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Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Life of Pi blog task--due February 26
Actor Irrfan Khan as the adult Pi Patel in the movie.
Invent your own way of showing me and your classmates you are studying the novel with diligence and erudition. Type 300+ words (or, without typing a word, do its creative equivalent somehow; your work need not be typed here on this class blog).
66 comments:
Lilli Jasper
said...
I study this book in great depth, I research a lot, and connect my life to the book. I am not naturally smart where I can look at a word or a paragraph and think of a million meanings to it, I have to take my time and think harder than the usual person. People come to class on Friday for the forums with a little or no script written and still get an A like I do. But my script comes to be about 14 pages with very in depth thinking to something that may not mean much, but to me it means a lot and without that little to no meaning sentence I would be lost as I go on and read and I would also be lost in my forum. Also I use the analysis of sparknotes to help understand the book even more. I read the analysis before I read those certain page numbers so that as i'm reading I am picking up on these intriguing meanings. Another way I try to understand the book is by relating it to my life, also this makes the book a little more interesting and it helps you reflect on your life a little. I am a Christian so the religion in the book I would compare to would to Christianity. When I read that Pi was studying three religions I thought it was odd and I was thinking the way Pi’s dad was thinking, as in, you can’t study three religions; however, while I was reading it seemed as I was judging him, making me not a very good christian. That was a reflexion on myself that I should not judge people by the way they practice religion. The way the tiger and Pi fights for their life on the lifeboat connects with be because I would do the same, maybe not the same way Pi would but I would do whatever I had to do to stay alive. Connecting this book to my life and studying it great depth has made me become more intelligent and understand the book better!
The definition of freedom is evident in this novel. The author explores the idea and definition of freedom, and how survival instincts restrict freedom, and ultimately redefine what the word freedom means. The definition of freedom becomes a question early in Life of Pi, when Pi refutes the claims of people who think that zoos are cruel for restricting animals’ freedom. Pi offers evidence against this claim. Animals in the wild are “free” according to the people who are against zoos, and their movement is not restricted by a physical cage. It is restricted however, by its survival needs and instincts. If that animal is guided only by its need for food, water, and shelter, is it really free? In a zoo, where animal’s needs are always provided, isn't it more free? The question of freedom arises again as Pi finds himself in a fight for survival at sea. He is without responsibility to anyone else, he has never been freer. But with this freedom comes a heavy responsibility for ensuring survival for not only himself but also Richard Parker. He can no longer choose to be a vegetarian, he has to eat meat in order to stay alive. He is now the wild animal. He must defend his territory from Richard Parker. Pi’s position in the lifeboat could be interpreted as the turning point in a young boy’s life, when he must navigate the rough waters between the security of family life and the independence of adulthood (freedom). Just before the ship sinks, Pi hesitates and then walks past his parents’ cabin door, a hint at his desires to become independent. Now he must figure out how to fend for himself in a lonely, confusing, and even violent world. Throughout Life of Pi the primacy of survival greatly restricts “freedom” and thus redefines the word.
I am really enjoying this book so far. As I read I like to identify symbolism, specifically the symbolism of religion. One symbol that I connected with really well was the symbol of the Church, Hindu temple, and Mosque on the three hill. I noticed this symbol because I was raised a Christian and the story of Jesus’s crucifixion took place on a hill with two other crosses on either side. Since I was raised to be religious I find myself connecting to this book very easily, able to notice the symbols of religion. I have a tendency to start to speed read and because of this I sometimes don’t pick up on things the first time around. I’ve found that it’s easier for me to go back and reread things a second time in order to absorb everything. This allows me to notice foreshadowing much easier as well. When it comes to forums I will usually only write a couple quick page numbers and a few words to remind me of ideas. I’ve never been good at writing down my ideas and because of that notes seem to work much better for me. A couple words (for instance from my last ‘script’: pg. 41 & pg. 85 (madness)) is all I need to remember my entire train of thought. Unlike many of the people I’ve talked to, I found the first 93 pages really fun to read. I’ve always loved animals and reading about the zoo and how it worked kept me very interested and focused on reading. As I get into the next section of the book I’m really glad I read the first part so deeply because I can tell that the entire book will be founded on what those 90 pages foreshadowed. I also enjoy the chapters of him talking to adult Pi because it causes you to slow down and focus more.
As I read the first 93 pages of Life of Pi, I have had a hard time connecting with the book. I am not Indian, I do not spend my days thinking about animals and the way they work in the world, and I have not converted to three different religions. In most ways I do not connect with Pi and his life in various ways so far. Although, I do have a few similarities with him and this book. A few things that Pi mentions about religion is something I can relate to. I am Christian and I have grown up in a Christian household my whole life. I understand he has just converted to Christianity, but some of the things he says about religion I can definitely relate to. I have noticed the religion symbols in this book quite well. As I read, I find myself having to go back and reread most of what I had read. I tend to space off sometimes when I read, but I mainly go back to fully understand what Yann Martel is trying to tell me with his sometimes confusing words and sentence structure. When the italicized paragraphs would come up in the book, I found myself reading those over and over more than anything else in the book. I was confused on what these paragraphs were about, but after rereading so many times, I finally came up with a conclusion that not only made sense to myself, but my peers as well. I am not someone who gets a concept right away, I really have to process it before I can come up with a definite conclusion of what is being talked about. I believe that these first thirty-six chapters we have read are foreshadowing for what is to come in the future of this book. I look forward to read the rest of this book and see what it has in store.
When I started reading the book Life of Pi I found it to be of much relief that I have previously seen the movie, as I found the first 93 pages hard to follow and pay attention to. However, because I saw the movie I can easily picture Pi’s stories he tells relating to of his name, his zoo, and his religions. Finally, a book I can read and understand, allowing me to analyze with ease, unlike the past. When I first started to analyze I realized that I was consumed with thoughts on how those first 93 pages were completely irrelevant rambling of useless information. Through future analysis I found that that entire section was background knowledge to build a story with emotion for the reader--making the reader feel as if they personally know Pi. So maybe I am not analyzing the way I am supposed to be...but at least I know what is going on by the end of the novel. I have to take this book a week at a time. I am not one to sit and stare at a page trying to make something out of nothing. I can wait for my mind to spark. However, I know as of now that Pi has a wonderful heart with a not so wonderful last name. He is picked on but never held down by the antagonists. He knows exactly who he is as person and embraces his preferences. He has a strong mind, but he does not let that have the best of him. He is kind and loving to all he meets. He knows what it is like to be on top just as much as he knows what it is like below the bottom. I hope that as I read the book will pick up and my analyzing skills will grow.
After reading the first 93 pages of Life of Pi, I will admit it was very difficult to make predictions and to pick up on potential foreshadowing clues as to what will happen later on. The previous two novels we read jumped right into the plot while the first 93 pages of Life of Pi are background information regarding Pi Patel's upbringing as a child. For me personally, it was hard to connect to these pages because I am not a big animal lover and I am not familiar with the cultural practices of Hindu. I will say that this book really does make us think about certain life situations. Pi's observations from growing up in a zoo about how humans are the most dangerous animals is actually very accurate when you think deeply about it. I will also say that the first 93 pages of the book will help us better comprehend what will happen later on, when Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with some very dangerous animals and he must rely on his faith and cunning knowledge of animals to help him survive. I know for a fact if I was in Pi's situation I would probably perish instantly, but Pi will have the knowledge and instincts to hopefully survive the situation. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book, for I cannot wait to find out what predicaments Pi finds himself in and how he (hopefully) escapes them. A major theme I have picked up on from reading the book is courage. Pi is very courageous from a young age, having the guts and curiosity to practice three different religions. Courage will continue to be the prime theme throughout the book, for Pi will have to find the knowledge and inner strength to fight through and defeat whatever situation arises before him.
When reading a novel I will find myself thinking about what the main character thinks, or the underlying conscious of a character. I am more of a psychoanalytic critic. I find myself wondering why someone does what they do and what they were thinking about. I see the connection between Pi and his mother as an Oedipus complex. I have a background of basic psychology from me taking AP Psychology my junior year. I find in the book that the father’s envy of the son and rivalry for the mom’s attention show a subconscious feeling that are shown in actions or symbols. I also see novels with symbols, I will take an object from the novel and process what it could mean for the novel. I find that the author writes in a way that mirrors his own life. His creative output often coincides with what he desires, what he fears, and what he identifies with. Every author wants to get their reader intrigued and try to get them to live through the characters. An author may create irony where the audience becomes aware of something then lives it out through the characters. In the psychoanalytic critism there is the Id, Ego, and the Superego. The Id in this book would be the French Cook; he struggles for survival and loses control of his conscience and morals. His desire for food leads him to the murder of the sailor and the use of cannibalism. The ego would be Richard Parker. He balances the superego and the id. The ego would be Pi, he is pious and restrained at the same time. His vegetarian habits are an example of this. He lives with a rule that another life should not be taken no matter what the species.
When I read books I usually try to envision myself with the character and where he is at in his life. In Lord of the Flies, I was on the island; in Cuckoo’s Nest, I was in the ward; and in Life of Pi, I am on the boat with him. When I was reading, I got confused at some parts in the book. The italicized chapters perplexed me at first. But with the help of Friday forums, I realized that this is like a story within a story. I realized that Martel is telling us how Pi is when he is an older man. Also, the characters in this book are intriguing. The two Kumars in the book interest me because one is atheist and one is a Sufi, which is a holy Muslim man. To me, they represent choices in Pi’s life, he has to choose so much, and eventually chooses to join three religions.
Another fascinating part of this book is the animals he is on the boat with. He is on the boat with a 450 pound tiger, a hyena, an orangutan, and a zebra. How can he not know for two days that there is a full-grown tiger less than 30 feet from him. The graphic description of the hyena digging into the zebra’s innards and killing it by eating it from the inside out is crazy. I saw that vividly in my mind. The scene when the orangutan and the hyena are “barking” at each other is intense as well. Surely there would have to be a physical confrontation, but none occurred. The zebra snorting the blood out of its nose into the water attracted the sharks. I was almost scared to see what would happen next. Yann Martel has drawn me in as another fascinated reader.
Reading Life of Pi is definitely an eye opener. First off, I have never read a book with such a variety of literary techniques. Some of the techniques I have noticed are; flashbacks, metaphors, and similes. Yann Martel is a clever author challenging readers to understand what the italicized sections of his story meant, which they are the present day when the author is going to meet Pi. Besides using different writing styles this story has a way of explaining the main characters actions like no other book I have ever read. For example, on pages three through five Yann Martel explains the lives of three toed and two toed sloths so well, you can tell he did his research. Along with his extensive knowledge I enjoyed the piece of information in the author's notes about the author in Life of Pi and how his book was so bad it had to be shipped off to Bolivia which is similar to oblivion. The amount of foreshadowing that is interpolated from the beginning of the book to page ninety three is unreal. Just to name a few scenes that involved foreshadowing were; the goat and the tiger, the mouse and the snakes, Pi being the only family member with a good knowledge of how to swim, and his constant use and referenced to animals in the story. Later in the book, my favorite part, when Pi is using his prayer rug outside of his house we, the readers, are rewarded with an entirely descriptive scene about how the earth and being on his rug connects him to god. Also in this scene the amount of description used was stupendous. What this book does with the blending of so many religions and showing a different perspective on religion entirely was unique. I am enjoying this book so far and cannot wait to read on.
As I read and analyzed the first 93 pages I found myself questioning the point of all of this information that was being thrown at me which seemed to be quite irrelevant. Continuing my analyzation further into the novel I have realized that the author, Yann Martel, has sculpted this book with perfection. He has a purpose with what he has done and I am finally being able to understand. Every bit of information within the first 93 pages had a specific purpose, rather it be foreshadowing, providing tidbits of evidence that can help with predictions, or even background knowledge that must be known to understand future readings within the novel. Much of part one, we learn about Pi’s childhood including how he got his name, his sufferings as well as triumphs, religious conflicts, family facts, and many other experiences in Pi’s early life. As I stated earlier, I had thought that all of this information was boring and useless. Although, to my findings throughout my further reading I have found how useful it was to know what I had read in part one of the book. I have surprisingly really enjoyed and understood what I have read. Normally, I am one to struggle with the comprehension of the deeper aspects of novels, but I have found to my disbelief that I have been able to unlock these deeper meanings and put them to use. I have really enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more. I have learned a lot about Pi. Pi is a young man who is trying to find one with God. He states how he wants to love God. He experiments through multiple religions and experiments with Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. He’s inquisitive, joyful, and an all around wonderful human being. Pi has a great heart and I love that he is strong enough to stick up for what he believes in. He is a strong willed young man and has a will to survive in an environment in which many would give up. I am excited to read more and uncover more meanings throughout the novel.
When reading novels, reading a boring and unrelatable one is tantamount to watching grass grow. Yet when the novel is gripping and unique, it leaves the reader on the edge of their seat with a fantastic adventure playing out between the neurons in their brain. Personally, I have found The Life of Pi to be one of the most gripping books I have ever read. Pi is obviously an intelligent individual who has a deeper level of thinking when it comes to the important things in his life. He is a member of three of the largest religions on the planet and somehow manages to be an excellent member of both. He understands that there is more to religion than simply ritual; it is a lifestyle. The author really shows how the strain of having a tiger, hyena, orangutang, and dying zebra on a boat with him affects his mood. Pi is thrown into a scenario that would be stressful for any person and yet he manages to keep himself alive with his wit and faith. The most interesting part for me is the way that Pi reacts to the orangatang, Orange Juice. He is familiar with Orange Juice because she is a mother of two other orangutans at the zoo and she represented an almost motherlike figure to him. When he first sees her, “She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary.” At this point, the reader is convinced that a woman, such as Pi’s mother, or even an angel has come to save him. However, similar to the way we find out that Richard Parker is actually a tiger, we find out that this “Virgin Mary” is actually an orangutang. This realization made the situation that Pi was in feel all the more real. For him to feel like he was seeing and angel when it was actually an orangutang on a pile of floating bananas shows the level of fear and shock that he is in. I am excited for more of these mind tricks that Yann Martel has in store for me throughout the book.
While reading books or watching movies I often put myself in them. I also envision my friends and family alongside of me to make things more realistic. Like on the stance of what would I do if it was me in that boat instead of Pi? Pi decides at first that in order for him to survive he must get rid of the 450 pound bengal tiger. I think I would agree with him on that but there is nothing on that life boat that would make me feel protected or secured enough to get any closer to the tiger then I was already. He talks about pushing the tiger off which seems merely impossible for one and for two if I am going to be stuck on a lifeboat for God knows how long I would try to at least keep the dead tiger as a food source. Through all of these master plans Pi cannot come up with a solution for killing the tiger so he decides he must claim his territory by spreading his pee-- I could also buy into this I think if I was stuck on the lifeboat, but that would only be if I too grew up in a Zoo and felt confident enough that a tiger that was more than twice the size of me would respect my border marked by pee. This too seems doubtful. If I did not have the zoo background I would be far too frightened by the tiger in the first place and never would have had the subconscious feeling to save the tiger from drowning like Pi did.
As soon as Orange Juice boarded our raft I instantly felt safer. Pi had said that she was motherly from the beginning with him and talked of her like a motherly/friendly figure. Even after Pi had talked about what the orangutan could do to a human I still was broken hearted when the Hyena took her life, despite the fact that he eliminated another threat to my own life. However I felt no remorse when Richard Parker took the life of the hyena. Despite trying to plan my way out of all these bad happenings I never would have got up by myself in the middle of the night to explore a strange sound I heard, if I did for some odd reason I never would have walked out onto the deck during the storm so I would never had ended up on a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with half the zoo.
Life of Pi is a novel written from a perspective unfamiliar to most of its readers. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that most North Americans have a limited knowledge of what India was like in the 1970’s. Martel explores the aspects of India that directly influence Pi and touches on a few other pieces but ultimately, this is a book about the survivor of a shipwreck. By page 93 the subcontinent is left behind for the endless swells of the Pacific ocean and an insignificant lifeboat clinging along.
When Pi learns that his family is going to be moving to Canada, the reign of Indira Gandhi is briefly mentioned as one of the reasons. Martel undoubtedly did his research on this so I decided that should as well. Indira Gandhi was the only child of India’s first prime minister: Jawaharlal Nehru. Growing up, she looked up to the Indian spiritual leader whose name she shared and believed fiercely in Indian independance. After being educated in Switzerland and Oxford, she returned to India and immediately entered the fight for independance. She joined the Indian National Congress in 1938 and spent some time in prison for subversive activities. However, in 1947 the British granted India its independence and Gandhi found herself in a high ranking position in the new government due to her father holding the newly created office of prime minister. After her father’s death in 1964 she held various government positions until becoming India’s third prime minister in 1966. This was a post she would hold until 1977, which takes us to how she affects the Patel family.
In the 1970’s the Indian economy was not doing well. To combat this, Gandhi instituted policies that were not popular with many Indians. Furthermore, in 1975 the Supreme Court ruled that she had violated laws regarding elections and must step down. In response she declared a state of emergency and curbed civil rights. This situation is what led Pi and his family onto the Tsimtsum. Martel only mentions this briefly, but this kind of solidity of specification is what really blurs the line of fact and fiction in this profound novel.
"Indira Gandhi." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Life of Pi is an interesting book full of mystery and constant foreshadowing. Being wrong nearly every time, the book keeps me on my toes and keeps my brain at work. I enjoy analyzing and being psycho-analytic and thinking about the book in very devious ways. I enjoyed researching about Martel and trying understand the connections between him and Pi Patel. I enjoyed the debate that Pi had with his elders about being apart of three religions. I enjoy how he explains the similarities and explains that atheists are not wrong but agnostics. He explains many life lessons and I enjoy interpreting why he tells us these things. I find it very interesting that Pi is so comfortable being he is with a tiger that can kill him. Even with the hyena and Orange Juice, Pi is way too comfortable on the boat knowing how ferocious these animals are. Although he has plenty of supplies on board he was with three animals that could kill him by just looking at him. I would be scared out of my mind, not only from the animals, but also rescue, and the sharks in the water. Pi does not seem like a survival expert but somehow he was born with a given instinct on how to react to these events and his fight or flight hormone is very gifted. I think it is almost a bit much, being his character is so strong for a kid growing up in a zoo without any kind of experience in this field. It takes hours upon hours to learn survival skills like this. They are not just natural talent like Martel is trying to show us. I would know being a Boy Scout. Martel is such an amazing author using so many literary techniques. It almost irritates me how much he uses the color orange though. I think it is overused and it gets old, at least that's my opinion. Martel does a great job connecting himself to Pi as well as keeping the reader involved to several other cultures and religions. I cannot wait to continue reading because it is a hard book to put down. I am excited to see what happens with both the tiger and Pi.
Sometimes the best viewpoint comes from a retrospective, looking back and using new knowledge to examine a story. I read Life of Pi in eight grade and found love with Martel's verbose diction and vivid imagery with the story. With my previous knowledge of how the story unravels, I interpret how Martel will foreshadow the end, and bring into light how religion affects the world. As a young eight-grade boy, I had experience some religion from my Christian background, but Pi Patel opened my eyes for the first time on how closely related the religions that claim to have great asperity of each other can be. Growing up and experiencing math and science books being burdened upon myself like work to a factory worker in a Communist state. I found love with novels, rather than just facts and bland explanations on thermodynamics or the basis of calculus, it gave me the experience of escaping into a different world. I was aboard a lifeboat with Pi and Richard Parker, they take no notice of me, and continue along their story of life while I closely examine their movements and see within Pi's mind. I can rewind and fast-forward, my mind is the remote to the story. I love my ability to paint a moving picture into my mind through the experiences of reading, and I can greatly accredit the amazing works such as Dickens, McCarthy, Martel, Eyre, Green, and King for their writing. Through literature I can experience multiple realities through the use of writing.
