A Poem About Pi

Stranded on a lifeboat with no life to be seen

except for a tiger, hyena, zebra, survival is the key

as they float one by one the animals decease

what is left is Pi with his new companion, see

a tiger large and grand, Richard Parker is the man

where to run, how to survive, this beast must be tamed

Pi floats out on his own to grab some fish to eat

sharing with a tiger is some new kind of feast

As they find a tiny little land

the adventure continues with new animals to meet

however when they board the boat only those two keep

together they will survive until the end is near

when they reach a safe new land and everything's okay

Richard Parker runs away and forever disappears

Poetic Element

- Altohugh the author does not directly mention poetry, it is still evident in the novel.

- In a way, Pi's entire situation on the raft is poetic, he is the picture of hopelessness, and analylizes his options just as carefully as a poet would his poem

-While on the raft, Pi thinks about life and all the positives and negatives that come with it. This to is similar to a poet in the ways he/she dissect the small intraquincies and meanings of life.

- Also similar to a poem or poet, Pi thinks about what could ahve been and dwells on his lost love ones.

Comparing Characters

Music/Theme

In Life of Pi music may no be clearly stated or present in the text however because the setting is in the ocean for the most part we can make our own soundtrack. The journey can correlate with many songs as he is struggling to survive and all on his own but more than that its almost as if the sounds of the sea are present, and hearing the presence of the animals on board. Music helps your mind paint a picture of whats going on and is a creative way to get at a theme.

Many people use music as a way to find themselves in society today. Maybe at times its the only way that they can feel connected to the world - through someone elses words which may not even be the truth. Through music people are able to tackle and struggles that they have when there alone because the words help them be strong. By putting music to the ocean and the book is apparent that it could go hand in hand with Pi's struggle and his steps to survival. Music is a way to find the true you and what you realize what you are capable of achieving on your own.

Setting

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  Other Life Lessons
  The will to live -Through Pi Yann Martel demonstrates the power of the human mind and body when faced with death.
  -On the boat, Pi becomes accustomed to gruesome and desperate actions just to stay alive. Many of these things Pi would not have even thought about doing before the ship sank. For instance Pi had to conquer his vegetarianism and peaceful ways so he could feed himself by catching a killing fish.
  -Pi also had to face his fear of Richard Parker and demonstrate dominance over him in order to stay alive and co-exist with Richard on the lifeboat.
  -Pi shows just how determined he is just by surviving all of the 200 plus days. His situation was all but hopeless with no human contact, little food, a giant tiger, and the harsh conditions of the ocean. However by keeping himself busy and staying positive, Pi was finally saved when his raft came to shore in Mexico.
  

" The lower you are, the higher the mind will soar"(283)

The Power of Storytelling
-Pi likes the thought that anything is possible in a story. It is interesting to him what the mind can come up with
-Throughout the book, Pi talks about many stories that have to deal with human interactions with people. Thus introducing the reader into his hobbies, which are storytelling and studying animals.
-Pi’s mind and remembrance of better times helped him maintain sanity and hope while on the raft.
-We cannot be sure that everything Pi says that happened on the raft is factual because of his fondness of storytelling, meaning he could have made a lot of it up.
-In a way, Storytelling is a gateway into religion. After all, all religions base their beliefs off of storytelling and are a central point of the core belief of a relgion.

Bridge Map

Character Bubble Maps

Quotations for Pi:

Shy - "The first time i saw his triangular form teetering and tottering about the zoo, i was shy to approach him. As much as I liked him as a teacher, he was a figure of authority, and I, a subject" (26).

Driven - "We fight and fight and fight. We fight no matter the cost of battle, the losses we take, the improbablitlity of success. We fight to the very end. Its not a question of courage" (148).

Studious - "I was a very good student, if I may say so myself. I was tops at St. Michael's College four years in a row. I got every possible student award from Department of Zoology" (5).

Resourceful - "Pulling the oars in one after the next, I worked them through the armholes of the life jackets....so that the life jackets becanme secured to the four corners of the raft. I tied each one shut" (149).

