The past week, my literature circle group had finished reading our book, The Lost Symbol by author Dan Brown. We mainly discussed the questions and thoughts that remained after finishing the book, and we also touched on the strong sense of symbolism included in the storyline and some strong examples of imagery.
Because our group had just finished up reading the last couple chapters of our book, most of the discussion that was generated was centralized upon our feelings towards how all of the different characters and plots eventually tied together and intertwined nearing the end of the book. As a group, we felt that once Mal'akh had died in the Temple Room as a result of the Temple's glass panel being smashed by the CIA's helicopter, the rest of the book was an explanation the different layers of symbolism within and between the noetic science and Masonic legends, with not very much plot left to it. Although the story told was vivid and captivating, the long lead-up to Mal'akh asking Peter to sacrifice him within a short span of text in the book felt like an abrupt end to the long and dark night that had been unwinding for the past 450 pages. To be blunt, the ending seemed quite anti-climatic in respect to the deep and intense lead-up. Discovering the 'truth' behind it all almost felt like it should have been more dramatic, or something more exciting or even more twisted should have happened, such as Mal'akh staying alive, or the secret Masonic initiation video becoming leaked. Though it was a sigh of relief and quite interesting to see how the different symbols interacted with scientific meanings and religious contexts, for myself as a reader, left me thinking just, "oh. that's all?!".
One symbolic theme that we recognized to be ongoing within the book was the 'leap of faith' metaphor. This metaphor is first brought in on page 45, where Katherine is entering Pod 5 at the first time with Peter. "'Peter?' she called. 'Leap of Faith,' he called back." It's obvious that firstly, Peter is talking about a literal leap of faith; a step into the pitch-black darkness. Though, once you look into the layers of the context this metaphor is used in, you realize that Peter is asking her to take a leap of faith in the belief and work of her noetic scientific theories. It was difficult for Katherine to take her step into the Pod, her leap of faith. Though once she did, she had realized and discovered the true potential of her science. The second time that this metaphor is used is after Katherine had explained to Robert why she believed the miracles that the Bible told stories of. As they spoke, "[he] was pensive. 'It's an inspiring way to see the world Katherine, but for me, it just feels like an impossible leap of faith.'" (p. 502). It's difficult for Langdon to understand or take the step to believe in the miracles contained in the Bible's stories, or to understand the power and potential of noetic science, because of his understanding of history and the way things are, rather than the way that things can potentially be, with the powers that man's mind can behold. A leap of faith is one that can be taken in fear or with confidence. Through her science and research, Katherine has believed in the religious aspect of faith and miracles, unlike Langdon, (yet). The leap of faith is the understanding and belief or religion, or things that we fear or don't know of, such as God, or the powers of the mind.
This past week, we also discussed and worked on the imagery worksheet. The quotes that we found were in relation to the theme of our book, which I believe is resolving darkness and chaos. One perfect quote which explains the resolution is where they say, "it is always darkest before the dawn," (p.328). The imagery and literal interpertation of this quote shows you light, and a certain amount of light being projected. It paints a picture that after a dark period of time, a beautiful and bright scene follows, as the amount of light increases and becomes more visible. Interpreting this quote, its really telling the reader that after all the bad, the good will appear; it's just necessary to go through the suffering first. As the quote "order in chaos" keeps re-appearing within the text of the book as well, it connects to the same symbolism being represented in this quote, both saying that order will always emerge. The wording of this quote, "it is always darkest before dawn", also exposes some more depth to the layers represented. By using the suffix "-est" to the word "dark", Dan Brown is showing the reader that it is not only dark, it is the darkest it can get; it's the worst it could be, but after it all, the beauty will emerge. In relation to the theme of the book, I believe that it reflects the nature of the characters' objectives: to go through the suffering to experience the reward that will come afterwards. For Mal'akh, the endurance would be to manipulate others, murder, and threaten... all for one central purpose; his sacrifice, and transformation. For the other characters, the obstacles that they must go through and survive are all experienced in the hopes of life and success, after all their troubles. "Darkest before the dawn" is also a direct portrayal of the setting of the novel, as all the events take place within the span of one night, and before the morning light. The chaos occurs during the night, and at dawn is when all the hardships endured by the characters becomes settled and at peace.
Another imagery-stimulating quote came from after Robert Langdon had been drowned by Mal'akh, and he felt he were dead. Once Sato found him though, they quickly took him out of the tank he was in, and suddenly, "he felt like a child being born from a womb," (p.414). This quote really makes you picture what it would be like coming out from complete darkness, to opening your eyes and seeing a completely new world before you. This quote represents going from dark to the light, from stillness to life. To embrace the world, and to change environments. Since Langdon was being trapped and felt like he was drowning, he believed he was dead, and the realization of being alive again and breathing are was like being reborn. In relation to the theme of our novel, it connects strongly to the 'order in chaos' and finding a way through the darkness. It also highlights the theme of despair and manipulation, as Langdon strongly believed he was dead and felt like it was the end, yet it really wasn't. Again, this scenario reassures us that Mal'akh is an opportunist, because of his acts of manipulation. Langdon feeling like he was being re-born also connects to the symbolism and importance of second chances that others have received, such as Mal'akh's multiple 'deaths' and near-death experiences through the different pivotal events that had occurred in his life. The second chance, and re-birth also represents the spiritual aspect discussed throughout the book, of the works of noetic science, 'man becoming like God', and the many spiritual transformations that Mal'akh had embraced. A connection from this quote and theme to the world would be Jesus' resurrection in the Bible; as he had endured death, but overcome it, and became re-born. It also connects to the believers and followers of Jesus Christ, as it is their belief that once they accept Jesus as their personal Saviour, they are 're-born' in Christ, and live by the sacrifice of his blood.
