I was right! The password to the cryptex that Sophie and Langdon found is S-O-F-I-A, which is her name spelled in Hebrew, as well as the Greek meaning for wisdom. Sophie's grandfather seemed way to involved and obsessed (in a non-creepy way) about his granddaughter to not have the password be her name.
This section could possibly be the climax of the book--Fache and Collet almost...yes ALMOST! catch Langdon and Sophie, Silas could have turned things 180 degrees the opposite direction that they are, and we as the reader learn new insight into Bishop Aringarosa's cowardice and fear buried deep beneath his glamorous ring. Aringarosa becomes less and less of a moral person the more that I read on. At the conclusion of this section, he is in deep trouble. Somehow, I theorize that Silas contacted him from his hostage position and told the Bishop (or possibly even the Teacher), which resulted in the Bishop offering the pilot of his plane headed to Paris that they must now proceed on to London (which is the prospected whereabouts of Langdon and Sophie). "Alone in the small cabin, Aringarosa twisted the gold ring on his finger and tried to ease his overwhelming sense of fear and desperation. Everything in Paris has gone terribly wrong. Closing his eyes, Aringarosa said a prayer that Bezu Fache would have the means to fix it." (295) To me, this means that Fache is on Aringarosa's side, who is on the Teacher's side, who is on Silas's side. This means nothing but trouble. Nothing but the fact that these four people (the Teacher, Aringarosa, Silas, and Bezu Fache) all want Robert Langdon's throat cut.
I hope that Bezu Fache goes down hard, and feels himself hit the ground. Yes, Langdon has done several things wrong, such as running away, but his intentions are good. The key was not his to use, however he is in company with the Grand Master's granddaughter! I don't know if the news released the fact that Sophie is the murdered man's granddaughter, however that would make me sympathize for the two victims rather than the police.
All the while, I found the character of Leigh Teabing the most intriguing character yet. He is intellectual, and curious. He has the best sense of humor out of all of the characters in The DaVinci Code!
A character whom I do not trust is Remy. He is like a rat to me--small, sly, and too smart to be working for some Knight. When Teabing said "'Well, Remy,' Teabing chimes happily. 'The lights are on. Our lives are in your hands.'" (307) This quote made me shiver a bit. As I mentioned in my last post, Remy and Teabing could be the absolute best of friends when on ones good side, however they could stop the whole country of France if need be to find their enemy.
Aviation connection of the day: "'Elizabeth?' Langdon said. 'My plane. She cost me a Queen's ransom.'" (309) Another connection... "The Hawker 731's twin Garret TFE-731 engines thundered, powering the plane skyward with gut-wrenching force." (317)
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The DaVinci Code Post 5
In chapters fifty-two to sixty-four, I became really into the book. The reading section ended right as the intense parts were getting started. One thing that started the reading out that put me on edge was how suspicious of a character Bishop Aringarosa is turning out to be. "'Large denominations bearer bonds drawn on the Vatican Bank. Negotiable as cash anywhere in the world." (189) Essentially, this is the part of the story where the Bishop inherits a lot of money--and he even commented that "I could not lift that much cash," (189) so the reader has to assume that he is the person who is killing off the high-ranking members of the Priory of Sion, or at least the one who is behind it all. This suspicion is confirmed only one page later when a man asks the Bishop where he intends to travel next. The Bishop replies "Paris" (190), which is exactly where Jacquies Sanuire was... and where Langdon and Sophie are!
One thing that I found interesting was the fact that Robert and Sophie trusted Vernet. Personally, I would not trust someone (even a high-ranking man) who even claimed to be an acquaintance of my murdered grandfather, who worked at a bank where the workers wanted my blood. But going as far as smashing his nose... I don't know if I would do that. Langdon had done nothing immoral up to this point, and he is in a foerign country wanted for murder of three people and broke a mans nose. That could mean serious trouble even if he has been freed of his murder charges.
It continues to amaze me how much Leonardo DaVinci did. He was a painter, scientist, philosopher, inventor--and a God to many people. Even Sophie admits to Teabing that "'I was raised by a man who worshipped Leonardo da Vinci." (249) This invention of his--the cryptex--is genius. Having a soft stone and soft wood conceal the message wrapped around a vile of vinegar that would destroy the message inside is a perfect hiding place. With five letters and twenty-six possible letters in this word, this means that five to the twenty-sixth power is the number of possibilities. Did Sophie's grandfather leave a five-lettered word on the floor that indicates what its code is? My first thought was "Sophie," however S-O-P-H-I-E is six, not five letters so that could not work. Knowing where this book is going, the code is probably staring them right in the face.
