Poetry of Middle Earth: Orcs and Goblins

In this class we will study examples of songs created by the orcs and goblins of Middle Earth, then create our own brash poems and war songs.

We will learn vocabulary necessary for analyzing poetry and I will help students interpret the symbols, figurative language, and imagery of each poem. We'll also look at the themes and tone of goblin poetry to help us understand how it differs from the poems of other races in Middle Earth. 

I'll open class by welcoming students and allowing them to share what they know about The Lord of the Rings. After that, I'll provide them with an overview of essential vocabulary (notes will be posted in the classroom) and we will have some fun reading the poems and trying to sing the songs. Afterwards, we'll watch clips of how professional composers have performed Tolkien's goblin poems for films. I'll demonstrate how to interpret one of the poems, then ask students to help each other interpret stanzas or lines from other poems. After interpreting the poems, I'll helps students compose their own poems in a goblin-ish style. We'll end class by sharing any poems which have been completed and encouraging everyone to post their finished poems to the classroom. 

This class is part of a series that I am running where we examine the poetry of different kinds of people in Middle Earth.
Using examples from The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion, we will examine different styles of poetry from across the ages of Middle-Earth. Students will learn the essentials of rhyme, rhythm, and tone using fun examples of Tolkien's poems and songs. We will even get to listen to Tolkien himself reading and singing some of his compositions! Each class is offered separately so students can focus on their favorite fantasy races or try something new without committing to the full course.