Why did David take five smooth stones to take on Goliath? Was he afraid he’d miss?
The Battle is the Lords
David, as a young teenager and a shepherd who had been tending sheep probably since he was a very young child, knew a lot about tending sheep and how dangerous it was to protect them from predators. At the time in which David lived, there were a lot more predators than there are today. When David saw that Goliath was blaspheming the good name of God and His chosen people, Israel, “David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God” (1st Sam 17:34-36). David’s point was not that he was able to take down these lions and bears by himself but, as David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you” (1st Sam 17:37). In other words, the battle was the Lord’s and not David’s or Saul’s or Israel’s. We must give glory to God and acknowledge that it is the Lord Who does battle for us because we alone could never take down any Goliath or any gigantic problem we’re facing today. Just leave it to the Lord. The battle is His!
“For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand”
Goliath Insults God and Israel
After King Saul agreed to let David go against Goliath, he tried putting on Saul’s armor and helmet, but as you can imagine, they were way too big and would actually make him more vulnerable, so David says “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine” (1st Sam 17:39b-40). I liked what David did. He thought that he didn’t really need the armor and helmet, not so much that they weren’t tested, but David depended on God and “said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1st Sam 17:45). He came in the Lord’s name, thereby giving God the glory and saying “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1st Sam 17:46), and by slaying Goliath, “all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand” (1st Sam 17:47).
Does it bother you when someone blasphemes God’s name by using it as a curse word? It does me. I’m not suggesting that we go up against them, but when I hear it, I say, “Excuse me” and especially if there are children around, I remind them, “There are children present.” Sometimes it’s not a good reaction but at other times, the person apologized and didn’t even realize that they did it. That’s how casual we are with God’s name anymore, but God will not hold them guiltless who take His name in vain (Ex 20:7), as Goliath would soon find out.
Why the Five Stones and Staff?
Since there was only one Goliath, why did David go with “his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine” (1st Sam 17:40)? Perhaps the staff was a backup in case he missed Goliath with the stones? I’m not sure because the Bible doesn’t tell us why David also took his staff with him. He had used that, I am sure, to defend the sheep against predators, but Goliath was much more than that. As for the five smooth stones, why would David not only need one since he was confident that the Lord would “give you into our hand” (1st Sam 17:47)? Goliath was not the only one of his kind. Goliath had brothers plus there were other descendants of gigantic men from Gath (1st Chron 20:5-8), from the same place that Goliath had come from (1 Sam 17:4). Apparently David was ready in the event any of Goliath’s brothers came with him or any of the other so-called giants that came from Gath. David did what we are to do. He made provisions for the future and was ready for any trouble in advance, but he still relied on and trusted in God to fight the battle for him. God is sovereign. First Chronicles 20:5-8 may explain why David brought five stones instead of one as it says later on, “there was again war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair struck down Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants. And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, struck him down. These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants” (1st Chron 20:5-8).
Conclusion
Are you facing a giant problem, much greater in size and stature than Goliath? What mountain are you faced with today that will take more than your own “five smooth stones” to deal with? What you and I should do when faced with impossible circumstances is to put our trust in God and say what David said: “For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand” (1st Sam 17:47b). The battle is not ours, and for that I am thankful because we wouldn’t have a chance, but since “God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom 8:31)? Not even Goliath would stand a chance.
Read the story of David and Goliath here:Bible Story of David & Goliath
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
One question has been plaguing This Is Us fans since the beginning — how did Jack die? In the Season 2 premiere, it was revealed that the Pearson home went up in flames, and it's implied that Jack perished inside. But did Jack die in a house fire on This Is Us? There are many unanswered questions on this show — but if this were true, it would bring with it a major connection.
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The Sept. 26 Season 2 premiere of This Is Us was a whopper of an episode. Not only did viewers learn what year Jack died (1997), we also learned how he passed (seemingly at least). It all started with the events of the Season 1 finale. Jack and Rebecca have a huge fight about her going out on tour with her band, and they both agree in the morning that they meant the mean things they had said, and they need to 'take a break' for a few days. Not a divorce or anything, but a break. That meant that Jack ended up at Miguel's house, sleeping on the sofa and waiting for Rebecca to call, and it was there that he realized a hard truth — he is an alcoholic. He told Rebecca as much when she comes back for him:
Bec, you don't know everything about me. Rebecca, you don't know — I'm drunk right now. I have been drunk all day. I have been drunk for weeks. And I thought I had it under control like the first time, but I have a problem, Rebecca. And I've hidden it from you for a very long time. And I've hidden it from our kids. And I need to get a handle on it before I can walk back into that house. And I'm sorry, baby, I.. I am very embarrassed. And I am very sorry. But I need to fix this on my own.
