Part 1:

I am  and I am in VWO 4. The book is chose is ‘The Hobbit’ it is written by J. R. R. Tolkien, published by HarperCollinsPublishers. The first edition was published in 1991, I have the fifth edition which was published in 1995. The book has 279 pages. The genre is fantasy.

Part 2, characterisation:

Gollum

Gollum (a.k.a. Sméagol) is a character that Bilbo Baggins encounters when he escapes the goblins. Gollum is a sad, lonely, miserable creature who lives by a very cold and dark lake in a cave. He is slimy and pale with large eyes that turn green when he gets angry. He spends his days rowing his boat in the lake with his feet hanging over the edge, catching blind fish, or wearing his magical ring that makes him invisible and allows him to sneak up on and murder goblins. He has sharp hearing and a good sense of smell and because he is alone a lot he talks to himself very frequently. While he appears to be a bit deranged, he is actually quite smart. Gollum intends to eat Bilbo, but he is tricked and fails. Gollum becomes quite angry and murderous when he discovers that his magical ring is missing, and he suspects Bilbo might have stolen it. Gollum is very important to the story because he obtained the precious ring which is very important to the story. The character is portrayed effectively because we get a lot of information from the author. 

Quotes:

1. “I should not have liked to be in Mr. Baggins’ place, all the same.” Page 67, chapter V.

This shows that the narrator doesn’t want to be in Mr. Baggins’ place. Bilbo is at that moment in a cave with Gollum. 

1. “I do not know how long he kept on like this , hating to go on, not daring to go stop, on, on until he was tireder than tired.” Page 67, chapter V
   
   

Part 2, setting:

The Hobbit is set in "Middle-earth," a fantasyland created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The story starts and ends in Hobbiton (The Hill), a town in the Shire, a peaceful region usually not disturbt by troubles elsewhere in the world. During the course of the book, the setting changes, moving east across the Misty Mountains and through the great forest of Mirkwood to the area around the Lonely Mountain, Lake-town, and the ruins of the town of Dale. The geography of Middle-earth is not that of earth as it is now known, and regions and landmarks in The Hobbit have no familiar parallels. The story is set in the years 2941 to 2942 of the Third Age before the events of The Lord of the Rings. I think the author chose this setting because in this setting the events of this book are possible. If the setting was like earth it wouldn‘t be believable. The characters fit in the setting because everything is about magic, and the have a lot to do with magic as well. 

Quotes:

1. “The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill --The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it--and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another.” Page 3, chapter I.

This shows where Bilbo lived in the beginning of the story. 

1. “The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without asking him.” Page 3-4 chapter I.

Part 2, themes:

A hero’s journey. 

Throughout the story Bilbo Baggins is on a journey of self discovery, uncovering unknown talents and beating the dangers that lie before him. The Hobbit is an adventure story that is about a hero’s journey. A hero’s journey means that an ordinary character/person in an ordinary neighbourhood/place transforms to a hero, the character is called to action or a reason to leave home, usually the character meets a mentor. In this case the ordinary character is Bilbo Baggins who lives at The Hill, Gandalf (the mentor Bilbo meets) who gives him a call to action. Through each battle learns independence, courage and confidence. 

Quotes: 

1. “He felt like a different person, fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach.” Page 135 chapter VIII
2. “Suddenly Gollum sat down and began to weep, a whistling and gurgling sound horrible to listen to. Bilbo halted and flattened himself against the tunnel-wall.” Page 79 chapter V.

This shows Bilbo shows compassion and tries to help Gollum.