*My collaborator and I wrote this Critical Analysis for the Communication Studies Capstone 499 course that I took in the Spring of 2014. I (Corinne R. Jones) wrote the sections regarding Small Group Communication, Group Roles and Group Norms. These topics are on pages 1-12 and pages 17-22.*

The Fellowship of the Ring: A Critical Analysis

Small groups are common in the lives of most people. We all have had unfavorable

group experiences. So what makes a small group efficient and successful? A lot of research has

been done in regards to small group communication concepts, and more has been conducted

on leadership and all that it entails. However, less research is available in relation to both small

group concepts and leadership. In this study, we would like to critique a popular film and

answer three questions. The first thing that we would like to know is do the following

phenomena make a person an effective leader? - Initiating task role, support maintenance role,

collaboration and good conflict management skills, creating a common goal, and

empowerment, and furthermore to what impact do these leadership skills contribute to the

success of the group? Thirdly, does whiteness and/or gender play a role in their leadership

effectiveness? By answering these questions, we hope to inform others about the importance

of the mentioned factors and the positive effects that they have in small group settings.

For the purposes of this paper we are going to analyze a movie from the series of the

Lord of the Rings. The title of the movie is Fellowship of the Ring. It is based off of J. R. R.

Tolkien’s book series and it is the first movie of the entire series. The movie is set in the

second-age in Middle Earth. The plot centers around the evil Lord Sauron and his lust to

recapture his ring, the likes of which he poured all of his evil and malice into. With this ring

Sauron would be able to conquer Middle Earth and begin his reign of evil and doom.

Interestingly enough, the rings falls into the hands of Frodo Baggins who takes on the

responsibility of returning to Mount Doom in order to destroy it in the fire that it was originally

formed from. The rest of the plot centers around Frodo’s trip to Mount Doom and the

characters that come along with him. As this journey is full of decision making at every turn we

found it a highly enticing piece to examine the ways communication come into play both within

the realms of cultural diversity and small group communication.

To help us measure these small group concepts, we have created a spreadsheet that will

allow us to take note of each time that a main character from “The Fellowship of the Ring”

engages in a small group communication concept.

Character Gender

Race Initiate Task/Plan

Support Member

Positive Expectations of Others

Collaboration (Conflict Management)

Vision/Goal

Empower

Frodo Baggins

Male Hobbi

t

Samwise (Sam) Gamgee

Male Hobbi

t

Boromir son of Dunethor II

Male Men

Galadriel Female Elf

Legolas Male Elf

Peregrin (Pippin) Took

Male Hobbi

t

Gandalf the Grey

Male Men

Meriadoc (Mery) Took

Male Hobbi

t

Aragorn son of Arathorn

Male Men

Gimli son of Gloin

Male Dwarf

Arwen Female Elf

Elrond Male Elf

Each column down the left side is designated for a main character from “The Fellowship of the

Ring”. The main characters in this film, as shown on Internet Movie Database are Frodo, Sam,

Boromir, Galadriel, Legolas, Pippin, Gandalf, Mery, Aragorn, Gimli, Arwen and Elrond. Across

the top, each row is assigned to the race and gender of the main characters, and to a small

group communication concept. We have chosen these communication theories: initiating task

role, supporting maintenance role, collaboration and good conflict management skills, creating

a common goal or vision, and empowerment. To examine the effectiveness of these skills, we

will tally each time that one of the named characters uses one of these skills. We will take

careful notes regarding the use of these concepts and of how the race and gender of a main

character affects their leadership and success.

Most people in today’s culture are involved in at least one small group. When most of

us are younger we are involved in small groups such as clubs, or teams, and as we mature and

grow up, these are often overtaken by organizational small groups or group meetings. The

groups that we are a part of have a large impact on who we are, the decisions that we make,

and the futures that we create. Studying small group communication skills and intercultural

communication skills can help people become more aware of their own actions and those of

others in small groups that we are a part of. In a world where diversity and equality is

becoming more prevalent, it is beneficial to understand how to work in small groups with

diverse others. There are many facets to small group and intercultural communication

including, but not limited to: roles, expectations, conflict management, leadership, gender, and

whiteness.

