Blog Response #2

Section A
Life of Pi is a very interesting book. It's just really amazing how much this kid knows about animals. If he didn't know as much as he knows, he probably would not survive. I also like how he tries to stand up for and believe in what he believes in. I think that it's good that he stands up for believing in 3 different religions. I don't think this is wrong and I think it's good to explore the different religions. I also think it's very interesting that he is keeping a tiger from killing him by just blowing a whistle. The most dangerous land animal and carnivore I know of is the tiger and it's amazing how he's making this huge cat stay controlled when the tiger could just mall him when his paw. Pi just makes a noise and looks him in the eye and the tiger backs off.

Themes of the book

• Survival
• Religion/ searching for God
• Ownership

Section B

Do you think it's right for someone to have three religions? Why or why not?

• people should be free to believe what they want to believe
• if you have a problem with the way someone thinks that's your problem and your opinion, not theirs
• if someone is lacking in faith and are unsure about what they want to do in life and they need someone to guide them, then it probably helps to have a variety of ways to worship and look for God
• reading scriptures, etc. is a good way to learn; you can learn about morals and values and this is good

Section C

"Let go of the lifebuoy, Richard Parker! Let go, I said. I don't want you here, do you understand? Go somewhere else. Leave me alone. Get lost. Drown. Drown."

With this quote, I think the author is showing that Pi doesn't want Richard Parker to be on the lifeboat he's on because he's afraid he won't survive if the tiger is there. The tiger might eat the food or him, drink all the water, take up too much room, etc. And the tiger can swim so he could find a different floating object to be on. This quote also shows the theme of ownership because Pi wants the lifeboat to himself and it shows the theme of survival because Pi is worried that with the tiger around, Pi not survive.

I think the main meaning of the book is looking at believing in yourself and I think this quote fits into that because Pi is saying to Richard Parker that he doesn't him to survive and he can do it on his own. Pi claims the lifeboat and is saying to Richard that he can't be part of it. Pi thinks he can do things by himself and I believe he should go ahead and try and Richard Parker might just get in the way. If Pi is trying to survive, he doesn't really need a tiger on that space.

I predict--Due December 10

In Life of Pi, I predict that Pi, being the last one on the life boat with the tiger, will not be eaten by the tiger because I think there is going to be something different that happens. I think the tiger and Pi are going to be friends or maybe they will just sit there the entire time and Pi will just think about things. I don't think the tiger will eat him because it would end the book and I don't think the tiger is going to jump off the boat because cats are afraid of water and there are sharks in the water. The main reason I think the tiger isn't being aggressive is because Pi is the last person who was actually on the boat first. He was the first one in the boat that the tiger saw. Before in the book, Pi explained that if a lion tamer goes in the cage first, the lion will think it's the tamer's territory. So Pi is the "lion tamer" and the tiger is the "lion" and so the tiger won't harm him because he thinks he's in Pi's territory. So as long as Pi remains aggressive about his territory, he will be able to stay on the boat with the tiger and stay alive. This is the way he survive the journey until someone rescues him or he floats to land somewhere.

Life of Pi: Chapters 37-47

37. The boat with Pi and his family on it going to Canada sinks.
38. Pi finds himself in a boat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra and a tiger.
39. The hyena goes around the boat furiously and howling.
40. At night, the hyena ate the zebra. The zebra was still alive the next day and the hyena is still eating it. There are sharks circling around the boat because of the zebra's flesh.
41. The tiger isn't really doing anything. The zebra is still alive, but all of its chest has been eaten.
42. The orangutan comes on a pile of bananas floating in the water and gets on the boat.
43. Pi tells about how the police officers threw him off the boat into the lifeboat to try to get him to get rid of the hyena.
44. The hyena scares the orangutan who starts beating her chest.
45. The orangutan gets seasick. Pi talks about how hyenas and orangutan should probably get along in a zoo.
46. The orangutan is disturbed by the hyena continuing to eat the zebra and the sharks being around.
47. The zebra dies and then the hyena attacks Orange Juice, the orangutan. Orange Juice defends herself but the hyena bites her neck and during the fighting they are knocked out of the boat so Pi is alone in the boat with the tiger.

Poems

We read some poems in class today by a guy named Ravoli. Each line was numbered from 1 - 132. Each sentence worked together to describe his whole entire life. His last words were not there. The numbers were just there with no words with them. I found this kind of funny.

He said in one sentence something that is very interesting. He said "I am snowing." I think this means that he is dreaming. At first, I had no clue what he meant, but now I think it's about dreaming or about his feelings like "I'm depressed. I'm dying. I can't stop crying. I'm snowing."

Life of Pi: Chapters 11 - 36

11. Pi talks about how a black leopard escaped from the zoo.
12. Pi talks about a man named Richard Parker who always prepares him a vegetarian feast.
13. Pi talks about how lions are territorial and how lion tamers are more territorial than lions.
14. Pi talks about the social relationship between the lion and the lion tamer.
15. Pi talks about a shrine with Hindu gods and other icons on the shrine like the Virgin of Guadalupe. He describes a temple, its rooms and the main praying table.
16. He talks about Catholics and the differences and similarities between Hindus and Christians.
17. He meets a priest and tells how he met Jesus Christ and became Catholic which makes him Hindu-Catholic.
18. He tells how he started believing in Islam which now made him Hindu-Catholic-Muslim.
19. He says what he thinks religion is about. He says it's about the beloved.
20. He tells us how to get closer to God and describes what God can do for you. He talks about what it's like to feel the presence of God.
21. A man is sitting down in a restaurant telling us what he thinks about God. We don't know who the man is.
22. He tells us an atheist's and agnostic's last words. The agnostic is faithful to God. The other talks about the facts of dying.
23. Three priests come to his parents and tell him he can only be one religion. They say he has to chose one. He tells them that he's going to keep all 3. His father takes him to get ice cream.
24. He says what he's going to have to do joining 3 religions--go to three different ceremonies, lots of holidays, etc.
25. He tells us about the reaction of the priest when he gets to the Mass. The priest says it's an act of treason that he believes in 3 different religions. Pit believes that God wants him to believe in all 3.
26. Pi asks for a prayer rug when he's baptized. He is still struggling with his decision about religion.
27. Pi talks about his new prayer rug--where he put it and what he does with it.
28. He describes what his prayer rug looks like. It has gold lines and a red background.
29. He tells about how they are going to move to Canada.
30. Pi gets married.
31. Mr. Kuhmar, Pi's teacher and Pi go to the zoo and feed the zebras.
32. He tells us about some examples of zoophomorism like when a mouse got along with some snakes in a cage. The mouse survived for a long time; but in the end a young viper bit it which made the other viper eat it.
33. Pi talks about a photo album with 4 photos that sum up Pi's life. The photos are completely irrelevant to him.
34. Father starts selling zoo animals to raise money to go to Canada.
35. They are leaving for Canada, but Pi's mother wants to buy a pack of cigarettes to remember India by. Pi is excited to go.
36. The man goes to Pi's house to meet his dog, his son and his daughter.

Anaphora poem

I wrote a poem today. It was the first time in a while since I wrote something I actually like. I hope everyone else in the class likes it and I'm very anxious to hear what they say about it. I chose a subject of a view of a person being isolated, trapped or stuck inside of an interior that is inescapable, waiting just to be free. Just think to be free; to do what you want to do after being inside a box for a lifetime--what would that feel like to be free? I wrote this poem to show how limited our lives can be and how much freedom some of us have.