The Hobbit

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

In many stories, characters have a sense of duty or responsibility that guides their actions. Considering the common elements of the fantasy genre, how might this theme be portrayed in a fantasy novel’s characterization, plot structure, conflict, setting, and themes?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt will help to introduce the novel’s theme of Duty as a Governing Moral and a Guiding Force. To begin, students might brainstorm common elements, images, titles, or tropes associated with the fantasy genre. A more specific brainstormed list might include hero/heroines of epic (and small-scale) quests. Working with a partner, readers can then name the duty or responsibility associated with each of those protagonists and label the ways in which fantasy elements work to highlight that guiding force. For an extended discussion, students might rate the importance of each protagonist’s duty and responsibility; at what point does a sense of duty turn from a helpful guide to an obligatory force that drives forward progress?

Information from these or similar resources can help students develop additional context on the topic.

• “What Is the Fantasy Genre?” is a Masterclass article detailing the various nuances, settings, characters, and traits of the fantasy genre.
• “The Hero’s Journey According to Joseph Campbell” is a 3-minute animated video detailing the narrative structure of The Hero’s Journey. This resource relates to the Duty theme as protagonists are often motivated by core values and personal feelings of responsibility.

Short Activity

Walk around the room to explore and examine the various quotes, passages, and images from fantasy genre mediums (narratives, television shows, movies, graphic novels). For each station, record your responses to these questions on a sticky note and post your thoughts to share.

• What commonalities are evident between the various mediums?
• How do the materials match or oppose your imagination’s suppositions about the fantasy genre?
• What is a prediction you can make about the novel The Hobbit based on the materials?

Teaching Suggestion: In addition to online search terms such as “fantasy genre,” “dragons,” “dwarves,” “wizards,” “elves,” “ents,” and other common terms, trying “satire,” “cartoons,” “classics,” and “book covers” in connection with the genre might yield interesting results. Include images or quotations from The Hobbit at each station for students’ predictions. You might utilize the following quotes that describe or comment upon the genre:

• “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” –A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
• “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” –Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
• “Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what outside, but what is inside that counts.” –Disney’s Aladdin
• “Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.” -Lloyd Alexander, author of the Chronicles of Prydain series.
• “The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time” according to TIME Magazine offers an abundance of book cover images that highlight fantasy styles as well as settings and characters. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing due to individual summaries’ mature content)
• “Wonder, Prediction, and Student Engagement” is an Edutopia article explaining how to teach students to make predictions. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing; professional development materials)

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Think about a time when a friend or companion played a crucial role in a challenging situation. How did their presence or support make a difference? Reflect on the qualities that you value in true friendships and how they can impact your life.

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt introduces the theme of The Importance of Friendship and Companionship. After an allotted amount of time for composing a personal response, students might share with a peer or with a small group. After listening to others share, students might benefit from additional time to write in order to process, analyze, and respond to what they heard from their classmates.

• “Why Friendship Makes Us Healthier” is a BBC article detailing how engaging in relationships makes people healthier and happier.
• “How Friends Influence One Another–For Better or Worse–in High School” is an article via KQED describing the positive and negative effects of friendships in teenagers. (Content Warning: mentions drug use)

Differentiation Suggestion: For a more auditory approach, this activity may be altered by organizing the space into 2 concentric circles and allowing students to discuss this theme and prompt with a different classmate each time the outer or inner circle shifts.