The Bone Cage is a great fiction book that can be classified as a realistic fiction. Since the story revolves around two athletes training for the Olympics while having to overcome emotionally experiences a long the way; this can easily be something that could have actually happened. There are Canadian athletes all around Canada that with no doubt went through the same routines of intense training as Sadie and Digger did. Although the story isn’t true, it is defiantly a story that can compare to most Olympic athletes. Many people wonder how Olympic athletes become so great and so fit so after reading this story it kind of sets what these athletes do, to reality. I noticed even on the back of the book an associated professor of Angie Abdou wrote, “The Bone Cage immerses the reader in a passionate plot that is all the more compelling because of its realism.” I agree with this. All the readers know this is a fiction book but the way she created the characters and the description she made of their lives made it seem so realistic and close to reality for most elite athletes.
After I had done some research on the author, Angie Abdou, I found that the entire book can relate to her life and others in it. Since the book has a reflection on the her life, I chose the traditional approach to be one of my 2 literary criticism approaches. There isn’t an exact or important paragraph that can specifically relate to the traditional approach but there are many aspects throughout the book that can. The books takes place mainly at the University of Calgary because the two athletes are students their. Angie was also a student from the University of Calgary and this is where she got her Ph.D in Canadian literature. Also the main character Sadie is someone passionate about swimming and has been doing it since the age of 6. She competes competitively and it was stated at the end of the book that she will also compete for as long as she can. This relates completely to Angie Abdou because she to has been swimming since the age of four and currently competes at the Masters level. I think this character is someone she wanted to be but then again wanted to start a life as well. Therefore she still continues training but not as far as for the Olympics. Angie’s brother was a professional wrestler and did compete in the Olympics just like Digger in her book. Both main characters relate to her and her brother and the setting relates to where she grew up in and even where she lives today, FernieBC. If I were to rank this book using the traditional approach I would give it 10 out of 10. Yes it is a perfect ranking but I Think she did a great job incorporating her life into the story and the time it was written in. When I read The Bone Cage, it became one of my favourite books. I love how Angie Abdou wrote a story through the point of view of two athletes. Any story about a Canadian athlete just inspires me whether its fiction or non-fiction. The way she described their lives and emotions made it seem so real. After reading this book I would most defiantly love to read other books by her. My new favourite type of read is now sports fiction and these are the only kinds of books she writes; so I’m positive I would love them all.
This book took place in Calgary; mainly at the Calgary University. It never stated the exact date but I assumed it was in 1999 to 2000 because the two main characters were training for the Sydney Olympics which took place in 2000. The athletes were always at the school training and if they weren’t, they were at the Calgary home. I think the setting of the book didn’t play a huge role in relation to the theme but in some ways it did. It didn’t because I think it would have made no difference what province or city it took place in as long as it was in Canada. The setting being in Canada just brought more realism to the book for me because I can relate. Canada is my country and it is awesome to have read a book on our athletes and not the Americans. But as for having the setting be placed at a University it really had a great relation to the theme-passion. With the setting taking place at the University it made the passion behind Sadie and Digger’s goal for the Olympics be more inspiring. These are just two young people training at their University for something as big as the Olympics. Normally when you think of University, you think of young students studying for a future career, but instead these are just two young athletes going to school not for the studies but to put their life on hold and train with some of the best coaches. So I really think the province it self doesn’t have any effect because any province in Canada would portray passion in its athletes because it’s Canada. But as for being at a University rather a facility for only Olympic training athletes, it made it easier to see the passion behind a student because you can really see that they’ve put their life on hold when comparing them to others in University per say.
After reading this book it was clear the theme was passion. The two main characters, Sadie and Digger, display passion for not only their dream of a gold medal but for the companions in their lives. Right at the beginning it shows how determined they are when competing in the Olympic trials. Neither of them gave up and the thoughts that went through there mind just inspired me and probably many other readers because you can just see how bad they wanted the win- they were so passionate about what they were doing. Even through the ordinary routines, the intense workouts, the overwhelming physical, psychological, and emotional commitment, they’re passion still remained. Sadie’s strong affection exceeds the world of swimming when her grandma falls ill and Digger’s passion can be seen outside the wresting mats after his best friend becomes severely depressed. This happens about mid way of the book and here again I found that there emotion was so strong for the family member and friend that it just constantly inspired me. When the athletes’ paths fatefully cross, the passion in their relationship allows them to deal with the realization that they are both near the end of a life’s dream. Throughout the book both athletes questioned what would happen at the end when they had nothing to train for. Now with them having each other and truly falling for each other, they’ve realized they will always have each other. Therefore I believe the theme is beyond determination and drive and it is really the passion behind everything that have them the ability to commit.
