Racism: Difference between revisions

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* [[The Silmarillion]]
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[[Category: Real-world]]

Revision as of 23:52, 10 June 2008

"I shan't call it the end, till we've cleared up the mess." — Sam
This article or section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality.

Since the publication of his works, Racist elements have been seen in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien by proponents of both sides of the debate. This page will be used to summarize arguments and counterarguments for the claim.

This page is currently undergoing expansion and improvement

Evil Men

One of the clear racist elements in the Tolkien universe is the noticeable fact that all of the evil forces are the dark-skinned African and Asian influenced peoples of Easterlings and Southrons. The Easterlings are usually depicted as a Mongolian and Middle-eastern culture and are always aligned with Morgoth or Sauron with the single exception of Bór. The Easterlings are often described as being of fairly dark skin complexion, swarthy and exceedingly cruel. The Southrons (or Haradrim) however, are clearly depicted mainly as African soldiers with some Indian influences such as fighting on elephant-back. They are clearly stated to be black-skinned and cruel, evil, and uncompromising. They often have many piercings, tattoos and scarifications, just like many African tribes. Another racist element is the fact that the Númenoreans who suvived the destruction of Númenor yet were still loyal to Sauron were called Black Númenóreans and were referred to as a separate race; being both dark-skinned and evil, in sharp contrast to the white Dúnedain.

Orcs

The racist element present in orcs is not quite as plain and clear as the evil men, though it is present. The main racism in orcs is that they are always depicted as black-skinned, though this may be due to their filthiness. Orcs also often resemble monkeys (black people resembling monkeys being a main racist claim). Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings depicts the orcs as of a dark skin complexion, but again this may be due just to the fact that they are covered with filth. Another possible offensive theme present in orcs (though not necessarily racist), is the fact that when the orcs talk, they often use the same phrases and accents that the English working-class is known to use.

Good Side

All of the good men and elves are all always very fair and white. The men of Rohan are clearly modeled after the Norse, and the men of Gondor and the Elves are just general Europeans. The single good non-white person was again; Bór. The entire Tolkien universe is the white West versus the non-white rest of the continent, which is an allegory to the white Europeans versus the non-white Africa and Asia.

References