Modern Interpretations of the Lotus-Eaters, Study notes of Communication

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Modern Interpretations of the Lotus-Eaters  Three modern works that reinterpret the scene of the Lotus- Eaters from the Odyssey.  The theme concerns the temptations and challenges that confront the characters.  The temptation to become distracted and to pause (or stop) the journey is strong, but the need to fulfill the quest wins out.  The three modern interpretations are:  1) Star Trek episode “This Side of Paradise”  2) movie “Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief”  3) video game “Episodes from Final Fantasy” Comparing The Odyssey’s “The Lotus Eaters” and the Star Trek Episode “This Side of Paradise” Using Structural Analysis • By using a simplified version of the Lévi-Strauss structural theory, we are able to compare and contrast the two stories. • Both tales recount an obstacle in a journey—for Odysseus, it was getting home after ten years of war and nearly ten years of divinely- driven “adventures” at sea. For Captain Kirk, it was his five-year mission that was at stake. • These two stories share a particular theme: the diversion or halting of one’s journey (either deliberately or accidently) and how real life (i.e. the journey itself) cannot be lived on the extremes. • First structural analyses will be of The Odyssey, followed by Star Trek. • The six aspects of each story will then be analysed separately. In each example, in both The Odyssey and Star Trek, the original conflict creates the extreme or unusual circumstances, • The times in which these stories were written/filmed will be briefly discussed. • Concluding remarks. Structural Analysis Chart for Star Trek, Part 2 Communication Environment Productiveness Emotions Conflict Level Awareness Crew disobeys orders… …& beam down to OC3 Work aboard Enterprise ceases Kirk tries to keep emotions in check; he tries to come up with antidote Plant sprays its spores on Kirk; he becomes like the others, wants to beam down to OM3 While looking at medals, Kirk becomes angry… ...& the effect of the spores is countered Kirk designs a plan to get his crew back—starts first with Spock Kirk calls on Spock to come back & “help” him Spock returns to ship Kirk deliberately angers Spock… …& they fight Spock’s returns to his senses Spock calls Leila to ship She beams up to Enterprise Spock breaks the bad news to Leila— there can be no love between them The bad news breaks the spell of the spores Structural Analysis Chart for Star Trek, Part 3 Communication Environment Productiveness Emotions Conflict Level Awareness Through the ship’s sound system, an irritating noise is heard on OM3 All on OM3 become agitated… …& they begin to fight each other… …thus altering the effect of the spores All return to the Enterprise, including the colonists Colonists agree that they have been unproductive & have failed in their mission Everyone returns to “normal” Kirk sets course… …& the Enterprise resumes its mission in space… ...fully aware of their duties 1. Communication Chart Communication The Odyssey Star Trek Poor (extreme) Good (normal) 1.The three men that were sent out by Odysseus failed to return, disobeying his orders 1.Odysseus orders his men to sail away quickly, lest they are tempted as well 1.The colonists lost contact with outside world for 3 years 2.Those infected by spores disobey Kirk’s commands 1. Spock agrees to back to ship & “help” Kirk 2. Ship’s communication device used to break the spores’ effect 3. Kirk orders crew to resume mission & is obeyed Environment--Explanation  In both The Odyssey and Star Trek, the rich, lush environment that is found (respectively) on the Lotus Island and Omicron Ceti-3 can be seen as a welcome relief to life on board the ships, travelling across the barren and monotonous sea/cosmos.  However, these verdant places hold danger to the crews—for Odysseus and his men, it is the lotus fruit; for Kirk and his team, it is the radiation that is bombarding the planet.  These verdant environments provide a strong temptation for people to stay and abandon their missions  Despite their barren appearance, the sea/space hold the key for both groups to continue their mission.  Therefore, it is the barren elements that will prevent distraction and produce the desired results. 3. Productiveness—Chart Productiveness The Odyssey Star Trek Unproductive (extreme) Productive (normal) 1. The men Odysseus sends out fail to carry out their mission 2. They sit and do nothing but eat the lotus plant 1. After collecting his men, Odysseus & his men leave to search for home 1. The colonists have done little except what is necessary to feed & clothe themselves 2. The crew abandons ship to join the colonists in their life of bliss 1. The crew return to ship to continue their mission 2. The colonists agree that they have been unproductive; they will go on with more constructive lives Productiveness--Explanation  The effect of the lotus fruit/flower spores causes the affected individuals to become passive and indolent; they lose all ambition  Thus, their missions are threatened because any work beyond what is needed to survive is considered unnecessary  Only when they are shaken out of their stupor do they realise how their time has been wasted  This is clearly displayed in the Star Trek episode; with The Odyssey, the attempt to find bread-eating men or to return home is hampered by those who ate the fruit