Rebecca, of course, won't let him fix it on his own. She takes him home.. but the next shot is of their three sobbing children and Miguel offering condolences on his own couch. Rebecca drives through the roads of Pittsburgh, Jack's effects beside her, and pulls up to the charred remains of the house that Jack built for them, with the Pearson mailbox out front. Cue the sobs (from Rebecca and me and the rest of America).
How Jack's uncharred personal articles are next to Rebecca remains to be seen, though. Why is his stuff not burnt if he died in a fire? Smoke inhalation can kill, but wouldn't his things be burned, also? Or, maybe not if they were on his person. (It's a watch, his keys, and his wedding ring.) Were the kids and Rebecca in the fire, also? Because they look like they are all healthy and well. Did Jack die saving them or something? (See what I meant about more questions?) These are things that the show can't answer (not yet, anyway). A few Twitter users thought that Jack could have passed out drunk and accidentally burned down the house (or simply not noticed it was on fire in the first place).
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, creator Dan Fogelman revealed that he always wanted there to be a fire. 'We had talked about the fire and what happened from day one of starting. This has always been the plan,' he said. But, that doesn't necessarily mean everything is as straight-forward as it appears. It's This Is Us, after all. 'We don’t know the full story,' Mandy Moore noted to EW. “We’ll just say that. That’s just a piece of the puzzle.”
The fire also brings up a possible connection to the fireman that brought Randall to the hospital in the very first episode. Nothing on This Is Us is done randomly, and it feels like the show is setting up something else — why else would the fireman get his own storyline in an episode if we weren't going to see him again? The fireman could have saved Randall twice — once when he was born and another time pulling him out of his burning house. The fireman vowed to make something of his life again, so perhaps it was his destiny to save the Pearsons again.
While there are still more questions than answers, one thing rings true — Jack Pearson is dead, and it seems he died in a very tragic way just as he was making amends with his family and on the road to recovery. It's no wonder that the Pearson kids are still so affected. Jack was the center of their family, and now that we may know why he's gone, things on This Is Us will become even harder to watch.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word Thailand?
Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Ko Phangan and Koh Samui?
We bet that even if you haven’t been to Thailand, you must have heard about these touristy hubs where you meet more travellers than locals.
Are there any places off the beaten path in Thailand?
Believe it or not, Thailand may surprise you by off the beaten path places where the only English speaking person will be you.
We ventured into the less travelled areas of Thailand and found these amazing hidden spots.
Off the Beaten Path in Thailand
Sangkhlaburi
Sangkhlaburi, a remote village set on the border with the neighbouring Myanmar, where Burmese, Karen and Mon communities live together with the Thai, was one of the most remarkable places we ventured to on our 4 months long journey through Thailand.
Not only we got to know different ethnicities who live in this village, but we also walked on a 400 metre long Mon bridge, the longest wooden bridge in Thailand that divides Sangkhlaburi into two parts, and two different worlds.
While on the eastern side of the bridge you will find guest houses spread out in the long streets, a Mon night market and even an ATM and 7/11, on the western side you will most likely run into smiley Burmese and discover small Burmese restaurants. Being on that side of the bridge, a few kilometres from the border with Myanmar, we felt like we already were in Burma.
And why did all the Burmese have reddish-black teeth and looked so happy? Most of them chew betel nuts all the time. The chemical components of the nut boost their energy and make them cheerful.
If you’re thinking about travelling off the beaten path in Thailand and want to learn more about the different ethnic groups living in Thailand, Sangkhlaburi will become a place you won’t want to leave.
Moreover, Sangkhlaburi is a perfect place if you want to relax and have a swim too. The best place to stay at is P Guesthouse because it has got a pier and thus, an easy access to the lake.