In the context of this literary analysis we are going to examine these concepts, by

looking at the film, The Fellowship of the Ring. Through this analysis we hope to examine all of

these themes within the scope of a rhetorical critique. We believe that this will be an effective

way to not only critique and assess multiple communication theories, but we also feel that this

will serve the purpose of broadening the readers' capacity by which they see communication

theories in real life situations. As scholars we have the propensity to confine the

communication theories that we have learned to the world of academia, and we believe that

through this analysis we will be able to broaden that scope, making theories more salient when

it comes to the everydayness of life, ultimately culminating a piece of rhetoric that heightens

the awareness of the theoretical aspect of our everyday lives.

To take it a step further we would like to investigate the role that whiteness and gender

plays when it comes to measuring the effectiveness of group leaders. We believe that

considering these communication theories in a dichotomous manner will provide the reader

with a fuller, more in-depth look at effectiveness in small group communication. As

communication scholars we see the concept of “difference” everywhere. We will take a

comparative approach, in order to assess just how much the idea of “difference” impacts

contextual spaces such as small group communication. It is our contention that the concept of

“difference” is so heavily interwoven into the fabric of everything that we do, that it would be

impossible for us to separate “difference” from this rhetorical critique, and still provide the

reader with a fully comprehensive scope of what exactly communicative effectiveness looks

like.

For the purposes of this essay we will be conducting a collaborative research in order to

facilitate an analysis and in-depth discussion regarding the small group communication style in

the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship. The majority of the content we will be analyzing will be

communication theories meshed with our own understanding of the film. Namely, we will be

gathering contextual data from the film, and then applying our findings to the communication

theories that are applicable. In essence the bulk of this essay will be comprised of a rhetorical

analysis of the film, coupled with theoretical communication concepts. In addition we will be

determining which characters use these skills, to what capacity, and the level of efficiency

gained by employing these skills, in addition to examining how the concepts of whiteness

and/or gender play a part of their effectiveness. Films and other popular culture such as novels,

television programs, or music, depict social life and, according to Ott and Burgchardt who wrote

“On Critical-Rhetorical Pedagogy: Dialoging with Schindler’s List”, all of the things that make up

social life (p. 18). In this academic article, the scholars are expressing the importance and

power of films, and how teachers and scholars can use them to successfully engage their

students, allowing them to improve critical learning and understanding skills. These researchers

looked at ways to use film, such as “Schindler’s List” to guide students into practices of self-

learning, through the concepts found in particular films.

For the focus of this essay we will be posing two research questions. First, do the following

phenomena make someone an effective leader? - Initiating task role, support maintenance role,

collaboration and good conflict management skills, creating a common goal and empowerment,

and furthermore to what impact do these leadership skills contribute to the success of the

group? Second, does whiteness and/or gender play a role in their leadership effectiveness?

Roles, task or maintenance, are important to small groups as they enable people to

work together more efficiently. Task roles are oriented around accomplishing goals, such as

researching, note keeping at meetings, or organizing data. These roles are usually decided

upon early in the group forming, or they are assigned throughout various stages of a group.

Maintenance roles, also known as relational roles, are those that pertain to the emotional and

social aspects of a small group. Examples of some people’s relational roles may include

supporting members’ ideas, or using humor to relieve tension amongst group members. Of

course, both with task oriented or relational oriented, there can be positive or negative roles

and behaviors. As Communication scholars, we believe that the task role that relates the most

with effective leaders is the initiating task role and the relational role that we believe is best

attributed to effective leaders is the support role. In “Leadership and expectations: Pygmalion

effects and other self-fulfilling prophecies in organizations”, Eden states that the four

components of great leadership are interaction facilitation, support, goal emphasis and work

facilitation (p. 277).

Members of any small group must make decisions at some point during their existence.

According to "Decision Making Within Groups Of Friends: An Exploratory Study", the first step

in the decision making process is often a suggestion made by a group member (p. 9). Often

times, the group leader will be burdened with or will obtain the initiating task role. This article

also states that the next step is to discuss the idea and find a solution that is best for most

group members (p. 10). Once a decision is made, the group is organized and tasks are

distributed to accomplish the task. When group members have been working together for

some time and are familiar with one another, roles are generally established. In most cases

though, there is one group member, generally a leader, who repeatedly distributes these tasks

and directs and guides other group members to accomplish the tasks or goals.

The support relational role also has large impact in small groups and is also customarily

maintained by the group’s leader. By looking at "The Influential Role Of Relational Messages In

Group Interaction”, we can establish that relational messages among group members are given

and received continuously, through affirming and supporting the speakers’ ideas or not (p. 15).

