Lost in Literature

As this season of Lost draws to a close and the excitement builds to the finale, this is a bittersweet time. What will you do after the final “thud” of the season? How will you survive the summer until the final season begins in the fall?

Your answer: Lost in Literature!

This course, offered as part of the Bishop Dunne Online Education Program, will offer you insights into the show you never imagined through the authors and literary works that inspire the writers of the show. This summer we will begin with the novel Timeline, by Michael Crichton. One of the key devices of this novel is time travel and the impact of people from the present on the timeline of the past. Can changing the past, change the future? Or did “Whatever Happened, Happened?” Hmm… one of this season’s biggest questions.

I am also open to suggestions to other items for this summer’s reading list. Post your suggestions here on the blog! 

If you are interested in signing up for the course contact, Mr. O’Sullivan or Mr. Copeland to enroll.

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by Jamie G.

          Everyone has his or her own theory for the show Lost on ABC. I believe that the show has many similarities with Ancient Greek mythology. The characters’ behaviors, beliefs, and storyline in the show are similar to ones found in ancient mythology.

           The character archetypes found in Lost relate to those in mythology. For example, Ben is a powerful man who always has a plan; negotiating and manipulating to get what he wants is natural. He is the leader of the others and has privileges that few others have-such as talking to Jacob. If Ben were a character from a myth, he would have to be a god. To the Ancient Greeks and Romans, gods were often manipulative, using humans in ways to gain power or seek revenge on other gods or goddesses. Ben has the power to control the island as we have seen in the latest episodes. He can call upon the smoke monster with the help of Jacob and can actually physically move and hide the island. Ancient Greek gods often had the power to control certain elements of the earth, such as Poseidon and the ocean or Zeus and the sun. Gods also tend to seek revenge on other gods and goddesses because of jealousy, too much power, or something along those lines. Ben’s enemy could be Mr. Widmore, and the reason for the fighting would be the island. We have found that Charles believes that the island has always been his, yet we have only seen the island under the control of Ben. Jacob must also be a source of power, another god just not in the form of a human being.

          Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are often considered the three most powerful gods from mythology and they are all brothers, sons of Kronos. Zeus is the king of the gods and has the most authority over the other gods and goddesses. We know some information about Jacob, but nothing very solid except that he is quite powerful. We also know that Ben seeks permission and acceptance from Jacob. In that case, Ben’s Zeus is Jacob. The threesome of Ben, Mr. Widmore, and Jacob can be compared to Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus, as they are all extremely powerful in their own ways. 

          Something else interesting to consider is the fact that many of these survivors on the island are related, through family ties. One of the more recent relations we have found is between Jack and Claire; they have the same father, Christian Shepherd. Often in Greek mythology, we find that gods and goddesses have lovers even though they are married. For example, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is married to Hephaestus, the god of fire, but her lover is Ares, the god of war. We also know from ancient mythology that gods and goddess would have relationships with human beings. Zeus’s relationship with Danae, a human, resulted in the birth of a “hero,” Perseus, a half-god. Jack and Claire’s father has had an important role in the show and we can wonder if he has any significant power, perhaps as a minor god. This is especially emphasized by one of the last episodes, when we see Claire and her father together in Jacob’s cabin.

          Before a conflict is resolved, there is often a battle between the gods. Gods choose humans beings to be on their side and manipulate them into fighting for their cause, such as in Homer’s Iliad, when gods and goddesses had “favorites” and even competed with other gods and even humans in battles. For the ending of Lost, I think there will be an ultimate battle over the island between Ben and Charles. We already see a split between the survivors, those who felt safer with Locke and those who felt safer with Jack, one Ben’s side, the other Charles’s side. The island means power and greed and jealousy fuels them. The last episode leaves the audience hanging and suggests that we will be seeing more from Ben and Charles in the next season. It will also be interesting to see Jacob’s role in this, as we are not sure of his intentions for the island. I think that the show will end with the demise of one of the “gods,” one will succeed and the island’s secrets and powers will be revealed.

by Jamie G.

