We started discussing Return of the King this week.
We talked about the theme of sacrifice and all the characters that either are sacrificed or make significant sacrifices. We also talked about and how many times oaths are made, and what point, if any, Tolkien was trying to make. Whenever an author repeats something, they are usually trying to add to their overall message.
I shared Tolkien's thoughts on writing a sequel and why he abandoned the project. I also shared, here and there, the changes he made in the story, like having Aragorn and Eowyn get married.
I mentioned little tidbits of info, like how Rosie and Sam are third cousins and that Aragorn is 88 at the end of the story. I mistakenly said he died at 210, instead, he died at 198. Numenoreans are given up to 210 years to live.
I left them with research topics. One is to look up Aragorn's family tree to see how he is related to Elrond, and if he does indeed have elf in him. From what I remember, he does, and is a descendant of Beren and Luthien.
Another was to look up what exactly the other rings did, and who made them.
Researching something at home is one of the requirements for the award. All the students have a requirement page, I hoped it was pretty easy to do. Just showing a little effort is enough to pass off several of the things. The 3 papers they need to write don't have to be lengthy. A few sentences or one paragraph is enough. Contact me with any questions on what is passable.
I am going to be gone this week and the first week back from Christmas. Teacher Lisa can pass things off.
Merry Christmas and see you all on the 12th!