These messages can be intentional, but most of the time group members do not realize that

they are sending supportive or unsupportive relational messages (p. 17). For example, during a

group meeting, if a group member makes a suggestion, other group members could say to wait

a minute because the other they are busy discussing another matter. Even though the other

members are focusing on group tasks, the member who contributed his or her idea may feel

that the other members do not value them or their ideas. As stated, this unintentional

relational message has a large impact, and this group member may become angry, or may be

afraid to present ideas in the future. Even though three quarters of small group communication

is dominated by task related messages (Keyton, Stephenson. p. 18), effective small groups

engage in more positive relational talk than negative relational talk (Bales 1950, 1999). Keyton

and Stephenson’s results from their own analysis show that the three most commonly used

relational messages are agreement, disagreement and solidarity, defined as unity among

individuals who share a common interest. Support relational messages can come in many,

various forms and we may or may not realize that we are using them. There are group

members who have a support role and they are efficient at encouraging other members and

contributing to the relational aspects of the small group, which also adds to the success of the

group. An initiating task role also helps small groups become successful by generating ideas,

providing a course of action, and effectively dividing tasks and helping to guide the group.

The expectations that we have of other people, particularly in small groups, carry more

weight than most people realize. People may have high expectations or low expectations of

other people. Sometimes these are met, sometimes they are not, and often times, these

expectations change. The process of lowering and raising expectations within the contextual

space of meeting an individual is a constant process of ebb and flow. It is ever- changing and

ever-shifting. Through Eden’s work, depicted through “Leadership and expectations: Pygmalion

effects and other self-fulfilling prophecies in organizations”, he suggests that the first

expectations that a leader has of a new subordinate most often affects the new subordinate’s

motivation and performance (p. 278). This behavior is similar to that of the self-fulfilling

prophecy. For instance, if a new group member has little work experience, the group leader

may expect that the new subordinate is lazy. Then the leader may repeatedly give him or her

tedious, unenjoyable tasks. The new group member would likely grow to dislike his work and

he may protest doing it, which would also appear as slothful. On the other hand, if a leader

believes that a new group member is hard working, the leader may give him or her more

meaningful duties and may spend more time developing their skills and training them to be a

valuable employee. If then, the new group member feels encouraged and confident, they may

begin to work harder. In both of these cases, the leader had an expectation of a group

member. These expectations affected the attitudes and behaviors of the new group members

and it also affected their work and the overall success of the small group. Eden says that

support, interaction facilitation, goal emphasis and work facilitation are the “four leadership

factors that boost subordinate performance” (p. 278). These sources are each in agreement

that the performance of a new group member relies heavily on the expectations and the

support and leadership of the group leader. Interestingly, “The impact of expectations on

newcomer performance in teams as mediated by work characteristics, social exchange and

empowerment” contains a study that showed that males were often expected to perform

better (p. 598). Just as impactful in small groups, is the expectancy violation of a new group

member.

When a new group member joins a group, members may know some facts or

characteristics about the person but they are not familiar with the individual. This will lead the

group to make stereotypical expectations of the new group member from what they do know,

either from the individual’s general information or from the group or category that the person

may belong to . If these expectations are met, then the perceptions toward the new group

member will stay relatively the same. On the other hand, if these expectations are violated,

then the group’s view and attitudes toward the new member will change, positively or

negatively depending on whether it is a desired behavior. Expectations are violated when the

new group member behaves differently than what the group expected. Joardar’s research

shows that if an expectation is violated in a positive manner, then group acceptance will

increase and improve the overall congruency and success of the group (p. 346). Positive

expectation violations can also improve group social relations. Group members will always

have expectations of an unknown new group member. Expectations in small groups affect the

work of the group members, which inadvertently affects the group’s success. They also affect

the attitudes of the group members toward one another and the overall relations among the

group members.

In small group settings, it is important that each group member is able to perform well.

Conflict can cause additional psychological stress. To help reduce this stress, people use conflict

management to solve issues in all interpersonal relationships and small groups. There are five

conflict management styles that people generally engage in to resolve conflict interpersonally

or in a small group. Harris and Sherblom, the authors of “Small Group and Team

Communication”, state that “The ideal conflict-resolution strategy for any group is one of win-

win, or collaboration” (p. 208). Collaboration is a conflict management style that takes time,

effort and commitment. In this style of resolving conflict, the persons involved work together

to find a solution that allows all group members to be fully satisfied. This is not to be confused

with the conflict management style compromise, in which group members all sacrifice

something and are left partially satisfied. In “Conflict and Collaboration: Some Concluding

Observations”, the authors also claim that a collaborative or problem-solving conflict

management style is the most effective way to resolve conflict (p. 1). The results shown in

“Reducing conflict-related employee strain: The benefits of an internal locus of control and a

problem-solving conflict management strategy” convey that employees with higher levels of

problem-solving skills were likely to experience less stress than employees with lower levels of

problem-solving skills (Page 175). To help with these problem solving skills, many scholars, such

as the authors of “Conflict and Collaboration: Some Concluding Observations” recognize that

creative and innovative decisions are important factors in how conflict resolution concludes (p.

