2.9 Reading Response 5 – Life of Pi

The Life of Pi written by Yahn Martel, a novel that tells the story of a young Indian man named Pi. He grows up having a close relationship with animals and is taught from a young age the dangers of them, especially tigers. The story really begins when Pi’s family decides to move to Canada, they depart on a ship stuffed hull alongside the crew and animals. The ship begins to sink and Pi is spilt from his family. He ends up trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger. Here begins Pi’s journey in the vast ocean with nothing but a small raft keeping him and a tiger afloat. 

This novel shows determination and kindness when it comes to survival. ”Richard Parker! Don’t give up, please. Come to the lifeboat…Swim, swim!” When Pi allows the tiger on board with him he proves to the reader that he doesn’t value one life more than another. This has taught me as the reader a lot about what I want to see in the people I have in my life. I want to fill my life with people who have the same values as Pi, who see that all lives are equal. Whether it comes to race or even species. I think this text and this message specifically needs to be wider recognised to people, as it’s important in our busy lives that we see the simpler messages and really go back to basics so we can treat each other right. In day to day life as a teenager in school, I’m faced with people constantly thinking that they are the most important thing in the world. These people need a reality check and if it was up to me I would recommend this book as it pot-rays grounding messages, much like the one I’ve pointed out above. 

This novel shows me that once someone is removed from society and is faced with a life threatening experience, the outside world perishes, who you were before is gone, all that matters is saving yourself. “your own life is threatened, your sense of empathy is blunted by a terrible, selfish hunger for survival.” Pi shows us here that when it comes to your own life, you will do anything to survive, no matter what it takes. We know from the previous paragraph that Pi’s kindness is strong but when endless hunger begins to overtake his brain, his hearts motives go out the window. I think that in todays world this relates to a lot of us and not only when it comes to survival. When I see something I want so badly, it overcomes all of my senses and until I get that thing I won’t rest. For example in my life right now my young teenage brain is consumed with the thought of buying a car, a cheap car at that. It’s all I can think about and until my car hunger is filled I wont rest. I see this as a lesson about todays world and the need to fulfil our brains desires whether it’s about survival and food or just plain social status. 

“It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.” I think this quote alone can teach us a lot about the world we live in today. This quote can be taken either way, whether the people who are effecting us are good or bad. I can relate to this quote on a very deep level as I know that as the person I am that every person I meet or talk to will weigh heavily on how the rest of my day or even week will go. If I have a good experience with a person obviously I’m going to come away from it happy. Where as if the experience was bad it brings me down for a while. I feel that on a social level this is how a lot of the world reacts as if we look at extroverts like me, who buzz off being around people can also get on such a low from just one bad experience with a person. I find it overwhelming how just one person can make or break my day and theres nothing I can do about it. That’s why I find the meaning of this quote important. I want the rest of the world to understand how just being nice to someone could be the changing point in someones day or even the thing that brings a person away from the edge. 

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