...Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a story about a young Indian boy who finds himself alone in a lifeboat after his ship sinks - his only companions are a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Throughout his journey, the protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. The book was published in 2001 and was adapted by Ang Lee for the big screen in 2012, winning four awards from eleven nominations, including Best Director. Unlike several book-to-film adaptations, Life of Pi did not disappoint its many fans. Instead of losing fans and falling victim to critics, it gained more fans. This was largely due to how they handled the original material. The book is well know and well loved for the inner struggle and triumph of Pi, whose main goal is simply to survive, while his secondary goal is to spiritually come to terms with what has happened. What is most surprising, though, is that the screenplay is only 75 pages compared to the 400 plus pages of the book. As a general rule of thumb, one page in a screenplay equals one minute on the screen. However, due to the stunning cinematography and the computer graphics, the movie is 127 minutes long. These visuals replace the inner monologues that the book uses to show the changes in Pi. Excluding the monologues was the biggest risk David Magee, the screenwriter, took when he adapted the book. The book focuses...
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...From literature to televised media, the transition can be a tremendous one where things are either gained or lost. The main focus will be on the transformation from the book of Life of Pi by Author Yann Martel to Life of Pi by Director Ang Lee. Delving into both works, it should be clear that books will always contain the most detail while the movie will have to compress, shorten, or change so the film can be viewed properly by the audience. As well in most cases, “white washing” or changing the film in some parts will lead the viewers to see a different development that the readers were given. Mainly speaking, the differences from book to film gives the significance of Pi’s growth a change of course. Targeting on Pi’s beginnings and lessons,...
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...Reading between the lines The second story Pi was the truth leaving the first story as Pi’s way of coping with the traumatic events that happened in the life boat. Pi’s unique background gives life to all the symbolizing and double meanings, explain why the second story is true. Life of Pi is book with deep detail and description, giving a very full pictures. I think Martel uses this to his own advantage. Giving us such a layered story, makes the ending even more of a crash. With such realistic details, it seems impossible for anything other to be true. Pi also seems like a whole and true character, it makes no sense for him imagine it (Shmoop 1). Not only until I sat back ran through my notes did I realise it was staring me in the face the whole story. Almost the whole first part is about the abstraction of religion. The fact that he believes and worships three religions just screams imagination. Pi’s beliefs run wild throughout the entire book, giving his character flesh and blood. In part one, Pi tells us about his childhood. His father owned and ran a zoo, giving Pi a deep...
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...Caleb In the book Life of Pi, the color orange comes up many times throughout the book. The book does not ever tell the reader what the color means, but it gives small subtle hints about what it symbolises. The color orange in the book symbolizes hope, and survival. Just when his life gets horrible the color orange gives hope for Pi. The color orange shows up in a lot of places, from important characters to items that Pi comes across. The lifeboat, arguably the most important item for Pi. Without it, he would have drowned in the shipwreck. A lifeboat is the ultimate sign for survival. The lifeboat is the start of the orange life savers Pi finds over his time. Another vital item for Pis time at sea was the med kit. Since the kit was so important...
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...describes how Pi loves God through Christianity, Hinduism, and Muslim. One day Pi and his family were at a park and there was a priest, pandit, and imam came up to them and said they wanted Pi to make up his mind regarding which religion he believes in. The wise men argued about which one Pi should believe in and he could not decide because he loves and is faithful in all. He replied, “Bapu Gandhi said, ‘All religions are true’ I just want to love God” ( 69, Life of Pi). Therefore, Pi states that he just wants to love God no matter how many different religions he practices. Even though his family made fun of him and doubted him about his belief and the wise men were mad that Pi did not make a decision on what religion to believe in that did not stop Pi from practicing them. Martel makes this believable...
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...LIFE OF PI (BOOK REVIEW) PRESENTED BY : Raja Haider Ali (29658) Shayan Bashir (30205) Abdul Hannan(28919) Abdul samad(28115) Submitted to: MAAM PARVEEN PASHA Biography of Yann Martel How does he look like? I think he looks better with his hair cropped Birth date: June 25, 1963 He’s a Quebecer His first language is French. This is evident in Life of Pi constituting Pi’sname, Piscine, which is French for ‘swimming pool’ and denotes Pi’s mamaji love for pools and his father enthusiasm for them. As an adolescent he attended high school at Trinity College School a boarding school in Port Hope, Ontario. That’s a day after my birthday Meaning he’s French Canadian As an adult, Martel has spent time in Iran, Turkey and India. Not only that Martelimmersed himself in the Indian culture to accurately create his main character. Life of Pi is set in India and Pi’s childhood is stein Pondicherry, a state of India. It is a former French colony in India. The actual zoos in Pondicherry does not have any animals larger than a deer. The other places in India that are referenced in the novel are Manner (the destination for the Patel families vacation) in Kerala, and Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Martel spent 13 months in India visiting mosques, churches, temples and zoos, and spent two years reading religious texts and castaway stories. This is where and how he acquired his vast knowledge of multiple Religions. As a child, Pie braced multiple religions, namely Christianity, Islam and...
