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Thursday, January 3, 2019
Life of Pi—due February 28
What about the writing and arranging of Life of Pi is different, experimental, odd, unique? Respond with 150+ words.
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Graber 2 The writing and arranging of Life of Pi is truly extraordinary. I love chapter 4 when Pi is explaining and expanding about his name. When he wrote his name on the chalkboard, the font in the book is larger and different than the rest of the dialogue. It emphasizes the importance of his name and his nickname that he goes by. His name was mispronounced so many times that he had to do just so to show his class how his name is really said. I think it’s clever that the author did that to clarify and emphasize Pi’s name and identity. I also think it’s interesting that the italicized font is Yann Martel's thoughts. It adds a creative and interesting spin to the story. Pi’s thoughts and dialogue are in a different font. I believe this will give us more of an insight into the motives of Martel writing this novel. It gives us an insight and taste of what his thoughts are and what he is like.
There are many things different with this book compared to previous books read in class. The first thing that really stuck out to me would be the way the book is narrated. The book is written by Yann Martel but is a biography about the story of Piscine Patel and how he survived a long journey. The italic chapters throughout the book are chapters that are Yann Martel’s words and opinion. They are concise chapters, but it helps to put in perspective what Yann Martel thought about Pi’s journey. Not only is the author different from past books but the plot layout is different too. The story doesn’t go from the usual begging, middle, end of the story. Instead, it goes from end to beginning to middle to end. So the story is set up to tell you how the book usually would end. It goes from explaining how he survived and his afterlife to going back in time and starting the story at the begging of his life. The story begins at the end and then sets up how he got to the end. It is a life story but in a slightly reverse order. Overall, it is an impressive set up to how usual books are set up.
My very favorite thing about the book so far is when the author uses italics to describe the "current" or the "present." At first, I thought this was very confusing because they are seen in the book at such random places, often times they fall between two very interesting chapters which cause the reader to be caught by surprise. The more you read this part of the story starts to grow on you because it is different and something that most people are not used to seeing and reading when reading a book or a story. I find it interesting how these chapters are also very short and I really like that because it forces you to keep reading because you constantly want to find out what will happen next or why Pi is in a certain situation. For example, before you even know it you have read 15 - 20 chapters but are only 30 pages into the book.
One of the most unique things that stood out to me right away about the book Life of Pi its self was the chapter lengths. The chapters can be as short as chapter 97 that is two words “The story.” or as long as chapter 99 that is 26 pages. I feel like because of the altering chapter lengths this book keeps you intrigued. You are able to easily keep reading on to another chapter when they are only a paragraph or to or couple pages, otherwise, when a chapter is 10 plus pages you can get discouraged and sometimes uninterested in the chapter or even in the book. The chapters also help tell Pi’s story in an interesting way. Another thing that is different and experimental about Life of Pi is the italicized chapters in which the author, Yann Martel, gives his insight and opinion on what you are reading. These chapters are brief and to the point which gives you, the reader, an understanding more of the book.
Kellogg 2 I think it is interesting that the author decided to write in such odd points of view. The author writes himself, or another character, basically interviewing Piscine Patel although you cannot really tell that this is what is happening. The author writes in italics to show what he is thinking during the interview with Pi, whether it be about the food he is eating or about the way Pi carries himself. When the book is in regular font, Pi is telling the story of his life, from growing up in a zoo to being stranded on a boat. It can be confusing at times thinking about Pi telling about his own story instead of a narrator just showing what is happening. This is all a flashback in the book that is shown from someone else’s point of view. The author’s, or interviewer’s, point of view is different because a person never sees this happen in a book and is oftentimes puzzled by the thoughts given.
Olivier 1 Yann Martel uses a great form of writing and arranging. I like how Yann includes parts of the present day and begins with the very beginning of Pi's life. The chapters that use the reverse flashback are a good addition to the book because it shows that the author is talking, and shows that there is an interview going on between Pi Patel and an author trying to make a book about Pi's life. This is a very experimental way of arranging a novel. I would not expect an author to write about a hypothetical author interviewing a hypothetical character to make a hypothetical book, that is actually a real novel. I enjoy all of the animals that have human names, although it may be confusing at times, it gives them more human-like qualities and allows the reader to think of them as characters and not just background. The Life of Pi is a very unique book because of these different points of views switching and because of the animals with human traits.
Life of Pi is different and unique to me because it shows both the narrator and the main character's perspectives. It allows you to see Pi as both a young child and now as an adult. By reading someone else’s perspective about Pi you are able to gain insight as to how others might perceive him. It is also unique in the form of the chapters. With the shortened chapters it makes the book both easier and harder to read. Many of the books I have read outside of class have long chapters, so when you sit down to read 5 chapters it takes a considerably longer amount of time than if you were to sit down and read 5 chapters of Life of Pi. This is also a benefit because it keeps the reader engaged and makes you feel more accomplished when you can sit down and read for an hour and get through 20 chapters. Different writing styles and formats make books more interesting because each book is unique, and you never know what you are going to come across when you pick up a new book for the first time.
Yann Martel creates a very intriguing and interesting novel from his unique chronological and literary style. The idea of the author listening to the actual character’s story, but that actual character's story happened many years prior to the telling, allows for a really engaging but somewhat confusing style. I appreciate the idea of an interview and allowing the main voice of the story to be Pi’s, but also the intermittent italics allow for the author's real-time thoughts throughout him listening to Pi. The way Martel created the book with almost all chapters being rather short, makes me feel like I am getting more accomplished. It also makes me feel like I am pushing through the story faster and makes me want to read more. The amount of chapters in the book is satisfying that there are exactly one hundred, it creates a concise and gratifying ending. Overall I feel that the unique writing pairing with a unique and intriguing story makes this book (so far) really enticing.
I think the writing arrangement of Life of Pi is very unique. The idea of having two narrators (Pi's point of view and the author's point of view) is something very outside of the box. I think an author has to be very skilled when writing in two different people's point of view because they need to make sure the reader knows who is speaking in the book at all times. The author accomplishes this by changing the font in the book. When Pi is speaking, he writes with a normal printed font. The author makes it very clear that he is speaking by writing in italicized words to help emphasize who really is speaking. I also love how descriptive the author is when he writes about Pi's background. So far in the reading, we know why Pi is called Pi, he practically grew up in a zoo, his dad is an atheist, Pi begins to find his religion and many other things. Knowing about Pi's background can help greatly throughout the story. I am excited to see the author's other writing techniques throughout this story.
Yann Martel’s writing is different and unique compared to any other author because of how precise and specific the story is. He really did his research before he wrote the book so he could seem like it was a true story, and some do believe that it is a true story. Martel tried to make it seem like he actually went to these places and talk to these people. When writing it, he italicized his thoughts or what he writes and the rest, which are the words of Pi. He is very straightforward with his words throughout the book, where some authors would use words and language that you have to try to figure out things for yourself. Life of Pi is a story within a story so that is a little different also. At the beginning of the book, in the Author’s Note, there is some truth to it, but it is also part fiction. I feel like the rest of the book will be kind of like that. He is mixing what he knows throughout his life experiences with what is made up.
The book Life of Pi has some amazing writing techniques compared to the other books we have read in class. The writing is very different with half of the book is narration of the author and half is the speaking of Pi himself. The book is written by Yann Martel, but in all reality the book is a biography about the life of Piscine Molitor Patel and how he survived his many days stranded in the Atlantic ocean. The chapters are kind of interesting with the different lengths each have. Some can be very short and just a paragraph, while others can be multiple pages. These chapter sizes I feel like are very precise in accordance with the author’s writing. The story begins from after the whole shipwreck and adventure happens. Then it gets into the story itself and what happened to Pi. Overall, this book is very impressive in the way it is set up in such a unique format and writing style.
As I am reading Life of Pie, I am noticing unique things that are nothing like other books I have read. First is the chapters. The chapters start in unique spots, like at ends of pages or in the middle of pages. This may not seem unique but what makes it unique is the fact that the previous chapter almost runs into the next. The lengths of the chapters are also very unique; some are long while some are short. Some of the chapters are four pages in length and the next chapter can be five sentences. Another thing that stuck out to me while reading is the fact that the book is a biography of Piscine but Yann Martel adds his own thoughts and words in italics throughout the book. I also noticed that Yann Martel uses way more direct similes and metaphors as compared to the other authors.
Spencer 5 The Life of Pi is a very unique book and challenges many things people normally think. The experiments with the chapters, and how they go along with the number pi, it makes it seem like the book is a fast read. Each chapter, no matter how long, holds a large number of details. The chapters and how they are all arranged flows nicely. They go from flashbacks of the character to the author speaking, but the author's words help the reader understand more about the culture and the main character to help build an image. The thoughts discussed in the book and how they are stated compares animals to humans. The way the comments on how the animals are like humans are very detailed and explained in a way that makes a person completely understand. The book has great details about the animals and characters and it feels like it goes farther in depth than most books.
This book is unique in a variety of different ways. I love the uniqueness of the chapter lengths and arrangement. A nice change occurs when chapters are a variety of lengths and continue on the same page as the previous chapter. Some chapters span over 20 pages, while some pages have multiple chapters. Breaking it up in this way keeps the reader interested. The narrative is broken up by events and short stories, instead of trying to fit the “normal” form of a book by keeping the chapters the same length. Another interesting feature is the fact that this book is Yann Martel is telling the story of Pi Patel, yet it seems like an autobiography. Blurring the line between the author, the characters, and the reader in this way offers a unique experience with storytelling. It almost is like Martel and Pi are in the room with the reader, collectively telling a story and filling in where the other leaves off. Everyone has experienced listening to a story this way, so this unique style brings the book to life, in my opinion. One last thing that I noticed was in the chapter I chose to write about, chapter 63, is how there are numbered list and bullet-points throughout the book. Chapter 63 contains his daily schedule. While Martel could have explained this in a lengthy paragraph, he formatted it in a unique way to make it easier to read. I am really enjoying this book so far and I cannot wait to see what other unique qualities it may have!
The way the writing and arrangements are created and places make the reader wanting more. I truly love reading Pi describing his life in vivid detail because it really makes me feel I am there with him. Yann does not forget any detail Pi has told and makes sure he includes those detail in each chapter whether the chapters are short or long. With all the details included, it also allows me to really feel like Pi is in front of me as I am the person who is interviewing him and listening to his flourishing life. Inserting the small excerpts Yann puts in between chapters of his own words stops the dialogue abruptly. But, these sections of Yann talking allows the reader to understand even more what it is like to be around Pi without having to find out in Pi’s words. Truly beautiful is how would describe the book so far and we haven’t even gotten to his tragic story.
Ellingson 5 Yann Martel’s writing in Life of Pi is truly original. He uses simple words that are straight forward and uses many metaphors that almost every reader can relate or know about. Another interesting way he writes is with his sentence structure. Sometimes his sentences go on for a whole paragraph and others they are two words. For example, at the bottom of page 47 he has a whole paragraph of Pi talking about why he is Hindu. The whole first half of the paragraph is just one sentence. Imagery is also used frequently in his writing. It is amazing how he paints a picture in your mind about the simplest things. You can see how Martel uses his writing to express himself and show how he does not really care what other people think. I have not read a book that has the start of new chapters in the middle of a page and how when the author talks the words are italicized. I am glad we get the opportunity to read novels from authors that are not your everyday read.
Personally, I think that the writing/arrangement techniques that are incorporated into the Life of Pi help tell the story as it is: adventurous and wild—which can be compared to the wild animals kept in the zoo. In this story, the reader never truly knows what will happen next. For example, the background story incorporated to convey reasoning behind Pi’s first and middle name was not necessarily; however, the author, Yann Martel, wanted to be sure to capture as such while telling his story. This is because it adds character, and makes the story more relatable to the audience; life is constantly changing and (as quoted by the story) people need to be able to withtake all that life throws at them. Personally, I believe that, even though the shortest chapters may seem random, all have a hidden purpose behind them. For example, I think that Yann Martel wants his readers to first read the sentences and then divulge deeper into the endless possibilities for the meaning to entice the readers and make them think outside the box. Although, this could be said for every story, such as One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Personally, the tone that the author uses to display in his story helps explain stories to a simpler extent, which the readers then can relate to or disregard. Afterall, the choice of interpreting the message(s) in a story all depends on the reader.
One thing I found very interesting about the writing of Life of Pi is the chapters in italics. It is very interesting how Yann Martel chose to have a story told as the main part of the book, but also to have the words of a different narrator represented in italics. I also think it is very clever how he had 314 pages and 100 chapters so that each chapter was equal to the value given to the Greek letter pi. I also like that Martel chose to break the book into separate parts as well and that he used the first part to set a baseline for the readers allowing them to get to know the characters in the story. The chapter with only two words also fascinates me because I have never seen anything like that before. I thought some of the chapters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest were really short only being like a paragraph. The two-word chapter interests me and I look forward to discussing it with a group and learning more about why Martel did that.
Life of Pi is a very uniquely arranged book as it does not follow the layout of a standard novel. To start, the book is told as if it were a true story, which does not really ever occur with fictional stories. The fact that it is written as if it were nonfiction helps with the immersion of the reader, so they feel as if they could imagine themselves in the situations that Pi Patel found himself in. Another trait that sets Life of Pi apart from the norm is the fact that the perspective switches in random places in the book from Pi to Yann Martel so that he can better describe something. This shift in perspective is shown through the use of italics in the text. The chapters in the book can range anywhere from several pages, to two words, and they are not separated using a page break as a normal book would have. The lack of page breaks between chapters helps me to feel the flow of the story because a person is able to just continue reading the story rather than have to turn the page in order to continue reading the narrative.
Something interesting about how Life of Pi is written is the chapters that jump back to the present time. The occasional chapter that is italicized in order to show that a different person is talking and that it is at a different time makes this story unique. It feels as though almost two stories are going on at once but will both lead to the same place. Another interesting part of the novel is how there is not a real break between chapters. In most stories when a chapter ends that the next chapter starts on the next page. This is not true for Life of Pi. In this story, the chapters flow into one another and if you are not paying attention you could be reading another chapter without ever realizing it. It all flows together very nicely. This is important to understand. That these key things make the story truly different and inspiring.
I think the entire book of Life of Pi is experimental. I love the different chapter lengths because I think it definitely keeps you going. There is no need for each chapter to be the same length, that gets boring. I found that if one chapter is short, then you will think “Oh, I have enough time to read another one” and then you just keep reading and reading and reading. Keeping the chapters a different length each time will keep the reader hook. I also like how the story is placed, like Yann Martell is writing it as he is listening. He is telling the story at the same time he is listening to it. Some chapters are italicized, and that indicates the real life where Martel is eating with Pi, or doing something else. It’s a different way of writing things and very unique. It’s very organized to put it in parts and title the parts so the reader knows what to expect. For example, Part One is Toronto and Pondicherry, where you learn all about his life in Toronto and Pondicherry. Part Two is called The Pacific Ocean, where you more than like get to experience vicariously through Pi what happened when he was stranded on the ocean with Richard Parker and other animals. Part Three, the shortest part, is called: Benito Juarez Infirmary, Tomaltan, Mexico in which no doubt you learn how life on a boat in the middle of the ocean with a tiger affected him.
Harvison 5 Life of Pi differs from more common writing styles right away by establishing the story as credible with the author's note in the beginning, even though that the story is not truly based on a real event. Yahn Martel also likes to interject into the story with another story about an author interviewing who this happened to. If you think about the concept there's really a story inside of a story going on in this book. Yahn Martel does a terrific job with slipping dialogue of the "author" in by using italicized words to not confuse us. Also in this book, the chapters seem to fly by, this is because many of them are only several paragraphs or at most a couple of pages. I enjoy this style of writing because nothing ever gets to drawn out, there are not always new ideas brought into the book, but always new ways that a subject or topic is approached
Frantzen 1 The first, most stand out way, the writing and arranging of Life of Pi is different is Yann Martel is telling someone else's story but also making it his own. He is vividly using the story of Pi Patel while allowing for his own twist. Throughout the chapters, we get some insight into how his conversation with Pi is going when Pi is telling him his story. Hearing from Pi’s point of view then switching to Yann telling the story is on way that Life of Pi is so unique. Another way that this book is arranged oddly is through his choice in chapter length. Some chapters in the book are five or more pages while the smallest chapter is 2 words. They average out to be 3.14 pages per chapter which to me might be one of the oddest things about this book. Having this many chapters and varying the length gives the readers a sense of accomplishment and also keeps them involved with the ever-changing chapters.
The writing of Life of Pi is intriguing with not only the style but the origin of the story. Specifically, the length of the chapters should be noted. The chapters in italics show that the author of the story is speaking whereas the unitalicized chapters indicate that it is Piscine speaking himself. This gives the reader not only the perspective of the main character of the story but also the outside perspective given by the author. This technique helps round out the story as a whole giving the reader a better understanding of the circumstances as well as the story in itself. The shortness of the chapters also helps the reader feel as if the story has limits. Personally, reading excessively long chapters makes the story feel like it is dragging with unnecessary detail, but with the shortened chapters, it hooks the reader's interest and moves the story along without making it seem simply too wordy. The uniqueness of the origin of the story comes from the preparation of the creation. This book is written as if it were off of a real-life experience but in reality, it is a fiction story created by taking multiple accounts of survival stories and certain cultures. This writing style is not one that I have seen used often or ever before for that matter.
