Life of Pi Unit Packet
Honors Project – Semester Two
For this semester’s supplementary unit of study, you will read Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. This is a story that
claims it can change the way you think – about life, reality, religion, and the power of the human spirit. This is
a story that claims it will “make you believe in God” (Martel ix). How’s that for a hook? The goal in completing
this supplementary unit is not only to make you a better reader of complex texts, but also to make you more
aware of who you are, and more appreciative of (and inquisitive about) the wide world around you. I hope you
are willing to rise to this philosophical and intellectual challenge.
Reading Schedule:
1. Ch. 1-7* – by 2/6
4. Ch. 37-46 – by 2/27
2. Ch. 8-20 – by 2/13 5. Ch. 47-55 – by 3/6
3. Ch. 21-36 – by 2/20 6. Ch. 56-70 – by 3/13
*including opening Author’s Note
7. Ch. 71-86 – by 3/20 10. Ch. 96-End –by 4/10
8. Ch. 87-91 – by 3/27
9. Ch. 92-95 – by 4/3 (yep, Spring Break week)
Annotations:
Annotations may be checked at any time throughout the project. Please have your book on you at all times. The
following are guidelines for your annotations:
 Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
 Give your personal reactions to the passage
 Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the character(s)

Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
 Underline words you don’t know and define them

Agree or disagree with a character or the narrator

Analyze the text for use of literary devices (tone, structure, style, imagery)
 Make connections between different characters or events in the text
 Make connections to a different text (or film, song, etc...)
Key Terms and Concepts:
About the Author:
Life of Pi is a novel written by Canadian author Yann Martel. Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963 of
Canadian parents. He grew up in Alaska, British Columbia, Costa Rica, France, Ontario and Mexico, and has
continued travelling as an adult, spending time in Iran, Turkey and India. After studying philosophy at Trent
University and while doing various odd jobs — tree planting, dishwashing, working as a security guard — he
began to write. He has been living from his writing since the age of 27. He divides his time between yoga,
writing and volunteering in a palliative care unit. Yann Martel lives in Montreal.
Faith:
The nature of faith is one of the central ideas of Life of Pi. The novel begins with an old man in Pondicherry
who tells the author, “I have a story that will make you believe in God.” The young Pi is a devotee of three
religions: Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. To Pi, faith is a form of certainty. He dislikes agnostics because
they refrain from making a judgment, but he admires atheists because at least they have faith in something
(huh?). He does not want to choose a religion. He only wants to love God.
Christianity:
The world’s largest religion with 1.5-2.1 billion adherents. Began as a sect of Judaism based on the life and
teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. Christians believe that Jesus is the son of
God. He suffered and died from crucifixion and was resurrected to open heaven for those who believed in him
and trust him to forgive their sins.
Islam:
World’s second-largest religion; Holy text is the Qur’an, which is considered to be the verbatim word of God,
or Allah. Muslims regard their religion as the completed and universal version of a monotheistic faith revealed
in many times and places before to prophets Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Founder of the faith is the prophet
Muhammad.
Five Pillars of Islam:
1) profession of faith
2) prayers
3) giving to the poor
4) fasting during Ramadan
5) The Hajj- pilgrimage to Mecca.
Hinduism:
The word’s third largest religion with approximately 1 billion adherents. Does not have a single founder but
consists of thousands of different religious groups that evolved in India since 1500 BCE. Often called oldest
living religion. Most forms of Hinduism recognize a single deity and view other gods and goddesses as
manifestations of that supreme deity. Some view Hinduism as Trinitarian because the supreme deity is seen as
one God with three persons:
* Brahma the Creator who is continuing to create new realities
* Vishnu, (Krishna) the Preserver, who preserves these new creations. Whenever dharma (eternal order,
righteousness, religion, law and duty) is threatened, Vishnu travels from heaven to earth in one of ten
incarnations. Krishna is considered to be an incarnation of Vishnu, and his life has certain parallels to Christ’s.
* Shiva, the Destroyer, is at times compassionate, erotic and destructive.
Prominent Themes:
Dharma: ethical duties
Samsara: continuing cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth which you can eventually escape through
enlightenment
Karma: action and subsequent action.
