Students are to complete the questions and tasks for each of the themes and in addition, working in pairs, are to select one of the identified questions to present to the rest of the class. This will enable you to further research and reflect on an area of interest to you as well as giving you a chance to practice your oral presentation skills.
Two periods will be given for the theme questions and tasks, one period for preparing your presentation and a final period for the presentations to be heard.
The Presentation should be between 2-4 minutes, may be done as a talk or a PowerPoint presentation. Students may elect for a formal presentation from the front of the class or for an informal talk from where they are sitting.
Students should provide references to the text and include quotes where appropriate in their answers and in their Presentation.
Survival, The Will to Survive & Overcoming Fear
How does Pi survive his ordeal? What personal qualities come to the fore? How do the animals help? How important is the lifeboat’s survival kit? Can the Hand of God be seen at work? Is communication and companionship important? Is there such a thing as an ‘innate will to survive’? What else keeps Pi alive? (see chapters 50, 51, 52, 53, 57, 59 and 72)
If I still had the will to live, it was thanks to Richard Parker. He kept me from thinking too much about my family and my tragic circumstances. He pushed me to go on living. I amgrateful. It’s the plain truth: without Richard Parker, I wouldn’t be alive today to tell you my story.’ What does Pi mean by this? Can the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker be seen as an allegory of the challenges we face in our own lives? Can Richard Parker be seen as representing Death?
How does Pi survive his ordeal according to the alternative version of events? (see chapter 99) If this version of events is the true story then why did Pi create the version of the story with the animals in it? Did he behave according to accepted moral values and to the teaching of his religions?
What are some of the great survival stories? What can we learn from them? Is truth stranger or more compelling than fiction? How do they compare to Pi’s story?
Religion and Rational Thinking, Religion and Science
What are your personal thoughts on science and religion? (Holiday Homework Task No. 6) How do faith and belief differ? What do you understand by the terms ‘atheist’ and ‘agnostic’? Are both science and religion about telling stories? Do both require faith?
The young Pi insists that he cannot accept an exclusively Hindu, Christian or Muslim faith; he can only be content with all three. What is it that attracts Pi to all three religions? What is Pi seeking that can only be attained by this apparent contradiction? Is there something common to all religions? (see chapters 16, 17, 18, 19, 21 and 23)
How does Pi feel about science and rational thinking? How does Pi feel about ‘atheists’ and ‘agnostics’? (see chapter 7)
What do the world’s great religions have in common and how do they differ? What ‘truths’ do they offer us? Can any of these ‘truths’ be called ‘absolute truths’? Can they prove the existence of God?
Animals and Humans, Nature and Society, Zoology and Religion
What are your favourite animals? Do you have any favourite stories about animals? (Holiday Homework Task No. 4) What makes them appealing? How are the animals depicted? What do we learn from these stories?
After reading Chapters 8 and 32 explain what you understand by ‘anthropomorphism’ and ‘zoomorphism’. (Holiday Homework Task No. 5) Given your understanding, how does ‘Tigger’ differ from ‘Richard Parker’ and are you in a ‘zoomorphic’ relationship? Is the author true to this understanding in his depiction of animals in version one of his story?
a) When removed from family and society in what ways does Pi become more animal-like and what does this say about us humans? (see chapter 77 b) Do zoos fill a similar function for animals as does religion for humans? (see chapters 4 and 10)
What aspects of animal behaviour interest you? Is it of any relevance to us as humans?
Stories, Storytelling and Storytelling
How does Yann Martel make his story almost believable?
‘That’s what fiction is about, isn’t it? The selective transforming of reality?’ How does this question, from the author’s note, affect your interpretation of the events in the novel? And what about the question Pi asks of his Japanese inquisitors: ‘Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?’ What do you think is the truth of Pi’s story?
Did the story ‘make you believe in God’ as the elderly man said it would for the author, or is it just an uniquely imaginative story? Are religion and/or storytelling important for surviving and living a fulfilling life?
What makes a good story? Make a list of your five favourite stories. They can be movies, books, television shows, or even an experience that you enjoy relating to others. What do they have in common? What gives them the ‘spark of life’? (Holiday Homework Task No. 2)
Students are to complete the questions and tasks for each of the themes and in addition, working in pairs, are to select one of the identified questions to present to the rest of the class. This will enable you to further research and reflect on an area of interest to you as well as giving you a chance to practice your oral presentation skills.
Two periods will be given for the theme questions and tasks, one period for preparing your presentation and a final period for the presentations to be heard.
The Presentation should be between 2-4 minutes, may be done as a talk or a PowerPoint presentation. Students may elect for a formal presentation from the front of the class or for an informal talk from where they are sitting.
Students should provide references to the text and include quotes where appropriate in their answers and in their Presentation.
Survival, The Will to Survive & Overcoming Fear
Religion and Rational Thinking, Religion and Science
Animals and Humans, Nature and Society, Zoology and Religion
Stories, Storytelling and Storytelling