Yann Martel

Soul Surfer: A Survivor She was bitten by a shark, but her Bethany’s big courage motivated her to recover and get back to the surfboard. The novel Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton is about a girl named Bethany whose arm was bitten by a shark making her ability to surf almost “impossible” There are lots of historical events that cover the same theme of courage. Two courageous surfers that rescued a man that was drowning in the turbulent ocean, a pilot that saved 155 lives by landing a plane on…

A living person is identified as someone that is a living creature, that includes having a range of emotions that distinguish character traits. A book that showcases this successfully is “The Old Man and the Sea” a novel written by Ernest Hemingway that was published on September 1, 1952. It tells the story of a fisherman named Santiago that has had no luck in catching fish in 84 days. There is also a boy named Manolin, and together they help each other in many ways until one day Manolin leaves…

Have you ever wondered what life would be like surviving from trash findings? Although the experience can be unpleasant and lurking with rodents, rotted fruit and musty odors it can lead to great findings. According to Duke University the average person generates four point three pounds of waste a day. In the story “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner he describes the means of survival out of the dumpster. The author provides vivid descriptions and explanations for his findings. He also explains…

The Animals of Cold Mountain The characters in Cold Mountain are often hard to identify with as they are from the past and have experienced vastly different situations than the people of today. In order to make the characters feel more relatable Charles Frazier, the author of the book, utilizes the motif of insect animal and nature appearances. Frazier integrates the motif into his book with imagery and uses the animals as symbols for the reader to identify with. The first appearance of the…

determination is a major influence of survival. Martel demonstrates this through Pi, who conquers emotional, moral, and physical obstacles. Emotions Throughout the novel Pi goes through a range of emotions. When Pi is lost at sea he faces emotional obstacles that he must overcome in order to survive. Pi knows that he must conquer his fear of Richard Parker and tame him in order survive. “I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity” (Martel 57). Pi must tame Richard…

are switched. For example, in the movie Pi is shown to be the one to tempt Richard Parker and on the night of the storm, his actions are defended by Pi thinking, “I don’t know why I got up that night. It was more the sort of thing Ravi would do” ( Martel 101), something the movie doesn’t address. Pi is readily more understood and empathized with, however his character lacks the needed skill and information required to tame Richard Parker, an important component of the story- if Richard Parker is…

Our everyday life seems boring and slow-paced, but to a person who has been at sea, our life is a paradise. In Yann Martel’s The Life of Pi, the main character, Piscine Patel, survives at sea in a lifeboat for a record of 227 days. While this story is fictitious, the ocean is a harsh environment for any human, regardless of experience. A lack of natural fresh water, limited food, as well as the constant danger of too much sun exposure make a formidable environment for even the most seasoned…

The Difference Between Survival and Living Even though the act of surviving and living can share common factors, In Life of Pi, Pi tells a story of survival compared to Big Fish where Edward Bloom tells a story of life and is conveyed as two completely different lifestyles. Pi tells his story has he has to do anything to be alive, and overcoming many obstacles such as staying alive with all the animals one the raft with him and killing/eating fish in order to "survive". Edward Bloom tells his…

Life of Pi is about a sixteen year old boy named Piscine Molitor Patel who goes by Pi from India who was in a family of zookeepers and searches for faith by following several religions. On their way to move to Canada on a cargo ship with his family and his family’s zoo animals the ship sinks and all the survivors are Pi, a hyena, an orangutan named Orange Juice, a zebra, and a tiger. As the days pass, little by little the animals die and/or eat each other until the only survivors are Pi and the…

The documentary Chasing Coral follows the journey of Richard Vevers, a former “ad man”, as he uncovers the beauty and demise of coral reefs. His love for the ocean began at 16 when he first started diving and this particular quest initiated when he noticed that is favorite creature, sea dragons, were disappearing. This inspired Richard to create the non-profit The Ocean Agency. In an effort to bring about awareness to changes occuring in the ocean Richard and the non-profit created the project…