Tolkien

One of my favorite memories with my father revolves around JRR Tolkien. After reading the books as a child, I was elated to see the world of Middle Earth brought to the big screen. To my enjoyment my father was just as captivated as me by the fantasy, moral themes, and battle scenes depicted in Tolkien’s tale of friendship and good versus evil. Tonight my RA and I relived these memories (you’re still number one Pops) by watching the second installment, The Two Towers, and I was reminded of why I loved the trilogy so much: rhetoric. Rhetoric is not the sole reason I love The Lord of The Rings, but it adds to the appeal of the series.

In my opinion JRR Tolkien is one of the greatest rhetors of all time. He created languages. Can you create a language? I know I can’t! I can’t even fathom the knowledge and creativity required to write an entire language. What is even better, is the languages of JRR Tolkien sound just as legitimate as English, French, or Spanish. Elven, Dwarfish, and Orc are just a few of the many cultures Tolkien brought to life through the incorporation of rhetoric, fantasy, and storytelling. Rhetoric is a very powerful weapon, and Tolkien wields this weapon with an incredible amount of skill and shows us that rhetoric can be found everywhere, even in our favorite movies.