House of Fëanor.
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December
1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English
poet who wrote a variety of romantic,
devotional, and children's poems. Many
scholars have identified feminist themes in
her poetry. She was opposed to slavery,
cruelty to animals and the exploitation of
girls in under-age prostitution
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Poetic Devices
1) From what
perspective is the
poem told? What
does this tell us
about the power
that the speaker
has if she is
nameless?
Structure
4) What does the
repetition of the
question mark tell
us about the
narrator?
Poetic Devices
2) “Cottage maiden”
is juxtaposed with
“great lord,” why?
I was a cottage maiden
Hardened by sun and air
Contented with my cottage mates,
Not mindful I was fair.
Why did a great lord find me out,
And praise my flaxen hair?
Why did a great lord find me out,
To fill my heart with care?
Imagery
3) Look at
“contented” and
“not mindful”. Is the
language active or
passive? What does
this tell us about the
power held by
women in Victorian
England?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Imagery
Poetic Devices
1) What does the
word “lured” tell us
about the lord?
3) Why has the poet used the
oxymoron “shameless
shameful life” to describe the
narrator?
Imagery
2) Annotate
the 2 similes in
this stanza.
What do they
tell us about
the lord?
He lured me to his palace home Woe's me for joy thereofTo lead a shameless shameful life,
His plaything and his love.
He wore me like a silken knot,
He changed me like a glove;
So now I moan, an unclean thing,
Who might have been a dove.
Imagery
4) What is “unclean thing” a
reference to?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Imagery
4) This poem is full of
contrasts – label two in this
stanza and explain why the
poet uses so many.
Imagery
1)How would
you describe the
language in this
stanza (and the
rest of the
poem)? Simple,
complex? How
many syllables
do lots of the
words contain?
What effect is
created by the
language?
O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate,
You grew more fair than I:
He saw you at your father's gate,
Chose you, and cast me by.
He watched your steps along the lane,
Your work among the rye;
He lifted you from mean estate
To sit with him on high.
Imagery
2) How do the
underlined phrases
make the lord sound?
A
B
A
B
C
B
A
B
Rhyme
3) Label the
rhyme scheme in
this stanza. Is it
regular or
irregular in the
poem? What
effect does this
create?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
Poetic Devices
1) Why is the
underlined
phrase
repeated? What
does it highlight
about the
narrator’s
feelings?
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Because you were so good and pure
He bound you with his ring:
The neighbors call you good and pure,
Call me an outcast thing.
Even so I sit and howl in dust,
You sit in gold and sing:
Now which of us has tenderer heart?
You had the stronger wing
Imagery
2) a) In contrast, what do “the
neighbours” call the narrator? b) What
connotations do these two words
contain? c) What does this tell us about
Victorian attitudes to love and marriage?
Imagery
3) “howl in dust” is an
example of vivid
imagery; annotate the
two words on your
poem. We will discuss
connotations
afterwards.
Ideas
4) What themes and
ideas does Rossetti
convey in this poem?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Tone / Voice
1) Who is the
narrator
addressing for
much of the
poem? How would
you describe her
tone of voice?
O cousin Kate, my love was true,
Your love was writ in sand:
If he had fooled not me but you,
If you stood where I stand,
He'd not have won me with his love
Nor bought me with his land;
I would have spit into his face
And not have taken his hand.
NOTE: The lord in this poem is not
reproached for the way he
behaves, whilst the narrator is.
Imagery
2) This is a vivid
image. What does
it tell you about
the way the
narrator feels?
Poetic Devices
3) What tense is the
underlined quotation written
in? What does this tell you
about the power available to
women in Victorian society?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Imagery
1) What is “gift” a
metaphor for?
Tone / Voice
2) This stanza
symbolises a shift
in tone and mood
for the narrator –
how is this
reflected in the
line “I’ve little
doubt you fret”?
Yet I've a gift you have not got,
And seem not like to get:
For all your clothes and wedding-ring
I've little doubt you fret.
My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride,
Cling closer, closer yet:
Your father would give his lands for one
To wear his coronet
Poetic Devices
3) What does the
alliteration tell us
about the speaker?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
Area of analysis
Structure
Poetic devices
Imagery
Rhythm/rhyme
Ideas
Tone/voice
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Techniques within this area
Layout, stanza shape,
punctuation
Repetition, personification,
onomatopoeia, alliteration,
assonance, any non-standard
English
Similes, metaphors, language
choice.
Rhyme scheme, rhythm,
assonance, alliteration
Themes and messages.
The character of the persona (the
person speaking in the poem,
NOT the poet)
Overall tone or mood and how
this is conveyed.
You now have 10 minutes to do
the following:
1. Use 1 piece of A4 lined paper
and create a SPIRIT grid.
2. Put the letter in the margin
3. Add notes what of you have
observed about the poem to
each column
Tips! Use your annotations from
your anthology to help you.
Don’t write in full paragraphs –
the point is to get quick,
important notes down
By the end of this term you will
be able to do this in 5 minutes!
LO: To complete some close
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can articulate
analysis using the SPIRIT template. what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic techniques.
Revision homework for next lesson: compose a three paragraph answer to the
question below, Bring in typed or written up, ready to be added to your anthology.
This
lesson with be on www.fairfieldenglish.org
Grade
How does Rossetti use contrasts and juxtaposition to express the narrator’s views?
B/A
C
- Explain the significance of the poetic features
and the effect it has on the reader.
- Consider how the effect links to the theme of the
poem.
- Consider historical/literary context and
significance.
- Consider alternative explanations.
- Explain how the quotations link to the theme you
have identified.
- Identify a poetic feature and how this supports
your point.
D
Find two quotations that support your
observation.
E
Describe the content of the poem and identify the
key theme.
Structure
Poetic
Devices
Imagery
Rhythm
/Rhyme
Ideas
Tone