The aviation connection of the day: "My apologies. Airlines are so unreliable these days." (187)
Kai, can Teabing really be trusted? Would you trust a man who could be the best of friends and the most protective ally, but also your worst nightmare?
One thing that I found interesting was the fact that Robert and Sophie trusted Vernet. Personally, I would not trust someone (even a high-ranking man) who even claimed to be an acquaintance of my murdered grandfather, who worked at a bank where the workers wanted my blood. But going as far as smashing his nose... I don't know if I would do that. Langdon had done nothing immoral up to this point, and he is in a foerign country wanted for murder of three people and broke a mans nose. That could mean serious trouble even if he has been freed of his murder charges.
It continues to amaze me how much Leonardo DaVinci did. He was a painter, scientist, philosopher, inventor--and a God to many people. Even Sophie admits to Teabing that "'I was raised by a man who worshipped Leonardo da Vinci." (249) This invention of his--the cryptex--is genius. Having a soft stone and soft wood conceal the message wrapped around a vile of vinegar that would destroy the message inside is a perfect hiding place. With five letters and twenty-six possible letters in this word, this means that five to the twenty-sixth power is the number of possibilities. Did Sophie's grandfather leave a five-lettered word on the floor that indicates what its code is? My first thought was "Sophie," however S-O-P-H-I-E is six, not five letters so that could not work. Knowing where this book is going, the code is probably staring them right in the face.
The aviation connection of the day: "My apologies. Airlines are so unreliable these days." (187)
Kai, can Teabing really be trusted? Would you trust a man who could be the best of friends and the most protective ally, but also your worst nightmare?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The DaVinci Code Post 4
As always, The DaVinci Code is entertaining! I really enjoy following the story line. On page 186, Sophie was about to confess to Langdon what she saw that night that proved to her that her grandfather was indeed a high-up and elite member of the Priory of Sion. "And even if your grandfather were in the upper echelon, he would never be allowed to reveal anything to anyone outside of the brotherhood. It is inconceivable that he would bring you into the inner circle." Langdon said this to Sophie, because in my opinion, he is jealous that she would get a free ride into one of the most elite and prominant secret groups in the world. He is already jealous of her because of who her grandfather was (and in a way who he still is--at least his reputation). But sadly, before the reader could finally see into the mind of Sophie and see what she saw her grandfather doing that night, Langdon has to interrupt her train of thoughts. He had found the bank.
This picture is a picture of a Swiss bank, and much like the one described in The DaVinci Code. "The Depository Bank of Zurich was a twenty-four hour Geldschrank offering the full modern array of anonymous services in the tradition of the Swiss numbered account... As Sophie pulled the taxi to a stop in front of their destination, Langdon gazed out at the buildings uncompromising architecture and sensed the Depository Bank of Zurich was a firm with little sense of humor. The building was a windowless rectangle that seemed to be forged entirely of dull steel. Resembling an enormous metal brick, the edifice sat back from the road with a fifteen-foot-tall, neon, equilateral cross glowing over its facade." (191) Also, as you can see from the picture above, the keys match the description given by Langdon and Sophie throughout the book.
What Langdon commented about the Swiss Depository Bank struck me as a very convincing quote: "The message was clear: You are walking into a vault." (193) This was after Langdon was noticing how the whole entire building was fashioned with steel and marble--and nothing else minus the occasional human being.
Right as I was reading on page 199, I had a burst of inspiration! The ten-digit account number that is needed to open the vault for which the key opens is... The ten-digit number that is also the Fibonacci Sequence rearranged! "13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5" (74)
Kai--Is Vernet really on their side?
This picture is a picture of a Swiss bank, and much like the one described in The DaVinci Code. "The Depository Bank of Zurich was a twenty-four hour Geldschrank offering the full modern array of anonymous services in the tradition of the Swiss numbered account... As Sophie pulled the taxi to a stop in front of their destination, Langdon gazed out at the buildings uncompromising architecture and sensed the Depository Bank of Zurich was a firm with little sense of humor. The building was a windowless rectangle that seemed to be forged entirely of dull steel. Resembling an enormous metal brick, the edifice sat back from the road with a fifteen-foot-tall, neon, equilateral cross glowing over its facade." (191) Also, as you can see from the picture above, the keys match the description given by Langdon and Sophie throughout the book.