Survivor - "I kept myself busy. That was one kep to my survival. On a lifeboat, even on a raft, there's always something that needs doing" (190).

Plot

The novel, The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, takes place in modern day India, the Pacific Ocean and Mexico. The story begins in and around the family owned zoo, where Pi studies and learns from his fathers various animals. Unhappy with the current government, the Patel family decides to leave everything they once knew and move to Canada. After selling the zoo, the family packs up and boards a Japanese owned cargo ship en route to North America. Days after setting sail, the massive ship mysteriously sinks, and Piscine is thrown aboard a life raft with all varieites of wild life. Hundreds of days later, the raft drifts upon a mysterious island in the middle of the ocean. It is here that Pi reclaims strength and once again sets sail into the unknown. Shortly there after, Patel finds himself in a remote corner of mexico where he is rescued and cared for by natives. After being sent to a local hospital, Pi is questioned by Japanese officials. It is at this time that he tells his incredible story of survival and fate.

Background Information

Yann Martel was born June 25, 1963 in Salamanca, Spain. After graduating from Trent University with a degree in philosophy, Martel spent six months in India visiting mosques, temples, churches and zoo's. In 1993, he published his first work, The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios. Nearly eight years later, Martel's award winning, The Life of Pi, was released. Yann currently resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Haiku - Setting

A young indian
A young life interupted
By the vast great sea

He kneels down to pray
So many different gods
All guiding the way

Packs up-leaves his home
Travel calm ocean waters
To find a new life

Round big and sturdy
Nothing could ever go wrong
And down the boat goes

Alone with Richard
Just trying to stay alive
Food is hard to find

Music

A song that represents Life of Pi:

Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now'
cause you're not welcome anymore
weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
you think I'd crumble
you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
and I'll survive
I will survive
-Gloria Gaynor

We thought that this song fit Pi's life on the raft because at the beginning he thought he would never have been able to survive alone with the animals. He continually strived to find ways to keep him and Richard Parker alive. In the end with his hopefullness and determination he was able to figure out ways of survival.


http://www.lyricsdomain.com/7/gloria_gaynor/i_will_survive.html

Religion and Science

In Life of Pi, Pi grows up surrounded by many different religions in which he cannot depict as one for himself. He believes in Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. These religions all vary in different beliefs and views which causes people to tell Pi that he cannot believe in them all. However, Pi thinks that he can believe in all these religions and still love just one god. Religion is a very important part of Pi's life, which is displayed throughout the novel even though we never experience gods presence. Even without his presence its believable that god was with him through all of his adventures or he would not have survived. In my opinion I respect the fact that Pi feels that all of these religions are important and can all be celebrated as one, however I don't know if religions that are that different can really be combined. It made me really think throughout the book if this is really possible, and if there is anyone like Pi with different religious beliefs.

In our society today we are surrounded by the conflict of religion vs science. There's the constant argument of evolution vs. things such as adam and eve or other religious views of how the earth came about. In Pi's world however, science and religion are seperate ideas and never put together to form new beliefs. In our minds, science seemed to play a larger role throughout the book in order for him to survive.

Other Themes

In additon to the themes relating to religion, art and science, The Life of Pi depitcs a young mans struggle to overcome the most adverse of situations. Unimaginable experiences captivate the reader, inspiring in them a sense of compassion for Piscine's hardships. And, it is during such hardships that the reader garners a "silent strength" from Pi's determination to live and support his friend, Richard Parker. Thus, bringing to light the underlying theme of friendship. As Pi often states, it is Richard Parkers dependence on him that keeps his morale high, and determination to survive thriving.

Art

There are no specific references to art within the novel. However it is evident that Pi's life is greatly impacted by simplicity and beauty in nature. He continually describes his surroundings in great detail; India, the ocean, animals, and the islands. He constanly uses metaphors to describe the animals and their behaviors. Although this is not what people would purely consider art as, it is art in his eyes because of his great appreciation of animals. As growing up in a zoo and being a zoology major its only evident that these creatures are what is considered beauty and of such importance in his eyes. I think the author must have some connection with animals in his own life to be able to describe them with such admiration.