The Hobbit

Just like almost any other person, I have seen the two movies based on The Hobbit, therefore once again I had an easy pick which book I was going to read. I have to say I was a bit disappointed while and after reading The Hobbit, because in my opinion the book takes way too long starting the story which makes it a bit of a drag. Comparing a book to the movie is something I really like doing, because I don’t get annoyed by the differences but I do like spotting them. One big difference was the death of Smaug; this is made a very big deal in the movie, but in the book it is written as if it was an accident that Smaug had been slain by the humans. I think this could have been written in a much more exciting way. Another main difference was, obviously, that the book has a closed ending and one movie still has to be made before that will be coming to an end.

What I really liked was the fact that Bilbo did not want to go on a journey, but Gandalf tricks him by putting a sign on his door. This also happens in the movie, but in the book it is also explained that Gandalf chose to send the dwarves separately to stop Bilbo from freaking out. In the book, as well as in the movie, this is very funny when it happens.

I do think The Hobbit has a few big life lessons which make it worth reading, especially for youth aged 16 to 18. One of these lessons is once Thorin is wounded and tells Bilbo he is sorry for being so greedy. Even after he tells Bilbo that he can take his entire share, Bilbo only takes what he can carry, because to him, that’s enough. Another lesson taught is the fact that the dwarves don’t appreciate Bilbo at first, but over time they learn how valuable he is. This can show students to look beneath the surface and not judge the book on its cover.

Because of the many characters and slow telling story, I would say it is appropriate for the ages of 16 to 18. Younger children would get distracted easily and most of them would probably find the storyline too complex. It would also be rather difficult to most young teenagers to identify themselves with the story because it’s mostly about other creatures. Humans are also in the book, but they only have a very small influence on the story; also because the slaying of Smaug has been made such a tiny impact. Older teenagers would look at the struggles the characters go through more than at the characters in and on themselves.

I would be very reluctant to make my students read The Hobbit, because I don’t think most high school students would see the value of this book. If I had to use this book whilst teaching, I would probably let my students make a mindmap or a timeline to highlight the important events.