Chapter 68 Summary

As Pi reaches the second level of the hierarchy of needs, he finds himself on the level of safety he needs to figure out how to stay safe while on the life boat. While Pi was on the boat he was so scared of Richard Parker that he had jumped off the boat to go in the water, but then realizes that there are predators just as scary as Richard parker or maybe even worse that he has to avoid to staying safe. “I noticed the presence of sharks around the life boat…The sharks were makos-swift, point-snouted predators with long murderous teeth that protruded noticeable from their mouths” (Martel 179). Once Pi tries to overcome his fears and tames Richard like a zookeeper would do and once he does, he ends up having a companion that helps Pi get through the struggle to survive. Pi finds an island where he is safe and is able to regain his strength but as he finds a tooth in the algae, Pi

Religion is one of the main themes of “Life of Pi.” Religion is mentioned and discussed seemingly countless times throughout the book and it is a large part of the main character, Pi Patel. Pi’s character was greatly impacted by religions and faith, or even the lack thereof. As he was growing up Pi had several important figures to look up to. Relating to religion and faith, the most influential people for Pi were the atheist Mr. Kumar and the Muslim Mr. Kumar, seemingly two opposites. As an individual, Pi’s philosophy on religion was that whether or not you believe in it, religion is important; it’s presence or absence defines who a person is, and underlying all differences, it connects everyone.

2. One of the main conflicts of the Life of Pi is that between Pi and himself. For 227 days, Pi was at sea with thoughts to himself thinking of how he “was alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific” (Martel 107). Being by yourself in the ocean with no idea of if you are going to survive can lead to negative thoughts. Especially since Pi could only rely on himself. While he did have Richard Parker, he couldn't “talk” to Richard and expect a reply. His conversations were too himself and he had to remain sane through this internal conflict. Along with this, he has a conflict with himself and his lack of knowledge on how to survive at sea. Pi had many questions on his survival like “What would I eat? What would I drink? How would I keep the sharks away? How would I keep warm? How would I know which way to go?” (Martel 147). The answers to all of his questions were things

Pi’s belief system was an anchor for his thoughts and experiences and his faith in God prepared him for the Initiation stage of the Hero’s Journey.

Surviving at sea is a matter of brains and brawns. A quick wit and smart thinking can get you a long way, but if there is no will to continue, to live, all hope is lost. When Pi lost everything he loved in a matter of minutes, adrift at sea, he is left with a hodgepodge of animals. Yet, what calls on him relentlessly is not the need for survival, but the necessity for faith. Faith that he will be rescued soon, faith in his abilities, and, most importantly, faith in Richard Parker. He musters up the determination to endure and convinces himself of what he has to fight for.

Pi’s journey of different religions all started because of Pi’s Biology teacher, Mr. Kumar who was an atheist. He challenges Pi’s faith in the Hindu God, thus the journey of the multiple religions was born. Pi had much faith in his Hindu God. He never doubted it once in his life. Pi is very religious and loves his God Vishnu.

At the beginning of the novel Pi finds himself stranded on the Pacific Ocean after the ship he and his family were on sank with nothing but his beliefs, a lifeboat, a survivor’s manual, and a tiger he calls Richard Parker. Throughout the novel Pi is in a constant struggle with both his humanity and what he needs to do to survive. He learns of the cruel survival instincts within himself that he never thought possible. At the beginning of the novel Pi was nothing more than a boy who only saw the good in the world and in humanity. By the end of the novel, however, he becomes a man who has had to face things that no person should ever have to face alone even if one believes in

“I would hit him on the head!” (99). Pi is tore up from the whole experience. He has lost everything and contemplates jumping back into the water and drowning himself because “Every single thing I value in life has been destroyed” (98). Pi has nothing to live for so

Every problem we face we are given a choice, face it, or run away from it. Often times we choose to face it. With facing it comes integrity, responsibility, and more importantly will and determination. In the Life Of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi is in a shipwreck and stranded at sea for 227 days. Although he is faced with many challenges and the odds are greatly against him, his strong will and determination allow him to live.

