I'm a little teapot short and stout, here is my handle and here is my spout!

               Teapots are just as important as the tea inside them!

                      A children's nursery song about a teapot! 

In China there are special teapots that are called Yixing teapots.

 Helen Saberi writes how they are: ‘’ made from zisha, purple-sand clay found only in the region of the town of Yixing in Jiangsu province, China. What makes a Yixing teapot special is that the inside is never glazed and, because of its porous nature, it absorbs the flavour of the tea brewed in it. Over a period, the pot literally becomes infused with the tea flavour’’

 (Saberi, Helen. Tea: A Global History. London)

Another very important tradition revolved around the teapots is the tradition of The Russian Samovars!  They are big metal containers with three layers. The bottom layer contains water that is simmered on a low heat, and the top 2 containers have the different flavoured teas in them.

In the Modern Russia, Samovars are not commonly used; instead they are taken out on occasions to highlight the culture and their ancestor’s traditions! 

The pot that tea is brewed in plays a significant role in the Hobbit, Bilbo remembers his house when the he remembers ‘the sound of the kettle on his hearth was ever after more musical than it had been even in the quiet days before’’. The tea pot plays a fundamental role in reminding Bilbo of his house, the author has included the kettle in the start of the novel to highlight the importance if it, readers are taken back to this kettle in the last part as well to show that the kettle has homely memories attached to it.

In Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, we also see that the teapot plays a significant role in Mrs. Corney’s life she takes her anger out by insulting the teapot, the quote below explains more:

The black teapot, being very small and easily filled, ran over while Mrs. Corney was moralizing; and the water slightly scalded Mrs. Corney's hand.

'Drat the pot!' said the worthy matron, setting it down very hastily on the hob; 'a little stupid thing, that only holds a couple of cups! What use is it of, to anybody! Except,' said Mrs. Corney, pausing, 'except to a poor desolate creature like me. Oh dear!'

For Mrs. Corney the Teapot plays a role of a comforting apparatus, she takes her anger and misery out by mentioning how ''little'' and useless this teapot can be.

Clearly both novels show that it’s not just the Russians that can have a samovar to remind them of things! The teapot in all examples is playing a crucial role to remind characters of their past!