Mae Salong
Mae Salong (also called Santikhiri) is situated in Chiang Rai province in the north of Thailand. It was founded by Chinese soldiers who left Yunnan, China in 1949 after the beginning of communist rule. The ex-soldiers settled in Myanmar but were forced to leave in 1961. They left for northern Thailand where they settled down and founded this unique small town and nearby villages that don’t resemble Thai towns at all. Even generations later the Chinese community persists and keeps their traditions in Mae Salong.
The small town, surrounded by exceptionally beautiful hilly countryside, is also remarkable for the Akha hill tribe living there. The Akha people consider the town to be their capital. They live in villages settled on the hills with tea plantations and often come to the town to sell their lovely handmade bags and bracelets.
We came to Mae Salong on New Year’s Eve and witnessed how Akha and Lisu celebrate the end of the year and the first day of the new one. It was amazing to watch the tribes performing their rituals and dancing the whole day on the New Year’s Day. It was an unexpected and extraordinary beginning of a new year for us.
They danced in a circle from the dawn to the dusk in the rhythm of music that was played by several Lisu men. The music was quite monotonous, but cheerful and brought them slowly into deep trance. Apart from a few short breaks to have a sip of water, they were dancing all that hot day.
Buddha Park in Nong Khai
Buddha statues are a big part of the Thai life and can be seen simply everywhere. Luckily, we found a place that was distinctive from all the touristy religious and historical sites.
Buddha Park, Sala kaew ku is a surreal sculpture park close to Nong Khai in the north east of Thailand, close to the border with Laos. The park was founded in 1978 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, who fled to Thailand from Laos in 1975. The park houses more than 100 religious sculptures with elements from Buddhism and Hinduism.
We cycled to the sculpture garden and spent the whole day exploring the bizarre park. We loved the park because it was just totally different and absolutely crazy.
Phimai
We loved authentic and historical Phimai. The main attraction of the smallish town is the Phimai Historical Park, also called Prasat Hin Phimai. Built between the 11th and the 12th century, it’s one of the most important Khmer temples in Thailand.
What is peculiar about Prasat Hin Phimai is that the temple is Buddhist although the Khmers were Hindu. We were fascinated to hear about its connection with Angkor Wat in Cambodia where we were heading next. Prasat Him Phimai is oriented towards the south east, in the direction of Angkor Wat. The structures reminded us of another Khmer temple located in that area, Phanom Rung.
If you want to visit this amazing historical park, try to plan you trip during the time when Apsara Thai traditional dance is held. The annual Phimai Festival takes three days and every evening the Apsara Thai traditional dance, an absolutely spectacular show, is performed inside the historical park.
The audience from all around Thailand was massive. Except for us, there was only one foreign couple. They told us that they came to see this particular show every year. After watching the fantastic performance one night, we completely understood why they returned every year.
Phanom Rung
As lovers of historical sites, we couldn’t miss the chance to see the biggest and best preserved Khmer monument in Thailand, Phanom Rung. What makes it more special is the fact that the Khmer temple complex is set on the rim of an extinct volcano.
Unlike in Angkor Wat in Cambodia, you will be the only person visiting Phanom Rung and will have a chance to enjoy the historical place without being surrounded by crowds. There is nothing that can beat Angkor Wat when it comes to the Khmer heritage, but the atmosphere in Phanom Rung and Phimai is very relaxed and quiet.
Pak Meng Beach and Hat Chao Mai National Park
You’ve probably thought that you won’t find a beach off the beaten path in Thailand.
You will love Pak Meng Beach and Hat Chao Mai National Park fine beaches if you like tranquility and observing the quiet local life. Situated in the very south of Thailand, most residents of Pak Meng beach town are friendly Thai Muslims who sell their traditional foods on the local market during the week and gather on the beach on the weekends.
The Hat Chao Mai NP consists of rainforest, mangrove forest and pristine white sand beaches. This unspoiled natural environment is one of the last remaining in Thailand. We explored the park on a motorbike, which was the best way how to see the area and the deserted beaches.
Hat Chao Mai National Park was the last place off the beaten path in Thailand we explored before heading down south to Malaysia. If you are planning to travel to Malaysia too, don’t forget to check out these two posts too to find tips on the best attractions of Malaysia.
Do you know about any other places that are off the beaten path in Thailand?
Feel free to share your experience and tips in the Comments.
Did you like this post? Would you like to stay up to date with our new adventures?