The “Frame” Narrative:
Life of Pi is a story within a story, which is known as a “frame” narrative. The novel starts with a note from the
fictional author, who narrates how he first came to hear the tale of Piscine “Pi” Molitor Patel. Then we shift to
Pi’s narration of events. The story ends with a transcription of an interview the “author” (or our main narrator)
has obtained from the Japanese officials who questioned Pi about his ordeal.
The Nature of Truth:
The Japanese interviewers do not believe Pi’s story, so he tells them another version and then asks which one
they like better. Pi asks the interviewers what it is about the first story they don’t believe. Martel forces the
reader to examine the difference between factual truth and philosophical truth. While one story might be
factually true, both versions of Pi’s story contain a kind of truth. Throughout the story, Pi shows contempt for
rationalists who trust only “dry, yeastless factuality.” Stories, Pi asserts, are likely to be remembered far longer
than mere factual accounts and have the power to be emotionally evocative.
The Bildungsroman:
A bildungsroman is a type of novel that tells the story of the spiritual, moral, and psychological or social
development of the protagonist either from childhood to adulthood or innocence to experience. Bildungsroman
novels usually contain most or all of the following elements:
 Protagonist grows from boy to man or girl to woman—if not literally than emotionally or
psychologically
 Protagonist must have some reason to go on this journey of self-discovery—exile or escape



The growth process is long and grueling and involves repeated clashes between the needs and desires of
protagonist and demands of society. Similar to Freud’s conflict between id and superego.
Eventually as protagonist matures, he or she comes to recognize the appropriateness of the society’s
values and he or she is assimilated into it. The major conflict is self vs. society/conformity
Novel ends with protagonist evaluating himself or herself and his or her new place in society
Anthropomorphism:
This is a psychological term referring to our natural tendency to give human characteristics to animals,
inanimate objects, or natural phenomena. Though a natural human trait, it is typically a source of error. Pi
believes it is a mark of our self-centeredness.
Project Components: approx. 250 points total
1. Dialectical Journal – 50 points
2. Collaborize Group Discussions – 45 points
3. Life of Pi Test and Closing Discussion - 50 points
4. Multi-Genre Project – 100 points
Dialectical Journal – Due Wed. 4/15 on day of test
See attachment for directions.
Collaborize – Due every two weeks
There will be a total of 5 Collaborize Discussions for this book (one every two weeks) and you will discuss
them within the small Lit Circle groups I create for you on the Collaborize site (two groups of 8). Same
requirements for responses and peer comments apply. Five of you will be responsible for creating one of the
questions. You guys will decide which of you will be responsible for posting which question (titled Life of Pi
DQ #1-5). While you do not need to post a response to your own question, you will still be required to post
comments on at least 2 of your peers’ responses as usual. Because you have a reduced Collaborize load but a
greater responsibility to others, I expect these conversations to be more dynamic than last semester.
Questions must be posted by midnight on the Friday reading deadline indicated in the schedule.
Responses/peer-comments must be posted by the following Wed. at 8 a.m. I will regularly post reminders on the
board/webspace.
Life of Pi Test – Wed. 4/15 Meeting
As many of your peers indicated in our survey last semester, it is important that I place greater accountability on
you to actually read the book this semester. This will hopefully result in greater participation in the project as a
whole.
Multi-Genre Project – Due Date Wed. 4/29 meeting
In lieu of an essay, I have created a multi-dimensional culminating project that will allow you to demonstrate
your understanding of the text and develop your writing skills in a variety of creative and analytical ways. See
attachment for directions.
Remaining Honors Meeting Dates:
Mar. 11 at 8:00 a.m.
Apr. 15 at 8:00 a.m.
Apr. 29 at 8:30 a.m.
Advanced Dialectical Journal for Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Your dialectical journal for Life of Pi will be a conversation on the page. On the left you will write important
quotations from the novel; on the right you will write why the quote is significant in the context of the story.
You will often need about 2-3 sentences to properly explain each significant quote. There are several other
components you must incorporate into each journal entry. See below for options.
Objectives:
Objectives:
1.1. To read
readand
andanalyze
analyze
the novel
its characters,
themes,language,
figurative
the novel
and itsand
characters,
themes, figurative
andlanguage,
settings. and settings.
importance
of a journey
for maturation
and understanding.
2.2. To analyze
analyzethethe
importance
of a journey
for maturation
and understanding.