Comprehending literature has never been my forte. It takes more than just reading the words for me to fully understand what is happening and what the meaning behind each sentence is. As this class goes on, however, I am getting better at it. I pick up on possible underlying meanings and themes much easier in Life of Pi than the other books that we have read. When I read the first 93 pages of the book, I dreaded it. Now that I have overcome and passed the introduction to the book, I am interested and actually struggle more to put it down than to pick it up. References to religion are very apparent to me when I read now and I feel as though they are extremely important in understanding in meaning. Picking up on small details that may possibly foreshadowing is an easy task for me. I have the ability to predict what will happen or at least come close just by what Yann Martel has written. In the novel, thirst is said to be the worst form of living hell. It goes into great depth about thirst and I feel as though that is going to have some special meaning in the book. Along with thirst, Pi has to overcome many fears. Fear is the true enemy of mankind. In my eyes, fear is going to be one of the main themes throughout the book. Another theme that is found in the book is freedom. Nothing shows freedom more than being in the open ocean on a boat alone with a tiger. Religion being another theme is very apparent to me. Pi supposedly practices three different religions which allows a multitude of people to connect with him as a character. I am excited to study the book further and dive into the deeper meanings behind Yann Martel’s masterpiece.
After reading first 169 pages of the book Life of Pi I have come to understand and become engrossed in this work of art. The first chapters speak of his life before the journey. It seemed like a normal life, besides the fact he grew up in a zoo and loved three different religions. This to me seemed amazing to think that all these religions are fighting and do not like each other, but somehow this boy loves all three and sees a connection between all three of them. I also find it neat that he ends up studying animals and religion when he goes off to college. It helps me connect with myself and shows that you need to go into something that interests you and that you love. He loves animals and the zoo as if they are his family and he loves all three religions, because they are his own. Another thing about the novel that I really enjoy is the other author or the mysterious author. For the longest time I could not figure out who this person in italics was, but the more I read I figured out he might be someone listening to Pi’s story or might have already listened to Pi’s story and is recapping it to us in regular font and adding in his thoughts during the telling of the story in the book. After reading the second section that was assigned I panicked and thought about how Pi is going to die out at sea. There is no way someone like him can survive, with a 450 pound tiger and sharks swimming below him, long enough for help to arrive or to find land. I then remembered my theory on the author and what the author in italics said right before this section started. “This story has a happy ending.” I remember that and know he will make it and it makes the story so much better knowing he will survive, but the real excitement is how!
So far, Life of Pi has been fairly easy to study without the use of online materials. Martel takes a big risk in his book by focusing on a highly debatable topic: religion. In the book Pi stays open-minded about other religions and other people’s views on religion. Whenever Pi mentions something about religious beliefs I always end up comparing his view to mine. In a way, this makes it easier to understand the book. One of these instances occurred when Pi talked about doubt in religion. “Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if He burst out from the Cross, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” Then surely we are also permitted doubt. But we must move on.” (pg. 28) I think that at one time we have all doubted our own religion. I certainly have. In this segment of the book Pi is saying that it is okay to doubt religion because even Jesus doubted God at one point. With all the scientific explanations that we are given for everything in school it’s almost impossible not to have doubt. However, Pi advises not to dwell on all the faults you find in religion. If you do that, you’ll get into questioning your existence and that is a tangled web that will be difficult to get out of. Whenever I start to doubt my religion, I am met with memories of times that it helped me get through tough times in my life. When my friend was taken away in an ambulance from homecoming a couple of years ago, I was terrified. I just wanted for her to be okay. Some of my fellow band member got into a circle and we held hands and prayed. This gave me a sense of comfort and after that I knew that my friend would be alright. Like Pi, I think that it is good to have something to believe in, because some of the events in life are too hard to go through alone.
I created a poster for this blog task. When Pi's parents find out that he is practicing three different religions from the religious leaders in chapter 23, they tell him that he has to pick one religion. In society, these three religions cannot mix, and must remain separate, yet they are all three able to coexist within Pi. This is visually shown on my poster with the comparison of prescriptions. The three religions, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, all keep to themselves in closed individual bottles. Pi has an open bottle in which the three religions are mixed.
I also noticed in chapter 41 that different animals who would kill each other in normal circumstances were living together peacefully on the boat, for a little while. In the zoo, the tiger, hyena, and zebra would have all been kept in separate cages, like the religions are separated, but on the boat they are thrown together and do not eat each other right away.
Some quotes and an explanation of prescriptions working together like religions can are on my poster as well.
Life of Pi has been an interesting book for me to read. The first 50 pages of Life of Pi were dry and somewhat difficult for me to read. As I continued to read, the book got more interesting and I found some ways to connect my life with Pi. Yann Martel does a great job of using imagery and other literary devices in Life of Pi. “ Each Time it’s the same: my taste buds shrivel up and die, my skin goes beet red, my eyes well up with tears, my head feels like a house on fire, and my digestive tract starts to twist and groan in agony like a boa constrictor that has swallowed a lawn mower.” I love this simile by Martel because it gives the reader great imagery of a boa constrictor and a lawn mower. I love the fact that the book is based around animals and that Pi grew up on a zoo. I can relate to Pi because as a kid I had a variety of pets and and was held responsible to take care of them just as Pi did. I can relate to Pi because I am a Christian and have been since a very young age. I find it fascinating that Pi follows three religions and goes against what his parents say. I can connect with Pi because I was very interested with religion at a young age. I find it ironic that Pi has to spend 227 with a Bengal Tiger in a lifeboat after his dads important lesson with dangerous animals. I am excited to read the rest of this book and connect my life with Pi in many more ways.
If you mention “the first 93 pages of Life of Pi” to almost anyone in the classroom, you will probably be met with miffed grumbling or frustration. They would complain about the dryness of the text, mentioning how useless background information rambles continuously throughout the pages (meanwhile, their minds surreptitiously drift off to sleep).
The first 93 have been my favorite thus far. So many questions have been raised, and I find myself questioning my previous beliefs, particularly societal and religious views (as well as how they connect). Learning about various religions was intriguing; Christianity seems to share more ideas with Islam and Hindu than I had originally thought. Pi seems to draw a connection between these religions to the zoo he was raised on. Both place restrictions on its people (religion = humans. zoo = animals). Yet, at the same time, life would be anarchy without it. Animals would be roaming wild, vulnerable to hunger and death. Humans would be slaughtering each other in the streets with no one to guide them to a better society. Both have their place, yet both can potentially destroy our freedoms. Zoos restrict its creatures choices--they are unable to eat what they want, to sleep when they want, or to even come and go as they want. Likewise, religions teach potentially dangerous ideas to its followers. The idea that each religion is fully correct creates division between faiths which has ultimately lead to multiple wars and deaths in the past.
Religion and zoos have their place in the world, but one should be able to see the potential dangers they place. The first 93 pages conveyed this idea to me, thus making it my favorite section of Life of Pi.
If you mention “the first 93 pages of Life of Pi” to almost anyone in the classroom, you will probably be met with miffed grumbling or frustration. They would complain about the dryness of the text, mentioning how useless background information rambles continuously throughout the pages (meanwhile, their minds surreptitiously drift off to sleep).
The first 93 have been my favorite thus far. So many questions have been raised, and I find myself questioning my previous beliefs, particularly societal and religious views (as well as how they connect). Learning about various religions was intriguing; Christianity seems to share more ideas with Islam and Hindu than I had originally thought. Pi seems to draw a connection between these religions to the zoo he was raised on. Both place restrictions on its people (religion = humans. zoo = animals). Yet, at the same time, life would be anarchy without it. Animals would be roaming wild, vulnerable to hunger and death. Humans would be slaughtering each other in the streets with no one to guide them to a better society. Both have their place, yet both can potentially destroy our freedoms. Zoos restrict its creatures choices--they are unable to eat what they want, to sleep when they want, or to even come and go as they want. Likewise, religions teach potentially dangerous ideas to its followers. The idea that each religion is fully correct creates division between faiths which has ultimately lead to multiple wars and deaths in the past.
Religion and zoos have their place in the world, but one should be able to see the potential dangers they place. The first 93 pages conveyed this idea to me, thus making it my favorite section of Life of Pi.
I have been studying this book in an erudite way in the following reasons. I read an important section of the book, then I tend to look inwardly and evaluate myself. For example, in the section where he talks about how people will pass a homeless man and not think twice about God, but will defend God and live holy, Godly lives when God is threatened. This made me think about my past and how my family and I have done this. I used to say I believe in God and went to church just because I was scared of going to hell. I was covering my afterlife by “worshipping” God. I never really cared, nor lived by the bible. Wow this sounds bad, but I just wanted a way to know where I was going after I died. In reality, I was scared of the unknown, but I realized its unknown no matter what. No one knows what will happen. I wish I could say that I believe in an afterlife, I’m sure it would be more comfortable, but I can’t. I don’t believe billions of people are going to hell for not believing or “living by God’s example.” I believe we should wake up and discover what we believe in. Our souls know good and evil, it knows both sides. Religion should have nothing to do with how you treat humans. Treat them as they deserve, and live a life you believe is good.
Upon reading the book and placing myself in Pi’s shoes, I feel lost and afraid. Not only can I not imagine waking on a ship only to realize it is sinking and my parents are dead, but I also can’t even begin to comprehend the intimidation and fright the tiger and hyena instill upon Pi. Becoming the character in the novel helps me to understand and comprehend the novel to the best of my ability.
Section 1 I can taste the salty water the ocean presents and I feel the cold of the rain that pours down on him and his life raft approximately 20 feet from the vicious tiger. For Pi and I, 20 feet is the distance between life and death. Emotions are high as life could end at any second just like we witnessed the death of the zebra and Orange Juice. I felt Orange Juice’s eyes pleading with me to save him and take him away from the ocean. To give her food and comfort and to remove the dangerous threats of other animals, but there was nothing that Pi or I could do. We needed the food and water and to us, our lives were more of a value than an orangutan. The death of Orange Juice bothered the two of us. She was our safety shield. She kept me up and okay with things. I needed water though. That first drop of water was such a relief. I felt as if years were restored upon my life and for a split second, everything was just fine. I was just fine. Pi was just fine. The tiger? He was hungry. My idea of fun was not to be eaten. I was going to eat some of the food and hop right back on the raft with Pi. I’d rather face a shark below me than a tiger in front of me. So we sit in silence. Neither of us have much hope at this point. Everything just seems surreal.
Section 2 (Prediction) It’s been what seems like forever at this point. Luckily, Richard Parker is almost as domestic as you can make a wild tiger. Pi and I have gotten close to one another at this point. Our pasts and differences have blended into one as we have almost morphed into one person. Faith has been a struggle for me, but Pi is still going strong in his bricolage of religions. Our boat has been torn apart through numerous storms and larger waves. We must have drifted thousands of miles at this point. I have no hope. Pi keeps trying to keep me up saying that we will make it even though I doubt he truly thinks this. All of the sudden Pi screams that he sees what looks like land. Faith has pulled through. We are going to make it. All of the commotion startles Richard Parker and he wakes up and launches himself off the ship. That’s the last memory we have of our house pet.
I am going to be honest with you. I did not really enjoy part one that much, it was boring and uninteresting to me so I did not read it all. Although when I skipped to part two it was the complete opposite. I finished it in two days and I can not stop myself from continuing on. From what I have already said, it is pretty obvious I like the action of the story and not so much the background information. I tend to get bored very easily so it was hard for me to continue with part one.
When I read a book, I read for enjoyment not to study it and look for all the symbols and allusions associated with it. In this class I can no longer do that. In Cuckoo’s Nest I did a good job of remembering to analyze the book but with Life of Pi I get so enthralled in the book that I forget to criticize it. Therefore, I have to head to my handy dandy Sparknotes. I always read the book before I start my script or check Sparknotes because I want to enjoy it first. Sparknotes shows me the symbols and themes and it helps me to realize them. I usually read the analysis under the plot sections because they give me the most insight to what I have missed. In addition to the analysis, I will read the themes, motifs, and symbols page because that is what always seems to pull the book together and bring the most sense to me. I will also sometimes watch the Spark notes videos because they are entertaining and actually help a lot more than you would think. I can usually remember much more clearly what the videos said opposed to when I just read the literature notes.
Life of Pi, a novel of great description. Though I have only read to page 169, the novel has not missed one, minute detail. Whether the narrator is talking about the stripes on the tiger’s coat or the exact size of the boat, no detail is over looked or skimped. Even though the detail is very in depth, Martel genially keeps the novel full of life. There has not been one point in the book where I have felt a drag or slow moment. Every little detail has been integrated so delicately that your mind is constantly at work to connect the plot lines. As I read farther into the novel, the story line becomes more interesting. I am excited to see how Pi overcomes his feat of training the tiger, Richard Parker. According to Pi, the only way for him or the tiger to survive is to work together. Pi repeatedly calls this idea, “Plan Seven” (166). Plan Seven consists of Pi taming Richard Parker so they can live peacefully together on the boat. In order to carry out this task, Pi must use his patience and animal background to be successful. Another favorite part of mine is when Pi finds the locker on the life boat. The boy is starving and thirsty to the point of absolute weakness and exhaustion. At this point in the novel the reader starts to lose faith in Pi and the idea of his existence. However, when Pi finds the locker full of food and water shortly after, faith is instantly restored and the reader is pulled back into the story. I really enjoy this point because it restored my faith in Pi and his drive to live. Once the food and water is found, Pi is suddenly filled with enthusiasm and energy. He constructs a life raft and creates ways to survive with a 450 pound tiger in his near proximity. Pi is a person of great faith and creative wit to aid him in survival.
Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Muslims and Christians say God created the Earth in seven days. Does their Scripture understand thermodynamics at all?
Hinduism, with its rebirth, reusing of life understands the fluid nature of Energy, how it only changes forms from you, to me, to butterflies, to bees, to that snoopy neighbor down the street, to a bouquet of carnations, reincarnation uses physics to undersand how something has to die for life to bloom.
While pondering mortality is often considered doom and gloom; let me tell you what I think of our souls' supposed immortality... it's bogus hocus-pocus bewitchment used to fill ditches dug by existential dread, but still, I know there's life after death.
I like to think the human soul doesn't exist how we imagine. Like, I don't think there's a forever-lit-light in each of us. I think we're about as eternal as moss, a hairy growth on this blue marble: marvelous toxis fungus.
However, I often ponder that first law of thermodynamics, about Creation and Destruction and how Energy slips past both like whispers, like fists unclenched, like rivulets of clear nectar quenching thirst.
I believe when the last drop of Energy drips from the empty vessels we'll all become, it takes on a bit of who we used to be, like the vibrations of a drum after it's been struck. Echoes, like church bells rung, get stuck in what we leave behind.
So I would like to remind you that all the energy you've ever used is tinted, marked by the essence of those who used it last. Hand-Me-Downs... Comumnal pool towels The universe is one big recycling plant, and we're all stylish bags made from plastic bottles, rose-colored murals crafted from shattered shards of glass, we're all cardboard pizza boxes, blessed with another's grease we all have our bodies on lease, hoping someday to buy, but... the contract expires the day after we die.
Tristin Pliska 6 The Life of Pi is a very intriguing book that often leaves me perplexed, in a good way. This book takes many different approaches to situations, and the author does it in a way that makes you want actually invest your own thoughts and opinions. For example the author takes a stance in the beginning of the book saying that animals being in zoos is not bad for them, and it does not hinder their freedom. When writing about this he writes so convincingly that afterwards you come out feeling the same way as him. Throughout the book the author also leaves little quips that leave you thinking also. Such as the part where at the zoo it asks on a post what is the most dangerous animal in the zoo, then behind a curtain it reveals a mirror. Saying that humans are the most dangerous animal, which I believe to be very true also. The part I enjoy the most and find most intriguing in the book is the author’s points on religion. It sounds crazy that an individual could be a follower of three religions, but the author makes it sound understandable, to an extent. This subject just makes you want to talk to others about it and consider the possibilities of this seemingly state of enlightenment that Pi has achieved. The author also includes many quips dealing with religion. Of these my favorite is found in Chapter 22 on page 64. In this chapter Pi imagines an Atheist's last thoughts before death as he makes a leap of faith, and an Agnostic’s last thoughts as he sticks to simple reason. Then due to the Agnostic’s lack of imagination he will “miss the better story” in the author’s words. I have read this segment before, the first time being in middle school and I have remembered it since. These are some powerful words that really make you think. That is my favorite thing about this book, it gets you engaged.
PART 1 I have been looking forward to reading Life of Pi since English 101 started back in August. Hearing other students talk about Life of Pi has made me what to read it even more. I have not yet seen the movie of Life of Pi and I am kind of glad I have not, seeing the movie may have ruined the book for me. The element of surprise is what I want in a book, I don’t want to know what is going to happen before it happens. A pet peeve of mine is when someone ruins a book for me by telling me what happens, ruining the special feeling of the element of surprise for me. As well is if I were to have seen the movie before reading the book I would just be imagining the images and character of the movie and not of my own mind. Being able to imagine every detail in my head as my mind interprets it is what makes me understand this book even more. The descriptiveness in The Life of Pi is just simply amazing. Every single detail is stated so I can create an image in my mind as I read. Through every chapter I see the events with great imagery. I can see every face of each character as what I think that they look like, I imagine every setting in which all these events are taking place as I think the author may have intended me to do. Here are some of my favorite spots in The Life of Pi where imagery is at its best. The first spot where I had great description to interpret what was happening in my head is Santosh’s lesson to Ravi and Pi to not put their hands into any of the cages at the zoo. The lesson entailed Mr. Patel starving one of the tigers and placing a tied up goat in the cage next to it. Santosh then has the trapdoor opened and the tiger rushes to his prey in the next cage. This scene is one of great detail but also of great sadness for me. I didn’t enjoy the fact that the goat was killed but I did enjoy that I could imagine every single movement of the tiger in my head even though I may have felt sadness in my heart. Another scene where I was able to have a clear image in my head was with the three wise men. I find this part of the book somewhat funny because I can just imagine the awkward and confused faces that each of the wise men as well as the Pi’s parents. I could also seem to imagine and feel the body language going on during this awkward conversation of the knowing that Pi has been practicing three different religions. A third part of the book where I enjoy the imagery is on the lifeboat with Pi and Richard Parker. With every statement given in the reading I have been able to piece together my own interpretation of the boat in my head. I also imagine the raft that Pi has built out of materials he has found on the boat. However I seem to imagine that the raft is smaller than it actually is because the raft in my head wouldn’t be able to hold all the things Pi is bringing on the raft. I also sadly enough can imagine each of the killings that happen on the boat. These are just some of my favorite spots of The Life of Pi that provide me with being able to play with imagery in my head and create the book as I see it.
As well as the imagery in that the book provides me it also provides me with a variety of emotions. I feel especially full of emotion when all of the different animals are killed in the book. First it was the goat that was eaten by the tiger. Then on the boat it was the zebra’s broken leg, then the hyena starts to eat it. After that they hyena beheads the orangutan and eats part of it. Lastly when Richard Parker kills the hyena I feel great sadness and disgust. I don’t want to see all of these animals die I don’t think anyone does but it is the animals instinct to do these things. I hope to be able to feel happier emotions as the book continues on. PART 2 I am very well looking forward to finishing this book and finding out what happens in the end. I also look forward to being able to see the movie after I have read the book to be able to compare what I have imagined all of the characters and settings to be like and what the movie portrays them. Honestly I can say this is my favorite book so far in Literature.
Throughout the first 93 pages of Life of Pi, I find myself really connecting with the book in different ways; which in return has allowed me to analyse very diligently. The first aspect that I am able to connect to Pi with is religion. Pi is obviously a very religious person. Pi actually is a Christian, a Muslim, and a Hindu; and regularly practices each religion. I only practice Christianity (although I am also aware of some of the other religion’s practices and beliefs, I just do not practice and believe in them myself), but because I do practice Christianity and because I am aware of the basics of the other religions, I am able to recognize the religious symbolism that is in the book. One place I was able to immediately pick up on religious symbolism was when Pi was discussing sloths, and the differences between the two-toed and the three-toed sloths. On page 4, Pi says”The three-toed sloth is not well informed about the outside world.” and “The three-toed sloth lives a peaceful, vegetarian life in perfect harmony with its environment.” As I was reading this, I thought that the three-toed sloth could represent the Christian God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Many times in society, it is seen that Christianity and the divisions of it are sometimes seen as not being very open or accepting of people of other religions; which can go along with the first line. The second line describes the sloth as being peaceful, and Christianity(and most other religions) for the most part is peaceful in the sense that it is a spiritual peacefulness that each person that faithfully practices a religion possesses. Another area that I was really able to connect with was when Pi was discussing the conditions that the animals live in and how some people view the animals being held captive as a bad thing. Having had to use the Psychoanalytical lens in a previous forum, when reading this about how the animals are used to their enclosure and not used to being exposed to the wild, I was really able to see where the author used this as a way to show the Freudian Theory.