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Read More'Stranger in a Strange Land' | |||
---|---|---|---|
Lost episode | |||
Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 9 | ||
Directed by | Paris Barclay | ||
Written by | Elizabeth Sarnoff Christina M. Kim | ||
Production code | 309 | ||
Original air date | February 21, 2007 | ||
Running time | 43 minutes[1] | ||
Guest appearance(s) | |||
Bai Ling as Achara M. C. Gainey as Tom Friendly Tania Raymonde as Alex Blake Bashoff as Karl Diana Scarwid as Isabel Kimberley Joseph as Cindy Chandler James Huang as Chet Siwathep Sunapo as Thai man Shannon Chanhthanam as Boy Mickey Graue as Zack Kiersten Havelock as Emma | |||
Episode chronology | |||
| |||
Lost (season 3) | |||
List of Lost episodes |
'Stranger in a Strange Land' is the ninth episode of the third season of the American dramatelevision seriesLost, and the show's 58th episode overall. The episode was written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina M. Kim, and directed by Paris Barclay. It first aired in the United States on February 21, 2007, on ABC.
In the episode, Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), Karl (Blake Bashoff), and James 'Sawyer' Ford (Josh Holloway) continue to journey back to the beach camp, while Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) and Alex (Tania Raymonde) must save Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell) from execution. Flashbacks reveal the origin of Jack's tattoos.
- 1Plot
Plot[edit]
Flashbacks[edit]
In flashbacks, Jack is in Phuket, Thailand, where he meets a local woman named Achara (Bai Ling); the two soon enter into a relationship. After finding out that she works in a tattoo parlor and claims to be able to see who people really are, Jack demands that she give him a tattoo. Achara is hesitant to give him a tattoo, but she does so anyway and tells him there will be consequences. The next morning, he is beaten up by her brother and other locals and told to leave.
On the Island[edit]
Sawyer and Kate begin the episode on Alex's canoe with an unconscious Karl, paddling away from the Hydra island. Kate suggests returning for Jack; however, Sawyer refuses. Kate and Sawyer land on the main island and question Karl about the Others. Karl reveals that the Others work on the Hydra island, but live on the main island. The next morning, Sawyer finds Karl crying in the jungle. Karl says that he is crying because he misses Alex. Sawyer asks Karl if he is in love, which Karl affirms to be true. Sawyer tells him that love is worth the risks of getting caught by the Others and lets Karl go into the jungle to find Alex.
Jack is put into the bear cage, and notices a handcuffed Juliet being led to his old prison. She visits him later and asks Jack to treat Ben's back, which has become infected following the surgery, but Jack refuses. She also explains that she is in trouble with the Others for killing Pickett. Later, Isabel (Diana Scarwid), the Others' 'sheriff,' arrives at the cage and discusses Jack's tattoo with him, as she can read the Chinese. Isabel brings him to a room where Juliet is being held and asks him whether Juliet told him to kill Ben or not. Jack lies and says she did not and is brought back to his cage. Once back, he is visited by Cindy Chandler (Kimberley Joseph) and the previously kidnapped members of the tail-section. Cindy starts to ask Jack questions, saying they are here to 'watch', but he angrily sends her away. Alex visits Jack later and tells him that the Others are planning to execute Juliet. Alex helps him escape from his cage, and they go to Ben Linus (Michael Emerson), who writes a note, sparing Juliet, in return for Jack's continuing to be Ben's doctor. The two then go to a trial the Others are holding for Juliet, and Alex gives Isabel Ben's note, which says Juliet is not to be executed, but is to be marked instead (with a branded symbol at the base of her spine). When Juliet later asks Jack why he helped her, he replies that it is because Ben said he would let both of them off the island and he wants to make that happen by working together. At the end of the episode, Jack and the Others travel back to the main island on a boat. Just before leaving, Isabel translates Jack's tattoo, 'He walks amongst us, but he is not one of us'. Jack replies, 'That's what they say, that's not what they mean.'
Production[edit]
'Stranger in a Strange Land' was the first episode of the series directed by Paris Barclay. Barclay had previously won two Emmy Awards for directing episodes of NYPD Blue.[2] The episode was written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina M. Kim, the pair had previously worked together on the second season episodes 'The Hunting Party', 'The Whole Truth', and 'Two for the Road'.
