The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring , Book I

Name:______

Ms. Swanson

English 9, Per. 2, 3, 7

Spring 2014

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I

A Hero’s Journey By J.R.R. Tolkien

This is a three-pronged unit:one, you will be reading The Fellowship of the Ring; two, you will be studying the eight essential elements of culture in The Fellowship of the Ring as you read it; and three, you will be exploring a real-world culture in which you are involved.

1. Reading/Journal: You will be reading approximately two chapters of the first book of the Fellowship of the Ring per week. We will start each set of chapters in class; you will finish them at home. Every Monday you will turn in journal entries (one journal per chapter)that have two parts: a listof events, characters, and locations, and a list of 3 examples of the culture in a cultural group—quoted, referenced, and explained. You may choose from the following cultures: wizard, hobbit, elven, human, Tom/. Due dates for the journals are:

1. Week 1: Prol.& Ch. 1Due:Mo 3/10
2. Week 2: Ch. 2&3Due:Mo 3/24
3. Week 3: Ch. 4-6Due:Mo 3/31
4. Week 4: Ch. 7-9Due:Mo 4/7
5. Week 6: Ch. 10-12 Due: Mo 4/14

1. Quizzes/tests: You will have two quizzes and

a test on the Fellowship.

Quiz 1: (Prol. & Ch. 1-3)Mo 3/24

Quiz 2: (Ch. 4-7)Mo 4/7

Test: (all chapters)Mo 4/14

1. Writing: (study questions will be done as a group.

1. Culture Questions: (See packet.) You will answer the culture questions for each section in the packet using complete sentences.
2. Vocab: You will look up 10 vocab words per pair of chapters from the list provided, copy them in context (with page numbers), and write a sentence using them correctly.

1. Projects: You will complete several small projects:

Map projectDue: Th 4/3-Fri 4/4

Culture projectDue:Th 4/10-Fri 4/11

VOCABULARY LIST for CHAPTERS 1-12

Prologue and Chapter 1:

unobtrusive(1)

perilous (3)

counsel (3)

imbibed (9)

peculiar (9)

endure (11)

assail (12)

loathsome (13)

conjectural (18)

commodity (27)

scintillating (28)

pavilion (29)

detest (29)

perfunctory (31)

din (33)

spasm (37)

inadvertent (39)

indisposed (41)

pester (43)

abominable (44)

Chapters 2 &3:

ominous (46, 92)

disquieting (47)

cease (49)

devour (51, 61)

unwholesome (52)

malice (53)

respite (55)

estranged (56)

inquisitive (57)

stature (58)

loathsome (59)

furtive (60)

matriarch (62)

lurk (64)

dishevelled (77)

frugal (79)

Chapters 4-6:

trudge (100)

dispose (104)

compensate (104)

diminish (109)

wallow (113)

surpass (114)

inquisitiveness (117)

conspiracy (118)

deceitful (119)

unintelligible (124)

writhing (125)

rampant (126)

sinister (128)

clamber (129)

veer (129)

uncanny (132)

beckon (136)

furtive (137)

Chapters 7-9:

mirth (149)

hasten (154)

glint (154)

russet (154)

disquieting (155)

dread(ful) (159, 162)

marrow (160)

murmur (160)

bereaved (160)

waft (163)

brooch (165)

girth (166)

nestle (168, 170)

plod (168)

turmoil (169)

roam (169)

peculiar (170)

bustling (174)

inquisitive (171, 176)

botanical (176)

prospect (177)

rouse (177)

fidget (178)

Chapters 10-12:

rogue (185)

indignant (189)

subside (194)

dubious (194)

unhindered, hinder (195, 196)

pondering (198)

dell (199)

stealth (199)

perish (200)

dispirited (202)

commotion (203)

sallow (204)

inquisitive (204)

dejected (204)

quagmire (206)

stagnant (208)

wraith (208)

Culture Questions for each Chapter Set

Prologue and Chapter 1

1. Describe the hobbits’ way of life.
2. Describe the main characteristics of hobbits(appearance and behavior).
3. Make a list of ways that hobbits are different from humans and a list of ways they are similar (culturally).
4. How is the geographic world of Middle Earth similar to ours?
5. How is the history of Middle Earth similar to ours?
6. We are told that Gandalf’s “real business was far more difficult and dangerous” than working with fire. What does Gandalf’s real business seem to be?
7. How do hobbits measure time? What aspects of their measurement of time are similar to ours/what aspects are different?
8. What do hobbits love? Why?
9. What do hobbits do?