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...The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, published in 1945, and The Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, and published in 2001, both focus on a teenage boy going on an adventure. The adventures each boy face are very different but also have many themes in common. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield gets kicked out of school and decides to stay in New York for a few days before the end of the semester, he discovers many things and has many new experiences. In The Life of Pi, while Pi and his family are moving to Canada from India by boat, the boat sinks in a storm which leaves Pi alone on a lifeboat with a bengal tiger. After many challenges and difficulties Pi eventually does make it to Canada where he lives out his life. The thing that makes these two...
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...There are literally millions of books that have been printed in the modern era. From a period only a few hundred years ago, where literacy was pretty much non-existent to this point in time now, where it seems every time you turn around someone wants to, or is, writing a book. In fact, even in this day and age of the internet, and multimedia, more and more people are making it a trend to write books. It is on countless bucket lists, and almost everyone knows an author. There is however, a very large difference between a writer, a true author of a literary work, and someone who ‘wrote a book.’ Anyone can write a book. A writer is a person who creates an interwoven web of imagination, creativity and skill with language. They create a work that flows together and paints a picture in your head. These days, so people writing books, true writers are hard to find, and subsequently, excellent literary works, are even harder to find. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel is an excellent literary work, written by an excellent writer. It is one of the most original works you are likely to find, with a storyline that keeps you guessing. It has many subthemes and addresses many topics in an academic and moral way that is unexpected, refreshing, and insightful. Martel uses setting, character development, and narrative point of view to lead his readers across the pacific in a compelling and attention-catching way which makes his novel a true masterpiece. When looking at Martel’s genius in terms of...
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...The Quest of Pi The Life of Pi a quest with an strong influence of religion that is apparent throughout the story. “We are all born like Catholics, aren't we--in limbo without religion, until some figure introduces us to god” (Martel 58). Piscine Molitor Patel a young Indian teen has a unique infatuation with religion. Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi, Gave Pi or Piscine an interesting life that is different from others. Piscines’ life is a constant struggle or a quest.. In the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, the first chapter of Fosters’ novel “Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not)” The chapter is clearly visible within the Life of Pi. Including what Pi had: the problems endured through...
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...Through the story of the rise of evil pigs in the hierarchy of a new system of government in the farm, it portrays a clear message about tyrannical government. Life of Pi also tries to get the reader’s attention, though it tries to urge the reader into having faith in religion rather than warn them. With animals and numbers, the story of a boy stuck at sea guides the reader into understanding the power that religion can give to those who have faith. Both Animal Farm and Life of Pi use the beast...
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...Life of Pi Literary Research Essay In the novel, Life of Pi, Yann Martel uses Pi’s uses of survival that are throughout the novel to show how he overcame his dangerous journey. The use of physical survival was shown by getting food and water to live. Spiritual survival by believing in god and giving up his beliefs and religions to live. And also biological survival and how his uncle was an excellent swimmer which made Pi one too. First, there is the necessity of physical survival: he must keep his body alive. This requires food and water, both in short supply, as well as protection from the elements. Pi knows he must defend himself from the immediate threat, Richard Parker, but he is also aware that there is a whole host of dangers waiting to do him in. Ocean storms, huge waves, sharks, sunstroke, dehydration, drowning—any and all of these things pose a risk to his life. Pi’s inventiveness and resourcefulness (he covers himself with wet clothes to protect his skin from the sun and builds a raft from oars and lifejackets to keep him at a safe distance from both the tiger and sharks) enable him to remain physically safe. As Martel makes clear in his novel, living creatures will often do extraordinary, unexpected, and sometimes heroic things to survive. However, they will also do shameful and barbaric things if pressed. "I will confess that I caught one of his arms with the gaff and used his flesh as bait. I will further confess that driven by the extremity of my need and...
