Hello everyone, it's lovely to see you all today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton, and I'm going to guide you through a learning journey today.

Today's lesson's called, "Considering and emulating Tolkien's use of a cliffhanger in 'The Two Towers.

'" So we're gonna spend a bit of time thinking about what a cliffhanger is.

Then we're gonna read the end of "The Two Towers," and think about what methods Tolkien has used to create tension, before creating our own cliffhanger that emulates Tolkien's work.

Now, you'll need a copy of the 2022 HarperCollins publisher's edition of "The Two Towers," by J.

R.

R.

Tolkien for this lesson.

So make sure you have that to hand.

So if you're ready, grab your pen, laptop, whatever you need for this lesson and let's get started.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to consider how Tolkien uses onomatopoeia, sentence fragments, and short sentences to craft an effective cliffhanger.

So we have five words today that we're gonna be focusing on as our keywords.

They've been identified in bold throughout the learning material.

And I'll try to point them out to you as well so you can see them being used in context.

So our first keyword is "cliffhanger," which means a plot device in which an element of the story is left unresolved.

We're going to be focusing on identifying, and analysing the cliffhanger that Tolkien uses at the end of "The Two Towers." Our second key word is "tension," which means mental or emotional strain.

We're specifically focusing on how Tolkien creates a tense cliffhanger.

Our third keyword is "unresolved," which means not settled, solved, or brought to resolution.

We're going to be thinking about how cliffhangers leave the reader with a sense of things not being resolved.

Our fourth keyword is "provocative," which means likely to arouse a strong reaction.

We're going to be thinking about how Tolkien uses the provocative final word at the end of "The Two Towers," and what effect this might have on the reader.

Our final keyword is "abrupt," which means sudden and unexpected.

We're going to be thinking about how Tolkien uses short sentences to create an abrupt tone.

So I'll just give you a moment to write down these keywords, and their definitions.

So pause the video, write them down now.

Fantastic.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So we've two learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to be thinking about what effect a cliffhanger might have on the reader, before reading the end of "The Two Towers." And analysing how Tolkien's created a tense cliffhanger.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to think about how we can emulate Tolkien's work to write our own tense cliffhanger.

So as I said, today we're going to be considering Tolkien's use of a cliffhanger.

Now a cliffhanger is a plot device in which an element of the story is left unresolved.

So what I'd like us to start off by thinking about is that why question? Why do you think a writer might choose to use a cliffhanger? I always like to start off by thinking about that why question, because I think it'll really set you up well for the learning process if you start by thinking about the intention behind it.

Now, if going through this with someone else, you might talk about ideas with them.

If going through this by yourself, you might just think your ideas.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone, I heard some great ideas there.

Let's talk through what you might have said.

You might have thought that by leaving something unresolved, it might create tension and suspense.

Now "tension" is one our keywords.

It means mental and emotional strain.

Typically, we as human beings like things to be resolved.

We like there to be solutions.

So creating that tension might be a way of subverting the reader's expectations around resolution.

So maybe it's a way of forcing people to embrace the unknown.

It might be a way of creating a break in the narrative.

Inviting people to fill that narrative with their own ideas and their own imagination.

So now for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false? The only purpose of using a cliffhanger is to compel the reader to continue reading.

Pause the video, make your selection now.

The correct answer is false.

Now I'd like to tell me why it's false.

Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Now you might have said that, while cliffhangers can encourage the reader to continue the story, they can also create tension and suspense, subvert the reader's expectations, or create a break in the narrative.

So very well done if you got those right.

So let's turn our focus to the text itself.

Tolkien's "The Lord Of The Rings" is widely regarded as one of the greatest fantasy books of all time.

It's one of my absolute favourites.

It's such an imaginative world, and the level of detail Tolkien put into it is just amazing.

Now "The Lord Of The Rings" was published as three separate volumes, "The Fellowship Of The Ring," "The Two Towers," and "The Return Of The King." Set in Middle-earth, the essential plot of "The Lord Of The Rings" centres on the quest to destroy the one ring.

A magical ring that could enable its creator, Sauron, to once again exert his power and control over all beings.

