Life of Pi - Supplemental Reading by Cindy Tran https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7 Made with the best of intentions en-us 2019-11-11 04:54:19 UTC 2026-03-20 10:50:56 UTC hello@padlet.com Entry 1 cindy_tran2 https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409310402 [Pi:] "Religion will save us," I said. Since when I could remember, religions had always been close to my heart.

"Religion?" Mr. Kumar grinned broadly. "I don't believe in religion. Religion is darkness."

Darkness? I was puzzled. I thought, Darkness is the last thing that religion is. Religion is light. Was he testing me? Was he saying, "Religion is darkness," the way he sometimes said in class things like "Mammals lay eggs," to see if someone would correct him? ("Only platypuses, sir.")

Pi has a conversation about religion with Mr. Kumar, who is his biology teacher. This conversation not only helps him realize that Mr. Kuma is an atheist, but it also confuses Pi. Religion has always been very prevalent in Pi’s life so when Mr. Kumar referred to it as “darkness,” Pi became very confused because he sees religion as the light in his life. Pi wonders if Mr. Kumar is trying to test him, but Pi sees both religion and science as “light.” Neither cancels out the other because he believes they both exist at the same time, and they both help him as he continues to grow.

]]> 2019-11-11 04:56:45 UTC https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409310402 Entry 2 cindy_tran2 https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409310509 "It was my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith."

Even though Mr. Kumar is an atheist, Pi still considers his teacher to be a man of faith. Although Pi practices and studies different religions, like Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, he does not practice a specific one and does not believe in just the Bible or Q’uran. Instead, he finds the main concepts of each respective religion and ties them all together to create his own belief. By doing so, it has helped him accept atheists as who they are instead of trying to convert them to a different religion. Just as Pi believes God exists, atheists believe that God does not exist.

]]> 2019-11-11 04:57:31 UTC https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409310509 Entry 3 cindy_tran2 https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409310698 “I'll be honest about it. It is not atheists who get stuck in my craw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if He burst out from the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" then surely we are also permitted to doubt. But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”

As religious as he is, Pi is not bothered by atheists, but instead, he does not understand agnostics. He believes that doubt only helps people go so far, but at one point, humans must let go of doubt and move on from it. If people continue to be doubtful throughout their life, they will not get anywhere. That being said, Pi has a bitter taste in his mouth when it comes to agnostics because they are doubting whether or not God is real. He does not have a problem with atheists because they believe that no God exists, but agnostics, on the other hand, do not have a set belief, which bothers Pi.]]> 2019-11-11 04:58:30 UTC https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409310698 Entry 4 cindy_tran2 https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409310882 "But I don't insist. I don't mean to defend zoos. Close them all down if you want (and let us hope that what wildlife remains can survive in what is left of the natural world). I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both."

Many people feel that zoos are unjust because they are restraining animals from freely roaming their natural habitats. Pi states that he does not agree with that opinion, but at the same time, he does not necessarily support zoos. He believes that zoos are a place of comfort for animals; he goes even further by saying they could even be shut down as long as the animals are able to survive on their own in the wild. In the same way, he believes that people face this same issue when it comes to religion. When people practice their faith, they often believe that they are being restricted in life because of the rules they must follow just as animals are restricted in their zoo cages.

]]> 2019-11-11 04:59:10 UTC https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409310882 Entry 5 cindy_tran2 https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409311102 "Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen every day. I will put in all the hard work necessary. Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen."

As Pi is stranded in the lifeboat, he decides to routinely pray to God every day for a miracle in order to survive. He begins to lose hope as the reality of sharing a boat with Richard Parker hits and becomes dejected; however, just as he begins to lose hope, he hears a voice in the back of his head not to give up. He must continue to fight to survive; thus, he fights with himself and is determined to live. He considers the fact that he continues to survive each day a miracle in itself, which shows that God is with him. As Pi’s faith in God grows, so does his chances of survival.


]]> 2019-11-11 05:00:16 UTC https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409311102 Entry 6 cindy_tran2 https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409311190 "Mr. Okamoto: 'Yes. The story with animals is the better story.' Pi Patel: 'Thank you. And so it goes with God.'"

When Pi recounts his experience of what happened after the boat sank, he tells two versions: one with humans and one with animals. After listening to both stories, the Japanese officials said they like the animal story better even though it is unrealistic and not very believable and agreed to let him explain how he feels religiously. Just like how the story with animals does not make sense, believing in God does not necessarily make sense either because there is no concrete proof that he exists. However, Pi believes that having faith brings positivity to the world, therefore, making the world better.

]]> 2019-11-11 05:00:50 UTC https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409311190 Entry 7 cindy_tran2 https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409311320 "Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love—but sometimes it was so hard to love."

Pi remembers the times that he was not so open and loving towards God. He recalls the 277 days that he was unable to maintain his trust in God while he was stranded; however, he never failed to say his routinely prayer and complete his religious practices. While isolated, Pi suffers from anger and despair, but instead of lingering on those feelings, Pi tries to focus on all of the events that brought him reassurance and reminded him why he should remain firm in his faith, like when the school of fish appeared in front of him or when there was a storm.

]]> 2019-11-11 05:01:50 UTC https://padlet.com/cindy_tran2/e2hgr7ozmiq7/wish/409311320