What I liked most about the book

Below I described the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most. These are the ones that really stood ot to me.

·         I found the discussion of religion very interesting because it shows us that no religion is better than another. They are each unique and have their own wonderful story. I can understand why Pi chose to practise three religions.

·         I found the tiger very interesting because it’s not every day that you hear of a tiger lost at sea. I like how he gave Pi motivation to continue living.

·         I really liked the part of the book when Pi starts singing happy birthday to his deceased mom. I thought it was really sad and touching.

·          I found the part where Pi finds the carnivorous algae island very mysterious, because it is a free floating island with unseen trees and it produces acid at night in order to catch its prey.

·         I found the part where the Tsimtsum starts sinking very frightening and sad. To know that your family is on that ship and there’s nothing you can do to help them, knowing that you’ll probably never see them again, is just really sad.

·         I liked the part where Pi tells the same story but with different characters. He replaces the animals with humans, each new person representing the animal that was on the boat. It was a bit confusing because now there are two stories and we don’t know which one is the real one.

·         I found the part where Pi meets the Frenchman confusing and scary. Confusing because they start talking about food but it’s never really clear who Pi is talking to and scary because he tries to kill Pi afterwards.

·         I found  the part where Pi’s father is warning him and his brother, Ravi, of the dangers of animals in their zoo to be very interesting because it teaches us to never judge a book by its cover or so to speak. He taught them that animals are dangerous and just because they look cute doesn’t mean that they are gentle.

·         I found the part where Pi is talking to the representatives of Oika, (the ship company) very funny because Pi is talking back to them and arguing his points of view.

·         I found the part where Pi starts marking his territory, to show Richard who’s in charge, interesting because a 16 year old boy manages to train a Bengal tiger aboard a lifeboat, and manages to make it through the entire journey without being eaten by him.

Life of Pi Photos

For this part of the assignment I have taken 15 images that relate my life to the book.

Part 1 Photos

   ·         This photo is of a cross. I have chosen it because in the book Pi is baptized as a Christian and I too was baptised and am a Christian. We both also believe in God.

  ·         This photo is of me being baptized. It relates to the book because Pi has become attached to this religion and has asked to be baptized.

  ·         This photo is of my grandma’s bible. It relates to the book because Pi now grown up keeps one in his home.

   ·         This photo is of the CN tower in Toronto. I have chosen it because the first part of the book takes place in Toronto, the city I lived in when in Canada.

   ·         This photo is of a swimming pool. I chose this picture because Pi liked to swim and would practice three times a week. I love to swim and I used to take swimming classes during the week as well.

  ·   This photo is of a book. It represents how Pi loves to read. I can relate to this because I too love reading and find it quite relaxing.

Photos Part 3

Part 3 Photos

• This picture is of me as a baby. After Pi lands in Mexico he is taken to a hospital where he is taken care of like a baby. I can relate to this because my brother has been in a hospital often and there he is always being taken care of until he gets better and is ready to leave.

 

  ·  This picture is of cookies. While Pi is being interviewed about the sinking of the ship, he is given some cookies. I really like cookies and it helps to eat some when I am nervous or want to concentrate.

  · This picture is of an eye. It represents the part in the book where the representatives of the Oika Company tell Pi, and I quote, “we believe what we see” (p.294) when they refer to the carnivorous island. When someone tells you something you tend to not believe that person until you’ve actually seen it. We don’t trust what we hear but what we see.

Photos Part 2

Part 2 Photos

  ·         This picture is of a manual. Aboard the lifeboat, Pi finds a survival manual that gives him information on how to survive after a shipwreck. This picture represents guidance. When we are unsure of how to proceed with something we turn to someone or something that will guide us through.

  ·         This picture is of a circle. In one chapter Pi uses a circle as an example to describe a castaway’s journey. This picture is never ending. I chose this picture because sometimes you wake up and think that every day is the same, a never-ending pattern.

  ·         This picture is of a birthday cake. In another chapter Pi calculates it to be his deceased mother’s birthday and sings her the birthday song. This picture represents remembrance. I chose this photo because there are people whom we dearly love and will never forget even when they are no longer here.

  ·         This picture is of a bird. Pi sees many birds flying very near his lifeboat, which he takes to mean that there is land near and gets hopeful. The bird was at one point a symbol of hope for Pi. We all have symbols for hope. Hope allows us to keep moving forward when we think all has been lost.

  ·         This picture is of a raft. Pi builds a raft out of lifejackets in order to have something to escape to when he finds out Richard Parker is on the boat and is afraid he might attack him. This photo represents safety. This is like a “plan b”, something / somewhere we go to in case “plan a” doesn’t work.

  ·         This picture is of people hugging. Pi and Richard Parker finally reach land, where Pi is found and embraced by a few men who bring him to their village. There he is taken care of by the women living there. This photo represents love. Pi was very grateful to those who rescued him. As a human being, it is important to feel loved and cared for. It’s what makes us who we are.



Life of Pi Images

For this part of the assignment I took 15 images from the internet that related to my life and the book.


Part 1 Images

  ·         This image is of an Arabic symbol. I have chosen this image because Pi went to the Jamia Masji (Great Mosque) where he was taught about this religion. I can relate to this because my grandfather’s side of the family is Arabic, but they are Catholics and not Muslim.

