Graduation, at last.
Four years gone, and I can scarcely think of any event which generated
more excitement and insight than the four seminars on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Through the seminars, I deepened existing
understandings and broadened the scope of how I perceived Tolkien’s greatest
work. I met and formed a relationship
with Dr. Brad Birzer, a Tolkien fanatic like myself, who humbled me with his
vast amount of Tolkien knowledge. In
addition to advancing my appreciation for The
Lord of the Rings, the seminars served to further my familiarity with
Tolkien’s life and history. Though Tolkien
never intended The Lord of the Rings to
present an allegory of his life, era, or Catholicism, similarities certainly existed.
I counted myself lucky;
I not only had an excuse to re-read Tolkien’s work, but also to share it with
experts like Dr. Birzer and other McConnell Scholars. If life after the McConnell Center provides
this kind of interaction and stimulation, I cannot wait to take part. Thanks again to the McConnell Center for
finally granting a long-held dream of mine:
a Tolkien series on The Lord of
the Rings. As a final note, I recommend Dr. Birzer's J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle Earth for Tolkien enthusiasts everywhere.