Charlie has always had an important role in the show, from the very beginning of Lost. Charlie faces major difficulties both on and off the island. Charlie is the kind of person that has saint-like characteristics- the drive to help others and even though he has problems of his own. He is a people person and seems to have good intentions but past events and habits tempt him and challenge him to make dangerous choices. However, through it all he finally finds the right path and sacrifices himself for the others.

Charlie is a people person and wants to please everyone. He was hope to his family, especially his mother, so the sense of wanting to succeed stayed with him. Charlie is one of the first characters introduced to the audience. He volunteers to go with Jack and Kate to explore the island and find the front of the airplane. It is in this episode, that the viewer discovers that he is a drug addict and was looking for the heroin left on the plane. Even though his idea to go along with Jack and Kate was not entirely pure, the audience does see that he wants to help people. For example, when Sayid asks for Charlie’s help with the fire, he agrees. Charlie takes a liking to Claire and her baby, especially when he is born. He cares for Aaron as a father would and tries to make Claire and Aaron as comfortable as possible. His nature is to help others especially those most vulnerable, in this case, Claire and her newborn baby. He even overcomes the temptation to use the heroin he found in the plane with the Locke’s guidance and burns the drug.

Even though he is a helpful person, Charlie does have his problems, as we find out in Season 2 where drugs tempt Charlie again. After finding a small plane filled with heroin, he hides a stash of the drugs, using them for security, not truly free form their hold on him. It threatens his relationship with the others on the island, especially Claire and her baby. She does not feel safe around Charlie and is afraid that he will harm Aaron. Charlie begins to have recurring dreams about Aaron in mortal danger, telling him to save the baby by getting him baptized. Charlie is able to influence Claire enough that both she and the baby visit Eko to be baptized. Watchers find out more about Charlie’s past, his strained relationship with his brother, his love for music, and his drug use. Charlie is at a low point in this episode but soon finds his destiny.

Charlie recovers from temptation, destroying the heroin stash, and finds his destiny when Desmond starts having visions of Charlie’s death. Charlie continues to be saved by Desmond until the survivors find a way to contact a boat that is off the coast of the island. The plan is dangerous and Charlie knows that this is his time to save Claire. He sacrifices his life for Claire and the baby by going to the underwater Dharma station and un-jamming the system, so that contact could be made to arrange a rescue mission. Even in his dying moments, he is able to help his friends by warning them that the people on the boat are not actually there to help them off the island. He thinks of only his friends and family, sacrificing himself to save their lives.

Although Charlie is led astray at times, he finds his way back to the right path and finds his higher calling to save the people that he loves. He tries to do what is right and has good intentions, even if it does not lead to good things. He wants people to be happy and he tries to make that happen, especially for Claire and Aaron. He is so dedicated to her, that he sacrifices his own life to help her.

Last week’s focus was on the beasts or monsters of our tales, this week we look at the saints. Another key literary archetype we see in both works is that of the saint or savior. The saint is one that is an innocent, often overlooked initially or even dubbed as an outcast. This character may be on his or her chosen path for a lifetime or may have lost their way only to find their true calling later in life (think St. Augustine). Often times the saint will most likely end of up a self sacrificing martyr – not that they plan it that way, but that is the way the story will lead them.

LORD OF THE FLIES SPOILER ALERT! Do not read on unless you have finished the book!

In Lord of the Flies, we have two characters that die in the last chapters of the book; Simon and Piggy. Piggy who is the constant scientific thinker and tries to be the voice of rationality is not exactly our saint. He tries to reason away the brutal death of Simon as an accident, he wasn’t involved, it wasn’t his or Ralph’s fault. You could also compare him to St. Peter who denied Christ even though he pledged himself to be the most loyal disciple. In the end, Piggy dies as he is trying to bring the voice of reason via the conch back to the savages. He of course wanted his specs back, not so much because it would allow him to see, but because it was the right thing to do. Again, not what you would call an ideal saint, but an interesting theory.

Our most clearly portrayed saint and savior of sorts is Simon. In many interviews the author, William Golding, actually says he intended for Simon to be a Christ like figure. Think of how his character develops in the story. Simon is the only character that truly looks out for the littleuns. He makes sure they are taken care of with shelter, gets them food, and helps to keep them calm when they are scared. He also often goes off to his place of seclusion to pray or reflect and get away from the chaos on the outside. He quite often is lost for words when in front of the group, but he is the only one that sees who the real monsters are – themselves.