4). Conflict is a common occurrence in small groups and it is crucial that group members know

how to adequately manage it. A collaborative or problem-solving conflict management style is

the most effective way to solve issues that cause disturbance and stress in small groups,

inhibiting work performance.

“Small Group and Team Communication” defines leadership as “the process of

influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and

the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives” (p.

224). This definition affirms that particular characteristics do in fact contribute to the

effectiveness of a leader. Characteristics such as an initiating task role, creating positive

expectations of group members and for group members, and managing conflict among group

members are important to a small group leader. Another essential characteristic is to create

visions and a common goal for group members to work towards together. “Small Group and

Team Communication”, says that out of all of the leadership theories, three leadership

characteristics that are generally found are vision, credibility and communication competence,

the first being vision (p. 232). Short term goals are crucial to keeping group members stay on

task while long term goals and visions aid in keeping group members motivated and looking

forward to the end product. Creating and sharing a vision with group members adds meaning

to the work that they do. It also unites group members and allows them to work together on a

common goal. A support relational role is another characteristic that helps to produce a

successful leader. Not only supporting subordinates and other group members’ ideas and

behaviors but empowering them is a highly effective skill in small groups. A few ways in which

leaders can empower their group members is to encourage group members on an individual

level, encourage participation, or develop an atmosphere for creative problem-solving. Great

leaders can also use empowerment to make group members comfortable, making it easier for

them to share ideas and become involved. Lao Tzu said, “A leader is best when people barely

know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves”.

There are many types of leaders but for small groups, the best leaders are those with particular

qualities or skills. An initiating task role, and support relational role, creating positive

expectations, managing conflict, creating goals and visions, and empowering group members

are traits that impressive small group leaders should have in their “toolbox”.

Gender roles are becoming more and more difficult to decipher, especially given the

amount of change that has occurred just in the last one hundred years. In order to break down

gender and sexuality in a rudimentary way we will consider the pants metaphor: gender is what

is in your pants, sex is what kind of pants you are wearing, and orientation is whose pants you

want to get into. As elementary as this is, it provides a concise breakdown of gender roles in a

streamlined fashion. In this context it will be important to stray from sex and orientation and

just focus on gender. That being the case the dichotomy that will be examined the most is men

versus women, more specifically men and women when it comes to negotiating conflict and

assigning roles in group settings. The academic scholar Patricia Andrews Hayes weighs in on

this concept in her article Sex and Gender Differences in Group Communication: Impact on the

Facilitation Process. Hayes states,

“Perhaps the most tenacious legacy of role theory is the persistent notion that men

engage in more task-oriented behavior in groups whereas women specialize in socioemotional

behavior. This, in turn, relates to the task-based of leadership that is frequently embraced.

Together, these notions lead to the conclusion that women will make less effective leaders than

men, because they lack the requisite skills of assertiveness, interpersonal dominance, and

problem solving” (p. 82).

From this we can see that men are typically viewed as “natural born” leaders more so

than women. We often find this stereotype perpetuating itself and sustaining itself in a cyclic

manner. Furthermore, Hayes found that often that women themselves perpetuate this role

even further, playing a part in reaffirming this stereotype (p. 75). Effective leaders are often

seen as commanding, powerful, and in some instances combative. In contrast with that, a

traditional gender role for women is typically thought of in the opposite of that manner. We

can also see this stereotype being played out in almost every outlet of social media. Oftentimes

women are portrayed as weak, less than, and are intuitively required to act submissive to

males. Hence we can see how this stereotype plays out in many different forms. Frequently,

groups and minorities that are affected by gender roles and stereotypes associated with

whiteness are required to be outliers in the grand scheme of things. Over and again this idea of

‘difference’ comes to light, and every time it does it seems to be quelched by the

heteronormative standard. In his academic management article, “Beyond Relational

Demography: Time and Effects of Surface- And Deep-Level Diversity on Work Group Cohesion”,