To compare/contrast
the characters
and themes
thewithin
novel with
and themes from Brave New World, Cuckoo’s
3.3. To
compare/contrast
the characters
and within
themes
the characters
novel with
Nest, 1984, or Beauitful Boy (even The Things They Carried, The Odyssey or To Kill a Mockingbird from previous years.)
characters
and themes from Into the Wild and The Road (even The Odyssey or To Kill a Mockingbird from last
4. To show evidence of independent thinking and personal analysis.
year.)
You will have a total of 10 entries in your journal. The entries must correspond with the chapters below. These will
be collected as part of a larger packet of work at the end of the unit.
Entry 1: Chapters 1-7
2: 8-20
3: 21-36
4: 37-46
5: 47-55
6: 56-70
7: 71-86
8: 87-91
9: 92-95
10: 96-100
A completed entry MUST include the following:
- One quote that relates to one of the main themes below (label with corresponding code).
- To the right of the quote, explain the context, interpret how the quote demonstrates the theme, and how
it is important to the plot of the story. Minimum of 3 sentences.
It should also include THREE of the following:
1) Connection Text to Text (Code “T/T”)
(similarity of Life of Pi to - other written/viewed work)
Text to World (Code “T/W”) (similarity of Life of Pi to – any kind of world event)
Text to Life (Code “T/L”)
(similarity of Life of Pi to - something or someone in your life)
2) Example of a literary device (simile, metaphor, tone, mood, imagery, hyperbole, irony, etc.) and explain
what that device is important or effective for the passage. (Write the literary device for the code.)
3) Question (code “Q”) – to ask or answer an old question/ question about the passage or reading
4) Prediction (code “P”) – a prediction about what is going to happen and reasons why you think that may
happen.
5) Comment (code “C”) – reader response to something that happened
6) Visualization (code “V”) – a sketch illustrating a visually stimulating passage
7) Allusion (code “A”) – a reference to something that you looked up to better understand
8) Characterization (Code “CH”) – how does the quote demonstrate character development?
9) Setting (Code S) – how does the setting, tone, mood of the scene affect the story, character, etc.?
The dialectical journal should connect to one of the following three themes of the novel:
• Coming of Age/Maturity (Code “M”) - Examine the progression of Pi Patel throughout the course of the
novel. Cite examples of how Pi, through experiences and mental struggles, becomes an adult and learns to
understand the world in which he exists.
• Faith and Religion (Code “R”)– How does religion and/or faith factor into his experience of survival and
ability to overcome these hardships? What conclusions does Pi draw regarding different world religions and his
own personal faith?
• Fear (Code “F”) - In what ways does Pi learn to cope with his fear? How does fear affect him both physically
and emotionally? How does the role of fear change from the beginning of the book to the end?
Your Dialectical Journal may be typed or hand-written. You may not take information from another
source. The purpose is to do your own thinking about the reading.
Code Page Citing page numbers with proper Directly across from the significant excerpts, write your
#
parenthetical citation, write
original ideas about the importance of the text. This analysis
significant excerpts from the text must be at least two to three complete sentences.
on this side of the page.
Your analysis should include
• Interpretation of how the quote illustrates the theme.
• Explanation of how the quote affects or relates to the plot
of the novel.
Examples (You may NOT use
_____________________________________
this):
“‘Bapu Ghandi said, “All
Pi is frustrated with his teachers and parents who insist that
R
69
religions are true.” I just want to he choose one religion to follow. Instead, Pi seeks a simpler
love God,’ I blurted out, and
version of faith that does not include the controversies and
looked down, red in the face”
arguments that adults squabble over. Pi has intense faith, but
(Martel 69).
he is not necessarily religious.
Q
As Pi gets older, will he find it is not that simple? Will he
always practice all three religions or will he eventually
decide on one?
T/T
This reminds me of my favorite line from Elizabeth Barrett
Browning’s Sonnet 43 (“How Do I Love Thee, Let me
Count the Ways”). She describes the strength of her love by
comparing it to the strength of a child’s faith: “I love thee…
with my childhood’s faith… with a love I seemed to lose
with my lost saints.” The faith of a child is considered one
of the strongest, most unwavering forces in the world, until
experience and reason diminish it. Is this avoidable?
A
“Bapu” is the Hindi word for “father,” often attributed to
wise leaders. Mahatma Ghandi led India to independence
from British rule and preached non-violence, civil-rights,
and freedom from persecution for all.
