Independent+Novel+Study

Life of Pi : by Yann Martel

Friday December the 2nd, 2011

Pg.1-27

5. Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective effect the way the story is told?


 * The main character Piscine Molitor Patel, Pi Patel, is telling the story. His perspective effects the way the story is told because a lot of things that happen are things that happened to him, so only he would know. The part where he tells us how he was named could only be done by either him or his parents, so I believe that if any other character were to describe it to us, it would not be as detailed or accurate.**

15. Describe any new characters that are introduced? What is their purpose?


 * The new characters that are introduced are Pi Patel, Mamaji, and his Father. Pi was named after a swimming pool, and is short for Piscine, which is the french word for Pool. His middle name is Molitor because the pool he was named after was called the Piscine Molitor. Pi is a very interesting man. He studied at the University of Toronto and took a double-major Bachelor's degree. His majors were in religious studies and zoology. He received every possible student award in zoology, so that must mean that he is very educated and interested in that subject. In his childhood he had some symptoms with which when he received a blood test, showed he was anemic. This is unrelated at this part of the novel but I assume that it will come up later. Mamaji is a combination of the words //mama// which is the Tamil word for uncle, and //ji//, which is a suffix from India to indicate respect and affection. As said, he was an excellent swimmer for which he was the champion of all South India. The pool he loved the most was the Piscine Molitor, with which Pi was named after, because of that. The final character that was introduced was Pi's father. They did not give his name, but because he was the father of Pi, one would assume his last name is Patel. Mr. Patel always dreamed of of owning a zoo, which he achieved later in the book.**

4. What's going on as the story begins?


 * The story begins by introducing the main character, Pi, and describes him and the thesis he did on the functional analysis of the thyroid gland of the three-toed sloth. After that the author starts to introduce the other characters and describes them. We learn even more information on Pi after other characters are introduced because a new story comes up with every person.**

Friday December the 9th, 2011

Pg. 27-118

1. Why did you select this novel?


 * I selected this novel because it looked like an interesting book. I wanted to find a new book that would interest me and actually keep me reading it. So far, it really had been a good book and I am glad of my selection. All the different information he has on zoology and religion is quite fascinating, and it really keeps me attached to the book with the adventures he has on the side, such as when he crashed his boat and had to travel in a lifeboat with other animals.**

6. What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why?


 * The novel takes place in the zoo and sometimes the home of Mr. Patel, Pi's father. This is very important in the novel because Pi would not have known so much about animals without his father owning the zoo, because when he is stranded on the boat with the animals he knows exactly what to do with them and how to treat them properly.**

8. How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest?


 * The author gets me to keep reading with all the stuff that happens in the book, such as the little things that make me feel like I personally know all the characters in the book. Its really amazing how much more interesting the book is when it feels like you know the characters. It adds more depth to the novel and it makes it much easier to understand all the problems and joys they feel. Its almost like they are real people.**

Thursday December the 15th, 2011

Pg. 118-196

2. What information did you need to know before reading the novel?


 * One would assume that by looking at the cover that it would be about the life of a lion, because the front picture has the face of the lion. That would mean that you would need to know about tigers, but the book is actually about a boy who is stranded on a raft with a tiger. The book actually does not require any research at all before reading, it tells you all you need to know while reading. Anyone that can understand how to read and has somewhat of a high level of vocabulary could easily pick up the book, start reading and understand completely what is going on.**

7. What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character?


 * The initial problem that the protagonist faces is when the ship he is sailing on begins to sink. The protagonist and his family were all the way to Canada for they had bought a new zoo that they were going to own. They travelled by boat so they could fit all the animals in it that they were taking all the way across the Pacific Ocean. While they were sailing, the boat sank and they had to abandon ship into the life raft. The only people and animals that survived were a hyena, a zebra, an orang-utan, a Tiger, and Pi Patel. Fortunately they had a map so they continued onward to reach their new zoo.**

13. To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence.


 * I would say that the book is aimed towards teenagers and up. There is a lot of blood and death that happens in the book, and some of the vocabulary is at a high level. At one part of the book, Pi's father shows him the ferocity of a tiger by putting a goat in its cage, and the result was one bloody mess. I do not think this would be a very good book if the vocabulary was not as high, for the descriptions he has leave such a detailed picture in ones mind and would not be as satisfying without the use of higher level words. For example, one part that is really detailed that I really enjoy is this one;** //"When they charge, tigers put out throaty, coughing roars. The growl they use for purposes of threatening has yet another guttural quality. And tigers hiss and snarl, which, depending on the emotion behind it, sounds either like autumn leaves rustling on the ground, but a little more resonant, or, when it's an infuriated snarl, like a giant door with rusty hinges slowly opening - in both cases, utterly spine-chilling. Tigers make other sounds too. They grunt and they moan. They purr, though not as melodiously or as frequently as small cats, and only as they breath out." (pg. 180)//

Friday January the 6th, 2012

Pg. 196-284

9. What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses?


 * At this point in the novel, Pi and the animals on the boat are wandering aimlessly across the Pacific Ocean, which is a really big problem. But something new that happens to them is that they run out of food and were in some serious need to have something to eat. The only way they could do that was by fishing, but even then there was the risk of eating a contaminated piece of meat.**

11. Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events?


 * The style of the novel resembles much like a journal. Everything that goes on is described very well in the novel and is always on topic. It is easy to understand and follow the events, because no detail is left untold, everything has been explained properly.**

14. Is there a message or main theme emerging in the book? How is it shown?


 * The message of the book is to treat others, including animals, with the respect they deserve, and to not focus on only the grand things in life. It is shown in this part of the book, where they are stranded on the raft and finally rescued, where Pi did not think they were gone for that long for he had ignored and forgotten the notion of time. He just lived the life he could to the fullest and tried his very best to help the other animals on the raft, for he could not bear to see his friends and loved ones die.**

Friday January 13th, 2012 Pg. 284-354 20. Is the novel believable?
 * The novel is somewhat believable. There were a lot of strange things that happened in the book that are not likely to happen ever. The fact that a tiger is very difficult to lose sight of on a small boat, and that an orang-utan does not normally float in the middle of the ocean on a raft made of bananas, just makes the reader stop for a second and think about what is going on. Over than parts like these, the rest of the book was very good and actually believable.**

21. Why would you (or why wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend?
 * This was a very interesting book. Although at most parts it was confusing, and other parts utterly ridiculous in the bad way, I would recommend this book, for the rest of the book was really fascinating and very well written. But because certain books are not for everyone, it would have to depend on the friend I was recommending it to.**

22. Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations? **This novel met my expectations in some of my criteria, yet failed in other categories. I really enjoyed the story, but what would have made it better would be by not adding all the weird and unbelievable things that happen. Although I am saying this, I do think that those parts made the book just a little more interesting, and made me read on to see what would happen next. Overall the novel met most of my expectations and I really enjoyed reading it.**