Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown



The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown, is the sequel to The DaVinci Code. In this novel, Robert Langdon, a Harvard Symbologist is called by a friend and asked to speak about Freemasonry at the capitol building in Washington D.C. when he arrives he finds it almost empty. He quickly realizes that he has been set up and that his friend, Peter, has been taken hostage by a madman who goes by the name of Mal'akh. The man claims to need Langdon's help to find what he claims to be an ancient portal.

What follows is a cat and mouse game between Langdon and Mal'akh through all of Washington. Langdon follows a trail left by the Freemasons, learning many of their secrets. By the end of the novel, Langdon must decide whether or not to reveal what he has learned. This helps to develop a theme of forbidden knowledge and whether or not every person know everything. Langdon later finds out that Peter's sister, Katherine, a noetic scientist (the study of mind and intuition), has her lab destroyed by Mal'akh, and with it some very important and groundbreaking discoveries. Things get even more complicated when the NSA gets involved claiming that Mal'akh has information that he can use to threaten national security. Langdon must stop him before he kills Peter and releases this information.


1. The novel develops a theme of forbidden knowledge. Do you think that there are some things that we are not meant to know or that we should not know?


2. the knowledge Mal'akh has aquired (i cant reveal what it is without giving away the ending to the novel) would be useless in the hands of any normal person. however he has twisted it for his own use. Can you think of any examples of people using knowledge in an irresponsible way for their own gain?

11 comments:

LeahS11-12 said...

To answer your first question, I'd say yes. Sometimes after something is discovered, it creates controversy or other problems. While some new finds are harmless and progressive, many lead to problems. Take for example the atom splitter that was created a few years ago in Switzerland. The creators believed that they could harness the energy from the machine and use it as a power source. Instead, the atom splitter became hard to control and caused a large explosion. I think that like in the novel, the knowledge was something that humanity wasn't ready to handle.

Allie H 11-12 said...

Regarding discussion question #1, I do believe there are some things that we are not meant to know. It is said that "Ignorance is Bliss." That means that it can prove be better not knowing something. It can just stir up trouble and create unnecessary drama within a society. Knowing some bits of information can benefit our culture and help us down the road, but some bits of information just create a break-down for the society.

Leah A 5-6 said...

To answer question number 1, yes, i do believe that there are some things man is not meant to know. As Allie said, "Ignorance is bliss." This can show that not knowing something is better than knowing everything. Too much knowledge can create distractions and there could be consequences.

Jacob B 11-12 said...

I agree with allie. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Our society has access to nearly infinite knowledge through the internet televisoin and radio. This creates many distractions and almost takes over some peoples lives.

Eric Y 13-14 said...

First I have a question, would the Lost Symbol be considered the third book since Angels and Demons was the original Langdon novel?
For question one, there are many things that are kept hidden to prevent panic or war. Like in the show 24, the president usually does not allow the public to know there are terrorists to prevent pandemonium. Also, in The DaVinci Code, the knowledge of the Holy Grail should have been kept quiet because it may create wars concerning religion.

Joe K. 11-12 said...

I definetly feel like there is somethings that the public should not know. Sensitive material should be protected and guarded in an effort as not to cause panic or hysteria. In addition, somethings the public simply cannot know. For overall security and protection, the public should be kept in the dark in regards to measures of national security.

Jacob B 11-12 said...

To answer your question eric. Yes this is the third novel in the series. And you have a great point. All 3 of the langdon series have a similar theme. In angels and demons, the antagonist (i forget his name) uses antimatter which is thought to be a great new discovery as a weapon thus demonstrating a similar theme of using knowledge irresponsibly.

Kyle P. 13-14 said...

I don't think there are things that shouldn't be known by anyone I just think if it gets into the hands of someone irresponsible or ignorant it can be very dangerous, but it shouldn't be kept from those who can handle it.

Fritz J. 13-14 said...

I don't think there are things we aren't meant to know, but there might be things we aren't meant to understand.

Justin B. 11-12 said...

There are definitely things that we (the public) should not know. For example, where all the the nuclear armaments are kept or what is in Area 51. As for anything we are not meant to know I believe there is really only one thing that humans are not meant to know, and that is the true nature of God. W

I believe that people saying we shouldn't know certain things because they can be used for nefarious purposes is short-sighted. You must remember that humans have free will, so you can never really predict what they will do with some knowledge or some sort of technology. They might use it for great societal benefit or they might use it to create weapons that have the capacity to make humans extinct or they might use it for both (nuclear energy anyone). So saying we are not meant to know something because something bad might become of it does not really make sense.

Cieran B. 5-6 said...

There are somethings we are not meant to know for we cannot comprehend what knowledge we would be learning. Also forbidden knowledge could also be used to harm others in the world by using it irrationly. One example of using knowledge in a irresponsible way is propaganda. By using propaganda you can twist things people do not know so that it can benefit you for your cause.