“The Hobbit,” is a very unique fairy tale (or fantasy) story that has inspired many other stories. Although it was unique, it did remind me of another story. “The Smallest Dragonboy,” is similar to “The Hobbit,” because in both stories, the main character is searching for a dragon to achieve something greater. In “The Hobbit,” Bilbo and the dwarves search for a dragon, but not to keep it. They want to find the dragon, kill it, and keep its treasure. In “The Smallest Dragonboy,” the main character wants to find the dragon so he can prove to everyone that he does have a purpose. In both stories, the main characters search for something and get what they want.
Another story that is very similar to “The Hobbit,” is “When the Black Girl Sings.” These stories are similar because both main characters are very underestimated and alone. Lani, the main character, is a black girl in an all-white environment and she feels left out. She is trying to find a way to express herself and get along with everyone. Bilbo feels the same way because he is a hobbit in a pack of dwarves and none of the dwarves are fond of him being with them on
their journey. In both stories, Bilbo and Lani are just trying to find a place to fit in and get along with everyone. These two stories are very different because one is a fantasy and one is a realistic fiction, but they are similar because both main characters are trying to search for the same things.
In “The Hobbit,” there are many things in the story that help bring it together to make it feel complete. Some things can be techniques that the author, Tolkien, used as a writer. One technique is the use of poetic elements. Tolkien includes songs and riddles in the book. He uses the songs to “sing” to the readers instead of just telling the story. For example, the dwarves sing at Bilbo’s house and they sing, “Cut the cloth and tread the fat! Pour the milk on the panty floor!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat! Splash the wine on every door!” (Tolkien, 12)
Instead of saying, “They spilt milk and they threw wine”, he wanted to make the story exciting and interesting for readers to keep on readers, so a perfect way to accomplish that is to make a song out of a story. The riddles that Tolkien includes