The blog task for today is “What about the writing and arranging of Life of Pi is different, experimental, odd, unique?” and I believe the writings in Life of Pi is a unique style that I have not seen before. The writings of Life of Pi, because I have never seen an author switch from the main character to the author and back. It is truly unique to me how Yann Martel does this. This is how I feel that Martel helps the reader understand that the author or narrator figure in the book is listening and learning about this story for the main character who is finely describing in detail what has happened in his life leading him to Canada where he currently resides. This is what is truly unique about this novel is how when the author or narrator character talks the text is italicized and the text is back to normal style when Pi is talking. This makes the novel Life of Pi unique.
Geringer 1 Life of Pi is formatted almost exactly like The Series of Unfortunate Events written by Lemony Snicket. In both books the authors will give us insight to better understand what is going on in the story. They might give us a little more back story to help us understand why certain characters made the decisions they did, or they may throw some obvious foreshadowing at us that will leave us wanting to read more and more of the book. I think it is a very genius way to write because it either leaves the reader with fewer questions or with more questions. For example, in Life of Pi, we are hearing the story from Pi’s perspective as a 16-year-old boy and Ken Kesey will interrupt every now and then to tell us what Pi is like at his current state of mind. It is very interesting to see how Pi behaves as an adult and it makes us wonder how he got to where he is, and all we have to do is read the rest of the book to find out. I personally am not a huge fan of reading, but when authors write their books like Kesey and Snicket it makes me want to read to find out more information.
The arrangement of Life of Pi is different than most of the books I read. It's odd that the story is almost completely written as though someone is telling you a story of their past. Usually, narrators tell stories in the present tense with occasional flashbacks. Another unique thing is how the Yann Martel makes writers comments throughout the book. I have never seen a book written with writers comments. I like them though. It is a unique style of writing. Having short chapters and making them completely different makes me feel like Pi is writing a journal of a traumatic event in his life. He writes a different chapter every day taking a part of the story he has not written about yet. Every chapter talks about something different than the previous one. One chapter he talks and about his name and that leaves you wishing for more of the story. Then he switches to talking about the zoo like the previous chapter never happened. Even if it is not a complete switch, the story or idea of the chapter changes.
Subverting the expectations of the reader, Martell employs elegant transitions and roundabout structure to enhance the appeal of his novel, Life of Pi. My personal favorite example of this takes root in the author’s note. Upon the frankly unoriginal declaration from Mr. Adirubasamy: “I have a story that will make you believe in God”, Martell has the expertise to realize the triteness of the situation. Uniquely, Martell has Adirubasamy transition through the train in Pondicherry botanical gardens. By doing this, the story takes on a unique structure; the book becomes a conversation, a back and forth dialogue of the present and the past, rather than a chronological bore. Life of Pi is special in that it fantastically melds its characters, present-day Pi, young Pi, the author figure, Mr. Adirubasamy, into a powerful stream of consciousness greater than the sum of its parts. While reading a simple section about Pi’s life, we receive more than just one flimsy perspective. The premise is beautiful, but the Martell’s artful construction was definitely challenged to prevent the book from becoming bloated, yet still subverting common tropes and the expected outcomes of the reader.
There are certainly differences from this book than the other books we have previously read. The author writes this story in a different and unique format. He italicizes when the author speaks and he leaves the print normal when Pi Patel is speaking. His chapters in his book come to an end in random spots on pages. For example, chapter 9 starts in the middle of the page. Usually, authors make new chapters start on the top of the pages. He also doesn't make some of his chapters long. Some consist of a few pages while others consist of just one page. Chapter 24 is just a paragraph long. I think it is interesting how the author writes in this unique way. I like how it isn't just so typical like other books. In my opinion, I think it is very clever how the author writes his book in this format.
Normally, when the first 93 pages of a book are all exposition to the problem you know is bound to happen by all the foreshadowing, but you don't see coming anytime soon, I get bored of the story very quickly. However, Yann Martel keeps you interested by jumping back and forth from the story set in the past to his own encounters set in the present. The added interest that this is indeed a true story keeps the reader interested. The book so far has been pretty disinteresting in terms of action but also the most interesting in terms of the story. I would want to continue reading even if the problem didn't occur until the last three chapters. Yann Martel sets you up for a story that will indeed make you believe in God per se. He makes sure that you know everything about the character and even writes about Pi in a way that makes you feel as if you know exactly the way Pi thinks and feels. You come to know Pi as if he was your own sibling or friend and this will make the next part of the story more believable but also more heartwrenching.
I believe that the writing techniques used in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi are incredibly deliberate and are used to evoke question and emotion from the audience. One functional oddity that is used in this novel would be the use of italics to demonstrate an author-like figure speaking. This tool helps to break up the length of the book and helps provide credibility to the story subconsciously to the reader. Yann Martel does an exquisite job in creating a completely fictitious novel that all readers want to believe is true. He establishes great dependability and has done an obvious amount of research prior to creating this masterpiece. I also find it quite experimental that Yann Martel chose to make most of his chapters in this novel incredibly short and concise. I believe this helps the book gain and retain rampant momentum. The short chapters also aide the novel in moving along quickly, making the reading experience much more enjoyable. This novel, though I am only part way in upon its completion, is a wonderfully crafted book, and already I am questioning and analyzing many components. The greatest of which being the idea that an individual can practice Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism faithfully!
There many different things Yann Martel does differently in this book than other previous books we have read in class or really any other book in general. First of all, the overall story of the book and how he wrote is way different. He writes about a writer writing about an Indian guys story. You would think the story about Pi is true if there had not been novel printed out on the front and fiction on the back. Martel also uses italicised words to show when the writer is talking. The book is mostly told by Pi but he uses the writer at some points to show the book in different points of views, such as in chapter fifteen when he explains what Pi's house looks like, emphasizing how he has many different religions. Lastly, Martel writes very short chapters. He uses each chapter as almost a lead into the next chapter giving used more information on everyone. The short chapters also keep you reading by making it seem like your flying through the book. It also makes you keep wanting to find out what happens next.
The way that Life of Pi is written is truly different from any other book I have read. I like the way how it has an author who speaks in some chapters telling us more about Pi in the present and then all of a sudden it switches to Pi talking and explaining the wild adventures that he has come across in life. I also believe that the way Yann Martel writes is in a way that he wants to really provoke the readers' emotions to come out and wants readers to question nearly everything they read in the book. Such as when Pi and Ravi are shown the goat being killed by the tiger, Yann Martel could have just said that the goat was killed by the tiger that's the end, however he goes much more in to depth like all the noises the goat makes and how the tiger copied every move that the goat performed and then the squealing and bloodiness of the kill once the tiger got a hold of the goat. I know for me that the tiger killing the goat was a very strong part of the book and I felt like I could feel the way Pi was feeling all because of Martel's writing style. Also, the shortness of the chapters is really quite interesting and I think it adds a certain kind of special to the book.
1 Rau I find the writing and arranging of Life of Pi very interesting, unique even. While it’s clear that this book was meant to be fictional, the way Yann Martel writes out the beginning of his story, so far, makes his story convincing that it could ever be a reality. I’m in awe at the way Martel speaks of Piscine Patel’s life, making the reader think of him in ways you could rarely assume from a natural human being in society. For example, Pi has his multiple religious practices or his belief that animals can be just as happy anywhere they are placed (as long as their home is consistent). In fact, Pi will talk about some of his own unique outlooks of the world for pages at a time, in full detail. It’s refreshing, in a way, to hear from a different point of view with the world. I find it especially interesting when he mentions the flaws of mankind— how Man is the “most dangerous animal in the zoo”. Knowing the overpowering strength that Man already has, it makes Pi’s statements even more believable. All in all, I’m impressed with Yann Martel’s ability to make his readers think deeply along with Pi on some of the most common aspects of life we tend to question the most. Truly, the deeper discussions within the story are what make the book so enjoyable to read.
Life of Pi is definitely different from any other book I’ve read. First, I really like the different chapter lengths. Every single one is different and some are only a couple sentences long. I think it adds uniqueness and keeps the reader intrigued when the chapters are all different. But what stands out most to me is the foreshadowing. There has been so much foreshadowing in the first fifty pages alone. It adds suspense to the novel and is making me anxious to keep reading. It is a really good tool to make your reader not want to put the book down. Not a lot of books that I’ve read use as much foreshadowing as this one does. I think it is experimental and fun to read. I really enjoy reading books that don’t follow the same model as other ones. Books should all contain some sort of uniqueness that makes them different.
Many things in the Life of Pi book are different from previous books we have read in this class. One of the biggest differences is how the book is broken up into chapters. For example, some of the chapters are Pi himself speaking. This will cover an entire chapter, and it can be nine pages long. The other chapters are the narrator talking. These chapters are usually shorter and have questions in them, that are then answered in the next chapter when Pi is talking. It is also interesting to me how some of the chapters are very long like chapter four. Whereas one of the chapters is only two words long. No other book has had that degree of variety in chapter lengths so far. I think Yann Martel did that to emphasize the significance of certain chapters. Overall, this is a very unique book in the way it changes chapters.
I find the writing and organizational style of life of pi very unique. At the start of the book when pi is explained how his name what from Piscine to Pi and the numbers 3.14 are actually handwritten in the book, I believe puts more drama behind his words. I think it is a great way for the reader to connect with pi’s emotions and how strongly he hates that people refer to him as pissing without him actually saying it. I also think that the book is very unique in the way that it is set up as an interview. It is interesting how the book goes from telling Pi's story to talking about how the food he cooks is very spicy. I think that this is interesting because although many years have passed since the time in his life he is talking about you can see the ways that it haunts him. You can also see how even after all of this happened to him he is very religious still as well.
Yann Martel is a very unique author, indeed. In the novel, Life of Pi, Martel experiments with a different way of writing a book. He is writing the book as an interview between an author and a character. Short passages add to the idea of short stories being told to an interviewer. Long chapters would not make sense because no one sits and talks for that long about one idea. Martel also includes passages from both the interviewee and the interviewer, this adds to the overarching structure of the novel. Since the novel is told as a flashback, we have to have complete trust in the hindsight vision of the story teller, Piscine. I believe it is such a great story because it is told exactly how Pi wants it to be told. The structure that Martel chose to write such a story only adds to the intriguing plot with parallel timelines being transposed at the same time.
The biggest and most obvious thing to me is that the whole book is in an interview style of narration. I think this is very cool and interesting because the book is written in first person but we get to see multiple point of views between the author, Yann martel, and the individual he is interviewing, Pi Patel. You can tell when the author is talking from his point of view because the text is in italics. These are usually whole chapters of side notes of information about our story teller Pi. In these chapters of italics we learn about the way Pi himself carries himself and acts and we learn about little things like what they are eating during the interview. They are neat little breaks from the story. The rest of the book that is not italicised is written in Pi’s point of view in the form of him telling the story of his life. From what I have read so far the way Pi himself speaks is a very unique way of storytelling but I can’t quite pinpoint yet what is so different about his narration.
The writing and arranging of Life of Pi are different, experimental, odd, and unique because it is set up in an autobiographical fashion but in a fiction book. The author of the book is conducting an interview of Piscine Molitor Patel and writing down the exact story of how his life had progressed from birth until his teenage years. It is truly different because of the format in which he chooses to tell the story but also because of what the story is arranged. With the interview format, stories, as told by Pi, come out in large chunks relating to the same topic. The first 45 pages pretty much pertain to either his name or the zoo while the next chunk pertains to school and religion. This formatting is different than most because often novels attack complex issues throughout the story instead of focusing on one for a long time. This is mainly due to the interview format.
The writing in Life of Pi is different than many things that I have read. Yann Martel purposefully uses parts of literature that I have rarely seen in books and stories. For example, Martel likes to use deliberate fragments every once in a while. One day I was reading and saw one of these fragments and I thought "Hey, he can't do that." That, however, does not stop Martel. Sometimes, he will even start sentences with conjunctions such as "and" or "but". I have noticed those sentences when I was reading as well. Another thing that is unique to this book is vagueness of who is talking. For example, when the Mr. Kramers are talking to each other, Martel does not distinguish which Kramer is speaking. This also happens during the chapter where the priest, imam, and pandit, are all speaking. I assume that Martel is inferring that we know who is speaking based on what they say. I notice other books doing this but when they do the dialogue tends to be confusing.
Kirkeby 2 Life of Pi is a very unique book. The way the book is written out, having a fictional author interview someone for a fictional book, is truly interesting in my opinion. Martel makes this book feel as if he is conducting the interview on Pi himself, it is so life like that it feels as if it is based on a true story. From the deep background of Pi and the seemingly unrelated details of his past, to how the author thinks and asks questions that spur our own imagination. This book also pushes the taboo. Pi being tri-religious being one of the main points that I have come across so far. This book is clearly meant to get the reader to ask questions about the social norm and to look deeper into the meaning of everything. I am not too far into the book but it is clear that Pi's past will help him succeed. From his brother Ravi and adopted uncle Mamaji, other, seemingly uninfluential characters will play a major role in the life of Pi.
The organization of /Life of Pi/ is engaging. It makes me think. It makes me want to continue reading. I think it is unique and experimental that the book is set up in sort of an interview style, with the italicized text meaning the author is speaking, and the rest of the book meaning Pi is speaking. It also includes the author’s thoughts. I have not gotten this far yet, but on page 190 Pi makes an outlined list of what his daily routine is while on the boat. I enjoy when books include more than just endless words broken up by paragraphs. I think including different arrangements of text helps to emphasize what the author wants to emphasize. There are exactly 100 chapters in the book put in a very specific order. The chapters do not seem to flow together as any other book would, but there is a reason for that, I am sure. Some chapters are short and others long, and the order is well thought out in a way I have not figured out yet.
In Life of Pi, author Yann Martel uses a different style of writing. He lets Pi tell his story in the first person, giving direct insight into Pi’s extraordinary but tragic experience as a teenager. This allows the reader to gain a perspective that is true based off of the storyteller’s thoughts and emotions. Every so often Yann Martel puts in little pieces of self-thought, fitting it in carefully to add on his own thought of Pi’s story. I think that it helps the reader by somewhat clarifying our view of the book. Martel’s odd but effective way of putting together this interview-like type story brings the reader closer to Pi’s world; It helps us understand Pi’s confirmed thoughts. I feel that Martel’s odd writing style is also unique. I can’t think of another book off the top of my head that uses a similar order of story to author to story again. His way of writing makes the book more interesting and more fun to read.
The Life of Pi is an exquisite book that is narrated in a non-traditional way that makes it stand out from other pieces of literature. Most books would have a biography in a third-person point of view, however, unlike most books, this story is a first-person biography. The author Yann Martel is not only depicting Pi’s life story but he is also describing his visit with Pi in some chapters. Like in chapter 15, Yann is describing how Pi’s house looks like a temple. He goes on about the statue of the god with an elephant’s head riding a rat but then in the next room there is a cross and a picture of the Virgin Mary and then in another room, there is a green prayer rug. He is able to use this Pi’s life story as a way to show other people what living in India is like. Life of Pi is an extraordinary book that is a modern-day legend of a man’s experience living as a multi-religious son with an atheist father that has to have courage when all hope seems lost.
The writing and arranging of Life of Pi by Yann Martel is something that I have never seen before in a book because of its uniqueness in chapter length and points of view. Martel uses his chapter lengths to keep the reader reading because even though they have only read twenty pages, they have nine chapters under their belt. Also, the chapters keep the reader reading without questioning how many more pages they have to read until they reach the next chapter. It is easier to read small chapters than long, drawn out chapters. The most interesting aspect of Life of Pi is when Martel inserts his own perspective while interviewing the older Pi. It gives the reader even more knowledge and background to the main character and also helps to break up the story from the actual story being told. Overall, Martel’s experimental ways of writing enhance the book on various levels.
While reading this intriguing novel by Yann Martel, it is safe to say that the book is a little weird. The way the book is formatted is different than many books I have read in the past. It goes back and forth between a personal narrative and a heartfelt story. I also noticed that there are exactly 314 pages and 100 chapters, which makes this novel even more interesting and satisfying. I continue to read on into the book because of the variety in length of chapters. The way Martel writes his chapters gives me the perseverance to read more because they are short but filled with such content. It is interesting that he uses a different font, like writing Pi up on the board in the movie. It gives us a picture to see in our head. I will continue reading this, not because it is for school, but because I am really loving where this novel is going.
I am still in the early stages of this excellent novel, but I am already beginning to notice several very impressive and interesting themes and styles about Yann Martel's writing. Although confusing at first, I love the vacillation between the italicized and normal regions. Giving us the viewpoint of not only the protagonist but also the author listening to and recording his story is a brilliant device from Yann Martel that gives the novel another level of depth and perspective. He could've gone with the widely used third-person limited viewpoint and left the author completely out of the story other than being the implied narrator. Instead, he inserted the author, probably representing himself, as another important character in the story and the reader's view is pulled back to see a conversation between the two men rather than just Pi's story. In addition, I do not think I have ever read or heard of another book anywhere that uses descriptive language. A certain way that Martel strings words together makes me feel like I'm sitting in the room with Pi and the author, unknown to them but listening intently to Pi's story and the author's questions and reactions.