As I continue to read this book I can not help but keep looking back to when Pi talks about his religious beliefs. I guess I should probably say his multiple religion beliefs at that. Maybe the reason this part of the book sticks out to me the most is because religion/my faith in Jesus Christ has greatly influenced my life. I think that the amount of open mindedness it take to accept three different religions that contradict themselves is incredible and impressive. When Pi talks about his personal experience with the conversion of the three religions I really felt challenged by the idea. However, to clarify, I do not necessarily believe that Pi’s religious beliefs are correct. That is not my point and I do not feel that it is my right to put him down for things he and I do not agree on. My point is not about his religious beliefs, but how he came to believing the beliefs. In order to accept three different religions you need to have a open mind and be able to entertain an idea even if you do not agree with it. An example of this difficulty is in the book when Pi gets the three religious leaders together. What do they do? They argue and act in a way that could be easily labeled as against the very religion they represent. These religious leaders were not able to have a open mind and that is very obvious in how they acted. So why did this stick out to me so much? I respect Pi in how open minded he is and this book has challenged me to be more open minded then I am currently. I have caught myself being closed minded in many situations lately and plan on changing that. Will it be easy? No. I feel that society has created an atmosphere in where people are only tolerant of things that they personally believe in (Is that really being tolerant? Is not tolerance a two way street? A discussion for a different time I suppose....)
As I began reading The Life of Pi, I knew that this would not be a book like any other I have read before. In the first 93 pages, I was very confused as to why some of the chapters were italicised. I finally began to understand that the italicised chapters are the stories between the author and Pi himself. The author created these chapters, so that us as readers could have a good look into Pi’s life himself and how he is in life today. We can obviously recognize that Pi survives on the lifeboat with Richard Parker. But the part that I am eager to uncover is how does Pi manage to survive and come out alive? Right now Pi is beginning to train Richard Parker into becoming a tame lion so that he will not have the urge to eat Pi alive. That is Pi’s biggest worry right now, as would mine be. I cannot even fathom how Pi is staying relatively sane on this lifeboat, stranded out in the Pacific Ocean... with a tiger. He is able to think through things very well and finds food and water on the boat to keep himself alive for at least 100 days. He builds a raft so that he can keep himself at a greater distance from Richard. This tactic is unfortunately not working out very well for him as he cannot keep himself dry. Pi has realized that the only way he is going to be able to stay alive is if Richard Parker stays alive with him. He figured out that he cannot rely on the outside world to come save him from this disaster, but that he has to do everything he can to keep himself alive. I am excited to read ahead in the book and go through this adventure with Pi and Richard Parker. I know that Pi is smart enough and will make it through; but my question still is “how?”
Many of the books we are required to read for classes can be boring or can be a story I already know the plot line to. Life of Pi, however, is different because every page is new to me. I have not watched the movie or spoiled surprises with sparknotes; everything in this book is new. This aspect of it engulfs my interest. This novel is fairly easy to read because it is amusing. Before reading any of the novel, knowing that someone practices three different religions, I would think they are crazy and incapable of doing so. Pi’s ideals about religion, though, make sense. Pi learns about how Jesus suffered and died out of love for his creation, and initially, he does not understand why a god would suffer. These Christian beliefs assist Pi in the life boat. He learns that suffering can be divine too. His beliefs about Hinduism and Islam are eye-opening. Although Yann Martel picked a very testy subject of religion, not one religion is favored over another. Religion can co-exist. Everything can co-exist.
I like to put myself into books. I imagine myself as Pi Patel and try to feel his feelings. With all the imagery in this novel, it makes it very easy to feel connected. Waking up to a boat sinking then finding out my family is dead. Being trapped with a tiger that could very well eat me. Becoming this character helps me analyze the book better and more carefully.
While reading the book numerous words have seemed to jump off the page for me, but none more than the word zoomorphism. Not only does this word explain many events that happen in everyday life with both human and animals, but it also plays a very large role in tying the book together. The first example of zoomorphism in the books is the goats and the rhino, but as the book progressive the examples become less obvious and more important. We come to learn about Pi’s religious endeavors and how he tries to practice all of them, this is an example of zoomorphism. In the world we live in different religions exist and in different varieties of each, for society to work we need to live together as one, and I think that is what the author is getting at. He tells us of the Kumars, one is atheist and the other is Islamic. When these two characters meet in the book Pi thinks that there will be trouble, but the exact opposite happens, the two get along just fine. Similarly to society, people of different ideals need to be able to get along with each other. Also the word zoomorphism is a direct foreshadow to what will happen later in the book. Pi and Richard Parker need to get along to survive, without Richard Parker Pi would feel alone and lose motivation, without Pi, Richard Parker would die almost certainly. The word also ties animals to humans, that although they have different characteristics they are one in the same, we were made to live with animals and animals were made to live with us. We are animals. Another idea that jumped out to me was the idea that the animals that are the lowest on the totem pole are the easiest to train. To me that is the author telling us that with feeble minds comes manipulation, meaning that if you can not think for yourself you are nothing but a toy to a person who can think for themselves. Also the phrase, “animals don’t escape to somewhere, but from something.” This to me means that animals similar to humans are content with living in one particular place until some factor makes us unhappy. For example the Patels move to Canada in the book because they were unhappy with the military regime that was taking place in India. They were perfectly happy with the zoo and India but some outside factor caused them unhappiness and forced them from something.
The world is a zoo And the zoo is a world Revolting and molting All coming back Jolting and bolting To center stage Where the lights stay bright But the bills are paid The ocean's pawn Lines are drawn Eleven life stanzas Too quick to be songs
An ocean of emotion, deceit, deception An entire nation in your heart, your sky without reception Conception immaculate or otherwise Jives with the message those others try to internalize Ostracize, dehumanize, polarize, obliterize You know it's not a word But the others don't begin to describe The hate, the fear, the passion The ration of knowledge Passed off as doctrine
It's time for the zoo to realize Coming together doesn't have to be compromise.
Psychology, while being a pseudoscience, is discussed frequently in Life of Pi. Animals are often used as symbols to explain why people do the things they do, and are also used to show interpersonal interactions in a different setting, as a means to show how ridiculous some relations are in the real world. There are many sections devoted to describing the daily rituals of animals, and these sections are used to relate to humans, as humans also have very predictable daily rituals, the majority of the time. Animals are also used, in a particularly political section, to describe the difficulties with freedom in relation to happiness. The section alleges that, just because something is free, it cannot be happy. The section goes on to say that, without security, someone (something) cannot be happy. Thus, freedom in the absolute is undesirable, as freedom is at odds with security and security is needed for happiness. He (the author character/Pi/author) goes on to attempt to prove his point by mentioning how some big cats could conceivably jump out of their cages, but chose not to, as the security of the zoo is much better than any sort of freedom the outside world could offer. While I agree that it is possible to be too free might have poor results, but that level of freedom should be impossible to reach with the current system of communication that has existed since the formation of language. This freedom versus security debate is an important one in American culture now, as groups like the CIA and NSA participate in very clandestine operations that invade the privacy of many Americans in the hopes of great security for the majority of Americans. Call me crazy, but this domestic spying is a perfect example of why security is less valuable than freedom to most Americans, and explains why Pi/Author Character/Author might be a little out there with his whole “freedom is bad” thing.
So far Life of Pi has been fairly complex, it is hard to know whether or not we are comprehending everything that the author wants us to understand. I definitely think it will be hard to determine whether or not we are looking too deep into something, or not enough. For example, I would not have given the sloths at the beginning of the story any importance until Pi was holding onto the oar, as if he were a sloth. He stayed in the same position for quite some time, which like a sloth. There are also times where we can put too much meaning into something. For example, we could be looking too hard at the way Pi handles himself as the adult character. The author clearly wants to show how Pi has been affected by his hiatus from society. However, I personally find myself trying to look deeper into what Yann Martel is saying. I find it interesting that Pi believes in the idea of religion, rather than a certain religion. This idea is hard to grasp because we are practically hardwired to believe a certain way. We are basically told that there is only one correct belief, and everyone else is incorrect. We tend to find it difficult to be accepting of contrary or dissimilar beliefs. We always want to be correct, which causes us to try and enforce our own beliefs on others. I find it interesting that Pi, even in times of turmoil, can call upon all three religions. I think this is interesting because it shows that Pi is open minded about religion, but I don’t think it stops there. I think Pi will be open minded on many other issues throughout the book. For example, Pi finds out that he can coexist with a tiger on a small boat. I cannot picture myself on a 26 foot boat coexisting with a tiger.
Should we care, Shane, about what Martel (or are you referring to the author-character guy?) wants us to understand? We'll Skype with him in a month. You could ask him!
Throughout this Life of Pi, I have been perplexed with all the symbolism. I have been amazed with Pi’s survival techniques but also disgusted with all the carnivorous activity on the boat. At first I was a little skeptical of how Pi was going to survive 227 days on a boat without food or water and a tiger. I kind of figured all the animals were going to be mauled to death by the tiger which left Pi and the Richard Parker. But once Pi found the survival equipment, I knew he had a greater chance of going 227 days. It was interesting that at the end of his survival list he put 1 God. I thought this was maybe a clue as to maybe he’s following Christianity more than Hinduism and Islam. I really want to read past the 169 pages but knowing me, I would let something important slip out of my mouth at the forum. This book is captivating. It’s making me read it like Pi wants to follow the three religions. It would be amazing if he could actually train the tiger on such a small boat. At this point, it does seem like God is intervening with Pi and Richard Parker. Maybe that’s why he chose to include God in his list of items just to say God is with them. Reading Shane’s comment on how we are hardwired to believe only these aspects of religion was quite interesting. I find myself trying to instill my beliefs upon other people because I was taught that this is the right way. When you hear what someone else believes in you instantly think that is not right. It takes a strong mind like Pi’s to accept three different religions and profess it. I’m nervous to see what happens between Pi and the tiger. Maybe he will actually catch fish to feed the tiger because I don’t think biscuits will satisfy the beast.
In this book, a key element is the symbols Martel uses. Nothing written should be taken as face value. Even Pi’s characteristics have meanings not strictly told. Although, written or alluded to, in the first 93 pages, I have found it hard to relate with Pi’s character. This could be because I am not an Indian boy, nor did I grow up in the middle east, nor did I get thrown off a ship. The one area where I found myself most connecting with Pi is in the struggle to find a single religion fitting for him. Throughout our teenage years, I personally believe that everyone goes through identity problems, and Pi’s problems are just shown through his religion struggle. I know the hardship of trying to find a religion, because although I was raised and continue to be Christian, I had questions about why I believed, and what was wrong about other religions.What was going through my head at this time was similar to how the religious leaders were acting out. The negative aspects of each religion are very easy to pick out, but when it comes down to it, all of them are based on the same principle; love is the principle. This theme does not change from one to the other. On the other hand, the themes that Yann Martel uses get switched up often. A few worth noting are the use of similes, flashbacks, and imagery. His similes and metaphors are not often easily caught. They are epic similes written to get the reader thinking and comparing. They also grasp our attention by using gruesome imagery such as when the snake gets eaten by the lawn mower. These help provide imagery. That is a picture that is not soon to be forgotten by any reader. Martel carefully places these throughout the novel. The last part that stood out was his flashback vs real time storytelling. It took a few chapters to figure out the italicized sections, but once I did, the emphasis became apparent. This is a great technique, and makes it feel as if we are getting two different peoples perspectives.
I am having difficulties explaining that I have read the book with diligence and erudition. I tend to overthink everything, so that has come into play for our group forums. Lets take for example the three religious leaders fighting over Pi, I thoroughly enjoyed that. To me it showed how religions all over the world tend not to get along; claiming that theirs is correct, above all others, the only truth. While Pi having chosen to follow three different religions shows how they can work in unison with eachs strengths and philosophy. He shows how people are more focused on the religion rather than god. Also, in the beginning of the book which most see as stale and boring now makes sense to me atleast. Everything at the beginning is coming into play, things are relating such as the sloth. The sloth a completely dull and lazy creature; even though it can survive quite well in their environment. I feel like this may come into play even later in the book. Possibly showing how Pi will have to conserve energy, but also have to work to survive with as little energy as possible(will figure out at later date). Now their is Richard Parker, the beast of which Pi started off fearing and now sees in a different light. Pi’s new want to keep Richard Parker alive, also known as plan seven, has shown how human creatures are social creatures. Social to the point at least in the book that he would be willing to risk his life to train and possibly befriend the tiger. Pi says himself on page 164, “I will tell you a secret: a part of me was glad about Richard Parker. A part of me did not want Richard Parker to die at all, because if he died I would be left alone with despair, a foe even more formidable than a tiger.” The fear of being alone can be a large drive to survive or die. This to me is the way I can show you I have read the book with diligence and erudition. To explain what I thought certain things have and will mean, going into a deeper understanding than what might be originally thought.
To be honest, I have not been “studying” this book in the way that some of the students in class have been. I am the type of person who likes to read a book and see what I get out of it, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” right? School says we should study books, but really we should live them-- there should be more self-thought happening when you are reading someone’s life work. Some readers just Sparknote their way through novels, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But what is the point of having different books and opinions if all you do is look up what other readers before you got out of the same book you read? However I will say that so far this book has been a great novel! It is filled with metaphors that are so intricate you almost have to take a break while reading them as not to get overwhelmed by them. Along the way you can also run into Pi’s search for his true identity within his self proclaimed nickname, and the way he strays from religion to religion like he is flirting with changing up his toothpaste flavor. We relive with Pi the most devastating days of his life when he loses his whole family, days in which he was not able to grieve for long. We have faced barbaric situations and eminent danger leading up to this next forum. But we have also found friendly human characteristics within the same frightening beasts Pi has had run ins with. I have not yet run into a section of the book that did not make sense yet-- Martel does a very good job of making his writing readable for most people but yet he does not bore in the slightest. There are the random italicized chapters that I am still waiting to see if they connect as well as I am hoping for. However, I’m sure that all our questions we have unanswered now-- we will get to as we continue our journey with Pi Patel and Richard Parker.
There is a lot of hype surrounding this novel. I was very excited to begin reading it only to become confused with the first 93 pages. I do appreciate Martel's background story, and the more I read, the more I realize those first 93 pages were completely necessary and a great foreshadowing technique. Without Pi growing up in a zoo he would be completely helpless with the animals on the lifeboat. However, his prior knowledge seems to work to his advantage. This book is so rich in imagery it is very entertaining to read. Every Scene is pictured perfectly in my head.
This book consists of just more than great imagery however. A greater, deeper meaning is shown through. I found the part when the three religious leaders are arguing to be very ironic. All of the leaders are arguing about how each others religions are wrong or try to focus on the negatives of them. Even though the same religions teach to be accepting of each other. Society is also a participant in this. Everyone is taught to fit in. If you stand out, you are different. Why must society be like this? Instead of chastising another human being who is just as deserving of a happy life as you are, praise them and bring their differences to attention as a positive subject.
Lastly I would like to point out when the boat sinks. I feel there is a symbolic relation to religion here. When you lose everything and feel as if the whole world is against you, god will always be there. This is interesting considering Martel is non-religious. Maybe Martel is more understanding and realizing that everyone has their own beliefs and he respects them and praises them. When he is thrown overboard by the crew members, Pi believes that they are saving him. Later, he finds out they were actually trying to feed the hyena. This proves that God works in mysterious ways.
Before reading the book, I knew very little of what Life of Pi was really about. I knew that somehow a boy was stuck on a boat with a tiger. I was really perplexed as to how that would even be possible. I knew we would be reading it this year, so I tried my hardest not to see the movie and to ignore what others said about the book in order not to go in with a preconceived notion that the book was boring, or excellent. When I began the journey of reading the beginning 93 pages, I found myself very bored with the book, as most of us were. The very beginning I found particularly interesting reading how Martel connected his book to what he already knows. With him studying Religion and Zoology, he was able to use both as a recurring theme throughout his book, somehow managing to connect the two together. In order for myself to be able to get myself into a book, I feel that I need to somehow connect with the book/character just like the author. When introduced to Pi’s religious beliefs, I asked myself the question of how one person can believe in three different religions. They are all different from each other, so how could one believe in all three? This same question was brought up in our previous forum. Our group discussed that maybe Pi is searching for new stories or to expand his knowledge of what he already knows. Essentially, it is the not the stories and his pure curiosity of each religions that draws him in. This made sense to me because I find myself constantly wanting to read new stories that are polar opposites of each other. I have an overflowing book shelf full of various genres. I am looking forward to reading about what happens to Pi and Richard Parker on their adventure in the Pacific Ocean.
Though I had many ideas of what to do for this specific blog task, my mind immediately went to music. The fact that there is so much diversity between Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam is what makes my findings about the separate music of the three divisions most important. Pi can find similarities within each religion, so I set about to find similarities. Though the styles are incredibly different, all three religions have music that speaks to things like peace and unity with the world and God/s. There are also different forms of hymnals, relating to everything from the birth of a child, to the coming together of a couple in marriage, to grieving over a lost family member. All three have similar customary rituals, though those rituals are different in their order. Music in itself can show a person’s lifestyle and culture. I believe that, because Pi is such a religious man, that his musical preferences are probably just as different as the three religions he practices. He even mentions at one point how he enjoys the chanting of Islam. Chanting in its own sense can be music. In many ways, the sounds of the world can be considered music. The howling of the wind, the cries of animals, the running of water, and the gurgling of the sinking ship make for its own tragic symphony that Pi can merely listen to. With his family gone, the pattering of Richard Parker’s paws is a nuance that Pi hears as the orchestra of destruction begins to wind down to its last movement. Pi’s yelling is like another separate part. He reminds me of the melody and counter melody usually shared between French Horns and Trumpets. On one hand, he wants Richard Parker to join him on the lifeboat, but merely seconds later, Pi wants the tiger to drown. The symphony of death has begun to find its last few measures. The final downbeat: the ships last gasp for air as a loud burp comes out of the depths of the ocean.
I study this book by taking notes as I read, page by page. This proves to be most effective because not only does it help me to remember what I read, but it also helps me make my forum for the class discussion. Also I google reactions to the book to see what others realized were important that I may have missed. I have caught many little details that I normally would have missed by researching the book. I enjoy reading these books in class because they are not books I would typically read on my own. It broadens my education by reading these books. Talking about them is another favorite. No matter what period you are in, you can talk to anyone in any class about the book. Most of the people are all in about the exact same spot as you, creating a mutual topic for everyone to talk about. The book is always up for discussion whether it be good or bad, everyone has their opinion. I also compare the book we read currently to others that we had read in the past. For example Cuckoos Nest and Life of Pi both have parallels to the bible relating characters to Jesus or his disciples. I have noticed that these two very different authors both wrote experimental in terms of religion and basic societal norms. Pi, being apart of three religions and also accepting that atheism exists, and Mcmurphy being apart of an insane asylum. I enjoy reading experimental novels or novels that step outside of the norms of society. It keeps my enjoyment of reading intact, whereas cookie cutter novels would shred it.
Just as Pi Patel is fascinated with the mixing of his religions, I too am fascinated with the intertwining of Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. To prepare for our latest forum I have looked up the similarities of these religions, and what I have found has surprised me to a great deal. First, all of these major religions has a very similar origin and with that they also have similar ways of spreading. All three religions started in the south-western part of Asia and have spread their word through trade from merchants. All three religions also promise eternal salvation if your life is spent following the said religion and following the set of rules. All three have a holy book that describes how to fulfill their duties on Earth to reach this salvation. The rules are actually very similar as well, they teach of basic morals and between right and wrong.
A difference that most people will argue is that Christianity and Islam are monotheistic, while hinduism is polytheistic. While this may be somewhat true, both Christianity and Islam have a “split” God figure. Both have a sent prophet and teacher that is said to have come from God and is very similar to God in nature. Both Jesus and Muhammad are said to be very closely linked to God and in some forms, are a part of God. Hinduism also has an all powerful God that Hindus often refer to as the supreme God, Brahman. This supreme God is said to be infinite and is in every human, similar to the holy spirit being in everyone. Many historians believe that Hinduism directly affected Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism is said to have directly affect the teachings in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. So it is safe to say that Hinduism has affected the teachings and morals in Christianity and Islam.
"The Big Religion Chart." The Big Religion Comparison Chart: Compare World Religions. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. . "History of Hinduism." - ReligionFacts. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. .