DIALECTICAL JOURNAL RUBRIC
A Detailed, meaningful passages and quote selections. Thoughtful interpretation and commentary about the text; avoids
clichés. Includes reference to a variation of theme, tone, character analysis, question-answer/clarification, predictionoutcome, comment reaction, text to text, text to world, and text to life. Journal is neat, organized, and professional
looking; student has followed directions in organizing the journal.
B Less detailed, but good quote selections. Some intelligent commentary; addresses some thematic connections. Some
listing of applicable literary elements, but meaning is incomplete. Adequately addresses all parts of reading assignment.
Journal is neat and readable; student has followed directions in the organization of the journal.
C Few good quotes from the text. Most of the commentary is vague, unsupported, or plot summary/paraphrase only.
Some listing of applicable literary elements; virtually no discussion on meaning. Addresses most of the reading
assignment, but is not very long or thorough. Journal is relatively neat, but may be difficult to read. Student has not
followed all directions in journal organization; loose-leaf, no columns, not on separate paper, etc.
D/F Hardly any good quotes from the text. All notes are plot summary or paraphrase. Few literary elements, virtually no
discussion on meaning. Limited coverage of the text; way too short..Did not follow directions in organizing journal;
difficult to read or follow.
Lit Circle Groups and Important Tips for Success:
In college, you will be assigned group projects and be expected to participate in individual support or discuss
groups like this all the time. You’ll be graded on your effectiveness, regardless of the groups’ setbacks. It takes
maturity and some getting used to… Here are some tips for success:
1. Everyone must be willing to communicate often via e-mail or some other agreed-upon method (hence,
your exchange of e-mail addresses) to ask questions, give reminders, or discuss concerns. If you do not
currently check your e-mail daily, you need to start immediately.
2. When communicating on Collaborize or elsewhere, always do so with patience and respect. I encourage
you to hold each other accountable and have lively discussions, but don’t alienate each other while
doing it.
3. Everyone must be respectful of their group members’ viewpoints, learning and writing styles, and
inherent personalities. No exceptions.
4. Some people will just be on top of this, while others could use the reminders/support – allow the
person/people who are on top of it to assume that leadership role, send out e-mail reminders, etc. This
can only help keep you guys organized. Those groups who don’t have leaders and/or don’t communicate
will probably struggle.
5. There are four A-Day and four B-Day students in each group so you will always have someone to talk to
in person on your core day if you need. Find out who your core-day counterparts are if you don’t already
know and what classes they are in.
6. Agree upon certain routines within your group – Do you want to set a certain deadline for your groups’
responses to ensure that everyone has time to post peer comments? (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) Do
you want to exchange ideas with each other when someone’s turn to post a discussion question
approaches?
*Please let me know as circumstances arise that may require my intervention.
Groups by Color – Two Groups
*first four names are A-Day students, followed by B-Day
Black:
Natasha Bell, Maddie Goodman, Madison Polizziani, Adriana Rivas, Yesenia Perez, Cesar Pulido, Rachael
Solomon, Dominique Strickland
Gold:
Quinn O’Connor, Adriana Silva, Alexa Woo, Yaqui Zuniga, Keenan McKenna, Melanie Ngo, Joanna Nguyen,
Anna Skarr
Life of Pi Multi-Genre Project: 100 points
Pre-Med Honors English
This project invites you to represent your knowledge and experience of Life of Pi by writing in multiple,
creative genres: letters, interviews, character sketches, poetry, diary entries, speeches, newspaper articles,
collage, personal narratives, cartoons, etc (see below for larger list and descriptions of genres). The point of a
multi-genre project is to represent your understanding of the novel - its characters, themes, conflicts, major
events, significance in the world, etc. – in ways that are meaningful to you.
There will be THREE components to the point total of this project:
Project Plan: 10 points
Type up a project plan containing a list of genres you plan to do for your project. Include some notes under each
detailing your ideas/how you plan to do them. Your list should reflect a mixture of creative and analytical
writing options. Due: Mar. 11 meeting.
Presentation: 15 pts
On the day the project is due, you will present two of your genres to the Honors group. Presentations must be a
minimum of two minutes long (but no more than three minutes). When you present, you will give us an
introduction to each of the two genres you’re highlighting, show, read an excerpt, and/or paraphrase them for
the group, and state why you chose to do these two genres in your project. For the conclusion of your
presentation, summarize your overall experience of completing the project: what did it reveal to you about the
book?