The past week, our group did not generate much discussion because of the fact we had all finished reading the novel by last week. Though, we did discuss our thoughts and opinions on the way that the book had wrapped up, we did not go much into analysis other than what I had mentioned earlier, about our disappointment in the final events. Despite of the lack of discussion the past week, last week got into discussions about imagery analysis, where all of us contributed our ideas, examples, and connections we could make to the task at hand. We all listened to each other well, and input our ideas and views on the representations of the text itself when mentioning specific events that had occurred in our novel. Overall thoughout the past two weeks, in the time that our group did spend discussing and analyzing the novel, we did quite well in pulling out specific examples to fit the theme, and also in working well together by listening, asking questions, and inclusive participation. The past unit, I believe that Katie, Stephen, and Yuki and I all worked well together as a group, by coming to class prepared and ready to discuss, and by thoughtfully listening to each other's opinions. Although we were somewhat disappointed by the ending, overall, we were very impressed and pleased with The Lost Symbol.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Lit Circles Journal: Week 3
This week, my literature circle group had finished reading our book, The Lost Symbol by author Dan Brown. We mainly discussed the questions and thoughts that remained after finishing the book, and we also touched on the strong sense of symbolism included in the storyline and some strong examples of imagery.
Because our group had just finished up reading the last couple chapters of our book, most of the discussion that was generated was centralized upon our feelings towards how all of the different characters and plots eventually tied together and intertwined nearing the end of the book. As a group, we felt that once Mal'akh had died in the Temple Room as a result of the Temple's glass panel being smashed by the CIA's helicopter, the rest of the book was an explanation the different layers of symbolism within and between the noetic science and Masonic legends, with not very much plot left to it. Although the story told was vivid and captivating, the long lead-up to Mal'akh asking Peter to sacrifice him within a short span of text in the book felt like an abrupt end to the long and dark night that had been unwinding for the past 450 pages. To be blunt, the ending seemed quite anti-climatic in respect to the deep and intense lead-up. Discovering the 'truth' behind it all almost felt like it should have been more dramatic, or something more exciting or even more twisted should have happened, such as Mal'akh staying alive, or the secret Masonic initiation video becoming leaked. Though it was a sigh of relief and quite interesting to see how the different symbols interacted with scientific meanings and religious contexts, for myself as a reader, left me thinking just, "oh".
One symbolic theme that we recognized to be ongoing within the book was the 'leap of faith' metaphor. This metaphor is first brought in on page 45, where Katherine is entering Pod 5 at the first time with Peter. "'Peter?' she called. 'Leap of Faith,' he called back." It's obvious that firstly, Peter is talking about a literal leap of faith; a step into the pitch-black darkness. Though, once you look into the layers of the context this metaphor is used in, you realize that Peter is asking her to take a leap of faith in the belief and work of her noetic scientific theories. It was difficult for Katherine to take her step into the Pod, her leap of faith. Though once she did, she had realized and discovered the true potential of her science. The second time that this metaphor is used is after Katherine had explained to Robert why she believed the miracles that the Bible told stories of. As they spoke, "[he] was pensive. 'It's an inspiring way to see the world Katherine, but for me, it just feels like an impossible leap of faith.'" It's difficult for Langdon to understand or take the step to believe in the miracles contained in the Bible's stories, or to understand the power and potential of noetic science, because of his understanding of history and the way things are, rather than the way that things can potentially be, with the powers that man's mind can behold. A leap of faith is one that can be taken in fear or with confidence. Through her science and research, Katherine has believed in the religious aspect of faith and miracles, unlike Langdon, (yet). The leap of faith is the understanding and belief or religion, or things that we fear or don't know of, such as God, or the powers of the mind.
This past week, we also discussed and worked on the imagery worksheet. The quotes that we found were in relation to the theme of our book, which I believe is resolving darkness and chaos. One perfect quote which explains the resolution is where they say, "it is always darkest before the dawn," (p.328). The imagery and literal interpertation of this quote shows you light, and a certain amount of light being projected. It paints a picture that after a dark period of time, a beautiful and bright scene follows, as the amount of light increases and becomes more visible. Interpreting this quote, its really telling the reader that after all the bad, the good will appear; it's just necessary to go through the suffering first. As the quote "order in chaos" keeps re-appearing within the text of the book as well, it connects to the same symbolism being represented in this quote, both saying that order will always emerge. The wording of this quote, "it is always darkest before dawn", also exposes some more depth to the layers represented. By using the suffix "-est" to the word "dark", Dan Brown is showing the reader that it is not only dark, it is the darkest it can get; it's the worst it could be, but after it all, the beauty will emerge. In relation to the theme of the book, I believe that it reflects the nature of the characters' objectives: to go through the suffering to experience the reward that will come afterwards. For Mal'akh, the endurance would be to manipulate others, murder, and threaten... all for one central purpose; his sacrifice, and transformation. For the other characters, the obstacles that they must go through and survive are all experienced in the hopes of life and success, after all their troubles. "Darkest before the dawn" is also a direct portrayal of the setting of the novel, as all the events take place within the span of one night, and before the morning light. The chaos occurs during the night, and at dawn is when all the hardships endured by the characters becomes settled and at peace.
