Authors constantly rely on a dark counterpart of a beloved place in order to create a contrast that emphasizes the themes of a work. JRR Tolkien, for example, employs this tactic in his masterpiece The Lord of the Rings. In this work, Tolkien creates a world divided by starkly different cities to ultimately illustrate that good has the power to conquer evil by resisting temptation and maintaining integrity.
Tolkien uses the cities of Minas Tirith and Mordor as foils to represent the forces of good and evil. Tolkein points out that the two cities were once identical and in fact, were founded as twin cities. Mordor however became plagued with evil because of its leader, Soron. Since then, Mordor is said to possess “[an] evil that does not sleep”. . and Minas Tirith on the other hand, is distinguished with honor and bravery as it is the “City of Kings. These details allow readers to understand that the two cities are meant to be considered counterparts to one another.
Although the tale weaves its way through all of the corners of Middle Earth, in the final sscenes, the main characters, Frodo and Sam, find themselves departing from Minas Tirith for the land of Mordor. Throughout their journey, Mordor has been a tantalizing goal; it is always in sight, but the travelers never seem to reach it. Many obstacles, both spiritual and physical, delay their journey, but as Frodo and Sam finally reach the city the trials only increase.To uproot evil, the travelers must bear through Mordor, the darkest of places, and survive the temptations and hardships it presents, such as abandoning their mission and succumbing to the forces of evil. In the end, the travelers do succeed in their mission, but only through personal integrity and strong wills. Tolkien uses the journey from Minas Tirith to Mordor to show that by avoiding temptations, the forces of good can conquer evil.
Therefore, the Lord of the Rings is a tale which explores the powers of good and evil. Good, represented by the mythical city Minas Tirith proves to eventually conquer evil, symbolized by the dark city Mordor. However, it is only by facing the evil itself and resisting its dark tantalization that the conflict of the novel can be resolved.
Tolkien uses the cities of Minas Tirith and Mordor as foils to represent the forces of good and evil. Tolkein points out that the two cities were once identical and in fact, were founded as twin cities. Mordor however became plagued with evil because of its leader, Soron. Since then, Mordor is said to possess “[an] evil that does not sleep”. . and Minas Tirith on the other hand, is distinguished with honor and bravery as it is the “City of Kings. These details allow readers to understand that the two cities are meant to be considered counterparts to one another.
Although the tale weaves its way through all of the corners of Middle Earth, in the final sscenes, the main characters, Frodo and Sam, find themselves departing from Minas Tirith for the land of Mordor. Throughout their journey, Mordor has been a tantalizing goal; it is always in sight, but the travelers never seem to reach it. Many obstacles, both spiritual and physical, delay their journey, but as Frodo and Sam finally reach the city the trials only increase.To uproot evil, the travelers must bear through Mordor, the darkest of places, and survive the temptations and hardships it presents, such as abandoning their mission and succumbing to the forces of evil. In the end, the travelers do succeed in their mission, but only through personal integrity and strong wills. Tolkien uses the journey from Minas Tirith to Mordor to show that by avoiding temptations, the forces of good can conquer evil.
Therefore, the Lord of the Rings is a tale which explores the powers of good and evil. Good, represented by the mythical city Minas Tirith proves to eventually conquer evil, symbolized by the dark city Mordor. However, it is only by facing the evil itself and resisting its dark tantalization that the conflict of the novel can be resolved.
I like your organization; you prove that the cities are counterparts, then examine the contrasts and relate them to the theme of the work.
ReplyDeleteOne problem here is that Lord of the Rings is a trilogy. Using all the books as a whole might break the rules of the prompt.
I would also have liked more specific examples.
Your writing here is very well written and easy to follow. I have never read Lord of the Rings, so reading this really did show me the meaning and the storyline. One thing I would be careful with is plot summary as you are giving examples of details that support your thesis. I would also like to see some more specific examples rather than broad ones that are basically the storyline. Great work.
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