The theme of this story is still passion. Sadie and Digger show their love strongly for everything in life; for their training and even for each other. For my essay I think the three major points can be shown through: 1. Passion for their sport, 2. Passion for friends and family, 3. the passion in both Sadie and Digger’s relationship. But for the climax of the story, it is defiantly when Sadie is badly injured in a car accident with Digger. This is the major turning point because the entire story has so far been centered on Sadie training for the Olympics and how she defeats the obstacles that get in the way. Now, there is simply nothing she can do and this really changes what was expected. Her back was almost broken and she had to wear a full brace for 3 months. This gave her no chance for even stepping into the pool to train and left her with no time to recover before the Olympics. With this being the climax it was almost a disappointment for me. I was really looking forward to seeing a triumphant win or at least a medal at the Olympics. This book is still one of my favourite books, although I do normally like an unexpected ending, for some reason with this book I wished it was a happy ending. I really love when athletes who work hard get their goals granted in the end because they deserve it. So it almost seems like her life was wasted because Sadie put it on hold to accomplish her Olympic dream yet she will never have the chance to reach it.
Since Sadie and Digger are two athletes training for the Olympics, any type of conflict that enters their life will affect them drastically. Although the accident Digger and Sadie get into while on their way back from a small weekend vacation, changed both their lives forever. Sadie was so badly injured that her dream of winning a gold medal at the Olympics was history. The entire book has been based on her training and goals for the Olympics, until near the end her dreams were crushed. The entire plot of the book was changed because as a reader I assumed the ending would be of her accomplishment at the Games. This not only conflicted with Sadie physically and emotional but conflicted with Digger physiologically. Sadie did finally realize that her dream was gone and becoming better was her knew goal, but since Digger was the driver at the time of the accident, he brought it all upon himself. He felt like it was his fault she wasn’t able to go to the Olympics and was guilty about even training. This affected his performance in practice because he just couldn’t stop thinking about how he crushed the dreams of someone he loves and also the fact that the dream was the same as his own. They both wanted to go to the Olympics but in reality Digger was the only one capable of doing so.
There are two main characters in this book; Sadie and Digger. They didn’t change drastically but there point of view on Olympics and their life later did change. Sadie would only think about swimming at the beginning and her goal to get gold at the Olympics. But after the days went on and she was constantly training and realized she really had nothing but that, her point of view on the Olympics changed. She still loved swimming but she would always question herself what was supposed to happen when her life’s dream was done? This was the exact same for Digger; he to didn’t know what to expect after. When Sadie’s grandma died she went into depression and missed a couple of practices. Though she realized that she was wasting her dream away so she smartened up and trained hard again. But later on when she got into an accident and would not be able to compete at all, she surprisingly wasn’t depressed about it. Yes, she was upset but in reality she knew there was nothing she could do. From seeing how she was in the beginning, she would have been extremely depressed and angry with life, but as she had more thought into reality, she became a changed person. Digger still had his dream in mind but he became more relieved knowing that he had something to look forward to after the Olympics, and that was Sadie.
This book I can easily relate to because I am an athlete myself, maybe not at that level but I also love to compete in sports. I loved reading this book because I always wondered what went through Olympian athletes minds- How they felt before a race or if they really wanted to be training that hard. I found that in order to become an athlete at such an elite level, you really want to put your life into it and you got to love it. There are so many people today that dream to become NHL or NFL players, but to become an Olympian is something very different. A person today will have the skills to become an athlete in the NFL but if someone told them they weren’t going to be paid- more than half would decline the offer. Everything today is about money. People think of how rich the professionals get, not the fact that they want to train hard to become the best. (Maybe 2 out of 20 would think that) This is not the case for Olympians in my opinion; and I’m talking Canadian Olympians. They get paid barely any money to put their life on hold to train harder than any athlete in the world so they can represent our country. They clearly don’t do it for the money; they do it to become the best and because this is something they are passionate about. I have always thought this and after reading The Bone Cage it just inspired me even more to continue doing what I love- running.