David A. Harrison et al, compiled research of other scholars dissecting the trends found when it

came to gender differences in the workplace. Harrison, Price and bell state that, “Research on

the consequences of sex dissimilarity has also yielded conflicting results. Tsui and O'Reilly

(1989) reported that subordinates whose sex differed from their superiors’ received lower

performance ratings. Mobley (1982) hypothesized but did not find that supervisor-subordinate

in sex led to higher subordinate performance ratings” (p. 97). This comparative analysis,

although it does yield conflicting results, still reifies the fact that gender difference in between

individuals leads to a pre biased prejudice in the workplace. Gender differences in small group

settings prove to be problematic with effectiveness in mind, and furthermore we can see that

being a female leader is not impossible, however it is very difficult to break past the hegemonic

norms that are constructed by the invisible center.

Whiteness as defined by Nakayama and Krizek in their academic essay Whiteness: A

Strategic Rhetoric is, “a relatively uncharted territory that has remained invisible as it continues

to influence the identity of those both within and within out its domain (p. 291). From this we

can see that whiteness is self-sustaining and self-serving, it remains largely invisible, most

certainly ambiguous, yet it simultaneously is the measuring stick by which we judge what we

consider the norm, and everything that lies outside of that scope is less than. The peculiarity

that comes with whiteness is how often it plays out in everyday scenarios but how little it is

discussed or analyzed. Alas we see the strength in whiteness by the sheer nature of how well

hidden it remains. According to Raka Shome who authored the scholarly article Outing

Whiteness, Whiteness takes several different forms in order to avoid being ‘outed.’ She states,

“In moments when whiteness is comfortable in its hegemony, it constructs itself as the “norm”

and the Other as “different” and “strange.” However when the normalcy of whiteness gets

contested (even if it constitutes a small challenge to its power), when whiteness begins to feel

insecure about its power and future, different strategies of self-naming emerge. Instead of

positioning itself as the “norm,” it begins to mark itself as the “other,” as “different,” as an

identity in crisis therefore having a particular location that, like minority locations, needs to be

defended, salvaged, and protected” (p. 368)

From this reading we can see that whiteness takes on many different roles in the

interest of self-preservation. Another way in which Shome outlines how whiteness takes care

of itself is by depicting a scenario that has often played out in contemporary times and that is

the concept of ‘good’ white versus ‘bad’ white (p. 369) This further perpetuates the insidious

nature of whiteness. When the scenario of ‘good white’ versus ‘bad white’ plays out the

audience goes home happy because the ‘good guys’ won, when in reality they were blinded to

the fact that white is white, and it will continue to be white, thereby constructing an

unshakeable foundation upon which it rests. Racism as defined by the scholar Kenneth T.

Ponds is power plus prejudice (p. 23). Whiteness lies within the same vein as racism, however

it lacks the prejudice component, at least outwardly speaking that is. Racism is an easier

institution to fully comprehend due to the fact that it is very blatant when it comes to its

positioning in society. Not only does it claim being white a privilege but it also purposely points

a finger to anything that is not white and labels it as ‘less than.’ In doing so it immediately

‘outs’ itself, making it much less hidden in the societal hierarchies accompanying it, thereby

making it much less covert than whiteness. In her academic article, “White Privilege and Male

Privilege” Peggy McIntosh conducts a comparative analysis between the parallels that run

between, namely white privilege and male privilege. At a certain point she perfectly pinpoints

exactly what whiteness is stating, “I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of

unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was “meant” to

remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions,

assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency

gear, and blank checks” (p. 95). Metaphorically speaking, this perfectly sums up whiteness in

one fell swoop. The key words that are absolutely vital to fulfilling the completeness of her

metaphor are the words ‘weightless’ and ‘invisible.’ In his academic article, Transitions, Noel

Ignatiev fully embodies the action that would be required in order to disenfranchise the

systematic nature of whiteness by stating,

“The task at hand is not to convince more whites to “oppose” racism...there are already

enough “antiracists” to do the job. The task is to make it impossible for anyone to be white.

What would white people have to do to accomplish this? They would have to break the laws of

whiteness so flagrantly as to destroy the myth of white unanimity. They would have to respond

to every manifestation of white supremacy as if it were directed at them” (p. 202).

Whiteness is the invisible center around which all things revolve, silently and

hegemonically coordinating the rhythm to which all of us dance, regardless of whether or not

we choose to be involved or not.