  ·         This image is of a church. I chose this to represent how Pi would go there and pray to God. I can relate to this because my grandparents always take me to church with them.

  ·         This image is of a sloth, because Pi finds this animal to be calm, quiet and introspective, I find the sloth to be quite an interesting creature.

  ·         This image is of a zoo. I chose this picture because Pi loved the zoo that his family owned, and I really enjoyed going to zoos and admiring all the animals.

  ·         This image is of two children bickering at each other. It represents Pi and his brother Ravi who don’t always get along. I can relate this to the relationship I have with my brother which isn’t always the best.

  ·         This image is of the Canadian flag. I have chosen it because Pi moved to Canada with his family to have a better life and I moved to Canada with my family when I was young.

Images Part 2

Part 2 Images 

·         This image is of a Frenchman. While lost at sea, Pi encounters another castaway in the same situation as him. Pi is tricked by this man when he tries to kill Pi. I chose this image because it represents trust. You can trust no one when in a life or death situation or when you are competing with someone for the same thing.

  ·          This image is of a tiger. Pi is terrified of tigers and yet he ends up with one as his companion. During the entire journey Pi is able to overcome his fear of Richard Parker. This image represents that to overcome your fears you must first encounter them.

  ·           This image is of a lifeboat. The lifeboat that Pi is on becomes his home/ shelter. It allows him to stay alive while travelling through the pacific. This image represents safety. We all have a place / object that we use to feel safe when we are feeling “lost.”

  ·            This image is a representation of God. When Pi feels he has nothing left to lose and is feeling lost and alone, he turns to God. This image represents faith. As a Catholic I turn to God when I’m feeling in need of some faith.

 ·         This image is of a dolphin. While on the lifeboat Pi is visited by many dolphins who keep him company. This image represents friendship. Even in the hardest of situations we can always find someone / something that will ease our way through.

  ·         This image is of a whistle. Pi uses this object in order to train Richard Parker, and let him know who number one and number two are. This image represents power, which is a worldwide problem. It can be good, like in Pi’s case, or it can be bad when it gets to your head and you start taking advantage of it.

Images Part 3

Images part 3

  ·   This image is of a Mexican village. In the book when Pi finds land it turns out to be Mexico.  He is taken in by the people living near that village, where he is taken care of before being taken to the hospital. This shows how kind and caring Mexicans can be. I can relate to this because I have some Mexican friends and they are such warm and loving people.

  ·    This image is of someone laughing. During the interview Pi tries loosening the tension in the room by being funny. When the air in the room is tense it really helps if someone breaks the tension by diverting the attention to something else.

  ·     This image is of the Titanic. I chose this image because the Titanic also sank in the ocean and killed the majority of its passengers. The sinking of the Tsimtsum which left Pi an orphan, reminded me a lot from this event.

Life of Pi Characters

From the book I have chosen five characters that really stood out to me.

Life of Pi: Characters

  1.  Piscine Molitor Patel

Pi is a sixteen year old Indian boy who is lost at sea when the ship, Tsimtsum, he was travelling on to Canada, sunk. Pi is the main character in this book, he is the one narrating the story.

  2.  Richard Parker

Richard Parker is a 450lb Bengal tiger. He was also travelling on the Tsimtsum when it sank, and ends up being Pi’s only travelling companion.

3.  Santosh Patel (Pi’s father)

Santosh is a zoo keeper. He is the reason he and his family are travelling to Canada on the Tsimtsum. He taught Pi and his brother Ravi to care for, control and fear wild animals.

4.  Satish Kumar (teacher)

Satish is Pi's biology teacher at Petit Seminarie. He is Pi's favorite teacher, and the first vowed atheist that Pi ever meets. He is also a great fan of the zoo; he sees it as his temple.

5.   Satish Kumar (baker)

Satish is a Muslim mystic, who works in a bakery in India and is Pi’s inspiration to study religion in college.

Part 3 Vocabulary

 Vocabulary part 3

·         “Their car broke down and the mechanic who fixed it surreptitiously cannibalized the motor of parts, putting in used parts instead...” (p.289)

Surreptitiously: to covert or clandestine.

Cannibalized: to use a machine as a source for spare parts for another, similar machine.

·         “I’m sorry to say it so bluntly, we don’t mean to hurt your feelings...” (p.294)

Bluntly: uncompromisingly forthright in manner.

·         “...we’re not here to talk idly about botany.” (p.295)

Idly: spend time doing nothing.

·         “There is no doubt in my mind that feral giraffes and feral hippos have been living in Tokyo for generations without being seen by a soul.”(p.297)

Feral: to be in a wild state especially after having been domesticated.

·         “Claws like scimitars.” (p.298)

Scimitars: a short sword with a curved blade that broadens towards the point.

·         “You’re bringing our service into disrepute.” (p.300)

Disrepute: the state of being held in low public esteem.

·         “Since the bone was broken at the thigh, it would involve no more than cutting through flesh and setting a tourniquet.” (p.305)

Tourniquet: a device for stopping the flow of blood through an artery.

·         “When your life has been given a reprieve, it’s impossible not to feel some warmth for the one to whom you owe that reprieve.”(p.309)

Reprieve: cancel the punishment of.

·         “Sounds like no more than a passing squall.” (p.315)

Squall: a sudden violent gust of wind or localized storm.