Although Jack had tattoos on his arm the entire series, their origin had never been explained. Matthew Fox received the tattoos before Lost was even created. The producers considered putting make-up over them, but instead, decided just to keep them and fit it in with the plot.[3] According to Assistant Professor Xinping Zhu of Northeastern University, the tattoo is made up of four Chinese characters from a poem written by Mao Zedong in 1925. Fox's tattoo translates to 'Eagles high up, cleaving the space'.[4] (In this episode however, one of 'the Others' tells Jack that his tattoo translates as: 'He walks among us, but he is not one of us.' Jack replies, 'That's what they say, that's not what they mean.')[5] The number 5 can also be seen on Fox's forearm; he got that tattoo while working on Party of Five, along with another cast member.[6] In an interview, Fox said that for him, getting a tattoo was a 'pretty intense experience', and something he would not do in the 'spur of the moment'. He thought Jack having tattoos was a 'really cool idea'.[7] Since Fox used tattoos to represent memories or meaningful events in his life, the writers took a similar approach when dealing with Jack's tattoos.[8]
'Stranger in a Strange Land' was shot in various places on the island of Oahu. The scenes with Kate, Sawyer, and Karl on the canoe were shot in Kāne'ohe Bay, while the flashback beach scenes were filmed on Waimanalo Beach. The shots of Jack in a cage were done in Oahu's Paradise Park. The Other's tank and operating room are located in a film studio on the island.[9]Bai Ling, who played Achara, recalled that when shooting the sex scene between her character and Jack, she was 'kind of nervous' because she did not know Fox very well. Ling recalls that 'we (she and Fox) both had a mutual understanding to just go for it. Sometimes I'm on top of him, sometimes he's on top of me.'[10]
Reception[edit]
'Stranger in a Strange Land' was watched by 12.95 million Americans, ranking Lost as the 21st most watched program of the week.[11] This was an increase in viewers from the previous episode, making Lost the number one scripted television series in the adults 18-49 category for the third consecutive week. The episode garnered more viewers than other television series' showing at the same time on other networks, including Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.[12] The ratings, however, were a decrease compared to the same time the previous year, when the episode 'One of Them' garnered 18.20 million Americans.[13]
'Stranger in a Strange Land' garnered many negative reviews from critics. Chris Carabott, a writer for IGN, wrote that 'the episode was 'nothing more than a transition episode'. Carabott felt that although it was 'a necessary evil in episodic television like Lost', it did not 'excuse the poor execution and uninteresting story'.[14] IGN later chose it as the worst episode of the series, describing it as 'pointless and boring'.[15] Cinemablend.com's Josh Spiegel claimed that the episode 'was the first rough patch of an otherwise very good third season.' Spiegel went on to write that although previews for 'Stranger in a Strange Land' promised that three questions would be answered, they were not the mysteries he had been worried about.[16] Mac Slocum of Filmfodder.com was upset about the 'overblown marketing' which failed to deliver the answers that he wanted.[17]
Why Did Jack Get Beat Up In Thailand Today
'Stranger in a Strange Land' is widely considered amongst Lost fans as the worst episode of the series, and was even recognized as such by show runner Damon Lindelof in an interview.[18] It was part of the inspiration to set an end date for the series.[19]
References[edit]
- ^'Lost - Netflix'. Netflix. Retrieved 24 November 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^Proulx, Marie-Jo (2004-05-01). 'MEDIA: Producer Paris Barclay:'. Windy City Media Group. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^Lost: The Complete Second Season – The Extended Experience, Buena Vista Home Entertainment. September 5, 2006. Back cover.
- ^Zhu, Xinping. 'Meaning of Tattoos on Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox) 's Left Arm in ABC Show 'LOST''. Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Northeastern University. Archived from the original on 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^'Season 3, Episode 9: 'Stranger in a Strange Land''. Archived from the original on 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
- ^Segrest, Jen. 'Watercooler Talk: Jack's Tattoos'. TV Squad. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^'Official Lost Podcast transcript/February 27, 2007'. Lostpedia. 2007-02-27. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^Martell, Erin (2007-02-28). 'Lost Audio Podcast Recap: February 26, 2007'. TV Squad. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^'Episode 3x09 'Stranger in a Strange Land''. Lost Virtual Tour. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^Veitch, Kristin (2006-12-12). 'Q&A: Bai Ling Dishes About Her Lost Love! (Spoilers)'. E!. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^'Weekly Program Rankings'. ABC Medianet. February 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
- ^ABC Medianet, (February 27, 2007) 'Weekly Primetime Rankings'. Retrieved on August 14, 2008.