By looking at this chart, one can see how many times each main character in “The

Fellowship of the Ring” used a small group communication approach. By critiquing this film, we

have identified several interesting notions. Four things that stood out were the use of an

CharacterGende

rRace

Initiate

Task/Pla

n

Support

Membe

r

Positive

Expectation

s of Others

Collaboration

(Conflict

Management

)

Vision/

GoalEmpower

Frodo BagginsMale Hobbi

t

2 0 1 0 0 1

Samwise (Sam) Gamgee

Male Hobbi

t

0 1 0 0 0 0

Boromir son of Dunethor II

Male Men 3 1 1 0 1 2

Galadriel Female Elf 0 0 0 0 3 3

Legolas Male Elf 2 3 1 0 0 0

Peregrin (Pippin) Took

Male Hobbi

t

0 0 0 0 0 0

Gandalf the Grey

Male Men 3 2 1 2 1 1

Meriadoc (Mery) Took

Male Hobbi

t

1 0 0 0 0 0

Aragorn son of Arathorn

Male Men 15 2 1 2 2 2

Gimli son of Gloin

Male Dwarf 3 1 0 0 0 0

Arwen Female Elf 2 0 0 0 0 0

Elrond Male Elf 1 0 0 0 0 0

initiating task role, the effects of ample resources and information, a different style of initiating,

and a negative but effective way to create a vision.

Almost all of the main characters in the film, “The Fellowship of the Ring” initiated a task

or idea, all of them except Sam and Pippin. Aragorn far exceeds all other characters in this

category. The other characters that voiced an idea or a plan, only did so once, twice or three

times. Aragorn initiated tasks or plans an astounding fifteen times. This film is a great example

of how any small group member can generate and deliver ideas, but some group members,

such as Aragorn, do have an initiating task role. Aragorn uses this role to make decisions such

as where the group should stay for the night, or telling his group members to hide when danger

is present. At the beginning of the film, Sam tells Frodo that he is not sure they should trust

Aragorn, to which Sam responds, “We have no choice”. As Aragorn made decisions that

benefited the group, they learned to trust him. Aragorn not only comes up with ideas or plans,

which accounts for eleven of his fifteen decisions, but he also directs his group members in

moments of chaos, and confusion. Four times, Aragorn comes up with a solution or plan in a

matter of seconds and shouts orders to his group members. In all instances, such as when the

group is being attacked outside the Mines of Moria and Aragorn yells “Into the Mines!”, the

group members immediately follow his wise proposals. When they step into the mines, they

also enter in to an aura of calm and safety. In these sort of moments, when Aragorn quickly

and efficiently gets his group members to safety by proposing ideas, he builds their trust.

Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Mery, Pippin, Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli follow Aragorn because his

initiating task role makes him a successful leader.

A second successful leader within the group is Gandalf the Grey. Though he does not

excel at using any one small group communication concept, he is one of two main characters to

engage in every communication concept that we have selected to measure, the other being

Aragorn. What makes Gandalf exceptional however, is his vast knowledge, extensive relevant

experiences, and access to information. In this group, Gandalf maintains a giving information

role, which is defined as “presenting data, offering facts and information, evidence or personal

experience relevant to the group’s task” in “Small Group and Team Communication” (p. 46).

Gandalf knows which way the group must go to reach their destination, Mount Doom, and he

knows alternate routes as well. He knows much and more about languages, history, groups of

people, and the group’s many foes. In many cases, the group had no other option than to

follow Gandalf because he was the only one who knew enough to lead them. One example of

Gandalf using his expertise is when he says to the fellowship, “The south road is being watched.

We must take the path of Carhadras”. None of the group members protest and they all

continue to follow Gandalf. The information and experiences that Gandalf have are vital to his

success as a leader of the fellowship.

The data we have collected indicates that Aragon and Gandalf assume the most

prominent leadership roles throughout this film. In seeing that this is a case we believe it

makes the argument that this standpoint perpetuates the concept of whiteness and that white

men are typically designated leadership roles in media portrayal. Both Aragon and Gandalf are

wise, respected, and fairly good looking when compared to hobbits or dwarves. From this we

can see that the Fellowship of the Ring maintains this sense of a western patriarchal, theme

format, and in turn adheres to what the audience would perceive to be ‘normal’ or ‘right.’

Furthermore, these two white males maintain phenomenal communication skills throughout

the film that help to assert their leadership, while simultaneously perpetuating the stereotypes

laid forth by whiteness.

