Poems/Drama/Songs/Painting (Topic 8)

Who authored Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and The Hobbit?

- JRR Tolkien

aka John Ronald John Reuel Tolkien

Name the 3 books in LOTR (trilogy)

- The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)

- The Two Towers (1954)

- The Return of the King (1955)

The MC and ring bearer is Frodo Baggins

The prequel to the trilogy of LOTR

- The Hobbit

- the MC is Bilbo Baggins

What were the inspiration involved in writing the trilogy of LOTR?

- mythology,

- philology,

- Christianity,

- and Tolkien's WWI experience (trench warfare)

What are the themes involved in LOTR?

- the battle between good and evil,

- corrupting influence of power (aka the ring)

- courage and kindness. Tolkien also explores

- themes of death and immortality

- the importance of friendship and loyalty

Who is Aragorn in LOTR?

- Initially known as Strider or

- Ranger of the North

- Heir of Isildur (king of Arnor & Gondor)

What did Aragorn do in LOTR?

- Played a key role in the quest to destroy the One Ring and defeat Sauron

- Frodo was the ring bearer BUT failed to destroy the ring at the last minute

- Gollum together with the ring felled to the lava and perish

What happened to Aragorn after Sauron was finally defeated?

- Aragorn is crowned as king of Gondor and Arnor → ruled for 122 years

- Ruled as King Elessar Telcontar

- Married Arwen, the elven princess, 1 son & several daughters were birthed

- Similar to King Alfred the Great & even Christ-like symbolism

What was the storyline of The Hobbit?

About Bilbo Baggins a halfling

- Went on a journey with a group of dwarves to reclaim their kingdom

In The Hobbit, why does the dwarves needs to reclaim their kingdom?

- The dragon Smaug evicted the previous kingdom

- It's called Erebor

Who is Smaug the dragon?

A servant like Sauron, created by Morgoth the dark lord

Who were the original company that set out to reclaim the Dwarven kingdom Erebor?

- Bilbo

- Gandalf

- 13 dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (who died also)

How many of the 13 dwarves in The Hobbit survived and their names?

7 survived

Dwalin, Gloin, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur.

What is the Arkenstone in The Hobbit?

A valuable gem, immense beauty and glory, and an heirloom of the dwarves' kingdom

Who calls Bilbo Baggins a "burglar-hobbit"?

His dwarf companions

What was the name of the dragon in The Hobbit and where did he stay?

Smaug, he slept at the innermost chamber of the Lonely Mountain

Who is considered the "true-king" of the mountain in The Hobbit?

Thorin Oakenshield

What was the weakest part of Smaug and who killed him?

- A hole in his jewel-encrusted underbelly on his left breast area

- Killed by Bard, a descendant of Girion, Lord of Dale.

How was Smaug killed?

Bard fired the last Black Arrow and it pierced the weakest part of Smaug

Along the journey, what did Bilbo Baggins picked up, that became a cursed item for his nephew in LOTR trilogy?

The master ring of Sauron

How did Arthur's story evolved through Welsh' mythology?

- Annales Cambriae

- Historia Brittonum

What are the versions associated with Excalibur the sword?

- First appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae

- The famous “sword in the stone” version was introduced by Robert de Boron

- Gifted by Lady of the Lake in Le Morte d’Arthur

Who wrote Prince Caspian?

CS Lewis, a good friend of JRR Tolkien

Which book is Prince Caspian in the "The Chronicles of Narnia"?

the 4th

one earth year is equivalent to how many years in Narnia

1 year = 1300 years in Narnia

What is plot story to Prince Caspian?

- 1 year passed for the Pevensie children (earth time)

- 1300 years passed in Narnia

- the Pevensie children returned to Narnia to help Prince Caspian

- their enemy is King Miraz

How were the Pevensie children "summoned" back to Narnia?

Prince Caspian blew the Queen Susan's magical horn

Who was Prince Caspian enemy in Narnia?

His uncle Miraz, the usurper king, who tried to kill him

Portraits of King Henry VII (7) is likely to be in which style during his reign?

Northern renaissance style

Who wrote the manga "Kimba the White Lion"?

Osamu Tezuka

In Japan, what is the alternative name to "Kimba the White Lion"?

Jungle Emperor

What is the name of the lion in "Kimba the White Lion"?

Leo

What is the plot story of "Kimba the White Lion"?

About Leo, uniting other animals in the forest

brought peace to the jungle

Who was Kimba's father?

- His father, Panja (Caesar in English), was killed by humans for protecting jungle animals,

- and Kimba carries on his ideals of harmony and understanding

Who was Kimba's mother?

