Week 3 post B

I am sick of Pi's religious antics! In addition to being Hindu AND Christian, Pi decides to become Muslim too! After meeting a baker who is Muslim, Pi is fascinated by the physical aspect of praying. I believe that it is wrong to practice three different faiths at the same time and I don't know how Pie is going to do it especially when the different faiths' ideals conflict. Because Pi is still young I feel that his curiosity is getting the best of him and that there is no way that he can remain a Hindu, Christian and Muslim at the same time. This does bring up an interesting point that I have long put in the back of my mind. My grandma, is a lot like Pi because she has created her own sort of religion based on what she has read, heard and liked about different religions. When my father asked her what religion she was she didn't give him a straight answer and a hour long debate followed. Today, I often find it hard to take my faith seriously especially when I have taken AP World. After seeing how strikingly similar every faith was and now ridiculous each faith sounded in a textbook, I question the whether each religion is credible or not. Whether true or not, religion and faith has played a crucial part in one's life ever since the beginning of man.

Week 3 post A

Pi is a very spiritual person who has always been devoted to his religion since birth. Pi is Hindu and is very well educated in his faith. Along with the spiritual beliefs that he has committed in his religion, Pi also ties his real world experiences in and around the zoo to a logical understanding of his faith. For example, Pi believes in reincarnation and believes that the social hierarchy of animals was established by god and that one day himself, along with all the other animals in his zoo might one day become enlightened. He says, "The paths to liberation are numerous, but the bank along the way is always the same, the Bank of Karma, where the liberation account of each of us is credited or debited depending on our actions"(50). In my opinion, all of this sounds fine and dandy but I don't believe I would get along with Pi ideals. In my narrow and arrogant point of view, I see myself as dominant to all animals and I generally don't embrace the "love all nature, respect animals" sort of ideals. It's not so much the difference in religion that would create conflict but Pi's personality. He seems to be an introvert whereas I am almost always an extrovert and enjoy people who are outgoing on confident. Later on in chapter 17, Pi gets his first taste of Christianity but doesn't seem to embrace it well and gets confused when he hears that god sent his son to earth for man's sins. Much like I was confused about Hinduism, Pi tries hard to learn Christianity and even asks if he can be Christian. This is ironic however because immediately after Pi becomes a Christian, he goes to a Hindu temple and prays to thank Lord Krishna.

Week 2 Post B

I found it interesting how Yann Martel chose to show Pi's confidence and intelligence through an event where Pi was constantly picked on. It seemed at first that Pi was destined to be a shy book reader who never stood up for himself but after he was confronted with a group of kids who made fun of him at his school, he took the challenge to fight back. Pi's real name is Piscine Molitor Patel but students and even teachers called him "pissing" which enraged him. Pi kept his cool however and created a new nick-name for himself one day by demonstrating his knowledge of the Greek letter Pi. Because of his young age, this came as a shock to his classmates who began to call him "Pi" out of respect. This instance made me think about how a social hierarchy is almost always established when there is a large gathering of people. Whether it's school, work or a party it is human nature to befriend some and put down others. I'm not advocating that this is right, in fact, most people are aware the hurtful things that they do but for some reason do not feel it necessary to stop.

Week 2 Post A

Pi's live revolves around his experiences at the zoo. His father owns the zoo and Pi gets to feed and care for the animals every day. Yann Martel, the author of the book obviously has extensive knowledge about animals and he raises a good point about the freedom of animals in a zoo. He states, "Well-meaning but misinformed people think animals in the wild are "happy"...this is not the way it is. Animals in the wild lead lives of compulsion and necessity within an unforgiving social hierarchy"(16) Martel states that the animals themselves are indifferent to the lives they have in zoos or in the wild. He also points out that with deforestation and the loss of habitat that is happening very rapidly today kills animals whereas the pi's zoo protects them and ensures that they are free from poachers, pollution and disease. Pi is incorporated into the animal hierarchy at this zoo and he has learned what actions are within his rights as a human are permitted by the wild animals.

Week 1 Post B

I found the first few pages of the book very entertaining not because it had a lot of action like most stories do to catch a reader's attention, but rather because it described in detail the 3-toed and 2-toed sloth. Martel actually presented an abundance of useless information such as, "If you come upon a sleeping 3-toed sloth in the wild, two or three nudges should suffice to awaken it; it will then look sleepily in every direction but yours"(4). Pi (the main character) is very interested in animals and Martel characterizes pi by demonstrating his knowledge of the three and two toed sloths. The reader feels a personal connection even though Martel doesn't even give a physical description until chapter two. Some other facts that amazed me about the three toed sloth is that they have a algae that grows under their fur which turns brown during the dry season and green during the wet season giving them a natural camo (much like the one in Halo 3). Lastly, Martel even managed to compile enough information about the animal that he writes, "As for hearing, the sloth isn’t not so much deaf as uninterested in sound. Beebe reported that firing guns next to sleeping or feeding sloths elicited little reaction. [Sloths] are said to be able to sniff and avoid decayed branches, but Bullock (1968) reported that sloths fall to the ground clinging to decayed branches 'often'"(4).