Another main character who initiated tasks in this film was Legolas. Legolas also has the

supports his group members the most times in “The Fellowship of the Ring”. He supported his

group members by standing up for them, or supporting their ideas. Legolas’ support

maintenance role is important to the functioning of group his members, but it also affected the

way that he initiated tasks. Unlike any other group member, when Legolas had an idea or plan

of action, he did not voice it aloud to the group. Instead, Legolas quietly suggested his plan of

action to Aragorn. In one such instance, Legolas stated, “We should leave now.” By suggesting

an idea to Aragorn, they were able to discuss the possible outcomes. Also, by suggesting this to

Aragorn, Legolas is demonstrating his trust in Aragorn and letting him make the best decision

for the group, thus, supporting him. There are three times in this film when Legolas initiates a

task, and two of them, he suggested privately to Aragorn. An action such as this is one that we

did not anticipate.

A small group communication concept that led to unforeseen reports was Galadriel’s

use of vision. Creating a vision can help group members to keep their goal in mind and stay on

task, motivating them to finish their assigned work. What we did not expect was that negative

visions can be just as motivational as positive visions. When most people think about creating a

vision, they may consider something along the lines of, “By the end of the year we will have

increased our production by fourteen percent”, or “If we continue working hard, we will reach

our goal of raising $2,500 at the end of the weekend!”. These are both examples of someone

creating a positive vision to encourage their group members. In “The Fellowship of the Ring”,

Galadriel creates a vision for the fellowship three times, and two of those are negative. To

motivate Frodo, Galadriel says, “This is what will happen if you will fail”. Shortly after, she says

to him, “You are a ring bearer Frodo. This is your task. If you do not find a way, no one will”.

Both of these cases portray a possible end result, just as in the first examples. The difference

however, is that with a positive vision, group members are reminded about their goal and

encouraged to reach it. With a negative vision, members are driven to complete their task so

that they avoid negative consequences of not achieving their goal. Even though most of

Galadriel’s visions were negative, they were more than adequately motivating to Frodo and

inspired him to complete his task of taking the one ring to Mordor. It is intersting to see how

these negative vision’s affect the audience’s view of her. When they first enter into her

territory she is described as, “The Lady of the Woods,” and that if you look into her eyes, “You

will never be able to leave this place.” From this statement we can see that from the very

introduction of her character into the film she is given a very stereotypical witchy role. And

though her negative visions do prove to be very prophetic, she is still not portrayed as an

effective leader, due mainly to the fact that she plays such a mysterious and somewhat

menacing role.

From the onset of the film we are given a sense of western patriarchal standpoint. It

starts by explaining the forging of the great rings. First, three rings were given to the elves, “the

wisest and fairest of them all,” second, seven rings were given to the dwarf lords, “master

miners and craftsmen,” and lastly nine rings were given to men, “who above all else desire

power.” There is no mention of othered groups or people who are different than. This idea of

otherness is immediately void from this film. From this introduction we can see that the

context highly values looks and abilities. With the mentioning of elves being the wisest and

fairest we can see that this setting values characters that are good looking. Power is

proportionally related to looks and ability. The scene that is most problematic in the very

beginning is the depiction of men. The nine men who are given the rings are nine very old

powerful looking white men. Not only is there an absence of color in this depiction but there is

also a lack of gender. Nine old, white men are the representation we have when it comes to

the entire human race. Granted out of the first nineteen rings mentioned there is one female

elf, however her merit is based on looks and wisdom. From this contextual space we can see

that this western patriarchal view is held in high regard.

The next scene where we can begin to see the stereotypes perpetuated by whiteness is

when the story of good versus evil is told. When the movie lays out what the evil people look

like in the film they are depicted as grotesque, and dark. Although there is an absence of

people of color in this film, we can see through the stereotype of the evil forces that whiteness

is valued. The evil troops, namely orc’s, are depicted as dirty, ashy, and bestial. Immediately

the audience is able to readily identify who the bad guys are and who the good guys are by the

tone of their skin. They are not represented in a traditional black versus white role however

there are hints of dark versus light. In this instance, as almost always, light is seen as good.

Another issue that arises out of the depiction of the orc’s is that they are bestial, and in many

ways they are very closely related to those who have issues with mental abilities. They have

deformed faces, and cry guttural screams, those very closely paralleling those with mental

disabilities.