The Bone Cage is now one of my favourite books. Being an athlete myself, I love how I can see how other athletes think and what they go through, especially Sadie and Digger. (Being athletes at elite levels) The plot of the book is so passionate and the way Angie describes the lives of the athletes makes it even more compelling because of its realism. The plot begins with the situation the athletes are in and how good they are. Sadie wins the Olympic trial race and so does Digger in his wrestling match. They both go through strenuous routines but things a long the way set them back. Sadie’s Grandma dies and Digger’s best friend falls into a deep depression because he failed the last chance of getting to the Olympics. I felt like I knew them personally because the plot brought you into other aspects of their life that didn’t just consist of training. You got to literally see the emotions they felt and everything they thought in any situation they were in; whether during hard practices or relationships. The plot made the lives of the two main characters seem so real, and the passion behind everything made it such a great book. The theme should be passion. Everything the athletes do in their lives is full of love and affection.
I believe Pi’s story. I believe that he was stranded on a raft with four wild animals including a zebra, hyena, orang-utan, and Tiger. I believe he tamed a Tiger and visited an algae island that turned acidic at night. I think if I was to have been told the second story first and then his story, I would have believed the second because it is something that seems more real. The second story never changed the strength of my opinion on the first one but rather irritated me that Pi would make up a new story just to please the investigators. If someone didn’t believe my story after everything I had been through at sea, I would say ‘I guess your gunna have to believe because that is the true story.’ Since the first story was so long and had so much detail that I felt like I was there with him sometimes experiencing it all, the second story actually just felt like a story he made up on the spot that only shared character similarities. So in the end Pi’s story was what I believed and the second story had no affect on my opinion on what was really the true story.
When I think of my ‘other self,’ I think of something that would represent the complete opposite of who I am. I decided that the perfect match for my other self was indeed a three-toed sloth. These animals spend up to eighteen hours of sleep everyday! I’ve sometimes wished I could be one of those people who just go home, do nothing and sleep or watch TV. (That’s my lazy side talking) But I’m not like that. I actually rarely just watch TV and I don’t think I’ve ever taken the bus straight home after school and walked into my house seeing the time as only 3:00pm. But instead I choose to work out or be on a team that leaves me walking in the door having to read the clock as 5:00pm. Also a sloth is quite dirty. In fact a green algae grows on its coarse hair and communities of a parasiticmoth live in the depths of its coat producing caterpillars which graze on the alga-covered hair. This is defiantly the opposite of me. Ya of course you have the days where you may not shower (example camping for a week) but I can say that I like to be clean and not look like a grease ball. Also the first thing that some people in the class said would best describe my other self is a cheetah because of its speed. I may have speed but I needed to find an animal that suits the complete opposite of me and since a sloth’s muscles are such that it is quite incapable of moving at any speed whatsoever. This is the speed of my other self. Finally the first characteristic I learned about a sloth was from the book Life of Pi in which it was said that a sloth is almost blind. This was the one characteristic that brought me first to the sloth. Although a sloths sight is retrospect to mine, I think your other self should share one thing in common. So the fact that we both can probably not see whose waving at us from 10 metres ahead (maybe even 6 metres, have yet to find out since I constantly where my contacts) makes me laugh that this is the one similarity we share because it’s so true. Overall I think the Sloth is the perfect representation of my ‘other self.’
At the end of Life of Pi, the Japanese investors clearly don’t believe Pi’s story - even while he was telling the story they were contemplating almost everything he said. Like how the orang-utan was floating towards the boat on bananas, or how he managed to survive the entire 227 day journey with a live Tiger on board. This is why Pi changes his story when they ask for the ‘better story.’ Pi told another story because he wanted to show the difference between a regular story and what they call the better story. People only believe the dull boring story’s with no animals, just a regular survival story; that’s what they wanted to hear. So Pi changed it so there were no animals, the algae island was never visited yet he still had the story irregular and more interesting than a regular story. This story didn't please the investigators. When they heard the truth (the ‘real story’) it was so disturbing that they fled back to the first story, despite its flaws. It's less believable but more comforting and that's what they prefer; that’s what people prefer. So in the end the investigators ask for a better story but end up believing in the first story told because this was a more pleasing story and was something they’d rather believe happen compared to the gruesomeness of the second story.
