The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by the English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book.
Reading & Writing Workshop: The Lord of the Rings
By J.R.R. Tolkien
Overview
This workshop examines Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as a modern epic exploring moral conflict, heroism, and the corruption of power. Students connect the novel’s mythic structure and prose style to major AP Literature skills: analyzing narrative tone, symbolism, and characterization; developing literary arguments; and writing with sophistication.
Session 1: The Shire and the Shadow – Close Reading & Annotation
Objective: Practice annotation for tone, imagery, and diction in Tolkien’s opening to build foundational close-reading skills.
Excerpt (Document 1):
“When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.”
— The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Chapter 1
Activities:
Objective: Identify motifs of temptation and corruption; connect them to Tolkien’s moral worldview.
Excerpt (Document 2):
“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”
— The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Chapter 2
Activities:
Objective: Write a complete AP Lit FRQ 2 prose analysis essay focusing on tone, imagery, and characterization.
Excerpt (Document 3):
“The Ring whispered to him in a voice so low that no other could hear; a hunger awoke in his heart to claim it for his own.”
— The Two Towers, Book IV, Chapter 1
Activities:
Objective: Compare Tolkien’s moral and mythic framework with classical and modern epics.
Comparative Excerpts (Documents 4 & 5):
Objective: Refine prose for sophistication and coherence.
Activities:
Objective: Apply all analytical skills in a timed FRQ 2 simulation.
Excerpt (Document 6):
“At that moment Sam saw his master’s face again, and in it there was peace and great beauty. His master was free; and the burden was gone.”
— The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter 3
Activities:
By J.R.R. Tolkien
Overview
This workshop examines Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as a modern epic exploring moral conflict, heroism, and the corruption of power. Students connect the novel’s mythic structure and prose style to major AP Literature skills: analyzing narrative tone, symbolism, and characterization; developing literary arguments; and writing with sophistication.
Session 1: The Shire and the Shadow – Close Reading & Annotation
Objective: Practice annotation for tone, imagery, and diction in Tolkien’s opening to build foundational close-reading skills.
Excerpt (Document 1):
“When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.”
— The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Chapter 1
Activities:
- Annotate diction and tone: what does Tolkien’s language reveal about Hobbit culture?
- Discuss how the calm, provincial setting contrasts with the epic conflicts ahead.
- Quickwrite: How does Tolkien’s narrator establish both familiarity and foreboding in this first scene?
Objective: Identify motifs of temptation and corruption; connect them to Tolkien’s moral worldview.
Excerpt (Document 2):
“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”
— The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Chapter 2
Activities:
- Socratic discussion: Is the Ring a symbol of technological power, moral weakness, or both?
- Identify recurring motifs: light vs. dark, journey, temptation, choice.
- Analytical Paragraph: Explain how this dialogue articulates Tolkien’s central moral philosophy.
Objective: Write a complete AP Lit FRQ 2 prose analysis essay focusing on tone, imagery, and characterization.
Excerpt (Document 3):
“The Ring whispered to him in a voice so low that no other could hear; a hunger awoke in his heart to claim it for his own.”
— The Two Towers, Book IV, Chapter 1
Activities:
- Analyze Tolkien’s diction and internal focalization: how does he dramatize inner conflict?
- Outline an FRQ 2 essay (thesis → evidence → commentary).
- Writing Task: Write a prose analysis explaining how Tolkien uses imagery and tone to convey the psychological weight of the Ring.
Objective: Compare Tolkien’s moral and mythic framework with classical and modern epics.
Comparative Excerpts (Documents 4 & 5):
- Homer, The Odyssey: “Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns…”
Project Gutenberg - John Milton, Paradise Lost: “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.”
Project Gutenberg
- Comparative chart: Tolkien, Homer, Milton → how each defines heroism and moral order.
- Discussion: How does Tolkien modernize the epic to reflect 20th-century anxieties about power?
- Writing Task (FRQ 3): Compare how Tolkien and another author use the hero’s journey to explore the cost of moral choice.
Objective: Refine prose for sophistication and coherence.
Activities:
- Mini-lesson: Transitioning from “what” to “why” in commentary.
- Peer review using AP rubric (thesis, evidence, commentary, sophistication).
- Writing Task: Revise FRQ 2 or FRQ 3 essay for precision, syntax, and insight.
Objective: Apply all analytical skills in a timed FRQ 2 simulation.
Excerpt (Document 6):
“At that moment Sam saw his master’s face again, and in it there was peace and great beauty. His master was free; and the burden was gone.”
— The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter 3
Activities:
- 45-minute timed prose analysis essay.
- Self-score with AP rubric.
- Reflection: How does Tolkien transform an adventure into a meditation on moral endurance?
- Annotated excerpts
- One analytical paragraph (theme or motif)
- One FRQ 2 essay (The Ring and the Burden)
- One FRQ 3 comparative essay (Heroism and Moral Choice)
- Peer-reviewed and revised essay