Chapters 2 & 3:

1. Who is Saruman the White? What category of being is he? Describe him. (52)
2. Who is Smeagol (Gollum)? What category of being is he? Describe him. (57-59)
3. Who is Smeagol similar to?
4. What has Gandalf been doing during the seventeen years following Bilbo’s disappearance? (50-68)
5. Why does Gandalf come back to Hobbiton?
6. Where is he headed when he leaves Hobbiton again?

Chapters 4-6:

1. Compare hobbit architecture to human architecture—how is it similar? Different? Why?
2. Name three “magical” or “fantastic” creatures described so far. What do they look like? What traits do they have that are not possible in our world? What might they correspond to (symbolically) in our world?
3. What do all hobbits fear? Why?
4. What are elves like? Describe them (both appearance and behavior).
5. Make a list of ways that elves are different from humans and a list of ways they are similar (culturally).
6. Describe the Black Riders (both appearance and behavior).
7. How is Farmer Maggot different from Hobbiton hobbits (pay attention in the next chapters as well)?
8. What do elves do?

Chapters 7-9:

1. Describe Tom Bombadil (both appearance and behavior).
2. Who/what is Tom (what category of being)?
3. What unique traits does Tom Bombadil have that no other beings do?
4. What is Tom’s method of handling evil?
5. How is Tom’s culture similar to hobbits’? To humans’? How is it different from others?
6. Describe the humans (both appearance and behavior).
7. How are humans different from hobbits?

Chapters 10-12:

1. Create a chart of the following characters and identify the traits each one has (each one can have more than one trait and/or share traits with others).

1. Put an “H” above the characters you consider to be heroic. Then count up how many heroic traits you gave them and put that number next to the H.(Example: H 7 )
2. Take the characters from the chart above and organize them along the continuum below in order of most to least “heroic”.

Least heroicMost heroic

I------I

1. Using the chart and the continuum line above, explain what you have learned about heroes.

Paragraph Guide:Fellowship of the Ring Hero’s Journey Character

1. Topic sentence:

1. Description of character—physical and personality (with quote(s)):

1. ICCEE #1: first heroic/nonheroic trait:

1. ICCEE#2: second heroic/nonheroic trait:

Example:

1. (TOPIC): Frodo is a hero in The Fellowship of the Ring because he is the one who has a very powerful ring, which he needs to destroy, and he accepts the challenge from the start. 2. (DESCRIPTION): Frodo is a well educated, upper class hobbit. We know this because his uncle, “’Mr. Bilbo has learned him his letters’” (24), and he’s from the BrandywineRiver on the edge of the Shire: “’Baggins is his name, but he is more than half a Brandybuck’” (22-23) 3.(ICCEE #1): Frodo’s most heroic trait is “awareness” because he immediate recognizes the importance of taking the ring out of the shire. In Chapter 2, when Gandalf tells him “No it cannot stay here,” Frodo replies “Then what must I do?” (32). He realizes right away that keeping the ring in the Shire would endanger everyone. Therefore, he accepts the Call to adventure to take the ring away in order to protect his people and country. 4.(ICCEE #2) Another heroic trait Frodo reveals is perseverance when he finds himself trapped in the barrow. Instead of giving in to the whispers inviting him to abandon his friends and give up, he fights back in Chapter 8: “But the courage that had been awakened in him was now too strong, he hewed at the crawling arm near the wrist, and the hand broke off” (160). Frodo saves all the hobbits by not giving up and therefore attacking the barrow wight. Over and over again throughout the story, Frodo shows heroic traits. Even though he knows that his life is on the line, he has to complete his task, so he does. That is what makes him a hero.