Now, if you're a fan of fantasy fiction, you'll know this theme of control and individuality and so that's a common theme.

As humans, we want to retain our individuality.

We don't want them to be taken away from us.

I think Tolkien's work really speaks to that.

So we're focusing on the second book, "The Two Towers." Now before we start the summary, I should say that while the plot is generally the same, the way the entire story is organised is different from the films. So "The Two Towers" book does not end with the victory of Helm's Deep as the film does.

In the book, "The Two Towers" begins with a separation of the group formed to destroy the ring.

Frodo and Sam continue to Mordor alone to destroy the ring.

They capture Gollum, a previous obsessive owner of the ring who plans to steal it back from Frodo.

Gollum leads the two hobbits into Mordor through the lair of the monstrous spider, Shelob.

So what I'd like you to do is think about what you think the cliffhanger might be.

So how might Tolkien leave this book unresolved? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Some amazing ideas there.

You know, people were saying that maybe it ends with Shelob attacking Frodo and Sam.

Maybe it ends with Gollum betraying them.

Maybe it ends with them entering Mordor.

All of these things will give us a real sense of tension, because it doesn't resolve the concept of good versus evil, and leaves it open to our interpretation.

So now we're gonna read the ending of "The Two Towers." You need a copy of the 2022 HarperCollins publisher's edition of The Two Towers by J.

R.

R.

Tolkien.

So what I'd like you to do is read the final three paragraphs on page 744.

So pause the video, read the final three paragraphs now.

welcome back everyone.

I hope you enjoyed reading some of Tolkien's work.

Now what I'd like you to do is just summarise what cliffhanger Tolkien ends on.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Now at the end of "The Two Towers" we learn that Frodo's been captured by the enemy in Mordor.

And I think this is the type of cliffhanger that's the most effective because it really speaks to the idea of good versus evil.

And us wanting to believe that good will overcome evil, but not having the security of knowing that it does.

So now we've identified the cliffhanger, we're going to analyse how Tolkien has crafted a tense cliffhanger.

So throughout the final paragraph, Tolkien only uses simple sentences.

So simple sentences and sentences with one main clause.

It's just one complete thought happening within that sentence.

So what I'd like you to think about is how does the use of simple sentences create tension? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Let's talk through you might have said.

You might have thought that by repeating simple sentences, it creates a sense of abruptness 'cause we're moving from one thought quickly to another, which implies there's no time to think properly.

It creates a sense of panic.

You also might have thought they convey a stop-start sensation to the narrative, because we're constantly being stopped in our tracks by full stops and that can become quite jarring to the reader.

There's no sense of flow which we find quite tense to read.

So now for quick check for understanding.

Which of the following might be an effect of using multiple simple sentences in a paragraph? Is it A, a sense of expansiveness, B, a sense of abruptness, or C, a sense of confusion? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Now because simple sentences move us from one thought to another to another really quickly, they create a sense of abruptness.

So very well done if you got that right.

Now, as well as simple sentences, Tolkien also uses the fragments, "boom," "clang." Now sentence fragments are incomplete sentences that aren't grammatically correct.

What I'd like you to think about is how does the use of sentence fragments create that sense of tension? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Now you might have said, they create a sense of panic because they imply the character is so frantic they can't finish their own thoughts, they don't have any time.

They create an abrupt tone 'cause they're moving us so quickly through the narrative.

They leave the reader feeling confused because they aren't complete sentences so we don't fully understand what's happening.

And that aids to our sense of tension because we like to know what's happening.

We don't like to feel as if we don't know what's going on.

Now you also might have noticed, as well as being sentence fragments, they're also examples of onomatopoeia.

How does this create tension? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Now you might have said, that using onomatopoeia creates an immersive experience for the reader.

We're drawn into the narrative because we can hear the sounds in our heads.

Now that means we're being drawn into this tense environment ourselves, which makes us feel tense 'cause it feels if we are going through the same thing as the characters.

So now for a quick check for understanding, what I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that onomatopoeia can create a tense atmosphere for the reader? Pause the video, make your selection now.

The correct answer is true.