The beginning of the film takes place in the shire. The shire is a lovely area of Middle

Earth that is inhabited by hobbits. Hobbits are portrayed as trustworthy, and in turn very

trusting. They live simple lives, absence of lavish, wealth, and hierarchy. It is not until we see

hobbits interact with others outside of the shire that we get a salient view of how they are seen

in the overall world. Oftentimes they are referred to as little people, and more often than not

they are depicted as simpletons, lacking any real abilities, besides their trustworthiness.

Interestingly enough the main character of the movie Frodo Baggins, is the one who is trusted

with the most powerful, evil ring of all the land. Since he is a hobbit, and trustworthiness is the

most admirable of all their traits, he is given the ultimate responsibility. It is interesting

because even though hobbits are displayed in no particularly special light, they are given the

ultimate responsibility. Frodo, being a hobbit, is given this responsibility on the account of his

inheritance of the ring, but also his trustworthiness coupled with a lack of any real special

abilities or skills.

Gandalf is the main Wizard of this movie, and that being so he is given wizard like

powers. He towers over the hobbits when he visits the Shire, and many view him as a

troublemaker. There are whispers and mean glares as soon as he enters town. He is portrayed

as an instigator of trouble, and a catalyst for change. Many do not like him because he stirs the

pot, in many ways namely because he is a wizard. He possesses special powers that only

wizards possess and as a result he others himself from the majority population in the Shire.

This is important to analyze because even though he is a wizard, which typically means he is

held in higher regard, because he does possess powers designated to only wizards. Even

though this is the case he is viewed as an outsider amongst the hobbits. This is pertinent to

discuss because he is higher up on the rungs of the social ladder yet he is still othered by the

majority group. This is not to say that he isn’t accepted by the hobbits in the Shire because

they do indeed enjoy his fireworks, and his gaiety, however in every scene he does stick out like

a sour thumb.

As the movie progresses and Frodo and Sam set out on their journey to Mount Doom

again and again we see white men taking power and controlling the situation. At first the

hobbits are instructed to meet Gandalf at the Inn of the Prancing Pony, so that he will help lead

them to where they need to go next. In the film, things start to turn negatively for the hobbits

when they arrive at the hotel. They are immediately picked out as people who are intruding, or

don’t belong there, and all the meanwhile Lord Saurons’ dark riders are closing in on them. Just

when the situation becomes about as intense as it could be the dark rider, Aragorn, steps in and

takes control of the situation. He is a handsome, tall, white male and as he is the most

experienced and the one who centers most closely to what we perceive as the portrait of

power, no one questions his leadership ability. The resulting situation is handled adequately

and under his direction they escape just in the nick of time.

From here it will be important to shift gears and examine the role that gender plays in

this film. One of the main female characters in this film is the elf Arwen. Arwen is an elf who

comes to Frodo’s rescue during their trip to Rivendell. She is portrayed as a very powerful elf,

who can summon magic, and can in turn save lives. She is a very beautiful character who prides

herself on her ability and her looks, and upon arriving to Rivendell the audience becomes aware

that she has past relations with Aragorn, a mortal man. The reason this is controversial is

because she is an elf and he is a man, and if she chose to be with him she would have to

sacrifice her immortal life as an elf. She is more than wholeheartedly willing to do so. Aragorn

is opposed, because he thinks she should choose immortal life, and not forsake her cultural elf

background. From this scenario we can see that women are portrayed in a light that is very

submissive to men. This is not to say that she isn’t a powerful female character because she is,

but the fact that she is so powerful and so willing to sacrifice her immortal life for a mortal man

and love is a clear indicator that this movie values men as natural born leaders.

In the end there is much to learn about small group communication, effective

leadership, and the role that whiteness and gender play when it comes to the portrayal of these

communicative aspects in modern day film. We found that our predictions surrounding small

group communication were mostly accurate, given the results we found in our data. We did

anticipate that a supporting relational role would have a larger impact than was the case. We

also did not anticipate some of the characteristics that played into effective leaders, such as the

information giving role. There were several instances, where traits of an effective leader, as laid

out by the theories we analyzed in our lit review did not match those of some of the

personalities we found in the film. However, we did find that whiteness and gender played a

crucial role in not only how most of the decisions were made, but also how the characters were

depicted towards the audience. Although it is hard to measure on any real quantitative scale,

more often than not people who were characterized by their otherness, were not portrayed as

the most influential or effective leaders. From the analysis of this film we can see that not only

does it reify some of the stereotypes perpetuated by western societal views, but we can also

see that some of those stereotypes were broken when we delved into the intricacies

surrounding their small group communication.

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