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There MUST be a better way to establish dominance than luxuriating int the aroma of tiger feces...
I have had turtle soup -- made from snapping turtle. It was long ago, but I remember being surprised by its deliciousness...and the variety of flavors in the meat from different sections of the turtle's body. It was like a meat smorgasbord. I wonder why turtles are made this way...
I can't imagine myself EVER being hungry enough to try eating tiger poo...but I'm sure Pi couldn't imagine it either before this situation. G-R-O-S-S.
What are your thoughts on these chapters? Why do we need to know this information? What does this information add to the story?
Try this experiment: Go to a familiar place outdoors and lay down on your back so you can see the sky. Look at the sky from this position for three days straight, three times a day. Take notes that describe the sky. Let me know what you saw.
Try the above with a body of water if you're on vacation or near enough to Luna Pier that you can just stop there easily. Let me know what you saw.
Pi provides great insights into what it must be like to be a castaway.
14 comments:
I think these chapters were very graphic and gross. It was gross hearing about poop and a poor little turtle that was Pi’s favorite meal. I don’t think we really needed to know any of this gross and pointless information. I think these chapters added a lot of details to the story and the chapters let me see more of Pi’s survival strategies. I laid on my patio a couple times a day for three days to see what would be different in the sky. The biggest difference I saw was the clouds. Some days there were no clouds and the other days there were a ton of clouds and the shapes of the clouds would change each day. When I was outside in the morning the sky was brighter and there were a lot more birds that flew by.
I sat outside in my pool for several days sometimes not alone, but you start to feel diffrently after a while you feel bored faster and more tired, I wonder how Pi did it staring off at the water for so long... at least he had fish and turtles to look at, I had small bugs that I tried to save and get out of the pool. I'm sure even lookng at a fihtank to long wuld make you feel as Pi does. I would assume you would start to talk to the little fishtank-fishies, learn how they act when you touch the glass, make names, and learn to love them. Just as we do with animals, such as cats! Maybe Pi will find love in his heart for the "450-pound tabby." (162).
I think when it comes to what Pi is consuming it just comes down to survival. Im sure Pi didn't WANT to nor did he enjoy eating tiger poop (clearly). But when it comes to staying alive you have to try everything and anything. Not that i would eat poop...
The turtle though, thats smart. He read in the survival manual that turtles are great to eat. So what do ya know, Pi is in the middle of the ocean surrounded by them! Turtle doesn't sound gross to me nor does it seem weird in any way shape or form. If anything thats one of the better things someone could eat if stuck in a sisuation like Pi's.
This section personally disgusted me. I can't believe that all the time that Pi spent as a child in a zoo didn't lead him to a better way to establish his dominance over Richard Parker. I agree with Kristin, however, in the fact that turtle doesn't really sound that bad. But, I am a person who has tried alligator and pigs feet (the second being way worse than the first).
I think that this chapter was added to let the reader know that Pi was just not eating the food rations during his time on the lifeboat, but anything he could. I also think this chapter makes a great example of how hunger can get the best of you. When you are hungry, anything will look appetizing, and these chapters put a good example in the readers mind. Also i assume this chapter was added to let us know how Pi was not killed by Richard Parker. Not merely by luck but by dominance. As for the experiment, the sky looked the same really, just a different formation of clouds. Every single time it was a boring experience though.
I am happy for the detail in these chapters, although it is extremely gross. It helps me wrap my mind around the situation if that's even possible. I know I can't ever imagine this happening to me.
One thing I enjoyed about the experiment was looking at the stars. I like finding the Big Dipper on a clear night. Other times where to cloudy to see much.
The sky is such a baffling thing. One moment, it's a pleasant blue with fluffy clouds; the next, it's lost in an overcast stupor; and the next, it's too bright to see because of the sun. It's very strange at night as well, especially when the moon is so bright you don't even need a flashlight to see things in detail. I can understand how Pi was so entranced with the sky and sea- the Pacific is much moodier compared to tempered old Michigan. I also managed to do a bit of this experiment when I was vacationing up north on a lake in Wisconsin. One day in particular, the water was smooth as glass in the morning. However, by the time we decided to take the boat out, the waves had grown tremendously and we were stuck out in the middle of the lake moving extremely slow to get back to the dock safely. I can only imagine the dangers Pi faced when the Pacific turned angry! But aside from that, I think the changing sky and ocean were also a sort of comfort for Pi. In a way, they kept the days from becoming too monotonous and his sanity from going completely out the window.
