Life Of Pi Animals Essay

In the article “A Change of Heart about Animals” Jeremy Rifkin uses scientific evidence to reason with us that “many of our fellow creatures are more like us than we had ever imagined”. Rifkin suggests that animals should be treated better and be provided with better living conditions. He uses Betty and Koko as examples that animals have higher intellectual abilities and emotions than we thought. Many scientists also argued that animals do not have an understanding of death or capable of grief, but Rifkin counteracts that argument by using elephants as evidence to show that they are capable of grief.

The world has seen all the hardships and struggles, wars and peace, death and births, but no matter the struggle one has to face, no individual comes out being the same as someone else. The two texts, Life of Pi by Yan Martel and Tiger by William Blake contain similar elements of pain and suffering. However, through the symbol of tiger in both texts to represent these elements, the tiger breaks the bond between texts when the realization sets in on how different the tigers truly are. The two texts help highlight the theme of suffering and pain through the use of language and such stylistic features as imagery to help portray the idea of a higher power in both texts. Sensationalism is used to explain the presence and importance of a tiger.

Human beings are considered to be the greatest creations that were given knowledge, skills and power to rule over the entire planet. However, at the same time, their relationship with other animals and its implications in human civilization cannot be denied. Historically, it is proven that for thousands of years, human beings have developed close contact with animals who were their means of living and at the same time often, great companions. Considering the great significance of animals in the lives of human beings, often their relationships were portrayed in literature by authors. It was meant to help the global community to have a clear understanding of the impact that animals have in the lives of human beings which is very much significant.

Many dictionaries define animals as living things other than human beings or plants. However, in some dictionaries, there is another definition for animal, which shows how they distinguish animal and human: a live thing which behaves in a wild, aggressive, or unpleasant way. In Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, the behavior of Max, the protagonist of the story, challenges the boundary line between the animal and human. The way human and animal live their life and convey their love severalizes human and animal.

Animals in Life of Pi by Yann Martel are similar to both humans and animals in our world today, judging by their behaviors, communications, and dominance rituals. How are you and I similar to the chimpanzee swinging in the trees, or the lion roaring from his den? In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi, a young Indian boy, is shipwrecked with a 450 pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. To survive, Pi must understand the tiger’s every move, and anticipate the next. What inspiration does the author use from everyday life to create this story?

In human and animal nature, many similarities are portrayed in Life of Pi as well as a strong relation between the two. In contrast, humans and animals share the same sort of lifestyle, just living a different life according to Pi’s thoughts. In a tragic situation that one is in, such as Pi they must find a way to pass time and keep themselves busy by using their circumstances,

Furthermore, these concepts prove that Matthee’s narrative displays how wildlife mirrors the inner soul and emotions of humans. By using the symbol of animals such as elephants, ostriches, nightjars, and rain

Yann Martel offers two accounts of Pi’s survival story so that Pi is able to personify animals and also give animalistic qualities to humans. This exchange is only seen after both accounts are read. The reader is able to determine which he or she accepts as reality, but since the facts of the story go unchanged and both tales are primarily the same, the sole purpose is to highlight the traits humans and animals posses. Yann Martel exemplifies human traits in animals and animal traits in people through his claim in passage A by telling the two stories of Pi’s survival.

In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi shares a tough adventure with Richard Parker, which is a tiger, in Pi’s imaginary story. However, in part 3 of the book, when Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba have a talk with Pi, Pi tells another story, which is what really happens in his adventure. Pi doesn’t want to show his adventure without animal imagery. In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi wants to show his story through the use of animal imagery because it makes the story more tolerable, humane, and also makes him feel less guilty about his action in his adventure.

Whether is be the individualism of a zebra, the hope of an orangutan, the hatred of a hyena, or the determination of a tiger symbolism can be determined for any character. Pi’s journey obtains symbolism for each animal and a story of faith for himself through the sea and the rigors that he and the animals

“The difference between the brain of the human and the higher animal obviously lies in the degree, not the difference on the essence” (Charles Darwin). The purpose of the quote is to express the feeling that the animal and human is similar, they have the human-like qualities. In Life of Pi written by Yann Martel, Pi uses animal imagery to show that animals that can be mad, suffer, and sad which are all human qualities.

“Don’t we say...what they have” (17). In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, this excerpt occurs early on in the novel, a few pages into “Chapter 4”. In this quote, Pi exalts his extensive knowledge of animal boundaries and territories. This allows the reader to assume that Pi’s awareness of animal comfort and ritual, contributes to his ultimate survival when trapped in a lifeboat with a 450-pound Bengal tiger.

In addition, Pi decides to feed a “450-pound” (Martel 61) bengal tiger named Richard Parker for his own self preservation. He acknowledges, “I had to tame him. It was at that moment that I realized this necessity…More likely the worst would happen: the simple passage of time, in which his animal toughness would easily outlast my human frailty” (Martel 164). This means that Pi fears that the fierce animal strength and power of Richard Parker would eventually kill and eat him for food.

Pi contacted with animals when he was very young. Therefore, when he was in trouble and afraid to solve the problem, his savagery will help him. “We fight to the very end. It’s not a question of courage. Its something constitutional, and inability to let go. It maybe nothing more than life-hungry stupidity. Richard Parker started growing that very instant as if he had been waiting for me to become a worthy opponent. My chest became tight with fear”( Martel p.187). Pi finally chose to face the tiger, and save himself. He did not choose to stay until the tiger eats him. Even if he knows that it’s difficult to survive, he did not give up. Pi stayed with animals when he was a child. His curiosity made him have a great interest in animals. He might learn something from the wild animals. Moreover, if animals did something very cruel and their behavior will probably leave a deep impression about those things in Pi’s mind. Therefore, Pi’s savagery leads him to have the determination to against the tiger, Richard

Animals are designed to simply exist, while humans are designed to do much more: to thrive. However, we as human beings compare ourselves to animals due to our cognitive abilities and our understanding of what we do not have but what we want. It is a natural component for the human persona to desire what we do not have, like the superior physical capabilities that animals have. Nonetheless, Pi was able to easily replace the animals with humans as the animals represented the physical attributes that he desired to have. Humans have the desire to want to be like animals due to their infatuation with their physical capabilities and mannerisms but also we are infatuated with their emotions and how they are similar to human beings.