Another imagery-stimulating quote came from after Robert Langdon had been drowned by Mal'akh, and he felt he were dead. Once Sato found him though, they quickly took him out of the tank he was in, and suddenly, "he felt like a child being born from a womb," (p.414). This quote really makes you picture what it would be like coming out from complete darkness, to opening your eyes and seeing a completely new world before you. This quote represents going from dark to the light, from stillness to life. To embrace the world, and to change environments. Since Langdon was being trapped and felt like he was drowning, he believed he was dead, and the realization of being alive again and breathing are was like being reborn. In relation to the theme of our novel, it connects strongly to the 'order in chaos' and finding a way through the darkness. It also highlights the theme of despair and manipulation, as Langdon strongly believed he was dead and felt like it was the end, yet it really wasn't. Again, this scenario reassures us that Mal'akh is an opportunist, because of his acts of manipulation. Langdon feeling like he was being re-born also connects to the symbolism and importance of second chances that others have received, such as Mal'akh's multiple 'deaths' and near-death experiences through the different pivotal events that had occurred in his life. The second chance, and re-birth also represents the spiritual aspect discussed throughout the book, of the works of noetic science, 'man becoming like God', and the many spiritual transformations that Mal'akh had embraced. A connection from this quote and theme to the world would be Jesus' resurrection in the Bible; as he had endured death, but overcome it, and became re-born. It also connects to the believers and followers of Jesus Christ, as it is their belief that once they accept Jesus as their personal Saviour, they are 're-born' in Christ, and live by the sacrifice of his blood.
This week, our group actually did not discuss that in-depth, since Katie and Yuki were away. On Monday, we got into the imagery analysis, where much discussion and examples were generated. We all listened to each other well, and input our ideas and views on the representations of the text itself when mentioning specific events that had occurred in our novel. On Wednesday, I had completed the book and Stephen and I mainly talked about the ending, and how everything unfolded, (as I mentioned in the second paragraph). On Friday, we did not have that much discussion, since we watched another Lit Circle group's movie. Overall though, in the time that we did spend discussing and analyzing the novel as a group, we did quite well in pulling out specific examples to fit the theme, and also in working well together by listening, asking questions, and inclusive participation.
Because our group had just finished up reading the last couple chapters of our book, most of the discussion that was generated was centralized upon our feelings towards how all of the different characters and plots eventually tied together and intertwined nearing the end of the book. As a group, we felt that once Mal'akh had died in the Temple Room as a result of the Temple's glass panel being smashed by the CIA's helicopter, the rest of the book was an explanation the different layers of symbolism within and between the noetic science and Masonic legends, with not very much plot left to it. Although the story told was vivid and captivating, the long lead-up to Mal'akh asking Peter to sacrifice him within a short span of text in the book felt like an abrupt end to the long and dark night that had been unwinding for the past 450 pages. To be blunt, the ending seemed quite anti-climatic in respect to the deep and intense lead-up. Discovering the 'truth' behind it all almost felt like it should have been more dramatic, or something more exciting or even more twisted should have happened, such as Mal'akh staying alive, or the secret Masonic initiation video becoming leaked. Though it was a sigh of relief and quite interesting to see how the different symbols interacted with scientific meanings and religious contexts, for myself as a reader, left me thinking just, "oh".
One symbolic theme that we recognized to be ongoing within the book was the 'leap of faith' metaphor. This metaphor is first brought in on page 45, where Katherine is entering Pod 5 at the first time with Peter. "'Peter?' she called. 'Leap of Faith,' he called back." It's obvious that firstly, Peter is talking about a literal leap of faith; a step into the pitch-black darkness. Though, once you look into the layers of the context this metaphor is used in, you realize that Peter is asking her to take a leap of faith in the belief and work of her noetic scientific theories. It was difficult for Katherine to take her step into the Pod, her leap of faith. Though once she did, she had realized and discovered the true potential of her science. The second time that this metaphor is used is after Katherine had explained to Robert why she believed the miracles that the Bible told stories of. As they spoke, "[he] was pensive. 'It's an inspiring way to see the world Katherine, but for me, it just feels like an impossible leap of faith.'" It's difficult for Langdon to understand or take the step to believe in the miracles contained in the Bible's stories, or to understand the power and potential of noetic science, because of his understanding of history and the way things are, rather than the way that things can potentially be, with the powers that man's mind can behold. A leap of faith is one that can be taken in fear or with confidence. Through her science and research, Katherine has believed in the religious aspect of faith and miracles, unlike Langdon, (yet). The leap of faith is the understanding and belief or religion, or things that we fear or don't know of, such as God, or the powers of the mind.
This past week, we also discussed and worked on the imagery worksheet. The quotes that we found were in relation to the theme of our book, which I believe is resolving darkness and chaos. One perfect quote which explains the resolution is where they say, "it is always darkest before the dawn," (p.328). The imagery and literal interpertation of this quote shows you light, and a certain amount of light being projected. It paints a picture that after a dark period of time, a beautiful and bright scene follows, as the amount of light increases and becomes more visible. Interpreting this quote, its really telling the reader that after all the bad, the good will appear; it's just necessary to go through the suffering first. As the quote "order in chaos" keeps re-appearing within the text of the book as well, it connects to the same symbolism being represented in this quote, both saying that order will always emerge. The wording of this quote, "it is always darkest before dawn", also exposes some more depth to the layers represented. By using the suffix "-est" to the word "dark", Dan Brown is showing the reader that it is not only dark, it is the darkest it can get; it's the worst it could be, but after it all, the beauty will emerge. In relation to the theme of the book, I believe that it reflects the nature of the characters' objectives: to go through the suffering to experience the reward that will come afterwards. For Mal'akh, the endurance would be to manipulate others, murder, and threaten... all for one central purpose; his sacrifice, and transformation. For the other characters, the obstacles that they must go through and survive are all experienced in the hopes of life and success, after all their troubles. "Darkest before the dawn" is also a direct portrayal of the setting of the novel, as all the events take place within the span of one night, and before the morning light. The chaos occurs during the night, and at dawn is when all the hardships endured by the characters becomes settled and at peace.
