Mr. Patel and the Bengal Tiger by Sofia Balistrieri https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe Made with the best of intentions en-us 2022-03-29 15:58:11 UTC 2022-03-31 03:10:19 UTC hello@padlet.com Main Claim balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119680160 By analyzing and comparing Pi’s relationship with Richard Parker Yann Martel portrays the theme that the meaning of life is less about one’s nature as an animal or human but more about surviving the insufferable.]]> 2022-03-29 16:00:04 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119680160 Pi recognizes that Richard Parker, a ferocious predator, is essential to his survival as he is the same color as the lifebuoy -orange- which represents survival. balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119700542 “His head was the size and color of the lifebuoy, with teeth” (99).]]> 2022-03-29 16:10:35 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119700542 Regardless of Pi's differences with Richard Parker they must work together to outlast their harrowing journey because survival is only possible if they find common ground. balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119712148 “I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity, It was not a question of him or me, but of him and me” (164).

]]> 2022-03-29 16:16:31 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119712148 Pi must put aside his humanity to provide food for himself and Richard Parker and follows the example of Richard Parker to act savagely and kill. balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119724744 “Killing it was no problem. I would have spared myself the trouble-after all, it was for Richard Parker and he would have dispatched it with expert ease” (185).]]> 2022-03-29 16:22:53 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119724744 Similarly to Pi, Richard Parker, even as an animal, desires anything more than what's available to them on the lifeboat and in the Pacific Ocean. balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119735343 “The hours were long, the fish were small, and Richard Parker was forever hungry” (194).]]> 2022-03-29 16:28:13 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119735343 Pi- who once feared Richard Parker for his predator brutality- has lost his innocence as a human and mimics the barbarity of Richard Parker. balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119748963 “I shuddered at opening a banana because it sounded to me like the breaking of an animal’s neck. I had descended to a level of savagery I never imagined possible” (197).

]]> 2022-03-29 16:34:57 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119748963 At the beginning of the story Pi is the weaker creature in the lifeboat and views Richard Parker as a majestic killer but soon finds that Richard Parker also has his weaknesses when pressure is high. balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119763069 “Perhaps it was because Richard Parker was not familiar with sharks…one of those few times I was reminded that Richard Parker was not perfect, that despite his honed instincts he too could bumble” (219).]]> 2022-03-29 16:41:42 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119763069 As a 350 pound Bengal tiger there is much for Pi to fear in Richard Parker; however, as Pi's mental determination to survive grows he finds the weak spots in Richard Parker which allows Pi to present himself as an equal competitor. balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119799031 “I looked Richard Parker dead in the eyes, Suddenly his brute strength meant only moral weakness” (222).]]> 2022-03-29 16:59:37 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119799031 Pi has a lot of love in his heart and regardless of his differences with Richard Parker he still loves the Bengal tiger greatly because without accepting his presence survival would be impossible. balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119819726 “Truly I do. I love you, Richard Parker. If I didn’t have you now, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t think I would make it. No, I wouldn’t. I would die of hopelessness. Don’t give up Richard Parker” (236).]]> 2022-03-29 17:09:27 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119819726 Pi's self-identity becomes so entwined with Richard Parker's in the face of suffering that he begins to emulate the characteristics of a tiger and blurs the boundary between animal and human. balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119837010 “I began to imitate Richard Parker in sleeping an incredible number of hours” (239).]]> 2022-03-29 17:17:52 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119837010 BEST ANALYSIS balistrieris2342 https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119837411  Pi has developed a close relationship with Richard Parker and the thought of abandoning Richard Parker--"to leave him would mean to kill him"--is heartbreaking. Pi regains much of his strength on the Carnivorous island; this strength allows him to have confidence in his survival. Earlier in the story, Pi acknowledges his dependence on Richard Parker to survive, exclaiming, "I love you, Richard Parker. If I didn’t have you now, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t think I would make it" (236). At heart, Pi is still a humane person and through that lens makes a decision that reflects his loneliness and infuses human characteristics into the tiger. The human attributes he projects in Richard Parker reflect Pi's own mental and physical state when he first found himself on the lifeboat, such as fragility and fear. Unbeknownst to Richard Parker, Pi realizes it is now his turn to help Richard Parker: "I could not abandon Richard Parker... he would not survive the first night" (283). Pi does not visualize Richard Parker as a ferocious beast but as an equal partner in his survival.]]> 2022-03-29 17:18:04 UTC https://padlet.com/balistrieris2342/cglqn2jeekvr8gqe/wish/2119837411