- ^'Weekly Program Rankings'. ABC Medianet. February 22, 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
- ^Carabott, Chris (2007-02-22). 'Lost: Stranger in a Strange Land Review'. IGN. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^'Ranking Lost'. IGN. 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
- ^Spiegel, Josh (2007-02-22). 'TV Recap: Lost - Stranger In A Strange Land'. Cinemablend.com. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^Slocum, Mac (2007-02-22). 'Key Points from 'Stranger in a Strange Land''. Filmfodder.com. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^'Lost News – Huge Damon Q&A!'. DocArzt's Lost Blog. 2009-01-20. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- ^McGee, Ryan (May 30, 2010). 'The Last Great 'Lost' Debate: Falling sideways'. Zap2it. Archived from the original on June 2, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Stranger in a Strange Land |
- 'Stranger in a Strange Land' at ABC
- 'Stranger in a Strange Land' on IMDb
- 'Stranger in a Strange Land' at TV.com
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land_(Lost)&oldid=872482881'
Jack has several tattoos on his body, which are most notable on his left arm and shoulder, and his back.
Left forearm
Jack's left forearm tattoo. |
Jack's tattoos are first seen in the pilot, when he removes his shirt to assess the extent of his injuries. Kate and Jack discuss them in 'House of the Rising Sun' before they leave on their trek to the Caves.
In 'The Man from Tallahassee', while Jack is waiting outside of Ben's house, some kind of drawing is visible on his left arm. This is another tattoo that he received before arriving on the Island. Its origins were never explained.Jack's forearm tattoo is also seen in 'Outlaws' when he is giving Kate a gun from the marshal's case, in 'One of Us' when Jack is handing towels to Juliet on the beach, and in 'Catch-22' when Jack is helping Juliet build her tent. It can also be seen in 'The Shape of Things to Come' when Jack is taking pills from the medical suitcase, and less clearly when Doctor Ray's body is pulled from the water.
Back
The tattoo on Jack's back. |
Jack also has a small tattoo on the upper left part of his back. It can be seen very briefly in 'Pilot, Part 1' after he says 'standard black'. It is very noticeable in the early scenes of 'Something Nice Back Home'.
Left shoulder
Jack's tattoo on his left shoulder include the number 5 and four Chinese characters just underneath. In 'Stranger in a Strange Land', we learn that the characters were tattooed on Jack in Phuket, Thailand, by a local woman using the name Achara.
Jack's left shoulder tatoo |
She claims to have the gift of sight to see someone's inner identity. She is able to 'see who people are' and 'mark them'. According to Achara, Jack is 'a leader, a great man' but this makes him lonely, frightened, and angry. He forces her to give him a tattoo, despite her protests that he is an outsider and she will get in trouble if she does. Her brother and a gang of Thai locals later attack Jack over the tattoo and demand he leave the country.
Why Did Jack Get Beat Up In Thailand 2017
Translation
In 'Stranger in a Strange Land' while Jack is in captivity on Hydra Island, Isabel reads out the tattoo and remarks on its irony, asking Jack if he knows what they mean. She later translates them as 'He walks amongst us, but he is not one of us.' Jack replies, 'That's what they say. That's not what they mean.' Although the translation given by Isabel matches the impact of the tattoo during the episode's flashback, Isabel's translation is far too long for any combination of four characters and is inaccurate.
Achara's contribution to Jack's tattoo --('Stranger in a Strange Land') |
A word by word explanation of the 4 Chinese characters on the tattoo:
- 鷹 means eagle or hawk.
- 击 means strike, beat, or attack.
- 長 means long.
- 空 means sky.