Another imagery-stimulating quote came from after Robert Langdon had been drowned by Mal'akh, and he felt he were dead. Once Sato found him though, they quickly took him out of the tank he was in, and suddenly, "he felt like a child being born from a womb," (p.414). This quote really makes you picture what it would be like coming out from complete darkness, to opening your eyes and seeing a completely new world before you. This quote represents going from dark to the light, from stillness to life. To embrace the world, and to change environments. Since Langdon was being trapped and felt like he was drowning, he believed he was dead, and the realization of being alive again and breathing are was like being reborn. In relation to the theme of our novel, it connects strongly to the 'order in chaos' and finding a way through the darkness. It also highlights the theme of despair and manipulation, as Langdon strongly believed he was dead and felt like it was the end, yet it really wasn't. Again, this scenario reassures us that Mal'akh is an opportunist, because of his acts of manipulation. Langdon feeling like he was being re-born also connects to the symbolism and importance of second chances that others have received, such as Mal'akh's multiple 'deaths' and near-death experiences through the different pivotal events that had occurred in his life. The second chance, and re-birth also represents the spiritual aspect discussed throughout the book, of the works of noetic science, 'man becoming like God', and the many spiritual transformations that Mal'akh had embraced. A connection from this quote and theme to the world would be Jesus' resurrection in the Bible; as he had endured death, but overcome it, and became re-born. It also connects to the believers and followers of Jesus Christ, as it is their belief that once they accept Jesus as their personal Saviour, they are 're-born' in Christ, and live by the sacrifice of his blood.
This week, our group actually did not discuss that in-depth, since Katie and Yuki were away. On Monday, we got into the imagery analysis, where much discussion and examples were generated. We all listened to each other well, and input our ideas and views on the representations of the text itself when mentioning specific events that had occurred in our novel. On Wednesday, I had completed the book and Stephen and I mainly talked about the ending, and how everything unfolded, (as I mentioned in the second paragraph). On Friday, we did not have that much discussion, since we watched another Lit Circle group's movie. Overall though, in the time that we did spend discussing and analyzing the novel as a group, we did quite well in pulling out specific examples to fit the theme, and also in working well together by listening, asking questions, and inclusive participation.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Lit Circles Summative Journal
Lit Circle: The Lost Symbol - Journal (from Week 2)
After two weeks, my literature circle group had decided to read up to around page 200, however, by the end of the week, I had exceeded this point in the book. During our discussions in-class, my group and I mainly talked about how the multiple settings created the tone for the scenes and how these surroundings affected and reflected the different characters. The Lost Symbol is a book that at this point, has more than one clear theme; it is a story filled with mystery, darkness, and manipulation.
The different themes that 'The Lost Symbol' portrays are not shown separately, but is painted as a twisted picture through the multiple settings and the motives of the different characters. Setting plays a huge part in who holds the power and authority in each chapter of the book, and it also sets the mood of eerie darkness for each of them as well. Even at the beginning of the book in chapter six, before key events have taken place, "the first few raindrops began to fall", (p.24), and it were as if "the skies were threatening to open at an moment", (p.24), on the "wet cement" (p.24) that Robert Langdon was pacing himself upon. As the day approached evening, the setting creates a moody feeling towards how Langdon felt not only having to run through the rain, but also his fear, or phobia of the underground tunnel he had to use as a pathway to get inside the Capitol Building at that time of day. By this initial opening scene, you can tell that the author, Dan Brown, uses Robert Langdon's fears and insecurities to set the feeling of darkness and mystery through the unexpected gloomy evening that the character encounters.
Robert Langdon's fears and personal issues with claustrophobia is again used by the author in chapters 32 and 35, where Langdon, Sato, and Anderson are going down to SBB13, the Capitol Building's subbasement, which in a whole, was just one very large, yet narrow maze. "The wooden stairs [that descended] to the Capitol's subbasement were steep and shallow", (p.145), and the group's "footfalls drum[med] up an eerie, uneven echo in the long passageway [as] doorways lined the long hallway; some closed but many ajar, [and] many of the rooms [down on this level] looked abandoned." (p.136). The feeling that is given off in this closed, dusty area is one that makes the reader fear this space themselves, and makes the reader really wonder what mysteries are contained within all the dark, deserted rooms of such a historic building's underground basement. These are feelings not only felt by us, the reader, but they are characterized in Langdon, Sato, and Anderson's unfamiliarity with the unkept parameters that they are entering and searching.
One more setting that my Lit Circle group believed was a key in revealing the themes of this story is Katherine Solomon's science lab, called Pod 5. This lab, known as "The 'Cube', was a massive windowless box", (p.55), "located in the farthest corner of the [blackness of] Pod [5] for maximum separation." (p.44). The blackness and isolation of Pod 5 and 'The Cube' combined makes us as the reader wonder why it is that Peter Solomon thought that this would be the perfect place for his sister, Katherine, to do her scientific work. The darkness, and lack of light in the Pod itself gives off a feeling of uncertainty, uneasiness, and perhaps even evil when first introduced to this space. For anyone encountering the blackness of the Pod, a "leap of faith" (p.45) is required to walk through in order to get to the actual lab, highlighting another theme that is apparent within the characters' relationships: trust (and often mistrust). However, it must be recognized that Katherine's work was unknown, so the Solomons were definitely trying to further keep Katerine's lab a secret and exclusive to her own knowing; however, this also represents the deep privacy that apparently the Solomon family tries to withhold, later revealed through the talisman, the gold pyramid that protected the Freemason's secrets, which was kept in the Solomon family for many generations.
