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Was the Lord of the Rings primarily a story about the despoilment of the environment?
Book Title
Lord Of The Rings
The answer to that one is clearly yes. JRR was an environmentalist before it was fashionable. Consider the following:
1) Saruman's "evil acts" consisted of industrializing the Shire, building ugly buildings, cutting down trees, and polluting the streams.
2) Elves, who were the high people in the trilogy, lived closest to nature--in trees themselves in the case of Lorien. They were also very close to animals, and could talk to horses and make themselves understood.
3) Gardeners were held in "high regard" in the Shire.
4) Mordor, the center of evil, was a barren land where nothing grew.
5) Aragorn healed people by boiling a plant, Athelas--a natural remedy.
6) The story was loaded with descriptions of the environment around them. After they made their hair-splitting escape into Moria, Gandalf's first comment were about the trees that were uprooted in their escape.
7) The symbol of the kingship was a tree, and it was very important to them to keep the tree going.
8) Gandalf, the main hero, was referred to as "the only wizard who really cared about trees".
There are many other examples. The only question in my mind is whether this is a story of good versus evil with some paens to the environment thrown in, or whether the primary focus of the story was really that of environmentalists against polluters, with Gandalf acting like a roving EPA director, righting environmental wrongs.
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The commentator James Miller
posts on 10/24/2006 2:21:48 PM
If You're happy just to look at the surface of things, good for you, but some of your messages show absolutely no depth of thought and seriously depress my faith in humanity. I suppose we each see what we want to see. Anyway, the environmental theme, among others could not have been clearer! Tolkien clearly equates the "good" characters with living environments which are in harmony with each other, while the evil characters or those who turn toward evil(Sauruman) live in or create barren, sterile environments, reflecting their inner-life states.I'd like to say more but i'm running out of space. If anyone would like to continue this discussion my e-mail is on this site, i think.
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Catherine
posts on 9/1/2005 7:32:41 AM
It's just to show a link with nature that people nowadays have lost. The elves are creatures that like nature and serene things and respect creatures. Honestly I can't believe you thought seriously enough about this subject to start a subject about it.
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The commentator Burrahobbit
posts on 8/31/2005 11:17:03 PM
Tolkien just liked trees OK
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The commentator Adnamarine
posts on 8/30/2005 8:08:28 AM
Sorry this is so long, but I had to put in answers for everything. 1. Saruman was on the dark side trying to take over the world. The reason he was cutting down trees was to use them in his fires which were used to make orcs to build up his army so he could take over the world. 2. Elves just lived in a lovely beautiful place. They were close to nature, but it is lovely and beautiful and peaceful, so why not? 3. Because gardeners were mostly unadventurous, and they kept nice yards. Homes and staying at your home were benefactors in the way you were looked at in the Shire. 4. Moder is just where Sauron built his tower so that it would be extremely difficult for anyone to get to him. 5. Aragorn had nothing else to work with. I mean, come on he's a ranger. He wanders. Besides, what else was he supposed to use? 6. Every book describes the scenery. Ones that don't are bland and missing something. 7. So, the symbol is a tree. So what? What is that supposed to show you? He chose it because it is a good symbol; it would symbolize the kingship growing and flourishing, or dying. 8. GANDALF! THE MAIN HERO?! I don't even think that's worth answering. Ta! ~Adna
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