Journal #3:

Despite the horrific circumstances that are experienced by Pi Patel, the main character, in Life of Pi, the author manages to tastefully incorporate a charming element of dark humour into the novel. This aids in both lightening to the mood and entertaining the reader by avoiding a simple "doom and gloom" mentality towards the situation. A sickly hilarious example of this occurs on pages 254 to 255, where Pi’s lifeboat (which has been shipwrecked on for many months) encounters a whale in the water. The author sets us up the anecdote, in what seems in hindsight to be somewhat of a prank, by describing a whale looking for a mate which brushes up against the boat. After seeing the first one, several more appear, "a short-lived archipelago of volcanic islands." The weary Pi continues on, describing how he was convinced they understood his condition. He imagines what they are saying as they witness the boat and relays his interpretations to us. "‘Oh! It’s the castaway with the pussy cat [(Bengal tiger)] Bamphoo was telling me about. Poor boy. Hope he has enough plankton... I wonder if there isn’t a ship around I could alert... I’ll try to help. My name’s Pimphoo.’" Pi’s character names the whales Bamphoo, Mumphoo, Tomphoo, Stimphoo, and Pimphoo–adorable names for loveable creatures. Unfortunately, however, the author ends the anecdote with an unhappy ending that I couldn’t help laughing at. "And so, through the grapevine, every whale of the Pacific knew of me," he says, "and I would have been saved long ago if Pimphoo hadn’t sought help from a Japanese ship whose dastardly crew harpooned her, the same fate as befell Lamphoo at the hands of a Norwegian ship." He ends the anecdote with, "The hunting of whales is a heinous crime." By adding a bit of dark humour to the story, the reader becomes more enticed

Journal #2

The Life of Pi never ceases to entice me as a reader. And finally, I think I've discovered the reason why. Yann Martel, I've realized, has a fascinatingly honest way of making descriptions, in a style that one cannot help but adore. He utilizes graphic imagery to make his description, yet keeps it tasteful by adding a powerful continuity and making even stronger connections to the rest of the book. For example, in page 128, Martel describes through the eyes of Pi Patel, the main character, the disgusting nature of a hyena in a format that is very akin to an essay. Pi Patel, the son of a (now late) zookeeper, describes in detail the low yet cunning dangers of a hyena, a fearsome creature that "attacks in packs whatever animal can be run down, its flanks open while still in full motion". His thesis is clear in the beginning of the paragraph. He starts the paragraph by saying, "I had not forgotten father's words. they are not cowardly carrion eaters...," later elaborating and completing the thesis by saying, "It is when the moon rises that the hyena's day starts, and it proves to be a devastating hunter." After establishing the thesis, Martel gives a grotesque description of the awesomely cruel and revolting nature of a hyena. He uses all the classic methods of an argument, by establishing ethos, pathos, and logos. The ethos, or credibility of the character is already established, as 16-year-old Pi has lived for years witnessing these animals. He also establishes this in the first line of the paragraph of the essay (which, interestingly enough, is following another separate paragraph in which he describes the revolting physical appearance of the animal alone), saying, "I had not forgotten father's words." The reader, who knows by now the wisdom of the character's father, immediately recognizes the significance of the words, and ethos is successfully established with one simple phrase.

Following this appeal, the author uses pathos to receive an emotional response from the reader, lightly flavoured with a bit of logos to enhance the reality of the deadly hyena's threat. Very early on, he describes their cunning in a way that relates to the reader. He says, "And they are clever; anything that can be distracted from its mother is good. The ten-minute-old gnu is a favourite dish, but hyenas also eat young lions and young rhinoceros." What better way to appeal to one's emotions than to bring innocent babies into the mix? Right before saying that, he says, "They go for zebras, gnus and water buffaloes, and not only the old or the infirm in a herd--full grown members too." This emphasizes the point established in the thesis, which refutes the idea that they are cowardly carrion eaters. Next, he purposely disgusts us by describing their gluttonous ways. Here he is using pathos. "In fifteen minutes flat, all that will be left of the zebra is the skull." Later he sickens us further with the concept of cannibalism among a pack. "Accidental cannibalism is a common occurrence during the excitement of a feeding," he writes, continuing with, "in reaching for a bite of zebra, a hyena will take in the ear or nostril of another clan member... it admits no disgust at this mistake...[as] its delights are too many to admit disgust at anything". Yet another attempt to disturb us--what kind of sick creature, we ask, would eat one of their own kind? Martel's relentless essay continues into more detail later in the story, describing how the animals drink from the water they urinate in, eat the rest of the bodies of those they accidentally eat parts of after a day, and even attack motor vehicles. He concludes by returning to the context within the story, ending the essay with, "That was the animal I had racing around in circles before me. An animal to pain the eye and chill the heart." By using a powerful narrative essay format within a story and using logos, ethos, and pathos, Yann Martel successfully demonizes the hyena in a way that churns the stomach of even the most passionate animal lover. It is descriptions like this that are really making me love this book.

The Life of Pi Journal Entry #1

So far, the Life of Pi by Yann Martel has been a fantastic read, possibly one of the best in my life. The author's artful comparisons between humans, animals, and religion have fascinated me throughout the story. Based on the true events of Piscine Molitor Patel, the story claims that "it is a story that will make you believe in God" in the preface, and although that may not be the case, it has certainly made me rethink life in general. Take, for example, the first couple of pages, where the narrator is describing how he is taking a double-major in zoology and religious studies. He speaks about the three-toed sloth which he studied in Brazil, which, when motivated, "crawls to the next tree at the rate of 250 metres an hour,... which is 440 times slower that a motivated cheetah." He continues to describe the animal's seemingly pathetic senses of smell, taste, sight, and sound, changing his direction with the question of how it can possibly survive in the wild. The answer, the Pi continues, is it's slothfulness and slow way of living. It's hairs shelter an algae that allows them to blend in completely with their surroundings, out of the reach of predators. "The three-toed sloth lives a peaceful, vegetarian life in complete harmony with its environment," the author explains, later comparing the sloths to yogis deep in meditation, or wise beings who were beyond the reaches of his "scientific probing". The paradoxical way that Pi describes this animal, so boring and lifeless, as being wisened and resonant with spirituality is just another way that the author makes this book an amazing read. This sloth connection resonates again in the book on page 89 when Pi's muslim mentor, a modest and plain-looking baker named Mr. Kumar comes to visit Pi's family zoo as a child. The baker, who Pi reveres very much, agrees to meet at the main gate, but the main character cannot find him amidst the sea of people, because he moves so slowly and plainly. It is only when Mr. Kumar addresses Pi that he finds him. Like the sloth, Mr. Kumar blends in harmony with his surroundings, a deeply religious Muslim who has no need to attract attention in his pious life. Other moments in the book also repeat themselves in this powerful way throughout the story, leaving the reader able to read and re-read the book over and over and still discover more within its pages. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel is turning out to be an amazing read.