Tolkien Essay, Research Paper

Mabel and Arthur Tolkien were residents of Dloemfantein, South Africa. On January 3, 1892, Mabel and Arthur had a son. His name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. On February 17, 1894, Mabel had another boy, Hilary Arthur Reuel Tolkien. In April of 1895, Mabel Tolkien and her two boys took a ship to Birmingham, England to live with family and friends. They moved because the boys did not like the heat in South Africa.

Several months later Mabel got a letter saying that Arthur was sick. Arthur died a few days after Mabel received the letter. Mabel had to move to the countryside because she couldn t afford a house without Arthur s income.

One year after Ronald moved to the country, he was accepted to the King Edward s School, the best grammar school in England. Ronald got off to a slow start. He was not used to the hustle of the crowded classrooms. When Ronald was ten, Mabel enrolled him in St. Phillip s School because of her decision to convert to Catholic, and also because Ronald had to leave King Edward s. In 1903 Ronald was accepted back into King Edward s.

Later both Ronald and Hillary got the measles. While nursing the two children back to health, Mabel got sick and died. Hillary and Ronald went to live with their Aunt Bea. She showed little affection for the two.

Ronald showed much interest in Latin and Greek languages. When he was sixteen, he entered the senior class at King Edward s. Ronald spent many hours studying Latin and Greek. Tolkien even invented a new language called Animalic made from animal names. Roanld also enjoyed Old English poems. Ronald also studied Middle English, Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Spanish and German.

In 1909 he took the Oxford test. A day later he received a notice that he would not receive a cash grant which would have enabled him to attend a university, but he could apply again the next year. In 1910 Ronald took the Oxford test again and passed. He would attend Oxford University.

While at Oxford he fell in love with Edith Bratt, whom he was sharing a house with until he went to Oxford. At Oxford Ronald did well but preferred to relax with friends and play rugby. Tolkien studies were interrupted by WWI. On March 22,1916 Edith and Ronald were married. In 1916 Ronald was sent to France and was shocked by the horrors of war. Although he wasn t injured, he became ill and spent time in a hospital.

After the war Ronald knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to create a literary masterpiece. He wrote every day. In 1917 Ronald s first son was born. After having several different jobs Ronald accepted a job as a professor a Oxford. During this time three more children were born, two boys and a girl. While at Oxford he began to write The Hobbit, which was finally published in 1937. The public enjoyed the book so much it sold out. Many readers asked for a sequel. The Lord of the Rings was finished in 1950, but the publishers refused to print it because it was to long. It had over half a million words. Lord of the Rings had to be published as three separate volumes. In 1959 Ronald retired from Oxford University. He continued writing The Silmarillion. In 1971 Edith died. After Edith s death Tolkien became slowly weaker. He died on a Sunday, September 2nd, 1973 at the age of 81. His book, The Simarillion, was finished in 1977 by his son Christopher.