When Rings Reflect Life
Rings of Power is even more relevant now than it was when it was first released
Welcome to From the Teacher’s Desk, where we take turns further reflecting on our episodes and applications to the classroom.
I was slow to the Lord of the Rings party.
My husband and I watched the first movie in early 2002, shortly after we returned from our honeymoon. While we’re both avid readers, neither of us had read the series. We didn’t know anything about Tolkien. When the lights came up in the movie theater and the credits rolled, we both looked at each other and said, “We need to know what happens next!”
We bought the entire trilogy the next week, taking turns reading all three books over the next few months. By the time we finished them, we were fully on board with everything Lord of the Rings. We caught the earliest showings possible for the next two films and bought the extended edition movies when each came out.
So when Amazon Prime released the first season of Rings of Power, we wanted to watch it, but we just couldn’t fit it into our schedule and get our kids fully on board. When we both saw rave reviews of the second season, we decided we had permission to watch it on our own, racing through both seasons in three weeks without our teenagers. We looked up plot points on our phones. We discussed our predictions. And we became once again sucked into the world of Middle Earth.
Not a Baggins’ Story
The series covers the events of the Second Age of Middle Earth, long before Smeagol/Gollum picks up the lost Ring to Rule Them All. The first season builds up to the completion of the three rings for the Elves and the reemergence of Sauron, the primary antagonist of the Lord of the Rings. The second season tells the story of the creation of the other rings to control the Dwarves and Men, as well as Sauron’s growing power and the alliances between the Elves, Dwarves, and Men.
We are also introduced to the precursor to Hobbits: Harfoots. Since they haven’t discovered the Shire, they migrate throughout unexplored portions of Middle Earth seeking safety as the rest of Middle Earth erupts into war.
Flaws of Human Nature
Tolkien uses the different beings of his fantasy world—Orks, Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Men, etc.—to explore human nature’s many sides. We can be kind and cruel, brave and cowardly, intelligent and gullible. The expanded universe in Rings of Power introduces us to characters struggling with the duality of their own natures as well.
In Rings of Power, this trope builds through the creation of the different rings. Elrond fights against the very formation of the rings, even though it is clear the Elven rings are essential to save the Elves in Middle Earth. Sauron traps the celebrated elf Cerebrimbor in an alternate reality while pushing the elf to complete the rings for Men. The dwarf Durin fights against his king father receiving the rings created for the dwarves because he senses the evil woven into them. When Durin’s father ignores his warnings and places the ring on his own finger, he descends into madness, foreshadowing what will happen when the rings are given to the world of Men.
The second season ends with Middle Earth on the brink of all-out war and Sauron preparing to deliver the rest of his rings to human leaders seeking a tool to protect themselves from the dangers of spreading evil. Unfortunately, they are prepared to seek salvation from the very hand that wants to destroy them.
When Life Reflects Art
Being human is hard, especially as we live among a species increasingly seduced by the promises authoritarians present.
And yet, I still find hope in the world Tolkien created. As a World War I veteran, he saw firsthand the complete destruction of the European continent. He saw the worst impacts of modern warfare and wanted nothing to do with it. The “rape of the Shire"—which was completely cut from the feature film Return of the King—was partially inspired by his war experiences and witnessing the environmental destruction of industrial England. He had seen a lot of terrible things in his life, but one can still sense the hope underneath the occasionally ugly surface of his fantasy world. Throughout the Lord of the Rings, readers are reminded that it is darkest before the dawn. We will always be in a struggle of good against evil and a whole lot of gray in between, but that doesn’t mean we give up.
My husband and I binged the first and second seasons right before the 2024 election. I’m glad I was able to reach out for Tolkien’s optimism as I processed the immediate aftermath and continue to process what is to come. After all, fiction often helps us process the world when reality seems too difficult to bear.
Give Them a Fantasy Outlet
When students are trying to make sense of the world around them, fantasy can be a fantastic gateway. Alicia and I have always had a special place in our hearts for Arthurian legend, and I frequently refer to the hero’s journey - a common fantasy trope.
Recently, I have found Madeline L’Engle’s Instagram account helpful and hopeful. I especially enjoy the writing and reflection of
as he reflects on all things Tolkien. His Threads and Bluesky accounts are also delightful commentaries on current events through the eyes of our favorite Lord of the Rings characters.Yes, I’m looking to fiction right now to help guide me through the dark. I believe Tolkien would approve.
Something I’m currently loving
AppleTV has released the second season of Shrinking and I love how the characters and their relationships keep developing. The show is a fun and sometimes challenging look at the world of mental healthcare. It also reminds us that therapists are human too. I can’t recommend it enough.
Please “like” by clicking on the ❤ and share this post with your friends, colleagues, and fellow lit thinkers.
Loved this reflection, Sarah! So glad that Tolkien's works and their adaptations (including Rings of Power) can be a source of hope and encouragement to you. Tolkien would absolutely agree that fiction can and should be a "guide...through the dark." In "On Fairy-Stories" he defended one of the specific uses of Fantasy as a genre as providing "escape" for the reader: "Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home?" Stories like his help us see beyond the current darkness and remind us about the light outside the walls we may find around us.
Honored to myself be a source of inspiration and such for you too! Thanks for tagging me and sharing!