“Why can your chosen person be considered notable?” 

 

J. R. R. Tolkien was and is still considered a giant in the world of literature. He single handedly created one of the most beautifully written and intricate fantasy worlds of all time, still unmatched to this day. J. R. R. Tolkien was most prominently known for his writing of “The Hobbit” and his bestselling and one of the most recognisable book series in the history of literature, “The Lord of the Rings.” This piece of writing will clearly show why and how my chosen person is considered notable. 

 

J. R. R. Tolkien’s life was filled with many significant (and sometimes tragic) events. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3rd 1892 in South Africa. By age 12 Tolkien had tragically lost both his parents and was forced to live at a boarding house by his guardian, priest, and family friend Father Francis Morgan. There Tolkien spent most of his childhood and greatly increased his linguistic skill, but when he fell in love with another boarder, Edith Bratt, Father Francis forbade Tolkien to ever correspond with her in any way until he was 21 years of age to which Tolkien reluctantly agreed. This would have devastated Tolkien but never the less, Tolkien fought through the pain. 

 

John was also faced with hardship in his life when he was enlisted to join the army in WW1. Before this however Tolkien first finished a degree for his studies which showed how much he cared for his education and how much of a hardworker he was. He fought bravely in the trenches and fought in the bloody Battle of Somme. Tolkien eventually contracted Trench Fever and was sent home early. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as almost his whole battalion would be wiped out later on. Tolkien was devastated when his close friend from school was killed in action during the final months of the war. His service in the war would later influence his writing in “The Hobiit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” 

 

J. R. R. Tolkien succeeded in many things and achieve many things that most people would struggle with. He was a gifted linguist and his skill was apparent at an early age. He had learnt over 35 different languages and this passion led him to becoming a professor of English Language and Literature at the prestigious Oxford University in 1925, which was a huge achievement for John. Tolkien also wrote many influential scholarly publications, the most famous of which was his lecture and analysis on the poem of Beowulf called “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” Tolkien would continue to work as a professor through to 1959. 

 

By far the most notable thing about Tolkien was his works in literature. J. R. R Tolkien was the author of many beloved classic and beloved books such as “The Hobbit” and the acclaimed “The Lord of the Rings” book series. Tolkien first started working on “The Hobbit” in the early 30s and handed his first full length manuscript to his good friend C. S. Lewis. In 1937 it was finally published and is now considered a beloved classic. Tolkien began work on another book after his success with his book called “Silmarillion” which told the tales of Ea, the fictional universe to which “The Hobbit” and later, “The Lord of the Rings” belongs. Unfortunately, his tales that he sent to his publisher for reviews was not as positive as he had hoped. This apparent failure would be a turning point in his career as his publisher urged Tolkien to create a sequel to “The Hobbit” to which Tolkien finally agreed to. 

 

Tolkien began his journey in writing “The Lord of the Rings” He began writing the series in 1937 and finally finished in 1949, a whopping 12 years later! He then spent another five years to revise and edit the book. This showed his dedication to his writing and to producing the best he could possibly give.  It was eventually published in 1954, and soon gained popularity and it is now heralded as one of the greatest book series of all time. “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” are now worldwide recognised classics and are read all over the world. “The Hobbit” has been translated into more than 50 different languages and “The Lord of the Rings” has been translated into over 30 languages aswell. 

 

Tolkien was also notable for creating one of the most deeply thought out and intricate fantasy worlds of all time, the world of Middle Earth which is where “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” takes place. His world is full of lore and events that add in some added depth to the story. This is mainly because Tolkien wrote books taking place in that world before writing “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” His dedication to writing also helped him create his world as the events and places feel more real and special. 

 

J. R. R. Tolkien has inspired me greatly because of their ability to write and create beautifully written books and worlds. His writing and expressiveness will be something that I will definitely look up to later on. His genius and hardworking attitude is also something that I and many people should look up to. J. R. R. Tolkien also inspires me because he overcame all his hardships in life. That is a difficult task that everybody struggles with and inspires me greatly. 

 

I had a lot of fun researching this notable for this project. I have learned a lot more about my notables than I previously knew about. For example, J. R. R. Tolkien was good friends with C. S. Lewis and was partly responsible for his conversion to Christianity. This would lead to his world-famous book, “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” which is partly based around the story of Jesus. There were many more interesting facts and overall, I very much enjoyed my time researching J. R. R. Tolkien.