school project on the lord of the rings?

Question

i go to a private high school so we take theology courses and im in my senior year so i signed up for an easy theology class about the lord of the rings and god but i need to make a final project for it and the topic is basically open. Some people have made like student films for the project where they look at where the lord of the rings is in todays culture and ask people what they think of it, some guy made a dictionary of elvish(which i sure as hell cant do). I need original ideas is all thanks for help

Answer 1

I actually have two suggestions for different paths you could take with this project, one of them is to do with modern theology (first), and the second looks at Tolkien's original purpose for writing about Middle Earth - which was to create an original mythology for Britain - and the spirituality surrounding his work (second).



1 - The first thing you need to understand is that focusing on the story directly as it is written and taking it word for word is going to be very unhelpful for this project. Instead, you need to look at the messages and moral implications made by the author. This should make it easier to make comparisons modern theology, as religion tends to be explained now in terms of meanings and representation.

It's commonly believed that the stories in the Bible are not meant to be taken entirely literally, and that much of it's spiritual meaning lies in what the stories represent. The story of Daniel in the lions' den, for example, represents courage. It is meant to symbolize that courage and faith can, together, conquer even the greatest of dangers. Similarly, the various story-lines of the Lord of the Rings are symbols for human nature.

The story of Gollum / Sméagol is about corruption, and weakness in people. Sméagol was originally a Hobbit (technically, a "stoor"), and the power of the Ring easily corrupted him. Yet Frodo, another young Hobbit, held off on his temptation until the bitter end. I'm not going to tell you how to interpret the entire meaning, as that should be left up to you.

In summary: The Lord of the Rings' individual stories are all symbols for familiar human moral beliefs, as are the stories in the Bible (and most other religious texts). The great thing about presenting them in this form is that each reader may interpret them in his or her own way. Each person is able to relate it, in some way, to themselves; and it's this fact that enables to people to really absorb and act on the lessons provided.



2 - The second possible approach to this project would be to examine Tolkien's original purpose for beginning this series. He started writing The Silmarillion (a prequel to LOTR) during World War I, while in the trenches, with shells exploding all around him. A man surrounded by death, and war, and suffering took his moral troubles and wrote them down. As time went on, his work began to blossom and a story, a culture, and a purpose formed. He began to realize that what he was writing was in fact a mythology for Britain and the European world.

Tolkien's creationism story is truly inspiring. He wrote that the beings, named Ainur, who created Earth (aka "Arda) did so without realizing. They were directed in marvelous songs by Eru - known also as The One and as Iluvitar. This music, in turn, was used without their knowledge to design Arda. When the Earth was finally revealed to the Ainur, they all began to love and care for it, and many devoted their existences to their creation.

The story is in many ways similar to modern theologies, but it differs aswell. Like it's sister-novel, Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion follows common moral tales and tells them in a fresh and unorthodox fashion.



OKAY! I'm almost done. I'm just going to give a couple of recommend reading resources before I'm off...

- The Lord of the Rings Appendices (at the back)
- The Silmarillion
- JRR Tolkien's Annotated Biography

Remember, have fun with the project and try to make it uniquely your own. If you want to ask me any questions or want me to explain further what I meant, you can reach me at any time at my email: disadvantage [at] gmail.com !

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Write a story using people in todays culture and news using a storyline similar to that of The Lord of the Rings. Use todays news and going-ons and incorporate everything into the plot. Does that make sense? Good luck!

Answer 3

Hello,
This is a link where you can downlod for free Lord Of The Rings Online: http://bitly.com/1uaV3C6

Finally the full version is avaiable!
If you enjoyed watching the Lord Of The Rings saga, then you should also try its game version.
It's a very nice game.

Answer 4

I actually had that kind of project in my school...All I did was to write my own opinions on it....and writen a story about them....I actually had a very high grade on my project...Maybe you should try it too.