3.14

Pi (3.14) is an irrational number; religion can also be somewhat irrational since your faith never stops unless you do. This relates to Piscine because of his faith in other religions is never-ending, since he kept learning about other religions.

The motif found throughout Life of Pi is regarding religion. Martel emphasizes the message of believing in a higher power, since that is basically what religion is. Religion gives people meaning to be living their lives and a reason to keep believing in their higher power. The paradox of this story is regarding humans and animals, as in how they are similar and different. Martel emphasizes his message by showing that humans and animals both live to satisfy themselves and establish their own reasons to be living. The symbolism of 3.14 can represent the many religions Pi practices (3), and the numbers after the decimals show its irrationality. This is emphasizing the message of Piscine having faith in those religions, even if it may not be real, yet his beliefs make them real. 

The final sentence of the book states, "Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals? This quote is also tied to the message of the book. It all depends on which you believe the better story is, which also refers to the motif of the story: religion and faith depend on the people who believe in it. 

Just Another Writer

As I am writing this post, I consider the marvelous and great power I get as a writer. By just simply picking up my pencil I am already feeling this overwhelming power in which I rely on to express my thoughts, feelings, emotions and experiences. And that is the reason for people to write, since it is the mostly easiest way to express yourself, at least I think so. Writing is also used as an E S C A P E from the world, including myself. When I am stressed out about school or worried or even happy, I choose to write about it. No, I do not necessarily keep a diary or a journal, since I think that is time-consuming; however, I do write random thoughts, feelings or emotions on a sticky note and keep them in a box. Whenever I am bored, I like to reread those sticky notes and see how much I have grown and compare my previous experiences to my current situations. 

Learning to write was not the easiest task for me, since I spent a lot of my elementary years back and forth from English to Spanish. Eventually I was able to master the Spanish language, and focused more on English. It was quite an interesting journey to become the writer I am today, but then again, practice makes perfect (or some sort of version of perfect). Thanks to this horrible experience, today I can proudly call myself a good writer. I may not have the perfect grammar or the best spelling, yet I am able to convey my thoughts whenever I feel like it, and that is what makes someone a good writer. They are fearless, thoughtful and passionate; willing to write whatever they want. 

One of the famous writers that I most respect is a young girl by the name of Anne Frank. She lived a horrible life during the Holocaust, which gave her a great opportunity to become a writer. Her work is very insightful, deep and extraordinary. She writes about her true experiences and the truth, which makes her work much more interesting. I enjoy reading Anne Frank because of those reasons, and because her life was so tragic, it helps me think about my own life, feelings and experiences. That is what made Anne Frank a well-respected young writer, even though writer has no age limits.

A good writer can reflect and relive their experiences through their work. They tell their story to others who care and want to learn more about them. Writers are awesome.

Hey its π

3.14 blah blah blah. Let's just keep it simple and say Pi. It can have many meanings, both mathematically and also regarding the book. Much like any other concepts, people have different interpretations of it. That is what makes it a great name for the protagonist of the book. 

The author of the first poem, "Pi" creates an idea of the mathematical concept of Pi. He describes the number as being irrational, which could also be a description of Pi. I believe this because of Pi's irrational little self. Throughout the book, I realized how Pi had no idea what he was doing, or what he truly believed in. According to him, he was practicing three religions all at once, which is completely irrational. In order to survive, he had to disobey and completely ignore those beliefs and kill fish. This was very irrational of him since he wasn't respecting his beliefs. This is one of the many reasons why Pi was believed to be an irrational character.

The author of the second poem, "Pi is Transcendental" has an even more mathematical point of view, yet it ties all of its ideas together. Throughout this poem, however, the author chooses to describe round objects that we couldn't live without. This relates to Pi because as well all know, 3.14 is used t find circumference of a circle. The circle could represent all of those objects mentioned in the poem, and it is related to Pi because of his cycle (circle) of the many religions he couldn't live without. That makes the connection of Pi and religion's importance to the book.

Therefore, Piscine and Pi both play a large role in understanding the significance of the book and how mathematics could be tied into it. This creates a universal thought that can be interpreted by everyone in his or her own ways.

"I Go Back to May 1937"

This is quite a unique poem due to its point of view and reasoning behind the lines. Sharon Olds chose to write about her family's past, specifically her parents, and how their actions affected her future. Throughout many times in the poem, Olds uses a standard object to symbolize another idea, which leads to an important theme in the poem. Her use of diction in the line, "I see my father strolling out under the ochre arch, the red tiles glinting like bent plates of blood behind his head..." (Lines 2-5) create the idea of having a very confident father. I cannot relate to this, since none of my elders have graduated college, yet I can understand how confident and proud Olds must have felt because of her parent's accomplishments.  

In the next couple of lines, Olds attitude and mood begins to shift into more of disappointed and regretful. At this point, I could only ask myself, why? She states, "...You are going to suffer in ways you never heard of, you are going to want to die..." (Lines 18-19). This quote tells me that the author wanted to prevent or warn her parents from continuing on this path of their lives. But what could she be warning them about? This creates the feeling of anger and regret, which oddly enough might have been why Olds wrote the poem in the first place. I can some-what connect to this line, because I too have tried to warn someone I cared about, but I couldn't keep them from changing their minds, which led to a point of no return, much like the author's parents. 

Near the end of the poem, it appears that Olds reveals more about the reasoning behind this poem. Once she used the line, "I want to live" (line 25), I realized the poem was looking back to the past and trying to change it to get a better outcome in the future. Olds really wanted to warn her parents and keep them from ever getting married or having any kids, because she already knew from her experiences that they were not suitable to be parents. I have seen many instances in my life were young couples decide to have kids, and in the end, they just were not ready to take that step. That is what I think Olds was trying to explain in her poem, and give her experiences as a child to support her beliefs.

Therefore, Sharon Olds used this poem to express her thoughts and try to connect to her readers, just like I was able to connect with her story.

Humans & Animals

Humans are animals,

But animals are not humans.

We eat, sleep, drink, walk, hunt, communicate and interact 

Just like animals do.

Humans have power in their own ways.

They create, destroy, harm, argue and complain

While animals cannot really do these things.

Animals tend to follow their instincts a lot more than humans do.

They do not tend to over-think a situation or stress out about issues

Just like humans tend to do.

Animals are free, for the most part, if they are wild.

Once they set their mind to something, like while hunting, they just do it.

No questions asked, ever.

Likewise, animals do not take advantage of their societies

And humans do.

But in the end,

Humans and animals can love and hate, and sometimes appreciate

Those who protect them from any harm.

That is why they are the same, yet different.

Because Humans are animals,

But animals are not humans.