Identical to how the settings affected and portrayed many of the characters' initial reactions, us, as human beings are no different to these characters. The environment around us can easily alter our view upon the possible situations that we are put in on a daily basis. For example, the weather plays a huge factor in our moods, just as it did to Langdon when he arrived at the Capitol Building, in the rain. If we, as mere humans wake up at 7 in the morning to a downpour knocking at our window, I believe that the majority of us barely have the desire to get out of bed; however, on a beautiful sunny day, our spirits are enlightened by the warm, welcoming sunshine that starts off our days. Like Pod 5, dark spaces that we know no whereabouts of where are are or where anything else is located for that matter can make our heart beat quicker and our jaws tremble in fear. Setting and environment can play with our emotions greatly, just as they do to the characters in The Lost Symbol.
Similar to what I stated before about the weather affecting our emotional reactions, the environment that surrounds us can also remind us of certain emotions, feelings, and situations that we've been in previously. The simplest memory of momentarily being blinded in the sunlight's gaze can send one back to a time spent in the summer at a cottage with their family, for example. These kinds of memories that are triggered by encountering like-scenarios, comparable to a flashback that characters in movies and books are struck by often. In relation to The Lost Symbol, Robert Langdon has one of these memory-stricken types of moments in chapter six, as mentioned earlier, as he was running through a dark, underground passage, it reminded him of his claustrophobia and the struggles he faced as a child, feeling unable to breathe, like "[he had] to get out of this box," (p.6), and now, as an adult, Langdon felt as if he were searching for "light, [and] spacious[ness]". (p.25)
The past weeks, we had a few brief discussions about what I highlighted in my journal entry, as well as the multiple characters that we are encountering as we read The Lost Symbol. Personally, I feel like we have not had a substantial amount of time to discuss key events or to go into detail about the deeper meanings or possibilities of the storyline, so I hope that in the upcoming week, we will have the opportunity to discuss much more. More recently, our literature circle group has had more time for general discussion about the multiple story lines in the book. We have gotten into discussions and opened up our opinions while interpreting the text and sharing with each other. For example, I was confused about Zachary's death and Inmate 37's transformation into Andros. My group was able to explain how they interpreted that event while taking into consideration my input as well. In general though, I believe that our group is making a good use of the time that we are given to discuss; we all participate by listening to each other's opinions, and we each take turns to build on the opinions stated and ask questions to further our thinking during our discussions. An improvement would just be to get a little bit deeper into the many layers of symbolism that is beginning to be mentioned. It's obvious that The Lost Symbol contains many depths and layers underneath of the surface of the text, as it will open our minds to the real symbolism and mysteries that the story reveals.
NOTE: What I have edited/improved on is that I added another connection, (t-t/t-w) and also have further explained in detail and depth, our group's progress up to this point.
After two weeks, my literature circle group had decided to read up to around page 200, however, by the end of the week, I had exceeded this point in the book. During our discussions in-class, my group and I mainly talked about how the multiple settings created the tone for the scenes and how these surroundings affected and reflected the different characters. The Lost Symbol is a book that at this point, has more than one clear theme; it is a story filled with mystery, darkness, and manipulation.
The different themes that 'The Lost Symbol' portrays are not shown separately, but is painted as a twisted picture through the multiple settings and the motives of the different characters. Setting plays a huge part in who holds the power and authority in each chapter of the book, and it also sets the mood of eerie darkness for each of them as well. Even at the beginning of the book in chapter six, before key events have taken place, "the first few raindrops began to fall", (p.24), and it were as if "the skies were threatening to open at an moment", (p.24), on the "wet cement" (p.24) that Robert Langdon was pacing himself upon. As the day approached evening, the setting creates a moody feeling towards how Langdon felt not only having to run through the rain, but also his fear, or phobia of the underground tunnel he had to use as a pathway to get inside the Capitol Building at that time of day. By this initial opening scene, you can tell that the author, Dan Brown, uses Robert Langdon's fears and insecurities to set the feeling of darkness and mystery through the unexpected gloomy evening that the character encounters.
Robert Langdon's fears and personal issues with claustrophobia is again used by the author in chapters 32 and 35, where Langdon, Sato, and Anderson are going down to SBB13, the Capitol Building's subbasement, which in a whole, was just one very large, yet narrow maze. "The wooden stairs [that descended] to the Capitol's subbasement were steep and shallow", (p.145), and the group's "footfalls drum[med] up an eerie, uneven echo in the long passageway [as] doorways lined the long hallway; some closed but many ajar, [and] many of the rooms [down on this level] looked abandoned." (p.136). The feeling that is given off in this closed, dusty area is one that makes the reader fear this space themselves, and makes the reader really wonder what mysteries are contained within all the dark, deserted rooms of such a historic building's underground basement. These are feelings not only felt by us, the reader, but they are characterized in Langdon, Sato, and Anderson's unfamiliarity with the unkept parameters that they are entering and searching.
