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Flight
of the Raven
by Stephanie S. Tolan
SUMMARY
Flight of the Raven, the second volume
of a trilogy that began with Welcome to the Ark (1996), is the story of
Elijah Raymond, one of four remarkably gifted children gathered together in an
experimental group home they have dubbed "the Ark." Sheltered there
from a world of ever-growing violence, the children discovered that they were
sharing dreams, not only with each other, but with equally unusual children
around the world, all of whom believed they had a mission. In the dreams Elijah
was always a Raven, connected to, but able to fly far above the others. When the
Ark program was discontinued, the mission seemed lost and Elijah ran away.
In this book Elijah is found by a band
of environmental terrorists and taken to their mountain hideout, where an actual
raven appears and stays always nearby. Living also in the terrorist's compound
are Amber and Kenny, the leader's children, who believe, as their father has
taught them, that the need for radical change justifies the deaths of innocent
people -- deaths they call "necessary losses."
Against his will, Elijah finds himself
mentally connected to Amber, and realizes that she, too, is one of what he calls
the "Ark kids." Unable to get away from his captors, Elijah discovers
that he can shift into "dreamtime," joining his consciousness with
that of creatures who must survive in an unforgiving natural world. Gradually,
Elijah learns to survive himself and begins to understand that his mission has
not been lost. To follow it, he must find a way to take a stand against the
ultimate threat posed by the terrorists and help to rescue Amber not only from
her father, but from herself.
DISCUSSION
TOPICS
These
topics are designed not for standard literary analysis, but to encourage
thinking and the sharing of ideas, feelings and beliefs that may be stirred by
reading the book. There are no "right" answers to the questions posed.
TERRORISM
-
Charles
Landis has taught his children that violence is necessary to make change in
a world ruled by governments which can use force against their own citizens.
Do you think violence is ever justifiable as a way to achieve positive
change?
-
Originally, Charles Landis used
nonviolent methods to try to protect the environment. He changed his tactics
only after his wife and brother were shot in a confrontation with the
police. Does this make the government in any way responsible for his use of
violence?
-
Do you see any connection between
terrorist tactics and warfare? What do you see as the major differences?
What goals do you think each can achieve?
-
Are weapons of biological warfare or
terrorism worse than conventional weapons?
-
Do you think real terrorists, like the
fictional Charles Landis, believe that their actions are justified and that
their goals are positive?
-
Charles Landis has taught his children
that the loss of individual lives ("necessary losses") is acceptable
in service to a larger moral cause. How
do you think this theory fits with his reaction to the deaths of his wife and
brother?
MIND
POWER
-
Many indigenous cultures around the
world share a belief that certain individuals (who may be called shamans or
medicine people) can interact with animal spirits and travel in realities other
than our standard three dimensional reality. Do you think that might be
possible, or would you agree with those people who call such beliefs
superstition?
-
Some contemporary scientists believe
that consciousness exists throughout the universe, that everything shares some
aspect of a kind of universal mind. Do you think we might ever have a scientific
explanation for the sorts of telepathic connections the Ark children experience?
-
Have you ever had experiences that don't
fit well into our normal beliefs about the limitations of our minds? Have you
ever had a dream that later proved true? If so, did your dream predict something
important, or something minor?
Novels
can help us think about our lives and our world in new ways. –ST
HUMAN
CONNECTION
Elijah
comes to feel a strong connection to Amber and Cassie and some members of the
Free Mountain Militia. Do you think it's necessary for people to feel themselves
a part of a family or group or community?
A
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Flight
of the Raven, like Welcome to the
Ark, is a work of fiction. All of the characters are invented. However, they
are based on real people, and many of the unusual things they can do with their
minds are things that real people report being able to do. After Welcome to the Ark was published, I heard from a
group of young people who said they had been dreaming the same dreams as Elijah,
Miranda, Doug, Taryn and the other children they connected with around the
globe.
Elijah's "Dreamtime" is based
on reports many people have made on their experiences of sharing consciousness
with animals and on the shapeshifting methods of indigenous people and those in
our culture who study their abilities and philosophies. In fiction we are not
limited to what has been scientifically verified. Imagination can take us into
realms well beyond science. It's important to remember that we have yet to
understand imagination itself.
Copyright
2001, Stephanie S. Tolan
This
guide may be copied for educational purposes only.
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