Now I'd like you to tell me why it's true.

Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Now you might have said that because of the immersive nature, onomatopoeia can create abrupt sounds for the reader and create a tense atmosphere.

So very well done if you got that right.

So now let's zoom in on some specific words that Tolkien uses.

I'd like you to consider these four words, "bars," "bolted" "darkness," "taken." And what I'd like you to think about is, why do you think Tolkien specifically chose these words? What is their effect? So think about the connotations of the words, but also the sounds within the words.

Pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Let's talk about what you might have said.

Now all of these words have connotations of being trapped, imprisoned, or being coerced into doing something which creates a sense of tension, because it creates quite a claustrophobic atmosphere.

As well as connotations, all of these words use plosive sounds.

Now, plosive sounds are sounds that are created by an abrupt release of air through consonants, P-B-T-D.

And because that abrupt release of air, we associate plosive sounds with a harsh, abrupt atmosphere.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

Which of the following sounds has Tolkien used to create tension? Is it A, sibilant sounds, B, euphonic sounds, or C, plosive sounds? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Now Tolkien uses words that begin with B, D, and T.

So he uses plosive sounds.

So very well done if you've got that right.

Finally, Tolkien ends on the word "enemy." It's always important to consider the final word of a text because it's so structurally important.

It's the final impression we have of the text, and it really influences how we respond to it.

So I'd like to think about this final word "enemy," and think about how you think it might create tension.

Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Let's talk through you might have said.

Now you might have thought that by ending on the word "enemy," the reader is left with a final impression of unease and negativity.

That's largely because "enemy" is a very provocative word.

It inspires a heightened negative emotion in us.

Because it suggests the idea of something that's opposing us, something that we're fighting against.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

Which interpretation of the final word "enemy" is the most relevant? Is it A, placing the word "enemy" after the name, "Frodo" implies that Frodo has more power, and therefore foreshadows that good will triumph over evil.

Or B, ending on "enemy" leaves the reader with a lasting impression of unease, and creates an ambiguous general sense of negativity.

Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Now the ordering of thoughts is very important in thinking about meaning, but this is the cliffhanger.

We don't know how it's going to be resolved, and therefore ending on "enemy" leaves the reader with a lasting impression of unease, and creates that ambiguous general sense of negativity.

So very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work everyone with the first task of the lesson.

So what I want us to think about is the context of "The Lord Of The Rings" and how Tolkien use of a cliffhanger might relate to society at the time.

So Tolkien wrote "The Lord Of The Rings" between 1937 and 1949, within which time World War II occurred.

Now Tolkien himself served in World War I, and worked as a codebreaker in World War II.

Now reading "The Lord Of The Rings" as an allegory of the World War is a very common interpretation.

But Tolkien himself has said he didn't want it to be read that way.

However, I think the World War had such a profound effect on society and humanity, it'd be impossible to read a piece of literature created at the time there was not influenced in some way by the wars.

So what I'd like you to think about is how do you think Tolkien's choice of a cliffhanger might relate to contemporary societal fears, or concerns at the time? Pause the video.

Take a few minutes to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Heard some amazing ideas there.

What I'd like us to do is think about Sofia's ideas, and I'd like you to think about how well they align with your ideas.

So Sofia said, "Perhaps Tolkien's choice of a cliffhanger relates to the mass feelings of uncertainty and anxiety in society, around what would happen during World War II.

People never knowing if their loved ones would survive or not.

Ending with a cliffhanger concerning whether the hero will be able to escape the enemy, likely tapped into contemporary societal fears over the battle between good and evil." So pause the video, consider how well Sofia's ideas align with your ideas.

Welcome back everyone.

Now, as I said, I think any piece of literature composed in that timeframe, particularly by someone who fought in the First World War, must in some way respond to those feelings of terror and anxiety.

I think the cliffhanger really creates that impression.

Amazing work everyone.

We're onto our second learning cycle where we're gonna think about how we can emulate Tolkien's work to create our own tense cliffhanger.

So as I said, we're now gonna think about how we can use Tolkien's work, and emulate it to create our own cliffhanger.

So we might use the following to create tension.

