J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien led an interesting life because he had many traumatizing experiences as a child. Did these experiences effect his writing or was he just an imaginative adult or was he a child in a grown mans body? That is what we are going to explore in this paper. By the time I am done you will believe that this man was a traumatized child. The many experiences that he had during long his life were very dramatic. They would have made even the toughest of children have problems later on in life. From my own experiences through my own life I can kind of relate to this man. The experiences that I have had have been pretty dramatic, but nothing like his. By reading what happened to him, I know from what I have read about him that he had to be traumatized as an adult.

Before J.R.R. was born, his father, whose name was Arthur, worked for a very well known and prosperous bank in England. In an effort to cut back and make more money the bank fired him. Arthur was courting a young woman, by the name of Mabel, but before he could marry her he had to prove to Mabel’s father that he was going to be able to support her for the rest of her life. While looking for a job as a bank clerk he looked to the colonies of England, and he found a job in a bank in South Africa as a financial clerk. When he had established himself in the bank he sent for Mabel. They were married in 1981 in a Catholic Church in South Africa. The town in which they lived was called Bloemfontein, South Africa. This was where they wanted their children to grow up.

J.R.R. was born on January, 31 1892 in South Africa. His birth name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. His younger brother, Hilary Arthur Reuel Tolkien, was born two years later on February 17, 1894. They were raised in a Catholic family. When J.R.R was three years of age, in 1895, his mother, brother, and he went back to Birmingham England to meet his grandparents. The reason Arthur did not go was that he was sick with yellow fever and he was going to wait till he was better to make the long sea voyage to England. This voyage was usually not easy for even the healthy passengers, so it was wise to stay behind. On the way to England J.R.R.’s mother got a letter telling her that her husband had died of yellow fever. When she got this news she decided to move back to England since there was nothing in South Africa for her, and so that she could be closer to her family.

J.R.R. and his brother grew up in Birmingham, England, which is where their parents also grew up. When he was seven years old he took the entrance exam to King Edwards School. This is the school his father went to, and it was one of the most prestigious schools in England. He failed the exam that year, but went back one year later and passed the exam and was admitted into the school. His stay at this school was due to the generosity of one of his uncles who paid his tuition, because his mother was having enough trouble making ends meet. The stay at this school was short lived and only lasted two years. This is because his family moved to a different neighborhood called Kings Heath. When he moved here he had to transfer to St. Phillips School, which was run by a local church. One short year later he went back to King Edwards School because his mother realized if he was to get a scholarship to any college he had to go to King Edwards School. J.R.R. had to go to King Edward School, because he was not from a wealthy family. His family did not have the money to pay for college, and in order for him to get a scholarship he had to go to the best grade school in England which was King Edwards School.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born to Arthur and Mabel Tolkien on

a Sunday morning in 1892. To be exact the date was January 3, 1892.

When he was only about 6 he lived in South Africa. A few months later he

was kidnapped and was later found with a tribe of natives and had learned

their culture. When he was claimed by his parents they died a few weeks

later and he moved to Birmingham, England. He was raised by a priest. He