LIFE OF PI: LITERARY ANALYSIS INSTRUCTIONS
Essential Question: How can I evaluate the author’s use of common literary elements to fully understand a
text? Each of these terms will be TWO papers of its own in your LIFE OF PI THINKBOOK. You may need
more than two pages, so make sure these are loose-leaf papers and not a spiral bound notebook.
Track the terms as you go through the story, writing notes, quotes, questions, SQUIDS, etc.
1.
PLOT
a. Page 1: Notes on major plot points. Mark the most important plot points with a star (*).
Include quotes from the book, with chapter and page number.
b. Page 2: Draw the Plot Diagram, writing in the major plot points that you included on page 1.
(Exposition, initiating event, rising action, complications, crisis (intellectual, emotional, physical),
falling action to Belly of Whale/Darkest Moment, rising action to point of no return/suspense,
climax, falling action to resolution, reflection.)
2.
CHARACTERIZATION:
Pi (Piscine) Molitor Patel, Richard Parker, Pi’s Father, Pi’s Mother, Religious Teachers (Gurus), Blind
Frenchman, Zebra, Hyena, Ravi, The Author as Character, Mr. Okamoto/Mr. Chiba
a.
Page 1: Notes on all the major characters/minor characters. Attitude, words, actions,
relationships, appearance, etc. Include quotes from the book, with chapter and page number.
b.
3.
Page 2: Character Poster (see separate page for instructions)
SETTINGS
Pondicherry, India; Toronto Canada; The Atlantic Ocean; Mexico
a. Page 1: Notes on all the major and minor settings. Include quotes from the book, with chapter and
page number.
b. Draw a picture of Pi in four of his major settings. Do not print pictures from the Internet. For
each, include a quote from the text to describe the setting.
4.
POINT OF VIEW
a.
Page 1: Notes on the point of view of the narrator, young Pi, older Pi, mother and father, the
religious leaders, and the Japanese officials/investigators. Include chapter and page numbers.
b.
Page 2: Divide your paper into four sections. In each section, sketch or paste a picture of one
of the main voices in Pi’s head: 1) PI’s own voice; 2) Pi’s parents; 3) Pi’s religious leaders; 4) Pi’s older voice
5.
SYMBOLS:
a) Animals
e) Pi’s Lifeboat & Manual
b) Numbers (Pi)
f) Algae Island
c) Colors
g) Sea & Sun
d) Religion (Christianity/Islam/Hinduism)
a)
h) Meerkats
Page 1: Create nine sections, one for each of the symbols above. Make sure all of the symbols
are identified and discussed carefully in writing, with page numbers and chapter numbers.
b)
Page 2: Draw or paste visual representations on the symbols onto the page. Under each, write
an analysis of what this symbol means to Pi, to the overall story, and to the reader.
6/7
INTERNAL CONFLICT & EXTERNAL CONFLICT
a.
Page 1: List all of the internal conflicts that Pi faces in his story. Include quotes and page
numbers to support your analysis.
b.
Page 2: Draw a picture or print a picture of Pi that shows him and Richard Parker in the
lifeboat. and put it in the center of your paper. On the left of the paper, write INTERNAL CONFLICTS and
on the right of the paper write EXTERNAL CONFLICTS. Write out the major conflicts that Pi faces in these
columns, and include images as appropriate.
8.
MOOD
a.
Page 1: From the Mood Word list, choose fifteen moods that Pi feels. For each, identify when in
the story Pi feels this way and what he says that supports it.
b.
Page 2: Divide your paper into six boxes. Choose six moods from letter (a) above and draw a
picture of Pi as he felt that mood. Write your quotes from (a) neatly under each photo. Label each mood
neatly.
9.
FLASHBACK/MEMORY PIECE
a.
Page 1: This entire book is a memory piece. Keep track of what Pi thinks are his most
important memories on this page. When he flashes back to his childhood, what does he choose to remember?
When he tells his story about being on the boat with Richard Parker, what does he choose to remember? When
he tells his story to the Japanese investigators, what does he choose to remember? WHY???? Choose very,
very, very good quotes that reflect the power of memory and flashback.
b.
Write the word MEMORY in the center of your paper. In the top left quadrant, write Pi’s
childhood memories. In the top left quadrant, write Pi’s family memories. In the bottom left quadrant, write
Pi’s shipwreck and survival memories. In the bottom right quadrant, write Pi’s religious memories. Include
pictures/images as appropriate.
10.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: PERSONFICATION, SIMILE, METAPHOR
a.
Page 1: Divide your page into three columns. Label them with personification, simile, metaphor.
Write sample of these literary terms in the column and include page number.
b.
Make six sections on your paper and label the page Figurative Language. For each of the six
sections, write in a good example of personification, simile or metaphor. Under the example, draw a picture
from the story to illustrate the phrase you chose.
11.
IMAGERY
a.
Page 1: Divide your page into six columns. Label them with VISUAL, HEARING, TASTE, TOUCH,
SMELL, ORGANIC/NATURAL. Write samples of these kinds of imagery in the column and include page number.
b.