With perseverance in mind, Pi was striving to adapt to the conditions of being a castaway at sea. He assembled a raft out of items in the lifeboat such as the life jackets and oars. He planned to use the raft as a backup, for example, if things got worse with Richard Parker. In addition, Richard Parker had slaughtered the hyena, thus frightening Pi, because it was only him and Richard Parker left. Pi considered many strategies, such as trying to outlast Richard Parker. As he thought about it, he realized it was a senseless idea. Pi reasoned the better approach was to tame Richard Parker. The strenuous days passed by, and Pi lost hope on any ships coming to rescue him. Pi established his own territory, and began to fish, for his rations were

For Pi, he has to contend with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, a fierce and dangerous predator, while on a small lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This leads him to feel isolated, hopeless, and willing to surrender to the forces above. Each of these things are feelings I have experienced myself, through my battle with severe, clinical depression. In the ninth grade, I was in the midst of major depressive disorder. It left me feeling alone with a ferocious beast must stronger than myself, and willing to to surrender, to give up the fight. Both Pi and I dealt with something that was much more powerful than either of us, whether it be the ocean, tigers, or mental disorders. Thus, our outlooks were bleak, colourless, and miserable. We interpreted the world as a frightening, despicable place that Pi and I had no hope for. Dealing with demons more tenacious than ourselves, our perspective changed to one that felt inferior and weak, leaving us with a cynical interpretation of the

Chapter 4 discusses the importance of differentiating between the language and the content of mathematics, science, and social studies in order for ELLs to gain both academic language proficiency and academic achievement. The author raises an awareness of some of the difficulties which are included in the process of developing academic language of these three content subjects. Gottlieb (2006) claims that “It is a myth that mathematics is a universal language”; he explains that mathematical symbols do not mean the same in every country, e.g. using coma to indicate the separation of whole numbers from their decimals parts (Poland is an example). Moreover, mathematics is performed differently around the world, as well as the language of mathematical

In part one of the book, Pi’s parents are furious when they find out that Pi is a follower of three different religions; Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam . When Pi is confronted about it he was told “he can’t be a Hindu, a Christian, and a Muslim. It’s impossible. He must choose.”(69) Pi responds to this by stating that he “just want(s) to love God.”(69) As the book goes on Pi begins to mature in ways he never thought was possible physically, spiritually and mentally. As Pi is growing up, he is also growing out of his innocence as he experiences traumatic events. Even though he is thrown all different kinds of obstacles Pi’s faith stays with him the whole time. The author develops the topic of faith by introducing it in a mellow way, as the

The novel Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, has many themes that are incorporated into the story. One of the main themes in the novel is survival throughout Pi’s life.

In the Pacific Ocean, Pi cannot know the exact time. Sometimes the Ocean makes Pi fall into despair. But he has to survive on the Ocean. "Nothing but sea and sky. I could see no other lifeboats" (Martel 138). The sea is so immense, but Pi and Richard parker are so small. It shows that Pi feels afraid and helpless. Richard Parker becomes his only partner. Pi lives in the terrible environment. The weather here is capricious. The situations here are unpredictable. Pi does not have water and food. He tries to find food at sea. "The sea was quiet and there was hardly any wind, so I couldn't even ground in sound" (Martel 148). At night, Pi seems to float in the darkness. The Ocean is mysterious and dark. The description of the setting helps to reveal Pi's inner world. Pi feels afraid because the Ocean is so quiet. But Pi has to face to the difficulties in order to survive. He is lonely because nobody talks to him. He soliloquizes or talks to the tiger. His belief and volition make him face to the difficulties bravely. His strong spirits let him not to be engulfed by the sea. "The sea hissed and coiled and tossed me about" (Martel 198). When it rains, the sea starts to growl. It represents a dynamic picture. Pi sits on the