Within reading the last 169 pages I have been trying to understand Pi’s personality and the person he is on the inside. I believe Martel does an incredible job in describing to us what goes on inside Pi’s head and what he is thinking due to the first person view point. Martel does tend to leave some grey area throughout Pi’s time on the lifeboat. The largest grey area I believe is Pi’s thoughts of his parent’s and brother’s whereabouts. There are a few number of time that in throughout the pages 103-168. This to me is incredible. Pi is still a boy not yet a man and it seems to me very close with his family, especially his mother. His mother is who brings him to religion. Not directly because Pi’s father doesn’t believe in religion, but his mother is the only one in the family who can partially understand. Pi once stranded on the lifeboat only thinks of his family once on page 148 saying “ The words Father, Mother, Ravi, India, Winnipeg struck me with searing poignancy.” I have a couple ideas of why his family is not mentioned very often within the this section of the book. My first idea is because Pi cannot wear himself down thinking about his family. Yes this could be a extremely selfish way of looking at it, but stress can wear down the body more than you think. Pi has to spend the energy he does have by doing more useful things besides worrying because right now the biggest thing he can do for his family is survive. This doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking about them he is just doing what he can right now for them if they are still alive. My second theory is that this is the little impression Martel is putting in the story that Pi’s family is gone. This is a sad theory but could be true. The little mentions shows that they are not a very important part of this story anymore. Martel is nicely telling us that Pi’s family is dead without directly stating it in the book. My final theory is that Martel is putting them on the back burner right now. He is using putting Pi’s personal family on the side right now as a way of coming through and possibly blindsiding us with an amazing discovery later on in the book. This is what I hope for personally. Pi hasn’t lost hope yet of his family he knows that they are doing the same as him probably right now and that is trying to survive. I am really enjoying this book and am extremely happy we waited for this to be our third book to read this year. The first two books were great ways of showing us how to pick up on foreshadowing and symbolism throughout the books and now Life of Pi is a great challenge for our literary minds to challenge what we have learned up until this point. I have learned lots from this book and hopefully will continue to do so.
Life of Pi has been an enjoyable read so far. Martel does a great job of keeping me intact with his book by not only keeping the book upbeat, but also leaving cliffhangers at the ends of his chapters. I like to compare my life to Pi’s life. His life is now in danger because he is stranded on a lifeboat with wild animals. Three heartless Chinese men threw him off the boat to benefit themselves. Even though life could not possibly become any worse for Pi, he looks at them throwing him overboard as a good thing! Mind blowing! Martel tells his readers that Pi thinks he would have drowned if it were not for the Chinese men being selfish. This shows me that Pi is an unselfish mature, young boy. While reading Life of Pi, I am having difficulties in my life, but Pi is teaching me how to look at the good in the worst possible situations. Pi has no one on the boat with him besides the soon to be hungry carnivores. He does not have his family and friends to keep him strong or help him through the difficult times, unlike me. I have learned that I need to be more thankful for them because within a blink of an eye they can be gone, just like Pi. I can not imagine how scared he is on the lifeboat, but he comes of as fearless sometimes. If I were Pi, I would be a worse wreck then the boat. I try to imagine myself as Pi. My actions would be quite different if I were stranded in the middle of the ocean with sharks surrounding me. In all of the books I have read, Pi has by far been one of the most courageous characters.
Yummy, tummy rumbling, heavenly smells of Pie Never once thinking this will be the last kiss for our taste buds but Pi is out of time just biscuits and muscle fits
Thinking, of food is a painful time coming with all that you can not have with a glass of fresh brewed fear fear that is dark as the depths of the sea which is only inchs beneath thee,
Animals all around but none can be found for one meal to call heal! no, not a dog but a giant cat that already ate the rat. for a tiny snack
distance ones says make the heart founder or is that hungrier? prusten the only way for the tiger to say “chill dude, you’re okay” ….for now is the running thought For one bought THE GREATEST SHOW YOU’VE EVER SEEN Whistling the song Treee! Tree! Treeeeeeeee!
Jeremiah Burkman P2 After reading through the first 169 pages, I can conclude Yann Martel likes variety. He shows us this with his different placement of chapters. They can be connected in some ways or completely off track and onto other ideas. Having that immense shift of idea leaves a cliffhanger. The reader could be excited and gitty for what they are about to read but are distracted by this outsider of a chapter that makes the reader continue reading until he/she reaches the desired part. I can connect to this in a way with a term from my Term Tuesday E, closure. Martel is not closing a book constantly, but he closes his chapters with unique diversity. Not every chapter is the same as the last one. I enjoy this and it makes me want to keep reading and not stop. Unless some read outside of class, most are interrupted by bells or other distractions. I wished I had built a visual representation of the novel but the only idea I could come up with was to the extreme. A distant desire rather. The idea contains thoughts of building a life size lifeboat, similar to the one Pi is trapped on. Trapped in a sense he really does not want to go swimming with the aquatic life, mainly deadly sharks. While in this lifeboat, waiting for saviors, he has time to think. One thing he does not think about too much is his family. Pi does not want to carry any more stress than he already is with the animals as his boatmates. He has to worry about getting supplies to live while always keeping an eye on the adult hyena. It is hard for me to imagine a deadly animal running around in circles, ready to break away at yourself possibly at any moment. It would be like a bomb in which you do not know when it could go off. I am eager to read what is in store for Pi next week.
While reading through until page 169, the name Mrs. Gandhi appeared a lot in the text. Seeing as she was the reason that Santosh decided to pack up the zoo and family and leave India, I researched who this woman was. What I found was that she was a prime minister of India from 1966-1984. Her full name is Indira Gandhi. While she had some success as a leader, she also ruled with an authoritarian hand and had corruption in her government. On page 153, Pi says, "orange- what a nice Hindu color." Earlier in the book we saw two main colors associated with the Hindu religion. Red and yellow are talked about frequently. Pi has yellow and red powders in his house and many things are annointed with red and yellow. I researched some Hindu color meanings and red means purity while yellow means knowledge, peace, happiness. After the boat crash and Pi is on the life boat, the color orange becomes more prominent. Orange is a combination of red and yellow. Pi says everything on the boat is orange-life jackets, Richard Parker, the tarp, buoy, even the whistles. In the Hindu religion, orange is the most sacred color, representing purity and the quest for light. We know the days alone on the boat will be challenging and soul searching for Pi. Orange is also the color of survival for Pi, as his life jackets are that color. Richard Parker, the tiger, also gives Pi the hope that he needs to carry on and not fall into depression about his situation. "It was Richard Parker who calmed me down" (179). The color orange brings together survival and religion, the main points of the book so I expect we will see more of this reoccurring motif.
I'm not as creative as some of my peers, so I'll just post here!
I knew nothing but the basic plot of Life of Pi before I picked it up. I hadn't seen the movie for it like I had with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, so I was starting fresh. The lengthy exposition we read last week left me a bit disappointed, as I am used to reading books that are more instantly satisfying in this class. However, one does not read the book for just its exposition, and the baseball fan in me has become adept at waiting for gratification from forms of entertainment.
Pages 93-169 of the book came through and provided an exciting rising action. (That whole first paragraph was exposition to my actual content. I just Life of Pi'd you.) One of the things I liked the most about this first half of the second part was the pointing-out of Orange Juice's human-like qualities. The orangutan turns green from seasickness, which is something humans do. When attacked, she responds instinctively and defensively by thumping the hyena on the head, an instinct a human would also have. I feel that these types of events accentuate the message that a lot of animals (especially primates, our closest relatives) are actually really similar to humans.
When studying books, I tend to take very few notes, if any. I feel like stopping every few paragraphs to take notes kind of ruins the flow of reading for me. Besides, most of the really important stuff from the book, I have an easy time remembering, and if I take notes, I have a hard time sticking to them in forum discussions, anyway; the point of the discussion is to bring up some points for discussion and have other people rebut/build upon them (and to do the same with other people's points), so just a few topics of discussion can end up lasting the whole 50 minutes.
So far I have really enjoyed the book Life of Pi. For starters I love it how the main character, Pi, practices three religions. This is an idea I have never heard of so it was very interesting to read about. Pi practices Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. This is ironic in itself because these regions contradict each other to a certain extent. Religion in itself tends to lead to controversy because people with different believes tend to think that their belief is correct and they leave no room for other peoples beliefs. Pi does the complete opposite of this by taking on three different religions at once. It’s almost comical when the three priests are fighting about their religions on the hill when Pi can practice all three of these religions interchangeably. I just can’t get over how amazing it is how Pi can live a peaceful life with all different religions. This book also does a good job of not being biased towards or against a certain religion. This book also has a lot of foreshadowing. I liked how the first part of the book has a ton of character development. This plays in very nicely with foreshadowing. What are the odds that a person who is experienced with animals just happens to be on lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with animals only he knows how to deal with? The book talks about how the circus lion tamer is able to become the Alpha in the lion’s eyes while the lions become the Betas. This is a huge use of foreshadowing as Pi becomes this circus lion tamer on the lifeboat. I also love how realistic this book is. The book is crazy survival scenario but Yann Martel makes even the craziest of scenarios seem real.
In this book “Life of Pi,” the author Yann Martel uses a lot of “life” knowledge and advice in the form of GREAT quotes. These quotes really caught my eye during the reading because I can relate to them as a reader and I find them quite intriguing. For example, “What a thing to acknowledge in your heart! To lose a brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches. To lose your father is to lose the one whose guidance and help you seek, who supports you like a tree trunk supports its branches. To lose your mother, well, that is like losing the sun above you.” Its intriguing because one never consciously thinks of what we have in our lives and cannot comprehend the loss Pi goes through. Another example, “I was giving up. I would have given up--if a voice hadn’t made itself heard in my heart. The voice said, “I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn in all the hard work necessary.” This quote is massively inspirational approaching any challenge in life. You have to decide you will win and will work as hard as possible never giving up, there is no plan B or secondary option. Actor Will Smith has even explained that there is no need to have a plan B in life because it distracts from plan A. Another great quote, “I must say a word about fear. It is life’s only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which t finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always. One moment you are feeling calm, self-possessed, happy. Then fear, disguised in the garb of mild-mannered doubt, slips into your mind like a spy. Doubt meets disbelief and disbelief tries to push it out. But disbelief is a poorly armed foot soldier. Doubt does away with it with little trouble. You become anxious. Reason comes to do battle for you. You are reassured. Reason is fully equipped with the latest weapons technology. But, to your amazement, despite superior tactics and a number of undeniable victories, reason is laid low. You feel yourself weakening, wavering. Your anxiety becomes dread… For fear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation, such as you feel when you are brought face to face with your mortal end, nestles in your memory like a gangrene: it seeks to rot everything, even the words with which to speak of it. So you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don’t, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.” This is by far the best quote! Pi or Martel is saying you have one thing hindering you in life. It is yourself. Your own fear. Fear hinders you from taking risks and living life. He says that you have to suppress fear once and for all so it can never harm you again, because otherwise it will follow you for the rest of your life eating at you like a leech or parasite!
Life of Pi has been one of the best novels I have read so far. For this task I have decided to write two short additional chapters from the viewpoint of the author of the story.
To be inserted between chapters 23 and 24
I have returned to the same cafe downtown. My intestines were a single swing away from a knockout. Another meal prepared by Piscine would stand over top of my digestive track, sneering as the referee counted to ten. I sip my tea; the story of Pi Patel still grasps my mind. A mere boy had just silenced three men who had dedicated their lives to their respective religions. I think back to what the elderly man from the coffee house told me, “I have a story that will make you believe in god”. The thought of this seizes my imagination. All religions are true. Love God. I think back to when I first arrived in India. How I was exploring possibilities for my novel set in Portugal. As the next sip of tea eases down my throat, Portugal begins to feel like a distant planet; like one of those new planets that are discovered in the far reaches of space that society seems to ignore. I believe that the most recent is a planet called Kepler 438b. It is all very interesting, however, planets and Portugal are too common for the readers and explores of today. I salvage the corners of my mind for any last ideas of Portugal or 1939. Deep down, I knew that Piscine’s story would not compare to any story I could imagine. I realize now that my imagination can only take me so far.
To be inserted between chapters 31 and 32
There is nothing in his home that would lead one to believe that he was the son of a zookeeper. Everything from the shoes on the floor to the neatly arranged books in his study has a place and a purpose. There are no signs that lead me to believe that the Patel family is hiding a pet or any animal. No signs that he followed his father’s footsteps into zookeeping. Meena walks through the door as Piscine is sharing his memories. Piscine quickly rises from the wooden armchair he was seated in. He greets his wife at the door and takes her coat to hang up in the closet. I listen as Piscine asks Meena about her day at the pharmacy. Meena strolls to the sofa in the living room while ranting about the one customer who was convinced he had a perscription, but had nothing to show for it. Medicine had never been a field I had been interested in. There was too much memorization of the body for my taste. I would rather write a tale of a doctor performing an operation that actually perform one myself. I decide to leave then and return the next morning. Piscine bids me farewell and returns to his wife as I leave. I knew he loved his wife. Piscine had shown the most love of anyone I had ever met.
Before starting this book, I had some prior knowledge of the plotline. But the extent of my knowledge started and ended with this; a young, Indian boy finds himself aboard a small boat with a Bengal tiger. That was about it. And I’m glad I didn’t know anything more because most of the time, these English books get spoiled before I even started the pages. I am also a firm believer in book before movie, because I like to form pictures of what I believe it would look like in my head before a director does it for me. Here is a couple things that have intrigued me throughout this book.
Firstly, I had always wondered where the name Pi came from, even before I read the book. I always thought it was a feeble attempt at a math reference, and in no way had anything to do with a young Indian boy. So I thought it was interesting how his name is French, but he is was born in India and later then moved to Canada, which is primarily a French speaking country in most parts.
I also viewed the italicized portions as like an interviewer's notes on his subject. Like how Anderson Cooper would do big interviews with voice overs on ABC, talking about the subject while clips of the subjects past life played on the screen. So basically I imagined the whole first part of the book as an 60 Minutes or Oprah Winfrey interview along with lights, cameras, and dramatic music.
I also thought it was interesting how many animals could fit on this particular life boat. My idea of life boats are small, wooden boats that could fit maybe 5-10 people. I have a hard time imagining how massive this boat actually was, considering it housed so many large animals for an extended amount of time. Especially since Pi didn't even notice a 450 lb tiger for THREE DAYS. I don’t remotely understand how that is utterly possible. How can it be hidden under a tarpaulin* for that long??
It was interesting to me how much Pi’s emotions shifted through the first part of him on the boat. Sometimes he would not be keen on his situation, but he hadn’t totally given up hope. But at the end of chapter 58 he says, “My situation is patently hopeless” which was weird to me considering he was just trying to tame Richard Parker and was actually feeling hopeful. I cannot imagine the rollercoaster of emotions while on a lifeboat along with a tiger, but he had plenty of food and water, and also cool devices that I didn’t even know existed. As far as castaway situations go, he was living in luxury. I didn't see Tom Hanks in Castaway have anti-sickness pills or hunting knives or fishing rods. But I guess Tom Hanks only companion/threat was a volleyball named Wilson.
I am excited to further my reading of this book. :)
*just googled "tarpaulin" to realize that it is merely just a tarp, not some massive inflatable thing in which i was picturing. *face palm*
The book has a adventurous, but still a calm feeling to it and I enjoy it a lot. Right as the novel was starting to become stale, it turned into a wildfire of chaos and confusion that kept me hooked on reading more. So far I view Pi as the kind of person who runs his life with faith, which I really respect and admire about him. He has kept his faith even when there was none to keep. He believed his family was still going to come out of the water, that he would be rescued any minute, and he dominates the fact that he has control over what and how many religions he can allow to guide him. He holds onto all of these things when he has a thousand great reasons to just forget about it. I love how he is able to do this because it shows the reader that its a lot better for you to believe in something throughout the tough times. He shows that it will allow you to go through it with better motivation and it will give you a reason for everything that you do. I also noticed the numerous times that the color orange had appeared in the novel. The tiger, Orange Juice, tarp on the boat, orange cat, whistle, lifebuoy, and probably more to come. This color represents hope and survival, which also reflects that Pi has faith in his survival because of how many times the color is shown in the book. All these things help Pi have hope and the will to survive. Richard Parker gives him reason, the lifebuoy helps him float, and the food that is under the tarp helps him live when he had lost all hope. I feel like this one topic is solely the most important thing that the book has to offer.
The world is a zoo And the zoo is a world Revolving, revolting Molting, jolting, bolting But all resorting To center stage Where the lights stay bright But the roles are played Bills are paid The ocean's spawn Lives are drawn Eleven live stanzas Too quick to be songs
Enigmatic dieties Should get AT&T 'Cos the ocean of commotion Deceit and deception's A nation in your eye's sky Without decent reception Conception. Immaculate or otherwise Jives with the message other guys Try to internalize Ostracize, dehumanize, polarize, obliterize You know it's not a word But others don't begin to describe The anger, the fear, the love, the passion The ration of knowledge passed off as doctrine
It's time for the zoo to come to realize That coming together doesn't have to be a compromise Of values and morals Vedas and Torahs 'Cos Bibles are Qurans Arriving from the same aura Be Jains and Sikhs Seek without Deceit and deception Yeah, heaven's a nation without Decent reception
Ripperda 7 As we reach for page 169, I think it is rather obvious that Life of Pi is not any ordinary fiction novel. Life of Pi incorporates so many different dimensions that enhance the story telling. Part 1, which incorporated the first 36 chapters of the story, acts as an exposition for the novel. We get a back story on Pi, his family, and the zoo animals. Without these first 92 pages the rest of the story would not be able to function correctly. As boring as many (including myself) concluded, part 1 was and will continue to be crucial to the novel. We develop characters based on what we read in those initial pages. Part 2 is the opposite of part 1, it is full of intense action. The first words of it are "The ship sank." There is no exposition to be done now (we endured that already), but instead we can jump right in (given the fact that soon after we flash back into the events leading up to the ship sinking.) Pi is freaked out, we see that vividly. He is on a lifeboat with an array of wild animals that he can not see. Part of him wants to continue to ride on the side, but then the ocean (and its inhabitants) scare him also. Pi is left to determine which is the greater of two evils. Part 2 continues to give us the story that we all expected based upon the rave reviews and reputation of this novel. I also found it interesting that only a couple of animals have actual names, one being Richard Parker. Pi was so deluded by the events that he actually helped a ferocious carnivorous cat get on the same boat with him. Part 2 helps this novel to really develop and show why it has become a classic of novels
In order to show that I have been studying this novel, I am going to talk about the color symbolism that is shown throughout. The symbolic color is orange. Orange is first introduced when the narrator is at Pi's house and see's his daughter carrying an orange cat. This could possibly foreshadow the coming of the big orange cat that we later know as Richard Parker. There is also orange with the lifebuoy, whistle, Richard Parker, and of course, Orange Juice. The color orange represents hope and survival. When the ship sinks, Pi is handed the orange whistle and find an orange life buoy. These are two items that are obviously seen for survival while in the ocean. And then we are introduced to Orange Juice. Pi feels a connection with Orange Juice in the fact that he can relate to her and he views her as a mother figure. Pi feels that he can relate to her because they both are stranded and have just lost their families. When Orange Juice dies, Pi feels like that is his death and his hope is nearly lost. Last is the tiger, Richard Parker. Richard Parker is scary for Pi; however, provides him with companionship while on the boat as well as challenging him to keep him stimulated. Nearer to the end of the book (I know further ahead than this blog task), Pi professes his love for Richard Parker. Therefore, I personally believe that without the ORANGE tiger, Pi would be hopeless and would not survive.
66 comments:
I study this book in great depth, I research a lot, and connect my life to the book. I am not naturally smart where I can look at a word or a paragraph and think of a million meanings to it, I have to take my time and think harder than the usual person. People come to class on Friday for the forums with a little or no script written and still get an A like I do. But my script comes to be about 14 pages with very in depth thinking to something that may not mean much, but to me it means a lot and without that little to no meaning sentence I would be lost as I go on and read and I would also be lost in my forum. Also I use the analysis of sparknotes to help understand the book even more. I read the analysis before I read those certain page numbers so that as i'm reading I am picking up on these intriguing meanings. Another way I try to understand the book is by relating it to my life, also this makes the book a little more interesting and it helps you reflect on your life a little. I am a Christian so the religion in the book I would compare to would to Christianity. When I read that Pi was studying three religions I thought it was odd and I was thinking the way Pi’s dad was thinking, as in, you can’t study three religions; however, while I was reading it seemed as I was judging him, making me not a very good christian. That was a reflexion on myself that I should not judge people by the way they practice religion. The way the tiger and Pi fights for their life on the lifeboat connects with be because I would do the same, maybe not the same way Pi would but I would do whatever I had to do to stay alive. Connecting this book to my life and studying it great depth has made me become more intelligent and understand the book better!