Pattern of Jack's left shoulder tattoo |
These characters are pronounced yīng jī cháng kōng in Mandarin. They are taken from a famous poem 'Changsha', written by Chairman Mao Tse-t'ung (Pinyin: Mao Zedong) in 1925. They may be roughly translated as 'Eagles strike the wide sky' or, more simply, 'The eagles fly upon the sky.' Within the poem, the eagles are an example of creatures fighting for freedom. The traditional gloss of the line also sees the eagles as representatives of the gifted members of society using and displaying their abilities. 鹰击长空 was a 2001 Chinese TV show about airforce pilots starring Zheng Xiaoning and Ru Ping. It is also the Chinese title for Tom Clancy's HAWX video game.
There is a kind of typo in this tattoo. Chinese is written either using traditional characters (繁体) or simplified ones (简体), but not a mixture of both sets. In this tattoo, the third character '長' and the first character '鷹' are written in traditional form, while the second one '击' is simplified from 擊. The last character has the same form in both sets.
- The correct rendering of the full set in simplified form should be:
- 鹰击长空
- The correct rendering of the full set in traditional form would be:
- 鷹擊長空
- Compare to the actual tattoo:
- 鷹击長空
Origin
| 沁园春 长沙 独立寒秋,湘江北去,橘子洲头。 看万山红遍,层林尽染; 漫江碧透,百舸争流。 鹰击长空,鱼翔浅底, 万类霜天竞自由。 怅寥廓,问苍茫大地,谁主沉浮。 携来百侣曾游, 忆往昔峥嵘岁月稠。 恰同学少年,风华正茂; 书生意气,挥斥方遒。 指点江山,激扬文字, 粪土当年万户侯。 曾记否,到中流击水,浪遏飞舟。 Ch'ang-sha (To the tune of 'Qin Garden Spring') Alone I stand in the autumn cold On the tip of Orange Island, The Xiang flowing northward; I see a thousand hills crimsoned through By their serried woods deep-dyed, And a hundred barges vying Over crystal blue waters. Eagles cleave the air, Fish glide under the shallow water; Under freezing skies a million creatures contend in freedom. Brooding over this immensity, I ask, on this bondless land, Who rules over man's destiny? I was here with a throng of companions, Vivid yet those crowded months and years. Young we were, schoolmates, At life's full flowering; Filled with student enthusiasm Boldly we cast all restraints aside. Pointing to our mountains and rivers, Setting people afire with our words, We counted the mighty no more than muck. Remember still How, venturing midstream, we struck the waters And the waves stayed the speeding boats? |
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This poem is one of the most popular poems by Mao. It was formerly widely used as an exemplary poem in the Chinese high school textbooks of the People's Republic of China. Many former Chinese high school students should be able to recite this poem or at least part of it. |
Trivia
- The Season 1 DVD interview with Matthew Fox mentions that he had these tattoos before the show. The producers first considered putting make-up over them, but later decided they fit in with the show and kept them.
- The fact that the tattoos received an entire episode to explain them has led to widespread derision of the tattoos among the Lost fanbase. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse regularly joke about the tattoos in interviews, often joking another episode will focus on them or that they hold deeper importance.
- Also on the Season 1 DVD, during the episode 'House of the Rising Sun', at about 40:06, when Jack leads a group to the cave, his tattoo is clearly visible on his right shoulder, indicating that the film negative was most likely reversed in editing.
- During 'Homecoming' during the fight with Ethan, Jack's tattoo also switches sides, pause at 34:41, the tattoo appears to be on his right side.
- The literal translation of the tattoo, 'Eagles high, cleaving sky', is echoed visually in 'Stranger in a Strange Land' by the scene of Jack flying his kite.
- In 'House of the Rising Sun', Kate and Jack talks about his tattoos, him refusing to tell her about them. Kate expresses her view to Jack that he and his tattoos 'don't add up', and they joke about the tattoos being a sign of Jack being 'one of those hard-core spinal surgeons'. When Charlie, tired of their according to him ridiculous argument, attempts to get them to hurry up and finish the discussion, they do so. Kate, however, asks Charlie to ask Jack about his tattoos, to which Charlie replies, 'Oh, you guys have an inside joke. How absolutely wonderful for you both.', ending the conversation.
- In 'Lockdown', Sawyer asks Jack if the tattoos were made in Phuket, but Jack ignores the question.
- In real life, 5 in the tattoo is a tribute to Matthew Fox's days as a star on FOX's 'Party of Five'.[source needed]
- Jack's number as a Candidate is 23. 5 (the number on the tattoo) is the sum of both digits of 23.
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