Huntimer 2 By exploiting social norms and challenging the taboo, Yann Martel is able to captivate readers through his novel: Life of Pi. This novel is more than just a young man stuck in a lifeboat with a tiger. Martel first shocks readers when the main character, Piscine Patel, dedicates his life to multiple religions. Society believes there can only be one “correct” religion and an individual can follow only one. This is not true. There are about 7 billion people in this world who all believe something different—even if they share the same religion as someone else. Pi also grows up in a zoo, which could be a hot topic for certain people. Zoos can be viewed negatively by certain people due to placing wild animals into captivity. Today, there are certain restriction that zoos follow when adopting a new animal. Pi also addresses these people and their concerns by saying animals create their own territory within their enclosure and become territorial when threatened. Animals rarely leave the enclosure, but when they do, they are happy to be back. It also surprised me when Pi explained that humans tend to see ourselves in animals; we see them doing something and try to use human characteristics as their motive. Martel also exploits how dangerous humans are. In chapter 8, it is explained all the cruel things visitors do to animals in the zoo, like feeding them sharp objects to watch them die. It is also unique how Martel wrote the book in such a creative way. Many believe this book is nonfiction due to the interview setting between a writer and a storyteller; however, this book is fiction from Martel’s creative mind. Books typically tell a story through first, second, or third perspective, yet this book happens to travel through Pi’s life: what he sees, hears and feels, while still including the thoughts of the interviewer. Yann Martel is able to captivate readers by not only using unique writing styles, but also challenging social norms through his characters.
Knutson 2 The book The Life of Pi is very different from the other books I have read before. It sets up the book and tells a story in sort of a unique way that makes the book more entertaining. First of all, the chapters in the book vary in all sorts of lengths. There are some chapters that are twenty pages long and others that are maybe just a paragraph. The length in the chapters can sometimes be kind of odd but it gives the story a different and interesting edge that keeps the reader captivated. Also, throughout the story, we switch from Piscine Molitor Patel telling the story of his life to Yann Martel describing how he sees Patel while describing the setting around him. Because of this Martel also uses much detail throughout the story giving the reader a mental image as they are reading. Using this approach allows us to interpret the story through the person that is telling it and through who is listening to it. These different, experimental, odd, and unique details set the book The Life of Pi apart from other great works of writing and give it a new style, unlike other books I have read before.
Law 2 What’s different about the life of Pi is that it is a totally different way of telling a story. It is a writer interviewing a man about his life for a book. The Life of Pi to be exact. It’s very broken up which can be seen by the many different chapters all varying in length. Pi tells about different stories in his life that had all made an impact on the man he is today. These short stories were then all combined to make a book of his life. Sometimes throughout the novel, the author will interrupt and talk about his thoughts and interpretations on some of the things Pi has explained. It’s interesting because it is a story told about someone’s life that not a lot of people would know about or understand. Probably the biggest controversy of the book is how Pi is in three different religions and talks about all of them how they relate to one another throughout the whole book. The reader doesn’t have to believe in this or agree with it but it is what it is. The novel was made in such a way that has three different perspectives on Pi’s story and the lessons he has learned: Pi’s, Yann Martel’s, and yours. This novel also makes you think and reflect on what is being told.
Talcott 2 The writing arrangement of Life of Pi is unique because the chapter lengths vary in size. One chapter could be ten pages while the following chapter is only a paragraph long. Another thing that makes the writing in Life of Pi different is the narration. In the book, multiple people are narrating and giving their viewpoints. The majority of the book is narrated by the main character, Pi Patel, and he tells the story through his eyes. A small portion of the book is italicized, which indicates that the author of the book is talking through his perspective. Life of Pi is experimental because the author of the book is interviewing Pi and asking him about his story. The author is writing about Pi’s story, but is also adding comments about the interview and talking to Pi outside of just his story. I have never read a book that has used such a unique technique of writing as Yann Martel did.
There are many aspects of Life of Pi that are different than other books. One that sticks out to me is the narration. The whole story is either Pi or the author talking about their lives. I like this because it adds an amount of realism to the book that one couldn’t achieve without having the characters talk like this. It is also very odd because of the concepts that it tackles. The main character is part of three different religions: Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. This is very strange because historically, people are usually only part of one religion so this sticks out to me. Another thing that I find odd is the chapters. In most books at the end of a chapter there is a page break and then on the next page the next chapter starts. Well not in this book, chapters end and start wherever which is very strange.
Kocer 5 Life of Pi is different because of the way that is structured and the order it goes in. The timeline goes back and forth between present day and the past. This allows you to understand things about Pi in his adult life because it goes back and shows stories in his younger life. These stories result in him behaving certain ways or believing in certain things in is adult life. A good example of this is how he believes in multiple religions. Through Pi’s stories of his childhood, you are able to see how he came about each one of the religions and why he started believing in it. Also, the narrator jumps between Pi and the author. This allows you to know Pi and Pi’s life from two perspectives, so you are able to get to know the main character/sometimes author better. Life of Pi also is unique because of how many chapters there are and the length of these chapters. Most books’ chapters are multiple pages while Life of Pi has chapters that are only a paragraph.
The format in which Life of Pi is written is different from other novels that I have read. How the author narrates along with Pi throughout the novel. This writing technique adds another perspective that you would not get from most novels. It creates a unique experience that is simply not found in most other novels. The layout of the book is also different from other novels I have read. A conventional book with 100 chapters is generally much longer than Life of Pi. The addition of numerous minuscule chapters rather than a few long chapters makes the reading experience feel much more progressive and engaging than other novels in the traditional format. I think that more authors should try and adopt this style of writing and get away from the long chapters that take so much time to read. It is really an interesting experience reading this novel and thus far is quite refreshing when compared to other novels.
The Life of Pi is written and arranged like the stars and universes in the sky at night. Only gods can masterfully place and craft ways to hook their audiences and trap them into finishing this novel as soon as they possibly can without eating or drinking! While I read this novel, different words and phrases catch my eye that I have to stop and wonder about in my head for a minute or two to deeply and fully understand this novel to the best of my ability. The experimental ways that are different in this novel are that I have never read a book in my entire life that has the character of the book in one text style and the writer of the novel in an italicized text style! It is absolutely insane! This book continues to keep me on my toes and wondering what will happen next in part two. I can not wait!
When reading Life of Pi, one of the coolest (and most confusing) parts of the book involves the chapter size and how the narrator jumps back and forth between the author and Pi. The italicized short chapters temporarily pull you from Pi’s story in order to describe what is happening during the writing of the book. The angle this book is written from helps to understand where the story is coming from. Although it can be hard to follow sometimes, this adds a whole new level of complexity that I personally have never seen in a novel. Complexity is not necessarily a bad quality of a novel, especially when reading at such a high level. Another thing that makes this novel so different is the use of lists. Throughout the first part, Yann Martel uses lengthy lists of animals or behaviors in order to show the variety within the zoo. This technique seems excessive at times, but also gets the point across.
The format in which Life of Pi is written helps readers feel encouraged to keep reading because of how short the chapters are. With the different lengths of chapters, it helps readers feel they are getting further into the book and getting more accomplished. Another odd but brilliant author trick thrown into this book is the different writing styles for the author and the actual characters. Also, I like how there are a lot of lists throughout the book: being used for deeper description and more detail. This helps put better visuals into the reader's mind and when the readers can visualize what they are reading they will better understand the book.
The writing and arranging of Life of Pi by Yann Martel is something that I have never seen before in a book because of its uniqueness in chapter length and points of view. I think that it is very cool and clever the average chapter length is 3.14 pages, the first 3 digits of Pi. The idea of the author listening to the actual character’s story, but that actual character's story happened many years prior to the telling, allows for a really engaging but somewhat confusing style. The writing and arranging of Life of Pi are different, experimental, odd, and unique because it is set up in an autobiographical fashion but in a fiction book. The timeline goes back and forth between present day and the past. This allows you to understand things about Pi in his adult life because it goes back and shows stories in his younger life. These stories result in him behaving certain ways or believing in certain things in is adult life. A good example of this is how he believes in multiple religions. Through Pi’s stories of his childhood, you are able to see how he came about each one of the religions and why he started believing in it. I am very excited to continue reading this book and experience the uniqueness of this novel.
While reading the first part of Life of Pi, I noticed that Ken Kesey made the author in the book interject and speak in some chapters. These chapters where the author talks are italicized, and I thought that it was kind of cool. Also, there are so many chapters that some start and end on one page. Some of the chapters next to each other have no relation to each other. They end on a topic and start on a completely different topic, and then come back to the first topic. Although these chapters are messed up, I like reading this book more than the other books we have read. I have seen the movie before, but I don't remember what happens, so I am still glued into the book. I believe that watching the movie along with reading the book helps me to understand what is happening with the strange writing style of Yann Martel.
The way that the story is told is different from most stories. The author is interviewing the narrator of the story, however the story is told from the point of view of Pi, with the author telling it. There are chapters that are italicized that is the author telling about his experience in interviewing Pi. Then, when it goes back to Pi's perspective, it is actually the author writing what Pi is telling him. Therefore, not only is it Pi's interesting story, it is also the story of the author getting this information. Another thing that is different is the chapter lengths. Some chapters are a couple pages long, but most of them are half a page, or a paragraph. These varying chapter lengths leave the reader guessing and keep them interested in the story. This, along with the different way the book was written in, keeps the story interesting and different from other books that I have read.
I really enjoy the fact that the author of the book has chapters of his own about what he thinks about Pi in the present. It reminds me that the whole novel is being told as a story from the man's past and that the memories have remained this vivid for so long. It intrigues me that the author makes notes throughout the book about what he is thinking as Pi is telling him this story. I also really enjoyed the author's note at the beginning of the book. This was unlike any author's note I have read before because it told how the author came about Pi and his story rather than telling about the author's life. The author realizes that he is more similar to Pi than he originally thought because both have connections to India and Canada. I look forward to seeing what the author continues to say throughout the novel in his own little chapters.
Life of Pi is written in a way that I have never seen before. The incorporation of the authors thought and ideas into their own chapters is something very unique and different. I enjoy the authors thoughts being included into the book because it gives us an insight into what the author was thinking while he was writing. I also enjoy that, for now, the chapters are shorter without being too blunt. They provide more than enough information to enjoy and learn from the story while also giving the reader time to think about the chapter they just read. It hasn’t felt like the author is cramming everything into a chapter but is enjoying the story and giving it the time it deserves. The inclusion of many religious and zoology terms has been something that I have not enjoyed as much. Sometimes I feel that I am getting to much nonessential information that could be making the story line more confusing and not clear.
The way this book is written is in complete contrast compared to the other novels we have read in class. The way this novel is written is intriguing compared to the other’s as well. I think that what makes this novel so interesting in the writing sense because it is written in the first person but not by the one that experienced the storyline of the book. Martel writes the novel as if Pi Patel was writing it, but he is, in fact, only telling the story to the narrator. I think it is very interesting and different that Martel writes in italics when he is emphasizing what the man listening to Patel’s story is thinking without interrupting Pi’s actual story. I think Martel’s short writing of the chapters is also very beneficial to the reader as it is to the writer. I think both parties feel as if they are getting more accomplished when in all reality, the chapters are just shorter and there are more of. I appreciate that Martel chose to write like this because when chapters drag on, it becomes difficult to continue reading. The way this book is written in unique and will make reading the novel less stressful due to the physical characteristics of the chapters and how Martel actually wrote the content novel.
I think something unique about the book is how the interviewer chimes in from chapter to chapter. What he has said so far is not necessarily important to the plot. He jumps in from time to time and gives a bit of insight to what Pi Patel is like. The tone of the story so far is a bit different too. I think it is because since this is an interview, he jumps back and between what was happening during the time and also what he was thinking. I think that is a cool feature of the book. The fact that it is an interview is also very cool. I have not read a book before that did something like this. It has Pi Patels background even to the point of why he was named the way he was. Overall I believe that this book is unique in how it was written along with what content it contains.
The Life of Pi is written in a unique manner as it has rather short chapters ranging from half a page to five pages. Despite the extremely short chapters, there are many of them to make up a whole novel. Short chapters may be indicative of being choppy writing, yet it all flows nicely. The author writes in a flashback manner and makes the reader feel involved and as though he is reaching through the book and actually speaking to the readers. Every once in a while he makes paragraphs spoken by himself explaining his own experience of Pi. This gives the readers a true sense of how Pi is as a person and how he thinks and feels. Without the author’s commentary about Pi, Pi would just be another person telling another story. Rather than just knowing Pi’s story, we get to know Pi in what feels like a personal manner. Feeling involved on a personal level makes the book more intriguing and captivating.
Yann Martel made the structure of "Life of Pi" very different from some traditional structures of literature. The first one that catches my attention is that he is writing the novel in a sort of document on a fictional author writing the book. Such that the book we are reading is being written as we read it, but an author that is in the book. The author is doing an interview with Pi Patel, and also adding his own commentary in certain chapters. The chapters that the "author" is talking is printed in italics. This is the sort of style that one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Stroud, used in his writing of the "Bartimaeus Trilogy". He wrote the various chapters with different characters narrating the chapters, with their own styles of storytelling. The story mainly takes place between a magician named Nathaniel, and a demon named Bartimaeus. Nathaniel, when narrating the chapter, generally tells the story as it is with little side commentary. However, when Bartimaeus narrates the chapter, sort of like how Yann Martel wrote it, he will add side commentary notated with a superscript number, and the note at the bottom of the page; These remarks are often just for comedic effect but can have some storytelling aspects. This is much like how Yann chose to have different chapters narrated by different people. At first, I didn't understand that this was the case, and was a little confused while reading the chapters that were italicized. After realizing this I was able to relate it to one of my favorite series, and it makes much more sense now.
The Life of Pi in its writing style is very different from the other books we had read in class. Beginning first with the narration, it is written by Yann Martel and besides just telling a story, he interjects his own voice into Pi’s story. This is a very interesting writing style to be an author telling a story of someone else and still inputting their individual thoughts. Another thing that stuck out to me was the way the chapters do not start at the top of each page and instead start wherever the other one ended. This is a very creative choice and creates a different sense of continuity. The length of the chapters is another creative choice, as varying the chapter lengths so much proves to separate the more individual and important events, placing emphasis on each one. Throughout the book, there are also different styles of font which conveys emphasis such as when Pi is writing his name in the classroom. All of these different techniques make this book more much interesting from a style standpoint.
I don't remember ever reading a fictional story and thinking it was real. Life of Pi tells the true story of Pi, but I'm sure that not every thought process of Pi that we see, not every spoken word, every feeling expressed in the book is exactly how it happened to Pi. For this, though, I am extremely impressed by Yann Martel, for telling another man's story in a way that makes me believe that everything the book says is exactly as it really happened. This book is extremely challenging for me because like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", its protagonist is someone that does not have the same moral and religious values as myself. I find myself liking the character however hating and warning myself against the character all at the same time. This book, as Coach C has importantly pointed out, is narrated by an Indian man. I have not read a single word of this book thinking that I was listening to a white man, but it is interesting the way I see Pi telling the story as if he were indeed standing right in front of me telling me himself. Because of his past, where he is from and who he is racially and ethnically, I can see things from the perspective of someone other than a white American, both from Pi and the people he encounters with in the story. One line that I especially hated from the book is when either the Hindu or Muslim priest accused the Catholic priest of worshipping a white man(Jesus). First of all, this made me extremely mad because Jesus was obviously not white. He was born in the middle east and I'm sure had traits of an Arabian man. Any Christian who sees Jesus as a white man is only fooling himself. The other thing that bothered me about that line in the book is that if that man had a misconception about Christianity, what were other misconceptions that Indians had and still have? Pi rightfully said that Christians have a reputation for violence. Yeah, I would agree after the Crusades. But I found some things that Pi, a practicing (and controversially practicing for that matter) Christian, thought not necessarily wrong, but wrong or different from my perspective of Christianity. That made me begin to take what Pi and the book said half-heartedly. I am careful to trust or not trust Pi now, and I am forced to better think about who is telling the story and the faults he may have in telling it.
As I read the first few chapters of Life of Pi, the thing that sticks out to me the most is the chapter lengths. Personally, I enjoy the shortened chapters as it allows me to keep reading and feel like I am making progress in the book. Not only this but I don’t have a need to set aside a long period of time just to finish up a few chapters. The other thing that is unique to me is the way that the chapters jump back and forth between present time and past. This is a constant reminder that this is an effect that has happened to this man, as he tries to live through his regular life. I also noticed a lot of the times it will differ from italics to regular text. This resembles when Pi is telling the story and when the author is thinking about the food, or the way Pi looks. I feel like this book is very intriguing in the way it is written and the layout of the text.
I believe that the unique way Life of Pi is written makes it the great literary work that it is. The variation in chapter length and even the variation in narrators throughout the story really make this novel unique. Changing the length of chapters from pages to sentences really keeps the reader interested in the novel. The occasional italicized chapter also shows that the author, Yann Martel, is speaking in present time. The rest of the book is the story of Pi and it is told from his perspective. The concise, italicized chapters are very beneficial to us, the readers, because they help expand the perspective of the Pi’s actions. When Martel describes his home and the various religious symbols in it, I better understood what each religion meant to Pi and how big of an aspect religion is in his life. By adding his own thoughts to this Novel, Martel adds interest and a distinguishable aspect in literature. He is the author, yet he is almost creating a character of himself and bringing this new story into present-day life. This really sets the book apart from others and increases the reader’s interest. The structure of the novel is unlike anything I have read before, and that is something I find interesting and inspiring to read.
I think one of the most unique parts of the way the book is structured is the chapter lengths. Most of the chapters are very short, rarely extending past three pages. Personally, I like the short chapters. It makes me feel like I am accomplishing more. I find it extraordinary how Pi narrates the book. He always goes into deep detail explaining the reasoning behind his beliefs and even his name. You are never left questioning why he would have such an odd name or why he believes in three different religions. Using vivid details creates a visual in my head, portraying what Pi’s life might have been like. I like how he goes from present day and back to his story. It helps you get a better picture of how Pi his telling his story to Yann Martel. The italics also make it very easy to distinguish between past and present.
