The Influence of War and Industry in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings
May 25, 2015
The Influence of War and Industry in Tolkien’s The
Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkien
• Born 1892
• Orphaned by the time he was a teenager
• Grew up in England
Nature
• Tolkien loved the countryside
• Appreciated the beauty of nature
• The English countryside influenced his creation of The Shire
World War I
• Tolkien fought in the war
• He lost many of his friends
• He realized the evil that war can bring and always remembered it
Industry
• Made war a bigger machine
• Destroyed natural resources
• Caused a thirst for power
World War II
• New technologies allow for greater destruction
• Nazis commit genocide
• The atomic bomb is invented
The Lord of the Rings
• Sauron wants to control Middle-Earth
• Uses war to conquer
• Technology allows for war machines
Saruman
• Attempts genocide of Rohan
• Uses industry to raise a new more technologically advanced super army
The War of the Ring
• The human race in danger of being destroyed
• Sauron uses war and industry to fight the battle of the age
The One Ring
• Ultimate Weapon
• Corrupts any who bear it
• Culmination of the influences of war and industry
Effects of War and Industry
• Orcs originated from elves that were tortured and militarized
• The Shire was almost destroyed
• Forests were lost and the environment strained
Outcome
• Forces of evil eventually defeated, though at a high cost
• Nature itself fought back and cleansed the “factories” of Isengard
Tolkien
• Did not care for technology
• Believed technology would only bring man down
• Presentation by Eric Scott
• Eng 1102
• Professor Owens
• I do not own any images shown
• Works cited