One more setting that my Lit Circle group believed was a key in revealing the themes of this story is Katherine Solomon's science lab, called Pod 5. This lab, known as "The 'Cube', was a massive windowless box", (p.55), "located in the farthest corner of the [blackness of] Pod [5] for maximum separation." (p.44). The blackness and isolation of Pod 5 and 'The Cube' combined makes us as the reader wonder why it is that Peter Solomon thought that this would be the perfect place for his sister, Katherine, to do her scientific work. The darkness, and lack of light in the Pod itself gives off a feeling of uncertainty, uneasiness, and perhaps even evil when first introduced to this space. For anyone encountering the blackness of the Pod, a "leap of faith" (p.45) is required to walk through in order to get to the actual lab, highlighting another theme that is apparent within the characters' relationships: trust (and often mistrust). However, it must be recognized that Katherine's work was unknown, so the Solomons were definitely trying to further keep Katerine's lab a secret and exclusive to her own knowing; however, this also represents the deep privacy that apparently the Solomon family tries to withhold, later revealed through the talisman, the gold pyramid that protected the Freemason's secrets, which was kept in the Solomon family for many generations.
Identical to how the settings affected and portrayed many of the characters' initial reactions, us, as human beings are no different to these characters. The environment around us can easily alter our view upon the possible situations that we are put in on a daily basis. For example, the weather plays a huge factor in our moods, just as it did to Langdon when he arrived at the Capitol Building, in the rain. If we, as mere humans wake up at 7 in the morning to a downpour knocking at our window, I believe that the majority of us barely have the desire to get out of bed; however, on a beautiful sunny day, our spirits are enlightened by the warm, welcoming sunshine that starts off our days. Like Pod 5, dark spaces that we know no whereabouts of where are are or where anything else is located for that matter can make our heart beat quicker and our jaws tremble in fear. Setting and environment can play with our emotions greatly, just as they do to the characters in The Lost Symbol.
Similar to what I stated before about the weather affecting our emotional reactions, the environment that surrounds us can also remind us of certain emotions, feelings, and situations that we've been in previously. The simplest memory of momentarily being blinded in the sunlight's gaze can send one back to a time spent in the summer at a cottage with their family, for example. These kinds of memories that are triggered by encountering like-scenarios, comparable to a flashback that characters in movies and books are struck by often. In relation to The Lost Symbol, Robert Langdon has one of these memory-stricken types of moments in chapter six, as mentioned earlier, as he was running through a dark, underground passage, it reminded him of his claustrophobia and the struggles he faced as a child, feeling unable to breathe, like "[he had] to get out of this box," (p.6), and now, as an adult, Langdon felt as if he were searching for "light, [and] spacious[ness]". (p.25)
The past weeks, we had a few brief discussions about what I highlighted in my journal entry, as well as the multiple characters that we are encountering as we read The Lost Symbol. Personally, I feel like we have not had a substantial amount of time to discuss key events or to go into detail about the deeper meanings or possibilities of the storyline, so I hope that in the upcoming week, we will have the opportunity to discuss much more. More recently, our literature circle group has had more time for general discussion about the multiple story lines in the book. We have gotten into discussions and opened up our opinions while interpreting the text and sharing with each other. For example, I was confused about Zachary's death and Inmate 37's transformation into Andros. My group was able to explain how they interpreted that event while taking into consideration my input as well. In general though, I believe that our group is making a good use of the time that we are given to discuss; we all participate by listening to each other's opinions, and we each take turns to build on the opinions stated and ask questions to further our thinking during our discussions. An improvement would just be to get a little bit deeper into the many layers of symbolism that is beginning to be mentioned. It's obvious that The Lost Symbol contains many depths and layers underneath of the surface of the text, as it will open our minds to the real symbolism and mysteries that the story reveals.
NOTE: What I have edited/improved on is that I added another connection, (t-t/t-w) and also have further explained in detail and depth, our group's progress up to this point.
Response
I went to your glog. You have good insight in your explanations on your glog. I'm not clear on how your images represent conflict.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Lit. Circles 1st Summative Piece: Glogster
Theme: Conflict
What is the role of power in conflict?
http://jencc.glogster.com/the-lost-symbol-conflict/
edit: The Meanings of the Images
(from top, left to right)
Space Window Cathedral - This is the location in which Langdon and Katherine Solomon have met up with Dean Galloway, as described in the text next to the image. It relates to conflict in that being at this place, speaking with Galloway, brings them a step closer to solving the conflict that they are in.
US Capitol Building - This is where the story takes place at the beginning, where all the conflict begun. Langdon was here, expecting to meet Peter, but instead he got a phone call from Mal'ak explaining why he was really here. The reason for Langdon being brought to the Capitol building is the conflict that the story revolves around.
Masonic Ring - The Masonic Ring denotes power within conflict; Peter Solomon, Warren Bellamy, and other 33rd degree ring holders hold great wisdom and secrets that are being tracked and wanted within these conflicts that the story surrounds.
US Botanical Garden - The jungle in which Bellamy is being interrogated at, as described in the text box next to the image. This is the setting in which Bellamy is finding himself in conflict.
Pyramid & Capstone and Tattooed Man - These are the two physical objects in which Mal'akh (tattooed man picture) is wanting to know the wisdom of in order to obtain the power he needs to reach his full enlightenment. The pyramid & capstone is what triggers the events of the story, as they each fall into place just as Mal'akh had intended for them to. These objects and this character creates all of the conflict for each of the other characters in the plot, but as described in the text box next to these pictures, the conflict is resulting in Mal'akh's benefit.
What is the role of power in conflict?
http://jencc.glogster.com/the-lost-symbol-conflict/
edit: The Meanings of the Images
(from top, left to right)
Space Window Cathedral - This is the location in which Langdon and Katherine Solomon have met up with Dean Galloway, as described in the text next to the image. It relates to conflict in that being at this place, speaking with Galloway, brings them a step closer to solving the conflict that they are in.
