George Mason University

This essay explores the tension between free will and determinism in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, specifically through the characters of Túrin Turambar and Frodo Baggins. Drawing on Tolkien’s assertion that free will is a derivative gift from the "Author" (Eru Ilúvatar), the essay argues that what characters perceive as a "curse" or "doom" is often the result of their own choices. While Morgoth’s Curse on the house of Húrin appears to be an inescapable destiny, my analys...

This essay explores J.R.R. Tolkien’s critique of the Germanic heroic code through the Old English concept of ofermod (overmastering pride" by analyzing the character of Boromir in The Fellowship of the Ring. Like Beowulf and Beorhtnoth before him, Boromir tragically falls due to pride. I argue that Tolkien uses the character of Boromir to deliver a critique of "warrior culture" and pride: while Boromir's courage is admirable, his excessive pride leads him to overestimate his abilit...

This paper examines the regional dialect variation that defined the Middle English period (c. 1100–1500). Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, England lacked a standardized language, resulting in five primary dialects: Northern, West Midland, East Midland, Southern, and Kentish. The essay highlights how varying degrees of French influence and the retention of Old English (OE) structures in different regions created vast differences in dialects and in texts. By comparing the works of Geoffrey...

This essay explores how gothic literature utilizes supernatural elements to deliver veiled political commentary, focusing on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto. While Hamlet predates the formal Gothic genre, its supernatural elements provided inspiration for Walpole’s novel, considered the first gothic novel. Both authors wrote during times of political instability (Elizabethan succession anxieties and the perceived tyranny of King George III) and use s...

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