The algae island Pi comes across has great similarities to the Garden of Eden. The island comes across as sort of magical and non believable at first. When Pi was at a state where his body needed water and food or else he was going to lose all strength and die, is when his raft came upon this island. It had an ongoing supply of both sweet algae and fresh water, so Pi and Richard Parker could eat and drink as much food and water as they needed without having to converse it for the days to come. Along with the algae that Pi ate, the island had thousands of meerkats that Richard Parker acquired to. They both lived on the island for a longer time and soon gained all their strength back that they had lost from being at sea. Pi one day discovered something that changed his mind about the precious island; he discovered a fruit in the tree that turned out to be human teeth wrapped tightly in a ball of leaves. Along with this devastating discovery he found that the ground turned deathly acidic at night. Pi now wanted to leave. He didn’t want to die in a place that was unknown where no one had ever discovered; he wanted to exist and not be left ever unknown to the world. This island is very similar to the Garden of Eden. Like the island, the garden has a plentiful supply of food, and both can be eaten from as much as desired, excluding the exception of the tree of knowledge. The downfall to both the island and the garden is that they both have an evil aspect to them. At night, the island goes acidic, and in the garden, the serpent came in the form of evil persuading Eve to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. In both situations the beings never return. God forbids Adam and Eve from returning to the Garden of Eden and Pi decides to leave the island as is it also a sign of evil.
At this point in the story Pi and Richard Parker go blind. This is due to malnutrition and other medical problems but that is not the true meaning as to why they went blind. Pi first hears a voice which then starts speaking to him. Pi responds with what is on his mind- food. The voice speaks of beef and brains and all sorts of food that Pi finds distasteful. From here Pi assumes he is hearing the voice of Richard Parker. The reason why I think Pi concludes that this is Richard Parker who he is talking to his because the voice seems like a meat eating being like he has become. Pi asks the voice if he has ever killed anyone, and the voice says yes, a man and a woman. I think the reason for his blindness and his encounter with ‘another blind boy’ is a way that he will find his existentialism. This other being is someone Pi never wants to become, so by meeting this boy, Pi can compare himself to him and can see a side of him that he doesn’t want to ever release. The voice belongs to a castaway like Pi, and they join their boats together. The man climbs aboard Pi’s boat and tries to strangle and cannibalize him. But when he steps down onto the floor of the boat, Richard Parker kills him. Pi cries for the dead man which relives some of his blindness. He then rinses his eyes with seawater and his vision comes back. Yann Martel included this is the story because he wanted this to be a major stepping stone to Pi’s realization of his meaning in life. After meeting this man Pi knew he never wanted to become like him, and this imagination was exactly the opposite of who Pi was. Pi never wanted to kill a person, or eat like a savage. So being blind just symbolized that Pi still had no sight or vision as to what his meaning was. But once the hallucination had disappeared, Pi’s eyes opened and his vision slowly healed. Pi now knew what his meaning was in life (his existentialism).
Throughout Life of Pi, god’s looks to have been keeping Pi alive with natural phenomena. One of the first examples is when Pi is in need of food and struggles to catch fish but soon god gives him a gift of the thousands of flying fish. Another example is when Pi and Richard Parker are on the verge of dying, their strength is so weak they can barely function, but soon God leads them to the algae island which later regains their strength and hope. But if God has been keeping Pi alive with all these natural phenomena’s, it is questioned as to why did God had the tanker miss him. To me the only reason I could think of has a far greater meaning than just being rescued, but is more so about existentialism. Pi hasn’t found is meaning in life and the purpose of why his is in this world. Yes, Pi has gone through many things that he never would have imagined while being stranded in the Pacific Ocean and has made decisions over and over again that are just a part of his life now, but he has not truly found his purpose. This is why God chose for the tanker to miss Pi; his time wasn’t done and he had still not found the meaning to his life. Everything in life happens for a reason, Pi’s incident happened so that he could find the reasons behind his existence.
