Honors Modern Fiction
Comparing and Contrasting Literature and Film:
The Lord of the Rings
By this point we have viewed and analyzed a significant portion of Peter Jackson’s film version of The Fellowship of the Ring. Now, I am asking you to engage an excerpt of Tolkien’s novel and compare/contrast it with the film version of the same scene. You will be given a choice of scenes to which to respond (see below), and text excerpts will be available online. Guidelines for response are explained on the opposite page. Your responses must be uploaded to both Schoolwires and Turnitin.com and will count as a Test/Essay grade. See the “Lord of the Rings Blog Instructions” link on the Handouts page for information on how to log in to Schoolwires and post your comments.
Scenes – Choose one (1) of the following to which to respond. Scenes/chapters are listed in order of appearance. A .pdf version of the text can be found online on my HMF Handouts page. Choices 1-4 can be found in Tolkien’s text of The Fellowship of the Ring (FotR), while choice 5 can be found in The Two Towers (TT). Words in quotation marks indicate the title of the chapter in Tolkien’s novel. Words in italics briefly summarize what happens in the film and may include more than a single scene. Links to the scenes on Youtube.com are also provided for re-viewing. This assignment is due to Turnitin.com no later than midnight, ______.
1) “Flight to the Ford” (FotR Book I, Chapter XII) - The scene occurs after Frodo is stabbed on Weathertop. Frodo is fading, and Arwen attempts to get him to Rivendell via horseback while followed by 5 Ringwraiths: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QlyN_IVhR8.
2) The Bridge of Khazad-Dum” (FotR Book II, Chapter V) – The scene occurs in Balin’s tomb. In the film, the members of the Fellowship are trapped in the tomb and attacked by orcs and a cave troll:
a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBkiwyEOWEU
b. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jlsKzPiCbQ
c. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZzwaVerraA
d. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGUkkF8-3QQ
e. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrOqnZdvI6M
f. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HPeNPOOamw
g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyevhryWKHk
h. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi5pdd7xHNI
3) “The Mirror of Galadriel” (FotR Book II, Chapter VII) – The scene occurs as Celeborn and Galadriel first greet the Fellowship in Lorien, and Galadriel seems to read the minds of some of the members of the Fellowship: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdD6Cte8HrU.
4) “Farewell to Lorien” (FotR Book II, Chapter VIII) – The scene occurs as Celeborn and Galadriel say goodbye to the Fellowship, and the elves of Lorien give each one gifts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot7T7IzY--s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCJALRvjljY.
5) “Breaking of the Fellowship” (FotR Book II, Chapter X) - The scene occurs as Aragorn lets Frodo leave for Mordor and the Uruk-hai attack the Fellowship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzO1f1s4Bs8.
6) “Departure of Boromir” (TT Book III, Chapter I) - The scene occurs as Boromir defends Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-hai and Aragorn comes to Boromir’s aid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-4COTPubgo.
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COMPARING / CONTRASTING A NOVEL AND A FILM:
GUIDELINES FOR RESPONSE
In order to compare and contrast a novel’s version of a scene with its film counterpart, you need to consider not only what differs in the plot, but more importantly, how do the differences affect the reader/viewer?
In order to do this thoughtfully and well, you need to consider and comment on the works by doing the following:
- Make personal observations about the texts (characterization, theme, subtext, etc.) and analyze what the author/director did to make you respond in such a way. You might, for instance, think about how you feel about a character. Do your feelings change from novel to film? If so, why? What is the author/director doing to make you feel the way you do? Remember to look closely at how the author/director manipulates you. When reading, this means to consider the building blocks of writing, such as diction, imagery, detail, syntax, and tone. When viewing, this means considering elements of film, such as camera angle, lighting, and music.
- Consider the intended audience for each text. How might Tolkien’s text (voice, narrative elements, characterization, etc.) reflect a certain intended audience? What type of audience would Jackson expect, and how might the changes he makes reflect this audience’s likely expectations?
- Ask thoughtful (not plot-based) questions and hypothesize responses. For instance, you might wonder why an author has one character speak certain lines in the book, while the director decides to have a different character speak the same lines, and then consider possible responses, based on the information presented to you. Or you might question why a character present in the novel is cut from the film, and, again, hypothesize reasons based on the evidence at hand.
- Develop your ideas. Do not simply list the “what” but examine the “why” and “how”: Why do I feel the way I do? Why would an author or director make such a choice? How do changes alter the meaning or impact of a character, scene, or conflict? How does the change in voice/vocabulary from text (diction, detail, image, syntax, tone, etc.) to film (sound, lighting, camera angle, etc.) add to or detract from the entire experience?
Your response should not simply summarize the plot. If you have questions on plot, please feel free to ask for plot clarification in class.
In addition:
1. You must support all opinions with specific references to the texts. References from the novel excerpt (quotations/paraphrases) must include the page number(s) on which this information can be found. The more numerous your specific references, the better, up to a point and provided you have included discussion/analysis of them. Consider three (3) references to the novel and 2-3 to the film per response to be the minimum acceptable number. Please note, though, that even if you incorporate 12 specific references to each text, if your response lacks a thoughtful discussion of these references, then your grade will suffer.
2. Responses must be uploaded on time to Turnitin.com. No responses will be accepted late (with the exception of a valid and serious extenuating circumstance, to be determined by myself).
3. Any sign of plagiarism, however minute, will result in a zero grade for the response.
A word about assessment: The following are general guidelines.
A: An “A” indicates work that is both exceptional and that pushes the envelope. The more, the better---provided it is thoughtful, well developed, and related to the topic. Work meets and then greatly exceeds minimum basic expectations. (This might include responding to other students’ post, or incorporating links to outside sources.) Assignment reveals an enthusiasm about the reading, writing, and analysis process.
B: Work is still thoughtful and thorough, but somewhat less extensive than an A. Expectations and possibly exceeded bit, but responses may be somewhat inconsistent (one response may be superior to the other).
C: Average in terms of thought and effort demonstrated. Minimalist approach to work. Text referenced less frequently than expected, or ideas are presented but not developed thoughtfully.
D: Off topic, or does not follow basic guidelines for response. May reflect misunderstanding of text(s).