Christensen 5 The writing and arranging of Life of Pi is very interesting to me. I think that it is unique and different in many ways and it definitely sticks out from other classical and modern literature today. What makes this book so interesting is the different points of view. You have Pi Patel telling his story to Yann Martel. But, then you also have Yann Martel’s perspective in the italicized text in the book. You get to see how Yann Martel reacted and how he felt about the story and we can compare that to our perspective and our opinions and views of the book. Another thing that I find interesting is the chapter length. Some of the chapters are pages long and some are just a paragraph long. I like this layout because it makes the book a little different and it makes the chapters seem less intimidating to the reader.
Reinschmidt 5 While reading the first part of Life of Pi by Yann Martel I noticed just how different the arrangement of the book and the text is from any book I have read before. The short, almost choppy chapters call for an unusual way of reading. Each chapter broken up into on average 3.14 pages is something that the author entirely thought through. As I have not completely understood the short length of the chapters yet (except for the representation of the main character’s name of course) I hope to get a better understanding on why he chose to write the way he did. Another thing that stuck out to me with the format of the book, is the way that the author is talking to Pi and telling his story through his own words. To differentiate between Pi’s words and the author’s words they are italicized. I enjoy this because it allows Pi to tell his story, but also allows the author to not leave any important details out of the story with the intensity of the imagery used. This book keeps me engaged because it intrigues me on how the author wrote the book and why he wrote it the way he did.
The Life of Pi is written in a unique style that awakes the reader from the standard, monotonous format of storytelling. One of its fantastic differences is that there is an interaction between a character in the book and the author. The story is being told by Pi looking into his past experiences, but there are interruptions where the author describes Piscine Molitor Patel as a person. This creates a dual perspective. This breaks the mold for books that are told in first person. Pi tells his own story in first person, while the author simultaneously tells the story of how he met Pi, and what he is like. This allows the reader to get a vast amount of information about the ins and outs of a character, without the character saying it himself. The perspective of the novel is also formed by a Character who breaks the mold. He is an extremely intellectual boy who is devoted to three religions. Throughout part one, he makes every effort to seek God as he presents himself. This is a taboo style of writing to many, explaining every happenstance as an action of God, or gods, while still explaining the scientific reasoning behind phenomena.
One thing that is unique about the structure of Life of Pi is the way chapters are structured. The chapters are generally very short which doesn’t happen in books. Also, each chapter tells a sort of miniature story set at different times that fits and builds upon the overarching narrative. Each chapter in the book just continues on the same page as each one ended. In traditional novels, each end of a chapter has a large blank space and the next chapter is introduced ceremoniously on its own page. The brevity of each chapter and the humble way each one is displayed to the reader creates a flowing narrative that seems to fit together better than other books. Another thing that is different about Life of Pi is the way the author sometimes gives his own thoughts and observations to the reader. This somewhat subverts the fear of having an unreliable narrator because more than one person is telling the story. This change in perspective also gives us a glimpse into the life of Pi in the present day because Pi only speaks of his past.
Betanzo 5 I believe the writing and the arrangement that Martel uses in Life of Pi is different than what authors have used due to the way the novel is narrated. It first feels as of Pi, himself, is writing his own novel, and we are just reading his entire life story. He is very descriptive that it sometimes feels like I’m reading a long list of adjectives to describe one object or event Pi is talking about. Although, once we start reading the second chapter of the novel, it is clear that someone is observing Pi and listening to his story. I believe this makes Martel’s writing different from other books we have read because it makes us realize that we may have one of the most reliable narrators we encountered. The reason I believe the narrator is reliable is that he's writing down what Pi has to say. We are not listening to the narrator’s story, and we know that the narrator is writing down the events of what happened. We won’t be able to actually listen to what Pi has been thinking as he tells us his story. Without hearing Pi’s inner thoughts while describing his life story, we won’t be exposed to possible and bias thoughts and there won’t be other messy forms of imagery that may not make sense to us. If there ever are any parts of Pi's life story that don't make sense, we can rely on the narrator of the story to describe what Pi was actually talking or what he thought of the story.
Erck 5 The Life of Pi has a very unique and different writing style. Although it can be confusing at times with the things being discussed, it also has a very "to the point" language, which makes it comfortable to read and more understandable for a wider range of readers. The description of items may sometimes be more verbose, but the dialogue is often more casual and understanding. Another unique writing technique he uses is putting his own dialogue into the novel. An example of this would be in how during the chapters he continuously adds in his own commentary or thoughts, while the character of the book was thinking. Another odd part of his writing includes the length of the chapters and how they are placed throughout the novel. Some chapters are long, others short, while some start on random pages–in the middle of them, even. This helps the book continue along because when chapters are normally separated, I feel it makes people feel like they have reached an endpoint in the book, while this allows you to not feel an endpoint until the actual end.
Life of Pi has an amazing writing structure as well as arrangement. The way the author’s (of Pi’s stories) thoughts are put into the chapters give an entirely different mood to the book. It sets in a feeling like every single word written is true. I also love that when Pi is writing on the board, his writing is shown. I love that the book also does not end its chapters with separate pages or large page breaks. Since it continues to carry on, it doesn’t ever feel like your leaving the story. This book’s arrangement and writing styles make me think like a child again; its intricate attention to details brings back the imagination I crave in a novel. Although this was present in Lord of the Flies, Life of Pi gives much more excitement and even laughter at times. Another unique trait of Life of Pi is the way the story is given like a memory, with the thoughts and words being first-person, I feel as if I am there. I cannot explain how much this novel exceeds my expectations for first-person narratives.
I think the style of writing in Life of Pi make it very interesting to read. The way it is written keeps the reader wanting to keep reading. It also makes reading more enjoyable because it is not written the same way throughout the entire book. The story changes from being told by Pi Patel to being told by the author, which is put into italics. This way of writing keeps things interesting because it tells the story in two different points of view. Readers like to read something different, and the way this story is written is very creative and different from most novels. Another thing that is unique about the style of writing of Life of Pi is the length and amount of chapters. The chapters range in length anywhere from two words to numerous pages. I believe this also keeps the reader interested because the chapters are each unique.
There are lots of things in this book that is different than traditional writing. I think it is really interesting how the author, yann martel, writes all of his part during the "interview" in italics. I didn't understand this at first but now reading more into the book it makes the flow of the book much better. I also love the charpter length variance. I think that having the shorter chapters helps the reader stay more interested and want to keep reading. When reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest I found myself having a hard time to get to the end of some chapters because they were so long. I also think that the short chapters leave more for the reader to wonder. I looked ahead and noticed that chapter 97 only has two words; "the story". and that lets you wonder that the author truly meany. I also love how much comic relief that Yann Martel includes. It keeps the reader able to relate more to the characters.
I think the writing in Life of Pi is very unique because Yann Martel's thoughts about the chapters are in italics. I personally have never read a book written like Life of Pi. It is like giving you a break from the story itself and giving even more details. I feel like this helps it become more engaging for the reader because it can bring you closer and possibly have you become more personally engaged with the main character. Life of Pi has many little details making it very interesting. I also think it is interesting how the chapters are very different from one another. Some are very long, some are very short. The fact that Pi believes in more than one religion I believe is very different and experimental because it is not necessarily normal to believe in more than one religion. Life of Pi truly leaves you wanting more after reading a chapter.
TeKrony 7 I think that there are many different, and interesting things about the Life of Pi. One thing that I find the most interesting is how the author interrupts the story and tells a new side story about Pi in the present day. In every other book that I have read, no other author has done this, which is why I find it so interesting. By doing this, it helps us gain more insight into Pi and how his life has shaped him into who he is today. Another thing that I find interesting is the chapter lengths. In most books, every chapter has multiple pages included in them. However, in the Life of Pi, some chapters are only made up of a few paragraphs. Also, usually every chapter starts on a new page, unlike the Life of Pi. In this book, every chapter begins right after the previous chapter finishes up, no matter if it is on a new page or not.
I enjoy the constant variety that comes with the arrangement of chapters in Life of Pi, it reflects the way I see life and the way I share stories. I personally tend to jump around while still in an order to give my audience all the background information they need to fully understand the story to come. Yann Martel does a phenomenal job of sharing his insights as he got to know Pi as well as sharing Pi’s story from his point of view without losing his audience to chaos and confusion. This technique of organization allows the story to keep its audience intrigued and tell a smooth cohesive plot. I think the author’s organization of multiple little stories creating one big story is an efficient way to connect the readers to the narrator through something other than pity, it is a connection of friendship and interest in the narrator's stories of being who he is. Where other novels such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest the reader feels sympathy for Chief because they know what he is going through is challenging and not desirable and there is nothing he can do about it.
I really enjoy the writing style and narration style demonstrated in the story, “The Life of Pi”. Beginning with the narration, I find it very interesting the way the author interjects into the narrative to give you a better understanding of it. The writing style is also very interesting. You can easily understand that the author is trying to get you to connect with Pi on some sort of level. That way you will really care about him once things start to go South. And although those two are very cool, my favorite part of this book is the extreme uses of imagery. He describes things with such accuracy and detail, that you are really living vicariously throughout the whole novel. My favorite example of imagery can be found in Chapter 4, page 14. The way he described life in the zoo. How his “alarm clock during my childhood was a pride of lions. And how there are “large colonies of fruit bats”. It really gives you a feel for the setting and I am very excited to continue reading this book.
Yann Martel has a different style of writing than most authors. With a main character, an author interjecting, and Yann himself writing, it is almost confusing at times. Yann writes with an unknown author interjecting every few chapters. This author gives the readers a look into the future of Pi’s life. It can also act as a tool of suspense, as the readers may become curious as to how Pi’s life ends up how it does. Another peculiarity in Yann Martel’s writing is the various lengths of his chapters. One chapter might be a sentence or two long while the other is several pages long. It makes the story more interesting and creates an emphasis upon specific parts. Yann Martel writes in a way that blends the characters and author together. At first, it seems as if Yann himself is narrating the book. At other times, it seems that Yann is the author interjecting Pi’s chapters. Strangely enough, Yann is an author writing about an author writing a biography, switching between the character of the author’s biography and the author’s point of view. It is one of the more complex novels I have read in regards to narration.
The book Life of Pi has a very unique and enjoyable writing style. Yann Martel uses a vast amount of literary terms and examples to help with characterization. How the characters are depicted throughout the book is something very unique and is unlike any other. In almost every sentence, there is some sort of literary term, reference, or example. This helps add to the overall enjoyment of the book and also contributes greatly to the understanding of their story and plot line. Another very obvious difference in the authors writing style is how he writes from his perspective as well as from the characters. At times, this can be confusing to the reader because it is hard to change the point of view in your mind, but also adds a sort of peculiarity to the story. I think this idea of using two perspectives really adds to the overall satisfaction of the book, in my opinion.
Automatically, the book starts out switching between past and present, changing the point of view from Pi’s to the authors. This is not something you see often. In books such as Nicholas Sparks, there are often flashbacks to the past, but it is still the same person point of view. I believe the author deciding to switch between two different narrators was a risk and one that paid off. I was very confused when I first started reading this book. I couldn’t understand that it was switching between two people, much less a character in the book and the author. I think it adds more to the story though and creates more in-depth details that Pi, just a character in the book, wouldn’t be able to tell us otherwise. I do think it was a smart idea to write in italicised words to show the change in narration. It helps readers better understand the story.
Bickley Pd.5 I found the various chapter lengths as well as the transition between Piscine Patel’s words and the interviewer’s thoughts to be interesting. Yann Martel uses the variation of chapter lengths to his advantage by creating a sense of satisfaction and intrigue. As a reader, it is satisfactory to finish chapters. This is accomplished a lot throughout this novel because many of the chapters are as little as 1 or 2 pages. Also, the various lengths of chapters fill the reader with suspense. It makes the reader excited to reach each following chapter. Another interesting style that Martel uses is the transition from Pi’s words from the interview and the interviewer’s thoughts. Pi talks about his experiences, but some chapters are taken up by the interviewer’s thoughts on what Pi said, what he sees, or what he has questions about. This catches the reader’s attention because it is unique from lots of other books.
Eifert 2 The writing in the life of Pi is interesting and unique because the author, Yan Martel, uses different lengths for each chapter, and he doesn't take much of a pause between each chapter to keep the flow of the story going. The way that the author writes it really makes the setting feel very peaceful, and calming which I enjoy very much. He uses enough vivid words to give the reader a feeling of escape from the real world. Yann Martel uses positive words, even if the subject is less than pleasant and that also is interesting and unique. Just the first part of this book has given me a different perspective on animals, relationships, cultures, and religions. I have a feeling by the end of this book I will have a new favorite author. One of the most unique things about this book is how the author is also talking in the book, so the reader gets to not only understand the story from the character's perspective but also the authors.
Eichelberg 5 Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi used many experimental techniques to tell the narrative on one man’s journey. One of the most unique elements that I enjoy is the chapters that present commentary from the author’s point of view on the novel and the thoughts of Pi. These chapters provide additional insight into the setting, Pi’s experiences and events taking place. Not only hearing the telling of events through Pi’s narrative, but also the author allows a more broad view of the story and can provide clarity or additional information. Yann Martel also utilizes many similes and metaphors to provide clear imagery to readers. Although some metaphorical meaning may be implied in other novels, requiring interpretation by the readers, Life of Pi states metaphorical comparisons clearly and plainly to inform readers of the exact meaning. Amidst the storytelling in the novel, the narrator also finds time to interject small facts about the setting or events, often times with no effect on the story. Although this is unessential to the narrative, it keeps readers interested and provides variety in the writing.
The book Life of Pi is a lot different from any other novel I have read. Pi's character is so complex and it is almost hard not to like him. I really enjoy how every chapter is different with a slightly different writing style. I enjoy how descriptive the author he is and how he describes things. Sometimes when I read things that are super descriptive I get bored with the repetitiveness but the way that Yann Martel does it is much more interesting. For example, in chapter 10 he explains animals that want to escape the zoo, and as he does this he uses several different examples and makes it feel relatable to how humans might want to leave their own personal life. I also enjoy how Pi is so relatable. He is so diverse that almost anyone can feel a connection to him.
There are two unique traits the author incorporates into Life of Pi. One is the length of the chapters and the other being the varied narrative along with current versus past timelines. The length of the chapters is different because some are a paragraph while others are a couple of pages. Either way, it adds emphasis to that part of the story and makes the reader by more attention to what is going on in the plot. As for the varied narrators, I found it fascinating how the author includes the parts where he meets Pi and the experiences they shared as Pi told the author his story. I do like that the parts narrated by the author are italicized because otherwise, I feel I would be confused. Along with two different narrators, the book also has two different times. One is the current when the author is talking with Pi about his story and the other is the past, where Pi is sharing his story. It is simply amazing how a book with so much detail is still easy to follow and makes you want to flip the next page.
Alex Kolbeck Life of Pi takes a bold twist at fictional biographies. He completely changes the genre with his novel. It opens up with a description of the original author, Yann Martel, but then cleverly changes to the fictional author mid-prologue. This change is enough to fool many experienced readers and leave them boggled until they figure out the true nature of the novel. There is no telling if I would have been swindled by Martel if Mr. C never explained this to me beforehand. The beginning is bold and challenging for many readers. Besides the clever storytelling, I have never read about a religious childhood that is so diverse, nor a character who tackles religion quite the same way the Pi does. Martell writes many detailed descriptions about the inner workings of his mind and really gives me an idea of how Pi's mind works and his personality. It is very easy for me, and other readers, to develop compassion for him early on in the novel. I found Pi almost instantly likable and curious to the point of being naive about life. I am interested in reading more because of the new and interesting ways that Martell writes.
The book so far has been pretty disinteresting in terms of action but also the most interesting in terms of the story. Figuring out that Yann Martel is the author, but not the author "speaking" about Pi, who is also made up. It was confusing to first learn, in changing the way I read the book. But the way Martel speaks of Piscine Patel’s life is amazing. In making the reader think of him in ways you could rarely assume from a natural human being in society. The chapters and how they are all arranged flows nicely because they go from flashbacks of the character to the author speaking. It represents a look of the now and the past on things. Another trait that sets Life of Pi apart from the norm is the fact that the perspective switches in random places in the book from Pi to Yann Martel so that he can better describe something.
Peyton 5 One of the main things about the writing of the Life of Pi is the way the story is told. It constantly switches back and forth between the author talking to Pi and Pi actually telling his story. I think when Yann Martel did this it was more a risk than anything. I personally have never seen a book written the Life of Pi. The way Martel wrote the book was a new thing that was a risk that ended up working really well. It gives the book almost a completely different flow switching back and forth between Pi and the author talking to Pi. The only problem is that some readers may not understand when it switches between the two. Once you figure out when each one is talking it makes the book easy to read and give it a very interesting feel to it that other books may not have.
What I think is very interesting about The Life of Pi is how it is written with very short chapters. Some of the chapters range from one sentence to 5 pages. I think this technique is used to show how Pi’s memories came in short flashes or long flashes at a time when he tries to remember different times of his life. I also think it is unique how Yann wrote what he was saying in italics and what Pi was saying in normal text. This makes it much easier to keep track of who is saying what rather than putting it in quotation marks. Yann Martel is very good at making the reader imagine what is going on throughout the story. At the beginning of the book, I could actually see his father's zoo in my head. He used a variety of different colors and textures to describe the way the zoo looked.
