The document explores the parallels between the epic heroes of Star Wars, Anakin Skywalker, and Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins, highlighting their selflessness and struggle against evil. Both characters face immense burdens, with Anakin battling the dark side and Frodo the corrupting power of the ring, supported by various sub-heroes and guides. Additionally, both narratives share themes of good versus evil and employ techniques like long shots to depict their vast settings.

1. Star Wars/Lord Of The Rings Parallelism By Brant Moeller

2. Epic Heroes In Star Wars the epic here through out the plot is Anakin Skywalker. In Lord of the Rings the epic here was Frodo Baggins.

3. Anakin Skywalker Anakin is prophesized to bring balance to the force and defeat the Sith lord. He is pure of heart , selfless and is able to see the best in others. He is thrust into a new world and receives the responsibility of being the chosen one. He battle continuously against more powerful foes and against impossible odds.

4. Frodo Baggins Frodo is pure of heart, selfless and sees the best in others(Gollum). He is chosen to bring peace to Middle Earth by destroying the ring. He doesn’t give up even when the odds were against him, even if he had the chance to.

5. Character Parallels Frodo and Anakin are similar in the way that they both have burdens that they are forced to undertake. They both are selfless and are forced to battle evil and corruption in order to remain pure. For Frodo he has to battle the ring, and for Anakin has to remain pure from the dark side of the force.

6. Epic ‘Sub Heroes’ In Star Wars there are many ‘sub heroes-Obi-wan, Yoda, Mace Windu. In Lord of the Rings there are ‘sub heroes’ that help Frodo-Sam, Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimlee.

7. Epic Quest/Journey In Star Wars the epic quest that Anakin undertakes is to bring peace to the force and galaxy and to defeat the Sith Lord. To do this though the Hero has to fight in the Galactic war that is going on. In Lord of the Rings the epic quest is for Frodo to travel to Mordor with the ring and cast it into the fires of Mt. Doom and defeat Sauron.

8. Geography/Setting for Plot In the Star Wars movies the setting is very vast. The story takes place over many galaxies and planets. In Lord of the Rings the setting is The whole Middle earth which is also vast; it is not as vast as the Star Wars setting is, but in the Lord of the Ring universe it is.

9. Star Wars

10. Lord of the Rings

11. Actions Of Valor Star Wars In Star Wars Anakin Skywalker took many actions of great valor. A great example is when he and Obi-wan attempt to save Chancellor Palpatine, and is forced to fight Count Duku. Another example is when he, Obi-wan, and Padame are captured in the second movie.

12. Actions Of Valor Lord of the Rings In Lord of the Rings Frodo and the other side or sub heroes all take actions of bravery and valor. An example is when the fellowship are in the mines of Moria, and are forced to battle the balrog. The journey to destroy the ring in itself is a act of great valor that the fellowship uptake.

13. Hero Guides In Star Wars the hero, Anakin Skywalker, has guides that help him throughout the story. Obi-wan guides Anakin through mentoring as a teacher, and leader. The force could also be considered a guide because if a Jedi is in tune with the force enough it can provide insight. An example of when the force gives guidance is when Yoda is able to predict many events before they happen. In Lord of the Rings Frodo has many guides. The most obvious guide is Sam. Through out the plot Sam continues to help Frodo with the burden of carrying the ring. Golem can also be considered a guide although he isn't exactly with them, but still helps them for his own cause.

14. Supernatural Forces In Star Wars the largest and most obvious supernatural force is the ‘Force’. The Jedi describe the force as the energy the holds the universe and all beings together. This goes both ways also, the good and evil side. The technology could also be considered a supernatural force; the light saber that Jedi use is a great example. In Lord of the Rings are supernatural forces that help and go against Frodo and the fellowship. Gandalf is a great example; he is a wizard with powers that no one else has, and uses these powers to help the hero and others. The ring is an example of a force that is against Frodo and the fellowship.

15. ‘ in media res’ In the Middle In Star Wars 1-3, the story starts when Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-wan are on a federation starship that was blockading Naboo. The plot starts when the Separatists are forcing Queen Amadola to sign a treaty. This is during the middle of the war between the the Separatists and the Naboo Federation. In Lord of the Rings the story starts in the middle of the plight of the plot. Frodo is burdened with destroying the ring while the story was already in motion. Sauron’s forces were already searching for it. In the beginning of the trilogy the land of Middle-Earth was weak and all of the races were divided, and the forces of evil continued to grow.

16. Themes/Messages The Star Wars saga and Lord of the Rings trilogy actually have few themes and/or messages in common. In Star Wars the major theme has to do with the force and what it represents. In Star Wars the force is explained as an energy that comes from all living beings and helps hold the universe and everything in it together. The Force is the source of the Jedi’s remarkable powers. In Lord of the Rings a similar theme is the Fellowship and how it guides and helps Frodo in his journey to destroy the ring. And like the force to Jedi, specifically Anakin, can only help and guide him so much.

17. Conflicts Good vs. Evil In both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings the main conflict is between good and evil, and how the main hero deals with this conflict. Anakin and Frodo are very similar in the way that they both have to battle inner conflict of being corrupted by power or fighting back. Both Frodo and Anakin are forced to do this; Anakin has to fight the temptation of the dark side of the force and Frodo has the fight the corruption of the ring. Both of them were eventually corrupted by the powers they fought. For Frodo he was going to use the ring for himself, and for Anakin, he became Darth Vader.

18. Technical Issues Star Wars and Lord of the Rings both make great use of the camera angle, special features and sounds. Since both stories take place over vast distances there are a lot of long shots to show as much as possible. In Star Wars there are long shots that are used to show immense space battles, and land battles that cover large areas. A great example is the space battle in the beginning of the third movie. In lord of the rings the director uses framing and lighting a lot to his advantage. A very good example is in the first movie when Frodo, Sam, Marry, and Pippin are hiding from the ring wraiths. There were also many long shots to show the vast geography.

19. Conclusion In conclusion I think that if you enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy and epic stories in general, you would enjoy Star Wars. The two stories are similar in their epic qualities, so if you enjoyed one you should enjoy the other.