Pi develops a daily routine on the raft that consists of praying. Pi needs this to be a part of his life while stranded at sea. First because the constant practice of religion and praying was always a part of Pi’s life even before the sinking of the ship and should therefore still remain that way – now more than ever. This is what will give him security. He has something that can still be a part of his life even if stranded on a raft will little to nothing. Second, since praying is a wish or hope for a particular outcome or situation; it gives Pi a grip on hope/faith. He won’t lose faith or hope in his will to live if he continues to pray. Praying is what stimulates Pi’s mind.
The question of whether Pi has become part of nature or is an observer of nature can easily be answered. It’s not that he has become part of nature or an observer of it, Pi has changed his own nature to adapt to this new environment. Yes Pi now contains many different kinds of behaviours he never had before, but only for the reason that he needs to survive. He starts to kill fish with his bare hands, break the necks of flying fish, and even drink the blood from turtles. These are the tasks that are needed for him to survive. If Pi’s character (nature) had not changed, he would not be alive to tell his story. For example Pi’s original nature would not be to urinate on his territory because humans just don’t do that. But at his state now, being with wild life on a raft all alone, he must change his nature to adapt to the behaviour of his wild companion to keep him relatively safe. Pi is flexible, versatile, and resourceful. Even without his objects, he holds onto his religious traditions, adapting them and integrating them into his daily routine. Though he is a strict vegetarian, he soon finds himself drinking turtle blood, skinning birds, and eating eyes and brains. It is easy for him to slip into a routine—he becomes a creature of a new habit. Pi really, just becomes a new person. This doesn't just go for Pi but anyone in the world - a person can never become part of nature, more so change their own nature in ways that allows them to adapt to any situation they may be in. Overall the answer to this is no. Pi has not become a part of nature nor is he an observer of it; he has just adapted his own nature to his foreign surroundings.
Martel includes the natural wonders of the flying fish that Pi encounters when he is in a time of need because he wants to show that by regaining hope you will in some form of way be rewarded. In these chapters Pi realizes that it is himself who is going to be the one to save him because he knows he can’t rely on a ship to come by and rescue him. But the point in these chapters where he regains hope/faith is when he remembers the story of Markandeya. This Hindu story gives in hope and he is then rewarded with the flying fish. Pi could have been rewarded with these fish because his first attempt at fishing is a decided failure; the hook and bait he puts together don’t quite do the trick. So whether you think this encounter is seen through a theological point of view or an agnostic point of view; it depends on your beliefs. This could be an attempt from Martel to make a theological point that yes, god is there looking over you. God sees that Pi is struggling and decides to give him a gift to help him on his way. Or Martel could be giving evidence for agnostics; a fluke of nature—the sudden appearance of a school of flying fish—results in his first catch. Since there is no evidence of god, this encounter with such natural wonders could be a ‘fluke of nature’ which at the time coincidently benefits Pi perfectly.
Right from the beginning of the book until Richard Parker’s true identity is actually said to be a tiger, I thought he was a human. This is because of the way Pi speaks about him while he’s telling his story. For example, early in his conversation Pi talks about how he loves Canada and misses India and that he misses someone named Richard Parker. Pi never said he misses Richard Parker ‘the tiger’, but makes it seem like he’s talking about a person whom he misses. The name of the tiger itself is too humanlike to be thought of as an animal. ‘Richard Parker’ doesn’t come across to me as an animal’s name; it sounds like a boy’s name. Also at some point the author comments on Pi’s state of mind, saying that after several years Richard Parker still preys on his mind. Again, what Richard Parker truly is, is not even mentioned. I don’t think anyone unless they were told by other people who have read the story, would ever know that ‘Richard Parker’ is in fact a tiger. I think this personification of Richard Parker significantly affected Pi’s story. Since the impression of Richard Parker is that he played a huge role in keeping Pi sane and alive and that Pi would not have survived without him, and so if Pi were to have made this impression on everyone but instead revealing that Richard Parker was a tiger, I don’t think it would have had a great as an affect. This is because a lot of people don’t see animals in being able to have an effect on a person like that, especially a tiger. How could a tiger have kept you sane? How could a tiger have made it possible for you to survive? So by personifying who Richard Parker is, it can make it easier for the readers to see the strong connection between Pi and Richard Parker by first assuming that he was a person not a tiger.