97 comments:
Graber 2
The writing and arranging of Life of Pi is truly extraordinary. I love chapter 4 when Pi is explaining and expanding about his name. When he wrote his name on the chalkboard, the font in the book is larger and different than the rest of the dialogue. It emphasizes the importance of his name and his nickname that he goes by. His name was mispronounced so many times that he had to do just so to show his class how his name is really said. I think it’s clever that the author did that to clarify and emphasize Pi’s name and identity. I also think it’s interesting that the italicized font is Yann Martel's thoughts. It adds a creative and interesting spin to the story. Pi’s thoughts and dialogue are in a different font. I believe this will give us more of an insight into the motives of Martel writing this novel. It gives us an insight and taste of what his thoughts are and what he is like.
Ask 7
There are many things different with this book compared to previous books read in class. The first thing that really stuck out to me would be the way the book is narrated. The book is written by Yann Martel but is a biography about the story of Piscine Patel and how he survived a long journey. The italic chapters throughout the book are chapters that are Yann Martel’s words and opinion. They are concise chapters, but it helps to put in perspective what Yann Martel thought about Pi’s journey. Not only is the author different from past books but the plot layout is different too. The story doesn’t go from the usual begging, middle, end of the story. Instead, it goes from end to beginning to middle to end. So the story is set up to tell you how the book usually would end. It goes from explaining how he survived and his afterlife to going back in time and starting the story at the begging of his life. The story begins at the end and then sets up how he got to the end. It is a life story but in a slightly reverse order. Overall, it is an impressive set up to how usual books are set up.
My very favorite thing about the book so far is when the author uses italics to describe the "current" or the "present." At first, I thought this was very confusing because they are seen in the book at such random places, often times they fall between two very interesting chapters which cause the reader to be caught by surprise. The more you read this part of the story starts to grow on you because it is different and something that most people are not used to seeing and reading when reading a book or a story. I find it interesting how these chapters are also very short and I really like that because it forces you to keep reading because you constantly want to find out what will happen next or why Pi is in a certain situation. For example, before you even know it you have read 15 - 20 chapters but are only 30 pages into the book.
One of the most unique things that stood out to me right away about the book Life of Pi its self was the chapter lengths. The chapters can be as short as chapter 97 that is two words “The story.” or as long as chapter 99 that is 26 pages. I feel like because of the altering chapter lengths this book keeps you intrigued. You are able to easily keep reading on to another chapter when they are only a paragraph or to or couple pages, otherwise, when a chapter is 10 plus pages you can get discouraged and sometimes uninterested in the chapter or even in the book. The chapters also help tell Pi’s story in an interesting way. Another thing that is different and experimental about Life of Pi is the italicized chapters in which the author, Yann Martel, gives his insight and opinion on what you are reading. These chapters are brief and to the point which gives you, the reader, an understanding more of the book.
Kellogg 2
I think it is interesting that the author decided to write in such odd points of view. The author writes himself, or another character, basically interviewing Piscine Patel although you cannot really tell that this is what is happening. The author writes in italics to show what he is thinking during the interview with Pi, whether it be about the food he is eating or about the way Pi carries himself. When the book is in regular font, Pi is telling the story of his life, from growing up in a zoo to being stranded on a boat. It can be confusing at times thinking about Pi telling about his own story instead of a narrator just showing what is happening. This is all a flashback in the book that is shown from someone else’s point of view. The author’s, or interviewer’s, point of view is different because a person never sees this happen in a book and is oftentimes puzzled by the thoughts given.
Olivier 1
Yann Martel uses a great form of writing and arranging. I like how Yann includes parts of the present day and begins with the very beginning of Pi's life. The chapters that use the reverse flashback are a good addition to the book because it shows that the author is talking, and shows that there is an interview going on between Pi Patel and an author trying to make a book about Pi's life. This is a very experimental way of arranging a novel. I would not expect an author to write about a hypothetical author interviewing a hypothetical character to make a hypothetical book, that is actually a real novel. I enjoy all of the animals that have human names, although it may be confusing at times, it gives them more human-like qualities and allows the reader to think of them as characters and not just background. The Life of Pi is a very unique book because of these different points of views switching and because of the animals with human traits.
Life of Pi is different and unique to me because it shows both the narrator and the main character's perspectives. It allows you to see Pi as both a young child and now as an adult. By reading someone else’s perspective about Pi you are able to gain insight as to how others might perceive him. It is also unique in the form of the chapters. With the shortened chapters it makes the book both easier and harder to read. Many of the books I have read outside of class have long chapters, so when you sit down to read 5 chapters it takes a considerably longer amount of time than if you were to sit down and read 5 chapters of Life of Pi. This is also a benefit because it keeps the reader engaged and makes you feel more accomplished when you can sit down and read for an hour and get through 20 chapters. Different writing styles and formats make books more interesting because each book is unique, and you never know what you are going to come across when you pick up a new book for the first time.
Yann Martel creates a very intriguing and interesting novel from his unique chronological and literary style. The idea of the author listening to the actual character’s story, but that actual character's story happened many years prior to the telling, allows for a really engaging but somewhat confusing style. I appreciate the idea of an interview and allowing the main voice of the story to be Pi’s, but also the intermittent italics allow for the author's real-time thoughts throughout him listening to Pi. The way Martel created the book with almost all chapters being rather short, makes me feel like I am getting more accomplished. It also makes me feel like I am pushing through the story faster and makes me want to read more. The amount of chapters in the book is satisfying that there are exactly one hundred, it creates a concise and gratifying ending. Overall I feel that the unique writing pairing with a unique and intriguing story makes this book (so far) really enticing.
I think the writing arrangement of Life of Pi is very unique. The idea of having two narrators (Pi's point of view and the author's point of view) is something very outside of the box. I think an author has to be very skilled when writing in two different people's point of view because they need to make sure the reader knows who is speaking in the book at all times. The author accomplishes this by changing the font in the book. When Pi is speaking, he writes with a normal printed font. The author makes it very clear that he is speaking by writing in italicized words to help emphasize who really is speaking. I also love how descriptive the author is when he writes about Pi's background. So far in the reading, we know why Pi is called Pi, he practically grew up in a zoo, his dad is an atheist, Pi begins to find his religion and many other things. Knowing about Pi's background can help greatly throughout the story. I am excited to see the author's other writing techniques throughout this story.
Brummels 1
Yann Martel’s writing is different and unique compared to any other author because of how precise and specific the story is. He really did his research before he wrote the book so he could seem like it was a true story, and some do believe that it is a true story. Martel tried to make it seem like he actually went to these places and talk to these people. When writing it, he italicized his thoughts or what he writes and the rest, which are the words of Pi. He is very straightforward with his words throughout the book, where some authors would use words and language that you have to try to figure out things for yourself. Life of Pi is a story within a story so that is a little different also. At the beginning of the book, in the Author’s Note, there is some truth to it, but it is also part fiction. I feel like the rest of the book will be kind of like that. He is mixing what he knows throughout his life experiences with what is made up.
The book Life of Pi has some amazing writing techniques compared to the other books we have read in class. The writing is very different with half of the book is narration of the author and half is the speaking of Pi himself. The book is written by Yann Martel, but in all reality the book is a biography about the life of Piscine Molitor Patel and how he survived his many days stranded in the Atlantic ocean. The chapters are kind of interesting with the different lengths each have. Some can be very short and just a paragraph, while others can be multiple pages. These chapter sizes I feel like are very precise in accordance with the author’s writing. The story begins from after the whole shipwreck and adventure happens. Then it gets into the story itself and what happened to Pi. Overall, this book is very impressive in the way it is set up in such a unique format and writing style.
As I am reading Life of Pie, I am noticing unique things that are nothing like other books I have read. First is the chapters. The chapters start in unique spots, like at ends of pages or in the middle of pages. This may not seem unique but what makes it unique is the fact that the previous chapter almost runs into the next. The lengths of the chapters are also very unique; some are long while some are short. Some of the chapters are four pages in length and the next chapter can be five sentences. Another thing that stuck out to me while reading is the fact that the book is a biography of Piscine but Yann Martel adds his own thoughts and words in italics throughout the book. I also noticed that Yann Martel uses way more direct similes and metaphors as compared to the other authors.
Spencer 5
The Life of Pi is a very unique book and challenges many things people normally think. The experiments with the chapters, and how they go along with the number pi, it makes it seem like the book is a fast read. Each chapter, no matter how long, holds a large number of details. The chapters and how they are all arranged flows nicely. They go from flashbacks of the character to the author speaking, but the author's words help the reader understand more about the culture and the main character to help build an image. The thoughts discussed in the book and how they are stated compares animals to humans. The way the comments on how the animals are like humans are very detailed and explained in a way that makes a person completely understand. The book has great details about the animals and characters and it feels like it goes farther in depth than most books.
This book is unique in a variety of different ways. I love the uniqueness of the chapter lengths and arrangement. A nice change occurs when chapters are a variety of lengths and continue on the same page as the previous chapter. Some chapters span over 20 pages, while some pages have multiple chapters. Breaking it up in this way keeps the reader interested. The narrative is broken up by events and short stories, instead of trying to fit the “normal” form of a book by keeping the chapters the same length. Another interesting feature is the fact that this book is Yann Martel is telling the story of Pi Patel, yet it seems like an autobiography. Blurring the line between the author, the characters, and the reader in this way offers a unique experience with storytelling. It almost is like Martel and Pi are in the room with the reader, collectively telling a story and filling in where the other leaves off. Everyone has experienced listening to a story this way, so this unique style brings the book to life, in my opinion. One last thing that I noticed was in the chapter I chose to write about, chapter 63, is how there are numbered list and bullet-points throughout the book. Chapter 63 contains his daily schedule. While Martel could have explained this in a lengthy paragraph, he formatted it in a unique way to make it easier to read. I am really enjoying this book so far and I cannot wait to see what other unique qualities it may have!
Larson 2
The way the writing and arrangements are created and places make the reader wanting more. I truly love reading Pi describing his life in vivid detail because it really makes me feel I am there with him. Yann does not forget any detail Pi has told and makes sure he includes those detail in each chapter whether the chapters are short or long. With all the details included, it also allows me to really feel like Pi is in front of me as I am the person who is interviewing him and listening to his flourishing life. Inserting the small excerpts Yann puts in between chapters of his own words stops the dialogue abruptly. But, these sections of Yann talking allows the reader to understand even more what it is like to be around Pi without having to find out in Pi’s words. Truly beautiful is how would describe the book so far and we haven’t even gotten to his tragic story.
Ellingson 5
Yann Martel’s writing in Life of Pi is truly original. He uses simple words that are straight forward and uses many metaphors that almost every reader can relate or know about. Another interesting way he writes is with his sentence structure. Sometimes his sentences go on for a whole paragraph and others they are two words. For example, at the bottom of page 47 he has a whole paragraph of Pi talking about why he is Hindu. The whole first half of the paragraph is just one sentence. Imagery is also used frequently in his writing. It is amazing how he paints a picture in your mind about the simplest things. You can see how Martel uses his writing to express himself and show how he does not really care what other people think. I have not read a book that has the start of new chapters in the middle of a page and how when the author talks the words are italicized. I am glad we get the opportunity to read novels from authors that are not your everyday read.
Glen 2
Personally, I think that the writing/arrangement techniques that are incorporated into the Life of Pi help tell the story as it is: adventurous and wild—which can be compared to the wild animals kept in the zoo. In this story, the reader never truly knows what will happen next. For example, the background story incorporated to convey reasoning behind Pi’s first and middle name was not necessarily; however, the author, Yann Martel, wanted to be sure to capture as such while telling his story. This is because it adds character, and makes the story more relatable to the audience; life is constantly changing and (as quoted by the story) people need to be able to withtake all that life throws at them. Personally, I believe that, even though the shortest chapters may seem random, all have a hidden purpose behind them. For example, I think that Yann Martel wants his readers to first read the sentences and then divulge deeper into the endless possibilities for the meaning to entice the readers and make them think outside the box. Although, this could be said for every story, such as One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Personally, the tone that the author uses to display in his story helps explain stories to a simpler extent, which the readers then can relate to or disregard. Afterall, the choice of interpreting the message(s) in a story all depends on the reader.
One thing I found very interesting about the writing of Life of Pi is the chapters in italics. It is very interesting how Yann Martel chose to have a story told as the main part of the book, but also to have the words of a different narrator represented in italics. I also think it is very clever how he had 314 pages and 100 chapters so that each chapter was equal to the value given to the Greek letter pi. I also like that Martel chose to break the book into separate parts as well and that he used the first part to set a baseline for the readers allowing them to get to know the characters in the story. The chapter with only two words also fascinates me because I have never seen anything like that before. I thought some of the chapters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest were really short only being like a paragraph. The two-word chapter interests me and I look forward to discussing it with a group and learning more about why Martel did that.
Life of Pi is a very uniquely arranged book as it does not follow the layout of a standard novel. To start, the book is told as if it were a true story, which does not really ever occur with fictional stories. The fact that it is written as if it were nonfiction helps with the immersion of the reader, so they feel as if they could imagine themselves in the situations that Pi Patel found himself in. Another trait that sets Life of Pi apart from the norm is the fact that the perspective switches in random places in the book from Pi to Yann Martel so that he can better describe something. This shift in perspective is shown through the use of italics in the text. The chapters in the book can range anywhere from several pages, to two words, and they are not separated using a page break as a normal book would have. The lack of page breaks between chapters helps me to feel the flow of the story because a person is able to just continue reading the story rather than have to turn the page in order to continue reading the narrative.
Something interesting about how Life of Pi is written is the chapters that jump back to the present time. The occasional chapter that is italicized in order to show that a different person is talking and that it is at a different time makes this story unique. It feels as though almost two stories are going on at once but will both lead to the same place. Another interesting part of the novel is how there is not a real break between chapters. In most stories when a chapter ends that the next chapter starts on the next page. This is not true for Life of Pi. In this story, the chapters flow into one another and if you are not paying attention you could be reading another chapter without ever realizing it. It all flows together very nicely. This is important to understand. That these key things make the story truly different and inspiring.
I think the entire book of Life of Pi is experimental. I love the different chapter lengths because I think it definitely keeps you going. There is no need for each chapter to be the same length, that gets boring. I found that if one chapter is short, then you will think “Oh, I have enough time to read another one” and then you just keep reading and reading and reading. Keeping the chapters a different length each time will keep the reader hook. I also like how the story is placed, like Yann Martell is writing it as he is listening. He is telling the story at the same time he is listening to it. Some chapters are italicized, and that indicates the real life where Martel is eating with Pi, or doing something else. It’s a different way of writing things and very unique. It’s very organized to put it in parts and title the parts so the reader knows what to expect. For example, Part One is Toronto and Pondicherry, where you learn all about his life in Toronto and Pondicherry. Part Two is called The Pacific Ocean, where you more than like get to experience vicariously through Pi what happened when he was stranded on the ocean with Richard Parker and other animals. Part Three, the shortest part, is called: Benito Juarez Infirmary, Tomaltan, Mexico in which no doubt you learn how life on a boat in the middle of the ocean with a tiger affected him.
Harvison 5
Life of Pi differs from more common writing styles right away by establishing the story as credible with the author's note in the beginning, even though that the story is not truly based on a real event. Yahn Martel also likes to interject into the story with another story about an author interviewing who this happened to. If you think about the concept there's really a story inside of a story going on in this book. Yahn Martel does a terrific job with slipping dialogue of the "author" in by using italicized words to not confuse us. Also in this book, the chapters seem to fly by, this is because many of them are only several paragraphs or at most a couple of pages. I enjoy this style of writing because nothing ever gets to drawn out, there are not always new ideas brought into the book, but always new ways that a subject or topic is approached
Frantzen 1
The first, most stand out way, the writing and arranging of Life of Pi is different is Yann Martel is telling someone else's story but also making it his own. He is vividly using the story of Pi Patel while allowing for his own twist. Throughout the chapters, we get some insight into how his conversation with Pi is going when Pi is telling him his story. Hearing from Pi’s point of view then switching to Yann telling the story is on way that Life of Pi is so unique. Another way that this book is arranged oddly is through his choice in chapter length. Some chapters in the book are five or more pages while the smallest chapter is 2 words. They average out to be 3.14 pages per chapter which to me might be one of the oddest things about this book. Having this many chapters and varying the length gives the readers a sense of accomplishment and also keeps them involved with the ever-changing chapters.
The writing of Life of Pi is intriguing with not only the style but the origin of the story. Specifically, the length of the chapters should be noted. The chapters in italics show that the author of the story is speaking whereas the unitalicized chapters indicate that it is Piscine speaking himself. This gives the reader not only the perspective of the main character of the story but also the outside perspective given by the author. This technique helps round out the story as a whole giving the reader a better understanding of the circumstances as well as the story in itself. The shortness of the chapters also helps the reader feel as if the story has limits. Personally, reading excessively long chapters makes the story feel like it is dragging with unnecessary detail, but with the shortened chapters, it hooks the reader's interest and moves the story along without making it seem simply too wordy. The uniqueness of the origin of the story comes from the preparation of the creation. This book is written as if it were off of a real-life experience but in reality, it is a fiction story created by taking multiple accounts of survival stories and certain cultures. This writing style is not one that I have seen used often or ever before for that matter.
Vogel 1
The blog task for today is “What about the writing and arranging of Life of Pi is different, experimental, odd, unique?” and I believe the writings in Life of Pi is a unique style that I have not seen before. The writings of Life of Pi, because I have never seen an author switch from the main character to the author and back. It is truly unique to me how Yann Martel does this. This is how I feel that Martel helps the reader understand that the author or narrator figure in the book is listening and learning about this story for the main character who is finely describing in detail what has happened in his life leading him to Canada where he currently resides. This is what is truly unique about this novel is how when the author or narrator character talks the text is italicized and the text is back to normal style when Pi is talking. This makes the novel Life of Pi unique.