These chapters were so sick. I was a little confused on how eating the poop would establish Pi's dominance...Wouldn't that do the opposite? Wouldn't eating someone's poop make you seem like you're lower on the food chain because you can't supply food for yourself?
While yes, the graphicness of Pi's tiger feces meal was disgusting, it was needed to show the reader the intensity of his situation. Pi had nothing but survival on his mind. He was desperate for food in his stomach (that is the only reason I could fathom someone doing something so gross). I do find it interesting that he acquired a hatred for salt throughout his experience. Must have been a result of all the sea water.
I completely agree that there has to be a much better way to establish dominance rather than luxuriating in the aroma of tiger feces. That is absolutely disgusting; however, at the time, ideas were limited, and something had to be done to ensure Pi's safety, although I still am not quite sure that is a good enough excuse!
My thoughts on these chapters... Hmmm. Well when I began reading, my mind created vivid images that I truly had no desire of picturing! I was simply disgusted! For some reason it seems as if the disturbing portions of novels are what get our minds moving the most, whether we like it or not. As I was reading I could truly feel the hair on my arms standing up, because I was getting goosebumps out of disgust! This information is not really stuff we would like to know, but it really does help intensify the image of the conditions that Pi is living in. The descriptions of the things he has to do just to keep himself alive are very vivid, real and raw, and I personally think the book would be dull without them, even though they may be absolutely disgusting. I think the images created also help the reader to design their own interpretation of the story. In my mind, I can clearly picture what is going on in the novel at this point, and I am curious to see what these words create in the minds of others. Comparing images would be interesting!
Pi includes this grotesque information to the story to make sure that the reader fully understands his desperation. He no longer cares about what he is eating, because he is lucky if he has any food in the first place. I better understand how Pi feels after reading chapter 78. He compares his position in the middle of the ocean to the radius of a giant circle. He is completely helpless and exposed at all times, with no way of knowing how, when, or if he will ever reach land. He also makes known the impossibility of having a simple, good day because he is aways wishing for the opposite of what is happening to happen. Pi is constantly left unsatisfied; the only time he feels anything at all is when death threatens him, forcing him live when he is at his weakest.
Although very disgusting I believe that these chapters were necessary. I truly began to see the struggle that Pi had to accomplish in these chapters. No one WANTS to eat feces....at least normal people don't...Sorry if I offended anyone!! These chapters opened my mind to the pure horrific details of survival. I was able to do both experiments. When I observed the sky the thing that drew me in was the peacefulness. The sky is so undisturbed, it sits and watches us everyday, so peaceful. As for the lake I was able to be right on the lake at Cross Country camp and I was able to observe Lake Michigan. The first night the water was so calm, almost playful, an occasional wave but it just seemed to dance around you and all the rocks in it. However, The lake the next day had huge 5 foot waves toppling over you and pushing you around as if it were trying to control you, like you were the lakes toy.
The End
A lot of things in this book has made me want to stop reading, but these chapters were graphic and gross. The fact that Pi is sharing all of this with us has made me believe he has suffered great mentally because of this ordeal. I think these chapters purpose is to take us into the mess of a mind Pi has because of this journey. Most of the chapters seem disconnected and, while I am a firm believer that every part of a book has purpose and meaning, I believe that most of these chapters’ purpose is to have no purpose. What I’m trying to say is that Pi’s situation would do so much damage to the brain, especially at such a young age. We can see it too, he is slowly turning into an animal, symbolizing that we are all animals and have the same natural survival instincts as any other being on this planet. Anyway, these chapters are so gruesome and detached that it serves as a window into the mind of Pi and how his mental status is deteriorating and how he has no filter or sense of a complete thought.
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