In this course, students will journey through the awe-inspiring mountains, mines, and marshes of Middle Earth. As they traverse this treacherous terrain students will acquire long lost skills in the Art of Rhetoric that will help them conquer falsehood and lead their communities to harmony in truth. These tools will enable students to better generate, organize, and express ideas with clarity and eloquence. The class will take a deep-dive into the epic story of The Lord of the Rings, close-reading the entire trilogy over the year. As we accompany our intrepid heroes on their quest we will contemplate and discuss themes of heroism and cowardice, power and humility, sin and redemption, and what this story reveals about the human condition.

Course Objectives:
Students will be able to:

• Draw out important decisions/actions from the text and formulate an issue to write on.
• Proficiently use Aristotle’s 5 Common Topics to generate ideas about an issue.
• Carefully consider both Affirmative and Negative sides of an issue before deciding
• Arrange their ideas into a complete persuasive essay with: Exordium, Narratio, Division, Thesis, Proofs, Refutation, and Amplification
• Express their ideas with clarity and eloquence using the schemes and tropes of: Parallelism, Antithesis, Alliteration, Assonance, Similes, Metaphors
• Read texts closely using annotation and both analogical and analytical thinking.
• Delight in literature through communal reading and discussion.

Required books:

The Lost Tools of Writing 1 Student Book
ISBN: 9780986325717

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Fellowship of the Ring: ISBN 0261102354
The Two Towers: ISBN 0261102362
The Return of the King: ISBN 0261102370

Required Pre-Reading: The Hobbit

Recommended Books:

The Handbook of Types (for more examples of LTW skills)
The Silmarillion