Karlie Cradock Mr. Wright 2B ELA 29 August 2013 Life of Pi Analysis Paragraph In recent discussions of Life of Pi, a controversial issue has been whether the first story Pi tells (the one with the animals) or the second story Pi tells (the one with the people) are true. On the one hand, some argue that the first story is too imaginative, and that Pi was in a delirious state of mind during his experience on the lifeboat. From this perspective, I can understand that certain aspects of the story are hard to believe, such as the fact that Pi trained a wild tiger and came to a mystical carnivorous island. On the other hand, however, others argue that the animal story is true, and people refuse to the believe it simply because they are afraid to give in to blind faith. In the words of Pi, one of this view's main proponents (to a skeptical interviewer), "Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?" (Martel 340). According to this view, it doesn’t matter whether or not there is a little bit of evidence of Pi’s journey with the animals (the banana for example). People will believe what they want to believe, and it is really just a matter of whether or not they are willing to believe what they can’t see. In sum, then, the issue is whether you want to believe in a more interesting story or a more realistic one. My own view is that Pi experienced the animal story while at sea, simply because he was half mad. Though I concede that it is hard (if not impossible) to believe that story, I still maintain that Pi personally experienced the presence of a Bengal tiger on the lifeboat; it was his own reality, and there was no one there to prove otherwise. For example, Pi described many magical moments out at sea where whales burst out of the water, and Richard Parker (who disappeared) and him are the only ones to have seen these things. Although some might object that Pi is insane, I would reply that creating such a bizarre reality while on the lifeboat was the only way for him to cope with the situation. The issue is important because if he had addressed his overwhelmingly depressing experience as a reality while on the lifeboat, he may have not had the hope that he had to carry on and survive. This story proves that storytelling, faith, and imagination are extremely powerful and important in one’s life.
Mr. Wright
2B ELA
29 August 2013
Life of Pi Analysis Paragraph
In recent discussions of Life of Pi, a controversial issue has been whether the first story Pi tells (the one with the animals) or the second story Pi tells (the one with the people) are true. On the one hand, some argue that the first story is too imaginative, and that Pi was in a delirious state of mind during his experience on the lifeboat. From this perspective, I can understand that certain aspects of the story are hard to believe, such as the fact that Pi trained a wild tiger and came to a mystical carnivorous island. On the other hand, however, others argue that the animal story is true, and people refuse to the believe it simply because they are afraid to give in to blind faith. In the words of Pi, one of this view's main proponents (to a skeptical interviewer), "Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?" (Martel 340). According to this view, it doesn’t matter whether or not there is a little bit of evidence of Pi’s journey with the animals (the banana for example). People will believe what they want to believe, and it is really just a matter of whether or not they are willing to believe what they can’t see. In sum, then, the issue is whether you want to believe in a more interesting story or a more realistic one.
My own view is that Pi experienced the animal story while at sea, simply because he was half mad. Though I concede that it is hard (if not impossible) to believe that story, I still maintain that Pi personally experienced the presence of a Bengal tiger on the lifeboat; it was his own reality, and there was no one there to prove otherwise. For example, Pi described many magical moments out at sea where whales burst out of the water, and Richard Parker (who disappeared) and him are the only ones to have seen these things. Although some might object that Pi is insane, I would reply that creating such a bizarre reality while on the lifeboat was the only way for him to cope with the situation. The issue is important because if he had addressed his overwhelmingly depressing experience as a reality while on the lifeboat, he may have not had the hope that he had to carry on and survive. This story proves that storytelling, faith, and imagination are extremely powerful and important in one’s life.