of the lotus plant, and are therefore unproductive 5. Conflict Level—Chart Conflict Level The Odyssey Star Trek Very Peaceful (extreme) Conflict (normal) 1. Lotus-Eaters are very peaceful, do not “have any thoughts of destroying our companions” (92-93) and give the lotus fruit to the three men 1. Odysseus creates a necessary conflict by forcefully removing his men from the island 2. They must be tied down to ship’s benches 1. Colonists on Omicron Ceti-3 extremely peaceful amongst themselves and the Enterprise’s away team 2. Eventually crew members are affected by the spores; become extremely peaceful 1. Kirk’s anger (inner conflict) as antidote to spores 2. Kirk angers Spock, rest of crew 3. Crew and colonists return to normal Conflict Level—Explanation • Conflict here does not mean war; war is another extreme. Conflict is reality, encountered regularly as part of a journey. War and (total) peace can bring a journey to a halt, or alter its intended course. • The Lotus-Eaters threaten Odysseus’ men not by making war against them, but by causing them to forget their homeland. The journey is at peril. • What is unusual is that fact that the Lotus-Eaters do not even eye Odysseus’ men with suspicion, as one would expect. • The Enterprise also encounters a highly peaceful population on Omicron Ceti-3. There is no conflict, even amongst the colonists themselves. Again, an unexpected situation. • The absence of conflict, like in the Odyssey, brought about complacency. With no challenges (conflicts), no work is done beyond what is absolutely necessary. Also, one can expand it to spiritual and mental development; with no inner conflicts, one cannot develop into a mature, well-rounded human. 6. Awareness—Chart Awareness The Odyssey Star Trek Lack of Awareness (extreme) Awareness (normal) 1. Three men sent by Odysseus forget their way home; have no concerns beyond the present 1. Does not mention what happened to the three men brought back; the effects of the fruit must have worn off (?) 2. Odysseus and the rest of crew maintain their awareness and their desire to go home 1. Colonists and affected crew members have no concerns beyond living a peaceful and happy life on Omicron Ceti-3; they forget their purpose 1. Extreme blissfulness countered by another extreme emotion—anger; ultimately, emotions become balanced 2. Crew and colonists regain their awareness and purpose regarding their mission Conclusion and Link (Star Trek Preview)  The journeys in both The Odyssey and Star Trek represent not only the physical expeditions of the captains and their crew, but also a psychological and mental development necessary to complete their missions successfully.  The Lotus-Eaters/flower spores represent a threat, not because they are an obvious danger to the crew, but because they allowed the lotus eaters or those sprayed by the spores to forget their reality and “drop-out” from their mission and from society at large. http://www.startrek.com/watch_video/episode-preview-this-side- of-paradise Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief  We will be using Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey from chapter 15 to analyze the hero’s journey throughout the entire movie and comparing with the journey into the lair of the Lotus-Eaters (the scene begins at 1hour9min) followed by a comparison of the lotus scene from The Odyssey.  Clip from the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yV0I3lKito h Campbel Journey: @ 4 a Pr Adventure Supematural Retum a (Gift of Threshol i Godess) KNOWN aml osep UNKNOWN ‘Threshold transfomation) => e Helper Atonement medtor 3 Hero's Joumey Tansformation REVELATION death & rebirth Journey Throughout the Entire Movie  Trials He must get pearls from the lair of Medusa, the Parthenon, which is guarded by a Hydra, and from the Lotus Casino.  Temptress He must overcome the temptation to look Medusa, and put aside his humanity and kill her.  Death, rebirth and gift In the underworld (death) he discovers the identity of the thief and is given the lightning bolt by Persephone. He leaves the underworld (rebirth) and goes to Olympus to give Zeus his lightning bolt.  Revelation and transformation Percy gets to know himself and his true parentage; he finds out where he belongs, and realizes that his father does care and did not willingly abandon him and his mother.  Atonement Percy must forgive his father for abandoning him, since he learns that Zeus decreed that no gods could have contact with their children. This came into effect after Percy was born because Poseidon was neglecting his Divine duties and becoming mortal by spending too much time with Percy and his mother. At the end of the movie Poseidon apologizes for his absence but assures Percy he has always watched over him and helped him in times of need (lotus scene) and will continue to do so. Only by learning about his father can Percy discover his true self.  Return Goes to Camp Half Blood with the other heroes to begin his training as a demi-god. He starts a new life.  The lotus scene represents one of the trials and tribulations of the entire movie and leads to the completion of his quest.  It contains all the elements of the hero’s journey, mirroring the major conflicts of the movie as a whole.  