Lord Rings the Two Towers First Paragraph:

¶ … Lord Rings the Two Towers First paragraph: 5-8 sentences. In sentence, include title, author, subject/theme book. In middle paragraph, reader interest - statement, quote, background information.

Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers by J.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R. Tolkien illustrates the theme that absolute power corrupts people in an absolute fashion. The story unfolds the saga of a great, all-powerful ring that gives its wearer the ability to rule over all of Middle Earth. Various beings strive to gain control over the ring as the tale unfolds, including the former hobbit driven mad by the ring's power named Gollum and the evil wizard Saruman. The good hobbit Frodo nearly dies in his quest to bring the ring to the only place in the world -- Mount Doom -- where it can be destroyed. The book illustrates the important lesson that truth, duty, and friendship are eternal values, despite the fact that nearly all of the characters run the risk of being corrupted by the evil ring at various points in the story.

The book begins 'in media res,' or in the middle of the story: the hobbits Frodo and Sam have been separated from their friends Merry and Pippin. They all fear that the good wizard Gandalf has been destroyed, but later it is revealed that he survived his fall into the dark pits of Mount Moria, only to be brought back with restored powers. All of Middle Earth is arming to undertake a great battle. The Hobbits Merry and Pippin, along with Gandalf take the side of Riders of Rohan to fight the forces of Saruman. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam have found Gollum and persuaded Gollum to take them to the Mines of Modor, where they can find the path to Mount Doom. They believe that Gollum has reformed, but Gollum takes them astray into the lair of a gigantic spider Shelob. Frodo is attacked by the creature and left by Sam for dead, as Sam resolves to continue the quest to destroy the ring. However, Frodo is still alive -- just barely -- and is taken captive by the evil Orcs at the end of the book.

The most striking aspect of the book is the extent to which people will do everything in their power to obtain the One Ring. Even wizards such as Saruman and Gandalf are awed by its power. Perhaps the most blatant example of its destructive potential is the manner in which it has corrupted the character of Gollum, who used to be an ordinary hobbit named Smeagol, content with his life. These examples illustrate the principle that 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' in a stark fashion. Yet, to counterbalance this thesis there are also characters like Sam who seem relatively untouched by the dark pull of the ring. Sam only wants to return to the Shire and to ensure that his friend Frodo is safe, and has little interest in the power of the ring or keeping it for himself. Sam's selflessness even in the face of terror and his lack of a desire for ultimate power show that positive values can overcome the temptations embodied in the ring.