Week 1 Post A

"The first time I went to an Indian restaurant in Canada I used my Fingers. The waiter looked at me critically and said, 'Fresh off the boat, are you?' He had no idea how deeply those words wounded me"(7)

The author of Life of Pi is Yann Martel. He has lived in almost every corner of the globe and from his writing, it is clear that the cultural differences he writes about reflect his own experiences and embarrassments throughout his life. The passage above describes a character's first arrival in Canada from India and his first meal at a restaurant. I have mixed feelings about the subject but I believe that the waiter was out of line when he decided to put his customer down. It has to be tough enough traveling to a different continent and getting criticized for the way you normally do things. At the same time however, I do believe that a foreigner should learn the customs of the place where he is learning. Appearing less different will get a foreigner into less trouble (usually). It is human nature to put other people down and in the case of the waiter, he put the main character down because he doesn't get very many foreigners in the small town that he lives in.

The reasoning behind my book selection

The Life of Pi

Written by Yann Martel (Born in Spain of Canadian parents. He grew up in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada.)

I became interested in this book when I saw some of my classmates reading this book. After asking my mom about the book and reading the back cover it seems to have a non-conventional plot line and unique set of events. I have yet to start reading the book but because it is written by a male author, which are obviously better than female authors, and because Yann Martel grew up in a plethora of countries and continents, I hope that this book will be a good and interesting book.

Week 7 Post B

Dear Cormac McCarthy

You never cease to amaze me with your writing talent. I have already read your first book, All the pretty horses, and so far your second book has lived up to all of the standards of your first book and more. The thing that I like most about the books are the unexpected events that keep me glued to the book. I have read many books where the authors make pitiful attempts at suspense and surprise twists but you have a way at making the story flow even when there is a life shattering event. I also find that even though you book is set in the future, I find every aspect of it believable and interesting. Normally I would question every twist and turn of a science fiction/futuristic novel but you simplicity and poetic nature has won me over.

Week 7 Post A

Definitions

ensequlchred (230)- Once again, dictionary.com didn't gave a definition for this word. There have been a couple of these that aren't in dictionary.com
skeins (231)-A length of thread or yarn wound in a loose long coil.

Figurative language

"The flames lit the darkening glass of he window where he boy stood in hooded silhouette like a troll come in from the night"(175) This is an example of a simile that McCarthy cleverly puts in there to add to the dark and scary mood of the abandoned house. The mention of monsters scares the reader just a little bit more to make the situation seem disparate.

"He seemed stunned by the heat"(175) I'm not entirely sure what kind of figurative language this one is but McCarthy uses an unconventional way of describing the warmth in the house after the father and son have been making their way to the ocean.

"No country that he knew"(170) This just sounded a lot like the title "No country for old Men" perhaps McCarthy was trying to imply something. I haven't read the book so I can only guess.

Quote

Just an off beat oddity, I notice that McCarthy uses the word "okay" a lot in almost every one of his dialogues.

Can we wait a while?
Okay. But it's getting dark.
I know.
Okay.
Theres no one here.
Okay.

Theme

The theme at this point is sort of the "good guy" "bad guy". The bad guy may have an easier time surviving but the good guy is ultimately more rewarding.

Week 6 Post B

I feel terrible for the father! It must be hard bonding with your son when every day is a constant struggle to survive. By today's standards, every father want to make their child's life better in comparison to theirs but for the father in The Road, that dream seems pretty much impossible. As the reader, we are supposed to assume that the story starts somewhere in Minnesota at the exact time that the bombs are going off. Although McCarthy never states it, the son was born after all of the devastation. It must be hard on the father knowing that his son will never get to enjoy the many things that he did as a kid and as an adult. This is demonstrated when the father and son are looking up into the sky and notice some crows and the boy says,
"Could a crow fly so high that he flew into outer space?"
Normally for a 12 year old, a person might expect him to have some common sense but because the son hasn't ever gone to school and most of his knowledge is based on surviving, he has no idea what science, math or for the most part, reading is. I often times do think about what the world would be like if there was no civilization, if there were a just a few people on earth. I generally don't go that deep into my thoughts and I just pride myself on the fact that I am physically fit.

Week 6 Post A

Definitions

encroached(235)- To take another's possessions or rights gradually or stealthily
derelict (232)- left or deserted, as by the owner or guardian; abandoned

Figurative language

"His long shadow reaching over the sands before him, sawing about with the wind in the fire"(200). This is an example of personification and the verb "reaching" adds a mysterious and spooky quality that fits well with the scenery around them.

"At night when he woke coughing he'd sit up with his hand pushed over his head against the blackness. Like a man walking in a grave" (180). This is a simile that plays on movies that many people have seen of zombies and aliens. This phrase gives the reader a good idea of what the father looks like without even explaining any expressions.

Quote

"What's the braves thing you ever did?
He spat into the road a bloody phlegm. Getting up this morning, he said."
This quote shows just how far the father has come, how tired he is, and how close to death the father was at several points in the story. Plus, any quote that uses the word, "phlegm" gets my attention for some odd reason.