Might use simple sentences, onomatopoeia, sentence fragments, plosive sounds, and a provocative final word.

So a final word that creates a sense of heightened emotion.

So for our final task, we're gonna be writing the ending of a story that includes a tense cliffhanger.

So let's just spend a couple of minutes gathering some ideas about what a tense cliffhanger might look like as practise.

So what tense cliffhanger scenarios can you think of? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone, heard some great ideas there.

You might have said, potentially the protagonist is in mortal danger.

So for example, they're left clinging to a cliff, they're shipwrecked.

Maybe it ends on a threat.

So for example, the protagonist receiving a threatening phone call or being followed.

Or maybe the protagonist is about to find out an important secret.

All of those scenarios are tense cliffhangers.

So now for quick check for understanding.

Which of the following is emulating Tolkien's tense cliffhanger? Remember that Tolkien's cliffhanger use simple sentences, sentence fragments and plosive sounds.

So is it A, the darkness stretched before me, an endless abyss that seemed to expand into deeper blackness before my eyes.

Or B, it stretched out endlessly.

Darkness.

Blackness.

An expansive abyss before my eyes.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone.

Now, while the first script uses plosive sounds, the second description also uses simple sentence, and sentence fragments.

So therefore it's emulating Tolkien's cliffhanger.

So very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work everyone with the final task of the lesson.

Now we're going to write an ending with a tense cliffhanger.

So let's imagine the story so far is, Alex Farrow is a palaeontologist, someone who studies fossils.

He's travelled to an underground cave in Vietnam, in order to explore some reported fossils.

The caves are perilous.

The only way to travel through them is through minuscule passageways or over wooden bridges.

Alex is just about to cross over one of the wooden bridges.

So what I'd like you to do is write the ending of a story that includes a tense cliffhanger.

So to emulate Tolkien's cliffhanger, remember to use, simple sentences, onomatopoeia, sentence fragments, plosive sounds and a provocative final word.

So pause the video, write your tense cliffhanger now.

Welcome back everyone.

Some amazing work there.

Let's just take a moment to deconstruct a snippet from Sofia's answer.

So the answer is, "The wooden planks waved under my feet.

Creak.

The rope seemed to slip from my fingers.

Splash.

It hit the watery depths below.

I threw myself to the floor and clung to the flimsy bridge.

Darkness.

Blackness.

It seemed to consume me.

I could think of nothing but falling into that abyss." Now the snippet uses simple sentences throughout.

They're one complete thought with no extra clauses.

It creates a stop-start feel throughout the snippet that feels quite tense and jarring.

It uses onomatopoeia through the words "creek," and "splash," submerses the reader within the tense atmosphere.

Now, "creek," "splash," "darkness," "blackness" are all also sentence fragments that add to the tension because they create a real sense of abruptness and panic.

Sofia's also enhanced this abrupt harsh sensation through the use of plosive sounds.

Finally, ending on "abyss," a provocative final word because of its connotations with emptiness, which is something we all react quite strongly to.

So now we've looked at a snippet of Sofia's work, I'd like you to reread your own work, and consider the following questions.

So did you use simple sentences to create an abrupt tone? Did you use onomatopoeia to create an immersive experience? Did you use sentence fragments to create tension? Did you use plosive sounds to create a harsh tone? And did you use a provocative final word to leave the reader with an uneasy sensation? So pause the video, read back through your work now.

Welcome back everyone.

Now it's such a good habit to get into, to read back through your work, and make sure you've met the success criteria, and then you can develop or extend your ideas if you need to.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's the summary of what we covered.

A writer might use a cliffhanger to create tension, or subvert the reader's expectations around resolutions.

Tolkien uses sentence fragments and simple sentences to create an abrupt tone.

Furthermore, Tolkien uses onomatopoeia, and plosive sounds to add to the tension.

By ending on the final provocative word, "enemy," Tolkien leaves the reader with a heightened sense of unease.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson everyone.

Hopefully you can take these ideas forward, and use them whenever you're creating cliffhangers in your work.

And maybe it's also inspired you to read some of Tolkien's work.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.