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...Miraculous Survivor: Humility and Pi In Life of Pi, Yann Martel uses the journey of Pi out in the ocean to show us the transformation Pi goes through from a boy who is angry about the situation he is currently in to a survivor trying to survive while taking care of Richard Parker. The article Miraculous Survivors: Why they live while others die, lists humility and humbleness as a trait of a survivor. The article applies to Life of Pi because of the transformation Pi goes through in which, humbleness allows Pi to learn to appreciate Richard Parker in helping him survive while also becoming his care taker. The reason Yann Martel displays such a transformation is to make us believe in God through showing how humbleness can allow people to appreciate what they have in any situation, and that people should just take what they get because it is all in the hands of God. Pi goes...
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...|Life of Pi|Real World| When? (Perspectual)| At the age of 14 he studied Islam and Christianity. 1977 was when the family decided to emigrate to Canada (Age 16)| Life of Pi was published in 2001, believed to be written late 1990’s. “Now it looks like Life of Pi was this big monumental work, but when I was writing it, I was a poor writer living in Montreal.” – (Martel Yann)Yann started writing at the age of 27. | Where? (Locational)| Pondicherry India. (Hometown.) They also own the zoo. Due to new Government policies, Pi’s father decided to sell the zoo and emigrate his family into Canada. Also, Piscine Martel, when older, was speaking of the story in Toronto.|High school- Port Hope Ontario.University- Trent University (1981) Montreal is where he wrote the fantastic novel “Life Of Pi”This problem faced can happen anywhere in this world. | Who? (Charactural)| Piscine Patel, “Pi” an Indian boy, from Pondicherry.(Brought up as a Hindu, discovers Christianity and Islam) (Has a mom, brother and father, who die in the ship wreck while traveling the Pacific Ocean) Father:Santosh Patel| Yann Martel is a Spanish born Canadian writer. (Bachelor degree for Philosophy). It affected him spiritually, but I believe the whole word was struck by his imaginative yet true journey to believe in god. | What? (Thematic)| Pi’s father is emphatic about his kids being aware of the true nature of wild life (animals). Which then lead him to believe that Pi didn’t truly understand that the animals...
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...Life of Pi Theme of Religion At times, Life of Pi reads like a defense of religion. Has science proved religion wrong? Here's a protagonist who believes passionately in both zoology and religion. What about the fact of multiple faiths? Don't these faiths contradict each other, cause wars, and other problems? Here's a protagonist who is Muslim, Christian, and Hindu – all at the same time. The book defends not only the common spirit behind these three religions, but the rituals and ceremonies of each. It's as if all three religions find harmonious common ground in this character. Seems unlikely, but then again, the protagonist argues passionately that the miraculous happens in our darkest moments. Quote #1But I don't insist. I don't mean to defend zoos. Close them all down if you want (and let us hope that what wildlife remains can survive in what is left of the natural world). I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both. (1.4.14) | Do zoos incarcerate animals in confined spaces and make them miserable? Pi doesn't think so: "Certain illusions about freedom" tempt us to this conclusion. In actuality, an animal's life in the wild is more circumscribed than "a knight on a chessboard" (1.4.8). Predator-prey relationships restrict the animal's movement. A zoo enclosure is actually more like a hearth for an animal: a place of comfort and rest. Likewise, most people think of religion as a restrictive...
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...Life of Pi – Inquiry Essay The important thing isn’t that we can live on love alone, but that life isn’t worth living without it. In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the author shows that Richard Parker is part of Pi, and is necessary for his survival. This is shown at the end of the novel when Pi reaches Mexico with Richard Parker’s help of survival. However, there are two different versions to Pi’s story, and there is no physical proof of Richard’s existence other than his word. Life isn’t worth living without hope, Richard Parker is necessary for Pi’s survival because he gives him a reason to survive, provides companionship, keeps him from feeling hopelessness. Firstly, Richard Parker is essential for Pi’s survival. He is essential for Pi’s survival because Richard Parker has the strength and viciousness necessary to survive. In the end of the book it is revealed that Richard Parker is Pi. Richard Parker is just a figment of Pi’s imagination a creation of Pi’s mind to help him cope with seeing his mother killed and the rest of the bad experiences he had after the ship sunk. Pi created Richard in order to conjure up those traits that he needs in order to survive; Richard is strong, fierce, and terrifying, whereas Pi is complete opposite. He creates a strong fierce animal with a personality that is capable of doing things he can't, but has to in order to survive. Richard Parker is just Pi’s dark side. He keeps Pi sane, despite of his terrible deeds. In other words, he...
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