The definition of freedom is evident in this novel. The author explores the idea and definition of freedom, and how survival instincts restrict freedom, and ultimately redefine what the word freedom means. The definition of freedom becomes a question early in Life of Pi, when Pi refutes the claims of people who think that zoos are cruel for restricting animals’ freedom. Pi offers evidence against this claim. Animals in the wild are “free” according to the people who are against zoos, and their movement is not restricted by a physical cage. It is restricted however, by its survival needs and instincts. If that animal is guided only by its need for food, water, and shelter, is it really free? In a zoo, where animal’s needs are always provided, isn't it more free? The question of freedom arises again as Pi finds himself in a fight for survival at sea. He is without responsibility to anyone else, he has never been freer. But with this freedom comes a heavy responsibility for ensuring survival for not only himself but also Richard Parker. He can no longer choose to be a vegetarian, he has to eat meat in order to stay alive. He is now the wild animal. He must defend his territory from Richard Parker. Pi’s position in the lifeboat could be interpreted as the turning point in a young boy’s life, when he must navigate the rough waters between the security of family life and the independence of adulthood (freedom). Just before the ship sinks, Pi hesitates and then walks past his parents’ cabin door, a hint at his desires to become independent. Now he must figure out how to fend for himself in a lonely, confusing, and even violent world. Throughout Life of Pi the primacy of survival greatly restricts “freedom” and thus redefines the word.
I am really enjoying this book so far. As I read I like to identify symbolism, specifically the symbolism of religion. One symbol that I connected with really well was the symbol of the Church, Hindu temple, and Mosque on the three hill. I noticed this symbol because I was raised a Christian and the story of Jesus’s crucifixion took place on a hill with two other crosses on either side. Since I was raised to be religious I find myself connecting to this book very easily, able to notice the symbols of religion. I have a tendency to start to speed read and because of this I sometimes don’t pick up on things the first time around. I’ve found that it’s easier for me to go back and reread things a second time in order to absorb everything. This allows me to notice foreshadowing much easier as well. When it comes to forums I will usually only write a couple quick page numbers and a few words to remind me of ideas. I’ve never been good at writing down my ideas and because of that notes seem to work much better for me. A couple words (for instance from my last ‘script’: pg. 41 & pg. 85 (madness)) is all I need to remember my entire train of thought. Unlike many of the people I’ve talked to, I found the first 93 pages really fun to read. I’ve always loved animals and reading about the zoo and how it worked kept me very interested and focused on reading. As I get into the next section of the book I’m really glad I read the first part so deeply because I can tell that the entire book will be founded on what those 90 pages foreshadowed. I also enjoy the chapters of him talking to adult Pi because it causes you to slow down and focus more.
As I read the first 93 pages of Life of Pi, I have had a hard time connecting with the book. I am not Indian, I do not spend my days thinking about animals and the way they work in the world, and I have not converted to three different religions. In most ways I do not connect with Pi and his life in various ways so far. Although, I do have a few similarities with him and this book. A few things that Pi mentions about religion is something I can relate to. I am Christian and I have grown up in a Christian household my whole life. I understand he has just converted to Christianity, but some of the things he says about religion I can definitely relate to. I have noticed the religion symbols in this book quite well. As I read, I find myself having to go back and reread most of what I had read. I tend to space off sometimes when I read, but I mainly go back to fully understand what Yann Martel is trying to tell me with his sometimes confusing words and sentence structure. When the italicized paragraphs would come up in the book, I found myself reading those over and over more than anything else in the book. I was confused on what these paragraphs were about, but after rereading so many times, I finally came up with a conclusion that not only made sense to myself, but my peers as well. I am not someone who gets a concept right away, I really have to process it before I can come up with a definite conclusion of what is being talked about. I believe that these first thirty-six chapters we have read are foreshadowing for what is to come in the future of this book. I look forward to read the rest of this book and see what it has in store.
When I started reading the book Life of Pi I found it to be of much relief that I have previously seen the movie, as I found the first 93 pages hard to follow and pay attention to. However, because I saw the movie I can easily picture Pi’s stories he tells relating to of his name, his zoo, and his religions. Finally, a book I can read and understand, allowing me to analyze with ease, unlike the past. When I first started to analyze I realized that I was consumed with thoughts on how those first 93 pages were completely irrelevant rambling of useless information. Through future analysis I found that that entire section was background knowledge to build a story with emotion for the reader--making the reader feel as if they personally know Pi. So maybe I am not analyzing the way I am supposed to be...but at least I know what is going on by the end of the novel. I have to take this book a week at a time. I am not one to sit and stare at a page trying to make something out of nothing. I can wait for my mind to spark. However, I know as of now that Pi has a wonderful heart with a not so wonderful last name. He is picked on but never held down by the antagonists. He knows exactly who he is as person and embraces his preferences. He has a strong mind, but he does not let that have the best of him. He is kind and loving to all he meets. He knows what it is like to be on top just as much as he knows what it is like below the bottom. I hope that as I read the book will pick up and my analyzing skills will grow.
Breitzman 3
After reading the first 93 pages of Life of Pi, I will admit it was very difficult to make predictions and to pick up on potential foreshadowing clues as to what will happen later on. The previous two novels we read jumped right into the plot while the first 93 pages of Life of Pi are background information regarding Pi Patel's upbringing as a child. For me personally, it was hard to connect to these pages because I am not a big animal lover and I am not familiar with the cultural practices of Hindu. I will say that this book really does make us think about certain life situations. Pi's observations from growing up in a zoo about how humans are the most dangerous animals is actually very accurate when you think deeply about it. I will also say that the first 93 pages of the book will help us better comprehend what will happen later on, when Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with some very dangerous animals and he must rely on his faith and cunning knowledge of animals to help him survive. I know for a fact if I was in Pi's situation I would probably perish instantly, but Pi will have the knowledge and instincts to hopefully survive the situation. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book, for I cannot wait to find out what predicaments Pi finds himself in and how he (hopefully) escapes them. A major theme I have picked up on from reading the book is courage. Pi is very courageous from a young age, having the guts and curiosity to practice three different religions. Courage will continue to be the prime theme throughout the book, for Pi will have to find the knowledge and inner strength to fight through and defeat whatever situation arises before him.
When reading a novel I will find myself thinking about what the main character thinks, or the underlying conscious of a character. I am more of a psychoanalytic critic. I find myself wondering why someone does what they do and what they were thinking about. I see the connection between Pi and his mother as an Oedipus complex. I have a background of basic psychology from me taking AP Psychology my junior year. I find in the book that the father’s envy of the son and rivalry for the mom’s attention show a subconscious feeling that are shown in actions or symbols. I also see novels with symbols, I will take an object from the novel and process what it could mean for the novel. I find that the author writes in a way that mirrors his own life. His creative output often coincides with what he desires, what he fears, and what he identifies with. Every author wants to get their reader intrigued and try to get them to live through the characters. An author may create irony where the audience becomes aware of something then lives it out through the characters. In the psychoanalytic critism there is the Id, Ego, and the Superego. The Id in this book would be the French Cook; he struggles for survival and loses control of his conscience and morals. His desire for food leads him to the murder of the sailor and the use of cannibalism. The ego would be Richard Parker. He balances the superego and the id. The ego would be Pi, he is pious and restrained at the same time. His vegetarian habits are an example of this. He lives with a rule that another life should not be taken no matter what the species.
When I read books I usually try to envision myself with the character and where he is at in his life. In Lord of the Flies, I was on the island; in Cuckoo’s Nest, I was in the ward; and in Life of Pi, I am on the boat with him. When I was reading, I got confused at some parts in the book. The italicized chapters perplexed me at first. But with the help of Friday forums, I realized that this is like a story within a story. I realized that Martel is telling us how Pi is when he is an older man. Also, the characters in this book are intriguing. The two Kumars in the book interest me because one is atheist and one is a Sufi, which is a holy Muslim man. To me, they represent choices in Pi’s life, he has to choose so much, and eventually chooses to join three religions.
Another fascinating part of this book is the animals he is on the boat with. He is on the boat with a 450 pound tiger, a hyena, an orangutan, and a zebra. How can he not know for two days that there is a full-grown tiger less than 30 feet from him. The graphic description of the hyena digging into the zebra’s innards and killing it by eating it from the inside out is crazy. I saw that vividly in my mind. The scene when the orangutan and the hyena are “barking” at each other is intense as well. Surely there would have to be a physical confrontation, but none occurred. The zebra snorting the blood out of its nose into the water attracted the sharks. I was almost scared to see what would happen next. Yann Martel has drawn me in as another fascinated reader.
Reading Life of Pi is definitely an eye opener. First off, I have never read a book with such a variety of literary techniques. Some of the techniques I have noticed are; flashbacks, metaphors, and similes. Yann Martel is a clever author challenging readers to understand what the italicized sections of his story meant, which they are the present day when the author is going to meet Pi. Besides using different writing styles this story has a way of explaining the main characters actions like no other book I have ever read. For example, on pages three through five Yann Martel explains the lives of three toed and two toed sloths so well, you can tell he did his research. Along with his extensive knowledge I enjoyed the piece of information in the author's notes about the author in Life of Pi and how his book was so bad it had to be shipped off to Bolivia which is similar to oblivion. The amount of foreshadowing that is interpolated from the beginning of the book to page ninety three is unreal. Just to name a few scenes that involved foreshadowing were; the goat and the tiger, the mouse and the snakes, Pi being the only family member with a good knowledge of how to swim, and his constant use and referenced to animals in the story. Later in the book, my favorite part, when Pi is using his prayer rug outside of his house we, the readers, are rewarded with an entirely descriptive scene about how the earth and being on his rug connects him to god. Also in this scene the amount of description used was stupendous. What this book does with the blending of so many religions and showing a different perspective on religion entirely was unique. I am enjoying this book so far and cannot wait to read on.
As I read and analyzed the first 93 pages I found myself questioning the point of all of this information that was being thrown at me which seemed to be quite irrelevant. Continuing my analyzation further into the novel I have realized that the author, Yann Martel, has sculpted this book with perfection. He has a purpose with what he has done and I am finally being able to understand. Every bit of information within the first 93 pages had a specific purpose, rather it be foreshadowing, providing tidbits of evidence that can help with predictions, or even background knowledge that must be known to understand future readings within the novel. Much of part one, we learn about Pi’s childhood including how he got his name, his sufferings as well as triumphs, religious conflicts, family facts, and many other experiences in Pi’s early life. As I stated earlier, I had thought that all of this information was boring and useless. Although, to my findings throughout my further reading I have found how useful it was to know what I had read in part one of the book. I have surprisingly really enjoyed and understood what I have read. Normally, I am one to struggle with the comprehension of the deeper aspects of novels, but I have found to my disbelief that I have been able to unlock these deeper meanings and put them to use. I have really enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more. I have learned a lot about Pi. Pi is a young man who is trying to find one with God. He states how he wants to love God. He experiments through multiple religions and experiments with Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. He’s inquisitive, joyful, and an all around wonderful human being. Pi has a great heart and I love that he is strong enough to stick up for what he believes in. He is a strong willed young man and has a will to survive in an environment in which many would give up. I am excited to read more and uncover more meanings throughout the novel.
When reading novels, reading a boring and unrelatable one is tantamount to watching grass grow. Yet when the novel is gripping and unique, it leaves the reader on the edge of their seat with a fantastic adventure playing out between the neurons in their brain. Personally, I have found The Life of Pi to be one of the most gripping books I have ever read. Pi is obviously an intelligent individual who has a deeper level of thinking when it comes to the important things in his life. He is a member of three of the largest religions on the planet and somehow manages to be an excellent member of both. He understands that there is more to religion than simply ritual; it is a lifestyle. The author really shows how the strain of having a tiger, hyena, orangutang, and dying zebra on a boat with him affects his mood. Pi is thrown into a scenario that would be stressful for any person and yet he manages to keep himself alive with his wit and faith. The most interesting part for me is the way that Pi reacts to the orangatang, Orange Juice. He is familiar with Orange Juice because she is a mother of two other orangutans at the zoo and she represented an almost motherlike figure to him. When he first sees her, “She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary.” At this point, the reader is convinced that a woman, such as Pi’s mother, or even an angel has come to save him. However, similar to the way we find out that Richard Parker is actually a tiger, we find out that this “Virgin Mary” is actually an orangutang. This realization made the situation that Pi was in feel all the more real. For him to feel like he was seeing and angel when it was actually an orangutang on a pile of floating bananas shows the level of fear and shock that he is in. I am excited for more of these mind tricks that Yann Martel has in store for me throughout the book.
While reading books or watching movies I often put myself in them. I also envision my friends and family alongside of me to make things more realistic. Like on the stance of what would I do if it was me in that boat instead of Pi? Pi decides at first that in order for him to survive he must get rid of the 450 pound bengal tiger. I think I would agree with him on that but there is nothing on that life boat that would make me feel protected or secured enough to get any closer to the tiger then I was already. He talks about pushing the tiger off which seems merely impossible for one and for two if I am going to be stuck on a lifeboat for God knows how long I would try to at least keep the dead tiger as a food source. Through all of these master plans Pi cannot come up with a solution for killing the tiger so he decides he must claim his territory by spreading his pee-- I could also buy into this I think if I was stuck on the lifeboat, but that would only be if I too grew up in a Zoo and felt confident enough that a tiger that was more than twice the size of me would respect my border marked by pee. This too seems doubtful. If I did not have the zoo background I would be far too frightened by the tiger in the first place and never would have had the subconscious feeling to save the tiger from drowning like Pi did.
As soon as Orange Juice boarded our raft I instantly felt safer. Pi had said that she was motherly from the beginning with him and talked of her like a motherly/friendly figure. Even after Pi had talked about what the orangutan could do to a human I still was broken hearted when the Hyena took her life, despite the fact that he eliminated another threat to my own life. However I felt no remorse when Richard Parker took the life of the hyena. Despite trying to plan my way out of all these bad happenings I never would have got up by myself in the middle of the night to explore a strange sound I heard, if I did for some odd reason I never would have walked out onto the deck during the storm so I would never had ended up on a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with half the zoo.
Danny Eitreim
Period 2
Life of Pi is a novel written from a perspective unfamiliar to most of its readers. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that most North Americans have a limited knowledge of what India was like in the 1970’s. Martel explores the aspects of India that directly influence Pi and touches on a few other pieces but ultimately, this is a book about the survivor of a shipwreck. By page 93 the subcontinent is left behind for the endless swells of the Pacific ocean and an insignificant lifeboat clinging along.
When Pi learns that his family is going to be moving to Canada, the reign of Indira Gandhi is briefly mentioned as one of the reasons. Martel undoubtedly did his research on this so I decided that should as well. Indira Gandhi was the only child of India’s first prime minister: Jawaharlal Nehru. Growing up, she looked up to the Indian spiritual leader whose name she shared and believed fiercely in Indian independance. After being educated in Switzerland and Oxford, she returned to India and immediately entered the fight for independance. She joined the Indian National Congress in 1938 and spent some time in prison for subversive activities. However, in 1947 the British granted India its independence and Gandhi found herself in a high ranking position in the new government due to her father holding the newly created office of prime minister. After her father’s death in 1964 she held various government positions until becoming India’s third prime minister in 1966. This was a post she would hold until 1977, which takes us to how she affects the Patel family.
In the 1970’s the Indian economy was not doing well. To combat this, Gandhi instituted policies that were not popular with many Indians. Furthermore, in 1975 the Supreme Court ruled that she had violated laws regarding elections and must step down. In response she declared a state of emergency and curbed civil rights. This situation is what led Pi and his family onto the Tsimtsum. Martel only mentions this briefly, but this kind of solidity of specification is what really blurs the line of fact and fiction in this profound novel.
"Indira Gandhi." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Chmela 2
Life of Pi is an interesting book full of mystery and constant foreshadowing. Being wrong nearly every time, the book keeps me on my toes and keeps my brain at work. I enjoy analyzing and being psycho-analytic and thinking about the book in very devious ways. I enjoyed researching about Martel and trying understand the connections between him and Pi Patel. I enjoyed the debate that Pi had with his elders about being apart of three religions. I enjoy how he explains the similarities and explains that atheists are not wrong but agnostics. He explains many life lessons and I enjoy interpreting why he tells us these things.
I find it very interesting that Pi is so comfortable being he is with a tiger that can kill him. Even with the hyena and Orange Juice, Pi is way too comfortable on the boat knowing how ferocious these animals are. Although he has plenty of supplies on board he was with three animals that could kill him by just looking at him. I would be scared out of my mind, not only from the animals, but also rescue, and the sharks in the water. Pi does not seem like a survival expert but somehow he was born with a given instinct on how to react to these events and his fight or flight hormone is very gifted. I think it is almost a bit much, being his character is so strong for a kid growing up in a zoo without any kind of experience in this field. It takes hours upon hours to learn survival skills like this. They are not just natural talent like Martel is trying to show us. I would know being a Boy Scout.
Martel is such an amazing author using so many literary techniques. It almost irritates me how much he uses the color orange though. I think it is overused and it gets old, at least that's my opinion. Martel does a great job connecting himself to Pi as well as keeping the reader involved to several other cultures and religions. I cannot wait to continue reading because it is a hard book to put down. I am excited to see what happens with both the tiger and Pi.
Sometimes the best viewpoint comes from a retrospective, looking back and using new knowledge to examine a story. I read Life of Pi in eight grade and found love with Martel's verbose diction and vivid imagery with the story. With my previous knowledge of how the story unravels, I interpret how Martel will foreshadow the end, and bring into light how religion affects the world. As a young eight-grade boy, I had experience some religion from my Christian background, but Pi Patel opened my eyes for the first time on how closely related the religions that claim to have great asperity of each other can be. Growing up and experiencing math and science books being burdened upon myself like work to a factory worker in a Communist state. I found love with novels, rather than just facts and bland explanations on thermodynamics or the basis of calculus, it gave me the experience of escaping into a different world. I was aboard a lifeboat with Pi and Richard Parker, they take no notice of me, and continue along their story of life while I closely examine their movements and see within Pi's mind. I can rewind and fast-forward, my mind is the remote to the story. I love my ability to paint a moving picture into my mind through the experiences of reading, and I can greatly accredit the amazing works such as Dickens, McCarthy, Martel, Eyre, Green, and King for their writing. Through literature I can experience multiple realities through the use of writing.
Comprehending literature has never been my forte. It takes more than just reading the words for me to fully understand what is happening and what the meaning behind each sentence is. As this class goes on, however, I am getting better at it. I pick up on possible underlying meanings and themes much easier in Life of Pi than the other books that we have read. When I read the first 93 pages of the book, I dreaded it. Now that I have overcome and passed the introduction to the book, I am interested and actually struggle more to put it down than to pick it up. References to religion are very apparent to me when I read now and I feel as though they are extremely important in understanding in meaning. Picking up on small details that may possibly foreshadowing is an easy task for me. I have the ability to predict what will happen or at least come close just by what Yann Martel has written. In the novel, thirst is said to be the worst form of living hell. It goes into great depth about thirst and I feel as though that is going to have some special meaning in the book. Along with thirst, Pi has to overcome many fears. Fear is the true enemy of mankind. In my eyes, fear is going to be one of the main themes throughout the book. Another theme that is found in the book is freedom. Nothing shows freedom more than being in the open ocean on a boat alone with a tiger. Religion being another theme is very apparent to me. Pi supposedly practices three different religions which allows a multitude of people to connect with him as a character. I am excited to study the book further and dive into the deeper meanings behind Yann Martel’s masterpiece.
