Examples Of Irony In Life Of Pi

“Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a dystopian novel that revolves around Guy Montag a fireman. These firemen are not your usual firemen who save lives. In this classic novel, firemen burn any books they consider illegal. At first, Montag takes pleasure in his profession as a fireman. Montag soon begins to question his own profession which leads to his life turning upside down.

Fahrenheit 451 is a story about a fireman named Guy Montag. In this society, firemen, like Montag, burn books, rather than put out fires. As one could probably tell from the previous statement, examples of all types of irony could be found on every page in Fahrenheit 451, and most of this irony helped to reinforce themes that the author tried to develop. There are three main types of irony, verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. Verbal irony is when a character says one thing but means a different thing.

"Without Richard Parker, I wouldn't be alive today to tell you my story."(164) This quote was spoken by Pi, it was said because Pi realized how much Richard Parker helped him. Richard Parker kept Pi from thinking too much about the tragedy of the ship sinking and his family. Richard Parker also kept Pi from being lonely and kept Pi busy to pass time. I also think Richard Parker kept Pi connected with his family and was encouraging him. "The lower you are, the higher your mind will want to soar."(283) This quote was spoken by Pi, it was said because Pi was giving up and he was at his lowest point. He goes to faith and imagination to help him get through this. He soon lands on a beach in Mexico after that happened. I think the author wanted to show us that being faithful can be effective even in this situation. "You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it."(91) This was spoken by Pi, it was said because things didn't turn out how Pi expected he would of never thought his family would move and sell all the animals. Later in the book more unexpected things happen and Pi keeps his head up. He keeps going on with his life even though they are major set backs. This shows that Pi is very optimistic about his life which is a good quality to

Pity is an alternative road we take when there is nothing we can do to help someone. In fact, Pity is an emotion that makes us feel sorry for something. The author of the book “The Pigman”, Paul Zindel, did an excellent job in painting scenes that made me feel pity or even guilt. For instance, on page thirty-five, there is a motif for Mr. Pignati the first time Lorraine and John meet him. I immediately pitied him because he was jubilant to see John and Lorraine, but was oblivious to the truth. Furthermore, on page forty-one Mr. Pignati writes a check with a much bigger amount than ten dollars to a non-existent fund, still unaware of Lorraine’s lies. I felt sympathetic towards Mr. Pignati, especially during the event on page fifty-two and fifty-three,

In the Life of Pi he must learn to rediscover himself because of the tragic accident that has happen to his family. Pi must learn to be able to get over the loss of his loved ones and quickly reconnect with himself in order to help him survive. Pi must turn himself around and remember to focus on the things that matter most, trying to survive. Pi rediscovers himself in Richard Parker because he uses the companion of the tiger to help keep himself calm. Pi has left his comfort zone of being under the care of his parents and must now discover his own values and beliefs in order to navigate and survive his life in the sea.

Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, is a novel about a young boy, Pi, trapped with a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker who survive together in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. The central theme of the novel is Pi’s faith in God, which proves to be a crucial part of his survival during the extreme situation. In the book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster, the author talks about the importance of literary elements such as symbols, geography, and stories to a literary piece. These elements are used in Life of Pi to develop its compelling story about growing up.

Khlaed Hosseini uses expresses the beauty of irony throughout his famous novel, The Kite Runner. There are many instances throughout the novel in which events seem to be leaning one way and then suddenly change, unfortunately for the worse. These examples include experiences with Baba, Amir and Hassan. Hosseini’s use of irony really hooks the reader, leaving an unpredictable series of events for Amir and Hassan.

Life of Pi is the story of Pi being lost at sea with almost nothing to live. He does a lot of things throughout this story that show the desperation a human goes through when fighting to live. He does many things most people don't think they could do, even if it was to survive. Pi faces so many hardships, yet his will to live is strong enough to push him through all the obstacles he's given. In chapter 37, at the start of part 2, Pi sees Richard Parker in the water, struggling to stay above water.

Hinduism deeply changes Pi for the good, although people don’t believe his story, Pi is convinced that through his faith, he survives crossing the Pacific Ocean. There is also a great amount of symbolism in Martel’s novel, from the Tiger, to even the travel itself, symbolism plays a great deal in the Book.

Bengali polymath, Rabindranath Tagore, once said “you can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the protagonist, Pi, faces many challenges at sea while being accompanied by a tiger by the name of Richard Parker. This tiger, though a nuisance, proves to be essential in the role of Pi’s survival. Throughout the story, Richard Parker symbolizes survival, a reflection of Pi, and a being of God.

Whether is be the individualism of a zebra, the hope of an orangutan, the hatred of a hyena, or the determination of a tiger symbolism can be determined for any character. Pi’s journey obtains symbolism for each animal and a story of faith for himself through the sea and the rigors that he and the animals

“The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.” This quote by Robert A. Heinlein matches the Crucible perfectly because by the end of the story, many people will have died because of ironic circumstances. In regards to this, there are three types of irony that appear in the Crucible; they are situational, dramatic, and verbal.

In Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” the character Gregor Samsa is transformed into a giant bug while he is sleeping. Although it is never said why he turns into an oversized insect, the characters never seem to wonder why or how this has happened. It is ironic that even after undergoing something dramatic and life changing as becoming a vermin, Gregor does not question his transformation; his reaction undermines the situation entirely. Irony in “The Metamorphosis” is a reoccurring theme that affects each of the characters in the story. Gregor, who was once a genuine hard working, family orientated man, is now a beetle who feels guilty about not being able to help his family anymore. Gregor’s family sees him as a burden. Their bitterness towards him instead of sympathy through his ordeal is greatly satirical.

Life of Pi shows that humans and animals should do anything necessary to survive whatever challenges they face to live instead of just accepting death. Whatever ways that help one to survive are necessary, even if they compromise personal values, are vicious, or are wicked. Pi, a human; a hyena, and a blind man all fight to survive in a variety of ways that are examples of this thesis.

Karanvir Dhami Ms. Yu ENG3U March 7, 2011 Symbolism in Life of Pi In Life of Pi there are many literary devices used to present the different themes in the novel. The main literary device used in Life of Pi is symbolism. Symbolism is often used to represent an object to something else, either by association or by resemblance. Most of the names of animals, objects and even humans in this novel have a symbolic meaning. In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, symbolism such as pi’s name, the colour orange and the algae island, are used throughout the novel to provide Pi with protection to help him either survive or overcome his emotional pain. The mathematical pi is undefined, infinite and unable to be understood, just like Piscine Patel.