He also has his own wandering in the desert experience where he is tempted by the devil. Simon while secluded in his place of reflection is overcome by the heat and thirst. He goes wandering and eventually is face to face with the Lord of the Flies (aka pig’s head on a stick). The figure talks to him trying to tempt him into the easy way out, to go off and play with the other children. He also tries to belittle him by saying he is not wanted and that the boys (and monsters) will have fun with or without him. Simon refuses the temptation of the Lord of the Flies and goes on to his calling.

He eventually stumbles upon the original “monster” seen by Sam and Eric (or Samneric) and realizes that it was a dead man hung up in his parachute. He cuts down the dean man and his parachute from the tree and goes off to tell the others. As you know, as he runs down to bring the good news to the others that the monster was nothing other than the parachute of the dead man, he meets his fate. The real monsters of the island take his life in a cruel and ritualistic sacrifice.

Now let’s get back to Lost; who are our saints or saviors there? You have one big assignment this week with several sub-assignments – be sure to check the class calendar for all of them!

We have some great reading and Lost catch-up to do this week! We are going back, way back, to the pilot episodes of Lost to meet our characters back at the beginning. It is an interesting trip to see how it all began when they first got to the island, especially after all that we have learned about them through the past four seasons. It is also nice to see Charlie again, even if it is not at his most shining moment.

As we watch, compare how the characters begin to evolve on the island in Lost to the characters in Lord of the Flies. Check out Monday’s assignment for some thinking and discussion questions comparing to the two works. By Wednesday you should be reading chapters 5-8 in Lord of the Flies, and on Friday it is your turn to write the blog post! Pick your favorite topic from Monday’s discussion questions and write on. Details for all assignments this week are in Edline and can be accessed through the class calendar.

We are now going full swing into our reading, viewing, and writing. For this week all assignments are posted into our Diigo group. There are three assignments in all and each uses a different aspect of Diigo. If you have any questions or are having difficulty please let me know so I can assist you.

Next week we will begin our study of Lord of the Flies. Please start reading it and have Chapters 1-4 ready for discussion on Monday.

After review of your posts to this weeks assignments I will begin to gather our class ideas and post the first Blog summary. Use this as a template for yourself. Next week you get to post the blog entry. Please comment to this blog entry and let me know if you are familiar and comfortable with writing blogs.

UPDATE: Not only is the Lost Book Club available on iTunes, but a comprehensive list is posted as a part of the Lost website. Now there are actually book clubs starting all over! Guess we were just a bit ahead of the game.

In the spirit of the phrase, ”great minds think alike,” the creators and producers of Lost, Damon and Carlton, have established the Lost Book Club on iTunes.  There they have a list of books that have been referenced in dialogue and also seen in the background.  I have not found however an actual “book club” where people are online discussing these works.  Also the listing is limited to audiobooks available via iTunes.  So for now let’s enjoy our little group and continue to get Lost in Literarture.

Welcome to Lost in Literature!  This is the official blog site for Mrs. Voigt’s summer literature class. 

The purpose of this summer class is study literary archetypes by watching ABC’s Lost television series and studying the works of literature that influence the writers of the show.  Each week there will be something to read, watch, write/discuss.   Through these activities we will be creating our own class definition of various archetypes.

Here are some things you need to get started.

1. Class texts: obtain copy of Lord of the Flies, by William Golding.  You may purchase your own copy or check one out from your local library.  We will also study “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce, and The Tempest, by William Shakespeare.  These texts we will use the free eBook available from the Gutenberg Project.
2. Be sure to register and bookmark our class blog (which you should already have done if you’re reading this!) and our class Diigo group.  For Diigo you will receive an e-mail invitation just like you did with the blog.  Please download the Diigo toolbar for your browser.  We will use Diigo to highlight and discuss the digital versions of the works we are studying.

Assignments will be posted every Monday on Edline.  Please check in every Monday to get your instructions for the class for the week.