Behind Bars
Author's Note: This is the revision of my Life of Pi summative essay, which is basically a whole new essay. I met with Mr. Johnson multiple times, and I finally got a good handle on what I was going to be writing about. I am almost positive that I have only one idea in my paper, and all my terms are defined. This piece is a bit controversial, but I still hope you enjoy it!
At times, we find ourselves stuck between metal bars, trapped by our own deeds. Unlike movie scenes, we are not the animals who claw at the bars, or growl so loud it vibrates the earth around us; we are the small animals, the ones shivering in the corner, with no will, or desire, to be free. This is all due to the narrow-minded ideas and beliefs that are being produced every single day. By selecting one vision of the world, one system of belief, we imprison ourselves, and create our greatest downfall.
Religion is as familiar to us all as our middle name, but very few seem to realize the imprisoning affect it has on us. The art of religion is to share the teachings of a certain god, or higher power, but over time it has turned into the teachings of what is right and wrong, and things like biblical events are being processed as literal, and true, giving a religious person a very black and white outlook of the world. Unlike Pi Patel, most people do not change their ways, whether they are too afraid, or too lazy, they are unwilling to change the life they lead, unwilling to escape the chains.
In the beginning of the novel, Pi explains that animals in zoos are much better off then animals in the wild. He uses an example where once unlocked, an animal did not free from the cage it resided in, for it was content with the life it lead. This is a false statement, the animal was not happy living in a zoo,but it was too afraid of the unknown to leave, similar to a person of one religious belief. Both the animal and the human are terrified of the unknown; that there might not be food beyond the metal cage, or that everything he once believed could be wrong. Most people aren’t strong enough to step into the darkness, and embrace something other than what they know, but Pi was.
When Pi Patel was old enough to make his own choices, he didn’t waste time. Soon enough, he had started participating in three different religions, and supported all those who believed in one. At one point in the novel, each leader of each different church fight over Pi, because to them, it is only acceptable to participate in one religion. Ignorance has blinded these men of the truth; that Pi is closer to what they all try to achieve than any of them are themselves. Pi believes all of the different views are right, because they are basically trying to explain the same thing, but in different ways. Because he understands that all of these ideas are pieces to a whole, he is able to step outside of his cage and find the missing pieces.
At times, our mind can be our greatest enemy. We can imprison ourselves, and the steel bars of our ignorance are hard to break through. Though mostly our own doing, the blame is on our belief, and how narrow it really is. We cannot see what is in front of us with one eye closed, so why should we shut down our ability to expand our vision past what we already know, and still try to convince someone our way is the right and only way? We have trapped ourselves in a cage, and there is only a bleak chance that we will find the key.
Religion is as familiar to us all as our middle name, but very few seem to realize the imprisoning affect it has on us. The art of religion is to share the teachings of a certain god, or higher power, but over time it has turned into the teachings of what is right and wrong, and things like biblical events are being processed as literal, and true, giving a religious person a very black and white outlook of the world. Unlike Pi Patel, most people do not change their ways, whether they are too afraid, or too lazy, they are unwilling to change the life they lead, unwilling to escape the chains.
In the beginning of the novel, Pi explains that animals in zoos are much better off then animals in the wild. He uses an example where once unlocked, an animal did not free from the cage it resided in, for it was content with the life it lead. This is a false statement, the animal was not happy living in a zoo,but it was too afraid of the unknown to leave, similar to a person of one religious belief. Both the animal and the human are terrified of the unknown; that there might not be food beyond the metal cage, or that everything he once believed could be wrong. Most people aren’t strong enough to step into the darkness, and embrace something other than what they know, but Pi was.
When Pi Patel was old enough to make his own choices, he didn’t waste time. Soon enough, he had started participating in three different religions, and supported all those who believed in one. At one point in the novel, each leader of each different church fight over Pi, because to them, it is only acceptable to participate in one religion. Ignorance has blinded these men of the truth; that Pi is closer to what they all try to achieve than any of them are themselves. Pi believes all of the different views are right, because they are basically trying to explain the same thing, but in different ways. Because he understands that all of these ideas are pieces to a whole, he is able to step outside of his cage and find the missing pieces.
At times, our mind can be our greatest enemy. We can imprison ourselves, and the steel bars of our ignorance are hard to break through. Though mostly our own doing, the blame is on our belief, and how narrow it really is. We cannot see what is in front of us with one eye closed, so why should we shut down our ability to expand our vision past what we already know, and still try to convince someone our way is the right and only way? We have trapped ourselves in a cage, and there is only a bleak chance that we will find the key.
Where the Lines Overlap
Author's Note: This is the second response I did on Life of Pi, and I wanted to talk about the ideas of life and death. I am not 100% happy with this, because I was having a little trouble getting my ideas across, but I feel I had good text evidence and a good topic, I hope you enjoy it!
In the previous chapters, Richard Parker and Pi are on the brink of death. He has given up on his journal, and his sight is fading fast. This is a vital time in both the tiger and the humans' life, because the decisions they make impact the outcome of their journey. The metaphor for this is clear, when you stop fearing death, and welcome it, you have made a decision to live.
This first begins at the completion of Pi's journal. He writes to feel in control, thus when he stops, it symbolizes the want of control flying out the window, when he, or anyone, is on the brink of death. Soon after, he loses his sight, and all the while frantically reaches for life, for something to hold on to. As soon as he is completely blind, Pi loses the will to live completely, and he welcomes death, beckons it. This act of suicide, in a way, provides Pi with the ability to live. Martel wants us to think about the paradox of Life, if we cling to life desperately and fear death, knowing that we had so much we could have lived for, do we even deserve it? If we accept death, it means we are happy with leaving this Earth right now, and we are complete with what we have done throughout our lives. Pi has lived his life to the fullest, so he has the right to live the rest of it the same way.
The events following this one prove my theory correct, Pi does live, and his journey continues on to ponder other important topics like this. The journey of life, like the journey at sea, is filled with paradox, a scale filled with life as much as with death, though they are clear opposites, they depend on each other, like Pi demonstrates here.
Author's Note: This is the first real response to the novel Life of Pi. I had a bit of trouble with the transitions and the ideas of this piece, so hopefully they come across well. These paragraphs talk about Mr. Kumar, and his affect on Pi. I wanted to use the idea that Mr. Johnson had talked about that day in class, about how you see through your mind, and how that relates to reality. I hope you enjoy it!
Opposites Attract
Mr. Kumar is a character that is described as a very astounding, yet contradictory looking person. " The top of his head was bald and pointy, yet he had the most impressive jowls I've ever seen." He was also explained as having a huge stomach but very skinny legs, yet able to move quite swiftly at times. This reminds me of Pi, because even though they look very different from each other, the way Pi thinks is almost how Mr. Kumar looks, a mix of very different elements, but when put together, fit perfectly.
Pi's favorite teacher is also an atheist, and imagines the animals recalling science in their everyday activities, instead of imagining them being crooks or having British accents, like Pi. Even though Pi is highly religious, he respects Mr. Kumar for who he is, because he has faith in something, even if its not God. I believe that the reason Pi began to respect people with different beliefs is because of something Mr. Kumar said, "There are no grounds for going beyond a scientific explanation of reality, and no sound reason for believing anything but our sense experience." The eye-opening factor of this sentence is one word, "reality". As Mr. Johnson described, reality comes from one's brain, so it is obviously different from person to person. This being said, Pi's reality is just as correct as Mr. Kumar's, so if he has good reason to believe something is not there, there is a very good reason to respect him.
Does reality vary from brain to brain? I like the way you think, and the way you write clearly to express what are in fact, fairly mature notions. Well done.
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