Project: 75 pts
You will do a minimum of 6 genres for this project (3 “big” ones and 3 “small” ones). All genres involving
writing should be typed and edited. Other genres (artwork, etc.) will obviously take on different forms. Your
project must be submitted as a well-organized, stapled/paper-clipped packet and contain an interesting
cover/title page with your name, class, and date, and a simple Table of Contents page.
*You may paper-clip or submit certain artistic/creative genres outside of this packet.
“Illuminations” Introductory Page: 15 pts
Min.1 ½ to 2-page typed, double-spaced, MLA-formatted “Illuminations” page that reflects on your experience
of composing your genres. For this, you will explain what you think your three strongest, favorite, or most
challenging genres were and why. Most importantly, you will reflect on how composing this project affected or
enhanced your experience of the novel. What has it “illuminated” for you that you didn’t see or think about
before? This accounts for 15 of total 75 points.
Here is a list of possible genres you may choose from. You are welcome to come up with a genre idea that is not
here, but you will need to consult with me first to decide which category it would go under.
“Big” Genres (approx. 1 ¾ - 2 pages each): MUST CHOOSE THREE (15 pts each)
- Stage an interview: with the author in which he explains the part that was the most fun or the most
difficult to write OR with a major character and have him/her reflect on specific events in the story.
- Write a review of the novel where you try to convince someone to read it (book critic review)
- Write a different ending to the story.
- Write several, dated diary entries from the perspective of one of the major characters (minimum 3)
- Write a newspaper article published at the time of a major event of the novel.
- Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or online magazine (editorial) expressing your feelings about
a current social issue that relates to those in Life of Pi and connect to lessons society can learn from the
novel. (Consider lessons about diversity, religion, bigotry, acceptance, truth, fiction, survival, etc.)
-
Find at least three songs or poems that seem to relate to the book and write an analytical paragraph for
each, explaining in detail how the song or poem relates to the novel (characters, themes, feelings,
specific scences, etc) and using textual evidence from both works to support. Type/print/annotate and
attach a copy of the lyrics/poetry at the end as a reference.
- Choose at least three recurring literary devices (symbolism, metaphor/simile, irony, etc.) used in the
novel and compose an analytical paragraph for each. Use properly cited evidence that helps support a
claim explaining the significance/effect of the device on the novel as a whole.
*Other? Will need to clear with me.
“Small” Genres (approx. 1 page each): MUST CHOOSE THREE (10 pts each)
- Write any kind of poem about the novel.
- Write a letter to the author or to a character.
- Write an obituary for one of the characters.
- Elevated journal response (include at least one piece of textual evidence): Describe an experience you
have had that is like an experience of one of the characters in the novel.
- Elevated journal response (include at least one piece of textual evidence): Explain how a character in the
novel changed from the beginning to the end.
- Watch the recently released “Life of Pi” film and do a film review (reference some sophisticated
examples to get some ideas); part of the review will inevitably involve some analysis of the film as an
adaptation of the book.
*Of your three “small” genres, you may choose up to ONE of the following artistic options:
- Do a collage or original piece of artwork that illustrates a major theme, character, or scene of the book.
- Create an original piece of artwork that represents a quotation from the novel that you found particularly
moving or significant. Your picture must incorporate the quote somehow and capture the mood and
emotion of it.
- Illustrate 3 major events from the book and include an explanation/description of each.
- Create a cartoon strip or parody that captures either a key scene or summarizes the novel as a whole; the
final product should use irony/sarcasm/humor to point out something true (in this case, a major lesson
from the novel)
*Other? Will need to clear with me.
Things to Think About:
- MLA format isn’t relevant for most genres, though you should use it for the “Illuminations” page.
- I’ll bring in some examples so you can see how these genres should look, such as obituaries, newspaper
articles, book reviews etc. The idea is that you make them look as authentic as possible.
- You are to type your written work to make sure that it’s legible, that you’ve taken the time to edit and
finalize it, and that it’s authentic for that genre. If you think a genre would be more appropriate handwritten, you will need to clear it with me first.
- If you have an alternative way you wish to approach a combination of genres, please discuss with me.
Project Due Dates:
Project Plan Due: Mar. 11 meeting
Project Due with Presentation: Apr. 29 meeting