One of my favorite television programs is LOST. Now in its fifth season, I have been a loyal viewer of the show since the very beginning, when Oceanic Flight 815 first plummeted down onto the mysterious island. But lately I find myself on the verge of being lost! Ever since the Oceanic Six have returned from the island to their "normal" lives, viewers have experienced a series of flashbacks and flashforwards...not to mention the flashes back on the island, which have the remaining survivors traveling through time and history on the island. It is often difficult to keep track of what point in time we are visiting the Others or members of the Dharma Initiative. The characters may go from childhood to adulthood and back again with a simple flash of light. Perhaps, as John Locke believes, it was the fate of the passengers to end up in this odd new world, and this is why he is committed to getting the Oceanic Six to return to the island. He believes their return is a necessity not only to the safety of the remaining passengers, but also to the survival of the island itself. Is it possible that their return will stop the flashes, and allow them all to settle back in the present? Or will returning to the island be their demise? Stay tuned to find out...I know I will!
Vocabulary
1. plummeted: to fall quickly
2. on the verge: close to, on the edge
3. flashback: to see something that happened in the past
4. flashforward: to see something happening in the future (or present in the case of LOST)
5. fate: destiny, something that is meant to happen or to be
6. demise: ruin, end of existence, death
Complete these sentences with the vocabulary words:
1. The fly met its _________ when it landed in the spider's web.
2. When I heard the children playing, I had a __________ to my own childhood long ago.
3. They are such a great couple, it was their ______ to be together.
4. I was so exhausted that I was ____________ of falling asleep.
5. I often _________ to imagine what I will be doing 10 years from now.
6. The stockmarket has really __________ during this economic crisis.
Grammar Point
We can use a variety of words, including modal verbs, adjectives, nouns, and adverbs, to help us to express modal meaning: showing ability or possibility. The passage above demonstrates this by incorporating such words as perhaps, or possible. Can you find other examples of modal expressions?
I am a huge Lost fan too. I don't have any theories because it is too "far out" for me to figure out, but in the end, I think we want the characters to still know each other, whether they are on the island or back in LA or elsewhere.
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