Geringer 1
Life of Pi is formatted almost exactly like The Series of Unfortunate Events written by Lemony Snicket. In both books the authors will give us insight to better understand what is going on in the story. They might give us a little more back story to help us understand why certain characters made the decisions they did, or they may throw some obvious foreshadowing at us that will leave us wanting to read more and more of the book. I think it is a very genius way to write because it either leaves the reader with fewer questions or with more questions. For example, in Life of Pi, we are hearing the story from Pi’s perspective as a 16-year-old boy and Ken Kesey will interrupt every now and then to tell us what Pi is like at his current state of mind. It is very interesting to see how Pi behaves as an adult and it makes us wonder how he got to where he is, and all we have to do is read the rest of the book to find out. I personally am not a huge fan of reading, but when authors write their books like Kesey and Snicket it makes me want to read to find out more information.
The arrangement of Life of Pi is different than most of the books I read. It's odd that the story is almost completely written as though someone is telling you a story of their past. Usually, narrators tell stories in the present tense with occasional flashbacks. Another unique thing is how the Yann Martel makes writers comments throughout the book. I have never seen a book written with writers comments. I like them though. It is a unique style of writing. Having short chapters and making them completely different makes me feel like Pi is writing a journal of a traumatic event in his life. He writes a different chapter every day taking a part of the story he has not written about yet. Every chapter talks about something different than the previous one. One chapter he talks and about his name and that leaves you wishing for more of the story. Then he switches to talking about the zoo like the previous chapter never happened. Even if it is not a complete switch, the story or idea of the chapter changes.
Subverting the expectations of the reader, Martell employs elegant transitions and roundabout structure to enhance the appeal of his novel, Life of Pi. My personal favorite example of this takes root in the author’s note. Upon the frankly unoriginal declaration from Mr. Adirubasamy: “I have a story that will make you believe in God”, Martell has the expertise to realize the triteness of the situation. Uniquely, Martell has Adirubasamy transition through the train in Pondicherry botanical gardens. By doing this, the story takes on a unique structure; the book becomes a conversation, a back and forth dialogue of the present and the past, rather than a chronological bore. Life of Pi is special in that it fantastically melds its characters, present-day Pi, young Pi, the author figure, Mr. Adirubasamy, into a powerful stream of consciousness greater than the sum of its parts. While reading a simple section about Pi’s life, we receive more than just one flimsy perspective. The premise is beautiful, but the Martell’s artful construction was definitely challenged to prevent the book from becoming bloated, yet still subverting common tropes and the expected outcomes of the reader.
There are certainly differences from this book than the other books we have previously read. The author writes this story in a different and unique format. He italicizes when the author speaks and he leaves the print normal when Pi Patel is speaking. His chapters in his book come to an end in random spots on pages. For example, chapter 9 starts in the middle of the page. Usually, authors make new chapters start on the top of the pages. He also doesn't make some of his chapters long. Some consist of a few pages while others consist of just one page. Chapter 24 is just a paragraph long. I think it is interesting how the author writes in this unique way. I like how it isn't just so typical like other books. In my opinion, I think it is very clever how the author writes his book in this format.
DeWitt 1
Normally, when the first 93 pages of a book are all exposition to the problem you know is bound to happen by all the foreshadowing, but you don't see coming anytime soon, I get bored of the story very quickly. However, Yann Martel keeps you interested by jumping back and forth from the story set in the past to his own encounters set in the present. The added interest that this is indeed a true story keeps the reader interested. The book so far has been pretty disinteresting in terms of action but also the most interesting in terms of the story. I would want to continue reading even if the problem didn't occur until the last three chapters. Yann Martel sets you up for a story that will indeed make you believe in God per se. He makes sure that you know everything about the character and even writes about Pi in a way that makes you feel as if you know exactly the way Pi thinks and feels. You come to know Pi as if he was your own sibling or friend and this will make the next part of the story more believable but also more heartwrenching.
I believe that the writing techniques used in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi are incredibly deliberate and are used to evoke question and emotion from the audience. One functional oddity that is used in this novel would be the use of italics to demonstrate an author-like figure speaking. This tool helps to break up the length of the book and helps provide credibility to the story subconsciously to the reader. Yann Martel does an exquisite job in creating a completely fictitious novel that all readers want to believe is true. He establishes great dependability and has done an obvious amount of research prior to creating this masterpiece. I also find it quite experimental that Yann Martel chose to make most of his chapters in this novel incredibly short and concise. I believe this helps the book gain and retain rampant momentum. The short chapters also aide the novel in moving along quickly, making the reading experience much more enjoyable. This novel, though I am only part way in upon its completion, is a wonderfully crafted book, and already I am questioning and analyzing many components. The greatest of which being the idea that an individual can practice Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism faithfully!
There many different things Yann Martel does differently in this book than other previous books we have read in class or really any other book in general. First of all, the overall story of the book and how he wrote is way different. He writes about a writer writing about an Indian guys story. You would think the story about Pi is true if there had not been novel printed out on the front and fiction on the back. Martel also uses italicised words to show when the writer is talking. The book is mostly told by Pi but he uses the writer at some points to show the book in different points of views, such as in chapter fifteen when he explains what Pi's house looks like, emphasizing how he has many different religions. Lastly, Martel writes very short chapters. He uses each chapter as almost a lead into the next chapter giving used more information on everyone. The short chapters also keep you reading by making it seem like your flying through the book. It also makes you keep wanting to find out what happens next.
Johnson 1
The way that Life of Pi is written is truly different from any other book I have read. I like the way how it has an author who speaks in some chapters telling us more about Pi in the present and then all of a sudden it switches to Pi talking and explaining the wild adventures that he has come across in life. I also believe that the way Yann Martel writes is in a way that he wants to really provoke the readers' emotions to come out and wants readers to question nearly everything they read in the book. Such as when Pi and Ravi are shown the goat being killed by the tiger, Yann Martel could have just said that the goat was killed by the tiger that's the end, however he goes much more in to depth like all the noises the goat makes and how the tiger copied every move that the goat performed and then the squealing and bloodiness of the kill once the tiger got a hold of the goat. I know for me that the tiger killing the goat was a very strong part of the book and I felt like I could feel the way Pi was feeling all because of Martel's writing style. Also, the shortness of the chapters is really quite interesting and I think it adds a certain kind of special to the book.
1 Rau
I find the writing and arranging of Life of Pi very interesting, unique even. While it’s clear that this book was meant to be fictional, the way Yann Martel writes out the beginning of his story, so far, makes his story convincing that it could ever be a reality. I’m in awe at the way Martel speaks of Piscine Patel’s life, making the reader think of him in ways you could rarely assume from a natural human being in society. For example, Pi has his multiple religious practices or his belief that animals can be just as happy anywhere they are placed (as long as their home is consistent). In fact, Pi will talk about some of his own unique outlooks of the world for pages at a time, in full detail. It’s refreshing, in a way, to hear from a different point of view with the world. I find it especially interesting when he mentions the flaws of mankind— how Man is the “most dangerous animal in the zoo”. Knowing the overpowering strength that Man already has, it makes Pi’s statements even more believable. All in all, I’m impressed with Yann Martel’s ability to make his readers think deeply along with Pi on some of the most common aspects of life we tend to question the most. Truly, the deeper discussions within the story are what make the book so enjoyable to read.
Life of Pi is definitely different from any other book I’ve read. First, I really like the different chapter lengths. Every single one is different and some are only a couple sentences long. I think it adds uniqueness and keeps the reader intrigued when the chapters are all different. But what stands out most to me is the foreshadowing. There has been so much foreshadowing in the first fifty pages alone. It adds suspense to the novel and is making me anxious to keep reading. It is a really good tool to make your reader not want to put the book down. Not a lot of books that I’ve read use as much foreshadowing as this one does. I think it is experimental and fun to read. I really enjoy reading books that don’t follow the same model as other ones. Books should all contain some sort of uniqueness that makes them different.
Many things in the Life of Pi book are different from previous books we have read in this class. One of the biggest differences is how the book is broken up into chapters. For example, some of the chapters are Pi himself speaking. This will cover an entire chapter, and it can be nine pages long. The other chapters are the narrator talking. These chapters are usually shorter and have questions in them, that are then answered in the next chapter when Pi is talking. It is also interesting to me how some of the chapters are very long like chapter four. Whereas one of the chapters is only two words long. No other book has had that degree of variety in chapter lengths so far. I think Yann Martel did that to emphasize the significance of certain chapters. Overall, this is a very unique book in the way it changes chapters.
2 Cushing
I find the writing and organizational style of life of pi very unique. At the start of the book when pi is explained how his name what from Piscine to Pi and the numbers 3.14 are actually handwritten in the book, I believe puts more drama behind his words. I think it is a great way for the reader to connect with pi’s emotions and how strongly he hates that people refer to him as pissing without him actually saying it. I also think that the book is very unique in the way that it is set up as an interview. It is interesting how the book goes from telling Pi's story to talking about how the food he cooks is very spicy. I think that this is interesting because although many years have passed since the time in his life he is talking about you can see the ways that it haunts him. You can also see how even after all of this happened to him he is very religious still as well.
Yann Martel is a very unique author, indeed. In the novel, Life of Pi, Martel experiments with a different way of writing a book. He is writing the book as an interview between an author and a character. Short passages add to the idea of short stories being told to an interviewer. Long chapters would not make sense because no one sits and talks for that long about one idea. Martel also includes passages from both the interviewee and the interviewer, this adds to the overarching structure of the novel. Since the novel is told as a flashback, we have to have complete trust in the hindsight vision of the story teller, Piscine. I believe it is such a great story because it is told exactly how Pi wants it to be told. The structure that Martel chose to write such a story only adds to the intriguing plot with parallel timelines being transposed at the same time.
The biggest and most obvious thing to me is that the whole book is in an interview style of narration. I think this is very cool and interesting because the book is written in first person but we get to see multiple point of views between the author, Yann martel, and the individual he is interviewing, Pi Patel. You can tell when the author is talking from his point of view because the text is in italics. These are usually whole chapters of side notes of information about our story teller Pi. In these chapters of italics we learn about the way Pi himself carries himself and acts and we learn about little things like what they are eating during the interview. They are neat little breaks from the story. The rest of the book that is not italicised is written in Pi’s point of view in the form of him telling the story of his life. From what I have read so far the way Pi himself speaks is a very unique way of storytelling but I can’t quite pinpoint yet what is so different about his narration.
Brown 2
The writing and arranging of Life of Pi are different, experimental, odd, and unique because it is set up in an autobiographical fashion but in a fiction book. The author of the book is conducting an interview of Piscine Molitor Patel and writing down the exact story of how his life had progressed from birth until his teenage years. It is truly different because of the format in which he chooses to tell the story but also because of what the story is arranged. With the interview format, stories, as told by Pi, come out in large chunks relating to the same topic. The first 45 pages pretty much pertain to either his name or the zoo while the next chunk pertains to school and religion. This formatting is different than most because often novels attack complex issues throughout the story instead of focusing on one for a long time. This is mainly due to the interview format.
Runia 2
The writing in Life of Pi is different than many things that I have read. Yann Martel purposefully uses parts of literature that I have rarely seen in books and stories. For example, Martel likes to use deliberate fragments every once in a while. One day I was reading and saw one of these fragments and I thought "Hey, he can't do that." That, however, does not stop Martel. Sometimes, he will even start sentences with conjunctions such as "and" or "but". I have noticed those sentences when I was reading as well. Another thing that is unique to this book is vagueness of who is talking. For example, when the Mr. Kramers are talking to each other, Martel does not distinguish which Kramer is speaking. This also happens during the chapter where the priest, imam, and pandit, are all speaking. I assume that Martel is inferring that we know who is speaking based on what they say. I notice other books doing this but when they do the dialogue tends to be confusing.
Kirkeby 2
Life of Pi is a very unique book. The way the book is written out, having a fictional author interview someone for a fictional book, is truly interesting in my opinion. Martel makes this book feel as if he is conducting the interview on Pi himself, it is so life like that it feels as if it is based on a true story. From the deep background of Pi and the seemingly unrelated details of his past, to how the author thinks and asks questions that spur our own imagination. This book also pushes the taboo. Pi being tri-religious being one of the main points that I have come across so far. This book is clearly meant to get the reader to ask questions about the social norm and to look deeper into the meaning of everything. I am not too far into the book but it is clear that Pi's past will help him succeed. From his brother Ravi and adopted uncle Mamaji, other, seemingly uninfluential characters will play a major role in the life of Pi.
Sonju 2
The organization of /Life of Pi/ is engaging. It makes me think. It makes me want to continue reading. I think it is unique and experimental that the book is set up in sort of an interview style, with the italicized text meaning the author is speaking, and the rest of the book meaning Pi is speaking. It also includes the author’s thoughts. I have not gotten this far yet, but on page 190 Pi makes an outlined list of what his daily routine is while on the boat. I enjoy when books include more than just endless words broken up by paragraphs. I think including different arrangements of text helps to emphasize what the author wants to emphasize. There are exactly 100 chapters in the book put in a very specific order. The chapters do not seem to flow together as any other book would, but there is a reason for that, I am sure. Some chapters are short and others long, and the order is well thought out in a way I have not figured out yet.
In Life of Pi, author Yann Martel uses a different style of writing. He lets Pi tell his story in the first person, giving direct insight into Pi’s extraordinary but tragic experience as a teenager. This allows the reader to gain a perspective that is true based off of the storyteller’s thoughts and emotions. Every so often Yann Martel puts in little pieces of self-thought, fitting it in carefully to add on his own thought of Pi’s story. I think that it helps the reader by somewhat clarifying our view of the book. Martel’s odd but effective way of putting together this interview-like type story brings the reader closer to Pi’s world; It helps us understand Pi’s confirmed thoughts. I feel that Martel’s odd writing style is also unique. I can’t think of another book off the top of my head that uses a similar order of story to author to story again. His way of writing makes the book more interesting and more fun to read.
The Life of Pi is an exquisite book that is narrated in a non-traditional way that makes it stand out from other pieces of literature. Most books would have a biography in a third-person point of view, however, unlike most books, this story is a first-person biography. The author Yann Martel is not only depicting Pi’s life story but he is also describing his visit with Pi in some chapters. Like in chapter 15, Yann is describing how Pi’s house looks like a temple. He goes on about the statue of the god with an elephant’s head riding a rat but then in the next room there is a cross and a picture of the Virgin Mary and then in another room, there is a green prayer rug. He is able to use this Pi’s life story as a way to show other people what living in India is like. Life of Pi is an extraordinary book that is a modern-day legend of a man’s experience living as a multi-religious son with an atheist father that has to have courage when all hope seems lost.
Poppenga2
The writing and arranging of Life of Pi by Yann Martel is something that I have never seen before in a book because of its uniqueness in chapter length and points of view. Martel uses his chapter lengths to keep the reader reading because even though they have only read twenty pages, they have nine chapters under their belt. Also, the chapters keep the reader reading without questioning how many more pages they have to read until they reach the next chapter. It is easier to read small chapters than long, drawn out chapters. The most interesting aspect of Life of Pi is when Martel inserts his own perspective while interviewing the older Pi. It gives the reader even more knowledge and background to the main character and also helps to break up the story from the actual story being told. Overall, Martel’s experimental ways of writing enhance the book on various levels.
While reading this intriguing novel by Yann Martel, it is safe to say that the book is a little weird. The way the book is formatted is different than many books I have read in the past. It goes back and forth between a personal narrative and a heartfelt story. I also noticed that there are exactly 314 pages and 100 chapters, which makes this novel even more interesting and satisfying. I continue to read on into the book because of the variety in length of chapters. The way Martel writes his chapters gives me the perseverance to read more because they are short but filled with such content. It is interesting that he uses a different font, like writing Pi up on the board in the movie. It gives us a picture to see in our head. I will continue reading this, not because it is for school, but because I am really loving where this novel is going.
I am still in the early stages of this excellent novel, but I am already beginning to notice several very impressive and interesting themes and styles about Yann Martel's writing. Although confusing at first, I love the vacillation between the italicized and normal regions. Giving us the viewpoint of not only the protagonist but also the author listening to and recording his story is a brilliant device from Yann Martel that gives the novel another level of depth and perspective. He could've gone with the widely used third-person limited viewpoint and left the author completely out of the story other than being the implied narrator. Instead, he inserted the author, probably representing himself, as another important character in the story and the reader's view is pulled back to see a conversation between the two men rather than just Pi's story. In addition, I do not think I have ever read or heard of another book anywhere that uses descriptive language. A certain way that Martel strings words together makes me feel like I'm sitting in the room with Pi and the author, unknown to them but listening intently to Pi's story and the author's questions and reactions.
