Life Of Pi Rhetorical Analysis

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The panicked yet optimistic tones of The Life of Pi convey Pi’s disorientation as he searches for answers. Pi is terrified because the ship is sinking and the animals are loose and running around. However, when Pi spots the officers of the ship, he assumes that they will have all of the answers and keep him safe. Accordingly, Pi being frightened and hopeful sets the stage for the intensity of the novel to escalate quickly.
The detail illustrates the confusion aboard the ship. Pi is trying to understand what is happening and dismisses the loose animals “as illusion crafted by rain and shadow”; however, he realizes the sights are real when a wild ox “[explodes] out of the rain and [thunders] by me.” Pi’s family always keeps the animals in their

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