US Capitol Building - This is where the story takes place at the beginning, where all the conflict begun. Langdon was here, expecting to meet Peter, but instead he got a phone call from Mal'ak explaining why he was really here. The reason for Langdon being brought to the Capitol building is the conflict that the story revolves around.
Masonic Ring - The Masonic Ring denotes power within conflict; Peter Solomon, Warren Bellamy, and other 33rd degree ring holders hold great wisdom and secrets that are being tracked and wanted within these conflicts that the story surrounds.
US Botanical Garden - The jungle in which Bellamy is being interrogated at, as described in the text box next to the image. This is the setting in which Bellamy is finding himself in conflict.
Pyramid & Capstone and Tattooed Man - These are the two physical objects in which Mal'akh (tattooed man picture) is wanting to know the wisdom of in order to obtain the power he needs to reach his full enlightenment. The pyramid & capstone is what triggers the events of the story, as they each fall into place just as Mal'akh had intended for them to. These objects and this character creates all of the conflict for each of the other characters in the plot, but as described in the text box next to these pictures, the conflict is resulting in Mal'akh's benefit.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Response
well done you are on the right path. you have supported your writing with good examples and you have looked at the key of darkness. Overlal the entire novel occurs during the night. Interesting how you brought in the leap of faith quote. I find that one quie ironc b/c usually I think about leaping of faith in daylight and bright situations and he was definitely not in one. The other definitely contrasts the situation or "highlights" the darkness by choosing that phrase. You have also brought in a good connection adn been able to explain how your group is working given the brief amount of time we have had for discussions. I am hoping that the tables willturn and now that the ground work is in place that you will now be able to read and discuss. by the way you did figure it out aboutZack, I missed that piece!!!!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Lit Circles Journal: Week 2
Lit Circle: The Lost Symbol
This past week, my literature circle group had decided to read up to around page 200, however, by the end of the week, I had exceeded this point in the book. During our discussions in-class, my group and I mainly talked about how the multiple settings created the tone for the scenes and how these surroundings affected and reflected the different characters. The Lost Symbol is a book that at this point, has more than one clear theme; it is a story filled with mystery, darkness, and manipulation,.
The different themes that 'The Lost Symbol' portrays are not shown separately, but is painted as a twisted picture through the multiple settings and the motives of the different characters. Setting plays a huge part in who holds the power and authority in each chapter of the book, and it also sets the mood of eerie darkness for each of them as well. Even at the beginning of the book in chapter six, before key events have taken place, "the first few raindrops began to fall", (p.24), and it were as if "the skies were threatening to open at an moment", (p.24), on the "wet cement" (p.24) that Robert Langdon was pacing himself upon. As the day approached evening, the setting creates a moody feeling towards how Langdon felt not only having to run through the rain, but also his fear, or phobia of the underground tunnel he had to use as a pathway to get inside the Capitol Building at that time of day. By this initial opening scene, you can tell that the author, Dan Brown, uses Robert Langdon's fears and insecurities to set the feeling of darkness and mystery through the unexpected gloomy evening that the character encounters.
Robert Langdon's fears and personal issues with claustrophobia is again used by the author in chapters 32 and 35, where Langdon, Sato, and Anderson are going down to SBB13, the Capitol Building's subbasement, which in a whole, was just one very large, yet narrow maze. "The wooden stairs [that descended] to the Capitol's subbasement were steep and shallow", (p.145), and the group's "footfalls drum[med] up an eerie, uneven echo in the long passageway [as] doorways lined the long hallway; some closed but many ajar, [and] many of the rooms [down on this level] looked abandoned." (p.136). The feeling that is given off in this closed, dusty area is one that makes the reader fear this space themselves, and makes the reader really wonder what mysteries are contained within all the dark, deserted rooms of such a historic building's underground basement. These are feelings not only felt by us, the reader, but they are characterized in Langdon, Sato, and Anderson's unfamiliarity with the unkept parameters that they are entering and searching.
One more setting that my Lit Circle group believed was a key in revealing the themes of this story is Katherine Solomon's science lab, called Pod 5. This lab, known as "The 'Cube', was a massive windowless box", (p.55), "located in the farthest corner of the [blackness of] Pod [5] for maximum separation." (p.44). The blackness and isolation of Pod 5 and 'The Cube' combined makes us as the reader wonder why it is that Peter Solomon thought that this would be the perfect place for his sister, Katherine, to do her scientific work. The darkness, and lack of light in the Pod itself gives off a feeling of uncertainty, uneasiness, and perhaps even evil when first introduced to this space. For anyone encountering the blackness of the Pod, a "leap of faith" (p.45) is required to walk through in order to get to the actual lab, highlighting another theme that is apparent within the characters' relationships: trust (and often mistrust). However, it must be recognized that Katherine's work was unknown, so the Solomons were definitely trying to further keep Katerine's lab a secret and exclusive to her own knowing; however, this also represents the deep privacy that apparently the Solomon family tries to withhold, later revealed through the talisman, the gold pyramid that protected the Freemason's secrets, which was kept in the Solomon family for many generations.
Identical to how the settings affected and portrayed many of the characters' initial reactions, us, as human beings are no different to these characters. The environment around us can easily alter our view upon the possible situations that we are put in on a daily basis. For example, the weather plays a huge factor in our moods, just as it did to Langdon when he arrived at the Capitol Building, in the rain. If we, as mere humans wake up at 7 in the morning to a downpour knocking at our window, I believe that the majority of us barely have the desire to get out of bed; however, on a beautiful sunny day, our spirits are enlightened by the warm, welcoming sunshine that starts off our days. Like Pod 5, dark spaces that we know no whereabouts of where are are or where anything else is located for that matter can make our heart beat quicker and our jaws tremble in fear. Setting and environment can play with our emotions greatly, just as they do to the characters in The Lost Symbol.
