- How can Pi practice 3 religions? Don't they contradict each other?
- Did Pi really encounter another castaway on the open sea?
- Why does the story begin by talking about sloths?
- What is the significance of the man-eating algea island?
Choose 1 of the following questions that you raised in class to answer:
28 Comments
Justin C
9/14/2011 06:28:45 am
#1
Reply
Justin C
9/14/2011 06:35:34 am
peace between such differences such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I feel- the basic problem is a conflict of religion, which is something that a few peace talks cannot settle.
Reply
Emily W
9/14/2011 06:57:55 am
I do believe that Pi could have or did encounter another castaway on the open sea. In both versions of Pi's life at sea he mentions a castaway. Pi came upon the castaway in the sea in the story with the animals and the story with out the animals too. Although Pi says he encountered this man at sea in both versions of his story, it seems very unlikely that he was telling the whole truth. I think that compared to Pi's story with the animals in the boat, this encounter could have actually happened.
Reply
Josh K
9/14/2011 07:08:46 am
I think the man-eating island symbolizes Pi putting faith in his hope for survival. While he could give up and stay in a state of mind that will slowly eat him, he decides to keep going and not stay on the island. By getting back in the boat, he's putting faith in something he doesn't know for sure. This helps the whole "metaphor for religion" that we were talking about in class.
Reply
Joshua Eng
9/14/2011 07:09:52 am
For question #1:
Reply
Andrew L
9/14/2011 07:24:21 am
I think the island represents a person finding something "good" in life that could indefinitely sustain them, but they know there is something better to try to reach. There is great risk in leaving the island behind and working for that something greater, and in doing so Pi may have sentenced himself and Richard Parker to certain death, but Pi had faith in himself and his religions and succeeded.
Reply
Dylan C
9/14/2011 07:32:44 am
Why does the story begin by talking about sloths?
Reply
Jamie T.
9/14/2011 07:46:39 am
I do not believe Pi came in counter with another castaway while at sea. Right as he was giving up, telling Richard Parker he was dying, a voice muttered, "Is someone there?" and this started a conversation, giving Pi a distraction to keep living. I do not believe, however, that this whisper was the voice of a castaway. I think it was just Pi's imagination, but it gave him the will to keep living. Telling himself it was Richard Parker probably made it more believable for Pi. In the end of Pi's conversation with "the voice", I realized many incidents that happened to Pi, happened to "the voice", like going blind and starvation. This is another reason why I don't think this voice that Pi heard was one of a castaway.
Reply
Adam T
9/14/2011 07:59:24 am
I do not think that Pi really encountered another castaway at sea. When he heard the voice, he was giving up on himself and his life. I think that the voice he heard was his mind keeping him alive. Inside, he knew that he didn't want to give up after all that he went through and he wanted to be able to get to land safely with Richard Parker. When the voice said, "Let's talk about food...", I think that it is reminding him of what he will be able to have if he does make it back to land. I think that motivates him to keep going. That is why I think Pi did not come across a castaway in the middle of the ocean.
Reply
bob
2/16/2012 12:25:43 pm
then why are there human bones in the life boat at the island
Reply
Elijah House
9/14/2011 08:07:33 am
Question #3
Reply
Rochelle Yang
9/14/2011 08:23:22 am
Question #2
Reply
Lia C
9/14/2011 08:36:56 am
I strongly do not believe Pi encountered another castaway at sea. I don't believe there was actually a person because at that moment he was telling Richard Parker he was going to die. I think that the voice Pi heard was all in his head and he was imagining it. But i do believe that the voice he was hearing was what kept him alive. It seems highly unlikely that there would be another castaway in the middle of an ocean that was also blind, like Pi. Overall I think the voice kept Pi motivated to live, but i do not think that there was an actual person there.
Reply
David Yin
9/14/2011 09:02:57 am
I do not believe that Pi encountered the man who was a castaway at sea. I think that the whole encounter was in his mind. Right when Pi was saying that he was going to die, he heard the man's voice. He was blind and starving when the man came by and spoke with him and that motivated him start living again. I do not think there was a person on that lifeboat, the voice was in Pi's mind and it was what kept him alive.
Reply
Virginia Foggo
9/14/2011 09:12:31 am
Can Pi practice 3 religions? Don't they contradict each other?
Reply
Holly S
9/14/2011 09:23:28 am
I do not believe that Pi encountered another castaway out in the open sea. First of all, right when Pi was giving up on life and felt he had nothing to live for, this voice appeared. I believe that this voice was his conscience motiviating him to persevere through these rough times. Also, what is the chance of finding another castaway in the middle of the ocean, extremely unlikely? I feel that this "castaway" was just placed into the plot to make a smooth transition in the setting from a boat lost at sea, to finding land. Pi definetely did not encounter a castaway.
Reply
Samuel Y
9/14/2011 09:38:38 am
I don't believe that the castaway was actually there but that he was part of Pi's mind. After all there is barely any chance of finding another castaway, let alone one that was blind and had been floating around. I think that this man was Pi talking to himself to have something to live for and then thinking that he killed the man but actually killing an animal.
Reply
Anna J
9/14/2011 09:44:57 am
What is the significance of the man-eating algea island?
Reply
Sophie E
9/14/2011 10:04:38 am
#1
Reply
Beth Feindt Scott
9/14/2011 10:51:11 am
Did Pi really encounter another castaway on the open sea?
Reply
Kelly D
9/14/2011 11:01:39 am
Question #1-
Reply
Jimmy Donoghue
9/14/2011 11:02:26 am
Sloth question,
Reply
Katie S.
9/14/2011 11:04:14 am
I think it is completely possible for Pi to not only practice three religions, but any number he wants. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and if Pi believes in Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam beliefs, then he should be able to practice any, or all, of them. I'm not really sure what all three religions involve, but I'm sure that some beliefs do contradict each other. However, Pi doesn't have to agree with everything about each religion, and I'm sure they all have some things in common. If he can find a way to connect Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, all of the other characters of the book should be accepting of it.
Reply
Selena Hunter
9/14/2011 11:13:14 am
Pi talked about sloths in the beginning of the book because he was discussing his four years of college. Since he studied zoology at the University of Toronto, he was required to write a thesis paper his senior year. Pi decided to write about the three-toed sloth. He went to Brazil his junior year to study sloths. He loved how calm and quiet they were. “I chose the sloth because its demeanor-calm, quiet and introspective-did something to soothe my shattered self.” Pi wrote about this creature because he felt that he could somehow connect to it. He felt like the three-toed sloth calmed him down. This was important to him because he was dealing with the death of his family and was very stressed.
Reply
Kat M.
9/14/2011 11:13:21 am
What is the significance of the man-eating algea island?
Reply
Taylor Davey
9/14/2011 11:49:39 am
#2. Did Pi really encounter another castaway on the open sea?
Reply
Derek S
9/14/2011 12:01:36 pm
Did Pi really encounter another castaway on the open sea?
Reply
Alyssa Graham
9/15/2011 11:16:29 am
I don't think that Pi encountered another person during his time at sea. I believe that it was a figment of his imagination; a part of himself. A part of him that thought about any possible way to survive, including even eating himself.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2012
Categories |