What Langdon commented about the Swiss Depository Bank struck me as a very convincing quote: "The message was clear: You are walking into a vault." (193) This was after Langdon was noticing how the whole entire building was fashioned with steel and marble--and nothing else minus the occasional human being.
Right as I was reading on page 199, I had a burst of inspiration! The ten-digit account number that is needed to open the vault for which the key opens is... The ten-digit number that is also the Fibonacci Sequence rearranged! "13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5" (74)
Kai--Is Vernet really on their side?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The DaVinci Code Post 3
In chapters twenty-five through thirty-seven, the story has developed so much! Since I have not yet before talked extensively on Langdon, that will be the focus of this post.
As any reader would be able to conclude, Langdon is intelligent. Not just intelligent, but incredibly smart on the scale that only one person could match his brains in his subject--the dead man (Mr. Sanuire). On page 127 when Langdon goes of on a tangent (of which is completely accurate) about the naming of the Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa was actually considered to be a "drag queen" version of Leonardo DaVinci. The Mona Lisa is neither man nor woman--based on the fact that Amon is the male god of fertility (which is "Mona" with the "a" placed infront of the "ona") and L'isa is the female goddess of fertility. Also, as Langon was explaining to his students, the left-hand side (which is considered the feminine side of things) is portrayed lower than the right-hand side (which is portrayed as the masculine side of things). By doing this, he makes the Mona Lisa look larger from his or her left side than DaVinci did on his or her right side. Given these two ironies, Leonardo DaVinci made a strong statement that the Mona Lisa is neither man nor woman, and possibly a representative (though a rather odd one) of himself. It turns out that Leonardo DaVinci was a homosexual...
Another aspect of the story that I find intriguing is Langdon not only travels off on tangents, but Dan Brown brings Langdon's classroom and lecture experiences into the present tense. Such is when he was explaining everything about the Mona Lisa.
Adding on to more of Langdon's character, I think that he is falling in love with Sophie at every turn her car makes. He loves her adventure, and he loves that a woman such as herself knows a ton of information regarding everything having to do with symbols. He is surprised, just like everyone else who encounters her. He loves her spunkiness and her attitude towards things, and he loves the fact that she cares. I don't think that Langdon is married, for that subject matter has not yet been brought up. Sophie is brave. Not just anyone would ask a taxi-cab driver to drive on and on and not be caught when they had purchased decoy train tickets. After discovering an address on the key, Sophie asks the cab driver where it is, and asking him to swiftly change his path of travel. This driver is one of their only hopes! (167)
As any reader would be able to conclude, Langdon is intelligent. Not just intelligent, but incredibly smart on the scale that only one person could match his brains in his subject--the dead man (Mr. Sanuire). On page 127 when Langdon goes of on a tangent (of which is completely accurate) about the naming of the Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa was actually considered to be a "drag queen" version of Leonardo DaVinci. The Mona Lisa is neither man nor woman--based on the fact that Amon is the male god of fertility (which is "Mona" with the "a" placed infront of the "ona") and L'isa is the female goddess of fertility. Also, as Langon was explaining to his students, the left-hand side (which is considered the feminine side of things) is portrayed lower than the right-hand side (which is portrayed as the masculine side of things). By doing this, he makes the Mona Lisa look larger from his or her left side than DaVinci did on his or her right side. Given these two ironies, Leonardo DaVinci made a strong statement that the Mona Lisa is neither man nor woman, and possibly a representative (though a rather odd one) of himself. It turns out that Leonardo DaVinci was a homosexual...
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Another aspect of the story that I find intriguing is Langdon not only travels off on tangents, but Dan Brown brings Langdon's classroom and lecture experiences into the present tense. Such is when he was explaining everything about the Mona Lisa.
Adding on to more of Langdon's character, I think that he is falling in love with Sophie at every turn her car makes. He loves her adventure, and he loves that a woman such as herself knows a ton of information regarding everything having to do with symbols. He is surprised, just like everyone else who encounters her. He loves her spunkiness and her attitude towards things, and he loves the fact that she cares. I don't think that Langdon is married, for that subject matter has not yet been brought up. Sophie is brave. Not just anyone would ask a taxi-cab driver to drive on and on and not be caught when they had purchased decoy train tickets. After discovering an address on the key, Sophie asks the cab driver where it is, and asking him to swiftly change his path of travel. This driver is one of their only hopes! (167)
Monday, November 7, 2011
The DaVinci Code Post 2
In chapters thirteen through twenty-five of The DaVinci Code, I was surprised by the accuracy of Dan Brown's research. Everything written on both the Fibonacci Sequence and the Divine Proportion were true statements. For this post, I want to discuss the historical and modern meaning of the Divine Proportion and the Fibonacci Sequence--and how fascinating and captivating they are.