Huntimer 2
By exploiting social norms and challenging the taboo, Yann Martel is able to captivate readers through his novel: Life of Pi. This novel is more than just a young man stuck in a lifeboat with a tiger. Martel first shocks readers when the main character, Piscine Patel, dedicates his life to multiple religions. Society believes there can only be one “correct” religion and an individual can follow only one. This is not true. There are about 7 billion people in this world who all believe something different—even if they share the same religion as someone else. Pi also grows up in a zoo, which could be a hot topic for certain people. Zoos can be viewed negatively by certain people due to placing wild animals into captivity. Today, there are certain restriction that zoos follow when adopting a new animal. Pi also addresses these people and their concerns by saying animals create their own territory within their enclosure and become territorial when threatened. Animals rarely leave the enclosure, but when they do, they are happy to be back. It also surprised me when Pi explained that humans tend to see ourselves in animals; we see them doing something and try to use human characteristics as their motive. Martel also exploits how dangerous humans are. In chapter 8, it is explained all the cruel things visitors do to animals in the zoo, like feeding them sharp objects to watch them die. It is also unique how Martel wrote the book in such a creative way. Many believe this book is nonfiction due to the interview setting between a writer and a storyteller; however, this book is fiction from Martel’s creative mind. Books typically tell a story through first, second, or third perspective, yet this book happens to travel through Pi’s life: what he sees, hears and feels, while still including the thoughts of the interviewer. Yann Martel is able to captivate readers by not only using unique writing styles, but also challenging social norms through his characters.
Knutson 2
The book The Life of Pi is very different from the other books I have read before. It sets up the book and tells a story in sort of a unique way that makes the book more entertaining. First of all, the chapters in the book vary in all sorts of lengths. There are some chapters that are twenty pages long and others that are maybe just a paragraph. The length in the chapters can sometimes be kind of odd but it gives the story a different and interesting edge that keeps the reader captivated. Also, throughout the story, we switch from Piscine Molitor Patel telling the story of his life to Yann Martel describing how he sees Patel while describing the setting around him. Because of this Martel also uses much detail throughout the story giving the reader a mental image as they are reading. Using this approach allows us to interpret the story through the person that is telling it and through who is listening to it. These different, experimental, odd, and unique details set the book The Life of Pi apart from other great works of writing and give it a new style, unlike other books I have read before.
Law 2
What’s different about the life of Pi is that it is a totally different way of telling a story. It is a writer interviewing a man about his life for a book. The Life of Pi to be exact. It’s very broken up which can be seen by the many different chapters all varying in length. Pi tells about different stories in his life that had all made an impact on the man he is today. These short stories were then all combined to make a book of his life. Sometimes throughout the novel, the author will interrupt and talk about his thoughts and interpretations on some of the things Pi has explained. It’s interesting because it is a story told about someone’s life that not a lot of people would know about or understand. Probably the biggest controversy of the book is how Pi is in three different religions and talks about all of them how they relate to one another throughout the whole book. The reader doesn’t have to believe in this or agree with it but it is what it is. The novel was made in such a way that has three different perspectives on Pi’s story and the lessons he has learned: Pi’s, Yann Martel’s, and yours. This novel also makes you think and reflect on what is being told.
Talcott 2
The writing arrangement of Life of Pi is unique because the chapter lengths vary in size. One chapter could be ten pages while the following chapter is only a paragraph long. Another thing that makes the writing in Life of Pi different is the narration. In the book, multiple people are narrating and giving their viewpoints. The majority of the book is narrated by the main character, Pi Patel, and he tells the story through his eyes. A small portion of the book is italicized, which indicates that the author of the book is talking through his perspective. Life of Pi is experimental because the author of the book is interviewing Pi and asking him about his story. The author is writing about Pi’s story, but is also adding comments about the interview and talking to Pi outside of just his story. I have never read a book that has used such a unique technique of writing as Yann Martel did.
Grode 2
There are many aspects of Life of Pi that are different than other books. One that sticks out to me is the narration. The whole story is either Pi or the author talking about their lives. I like this because it adds an amount of realism to the book that one couldn’t achieve without having the characters talk like this. It is also very odd because of the concepts that it tackles. The main character is part of three different religions: Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. This is very strange because historically, people are usually only part of one religion so this sticks out to me. Another thing that I find odd is the chapters. In most books at the end of a chapter there is a page break and then on the next page the next chapter starts. Well not in this book, chapters end and start wherever which is very strange.
Kocer 5
Life of Pi is different because of the way that is structured and the order it goes in. The timeline goes back and forth between present day and the past. This allows you to understand things about Pi in his adult life because it goes back and shows stories in his younger life. These stories result in him behaving certain ways or believing in certain things in is adult life. A good example of this is how he believes in multiple religions. Through Pi’s stories of his childhood, you are able to see how he came about each one of the religions and why he started believing in it. Also, the narrator jumps between Pi and the author. This allows you to know Pi and Pi’s life from two perspectives, so you are able to get to know the main character/sometimes author better. Life of Pi also is unique because of how many chapters there are and the length of these chapters. Most books’ chapters are multiple pages while Life of Pi has chapters that are only a paragraph.
The format in which Life of Pi is written is different from other novels that I have read. How the author narrates along with Pi throughout the novel. This writing technique adds another perspective that you would not get from most novels. It creates a unique experience that is simply not found in most other novels. The layout of the book is also different from other novels I have read. A conventional book with 100 chapters is generally much longer than Life of Pi. The addition of numerous minuscule chapters rather than a few long chapters makes the reading experience feel much more progressive and engaging than other novels in the traditional format. I think that more authors should try and adopt this style of writing and get away from the long chapters that take so much time to read. It is really an interesting experience reading this novel and thus far is quite refreshing when compared to other novels.
Poncelet 2
The Life of Pi is written and arranged like the stars and universes in the sky at night. Only gods can masterfully place and craft ways to hook their audiences and trap them into finishing this novel as soon as they possibly can without eating or drinking! While I read this novel, different words and phrases catch my eye that I have to stop and wonder about in my head for a minute or two to deeply and fully understand this novel to the best of my ability. The experimental ways that are different in this novel are that I have never read a book in my entire life that has the character of the book in one text style and the writer of the novel in an italicized text style! It is absolutely insane! This book continues to keep me on my toes and wondering what will happen next in part two. I can not wait!
When reading Life of Pi, one of the coolest (and most confusing) parts of the book involves the chapter size and how the narrator jumps back and forth between the author and Pi. The italicized short chapters temporarily pull you from Pi’s story in order to describe what is happening during the writing of the book. The angle this book is written from helps to understand where the story is coming from. Although it can be hard to follow sometimes, this adds a whole new level of complexity that I personally have never seen in a novel. Complexity is not necessarily a bad quality of a novel, especially when reading at such a high level. Another thing that makes this novel so different is the use of lists. Throughout the first part, Yann Martel uses lengthy lists of animals or behaviors in order to show the variety within the zoo. This technique seems excessive at times, but also gets the point across.
The format in which Life of Pi is written helps readers feel encouraged to keep reading because of how short the chapters are. With the different lengths of chapters, it helps readers feel they are getting further into the book and getting more accomplished. Another odd but brilliant author trick thrown into this book is the different writing styles for the author and the actual characters. Also, I like how there are a lot of lists throughout the book: being used for deeper description and more detail. This helps put better visuals into the reader's mind and when the readers can visualize what they are reading they will better understand the book.
Olthoff 5
The writing and arranging of Life of Pi by Yann Martel is something that I have never seen before in a book because of its uniqueness in chapter length and points of view. I think that it is very cool and clever the average chapter length is 3.14 pages, the first 3 digits of Pi. The idea of the author listening to the actual character’s story, but that actual character's story happened many years prior to the telling, allows for a really engaging but somewhat confusing style. The writing and arranging of Life of Pi are different, experimental, odd, and unique because it is set up in an autobiographical fashion but in a fiction book. The timeline goes back and forth between present day and the past. This allows you to understand things about Pi in his adult life because it goes back and shows stories in his younger life. These stories result in him behaving certain ways or believing in certain things in is adult life. A good example of this is how he believes in multiple religions. Through Pi’s stories of his childhood, you are able to see how he came about each one of the religions and why he started believing in it. I am very excited to continue reading this book and experience the uniqueness of this novel.
While reading the first part of Life of Pi, I noticed that Ken Kesey made the author in the book interject and speak in some chapters. These chapters where the author talks are italicized, and I thought that it was kind of cool. Also, there are so many chapters that some start and end on one page. Some of the chapters next to each other have no relation to each other. They end on a topic and start on a completely different topic, and then come back to the first topic. Although these chapters are messed up, I like reading this book more than the other books we have read. I have seen the movie before, but I don't remember what happens, so I am still glued into the book. I believe that watching the movie along with reading the book helps me to understand what is happening with the strange writing style of Yann Martel.
The way that the story is told is different from most stories. The author is interviewing the narrator of the story, however the story is told from the point of view of Pi, with the author telling it. There are chapters that are italicized that is the author telling about his experience in interviewing Pi. Then, when it goes back to Pi's perspective, it is actually the author writing what Pi is telling him. Therefore, not only is it Pi's interesting story, it is also the story of the author getting this information. Another thing that is different is the chapter lengths. Some chapters are a couple pages long, but most of them are half a page, or a paragraph. These varying chapter lengths leave the reader guessing and keep them interested in the story. This, along with the different way the book was written in, keeps the story interesting and different from other books that I have read.
I really enjoy the fact that the author of the book has chapters of his own about what he thinks about Pi in the present. It reminds me that the whole novel is being told as a story from the man's past and that the memories have remained this vivid for so long. It intrigues me that the author makes notes throughout the book about what he is thinking as Pi is telling him this story. I also really enjoyed the author's note at the beginning of the book. This was unlike any author's note I have read before because it told how the author came about Pi and his story rather than telling about the author's life. The author realizes that he is more similar to Pi than he originally thought because both have connections to India and Canada. I look forward to seeing what the author continues to say throughout the novel in his own little chapters.
Life of Pi is written in a way that I have never seen before. The incorporation of the authors thought and ideas into their own chapters is something very unique and different. I enjoy the authors thoughts being included into the book because it gives us an insight into what the author was thinking while he was writing. I also enjoy that, for now, the chapters are shorter without being too blunt. They provide more than enough information to enjoy and learn from the story while also giving the reader time to think about the chapter they just read. It hasn’t felt like the author is cramming everything into a chapter but is enjoying the story and giving it the time it deserves. The inclusion of many religious and zoology terms has been something that I have not enjoyed as much. Sometimes I feel that I am getting to much nonessential information that could be making the story line more confusing and not clear.
Ackerman 5
The way this book is written is in complete contrast compared to the other novels we have read in class. The way this novel is written is intriguing compared to the other’s as well. I think that what makes this novel so interesting in the writing sense because it is written in the first person but not by the one that experienced the storyline of the book. Martel writes the novel as if Pi Patel was writing it, but he is, in fact, only telling the story to the narrator. I think it is very interesting and different that Martel writes in italics when he is emphasizing what the man listening to Patel’s story is thinking without interrupting Pi’s actual story. I think Martel’s short writing of the chapters is also very beneficial to the reader as it is to the writer. I think both parties feel as if they are getting more accomplished when in all reality, the chapters are just shorter and there are more of. I appreciate that Martel chose to write like this because when chapters drag on, it becomes difficult to continue reading. The way this book is written in unique and will make reading the novel less stressful due to the physical characteristics of the chapters and how Martel actually wrote the content novel.
Laabs 5
I think something unique about the book is how the interviewer chimes in from chapter to chapter. What he has said so far is not necessarily important to the plot. He jumps in from time to time and gives a bit of insight to what Pi Patel is like. The tone of the story so far is a bit different too. I think it is because since this is an interview, he jumps back and between what was happening during the time and also what he was thinking. I think that is a cool feature of the book. The fact that it is an interview is also very cool. I have not read a book before that did something like this. It has Pi Patels background even to the point of why he was named the way he was. Overall I believe that this book is unique in how it was written along with what content it contains.
DeCurtins 5
The Life of Pi is written in a unique manner as it has rather short chapters ranging from half a page to five pages. Despite the extremely short chapters, there are many of them to make up a whole novel. Short chapters may be indicative of being choppy writing, yet it all flows nicely. The author writes in a flashback manner and makes the reader feel involved and as though he is reaching through the book and actually speaking to the readers. Every once in a while he makes paragraphs spoken by himself explaining his own experience of Pi. This gives the readers a true sense of how Pi is as a person and how he thinks and feels. Without the author’s commentary about Pi, Pi would just be another person telling another story. Rather than just knowing Pi’s story, we get to know Pi in what feels like a personal manner. Feeling involved on a personal level makes the book more intriguing and captivating.
Yann Martel made the structure of "Life of Pi" very different from some traditional structures of literature. The first one that catches my attention is that he is writing the novel in a sort of document on a fictional author writing the book. Such that the book we are reading is being written as we read it, but an author that is in the book. The author is doing an interview with Pi Patel, and also adding his own commentary in certain chapters. The chapters that the "author" is talking is printed in italics. This is the sort of style that one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Stroud, used in his writing of the "Bartimaeus Trilogy". He wrote the various chapters with different characters narrating the chapters, with their own styles of storytelling. The story mainly takes place between a magician named Nathaniel, and a demon named Bartimaeus. Nathaniel, when narrating the chapter, generally tells the story as it is with little side commentary. However, when Bartimaeus narrates the chapter, sort of like how Yann Martel wrote it, he will add side commentary notated with a superscript number, and the note at the bottom of the page; These remarks are often just for comedic effect but can have some storytelling aspects. This is much like how Yann chose to have different chapters narrated by different people. At first, I didn't understand that this was the case, and was a little confused while reading the chapters that were italicized. After realizing this I was able to relate it to one of my favorite series, and it makes much more sense now.
The Life of Pi in its writing style is very different from the other books we had read in class. Beginning first with the narration, it is written by Yann Martel and besides just telling a story, he interjects his own voice into Pi’s story. This is a very interesting writing style to be an author telling a story of someone else and still inputting their individual thoughts. Another thing that stuck out to me was the way the chapters do not start at the top of each page and instead start wherever the other one ended. This is a very creative choice and creates a different sense of continuity. The length of the chapters is another creative choice, as varying the chapter lengths so much proves to separate the more individual and important events, placing emphasis on each one. Throughout the book, there are also different styles of font which conveys emphasis such as when Pi is writing his name in the classroom. All of these different techniques make this book more much interesting from a style standpoint.
Burchill 5
I don't remember ever reading a fictional story and thinking it was real. Life of Pi tells the true story of Pi, but I'm sure that not every thought process of Pi that we see, not every spoken word, every feeling expressed in the book is exactly how it happened to Pi. For this, though, I am extremely impressed by Yann Martel, for telling another man's story in a way that makes me believe that everything the book says is exactly as it really happened. This book is extremely challenging for me because like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", its protagonist is someone that does not have the same moral and religious values as myself. I find myself liking the character however hating and warning myself against the character all at the same time. This book, as Coach C has importantly pointed out, is narrated by an Indian man. I have not read a single word of this book thinking that I was listening to a white man, but it is interesting the way I see Pi telling the story as if he were indeed standing right in front of me telling me himself. Because of his past, where he is from and who he is racially and ethnically, I can see things from the perspective of someone other than a white American, both from Pi and the people he encounters with in the story. One line that I especially hated from the book is when either the Hindu or Muslim priest accused the Catholic priest of worshipping a white man(Jesus). First of all, this made me extremely mad because Jesus was obviously not white. He was born in the middle east and I'm sure had traits of an Arabian man. Any Christian who sees Jesus as a white man is only fooling himself. The other thing that bothered me about that line in the book is that if that man had a misconception about Christianity, what were other misconceptions that Indians had and still have? Pi rightfully said that Christians have a reputation for violence. Yeah, I would agree after the Crusades. But I found some things that Pi, a practicing (and controversially practicing for that matter) Christian, thought not necessarily wrong, but wrong or different from my perspective of Christianity. That made me begin to take what Pi and the book said half-heartedly. I am careful to trust or not trust Pi now, and I am forced to better think about who is telling the story and the faults he may have in telling it.
I do like the book.
As I read the first few chapters of Life of Pi, the thing that sticks out to me the most is the chapter lengths. Personally, I enjoy the shortened chapters as it allows me to keep reading and feel like I am making progress in the book. Not only this but I don’t have a need to set aside a long period of time just to finish up a few chapters. The other thing that is unique to me is the way that the chapters jump back and forth between present time and past. This is a constant reminder that this is an effect that has happened to this man, as he tries to live through his regular life. I also noticed a lot of the times it will differ from italics to regular text. This resembles when Pi is telling the story and when the author is thinking about the food, or the way Pi looks. I feel like this book is very intriguing in the way it is written and the layout of the text.
I believe that the unique way Life of Pi is written makes it the great literary work that it is. The variation in chapter length and even the variation in narrators throughout the story really make this novel unique. Changing the length of chapters from pages to sentences really keeps the reader interested in the novel. The occasional italicized chapter also shows that the author, Yann Martel, is speaking in present time. The rest of the book is the story of Pi and it is told from his perspective. The concise, italicized chapters are very beneficial to us, the readers, because they help expand the perspective of the Pi’s actions. When Martel describes his home and the various religious symbols in it, I better understood what each religion meant to Pi and how big of an aspect religion is in his life. By adding his own thoughts to this Novel, Martel adds interest and a distinguishable aspect in literature. He is the author, yet he is almost creating a character of himself and bringing this new story into present-day life. This really sets the book apart from others and increases the reader’s interest. The structure of the novel is unlike anything I have read before, and that is something I find interesting and inspiring to read.
Bunker 5
I think one of the most unique parts of the way the book is structured is the chapter lengths. Most of the chapters are very short, rarely extending past three pages. Personally, I like the short chapters. It makes me feel like I am accomplishing more. I find it extraordinary how Pi narrates the book. He always goes into deep detail explaining the reasoning behind his beliefs and even his name. You are never left questioning why he would have such an odd name or why he believes in three different religions. Using vivid details creates a visual in my head, portraying what Pi’s life might have been like. I like how he goes from present day and back to his story. It helps you get a better picture of how Pi his telling his story to Yann Martel. The italics also make it very easy to distinguish between past and present.
