Life Of Pi Expository Essay

Can Discovery truly allows us to view life in a new and fresh way? Due to the complex and abstract nature of the concept of discovery, a true sense of discovery harbour's the ability to incite individuals in many differentiating ways as it can be provoked through their different past experiences. The concept of discovery has evidently evoked curiosity and inquisitiveness through the protagonists of both the indigenous play “Rainbows end” composed by Jane Harrison, and also through the novel “The fault in our stars” authored by John Green.

Yann Martel (born 1963) is an author best known for the Man Booker Prize winning novel Life Of Pi, a# 1 international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and spent more than a year on the New York Times Bestseller list. It was adapted to the screen by Ang Lee.

Humans generally face struggles in their lifetime. Such struggles could be within themselves or with someone or something else but commonly stem from some sort of opposition in lifestyle. In Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi, Pi’s passion for personal survival conflicts with his moral obligations to himself internally, morphing his external character.

The process of discovery refers to the perception created upon experiencing the unfamiliar and redefining what is familiar. Discovery can be achieved through unexpected means or deliberate expeditionary, whether it be tangible or a fragment of our thoughts/imagination/emotions. Poems ‘The Tiger’ and ‘Young Girl At A Window’ by Rosemary Dobson and poem ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley thoroughly explore this concept via their ideology of human nature and its effect on discovery.

Yann Martel`s Life of Pi follows A journey of a young man and a Bengal tiger as they travel across the ocean in a lifeboat.Director Ang lee made many consider the book to be beautiful,but virually unflimable.Being needed to told on screen Ang lee discerned very adeptly,about Life of Pi ‘’if there is will there is a way’’.

Karanvir Dhami Ms. Yu ENG3U March 7, 2011 Symbolism in Life of Pi In Life of Pi there are many literary devices used to present the different themes in the novel. The main literary device used in Life of Pi is symbolism. Symbolism is often used to represent an object to something else, either by association or by resemblance. Most of the names of animals, objects and even humans in this novel have a symbolic meaning. In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, symbolism such as pi’s name, the colour orange and the algae island, are used throughout the novel to provide Pi with protection to help him either survive or overcome his emotional pain. The mathematical pi is undefined, infinite and unable to be understood, just like Piscine Patel.

The term ‘discovery’ can be explored and interpreted in many different ways, the meaning is created by an individual’s perception, opinion and experiences of discovery. In the book Swallow the Air by Tara June Winch and the film, Titanic by James Cameron explores the concept of discovery as an idea that discoveries can be challenging as they allow for the transformation of an individual’s perspective, and they allow for an individual to discover their true identity and the identity of others around them.

During this part of the novel, Pi’s father is teaching him a lesson by letting a tiger brutally kill a goat right in front of him. He is trying to teach Pi to not go near an animal such as tigers because they are incredibly dangerous. I believe this thread represents the foreshadowing of what is to come for Pi.

The process of discovery occurs when individual encounter challenges or problems and through the experiences of adversity they acquire their real identity. Jane Harrison’s play, Rainbow’s End, June Winch’s novel, Swallow the air, and the carton Seashell, by Michael Leunig are the three texts exemplifies how the process of discovery can be confronting and provocative and leads to transformation.

Discovery inhibits the ability to embrace new beginnings and accept a sense of change whether it is found or forced upon an individual. The places you travel and the people you meet can emotionally revolutionize a self-discovery through unexpected but anticipated terms evoked from curiosity. ‘Swallow The Air’ written by Tara June Winch and ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’ written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie break the inhibitions of vulnerability, as their ideas represented through cultural contexts and values, lead to an overall self-discovery.

Through an individual’s life experience and challenges , a process of discovery can be undertaken serving as a catalyst for renewed perceptions of themselves and others. Robert Grey explores this concept in “The Meatworks” where the persona is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about the materialistic nature of society. This notion is furthered in “Flames and Dangling Wire” in which Grey depicts the negative consequences of change and development, portraying a grim image of the self-destruction of humanity. Similarly “Big World”, a short story by Tim Winton portrays how the introduction of a new environment can catalyse significant change within an individual, inducing new understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Discoveries can encompass the experience of discovering something for the first time or rediscovering something that has been lost, forgotten or concealed. This idea is densely explored in the novel ‘The China coin’ written by Allan Baillie, in which the author expresses the many discoveries that emerge through the protagonist’s journey in search of the other half of the coin; which she had received from her father before he had passed away. Similarly, the novel ‘The Perks of being a wallflower’, by Stephan Chbosky shares relevant ideas to Allan Baillie in addition to self-discovery and personal development. Both texts present applicable ideas which deal with issues surrounding the topic ‘discoveries’ and thus are able to present a sophisticated insight to the responder.

Due to Pi’s devotion to all of his faiths, particularly Hinduism, not only changed how he thought about his current situation, but also changed how he would think about every single situation after in Martel’s Life of Pi.

Individuals discoveries can emerge unexpectedly & suddenly, or discoveries can encompass encountering something for the first time & rediscover something that is lost forgotten or concealed. These perspectives can be shared with individuals collectively through a screen documentary, like Go Back To Where You Came From (Go Back) by Ivan O’manhoney, or through a novella such as The Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. These stories explore the unexpected & rediscovered discoveries of compassion, knowledge & acceptance of people. Go Back & The Heart Of Darkness both clearly exemplify notions of self-discovery that then actuate introspection, followed by the unveiling of what is unknown and the reconsideration of what is known, and therefore highlight the processes of discovery as a matter of uncovering and reconsidering the known, an innate aspect of human nature.

Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is a prime literary example of the major impacts the roles of minor characters have on the plot of a story. Without such characters as the protagonist’s father, uncle, and brother, the entirety of the main characters’ lives would be shifted dramatically. So much, in fact, that the events of the novel may never have occurred had these secondary characters been absent.