The Silmarillion By J.R.R. Tolkien

The SilmarillionBy J.R.R. Tolkien J. R. R. Tolkien. The Silmarillion. The Random House Publishing Group1999, New York. By Paco Smith

J. R. R. Tolkien • Born January 3, 1892 in South Africa • Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University from 1925 to 1945 • An English writer, poet, and philologist • Author of many Fantasy books including Lord of the Rings • Died November 29, 1971

Characters: Protagonist • Beren • A man that fell in love with the elf Luthien • Retrieved a Silmaril on a mission to prove his love. • Was killed by a spear • Their love granted them another life

Characters: Antagonist • Morgoth • The dark lord of the land • Reigns over the orks • Silmarils encrusted in helmet • Gets robbed while he is sleeping • Killed Beren

Favorite Character • Fingolfin • One of the four sons of Finwe • Was held under the oath to get a Silmaril • Never turned evil like his brothers • Killed by Morgoth

Least Favorite Charactor • Eol • Creepy dark elf that lives in the forest • Took Aredhel to wife after tricking her • Has a son, Maeglin • Abusive and mean • Aredhel and Maeglin run away

Exposition • Middle Earth is created • Elves are created • Men are created • Beren’s clan is destroyed • Elves retreat to hidden city • Beren finds Elve’s city and meets/falls in love with Luthien

Rising Action • Thurin doesn’t like Beren • Sends him on an impossible mission to prove his love • Beren agrees and sets out • War is raging between Morgoth and Fingolfin • Aredhel runs away from Thurin

Climax • With the help of his dog, Beren retrieves a Silmaril • Fingolfin is killed By Morgoth • Aredhel runs away from Eol with Maeglin

Falling Action • Beren is killed on his way back to the city • Luthien dies from grief • Maeglin is an angry young man • Morgoth advances on the elf front

Resolution • The gods grant Beren and Aredhel another life together • Maeglin rights his wrongs • The last battle of the second age destroys Morgoth • Isildur inherits the one ring to rule them all…

Setting • Starts with pre-history of middle earth • This part of the story is from 455 to 490 of the second age. (solar years)Make note of link with earth’s history • Takes place in Middle Earth (Starting grounds of Lord of the Rings)

Themes • War between good and evil- Seen with the battle of the elves and the orcs. • True love conquers all- The heroic and romantic story of Beren and Luthien. • Instability and curruption- Eol’s bad temper and rage effect Aredhel and Maeglin immensely.

Rating • I give this book a solid 8 • It was a very well thought out book, and tied subtle things in that made it interesting. • Had vast allusion to our own (earthly) history and European myths and legends. • But very confusing and complicated

Introduction of issue • Child Abuse • Victims • Effects • Consequences • Help

Child Abuse Facts • In 2005, 12.1 of every 1,000 American children, almost 900,000 in all, suffered abuse by adults, with parents of victims accounting for almost 80% of abusers. • Every day, about four children die in the U.S. because of abuse or neglect, most of them babies or toddlers. • For every incident of child abuse or neglect that gets reported, it’s estimated that two others go unreported. • Neglect is by far the most common form of child abuse, accounting for more than 60% of all cases. (Iannelli)

Sexual Abused children • Physical abuse accounts for between 15% and 20% of documented child abuse cases each year. • A third of all girls and a fifth of boys are sexually abused by an adult during childhood. • 8 out of 10 sexual abusers are someone in the family or someone the child knows. (Croft)

Child Abuse and Drugs • About 10% of babies are born to drug-using mothers. • Of kids who have a parent who uses drugs, one in 13 is physically abused regularly. • Abused children are more likely to abuse alcohol and become addicted to drugs, and one third will later abuse their own children. • Of all prison inmates, 84% were abused as children. (Newton)

Neglect • Neglect is frequently defined in terms of deprivation of adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision. (Child Welfare Information)

Effects of Child Abuse • Academic difficulties; Aggressive behavior; Alcohol and/or other drug abuse; Anxiety; Attention problems; Bad dreams; Bed wetting; Behavior problems; Chronic pain; Compulsive sexual behaviors; Concentration problems; Dangerous behavior such as speeding; Dehydration; Depression; Dissociative states; Eating disorders; Failure to thrive; Fear or shyness; Fear of certain adults or places; Frequent injuries; Insomnia; Learning problems; Lying; Malnutrition; Oppositionality; Panic attacks; Physical symptoms such as headaches and stomach aches; Repeated self-injury; Risky sexual behaviors; Running away; Self neglect; Separation anxiety; Sexual dysfunction; Sleep disorders; Social withdrawal; Stealing; Stuttering; Substance abuse; Suicide attempts; Thumb-sucking or any age-inappropriate behavior; Truancy (Gibson)

Help for Child Abuse victims • There are many organizations, associations, and foundations that work specifically on help for victims of child abuse • There is always hope (Saisan)

Song/Video • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqvzpEPTZds&feature=related • Concrete Angel. By: Martina Mcbride

Work Cited • Gibson, Emma. “Child Abuse-What are the causes and effects?” Ezine Articles. 2 May. 2008 EzineArticles.com. 28 Feb. 2010 • C. J. Newton. "Child Abuse: An Overview“, MA, Counseling.com (formerly TherapistFinder.net) Mental Health Journal in April, 2001. • Joanna Saisan, MSW, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. “Child Abuse and Neglect. Recognizing and Preventing Child Abuse” Helpguide.org December 2009. • Iannelli, Vincent. “Child Abuse Statistics” About.com. Web. February 03, 2010 • Child Welfare Information. “Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect” Child Welfare Information Gateway. April 2007. web. March 6, 2010 • Harry Croft, MD (Psychiatrist). “Types of child abuse” Helthyplace.com web. February 14, 2010.

The Silmarillion By J.R.R. Tolkien