Any discussion of high fiction, such as LoTR, should be stated in the present tense. Why? Because it’s happening now. 
Discussion
Reading Tolkien is extremely humbling. It's one of the rare instances in my own life where I feel so completely intellectually out-matched. Reading his books is an absolute pleasure.
So what’s the supposed allegory? I don’t recall much from the movies I watched when they came out.
LoTR is the mythos of England, and more broadly, of mankind. It describes the cycles of empires, of corruption and redemption, that happens every age of man.
Couldn’t agree more.
Do you know of anything that has been written highlighting the parallels between this story and the modern narrative? 🧐