- Eliza, but she was captured and gives birth to Kimba (Leo in Japanese) on a ship bound for a zoo

- Storm wrecks the ship, Kimba survives and is raised by humans

What is the appeal in "Kimba the White Lion"?

- Follows hero's journey structure → struggle and finally achieve success

- Hope in tough times

- Nostalgia, usually a golden age when the king once ruled

The author for Dante's Inferno was?

Italian writer, Dante Alighier

Dante's literary works were made accessible to many via which language?

The vernacular language of this time, when Latin was only taught to the educated and nobility/royalty/priesthood

Dante was best known for the poem Divine Comedy. What was it about?

- Is 3 part journey through hell, purgatory and paradise

- Reflects christian beliefs at the time and criticises his contemporary religious leaders

Difference between white vs black guelphs in Dante's world

White guelphs - opposes the Pope from having full power

Black guelphs - supports the Pope to have full power

Why was Dante exiled from Florence?

- the black team won

- charged Dante with baratteria (corruption) & financial wrongdoing

What would have happened to Dante if he continued staying in Florence?

he would be killed, unless he paid a "fine" which he did not, and he moved out from Florentine

The Lions of Al-Rassan is a historical fantasy novel written by?

- Canadian writer Guy Gavriel Kay

- Novel is based on Moorish Spain

Who were the main characters in Lions of Al-Rassan?

- Jehane bet Ishak (loosely based on Rebecca of York)

- Rodrigo Belmonte (loosely based on El Cid)

- Ammar ibn Khairan (loosely based on Muhammad ibn Ammar)

When Diego, son of Rodrigo was treated by Jehane's father, what possible future could be envisioned?

A future where the 3 major faiths (Jews/Christians/Muslims) can coexist together.

During the battle between Rodrigo and Ammar, who won?

Ammar won, but lamented the loss of his good friend

Sun Mu is a Korean painter. Where was he originally from?

North Korea, where he was a propaganda artist. He defeced to South Korea.

Is Sun Mu his real name?

- It's a pseudonym.

- To protect his family he left in North Korea, he does not use his real name/photo in his exhibit.

What was Sun Mu's signature work and it's meaning?

- Happy Children

- Depicting North Korean children with a FORCED smile as taught to him in school

Which group sand the song “If I Die Young (2010)”?

- The Band Perry

- Made of the Perry siblings

- Split in 2023

What is the song "If I Die Young (2010)” about?

- About sadness of dying young,

- worrying about how her loved ones will miss her

- Wants her family to save their tears until they really need them

Who is Vincent Van Gogh?

Dutch painter who experimented with sharp brush lines and bright colors

Who is Theo Van Gogh?

Younger brother to Vincent

Seven (7) famous paintings of Vincent Van Gogh

Starry Night

Sunflowers

Self-Portrait (really a self portrait of himself)

The Potato Eaters

Wheatfield with Crows

Irises

The Bedroom in Arles

How did Vincent van Gogh became famous?

- After his death

- SIL, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger promoted his work/organised exhibitions

Other mechanisms Joanna used to promote Vincent?

- She published his letters to Theo and translated them to english

- Wrote a biography about Vincent

How Johanna fulfilled Vincent's aspirations to be famous and well known?

- Johanna moved to Bussum, and opened a guest house

- Bussum is home to many artists/writers

- Johanna organised sale exhibitions

- She also showcased public collections to increase awareness

Vincent van Gogh's exhibition in Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam was organised by Johanna. What occurred there?

- Largest ever exhibition on his work in 1905

- Sold 480 artworks

- Prices kept skyrocketing after that

Who founded the Vincent van Gogh museum?

Made by Vincent Willem van Gogh, son of Johanna and nephew to Vincent van Gogh

Who created the "Epic: The Musical"?

- Jorge Rivera-Herrans

- recorded in his dormitory at Uni of Notre Dame

What is the backdrop to "Epic: The Musical"?

- based on Homer's The Odyssey

- Jorge's musical adaption stays true to the storyline, including supernatural events

What is the storyline in The Odyssey?

- The story of Odysseus

- Depicts his journey home to wife (Penelope) & kids after Trojan war

What was the musical blend used by Jorge Rivera for the "Epic: The Musical"?

The soundtrack blends:

- orchestral,

- electronic,

- and pop music,

The song "Wouldn’t you like" is in which arrangement and number in "Epic: The Musical"?

- 2nd song in The Circe saga (2nd out of 4)

- Circe saga is the 4th chapter in "Epic: The Musical"

When Odysseus and crew landed in a strange island, what happened to the crew?

They were turned into pigs by Circe's potions

How did Odysseus saved his crew from Circe?

- Hermes gave him a plant called moly

- moly prevents turning into pigs

- Odysseus threatened Circe and she returned his crew