Life of Pi - Chapters 32

          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. 

Life of Pi - Chapters 16 - 23

           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.

Life of Pi - Chapters 4 - 15

          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.           

Life of Pi - Chapters 1 - 4

            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.