The Fibonacci Sequence runs as this: 1,1,2,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144,213 to infinity.
Turns out through my research that both the Fibonacci Sequence and the Divine Proportion intertwine with one another. PHI is the quantity represented by 1.618, also considered to be the most perfect number in the world. In The DaVinci Code, Langdon goes off with several examples that I cross-checked to make sure that they indeed were true statements: "Measure the distance from your shoulder to your fingertips, and then divide it by the distance from your elbow to your fingertips. PHI again. Another? Hip to floor divided by knee to floor. PHI again. Finger joints. Toes. Spinal divisions. PHI. PHI. PHI. My friends, each of you is a walking tribute to the Divine Proportion." (page 102)
The Greeks are often accredited the discovery of the Divine Proportion (also known as the Golden Number). The Golden Spiral (a sort of shell) is most commonly associated to the Divine Proportion. This is because the ratio of the x-axis and the y-axis of the shell are persistent--meaning that the ratio at the smallest end of the shell is the same ratio as the one on the larger end. Through research of this shell, the ratio of the small shells are always 34:55, the medium-sized shells fall along 55:89, and the largest shells possess the ratio of 89:144. These numbers, if for example 89 represents 1 unit, 144 would represent exactly 1.618 units! Who ever said that nature wasn't perfect? There is a perfect number out there: 1.618. Philotaxes occurs in nature. It is when the leafs on a stem of a flower displace and occur in the form of the Divine Proportion. According to http://www.keplersdiscovery.com/DivineProportion.html, in the case of roses, an angle congruent to 360 degrees by divine proportion (take 360 degrees and divide it by the Divine Proportion, and it turns out you get 137.5) which is the angle that separates the petals from each other.
Since Sophie's grandfather was lying on the floor in a pentacle, I decided to research further on what the pentacle has to do with the Divine Proportion and/or the Fibonacci Sequence. When one constricts a tiled pentagon (meaning that the pentagon is divided inscribed within a circle is divided up into segments according to the vertices), every segment is smaller than the one before it by exactly the ratio of the Divine Proportion.
This ties into The DaVinci Code because everything in the mystery so far resembles perfection. The penticle represents female beauty. DaVinci showed the "perfect" man, in a "perfect" circle. Coincidence? I think not. Maybe the Pythagoreans were correct in their assumptions that the Earth and the heavens are perfect: the Divine Proportion and the Fibonacci Sequence come together to prove that.
The Fibonacci Sequence runs as this: 1,1,2,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144,213 to infinity.
Turns out through my research that both the Fibonacci Sequence and the Divine Proportion intertwine with one another. PHI is the quantity represented by 1.618, also considered to be the most perfect number in the world. In The DaVinci Code, Langdon goes off with several examples that I cross-checked to make sure that they indeed were true statements: "Measure the distance from your shoulder to your fingertips, and then divide it by the distance from your elbow to your fingertips. PHI again. Another? Hip to floor divided by knee to floor. PHI again. Finger joints. Toes. Spinal divisions. PHI. PHI. PHI. My friends, each of you is a walking tribute to the Divine Proportion." (page 102)
The Greeks are often accredited the discovery of the Divine Proportion (also known as the Golden Number). The Golden Spiral (a sort of shell) is most commonly associated to the Divine Proportion. This is because the ratio of the x-axis and the y-axis of the shell are persistent--meaning that the ratio at the smallest end of the shell is the same ratio as the one on the larger end. Through research of this shell, the ratio of the small shells are always 34:55, the medium-sized shells fall along 55:89, and the largest shells possess the ratio of 89:144. These numbers, if for example 89 represents 1 unit, 144 would represent exactly 1.618 units! Who ever said that nature wasn't perfect? There is a perfect number out there: 1.618. Philotaxes occurs in nature. It is when the leafs on a stem of a flower displace and occur in the form of the Divine Proportion. According to http://www.keplersdiscovery.com/DivineProportion.html, in the case of roses, an angle congruent to 360 degrees by divine proportion (take 360 degrees and divide it by the Divine Proportion, and it turns out you get 137.5) which is the angle that separates the petals from each other.