In the beginning of the movie Percy does not like his surroundings; he struggles with school on account of supposed dyslexia and ADHD. By undergoing his journey he becomes happy with his life and his surroundings. Atonement  The atonement of the father gradually occurs throughout the movie, beginning with Annabeth confiding in Percy that she can hear her mother (Athena) in her thoughts during times of distress, Percy realizes he can as well.  At the Lotus Casino Percy hears his father in his thoughts, telling him to stop eating the flowers, he can also be seen as supernatural aid. Following his fathers intervention, Percy is able to stop eating the flowers and escape. This is one portion of the atonement throughout the movie. Poseidon, by helping Percy along the way proves he watched over him.  By killing Medusa he is also conquering his father. Medusa once had a love affair with Poseidon, and is clearly bitter. Percy kills her, which could be seen as the early stage of integration of his father into his new life. Conclusions  The scene of the Lotus-Eaters in The Odyssey does not fully follow the hero’s journey as it does in the movie. In The Odyssey, Odysseus does not gain anything from this episode, there is no gift, which is a main feature of the hero’s journey.  Based on these findings, the episode of the Lotus-Eaters is more important to the story of Percy Jackson then to the story of Odysseus. In Percy Jackson, the lotus scene reflects the whole story and Percy gains what he needs in order to continue his journey, where as Odysseus gains nothing from this scene.  Since Percy gains the pearls, which are necessary for his quest, the scene is important and follows a hero’s journey pattern to prove the difficulty of the task.  Using this theory on Percy Jackson brings out some great insights into the movie and highlights the important parts which lead to the transformation of Percy.  The theme of forgetfulness is seen in both The Odyssey and Percy Jackson and shows how easy it would be for the hero to forget his journey and take “the easy way out”. Undertaking a journey takes courage and bravery, especially to complete one. The lotus scene in both shows the strength of the desire to move forward in these two heroes and that they do not choose the easy route, but the journey that will lead them towards the fulfillment of their quests. The Odyssey Vs. Final Fantasy A Structural Analysis  I used the context with which Odysseus in retelling his story to Alkinoos because it is important the themes present in the episodes of the Lotus eaters. Forgetting Remembering Allure of Forgetting Emotions from memory Odysseus gets his name back, recounts his story Grief for the companions lost Three men given Lotus, lose their memories The three men don’t want to return, happy to be away from sorrow Forget the way home Odysseus needs to returns to his quest Sorrow being forced by Odysseus to return Odysseus fears the sweet allure of forgetting, must leave Sail away from temptation The Odyssey  Remembering/recounting his story is something Odysseus does not want to do, but needs to in order to continue on with his quest and get home.  The three men sent ahead to scout, after eating the Lotus, are free from all their worries, all the tragedies of the war and the hardships of the journey home by forgetting. However, Odysseus needs to complete his quest, so heads off to find the three men.  Odysseus wants to leave the place as fast as possible because he fears the temptation of forgetting; it would be much easier to forget and stay happy, eating Lotus for your entire life, than it would be to fight the sorrows and complete the quest Odysseus needs to complete and get home. Final Fantasy VII Forgetting Remembering Allure of Forgetting Emotions from Memory Able to have a life and a past Learns his past Shuts down and completely halts the quest Sorrows from the past, embarrassed of who he is/his failure Constructed a life from himself, takes the success of another Confronted by the truth again Grief. Needs to find himself and come to terms with himself Accepts his past Final Fantasy VII  A scientist confronts Cloud and lets him know that everything he thought he was, a Soldier-First Class, from his home town, was all a lie, he was built in the experiments done by Shinra and was a failure.  Cloud spires down into a deep depression and eventually losing himself, shutting down and effectively stopping the quest.  It is not until Cloud can come to accept who he is before the quest can continue. Final Fantasy Vs. The Odyssey  From the charts, there is a lot of similarities between the episodes from Final Fantasy and the Lotus Eaters in The Odyssey. In each one of the stories, there is some form of forgetting and remembering as well as the effects of each.  When one forgets, often they come to the conclusion that remembering is not worth it, but in order for their quests to be completed, they need to suffer from the effects of remembering.  Remembering and forgetting have their own place in the cycle of Levy-Strauss structuralism and they seem to be a part of each episode of the hero’s quest.  Forgetting is always the interruption of the quest, while remembering is how the quest has the possibility to resume.  However, each one of those elements has an effect on the individual and the group not only in terms of the quest, but also in terms of the emotions which are felt and the temptation to leave the quest because forgetting has its own appeal.  Each character must therefore face the grief and sorrow to continue on the quest. They must come to terms with the memories they had lost, remember them, and go forward with the quest.