Christensen 5
The writing and arranging of Life of Pi is very interesting to me. I think that it is unique and different in many ways and it definitely sticks out from other classical and modern literature today. What makes this book so interesting is the different points of view. You have Pi Patel telling his story to Yann Martel. But, then you also have Yann Martel’s perspective in the italicized text in the book. You get to see how Yann Martel reacted and how he felt about the story and we can compare that to our perspective and our opinions and views of the book. Another thing that I find interesting is the chapter length. Some of the chapters are pages long and some are just a paragraph long. I like this layout because it makes the book a little different and it makes the chapters seem less intimidating to the reader.
Reinschmidt 5
While reading the first part of Life of Pi by Yann Martel I noticed just how different the arrangement of the book and the text is from any book I have read before. The short, almost choppy chapters call for an unusual way of reading. Each chapter broken up into on average 3.14 pages is something that the author entirely thought through. As I have not completely understood the short length of the chapters yet (except for the representation of the main character’s name of course) I hope to get a better understanding on why he chose to write the way he did. Another thing that stuck out to me with the format of the book, is the way that the author is talking to Pi and telling his story through his own words. To differentiate between Pi’s words and the author’s words they are italicized. I enjoy this because it allows Pi to tell his story, but also allows the author to not leave any important details out of the story with the intensity of the imagery used. This book keeps me engaged because it intrigues me on how the author wrote the book and why he wrote it the way he did.
Van Hulzen 5
The Life of Pi is written in a unique style that awakes the reader from the standard, monotonous format of storytelling. One of its fantastic differences is that there is an interaction between a character in the book and the author. The story is being told by Pi looking into his past experiences, but there are interruptions where the author describes Piscine Molitor Patel as a person. This creates a dual perspective. This breaks the mold for books that are told in first person. Pi tells his own story in first person, while the author simultaneously tells the story of how he met Pi, and what he is like. This allows the reader to get a vast amount of information about the ins and outs of a character, without the character saying it himself. The perspective of the novel is also formed by a Character who breaks the mold. He is an extremely intellectual boy who is devoted to three religions. Throughout part one, he makes every effort to seek God as he presents himself. This is a taboo style of writing to many, explaining every happenstance as an action of God, or gods, while still explaining the scientific reasoning behind phenomena.
One thing that is unique about the structure of Life of Pi is the way chapters are structured. The chapters are generally very short which doesn’t happen in books. Also, each chapter tells a sort of miniature story set at different times that fits and builds upon the overarching narrative. Each chapter in the book just continues on the same page as each one ended. In traditional novels, each end of a chapter has a large blank space and the next chapter is introduced ceremoniously on its own page. The brevity of each chapter and the humble way each one is displayed to the reader creates a flowing narrative that seems to fit together better than other books. Another thing that is different about Life of Pi is the way the author sometimes gives his own thoughts and observations to the reader. This somewhat subverts the fear of having an unreliable narrator because more than one person is telling the story. This change in perspective also gives us a glimpse into the life of Pi in the present day because Pi only speaks of his past.
Betanzo 5
I believe the writing and the arrangement that Martel uses in Life of Pi is different than what authors have used due to the way the novel is narrated. It first feels as of Pi, himself, is writing his own novel, and we are just reading his entire life story. He is very descriptive that it sometimes feels like I’m reading a long list of adjectives to describe one object or event Pi is talking about. Although, once we start reading the second chapter of the novel, it is clear that someone is observing Pi and listening to his story. I believe this makes Martel’s writing different from other books we have read because it makes us realize that we may have one of the most reliable narrators we encountered. The reason I believe the narrator is reliable is that he's writing down what Pi has to say. We are not listening to the narrator’s story, and we know that the narrator is writing down the events of what happened. We won’t be able to actually listen to what Pi has been thinking as he tells us his story. Without hearing Pi’s inner thoughts while describing his life story, we won’t be exposed to possible and bias thoughts and there won’t be other messy forms of imagery that may not make sense to us. If there ever are any parts of Pi's life story that don't make sense, we can rely on the narrator of the story to describe what Pi was actually talking or what he thought of the story.
Erck 5
The Life of Pi has a very unique and different writing style. Although it can be confusing at times with the things being discussed, it also has a very "to the point" language, which makes it comfortable to read and more understandable for a wider range of readers. The description of items may sometimes be more verbose, but the dialogue is often more casual and understanding. Another unique writing technique he uses is putting his own dialogue into the novel. An example of this would be in how during the chapters he continuously adds in his own commentary or thoughts, while the character of the book was thinking. Another odd part of his writing includes the length of the chapters and how they are placed throughout the novel. Some chapters are long, others short, while some start on random pages–in the middle of them, even. This helps the book continue along because when chapters are normally separated, I feel it makes people feel like they have reached an endpoint in the book, while this allows you to not feel an endpoint until the actual end.
Life of Pi has an amazing writing structure as well as arrangement. The way the author’s (of Pi’s stories) thoughts are put into the chapters give an entirely different mood to the book. It sets in a feeling like every single word written is true. I also love that when Pi is writing on the board, his writing is shown. I love that the book also does not end its chapters with separate pages or large page breaks. Since it continues to carry on, it doesn’t ever feel like your leaving the story. This book’s arrangement and writing styles make me think like a child again; its intricate attention to details brings back the imagination I crave in a novel. Although this was present in Lord of the Flies, Life of Pi gives much more excitement and even laughter at times. Another unique trait of Life of Pi is the way the story is given like a memory, with the thoughts and words being first-person, I feel as if I am there. I cannot explain how much this novel exceeds my expectations for first-person narratives.
I think the style of writing in Life of Pi make it very interesting to read. The way it is written keeps the reader wanting to keep reading. It also makes reading more enjoyable because it is not written the same way throughout the entire book. The story changes from being told by Pi Patel to being told by the author, which is put into italics. This way of writing keeps things interesting because it tells the story in two different points of view. Readers like to read something different, and the way this story is written is very creative and different from most novels. Another thing that is unique about the style of writing of Life of Pi is the length and amount of chapters. The chapters range in length anywhere from two words to numerous pages. I believe this also keeps the reader interested because the chapters are each unique.
mckellep 5
There are lots of things in this book that is different than traditional writing. I think it is really interesting how the author, yann martel, writes all of his part during the "interview" in italics. I didn't understand this at first but now reading more into the book it makes the flow of the book much better. I also love the charpter length variance. I think that having the shorter chapters helps the reader stay more interested and want to keep reading. When reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest I found myself having a hard time to get to the end of some chapters because they were so long. I also think that the short chapters leave more for the reader to wonder. I looked ahead and noticed that chapter 97 only has two words; "the story". and that lets you wonder that the author truly meany. I also love how much comic relief that Yann Martel includes. It keeps the reader able to relate more to the characters.
I think the writing in Life of Pi is very unique because Yann Martel's thoughts about the chapters are in italics. I personally have never read a book written like Life of Pi. It is like giving you a break from the story itself and giving even more details. I feel like this helps it become more engaging for the reader because it can bring you closer and possibly have you become more personally engaged with the main character. Life of Pi has many little details making it very interesting. I also think it is interesting how the chapters are very different from one another. Some are very long, some are very short. The fact that Pi believes in more than one religion I believe is very different and experimental because it is not necessarily normal to believe in more than one religion. Life of Pi truly leaves you wanting more after reading a chapter.
TeKrony 7
I think that there are many different, and interesting things about the Life of Pi. One thing that I find the most interesting is how the author interrupts the story and tells a new side story about Pi in the present day. In every other book that I have read, no other author has done this, which is why I find it so interesting. By doing this, it helps us gain more insight into Pi and how his life has shaped him into who he is today. Another thing that I find interesting is the chapter lengths. In most books, every chapter has multiple pages included in them. However, in the Life of Pi, some chapters are only made up of a few paragraphs. Also, usually every chapter starts on a new page, unlike the Life of Pi. In this book, every chapter begins right after the previous chapter finishes up, no matter if it is on a new page or not.
I enjoy the constant variety that comes with the arrangement of chapters in Life of Pi, it reflects the way I see life and the way I share stories. I personally tend to jump around while still in an order to give my audience all the background information they need to fully understand the story to come. Yann Martel does a phenomenal job of sharing his insights as he got to know Pi as well as sharing Pi’s story from his point of view without losing his audience to chaos and confusion. This technique of organization allows the story to keep its audience intrigued and tell a smooth cohesive plot. I think the author’s organization of multiple little stories creating one big story is an efficient way to connect the readers to the narrator through something other than pity, it is a connection of friendship and interest in the narrator's stories of being who he is. Where other novels such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest the reader feels sympathy for Chief because they know what he is going through is challenging and not desirable and there is nothing he can do about it.
I really enjoy the writing style and narration style demonstrated in the story, “The Life of Pi”. Beginning with the narration, I find it very interesting the way the author interjects into the narrative to give you a better understanding of it. The writing style is also very interesting. You can easily understand that the author is trying to get you to connect with Pi on some sort of level. That way you will really care about him once things start to go South. And although those two are very cool, my favorite part of this book is the extreme uses of imagery. He describes things with such accuracy and detail, that you are really living vicariously throughout the whole novel. My favorite example of imagery can be found in Chapter 4, page 14. The way he described life in the zoo. How his “alarm clock during my childhood was a pride of lions. And how there are “large colonies of fruit bats”. It really gives you a feel for the setting and I am very excited to continue reading this book.
ziegeldorf 7
Yann Martel has a different style of writing than most authors. With a main character, an author interjecting, and Yann himself writing, it is almost confusing at times. Yann writes with an unknown author interjecting every few chapters. This author gives the readers a look into the future of Pi’s life. It can also act as a tool of suspense, as the readers may become curious as to how Pi’s life ends up how it does. Another peculiarity in Yann Martel’s writing is the various lengths of his chapters. One chapter might be a sentence or two long while the other is several pages long. It makes the story more interesting and creates an emphasis upon specific parts. Yann Martel writes in a way that blends the characters and author together. At first, it seems as if Yann himself is narrating the book. At other times, it seems that Yann is the author interjecting Pi’s chapters. Strangely enough, Yann is an author writing about an author writing a biography, switching between the character of the author’s biography and the author’s point of view. It is one of the more complex novels I have read in regards to narration.
The book Life of Pi has a very unique and enjoyable writing style. Yann Martel uses a vast amount of literary terms and examples to help with characterization. How the characters are depicted throughout the book is something very unique and is unlike any other. In almost every sentence, there is some sort of literary term, reference, or example. This helps add to the overall enjoyment of the book and also contributes greatly to the understanding of their story and plot line. Another very obvious difference in the authors writing style is how he writes from his perspective as well as from the characters. At times, this can be confusing to the reader because it is hard to change the point of view in your mind, but also adds a sort of peculiarity to the story. I think this idea of using two perspectives really adds to the overall satisfaction of the book, in my opinion.
Automatically, the book starts out switching between past and present, changing the point of view from Pi’s to the authors. This is not something you see often. In books such as Nicholas Sparks, there are often flashbacks to the past, but it is still the same person point of view. I believe the author deciding to switch between two different narrators was a risk and one that paid off. I was very confused when I first started reading this book. I couldn’t understand that it was switching between two people, much less a character in the book and the author. I think it adds more to the story though and creates more in-depth details that Pi, just a character in the book, wouldn’t be able to tell us otherwise. I do think it was a smart idea to write in italicised words to show the change in narration. It helps readers better understand the story.
Bickley Pd.5
I found the various chapter lengths as well as the transition between Piscine Patel’s words and the interviewer’s thoughts to be interesting. Yann Martel uses the variation of chapter lengths to his advantage by creating a sense of satisfaction and intrigue. As a reader, it is satisfactory to finish chapters. This is accomplished a lot throughout this novel because many of the chapters are as little as 1 or 2 pages. Also, the various lengths of chapters fill the reader with suspense. It makes the reader excited to reach each following chapter. Another interesting style that Martel uses is the transition from Pi’s words from the interview and the interviewer’s thoughts. Pi talks about his experiences, but some chapters are taken up by the interviewer’s thoughts on what Pi said, what he sees, or what he has questions about. This catches the reader’s attention because it is unique from lots of other books.
Eifert 2
The writing in the life of Pi is interesting and unique because the author, Yan Martel, uses different lengths for each chapter, and he doesn't take much of a pause between each chapter to keep the flow of the story going. The way that the author writes it really makes the setting feel very peaceful, and calming which I enjoy very much. He uses enough vivid words to give the reader a feeling of escape from the real world. Yann Martel uses positive words, even if the subject is less than pleasant and that also is interesting and unique. Just the first part of this book has given me a different perspective on animals, relationships, cultures, and religions. I have a feeling by the end of this book I will have a new favorite author. One of the most unique things about this book is how the author is also talking in the book, so the reader gets to not only understand the story from the character's perspective but also the authors.
Eichelberg 5
Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi used many experimental techniques to tell the narrative on one man’s journey. One of the most unique elements that I enjoy is the chapters that present commentary from the author’s point of view on the novel and the thoughts of Pi. These chapters provide additional insight into the setting, Pi’s experiences and events taking place. Not only hearing the telling of events through Pi’s narrative, but also the author allows a more broad view of the story and can provide clarity or additional information. Yann Martel also utilizes many similes and metaphors to provide clear imagery to readers. Although some metaphorical meaning may be implied in other novels, requiring interpretation by the readers, Life of Pi states metaphorical comparisons clearly and plainly to inform readers of the exact meaning. Amidst the storytelling in the novel, the narrator also finds time to interject small facts about the setting or events, often times with no effect on the story. Although this is unessential to the narrative, it keeps readers interested and provides variety in the writing.
The book Life of Pi is a lot different from any other novel I have read. Pi's character is so complex and it is almost hard not to like him. I really enjoy how every chapter is different with a slightly different writing style. I enjoy how descriptive the author he is and how he describes things. Sometimes when I read things that are super descriptive I get bored with the repetitiveness but the way that Yann Martel does it is much more interesting. For example, in chapter 10 he explains animals that want to escape the zoo, and as he does this he uses several different examples and makes it feel relatable to how humans might want to leave their own personal life. I also enjoy how Pi is so relatable. He is so diverse that almost anyone can feel a connection to him.
There are two unique traits the author incorporates into Life of Pi. One is the length of the chapters and the other being the varied narrative along with current versus past timelines. The length of the chapters is different because some are a paragraph while others are a couple of pages. Either way, it adds emphasis to that part of the story and makes the reader by more attention to what is going on in the plot. As for the varied narrators, I found it fascinating how the author includes the parts where he meets Pi and the experiences they shared as Pi told the author his story. I do like that the parts narrated by the author are italicized because otherwise, I feel I would be confused. Along with two different narrators, the book also has two different times. One is the current when the author is talking with Pi about his story and the other is the past, where Pi is sharing his story. It is simply amazing how a book with so much detail is still easy to follow and makes you want to flip the next page.
Alex Kolbeck
Life of Pi takes a bold twist at fictional biographies. He completely changes the genre with his novel. It opens up with a description of the original author, Yann Martel, but then cleverly changes to the fictional author mid-prologue. This change is enough to fool many experienced readers and leave them boggled until they figure out the true nature of the novel. There is no telling if I would have been swindled by Martel if Mr. C never explained this to me beforehand. The beginning is bold and challenging for many readers. Besides the clever storytelling, I have never read about a religious childhood that is so diverse, nor a character who tackles religion quite the same way the Pi does. Martell writes many detailed descriptions about the inner workings of his mind and really gives me an idea of how Pi's mind works and his personality. It is very easy for me, and other readers, to develop compassion for him early on in the novel. I found Pi almost instantly likable and curious to the point of being naive about life. I am interested in reading more because of the new and interesting ways that Martell writes.
Campbell 7
The book so far has been pretty disinteresting in terms of action but also the most interesting in terms of the story. Figuring out that Yann Martel is the author, but not the author "speaking" about Pi, who is also made up. It was confusing to first learn, in changing the way I read the book. But the way Martel speaks of Piscine Patel’s life is amazing. In making the reader think of him in ways you could rarely assume from a natural human being in society. The chapters and how they are all arranged flows nicely because they go from flashbacks of the character to the author speaking. It represents a look of the now and the past on things. Another trait that sets Life of Pi apart from the norm is the fact that the perspective switches in random places in the book from Pi to Yann Martel so that he can better describe something.
Peyton 5
One of the main things about the writing of the Life of Pi is the way the story is told. It constantly switches back and forth between the author talking to Pi and Pi actually telling his story. I think when Yann Martel did this it was more a risk than anything. I personally have never seen a book written the Life of Pi. The way Martel wrote the book was a new thing that was a risk that ended up working really well. It gives the book almost a completely different flow switching back and forth between Pi and the author talking to Pi. The only problem is that some readers may not understand when it switches between the two. Once you figure out when each one is talking it makes the book easy to read and give it a very interesting feel to it that other books may not have.
What I think is very interesting about The Life of Pi is how it is written with very short chapters. Some of the chapters range from one sentence to 5 pages. I think this technique is used to show how Pi’s memories came in short flashes or long flashes at a time when he tries to remember different times of his life. I also think it is unique how Yann wrote what he was saying in italics and what Pi was saying in normal text. This makes it much easier to keep track of who is saying what rather than putting it in quotation marks. Yann Martel is very good at making the reader imagine what is going on throughout the story. At the beginning of the book, I could actually see his father's zoo in my head. He used a variety of different colors and textures to describe the way the zoo looked.
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