Since Sophie's grandfather was lying on the floor in a pentacle, I decided to research further on what the pentacle has to do with the Divine Proportion and/or the Fibonacci Sequence. When one constricts a tiled pentagon (meaning that the pentagon is divided inscribed within a circle is divided up into segments according to the vertices), every segment is smaller than the one before it by exactly the ratio of the Divine Proportion.
This ties into The DaVinci Code because everything in the mystery so far resembles perfection. The penticle represents female beauty. DaVinci showed the "perfect" man, in a "perfect" circle. Coincidence? I think not. Maybe the Pythagoreans were correct in their assumptions that the Earth and the heavens are perfect: the Divine Proportion and the Fibonacci Sequence come together to prove that.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The DaVinci Code Post 1
From the very first page of The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, I was hooked. The writing style of Dan Brown is very distinct--informative, descriptive, knowledgeable, and thorough. The style of writing is in third person, however the story often ventures into the minds of both Langdon and Sophie. In the introduction to The DaVinci Code, we are introduced to a sinful character who murders people for what we can assume as pleasure. Being in constant contact with a person named The Teacher and Bishop Aringarosa, this man whom was given a new name of Silas decides to follow every act that the Bishop and The Teacher place upon him. This reads disparity to me. He wants to please--please by murder.
My first impression of the Bishop was that he was selfish. "Only those with a keen eye would notice his 14-karat gold bishops ring with purple amethyst, large diamonds, and hand-tooled mitre-crozier applique." (page 31) Whether that be his thought or Dan Browns elaboration of his appearance, I have yet to determine. A little later on in the novel, the menacing character and nature of the Bishop is confirmed. "As the jet passed over the coast of Portugal, the cell phone in Aringarosa's cassock began vibrating in silent ring mode. Despite the airline regulations prohibiting the use of cell phones during flights, Aringarosa knew this was a call he could not miss. Only one man possessed this number, the man who had mailed Aringarosa the phone." (page 33) My suspision about the quote is that The Teacher man mailed the phone to Aringarosa to inform him that Silas has murdered, and hence done his job. The Teacher is the head of all murder operations in this book, even ahead of the omniscient Bishop. Even more hazy a character is The Teacher. Following that quote was one more that intrigues the reader to continue reading. "He felt a renewed confidence that the Teacher and Silas would not fail. Money and faith were more powerful motivators. Is is known that through the Bishop he speaks, and with great respect. Who would follow orders from a person whose name remains a mystery? Not me!
The setting plays a dramatic role in The DaVinci Code. If this took place in Wyoming or some place out in the middle of nowhere, there would be nothing to go off of. Being in Paris and having the Louvre as an intense and intimate setting (especially during night hours) brings more knowledge and intensity to Dan Browns work. In my opinion, he did a great job plotting the location, and the time of day that all hell breaks loose for Langdon.
Kai--what were your first impressions of Bezu Fache? Positive, negative, or neutral?
My first impression of the Bishop was that he was selfish. "Only those with a keen eye would notice his 14-karat gold bishops ring with purple amethyst, large diamonds, and hand-tooled mitre-crozier applique." (page 31) Whether that be his thought or Dan Browns elaboration of his appearance, I have yet to determine. A little later on in the novel, the menacing character and nature of the Bishop is confirmed. "As the jet passed over the coast of Portugal, the cell phone in Aringarosa's cassock began vibrating in silent ring mode. Despite the airline regulations prohibiting the use of cell phones during flights, Aringarosa knew this was a call he could not miss. Only one man possessed this number, the man who had mailed Aringarosa the phone." (page 33) My suspision about the quote is that The Teacher man mailed the phone to Aringarosa to inform him that Silas has murdered, and hence done his job. The Teacher is the head of all murder operations in this book, even ahead of the omniscient Bishop. Even more hazy a character is The Teacher. Following that quote was one more that intrigues the reader to continue reading. "He felt a renewed confidence that the Teacher and Silas would not fail. Money and faith were more powerful motivators. Is is known that through the Bishop he speaks, and with great respect. Who would follow orders from a person whose name remains a mystery? Not me!
The setting plays a dramatic role in The DaVinci Code. If this took place in Wyoming or some place out in the middle of nowhere, there would be nothing to go off of. Being in Paris and having the Louvre as an intense and intimate setting (especially during night hours) brings more knowledge and intensity to Dan Browns work. In my opinion, he did a great job plotting the location, and the time of day that all hell breaks loose for Langdon.
Kai--what were your first impressions of Bezu Fache? Positive, negative, or neutral?
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