Pi being someone so faithful proceeds in his speech about losing everything and being ‘in hell’ because his life has drastically changed. He went from being on the ship waking up to his family every morning to being stranded all alone on a raft with no security of his family life and death all around him. This is something Pi may see as ‘hell.’ Although he is someone who believes in faith, with the brutal conditions he is in, even a person like himself would compare it to hell. He is alone with no sign of civilization, a zebra is being eaten alive right in front of him, and he constantly has to worry about his life with a Begel Tiger being onboard. This to anyone is hell. By Martel having Pi alone, theologically he is trying to show that now Pi is in a situation that will really reveal how god will help you. Pi has studied and practiced all these religions and has faith in all their gods so now Pi and the reader will see the nature of god and the religious truth. The relationship between the Hyena and Orange Juice can compare to the relationships between religions. Since there are no natural conditions in which a hyena and an orang-utan can meet, there is no way of knowing how they would relate. This is the same for religions. Each religion is so different from one another and there is no way that either one could come in contact with each other, that if for some rare moment they did, there would also be no way of knowing how they would relate. Like a hyena and an orang-utan, the religions are completely different creatures/beliefs and so unless there is a time where they can meet, there is no way of knowing how they could possibly relate with such differences.
In this chapter Pi explains zoomorphism. Although it is only based on animals, this kind of act is relevant to the world. Along with animals, every human has done what many animals do in the form of zoomorphism. For example, a motherless cub will accept a surrogate mother rather than face the reality of being motherless “the absolute worst condition imaginable for any young animal.” This is the same for a human. Any human who has no mother is in need of one, and if a loving woman comes along in their life that is willing to be their mother like figure and take care of them, a human would never turn that down. Animals will help humans (someone of another kind), just like humans will help animals (creatures of another kind). The chapter is relevant to every living creature in the world. The description and scenarios that Pi described ranging from the mouse being accepted by the vipers to the goats being accepted by the rhinoceros can relate to how the society with in High School becomes structured. Students in a way act the same as the animals do by accepting those that are different as one there own. Every year a new group of grade nines come to the school. They’re all are from a variety different schools from around the area and have developed groups in those schools. But once they are all put into one society, the groups start to change as other groups start to expand and accept new people into their ring of friends. By doing this, it allows for new groups to form and develop a structure.
Faith is the one thing that Pi truly believes in; he loves his faith and always turns to it in times of need. The philosophy of faith is very important to Pi. Pi states that he was born into Hinduism, becoming involved in its rites and rituals as an infant. I think even from the very beginning of his life, his family made faith an important aspect of his life. Pi just decided to continue to expand on his religions because all three were so different yet he found that listening to each story gave him more faith. He not only was intrigued with Christianity but Islam as well. I think faith is so important to Pi because he has heard the stories of many god’s in which he strongly believes in. If I were to be told these stories derived from each religion from someone who knows a lot about one and strongly believes in it, I think I would believe in faith as strong as Pi as well. Although I am not really religious at all, I think the stories of these people would inspire me in a way and would therefore give me something to believe in- faith. I believe that religion is dying in our society. If you compare how many people strongly believed in god in the past to people now, there is a great difference. I don’t think it is the fact that people don’t believe in god but rather they don’t care to use the time they have in praying or going to church and strongly getting into it, like Pi. An example is my Nana. She is almost 70 years old and when she was young, they went to church every Sunday, everyone did, and it wasn’t even a question that you weren’t going. They all had their nice Sunday cloths for church that they were only allowed to wear for that specific day. Religion was part of their life. As she grew older and had her own kids, going to church slowly died off. I think this was due to the change in society. Religion is no longer a major part of everyone’s life; some people don’t even know what kind of religion ‘they are’ but know that they believe in god. Yes, religion is if you believe in god but not many people at all (that I’ve ever seen) truly practise their religion as much as Pi did or even as little as my Nana did. Religion is really dying and is more so lost than forgotten. If religion were to be forgotten than that would be like saying god is forgotten but that is not the case; god is still someone many people believe in, they just don’t have as strong of an interest in their religion as people did before.