After reading first 169 pages of the book Life of Pi I have come to understand and become engrossed in this work of art. The first chapters speak of his life before the journey. It seemed like a normal life, besides the fact he grew up in a zoo and loved three different religions. This to me seemed amazing to think that all these religions are fighting and do not like each other, but somehow this boy loves all three and sees a connection between all three of them. I also find it neat that he ends up studying animals and religion when he goes off to college. It helps me connect with myself and shows that you need to go into something that interests you and that you love. He loves animals and the zoo as if they are his family and he loves all three religions, because they are his own. Another thing about the novel that I really enjoy is the other author or the mysterious author. For the longest time I could not figure out who this person in italics was, but the more I read I figured out he might be someone listening to Pi’s story or might have already listened to Pi’s story and is recapping it to us in regular font and adding in his thoughts during the telling of the story in the book. After reading the second section that was assigned I panicked and thought about how Pi is going to die out at sea. There is no way someone like him can survive, with a 450 pound tiger and sharks swimming below him, long enough for help to arrive or to find land. I then remembered my theory on the author and what the author in italics said right before this section started. “This story has a happy ending.” I remember that and know he will make it and it makes the story so much better knowing he will survive, but the real excitement is how!
So far, Life of Pi has been fairly easy to study without the use of online materials. Martel takes a big risk in his book by focusing on a highly debatable topic: religion. In the book Pi stays open-minded about other religions and other people’s views on religion. Whenever Pi mentions something about religious beliefs I always end up comparing his view to mine. In a way, this makes it easier to understand the book. One of these instances occurred when Pi talked about doubt in religion. “Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if He burst out from the Cross, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” Then surely we are also permitted doubt. But we must move on.” (pg. 28) I think that at one time we have all doubted our own religion. I certainly have. In this segment of the book Pi is saying that it is okay to doubt religion because even Jesus doubted God at one point. With all the scientific explanations that we are given for everything in school it’s almost impossible not to have doubt. However, Pi advises not to dwell on all the faults you find in religion. If you do that, you’ll get into questioning your existence and that is a tangled web that will be difficult to get out of. Whenever I start to doubt my religion, I am met with memories of times that it helped me get through tough times in my life. When my friend was taken away in an ambulance from homecoming a couple of years ago, I was terrified. I just wanted for her to be okay. Some of my fellow band member got into a circle and we held hands and prayed. This gave me a sense of comfort and after that I knew that my friend would be alright. Like Pi, I think that it is good to have something to believe in, because some of the events in life are too hard to go through alone.
Kuehn 2
I created a poster for this blog task. When Pi's parents find out that he is practicing three different religions from the religious leaders in chapter 23, they tell him that he has to pick one religion. In society, these three religions cannot mix, and must remain separate, yet they are all three able to coexist within Pi. This is visually shown on my poster with the comparison of prescriptions. The three religions, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, all keep to themselves in closed individual bottles. Pi has an open bottle in which the three religions are mixed.
I also noticed in chapter 41 that different animals who would kill each other in normal circumstances were living together peacefully on the boat, for a little while. In the zoo, the tiger, hyena, and zebra would have all been kept in separate cages, like the religions are separated, but on the boat they are thrown together and do not eat each other right away.
Some quotes and an explanation of prescriptions working together like religions can are on my poster as well.
Life of Pi has been an interesting book for me to read. The first 50 pages of Life of Pi were dry and somewhat difficult for me to read. As I continued to read, the book got more interesting and I found some ways to connect my life with Pi. Yann Martel does a great job of using imagery and other literary devices in Life of Pi. “ Each Time it’s the same: my taste buds shrivel up and die, my skin goes beet red, my eyes well up with tears, my head feels like a house on fire, and my digestive tract starts to twist and groan in agony like a boa constrictor that has swallowed a lawn mower.” I love this simile by Martel because it gives the reader great imagery of a boa constrictor and a lawn mower. I love the fact that the book is based around animals and that Pi grew up on a zoo. I can relate to Pi because as a kid I had a variety of pets and and was held responsible to take care of them just as Pi did. I can relate to Pi because I am a Christian and have been since a very young age. I find it fascinating that Pi follows three religions and goes against what his parents say. I can connect with Pi because I was very interested with religion at a young age. I find it ironic that Pi has to spend 227 with a Bengal Tiger in a lifeboat after his dads important lesson with dangerous animals. I am excited to read the rest of this book and connect my life with Pi in many more ways.
If you mention “the first 93 pages of Life of Pi” to almost anyone in the classroom, you will probably be met with miffed grumbling or frustration. They would complain about the dryness of the text, mentioning how useless background information rambles continuously throughout the pages (meanwhile, their minds surreptitiously drift off to sleep).
The first 93 have been my favorite thus far. So many questions have been raised, and I find myself questioning my previous beliefs, particularly societal and religious views (as well as how they connect). Learning about various religions was intriguing; Christianity seems to share more ideas with Islam and Hindu than I had originally thought. Pi seems to draw a connection between these religions to the zoo he was raised on. Both place restrictions on its people (religion = humans. zoo = animals). Yet, at the same time, life would be anarchy without it. Animals would be roaming wild, vulnerable to hunger and death. Humans would be slaughtering each other in the streets with no one to guide them to a better society. Both have their place, yet both can potentially destroy our freedoms. Zoos restrict its creatures choices--they are unable to eat what they want, to sleep when they want, or to even come and go as they want. Likewise, religions teach potentially dangerous ideas to its followers. The idea that each religion is fully correct creates division between faiths which has ultimately lead to multiple wars and deaths in the past.
Religion and zoos have their place in the world, but one should be able to see the potential dangers they place. The first 93 pages conveyed this idea to me, thus making it my favorite section of Life of Pi.
If you mention “the first 93 pages of Life of Pi” to almost anyone in the classroom, you will probably be met with miffed grumbling or frustration. They would complain about the dryness of the text, mentioning how useless background information rambles continuously throughout the pages (meanwhile, their minds surreptitiously drift off to sleep).
The first 93 have been my favorite thus far. So many questions have been raised, and I find myself questioning my previous beliefs, particularly societal and religious views (as well as how they connect). Learning about various religions was intriguing; Christianity seems to share more ideas with Islam and Hindu than I had originally thought. Pi seems to draw a connection between these religions to the zoo he was raised on. Both place restrictions on its people (religion = humans. zoo = animals). Yet, at the same time, life would be anarchy without it. Animals would be roaming wild, vulnerable to hunger and death. Humans would be slaughtering each other in the streets with no one to guide them to a better society. Both have their place, yet both can potentially destroy our freedoms. Zoos restrict its creatures choices--they are unable to eat what they want, to sleep when they want, or to even come and go as they want. Likewise, religions teach potentially dangerous ideas to its followers. The idea that each religion is fully correct creates division between faiths which has ultimately lead to multiple wars and deaths in the past.
Religion and zoos have their place in the world, but one should be able to see the potential dangers they place. The first 93 pages conveyed this idea to me, thus making it my favorite section of Life of Pi.
I have been studying this book in an erudite way in the following reasons. I read an important section of the book, then I tend to look inwardly and evaluate myself. For example, in the section where he talks about how people will pass a homeless man and not think twice about God, but will defend God and live holy, Godly lives when God is threatened. This made me think about my past and how my family and I have done this. I used to say I believe in God and went to church just because I was scared of going to hell. I was covering my afterlife by “worshipping” God. I never really cared, nor lived by the bible. Wow this sounds bad, but I just wanted a way to know where I was going after I died. In reality, I was scared of the unknown, but I realized its unknown no matter what. No one knows what will happen. I wish I could say that I believe in an afterlife, I’m sure it would be more comfortable, but I can’t. I don’t believe billions of people are going to hell for not believing or “living by God’s example.” I believe we should wake up and discover what we believe in. Our souls know good and evil, it knows both sides. Religion should have nothing to do with how you treat humans. Treat them as they deserve, and live a life you believe is good.
Upon reading the book and placing myself in Pi’s shoes, I feel lost and afraid. Not only can I not imagine waking on a ship only to realize it is sinking and my parents are dead, but I also can’t even begin to comprehend the intimidation and fright the tiger and hyena instill upon Pi. Becoming the character in the novel helps me to understand and comprehend the novel to the best of my ability.
Section 1
I can taste the salty water the ocean presents and I feel the cold of the rain that pours down on him and his life raft approximately 20 feet from the vicious tiger. For Pi and I, 20 feet is the distance between life and death. Emotions are high as life could end at any second just like we witnessed the death of the zebra and Orange Juice. I felt Orange Juice’s eyes pleading with me to save him and take him away from the ocean. To give her food and comfort and to remove the dangerous threats of other animals, but there was nothing that Pi or I could do. We needed the food and water and to us, our lives were more of a value than an orangutan. The death of Orange Juice bothered the two of us. She was our safety shield. She kept me up and okay with things. I needed water though. That first drop of water was such a relief. I felt as if years were restored upon my life and for a split second, everything was just fine. I was just fine. Pi was just fine. The tiger? He was hungry. My idea of fun was not to be eaten. I was going to eat some of the food and hop right back on the raft with Pi. I’d rather face a shark below me than a tiger in front of me. So we sit in silence. Neither of us have much hope at this point. Everything just seems surreal.
Section 2 (Prediction)
It’s been what seems like forever at this point. Luckily, Richard Parker is almost as domestic as you can make a wild tiger. Pi and I have gotten close to one another at this point. Our pasts and differences have blended into one as we have almost morphed into one person. Faith has been a struggle for me, but Pi is still going strong in his bricolage of religions. Our boat has been torn apart through numerous storms and larger waves. We must have drifted thousands of miles at this point. I have no hope. Pi keeps trying to keep me up saying that we will make it even though I doubt he truly thinks this. All of the sudden Pi screams that he sees what looks like land. Faith has pulled through. We are going to make it. All of the commotion startles Richard Parker and he wakes up and launches himself off the ship. That’s the last memory we have of our house pet.
I am going to be honest with you. I did not really enjoy part one that much, it was boring and uninteresting to me so I did not read it all. Although when I skipped to part two it was the complete opposite. I finished it in two days and I can not stop myself from continuing on. From what I have already said, it is pretty obvious I like the action of the story and not so much the background information. I tend to get bored very easily so it was hard for me to continue with part one.
When I read a book, I read for enjoyment not to study it and look for all the symbols and allusions associated with it. In this class I can no longer do that. In Cuckoo’s Nest I did a good job of remembering to analyze the book but with Life of Pi I get so enthralled in the book that I forget to criticize it. Therefore, I have to head to my handy dandy Sparknotes. I always read the book before I start my script or check Sparknotes because I want to enjoy it first. Sparknotes shows me the symbols and themes and it helps me to realize them. I usually read the analysis under the plot sections because they give me the most insight to what I have missed. In addition to the analysis, I will read the themes, motifs, and symbols page because that is what always seems to pull the book together and bring the most sense to me. I will also sometimes watch the Spark notes videos because they are entertaining and actually help a lot more than you would think. I can usually remember much more clearly what the videos said opposed to when I just read the literature notes.
Life of Pi, a novel of great description. Though I have only read to page 169, the novel has not missed one, minute detail. Whether the narrator is talking about the stripes on the tiger’s coat or the exact size of the boat, no detail is over looked or skimped. Even though the detail is very in depth, Martel genially keeps the novel full of life. There has not been one point in the book where I have felt a drag or slow moment. Every little detail has been integrated so delicately that your mind is constantly at work to connect the plot lines.
As I read farther into the novel, the story line becomes more interesting. I am excited to see how Pi overcomes his feat of training the tiger, Richard Parker. According to Pi, the only way for him or the tiger to survive is to work together. Pi repeatedly calls this idea, “Plan Seven” (166). Plan Seven consists of Pi taming Richard Parker so they can live peacefully together on the boat. In order to carry out this task, Pi must use his patience and animal background to be successful. Another favorite part of mine is when Pi finds the locker on the life boat. The boy is starving and thirsty to the point of absolute weakness and exhaustion. At this point in the novel the reader starts to lose faith in Pi and the idea of his existence. However, when Pi finds the locker full of food and water shortly after, faith is instantly restored and the reader is pulled back into the story. I really enjoy this point because it restored my faith in Pi and his drive to live. Once the food and water is found, Pi is suddenly filled with enthusiasm and energy. He constructs a life raft and creates ways to survive with a 450 pound tiger in his near proximity. Pi is a person of great faith and creative wit to aid him in survival.
Transcript of Zeke Wieser's Poem
Energy can neither be created
nor destroyed.
Muslims and Christians say God created the Earth in seven days.
Does their Scripture understand thermodynamics at all?
Hinduism,
with its rebirth, reusing of life
understands the fluid nature of Energy,
how it only changes forms
from you, to me, to butterflies, to bees, to that snoopy neighbor down the street,
to a bouquet of carnations,
reincarnation uses physics to undersand how something has to die
for life to bloom.
While pondering mortality is often considered doom
and gloom;
let me tell you what I think of our souls' supposed immortality...
it's bogus
hocus-pocus bewitchment used to fill ditches dug by existential dread,
but still,
I know there's life after death.
I like to think
the human soul doesn't exist
how we imagine.
Like, I don't think there's a forever-lit-light in each of us.
I think we're about as eternal as moss,
a hairy growth on this blue marble:
marvelous toxis fungus.
However,
I often ponder that first law of thermodynamics,
about Creation
and Destruction
and how Energy slips past both
like whispers,
like fists unclenched,
like rivulets of clear nectar
quenching thirst.
I believe
when the last drop of Energy drips
from the empty vessels we'll all become,
it takes on a bit of who we used to be,
like the vibrations of a drum after it's been struck.
Echoes, like church bells rung,
get stuck in what we leave behind.
So I would like to remind you that
all the energy you've ever used is tinted,
marked by the essence of those who used it last.
Hand-Me-Downs... Comumnal pool towels
The universe is one big recycling plant,
and we're all stylish bags made from plastic bottles,
rose-colored murals crafted from shattered shards of glass,
we're all cardboard pizza boxes,
blessed with another's grease
we all have our bodies on lease,
hoping someday to buy,
but...
the contract expires the day after we die.
Tristin Pliska 6
The Life of Pi is a very intriguing book that often leaves me perplexed, in a good way. This book takes many different approaches to situations, and the author does it in a way that makes you want actually invest your own thoughts and opinions. For example the author takes a stance in the beginning of the book saying that animals being in zoos is not bad for them, and it does not hinder their freedom. When writing about this he writes so convincingly that afterwards you come out feeling the same way as him. Throughout the book the author also leaves little quips that leave you thinking also. Such as the part where at the zoo it asks on a post what is the most dangerous animal in the zoo, then behind a curtain it reveals a mirror. Saying that humans are the most dangerous animal, which I believe to be very true also. The part I enjoy the most and find most intriguing in the book is the author’s points on religion. It sounds crazy that an individual could be a follower of three religions, but the author makes it sound understandable, to an extent. This subject just makes you want to talk to others about it and consider the possibilities of this seemingly state of enlightenment that Pi has achieved. The author also includes many quips dealing with religion. Of these my favorite is found in Chapter 22 on page 64. In this chapter Pi imagines an Atheist's last thoughts before death as he makes a leap of faith, and an Agnostic’s last thoughts as he sticks to simple reason. Then due to the Agnostic’s lack of imagination he will “miss the better story” in the author’s words. I have read this segment before, the first time being in middle school and I have remembered it since. These are some powerful words that really make you think. That is my favorite thing about this book, it gets you engaged.
PART 1
I have been looking forward to reading Life of Pi since English 101 started back in August. Hearing other students talk about Life of Pi has made me what to read it even more. I have not yet seen the movie of Life of Pi and I am kind of glad I have not, seeing the movie may have ruined the book for me. The element of surprise is what I want in a book, I don’t want to know what is going to happen before it happens. A pet peeve of mine is when someone ruins a book for me by telling me what happens, ruining the special feeling of the element of surprise for me. As well is if I were to have seen the movie before reading the book I would just be imagining the images and character of the movie and not of my own mind. Being able to imagine every detail in my head as my mind interprets it is what makes me understand this book even more.
The descriptiveness in The Life of Pi is just simply amazing. Every single detail is stated so I can create an image in my mind as I read. Through every chapter I see the events with great imagery. I can see every face of each character as what I think that they look like, I imagine every setting in which all these events are taking place as I think the author may have intended me to do. Here are some of my favorite spots in The Life of Pi where imagery is at its best. The first spot where I had great description to interpret what was happening in my head is Santosh’s lesson to Ravi and Pi to not put their hands into any of the cages at the zoo. The lesson entailed Mr. Patel starving one of the tigers and placing a tied up goat in the cage next to it. Santosh then has the trapdoor opened and the tiger rushes to his prey in the next cage. This scene is one of great detail but also of great sadness for me. I didn’t enjoy the fact that the goat was killed but I did enjoy that I could imagine every single movement of the tiger in my head even though I may have felt sadness in my heart. Another scene where I was able to have a clear image in my head was with the three wise men. I find this part of the book somewhat funny because I can just imagine the awkward and confused faces that each of the wise men as well as the Pi’s parents. I could also seem to imagine and feel the body language going on during this awkward conversation of the knowing that Pi has been practicing three different religions. A third part of the book where I enjoy the imagery is on the lifeboat with Pi and Richard Parker. With every statement given in the reading I have been able to piece together my own interpretation of the boat in my head. I also imagine the raft that Pi has built out of materials he has found on the boat. However I seem to imagine that the raft is smaller than it actually is because the raft in my head wouldn’t be able to hold all the things Pi is bringing on the raft. I also sadly enough can imagine each of the killings that happen on the boat. These are just some of my favorite spots of The Life of Pi that provide me with being able to play with imagery in my head and create the book as I see it.
As well as the imagery in that the book provides me it also provides me with a variety of emotions. I feel especially full of emotion when all of the different animals are killed in the book. First it was the goat that was eaten by the tiger. Then on the boat it was the zebra’s broken leg, then the hyena starts to eat it. After that they hyena beheads the orangutan and eats part of it. Lastly when Richard Parker kills the hyena I feel great sadness and disgust. I don’t want to see all of these animals die I don’t think anyone does but it is the animals instinct to do these things. I hope to be able to feel happier emotions as the book continues on.
PART 2
I am very well looking forward to finishing this book and finding out what happens in the end. I also look forward to being able to see the movie after I have read the book to be able to compare what I have imagined all of the characters and settings to be like and what the movie portrays them. Honestly I can say this is my favorite book so far in Literature.
Throughout the first 93 pages of Life of Pi, I find myself really connecting with the book in different ways; which in return has allowed me to analyse very diligently. The first aspect that I am able to connect to Pi with is religion. Pi is obviously a very religious person. Pi actually is a Christian, a Muslim, and a Hindu; and regularly practices each religion. I only practice Christianity (although I am also aware of some of the other religion’s practices and beliefs, I just do not practice and believe in them myself), but because I do practice Christianity and because I am aware of the basics of the other religions, I am able to recognize the religious symbolism that is in the book. One place I was able to immediately pick up on religious symbolism was when Pi was discussing sloths, and the differences between the two-toed and the three-toed sloths. On page 4, Pi says”The three-toed sloth is not well informed about the outside world.” and “The three-toed sloth lives a peaceful, vegetarian life in perfect harmony with its environment.” As I was reading this, I thought that the three-toed sloth could represent the Christian God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Many times in society, it is seen that Christianity and the divisions of it are sometimes seen as not being very open or accepting of people of other religions; which can go along with the first line. The second line describes the sloth as being peaceful, and Christianity(and most other religions) for the most part is peaceful in the sense that it is a spiritual peacefulness that each person that faithfully practices a religion possesses.
Another area that I was really able to connect with was when Pi was discussing the conditions that the animals live in and how some people view the animals being held captive as a bad thing. Having had to use the Psychoanalytical lens in a previous forum, when reading this about how the animals are used to their enclosure and not used to being exposed to the wild, I was really able to see where the author used this as a way to show the Freudian Theory.
As I continue to read this book I can not help but keep looking back to when Pi talks about his religious beliefs. I guess I should probably say his multiple religion beliefs at that. Maybe the reason this part of the book sticks out to me the most is because religion/my faith in Jesus Christ has greatly influenced my life. I think that the amount of open mindedness it take to accept three different religions that contradict themselves is incredible and impressive. When Pi talks about his personal experience with the conversion of the three religions I really felt challenged by the idea. However, to clarify, I do not necessarily believe that Pi’s religious beliefs are correct. That is not my point and I do not feel that it is my right to put him down for things he and I do not agree on. My point is not about his religious beliefs, but how he came to believing the beliefs. In order to accept three different religions you need to have a open mind and be able to entertain an idea even if you do not agree with it. An example of this difficulty is in the book when Pi gets the three religious leaders together. What do they do? They argue and act in a way that could be easily labeled as against the very religion they represent. These religious leaders were not able to have a open mind and that is very obvious in how they acted. So why did this stick out to me so much? I respect Pi in how open minded he is and this book has challenged me to be more open minded then I am currently. I have caught myself being closed minded in many situations lately and plan on changing that. Will it be easy? No. I feel that society has created an atmosphere in where people are only tolerant of things that they personally believe in (Is that really being tolerant? Is not tolerance a two way street? A discussion for a different time I suppose....)
