 Robert K. Bandy, Jr. | Happy Labor Day and extended weekend! If you are looking for a long read over this long holiday weekend, look no further than our final August Weekend Pick. Robert K. Bandy, Jr. reminds us what a great read The Fellowship of the Ring is and how its relevancy lives on. Robert K. Bandy, Jr. is a doctoral student at Columbus State University studying higher education administration. He writes curriculum for the United States Army full-time, focusing on developing Army courses to a collegiate learning level so that soldiers can obtain college credit recommendations through the American Council on Education. He enjoys international travel and reading both fictional and historical books and articles about different cultures. |
The Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
 | This summer I was able to spend an intensive Study Abroad semester in Oxford, England. Instead of three hours in class twice a week for 12 weeks, we compressed our 72 hours of academics into daily and consecutive learning activities – lectures, museums, campus tours – in just over two weeks, in addition to some pre-work about some of Oxford University’s most prominent authors from history. As a doctoral student at Columbus State University, I facilitated student-led lectures and immersive activities about an ‘Oldie but Goodie’, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. Traversing so many of the colleges within the Oxford University umbrella and experiencing landscape, architecture, libraries, and overall environment, I felt connected to some of the inspirations around popular books, such as the Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland series. But the highlight of my time literary immersion at Oxford was indeed diving into the academic and social interpretations of The Fellowship of the Ring. |
| The Fellowship of the Ring has fascinated some three generations of readers with its entirely relatable characters and a plot that intensifies with each page. From “you cannot pass” to “my precious,” there is a high likelihood that we’ve heard some of the cliché sayings of The Fellowship of the Ring at some point in our lives. The journey of Frodo Baggins, who inherits his uncle’s ring, is one of tragedy, bravery, suspense, and altruism. His quest and his decision to rid the world of a planet-conquering super evil is made all the more significant when you calculate that a middle-aged Halfling (barely two-thirds the size of a human) decides to journey nearly 2,000 miles to take The One Ring exactly where it belongs – no spoilers. He is joined by, not just a wizard, an elf, a dwarf, and two men, but three more of his kind – Hobbits. |  JRR Tolkien |
Aiding them along this incredibly secret journey are a host of largely unaware abettors who find themselves able to offer simple acts of kindness and gifts, as well as airborne winged flights across leagues of rough terrain. This book, the first in a series of three, is more than fantastic, but the globally renowned author saturates the story with meaning.
The story's other less notable free people share similar struggles to the main protagonists. For example, although you scarcely know this by reading The Fellowship of the Ring, several other lands are under direct attack by the enemy, including Lothlorien (the land of the Lady Galadriel), Gondor (home of Boromir), and even other realms still unknown to readers who started their exploration of The Lord of the Rings with this book. A clear implication is that wars and evil are rarely bound by borders or focused on only a small number of people, but can impact many in countless ways. Other lessons of self-sacrifice, honor, and humility counter those of greed, selfishness, and temptation. This trilogy, having sold upwards of (or surpassing) 150 million copies, is not one for a one-time read only. Immerse yourself in this utterly legendary series by starting with The Fellowship of the Ring.
The story's other less notable free people share similar struggles to the main protagonists. For example, although you scarcely know this by reading The Fellowship of the Ring, several other lands are under direct attack by the enemy, including Lothlorien (the land of the Lady Galadriel), Gondor (home of Boromir), and even other realms still unknown to readers who started their exploration of The Lord of the Rings with this book. A clear implication is that wars and evil are rarely bound by borders or focused on only a small number of people, but can impact many in countless ways. Other lessons of self-sacrifice, honor, and humility counter those of greed, selfishness, and temptation. This trilogy, having sold upwards of (or surpassing) 150 million copies, is not one for a one-time read only. Immerse yourself in this utterly legendary series by starting with The Fellowship of the Ring.
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