Through chapters 5 to 15, Martel really focuses on the story of animal habits. I think he does this because the second part of the story is solely based on animals and it also shows how Pi resorts to some animal habits to stay alive. When Pi is stranded on a raft with a hyena, zebra, and a Begel Tiger, or when he is left on a the raft with only himself and the Tiger, he uses the lessons taught to him throughout chapters 5 to 15 to act in front of these animals and know their instincts. He made those chapters mainly based on animal habits so that the readers know where Pi has gotten all his knowledge from on how to treat these animals and how he knows there ways of living. If Pi didn’t know these habits of the animals he was stranded with in such great detail, he would not have survived. When Pi’s father teaches Pi that an ‘animal is an animal’ it has great relevance to Pi’s scenario at sea. Animals are just animals; no matter the situation they are in there instincts are never going to change. They animals that Pi was stranded with would never change their instincts because they feel bad for one another, no, they will be animals and only think of keeping themselves alive. The concept of anthropomorphism is brought up as well. Anthropomorphism is only good because it allows people, mainly children, not to be afraid and totally terrified of animals. Yes, a child may think a bear is kind, cute and cuddly after they watch Winnie the Pooh making them think it is ok to approach a bear, when in fact a bear is actually a very dangerous animal; but, then again without these characters no one would approach animals because they are so frightened and only think of them as harmful creatures. Not all animals are, many are actually great with humans and love interactions with them.
When you are a child, you develop many relationships that influence who you are as an adult. Everything you learn as a child is the foundation of your choices that you make as an adult, it is what makes you, you. A person who has a strong and close relationship with their family will most likely be very open and loving as a grown-up. Rather a person who hasn’t really developed a close relationship with their family may not be as outgoing and open hearted as someone who has the connection with their parents. In Pi’s case the relationship he develops with his family and animals makes him the man he became. Pi grew up in a loving home with caring parents who taught him many things that he still believes as an adult. When Pi was young he developed a very strong relationship with religion. He not only studied just one religion but became fond of three, Muslim, Christian, and Islam. He also grew up having a strong connection with animals because he was always at the zoo that his father owned who taught him many things about the ways of animals. This is what influenced Pi to study religion and zoology when he was an adult at the University of Toronto. Pi’s relationships as a child sculpted who he was as an adult. This goes with anyone. The relationships you develop as a child whether it’s with your friends, family, sports, nature, or pets, these are what you have been brought up with and this is what makes you the person you become as you grow up. When it comes to my opinion on whether or not animals should be kept in a zoo rather than the wild, it completely changed after reading these chapters. Before reading this book I felt that it was cruel to capture animals and keep them in closed bars where they are not free to roam and are just used for people’s entertainment. Now my views on zoos are completely opposite. After Pi had argued that animals were better off in a zoo rather than the wild because the zoo offers protection and food, whereas, the wild is filled with predators and is short on food. I thought about it and it actually made sense. Animals in the zoo don’t have to go hunting and searching for their next meal and go walk the mile to find the nearest water source, they have it all their within reach. A zoo is more of a paradise for the animals seeing that they get anything and everything they prefer. In my perspective the zoo is like a five star hotel compared to the wild as a 2 star hotel- you don’t get the highest service and necessities as the five star hotels.
The story “The Laugher” by Heinrich Böll contains a main character that persuades many different thoughts and feelings in both my mind and heart. The title itself made me feel happy before I even read the story. I laugh at almost everything and when the word laughter comes to mind, I can’t help but think of the things that make me laugh. Such as the many funny moments I’ve had with my friends, boyfriend, and family. The first sentence of the story starts of with the main character stating his embarrassment towards his job. He says, “When someone asks me what business I am in, I am seized with embarrassment: I blush and stammer, I who am otherwise known as a man of poise.” The feeling of happiness is now at a lower level for me. I feel bad for the people who are embarrassed of what they do for a living. I think no job should make you feel uncomfortable when asked what it is that you do. Although it may not be a prime job like a doctor or teacher for instance; it is a job, and that’s what is giving you the money to support yourself and/or a family, which you should be proud of. The character in this story literally laughs for a living. Yes, it is something that many people would not consider a real job, but that is his job and it is actually making him a very good living.