Theme
At this point in the novel, the strongest theme is that love conquers all.

Week 5 Post B

I believe that the strongest and most important part of a story is the main conflict. In The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the main conflict is that of a father and son struggling to survive in a barren land which takes a tole on their relationship and love. This main conflict always kept me wanting to read more of the book and find out what will happen next. At one point in the story however, the father and son find a secret emergency bunker filled with food, clothing and everything that they would need to survive. I was let down at this turn of events because the main conflict had temporarily been resolved. For this section of 30 or so pages, it was very painful to read and it seemed slow and boring. For me, there was no main conflict, no suspense, no hunger and no struggle to survive. Eventually, the father and son are forced to move on and face the elements again but I was confused why McCarthy put that part in the story. I do not feel that it was a good use of writing because all it did was temporarily suspend the main conflict and all the action that made the story interesting and suspenseful. I am not however, criticizing the setting or most of the plot. I enjoy reading about the father and the son but I feel that this particular portion of the story could have been left out.

Week 5 Post A

Definitions

Tableau (77)-a picturesque grouping of persons or objects; a striking scene.
Bedlam (82)-a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.

Figurative Language

"He looked at the house an he looked out over the dripping countryside an then let the door back down and descended the steps and set about making breakfast"(130) This is a little like personification but humans can't exactly "drip" so I would call this more of a metaphor. Even though McCarthy doesn't spend a lot of time describing the father's viewpoint, this sentence brings memories of camping and all of the times I have been wet and miserable. I can relate to the feelings that the father and son are going through.

"The faintly lit hatchway lay in the dark of the yard like a grave yawning at judgment day in some old apocalyptic painting"(131)

"The boy going ahead with a broom and clearing the way of sticks and branches and the man bent over the handle of the cart watching the road fall away before them"(131) McCarthy uses clever personification to describe the monotonous journey to the ocean from the father's point of view. It is almost like the races I compete in and how I pick a spot in the road as a short term goal and use that to reference my long term progress. This is how I imagined what the father and son must have been doing.

Quote

I know you thought we were going to die.
Yeah.
But we didn't.
No.
Okay.

Here is another example of McCarthy's dialogue. It is hard for a majority of writers to write about death and being close to death because it is often times hard for the reader to relate. In this case, McCarthy keeps the discussion of death simple and straight forward.

Theme

Throughout the novel, the son always asks his father about good and bad. One theme that reoccurs in the story is that of good, and the temptations of evil. The father and son's journey is a test to see if they can remain "the good guys" and not give in to the bad. These tests include ravaging hunger, opportunities to take advantage of people and mental hardships that test their will.

Week 4 Post B

Dear Cormac McCarthy,

I know for watching your interviews with Opera in L.A. class that you do no google yourself so you will probably never see this. I wanted to start off by analyzing the two books of yours that I have read. All the Pretty Horses and The Road have both won many awards but I feel that they have two different writing styles. Yes, both books use the same method of dialogue but The Road uses shorter sentences and simple metaphors to convey the feelings of the two main characters whereas All the Pretty Horses uses many long and sometimes paragraph-like sentences to describe feelings and setting. Both styles do an excellent job of providing the reader enough information and make the book interesting to read. I was also shocked to see the contrast in settings between the two books. Most writers have a certain era that they prefer to write in and you seem to break the status quo with your books ATPH and The Road. ATPH takes place in the 1900's which is more than one hundred years apart from the setting of The Road and its post-apocalyptic setting. I enjoyed both books, the differences between them and I look forward to reading more of you books in the future.

Week 4 Post A

Definitions

trellis (75)-a framework of this kind used as a support for growing vines or plants.
parsible (76)- I wasn't able to find a definition for this word. Oddly enough, dictionary.com didn't recognize the word.
idiom (75) -A speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements

Figurative language

"Stood looking where the last of that ragged horde seemed to hang like an afterimage in the disturbed air" (78). The slaves that McCarthy describes have a large effect on the father and son. To the father, the horde symbolizes what will happen to himself if he should stop fighting against the harsh elements.

"The boy's candle colored skin was all but translucent. With his great staring eyes he'd the look of an alien" (109). McCarthy uses a metephor here to emphasize the desperate situation that the father and son are in. Any modern day person looking at these two main characters must feel that they do look like aliens because of their lack of hygiene and food.

"Steam was coming off of him like smoke" (124). This is another simple simile that reminded me of elementary school in Michigan. The first thing that every kid does when it is cold outside is huff at the air and watch the steam rise from their mouth pretending to smoke a cigarette.

Quote

"The world shrinking down about a raw core of parisble entities... More fragile than he hould have thought. How much was gone already? In time to wink out forever" (75).

Theme

The two main characters haven't had anything to eat in a couple weeks. The underlying themes of family and friendship still endure however, now both the father and the son seem to be counting down the days until they die. Their progress and will haven't faltered but they carry on knowing that they are walking themselves to their death.