As I began reading The Life of Pi, I knew that this would not be a book like any other I have read before. In the first 93 pages, I was very confused as to why some of the chapters were italicised. I finally began to understand that the italicised chapters are the stories between the author and Pi himself. The author created these chapters, so that us as readers could have a good look into Pi’s life himself and how he is in life today. We can obviously recognize that Pi survives on the lifeboat with Richard Parker. But the part that I am eager to uncover is how does Pi manage to survive and come out alive? Right now Pi is beginning to train Richard Parker into becoming a tame lion so that he will not have the urge to eat Pi alive. That is Pi’s biggest worry right now, as would mine be. I cannot even fathom how Pi is staying relatively sane on this lifeboat, stranded out in the Pacific Ocean... with a tiger. He is able to think through things very well and finds food and water on the boat to keep himself alive for at least 100 days. He builds a raft so that he can keep himself at a greater distance from Richard. This tactic is unfortunately not working out very well for him as he cannot keep himself dry. Pi has realized that the only way he is going to be able to stay alive is if Richard Parker stays alive with him. He figured out that he cannot rely on the outside world to come save him from this disaster, but that he has to do everything he can to keep himself alive. I am excited to read ahead in the book and go through this adventure with Pi and Richard Parker. I know that Pi is smart enough and will make it through; but my question still is “how?”
Many of the books we are required to read for classes can be boring or can be a story I already know the plot line to. Life of Pi, however, is different because every page is new to me. I have not watched the movie or spoiled surprises with sparknotes; everything in this book is new. This aspect of it engulfs my interest. This novel is fairly easy to read because it is amusing. Before reading any of the novel, knowing that someone practices three different religions, I would think they are crazy and incapable of doing so. Pi’s ideals about religion, though, make sense. Pi learns about how Jesus suffered and died out of love for his creation, and initially, he does not understand why a god would suffer. These Christian beliefs assist Pi in the life boat. He learns that suffering can be divine too. His beliefs about Hinduism and Islam are eye-opening. Although Yann Martel picked a very testy subject of religion, not one religion is favored over another. Religion can co-exist. Everything can co-exist.
I like to put myself into books. I imagine myself as Pi Patel and try to feel his feelings. With all the imagery in this novel, it makes it very easy to feel connected. Waking up to a boat sinking then finding out my family is dead. Being trapped with a tiger that could very well eat me. Becoming this character helps me analyze the book better and more carefully.
While reading the book numerous words have seemed to jump off the page for me, but none more than the word zoomorphism. Not only does this word explain many events that happen in everyday life with both human and animals, but it also plays a very large role in tying the book together. The first example of zoomorphism in the books is the goats and the rhino, but as the book progressive the examples become less obvious and more important. We come to learn about Pi’s religious endeavors and how he tries to practice all of them, this is an example of zoomorphism. In the world we live in different religions exist and in different varieties of each, for society to work we need to live together as one, and I think that is what the author is getting at. He tells us of the Kumars, one is atheist and the other is Islamic. When these two characters meet in the book Pi thinks that there will be trouble, but the exact opposite happens, the two get along just fine. Similarly to society, people of different ideals need to be able to get along with each other. Also the word zoomorphism is a direct foreshadow to what will happen later in the book. Pi and Richard Parker need to get along to survive, without Richard Parker Pi would feel alone and lose motivation, without Pi, Richard Parker would die almost certainly. The word also ties animals to humans, that although they have different characteristics they are one in the same, we were made to live with animals and animals were made to live with us. We are animals.
Another idea that jumped out to me was the idea that the animals that are the lowest on the totem pole are the easiest to train. To me that is the author telling us that with feeble minds comes manipulation, meaning that if you can not think for yourself you are nothing but a toy to a person who can think for themselves. Also the phrase, “animals don’t escape to somewhere, but from something.” This to me means that animals similar to humans are content with living in one particular place until some factor makes us unhappy. For example the Patels move to Canada in the book because they were unhappy with the military regime that was taking place in India. They were perfectly happy with the zoo and India but some outside factor caused them unhappiness and forced them from something.
The world is a zoo
And the zoo is a world
Revolting and molting
All coming back
Jolting and bolting
To center stage
Where the lights stay bright
But the bills are paid
The ocean's pawn
Lines are drawn
Eleven life stanzas
Too quick to be songs
An ocean of emotion, deceit, deception
An entire nation in your heart, your sky without reception
Conception immaculate or otherwise
Jives with the message those others try to internalize
Ostracize, dehumanize, polarize, obliterize
You know it's not a word
But the others don't begin to describe
The hate, the fear, the passion
The ration of knowledge
Passed off as doctrine
It's time for the zoo to realize
Coming together doesn't have to be compromise.
Psychology, while being a pseudoscience, is discussed frequently in Life of Pi. Animals are often used as symbols to explain why people do the things they do, and are also used to show interpersonal interactions in a different setting, as a means to show how ridiculous some relations are in the real world. There are many sections devoted to describing the daily rituals of animals, and these sections are used to relate to humans, as humans also have very predictable daily rituals, the majority of the time.
Animals are also used, in a particularly political section, to describe the difficulties with freedom in relation to happiness. The section alleges that, just because something is free, it cannot be happy. The section goes on to say that, without security, someone (something) cannot be happy. Thus, freedom in the absolute is undesirable, as freedom is at odds with security and security is needed for happiness. He (the author character/Pi/author) goes on to attempt to prove his point by mentioning how some big cats could conceivably jump out of their cages, but chose not to, as the security of the zoo is much better than any sort of freedom the outside world could offer. While I agree that it is possible to be too free might have poor results, but that level of freedom should be impossible to reach with the current system of communication that has existed since the formation of language. This freedom versus security debate is an important one in American culture now, as groups like the CIA and NSA participate in very clandestine operations that invade the privacy of many Americans in the hopes of great security for the majority of Americans. Call me crazy, but this domestic spying is a perfect example of why security is less valuable than freedom to most Americans, and explains why Pi/Author Character/Author might be a little out there with his whole “freedom is bad” thing.
So far Life of Pi has been fairly complex, it is hard to know whether or not we are comprehending everything that the author wants us to understand. I definitely think it will be hard to determine whether or not we are looking too deep into something, or not enough. For example, I would not have given the sloths at the beginning of the story any importance until Pi was holding onto the oar, as if he were a sloth. He stayed in the same position for quite some time, which like a sloth. There are also times where we can put too much meaning into something. For example, we could be looking too hard at the way Pi handles himself as the adult character. The author clearly wants to show how Pi has been affected by his hiatus from society. However, I personally find myself trying to look deeper into what Yann Martel is saying. I find it interesting that Pi believes in the idea of religion, rather than a certain religion. This idea is hard to grasp because we are practically hardwired to believe a certain way. We are basically told that there is only one correct belief, and everyone else is incorrect. We tend to find it difficult to be accepting of contrary or dissimilar beliefs. We always want to be correct, which causes us to try and enforce our own beliefs on others. I find it interesting that Pi, even in times of turmoil, can call upon all three religions. I think this is interesting because it shows that Pi is open minded about religion, but I don’t think it stops there. I think Pi will be open minded on many other issues throughout the book. For example, Pi finds out that he can coexist with a tiger on a small boat. I cannot picture myself on a 26 foot boat coexisting with a tiger.
Should we care, Shane, about what Martel (or are you referring to the author-character guy?) wants us to understand? We'll Skype with him in a month. You could ask him!
Revised Poem:
The world is a zoo
And the zoo is a world
Revolting and revolving
Molting, jolting, bolting
To center stage
Where the lights stay bright
But the bills are paid
The ocean's pawn
Lines are drawn
Eleven life stanzas
Too quick to be songs
I think that the deity
Should get AT&T
‘Cos I’m in the ocean of commotion, deceit, and deception
Heaven’s a nation in your eye’s sky without decent reception
Conception. Immaculate or otherwise
Jives with the message others try to internalize
Ostracize, dehumanize, polarize, obliterize
You know it's not a word
But others don't begin to describe
The anger, the fear, the hate, the passion
The ration of knowledge
Passed off as doctrine
It's time for the zoo to come to realize
Coming together doesn't have to be a compromise
Of values and morals
Vedas and Torahs
‘Cos Bibles and Qurans
Arrive from the same aura
Be Jains and Sikhs seeking love without deceit and deception
Yeah, heaven’s a nation without decent reception
Throughout this Life of Pi, I have been perplexed with all the symbolism. I have been amazed with Pi’s survival techniques but also disgusted with all the carnivorous activity on the boat. At first I was a little skeptical of how Pi was going to survive 227 days on a boat without food or water and a tiger. I kind of figured all the animals were going to be mauled to death by the tiger which left Pi and the Richard Parker. But once Pi found the survival equipment, I knew he had a greater chance of going 227 days. It was interesting that at the end of his survival list he put 1 God. I thought this was maybe a clue as to maybe he’s following Christianity more than Hinduism and Islam. I really want to read past the 169 pages but knowing me, I would let something important slip out of my mouth at the forum. This book is captivating. It’s making me read it like Pi wants to follow the three religions. It would be amazing if he could actually train the tiger on such a small boat. At this point, it does seem like God is intervening with Pi and
Richard Parker. Maybe that’s why he chose to include God in his list of items just to say God is with them. Reading Shane’s comment on how we are hardwired to believe only these aspects of religion was quite interesting. I find myself trying to instill my beliefs upon other people because I was taught that this is the right way. When you hear what someone else believes in you instantly think that is not right. It takes a strong mind like Pi’s to accept three different religions and profess it. I’m nervous to see what happens between Pi and the tiger. Maybe he will actually catch fish to feed the tiger because I don’t think biscuits will satisfy the beast.
In this book, a key element is the symbols Martel uses. Nothing written should be taken as face value. Even Pi’s characteristics have meanings not strictly told. Although, written or alluded to, in the first 93 pages, I have found it hard to relate with Pi’s character. This could be because I am not an Indian boy, nor did I grow up in the middle east, nor did I get thrown off a ship. The one area where I found myself most connecting with Pi is in the struggle to find a single religion fitting for him. Throughout our teenage years, I personally believe that everyone goes through identity problems, and Pi’s problems are just shown through his religion struggle. I know the hardship of trying to find a religion, because although I was raised and continue to be Christian, I had questions about why I believed, and what was wrong about other religions.What was going through my head at this time was similar to how the religious leaders were acting out. The negative aspects of each religion are very easy to pick out, but when it comes down to it, all of them are based on the same principle; love is the principle. This theme does not change from one to the other.
On the other hand, the themes that Yann Martel uses get switched up often. A few worth noting are the use of similes, flashbacks, and imagery. His similes and metaphors are not often easily caught. They are epic similes written to get the reader thinking and comparing. They also grasp our attention by using gruesome imagery such as when the snake gets eaten by the lawn mower. These help provide imagery. That is a picture that is not soon to be forgotten by any reader. Martel carefully places these throughout the novel. The last part that stood out was his flashback vs real time storytelling. It took a few chapters to figure out the italicized sections, but once I did, the emphasis became apparent. This is a great technique, and makes it feel as if we are getting two different peoples perspectives.
Link to the video I created: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ACgDUu9ze0&feature=youtu.be
I am having difficulties explaining that I have read the book with diligence and erudition. I tend to overthink everything, so that has come into play for our group forums. Lets take for example the three religious leaders fighting over Pi, I thoroughly enjoyed that. To me it showed how religions all over the world tend not to get along; claiming that theirs is correct, above all others, the only truth. While Pi having chosen to follow three different religions shows how they can work in unison with eachs strengths and philosophy. He shows how people are more focused on the religion rather than god. Also, in the beginning of the book which most see as stale and boring now makes sense to me atleast. Everything at the beginning is coming into play, things are relating such as the sloth. The sloth a completely dull and lazy creature; even though it can survive quite well in their environment. I feel like this may come into play even later in the book. Possibly showing how Pi will have to conserve energy, but also have to work to survive with as little energy as possible(will figure out at later date). Now their is Richard Parker, the beast of which Pi started off fearing and now sees in a different light. Pi’s new want to keep Richard Parker alive, also known as plan seven, has shown how human creatures are social creatures. Social to the point at least in the book that he would be willing to risk his life to train and possibly befriend the tiger. Pi says himself on page 164, “I will tell you a secret: a part of me was glad about Richard Parker. A part of me did not want Richard Parker to die at all, because if he died I would be left alone with despair, a foe even more formidable than a tiger.” The fear of being alone can be a large drive to survive or die. This to me is the way I can show you I have read the book with diligence and erudition. To explain what I thought certain things have and will mean, going into a deeper understanding than what might be originally thought.
To be honest, I have not been “studying” this book in the way that some of the students in class have been. I am the type of person who likes to read a book and see what I get out of it, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” right? School says we should study books, but really we should live them-- there should be more self-thought happening when you are reading someone’s life work. Some readers just Sparknote their way through novels, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But what is the point of having different books and opinions if all you do is look up what other readers before you got out of the same book you read? However I will say that so far this book has been a great novel! It is filled with metaphors that are so intricate you almost have to take a break while reading them as not to get overwhelmed by them. Along the way you can also run into Pi’s search for his true identity within his self proclaimed nickname, and the way he strays from religion to religion like he is flirting with changing up his toothpaste flavor. We relive with Pi the most devastating days of his life when he loses his whole family, days in which he was not able to grieve for long. We have faced barbaric situations and eminent danger leading up to this next forum. But we have also found friendly human characteristics within the same frightening beasts Pi has had run ins with. I have not yet run into a section of the book that did not make sense yet-- Martel does a very good job of making his writing readable for most people but yet he does not bore in the slightest. There are the random italicized chapters that I am still waiting to see if they connect as well as I am hoping for. However, I’m sure that all our questions we have unanswered now-- we will get to as we continue our journey with Pi Patel and Richard Parker.
There is a lot of hype surrounding this novel. I was very excited to begin reading it only to become confused with the first 93 pages. I do appreciate Martel's background story, and the more I read, the more I realize those first 93 pages were completely necessary and a great foreshadowing technique. Without Pi growing up in a zoo he would be completely helpless with the animals on the lifeboat. However, his prior knowledge seems to work to his advantage. This book is so rich in imagery it is very entertaining to read. Every Scene is pictured perfectly in my head.
This book consists of just more than great imagery however. A greater, deeper meaning is shown through. I found the part when the three religious leaders are arguing to be very ironic. All of the leaders are arguing about how each others religions are wrong or try to focus on the negatives of them. Even though the same religions teach to be accepting of each other. Society is also a participant in this. Everyone is taught to fit in. If you stand out, you are different. Why must society be like this? Instead of chastising another human being who is just as deserving of a happy life as you are, praise them and bring their differences to attention as a positive subject.
Lastly I would like to point out when the boat sinks. I feel there is a symbolic relation to religion here. When you lose everything and feel as if the whole world is against you, god will always be there. This is interesting considering Martel is non-religious. Maybe Martel is more understanding and realizing that everyone has their own beliefs and he respects them and praises them. When he is thrown overboard by the crew members, Pi believes that they are saving him. Later, he finds out they were actually trying to feed the hyena. This proves that God works in mysterious ways.
Before reading the book, I knew very little of what Life of Pi was really about. I knew that somehow a boy was stuck on a boat with a tiger. I was really perplexed as to how that would even be possible. I knew we would be reading it this year, so I tried my hardest not to see the movie and to ignore what others said about the book in order not to go in with a preconceived notion that the book was boring, or excellent. When I began the journey of reading the beginning 93 pages, I found myself very bored with the book, as most of us were. The very beginning I found particularly interesting reading how Martel connected his book to what he already knows. With him studying Religion and Zoology, he was able to use both as a recurring theme throughout his book, somehow managing to connect the two together. In order for myself to be able to get myself into a book, I feel that I need to somehow connect with the book/character just like the author. When introduced to Pi’s religious beliefs, I asked myself the question of how one person can believe in three different religions. They are all different from each other, so how could one believe in all three? This same question was brought up in our previous forum. Our group discussed that maybe Pi is searching for new stories or to expand his knowledge of what he already knows. Essentially, it is the not the stories and his pure curiosity of each religions that draws him in. This made sense to me because I find myself constantly wanting to read new stories that are polar opposites of each other. I have an overflowing book shelf full of various genres. I am looking forward to reading about what happens to Pi and Richard Parker on their adventure in the Pacific Ocean.
Though I had many ideas of what to do for this specific blog task, my mind immediately went to music. The fact that there is so much diversity between Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam is what makes my findings about the separate music of the three divisions most important. Pi can find similarities within each religion, so I set about to find similarities. Though the styles are incredibly different, all three religions have music that speaks to things like peace and unity with the world and God/s. There are also different forms of hymnals, relating to everything from the birth of a child, to the coming together of a couple in marriage, to grieving over a lost family member. All three have similar customary rituals, though those rituals are different in their order. Music in itself can show a person’s lifestyle and culture. I believe that, because Pi is such a religious man, that his musical preferences are probably just as different as the three religions he practices. He even mentions at one point how he enjoys the chanting of Islam. Chanting in its own sense can be music.
In many ways, the sounds of the world can be considered music. The howling of the wind, the cries of animals, the running of water, and the gurgling of the sinking ship make for its own tragic symphony that Pi can merely listen to. With his family gone, the pattering of Richard Parker’s paws is a nuance that Pi hears as the orchestra of destruction begins to wind down to its last movement. Pi’s yelling is like another separate part. He reminds me of the melody and counter melody usually shared between French Horns and Trumpets. On one hand, he wants Richard Parker to join him on the lifeboat, but merely seconds later, Pi wants the tiger to drown. The symphony of death has begun to find its last few measures. The final downbeat: the ships last gasp for air as a loud burp comes out of the depths of the ocean.
2 Gillepsie, House, Oyos, Schmeling
The video we created: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8qrX1K4TI0
I study this book by taking notes as I read, page by page. This proves to be most effective because not only does it help me to remember what I read, but it also helps me make my forum for the class discussion. Also I google reactions to the book to see what others realized were important that I may have missed. I have caught many little details that I normally would have missed by researching the book. I enjoy reading these books in class because they are not books I would typically read on my own. It broadens my education by reading these books. Talking about them is another favorite. No matter what period you are in, you can talk to anyone in any class about the book. Most of the people are all in about the exact same spot as you, creating a mutual topic for everyone to talk about. The book is always up for discussion whether it be good or bad, everyone has their opinion. I also compare the book we read currently to others that we had read in the past. For example Cuckoos Nest and Life of Pi both have parallels to the bible relating characters to Jesus or his disciples. I have noticed that these two very different authors both wrote experimental in terms of religion and basic societal norms. Pi, being apart of three religions and also accepting that atheism exists, and Mcmurphy being apart of an insane asylum. I enjoy reading experimental novels or novels that step outside of the norms of society. It keeps my enjoyment of reading intact, whereas cookie cutter novels would shred it.
Just as Pi Patel is fascinated with the mixing of his religions, I too am fascinated with the intertwining of Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. To prepare for our latest forum I have looked up the similarities of these religions, and what I have found has surprised me to a great deal. First, all of these major religions has a very similar origin and with that they also have similar ways of spreading. All three religions started in the south-western part of Asia and have spread their word through trade from merchants. All three religions also promise eternal salvation if your life is spent following the said religion and following the set of rules. All three have a holy book that describes how to fulfill their duties on Earth to reach this salvation. The rules are actually very similar as well, they teach of basic morals and between right and wrong.
A difference that most people will argue is that Christianity and Islam are monotheistic, while hinduism is polytheistic. While this may be somewhat true, both Christianity and Islam have a “split” God figure. Both have a sent prophet and teacher that is said to have come from God and is very similar to God in nature. Both Jesus and Muhammad are said to be very closely linked to God and in some forms, are a part of God. Hinduism also has an all powerful God that Hindus often refer to as the supreme God, Brahman. This supreme God is said to be infinite and is in every human, similar to the holy spirit being in everyone. Many historians believe that Hinduism directly affected Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism is said to have directly affect the teachings in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. So it is safe to say that Hinduism has affected the teachings and morals in Christianity and Islam.