Although you should not be ashamed of the career you have chosen, I think you should love what you’re doing no matter what the pay is as long as it can support you. ‘The laugher’ does not seem to enjoy his job. Yes, many people are thankful when they get home so they can relax, but the ones that truly enjoy there job are excited to do it again the next day. This character is not thankful to get home for some relaxation rather because he is so tired of what he is doing and his spirit has frayed. I feel like no one should have that feeling when they get home. It makes me feel bad for the people that do, especially in this situation because I feel that laughter is the experience of joy and amusement. I believe every person in the world should have this emotion in there day. This character has forgotten the feeling of truly laughing and enjoying himself. I could never imagine this emotion because laughter is something that’s a part of my every day. When I am upset and someone makes me laugh, even slightly, it makes me feel better than what I felt before. Laughter should not be a forgotten emotion because it’s what cures the sadness, loneliness, and jaded feelings in people. ‘The Laugher’ laughs for a living. When he is sent to go to the comedian shows and the audience misses their punch lines, he spends most of the evenings in night clubs as a kind of discreet claque, his job being to laugh infectiously during the weaker parts of the program. His job is to laugh at the non humorous parts yet he forgets to laugh at the good amusing jokes. His character makes me feel depressed because I don’t understand how someone can lose their sense of humour. He is so used to laughing that nothing will truly amuse himself. He says, “I go through life with an impassive expression, from time to time permitting myself a gentle smile, and I often wonder whether I have ever laughed. I think not. So I laugh in many different ways, but my own laughter I have never heard.” This is almost heartbreaking to me because he knows that he has lost himself and doesn’t even remember if he has ever truly laughed. His job has trained him to laugh during certain moments and so he surpasses the things that are actually a humour to him. I feel that this story brings only depressing and sad feelings to my heart and mind and has taught me that someone who experiences real laughter should cherish it.
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is greatly relevant to the time period of post civil war it was written in. In the civil war there was a great difference between the North and South. During the war the North became the centre of wealth and manufacturing and attracted skilled workers, whereas the South consisted of only farming done by salves. Slavery is what was thought to start the war and although the North was fighting to end slavery, the South fought to maintain it because it benefited them economically. “A rose for Emily,” is a great representation of this time period. The story takes place in a small town in the deep south of the United States, where Emily and her father resemble true southern characters. They live in a town run by a southern mayor- Colonel Sartoris where by his law, a black woman would not even be able to walk the streets without an apron, and coloured people were used as slaves. Even when the years went on and Emily’s father had died and Colonel Sartoris was replaced, Emily still kept her black slave Tobe and remained in a lost era. The town and Emily herself looked upon Emily as the only remainder left of that time. She was now living in the post-civil war but still acted like she was living in the harsher days of the South. The town was changing in a good way: upgrading homes, installing metal house numbers and mail boxes, and no slaves were longer used. Since the North was known to be wealthier and full of skilled workers, it was relevant that the construction company hired by the Southern town was directed by a northerner named Homer Barron. It’s relevant because a Northerner was hired and not someone from the south. This indicates that this story does take place in the post-war because the north is finally having a positive affect on the south. “A Rose for Emily,” displays great relevance to the post- civil war era because of Emily’s behaviors compared to her town. This allows you to see the difference in the North and South before and after the war.
William Faulkner has created a saga of his own that allows “A Rose for Emily” to be relevant to all his other works. The short story and every single one of his other literature's like The Sound and the Fury and Sanctuary, can all relate to the historical growth and subsequent decadence of the South. The theme of all his stories is the decay of the old south, as represented by the Sartoris and Compson families. Faulkner set many of his short stories and novels in Yoknapatawpha County. The Sound and the Fury is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. The story is about the fallen Compson family, a once noble Southern family brought down by the U.S. Civil War hero General Compson. The family becomes a victim due to the harsh habits they have as southerners, which Faulkner believed were responsible for the problems in the south: racism and selfishness. The Sanctuary is about the degeneration of Temple Drake, a young girl from a distinguished Southern family. Just these two examples along with A Rose for Emily all show relevance to each other. They all consist of problems of the South or lifestyle of a Southerner and their family back in the prior, during, and post-war. They all show the great distinguish of the South compared to the North and the problems they faced with racism and the neglect of change after the civil war was over. Overall “A Rose for Emily” is greatly relevant to the time period it was written in and Faulkner’s other works.