This week, we had two brief discussions about what I highlighted in my journal entry, as well as the multiple characters that we are encountering as we read The Lost Symbol. Personally, I feel like we have not had a substantial amount of time to discuss key events or to go into detail about the deeper meanings or possibilities of the storyline, so I hope that in the upcoming week, we will have the opportunity to discuss much more. In general though, I believe that our group is making a good use of the time that we are given to discuss; we all participate by listening to each other's opinions, and we each take turns to build on the opinions stated and ask questions to further our thinking during our discussions. An improvement would just be to get a little bit deeper into the many layers that we know that The Lost Symbol has contained underneath of the surface of the text, as it will open our minds to the real symbolism and mysteries that the story reveals.
This past week, my literature circle group had decided to read up to around page 200, however, by the end of the week, I had exceeded this point in the book. During our discussions in-class, my group and I mainly talked about how the multiple settings created the tone for the scenes and how these surroundings affected and reflected the different characters. The Lost Symbol is a book that at this point, has more than one clear theme; it is a story filled with mystery, darkness, and manipulation,.
The different themes that 'The Lost Symbol' portrays are not shown separately, but is painted as a twisted picture through the multiple settings and the motives of the different characters. Setting plays a huge part in who holds the power and authority in each chapter of the book, and it also sets the mood of eerie darkness for each of them as well. Even at the beginning of the book in chapter six, before key events have taken place, "the first few raindrops began to fall", (p.24), and it were as if "the skies were threatening to open at an moment", (p.24), on the "wet cement" (p.24) that Robert Langdon was pacing himself upon. As the day approached evening, the setting creates a moody feeling towards how Langdon felt not only having to run through the rain, but also his fear, or phobia of the underground tunnel he had to use as a pathway to get inside the Capitol Building at that time of day. By this initial opening scene, you can tell that the author, Dan Brown, uses Robert Langdon's fears and insecurities to set the feeling of darkness and mystery through the unexpected gloomy evening that the character encounters.
Robert Langdon's fears and personal issues with claustrophobia is again used by the author in chapters 32 and 35, where Langdon, Sato, and Anderson are going down to SBB13, the Capitol Building's subbasement, which in a whole, was just one very large, yet narrow maze. "The wooden stairs [that descended] to the Capitol's subbasement were steep and shallow", (p.145), and the group's "footfalls drum[med] up an eerie, uneven echo in the long passageway [as] doorways lined the long hallway; some closed but many ajar, [and] many of the rooms [down on this level] looked abandoned." (p.136). The feeling that is given off in this closed, dusty area is one that makes the reader fear this space themselves, and makes the reader really wonder what mysteries are contained within all the dark, deserted rooms of such a historic building's underground basement. These are feelings not only felt by us, the reader, but they are characterized in Langdon, Sato, and Anderson's unfamiliarity with the unkept parameters that they are entering and searching.
One more setting that my Lit Circle group believed was a key in revealing the themes of this story is Katherine Solomon's science lab, called Pod 5. This lab, known as "The 'Cube', was a massive windowless box", (p.55), "located in the farthest corner of the [blackness of] Pod [5] for maximum separation." (p.44). The blackness and isolation of Pod 5 and 'The Cube' combined makes us as the reader wonder why it is that Peter Solomon thought that this would be the perfect place for his sister, Katherine, to do her scientific work. The darkness, and lack of light in the Pod itself gives off a feeling of uncertainty, uneasiness, and perhaps even evil when first introduced to this space. For anyone encountering the blackness of the Pod, a "leap of faith" (p.45) is required to walk through in order to get to the actual lab, highlighting another theme that is apparent within the characters' relationships: trust (and often mistrust). However, it must be recognized that Katherine's work was unknown, so the Solomons were definitely trying to further keep Katerine's lab a secret and exclusive to her own knowing; however, this also represents the deep privacy that apparently the Solomon family tries to withhold, later revealed through the talisman, the gold pyramid that protected the Freemason's secrets, which was kept in the Solomon family for many generations.
Identical to how the settings affected and portrayed many of the characters' initial reactions, us, as human beings are no different to these characters. The environment around us can easily alter our view upon the possible situations that we are put in on a daily basis. For example, the weather plays a huge factor in our moods, just as it did to Langdon when he arrived at the Capitol Building, in the rain. If we, as mere humans wake up at 7 in the morning to a downpour knocking at our window, I believe that the majority of us barely have the desire to get out of bed; however, on a beautiful sunny day, our spirits are enlightened by the warm, welcoming sunshine that starts off our days. Like Pod 5, dark spaces that we know no whereabouts of where are are or where anything else is located for that matter can make our heart beat quicker and our jaws tremble in fear. Setting and environment can play with our emotions greatly, just as they do to the characters in The Lost Symbol.
This week, we had two brief discussions about what I highlighted in my journal entry, as well as the multiple characters that we are encountering as we read The Lost Symbol. Personally, I feel like we have not had a substantial amount of time to discuss key events or to go into detail about the deeper meanings or possibilities of the storyline, so I hope that in the upcoming week, we will have the opportunity to discuss much more. In general though, I believe that our group is making a good use of the time that we are given to discuss; we all participate by listening to each other's opinions, and we each take turns to build on the opinions stated and ask questions to further our thinking during our discussions. An improvement would just be to get a little bit deeper into the many layers that we know that The Lost Symbol has contained underneath of the surface of the text, as it will open our minds to the real symbolism and mysteries that the story reveals.
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