Make six sections on your paper and label the page IMAGERY. For each of the six sections, write
in a good example of the kind of imagery you wrote about in (a). Under the example, draw a picture or paste
a illustration from the story to illustrate the image you chose.
12.
QUESTIONS
a.
Page 1: Write all of the questions you can think of about the story here.
b.
Draw or paste a LARGE cool looking question mark in the center of your paper. Around the
question mark, neatly and creatively write your questions from (a).
13.
IRONY: SITUATIONAL, VERBAL, DRAMATIC
a.
Keep track of the three types of irony in the story here. You do not have to do a Page 2 for
this section.
14.
NARRATOR (RELIABLE OR UNRELIABLE)
a.
Keep track of the the ways Pi narrates the story here. You do not have to do a Page 2 for
this section.
15.
THEMES:
a) Survival
g) Man & Nature
b) Faith/Religious Belief
h) Fear
c) Mortality
i) Madness
d) Miracles
j) Self-Discovery
e) Importance of Storytelling
k) Ritual
f) Suffering/ Hunger/Thirst
l) Savagery/Dominance
a. Page 1-3: THIS SECTION WILL BE MORE PAGES IN LENGTH THAN THE OTHERS, SO PREPARE
AHEAD OF TIME. For each of the themes above, write at least five supporting details that discuss,
reveal or advance the theme. Include a quote from the text for each.
b. Page 4(?): Choose your four favorite themes from the list above. Divide your paper into four
sections. Each section will be labelled with the Theme. Write at least a paragraph, including the
quote you chose, discussing the importance of this theme to the story and the characters. Write a
concluding sentence where you discuss what the author is trying to tell the reader in regards to this
theme.
Sample:
Sentence 1: (introductory sentence) Introduce the theme this way:
The author Yann Martel uses the ___________ AND ___________ ( ??? Fill in the blank--event, character,
idea, conversation, action, etc.) to introduce/develop/present the theme of ________________.
(Example: Yann Martel uses the attachment between Pi and Richard Parker and Pi’s conversations with
Richard Parker to show Pi’s relationship with animals and to develop the theme of Man & Nature.)
Sentence 2: Identify where in the story the reader will see this theme.
Sentence 3: What does the reader need to understand about the story in order to fully
appreciate the quote you are going to share?
Sentence 4: Introduce the quote with words…. Don’t just paste the quote here.
Sentence 5: What will the reader understand/comprehend/find interesting about the theme
BECAUSE of the quote you just introduced?
Sentence 6: Why is this theme significant to a full understanding and appreciation of the novel?
Sentence 7: (conclusion) What is the author trying to tell the reader in regards to this theme?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
GUIDING NOTES/UNIVERSAL IDEAS/ DISCUSSION POINTS
a. Belief in Deity
h. Search for identity
b. Belief in Oneself
i.
The price of a life
c.
j.
The human condition
Importance of Companionship
d. Respect for other species
k. Discovery and wonder
e. Determination
l.
f.
m. Isolation
The Power of Story (storytelling)
Self-delusion
g. Living to tell the tale
a. Page 1-3: THIS SECTION WILL BE MORE PAGES IN LENGTH THAN THE OTHERS, SO
PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME. For each of the UNIVERSAL IDEAS above, write at least five
supporting details that discuss, reveal or advance the universal idea. Include a paragraph
where you explain HOW we talked about this discussion IN CLASS as a whole, and how your
small group discussed this in class as a focused/closed discussion group. Include two quotes
from the text for each.
b. Page 4(?): Choose your four favorite UNIVERSAL IDEAS from the list above. For each of
the FOUR favorite UNIVERSAL IDEAS, write at least a 9-sentence paragraph, including the
quote you chose, discussing the importance of this UNIVERSAL IDEA to the story and the
characters. Follow the pattern below:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Sentence 1: (introductory sentence) Introduce the UNIVERSAL IDEA this
way:
Yann Martel uses _______________ AND his emotional survival story to introduce/develop/present
the idea of _________________ (fill in the blank with the Universal Idea).
EXAMPLE: Yann Martel uses the conversation that the Author has his Mamaji early in the novel
where Mamaji tells him that Pi has a story “that will make him believe in God” and Pi’s
emotional survival story to reveal the power of storytelling.
Sentence 2: Identify where in the story the reader will see this UNIVERSAL IDEA
revealed.
Sentence 3: What does the reader need to understand about the UNIVERSAL IDEA in
order to fully appreciate the novel?
Sentence 4: Introduce the quote(s) you picked with words…. Don’t just paste the
quote(s) here.
Sentence 5: What will the reader understand/comprehend/find interesting about the
UNIVERSAL IDEA BECAUSE of the quote(s) you just introduced?
Sentence 6: Why is this UNIVERSAL IDEA significant to a full understanding and
appreciation of the novel?
Sentence 7: How did we talk about this idea in class as a whole group? What did we
decide?
Sentence 8: How did you talk about this as a small group? What was important about
your conversation?
Sentence 9: (conclusion) What is the author trying to tell the reader in regards to this
UNIVERSAL IDEA?