WWI Tolkiens Experiences JRR Tolkien LESSON 1 JRR

WWI: Tolkien’s Experiences JRR Tolkien

LESSON 1 JRR Tolkien Learning objective: To understand how the Battle of the Somme had a profound influence on the life & work of JRR Tolkien. 2

The Lord of The Rings The Hobbit 3

All about Tolkien 1. What are two of Tolkien’s most famous books? (2) 2. What are some of the beings that appear in the Middle-earth stories? Name at least three. (3) 3. How old was Tolkien when his father died? (1) 4. Which King did Tolkien attend the coronation of? (1) 5. How many men were killed or injured at the Battle of the Somme? (1) THE HISTORY COLLECTION / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO 4

3 objects you might find in a battle scene e. g. fighter plane e. g. flying monster • • Create a metaphor for your objects that could appear in a fantasy book. 5

LESSON 2 Nurse Learning objective: To be able to use metaphors effectively. 6

Why do people write? 7

Nurse by Paul Jenkins Nurse… The devastating sound Please nurse, Please bring me paper. Of dragons in the cloak of night Please bring me paper I have an urge to write No hiding or retreat These visions will not leave To document these visions No chance to end the nightmares It must be told of what I saw within the night. No sour turned to sweet The world, it must believe Of iron horses bringing Just endless, endless cycles, For living with this horror Fresh young meat for sacrifice A replay of the past Is impossible you see These outside bets for gambling men A film rewound And though sharing cannot change it With heavy loaded dice The plot the same At least my mind is free Of darkened skies A new and fresher cast Of the dreams that turn to nightmares As black as death To show the tragic action Every night upon this bed The thunder crashing round To play the end of days This hold upon my soul A river made of boyhood tears The morning sun extinguished The silent ring within my head. In a life-depleting haze 8

Nurse by Paul Jenkins Nurse… The devastating sound Please nurse, Please bring me paper. Of dragons in the cloak of night Please bring me paper I have an urge to write No hiding or retreat These visions will not leave To document these visions No chance to end the nightmares It must be told of what I saw within the night. No sour turned to sweet The world, it must believe Of iron horses bringing Just endless, endless cycles, For living with this horror Fresh young meat for sacrifice A replay of the past Is impossible you see These outside bets for gambling men A film rewound And though sharing cannot change it With heavy loaded dice The plot the same At least my mind is free Of darkened skies A new and fresher cast Of the dreams that turn to nightmares As black as death To show the tragic action Every night upon this bed The thunder crashing round To play the end of days This hold upon my soul A river made of boyhood tears The morning sun extinguished The silent ring within my head. In a life-depleting haze 9

© IWM (E(AUS) 1233) 10

Rehearse your poem • Will you perform the poem in unison or split the lines into individual readers? • How will you position yourself when performing? All in a group or in a line? • Are there gestures or movements that you think would help get your point across? 11

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LESSON 3 The Lord of the Rings Learning objective: To understand how writers use extended metaphors to tell stories. 13

Describe these items so your partner can guess them: • • • Tank Artillery shell Poison gas 14

Describe these items so your partner can guess them: • • • Machine gun Flamethrower Military aircraft 15

How does Tolkien use language for effect? (AO 2) • Can you find any examples of metaphors or descriptions which might be linked with Tolkien’s wartime experiences? • What impression does the reader get of the battlefield? • Why might Tolkien have chosen to present his experiences in his writing? Allegory - a story, play, poem, picture, or other work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas that relate to morals, religion or politics. 16

• Why did Tolkien create a fantasy world that echoed his experiences in WW 1 rather than retelling his experiences in a diary or autobiography? • Why do you think his work is still popular today? 17

LESSON 4 Speaking and listening Learning objective: To understand how writers use extended metaphors to tell stories. 18

GEORGE BUTTERWORTH ARNOLD SCHOENBERG GUSTAV HOLST The Banks of Green Willow (1913) Variations for Orchestra (192628) Ode to Death (1918 -19) This piece of music is said to convey an idyllic sense of the English countryside. Butterworth was killed, aged 31, by a sniper during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Schoenberg wanted to challenge traditional ways of composing music and saw this as a way to challenge the strict class structure of society. Aged 40 when war broke out, the English composer Holst was rejected as unfit for military service and felt frustrated that friends and family were doing their bit, including his wife, who became an ambulance driver. But in the final months of war, Holst had his chance to serve — as a volunteer working with British troops in Europe awaiting demobilisation. He may have gone on to produce brilliant pieces of music, but we will never benefit from them. Although he had written lots of ‘atonal’ pieces before WW 1, his work gained popularity after the war ended. 19

“An author cannot of course remain wholly unaffected by his experience, but the ways in which a story-germ uses the soil of experience are extremely complex, and attempts to define the process are at best guesses from evidence that is inadequate and ambiguous. ” – JRR Tolkien, Foreword in The Lord of the Rings 20

• Did Tolkien intend to recreate his experiences of WW 1 for his readers? Why/why not? • Does it matter whether this author intended for their work to be linked to events in history or not? • Why do you think so many artists produced pieces of work (art, writing, music) inspired by WW 1? • Was it important for them to share their experiences with us in this way? • What might be different today if they hadn’t created these pieces? 21

Reflection • • What are your own thoughts about war? Have any books, films, music or art influenced your perspective? 22

LESSON 5 Thank You Learning objective: To plan a personal act of remembrance. 23

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