"The Big Religion Chart." The Big Religion Comparison Chart: Compare World Religions. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. .
"History of Hinduism." - ReligionFacts. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. .
Within reading the last 169 pages I have been trying to understand Pi’s personality and the person he is on the inside. I believe Martel does an incredible job in describing to us what goes on inside Pi’s head and what he is thinking due to the first person view point. Martel does tend to leave some grey area throughout Pi’s time on the lifeboat. The largest grey area I believe is Pi’s thoughts of his parent’s and brother’s whereabouts. There are a few number of time that in throughout the pages 103-168. This to me is incredible. Pi is still a boy not yet a man and it seems to me very close with his family, especially his mother. His mother is who brings him to religion. Not directly because Pi’s father doesn’t believe in religion, but his mother is the only one in the family who can partially understand. Pi once stranded on the lifeboat only thinks of his family once on page 148 saying “ The words Father, Mother, Ravi, India, Winnipeg struck me with searing poignancy.” I have a couple ideas of why his family is not mentioned very often within the this section of the book.
My first idea is because Pi cannot wear himself down thinking about his family. Yes this could be a extremely selfish way of looking at it, but stress can wear down the body more than you think. Pi has to spend the energy he does have by doing more useful things besides worrying because right now the biggest thing he can do for his family is survive. This doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking about them he is just doing what he can right now for them if they are still alive.
My second theory is that this is the little impression Martel is putting in the story that Pi’s family is gone. This is a sad theory but could be true. The little mentions shows that they are not a very important part of this story anymore. Martel is nicely telling us that Pi’s family is dead without directly stating it in the book.
My final theory is that Martel is putting them on the back burner right now. He is using putting Pi’s personal family on the side right now as a way of coming through and possibly blindsiding us with an amazing discovery later on in the book. This is what I hope for personally. Pi hasn’t lost hope yet of his family he knows that they are doing the same as him probably right now and that is trying to survive.
I am really enjoying this book and am extremely happy we waited for this to be our third book to read this year. The first two books were great ways of showing us how to pick up on foreshadowing and symbolism throughout the books and now Life of Pi is a great challenge for our literary minds to challenge what we have learned up until this point. I have learned lots from this book and hopefully will continue to do so.
Life of Pi has been an enjoyable read so far. Martel does a great job of keeping me intact with his book by not only keeping the book upbeat, but also leaving cliffhangers at the ends of his chapters. I like to compare my life to Pi’s life. His life is now in danger because he is stranded on a lifeboat with wild animals. Three heartless Chinese men threw him off the boat to benefit themselves. Even though life could not possibly become any worse for Pi, he looks at them throwing him overboard as a good thing! Mind blowing! Martel tells his readers that Pi thinks he would have drowned if it were not for the Chinese men being selfish. This shows me that Pi is an unselfish mature, young boy. While reading Life of Pi, I am having difficulties in my life, but Pi is teaching me how to look at the good in the worst possible situations. Pi has no one on the boat with him besides the soon to be hungry carnivores. He does not have his family and friends to keep him strong or help him through the difficult times, unlike me. I have learned that I need to be more thankful for them because within a blink of an eye they can be gone, just like Pi. I can not imagine how scared he is on the lifeboat, but he comes of as fearless sometimes. If I were Pi, I would be a worse wreck then the boat. I try to imagine myself as Pi. My actions would be quite different if I were stranded in the middle of the ocean with sharks surrounding me. In all of the books I have read, Pi has by far been one of the most courageous characters.
Pi (A collection of (some humorous) thoughts)
Yummy, tummy rumbling,
heavenly smells
of Pie
Never once thinking this
will be the last kiss
for our taste buds
but Pi
is out of time
just biscuits
and muscle fits
Thinking, of food is a painful time
coming with all that you can not have
with a glass of fresh brewed fear
fear that is dark as the depths
of the sea
which is only inchs beneath thee,
Animals all around
but none can be found
for one meal
to call heal!
no, not a dog but a
giant cat
that already ate the rat.
for a tiny snack
distance ones says
make the heart founder
or is that hungrier?
prusten
the only way
for the tiger to say
“chill dude, you’re okay”
….for now is the running thought
For one bought
THE GREATEST SHOW
YOU’VE EVER SEEN
Whistling the song
Treee! Tree! Treeeeeeeee!
Jeremiah Burkman P2
After reading through the first 169 pages, I can conclude Yann Martel likes variety. He shows us this with his different placement of chapters. They can be connected in some ways or completely off track and onto other ideas. Having that immense shift of idea leaves a cliffhanger. The reader could be excited and gitty for what they are about to read but are distracted by this outsider of a chapter that makes the reader continue reading until he/she reaches the desired part. I can connect to this in a way with a term from my Term Tuesday E, closure. Martel is not closing a book constantly, but he closes his chapters with unique diversity. Not every chapter is the same as the last one. I enjoy this and it makes me want to keep reading and not stop. Unless some read outside of class, most are interrupted by bells or other distractions. I wished I had built a visual representation of the novel but the only idea I could come up with was to the extreme. A distant desire rather. The idea contains thoughts of building a life size lifeboat, similar to the one Pi is trapped on. Trapped in a sense he really does not want to go swimming with the aquatic life, mainly deadly sharks. While in this lifeboat, waiting for saviors, he has time to think. One thing he does not think about too much is his family. Pi does not want to carry any more stress than he already is with the animals as his boatmates. He has to worry about getting supplies to live while always keeping an eye on the adult hyena. It is hard for me to imagine a deadly animal running around in circles, ready to break away at yourself possibly at any moment. It would be like a bomb in which you do not know when it could go off. I am eager to read what is in store for Pi next week.
While reading through until page 169, the name Mrs. Gandhi appeared a lot in the text. Seeing as she was the reason that Santosh decided to pack up the zoo and family and leave India, I researched who this woman was. What I found was that she was a prime minister of India from 1966-1984. Her full name is Indira Gandhi. While she had some success as a leader, she also ruled with an authoritarian hand and had corruption in her government.
On page 153, Pi says, "orange- what a nice Hindu color." Earlier in the book we saw two main colors associated with the Hindu religion. Red and yellow are talked about frequently. Pi has yellow and red powders in his house and many things are annointed with red and yellow. I researched some Hindu color meanings and red means purity while yellow means knowledge, peace, happiness. After the boat crash and Pi is on the life boat, the color orange becomes more prominent. Orange is a combination of red and yellow. Pi says everything on the boat is orange-life jackets, Richard Parker, the tarp, buoy, even the whistles. In the Hindu religion, orange is the most sacred color, representing purity and the quest for light. We know the days alone on the boat will be challenging and soul searching for Pi. Orange is also the color of survival for Pi, as his life jackets are that color. Richard Parker, the tiger, also gives Pi the hope that he needs to carry on and not fall into depression about his situation. "It was Richard Parker who calmed me down" (179). The color orange brings together survival and religion, the main points of the book so I expect we will see more of this reoccurring motif.
I'm not as creative as some of my peers, so I'll just post here!
I knew nothing but the basic plot of Life of Pi before I picked it up. I hadn't seen the movie for it like I had with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, so I was starting fresh. The lengthy exposition we read last week left me a bit disappointed, as I am used to reading books that are more instantly satisfying in this class. However, one does not read the book for just its exposition, and the baseball fan in me has become adept at waiting for gratification from forms of entertainment.
Pages 93-169 of the book came through and provided an exciting rising action. (That whole first paragraph was exposition to my actual content. I just Life of Pi'd you.) One of the things I liked the most about this first half of the second part was the pointing-out of Orange Juice's human-like qualities. The orangutan turns green from seasickness, which is something humans do. When attacked, she responds instinctively and defensively by thumping the hyena on the head, an instinct a human would also have. I feel that these types of events accentuate the message that a lot of animals (especially primates, our closest relatives) are actually really similar to humans.
When studying books, I tend to take very few notes, if any. I feel like stopping every few paragraphs to take notes kind of ruins the flow of reading for me. Besides, most of the really important stuff from the book, I have an easy time remembering, and if I take notes, I have a hard time sticking to them in forum discussions, anyway; the point of the discussion is to bring up some points for discussion and have other people rebut/build upon them (and to do the same with other people's points), so just a few topics of discussion can end up lasting the whole 50 minutes.
So far I have really enjoyed the book Life of Pi. For starters I love it how the main character, Pi, practices three religions. This is an idea I have never heard of so it was very interesting to read about. Pi practices Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. This is ironic in itself because these regions contradict each other to a certain extent. Religion in itself tends to lead to controversy because people with different believes tend to think that their belief is correct and they leave no room for other peoples beliefs. Pi does the complete opposite of this by taking on three different religions at once. It’s almost comical when the three priests are fighting about their religions on the hill when Pi can practice all three of these religions interchangeably. I just can’t get over how amazing it is how Pi can live a peaceful life with all different religions. This book also does a good job of not being biased towards or against a certain religion.
This book also has a lot of foreshadowing. I liked how the first part of the book has a ton of character development. This plays in very nicely with foreshadowing. What are the odds that a person who is experienced with animals just happens to be on lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with animals only he knows how to deal with? The book talks about how the circus lion tamer is able to become the Alpha in the lion’s eyes while the lions become the Betas. This is a huge use of foreshadowing as Pi becomes this circus lion tamer on the lifeboat.
I also love how realistic this book is. The book is crazy survival scenario but Yann Martel makes even the craziest of scenarios seem real.
In this book “Life of Pi,” the author Yann Martel uses a lot of “life” knowledge and advice in the form of GREAT quotes. These quotes really caught my eye during the reading because I can relate to them as a reader and I find them quite intriguing. For example, “What a thing to acknowledge in your heart! To lose a brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches. To lose your father is to lose the one whose guidance and help you seek, who supports you like a tree trunk supports its branches. To lose your mother, well, that is like losing the sun above you.” Its intriguing because one never consciously thinks of what we have in our lives and cannot comprehend the loss Pi goes through. Another example, “I was giving up. I would have given up--if a voice hadn’t made itself heard in my heart. The voice said, “I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn in all the hard work necessary.” This quote is massively inspirational approaching any challenge in life. You have to decide you will win and will work as hard as possible never giving up, there is no plan B or secondary option. Actor Will Smith has even explained that there is no need to have a plan B in life because it distracts from plan A. Another great quote, “I must say a word about fear. It is life’s only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which t finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always. One moment you are feeling calm, self-possessed, happy. Then fear, disguised in the garb of mild-mannered doubt, slips into your mind like a spy. Doubt meets disbelief and disbelief tries to push it out. But disbelief is a poorly armed foot soldier. Doubt does away with it with little trouble. You become anxious. Reason comes to do battle for you. You are reassured. Reason is fully equipped with the latest weapons technology. But, to your amazement, despite superior tactics and a number of undeniable victories, reason is laid low. You feel yourself weakening, wavering. Your anxiety becomes dread… For fear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation, such as you feel when you are brought face to face with your mortal end, nestles in your memory like a gangrene: it seeks to rot everything, even the words with which to speak of it. So you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don’t, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.” This is by far the best quote! Pi or Martel is saying you have one thing hindering you in life. It is yourself. Your own fear. Fear hinders you from taking risks and living life. He says that you have to suppress fear once and for all so it can never harm you again, because otherwise it will follow you for the rest of your life eating at you like a leech or parasite!
Life of Pi has been one of the best novels I have read so far. For this task I have decided to write two short additional chapters from the viewpoint of the author of the story.
To be inserted between chapters 23 and 24
I have returned to the same cafe downtown. My intestines were a single swing away from a knockout. Another meal prepared by Piscine would stand over top of my digestive track, sneering as the referee counted to ten. I sip my tea; the story of Pi Patel still grasps my mind. A mere boy had just silenced three men who had dedicated their lives to their respective religions. I think back to what the elderly man from the coffee house told me, “I have a story that will make you believe in god”. The thought of this seizes my imagination. All religions are true. Love God. I think back to when I first arrived in India. How I was exploring possibilities for my novel set in Portugal. As the next sip of tea eases down my throat, Portugal begins to feel like a distant planet; like one of those new planets that are discovered in the far reaches of space that society seems to ignore. I believe that the most recent is a planet called Kepler 438b. It is all very interesting, however, planets and Portugal are too common for the readers and explores of today. I salvage the corners of my mind for any last ideas of Portugal or 1939. Deep down, I knew that Piscine’s story would not compare to any story I could imagine. I realize now that my imagination can only take me so far.
To be inserted between chapters 31 and 32
There is nothing in his home that would lead one to believe that he was the son of a zookeeper. Everything from the shoes on the floor to the neatly arranged books in his study has a place and a purpose. There are no signs that lead me to believe that the Patel family is hiding a pet or any animal. No signs that he followed his father’s footsteps into zookeeping. Meena walks through the door as Piscine is sharing his memories. Piscine quickly rises from the wooden armchair he was seated in. He greets his wife at the door and takes her coat to hang up in the closet. I listen as Piscine asks Meena about her day at the pharmacy. Meena strolls to the sofa in the living room while ranting about the one customer who was convinced he had a perscription, but had nothing to show for it. Medicine had never been a field I had been interested in. There was too much memorization of the body for my taste. I would rather write a tale of a doctor performing an operation that actually perform one myself. I decide to leave then and return the next morning. Piscine bids me farewell and returns to his wife as I leave. I knew he loved his wife. Piscine had shown the most love of anyone I had ever met.
Before starting this book, I had some prior knowledge of the plotline. But the extent of my knowledge started and ended with this; a young, Indian boy finds himself aboard a small boat with a Bengal tiger. That was about it. And I’m glad I didn’t know anything more because most of the time, these English books get spoiled before I even started the pages. I am also a firm believer in book before movie, because I like to form pictures of what I believe it would look like in my head before a director does it for me. Here is a couple things that have intrigued me throughout this book.
Firstly, I had always wondered where the name Pi came from, even before I read the book. I always thought it was a feeble attempt at a math reference, and in no way had anything to do with a young Indian boy. So I thought it was interesting how his name is French, but he is was born in India and later then moved to Canada, which is primarily a French speaking country in most parts.
I also viewed the italicized portions as like an interviewer's notes on his subject. Like how Anderson Cooper would do big interviews with voice overs on ABC, talking about the subject while clips of the subjects past life played on the screen. So basically I imagined the whole first part of the book as an 60 Minutes or Oprah Winfrey interview along with lights, cameras, and dramatic music.
I also thought it was interesting how many animals could fit on this particular life boat. My idea of life boats are small, wooden boats that could fit maybe 5-10 people. I have a hard time imagining how massive this boat actually was, considering it housed so many large animals for an extended amount of time. Especially since Pi didn't even notice a 450 lb tiger for THREE DAYS. I don’t remotely understand how that is utterly possible. How can it be hidden under a tarpaulin* for that long??
It was interesting to me how much Pi’s emotions shifted through the first part of him on the boat. Sometimes he would not be keen on his situation, but he hadn’t totally given up hope. But at the end of chapter 58 he says, “My situation is patently hopeless” which was weird to me considering he was just trying to tame Richard Parker and was actually feeling hopeful. I cannot imagine the rollercoaster of emotions while on a lifeboat along with a tiger, but he had plenty of food and water, and also cool devices that I didn’t even know existed. As far as castaway situations go, he was living in luxury. I didn't see Tom Hanks in Castaway have anti-sickness pills or hunting knives or fishing rods. But I guess Tom Hanks only companion/threat was a volleyball named Wilson.
I am excited to further my reading of this book. :)
*just googled "tarpaulin" to realize that it is merely just a tarp, not some massive inflatable thing in which i was picturing. *face palm*
The book has a adventurous, but still a calm feeling to it and I enjoy it a lot. Right as the novel was starting to become stale, it turned into a wildfire of chaos and confusion that kept me hooked on reading more. So far I view Pi as the kind of person who runs his life with faith, which I really respect and admire about him. He has kept his faith even when there was none to keep. He believed his family was still going to come out of the water, that he would be rescued any minute, and he dominates the fact that he has control over what and how many religions he can allow to guide him. He holds onto all of these things when he has a thousand great reasons to just forget about it. I love how he is able to do this because it shows the reader that its a lot better for you to believe in something throughout the tough times. He shows that it will allow you to go through it with better motivation and it will give you a reason for everything that you do.
I also noticed the numerous times that the color orange had appeared in the novel. The tiger, Orange Juice, tarp on the boat, orange cat, whistle, lifebuoy, and probably more to come. This color represents hope and survival, which also reflects that Pi has faith in his survival because of how many times the color is shown in the book. All these things help Pi have hope and the will to survive. Richard Parker gives him reason, the lifebuoy helps him float, and the food that is under the tarp helps him live when he had lost all hope. I feel like this one topic is solely the most important thing that the book has to offer.
Revised Poem Third Edition:
The world is a zoo
And the zoo is a world
Revolving, revolting
Molting, jolting, bolting
But all resorting
To center stage
Where the lights stay bright
But the roles are played
Bills are paid
The ocean's spawn
Lives are drawn
Eleven live stanzas
Too quick to be songs
Enigmatic dieties
Should get AT&T
'Cos the ocean of commotion
Deceit and deception's
A nation in your eye's sky
Without decent reception
Conception. Immaculate or otherwise
Jives with the message other guys
Try to internalize
Ostracize, dehumanize, polarize, obliterize
You know it's not a word
But others don't begin to describe
The anger, the fear, the love, the passion
The ration of knowledge passed off as doctrine
It's time for the zoo to come to realize
That coming together doesn't have to be a compromise
Of values and morals
Vedas and Torahs
'Cos Bibles are Qurans
Arriving from the same aura
Be Jains and Sikhs
Seek without
Deceit and deception
Yeah, heaven's a nation without
Decent reception
Ripperda 7
As we reach for page 169, I think it is rather obvious that Life of Pi is not any ordinary fiction novel. Life of Pi incorporates so many different dimensions that enhance the story telling. Part 1, which incorporated the first 36 chapters of the story, acts as an exposition for the novel. We get a back story on Pi, his family, and the zoo animals. Without these first 92 pages the rest of the story would not be able to function correctly. As boring as many (including myself) concluded, part 1 was and will continue to be crucial to the novel. We develop characters based on what we read in those initial pages. Part 2 is the opposite of part 1, it is full of intense action. The first words of it are "The ship sank." There is no exposition to be done now (we endured that already), but instead we can jump right in (given the fact that soon after we flash back into the events leading up to the ship sinking.) Pi is freaked out, we see that vividly. He is on a lifeboat with an array of wild animals that he can not see. Part of him wants to continue to ride on the side, but then the ocean (and its inhabitants) scare him also. Pi is left to determine which is the greater of two evils. Part 2 continues to give us the story that we all expected based upon the rave reviews and reputation of this novel. I also found it interesting that only a couple of animals have actual names, one being Richard Parker. Pi was so deluded by the events that he actually helped a ferocious carnivorous cat get on the same boat with him. Part 2 helps this novel to really develop and show why it has become a classic of novels
In order to show that I have been studying this novel, I am going to talk about the color symbolism that is shown throughout. The symbolic color is orange. Orange is first introduced when the narrator is at Pi's house and see's his daughter carrying an orange cat. This could possibly foreshadow the coming of the big orange cat that we later know as Richard Parker. There is also orange with the lifebuoy, whistle, Richard Parker, and of course, Orange Juice. The color orange represents hope and survival. When the ship sinks, Pi is handed the orange whistle and find an orange life buoy. These are two items that are obviously seen for survival while in the ocean. And then we are introduced to Orange Juice. Pi feels a connection with Orange Juice in the fact that he can relate to her and he views her as a mother figure. Pi feels that he can relate to her because they both are stranded and have just lost their families. When Orange Juice dies, Pi feels like that is his death and his hope is nearly lost. Last is the tiger, Richard Parker. Richard Parker is scary for Pi; however, provides him with companionship while on the boat as well as challenging him to keep him stimulated. Nearer to the end of the book (I know further ahead than this blog task), Pi professes his love for Richard Parker. Therefore, I personally believe that without the ORANGE tiger, Pi would be hopeless and would not survive.
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