Life of Pi Essay Topics
Mr. Eble, CP1 British Literature
Choose one of the following essay topics regarding Life of Pi. Complete the outline on pages 2/3; print
it for our next class, when you’ll write the essay in class (you may use your book then).
1. In his interview with the BBC, Yann Martel discusses the nature of storytelling for those who have suffered
greatly. According to Life of Pi, what role does storytelling play for people who suffer?
2. As seen in Heart of Darkness and A Long Way Gone, individuals act differently when their connection to
civilization fades. Compare or contrast how one of these texts and Life of Pi depict the idea of people
becoming more animalistic or retaining their humanity when they are away from civilization.
3. Like Heart of Darkness, Life of Pi is a frame story in which one person listens to the exploits of another and
learns from that person. Why is Life of Pi structured as a frame story?
4. Much of Life of Pi deals with faith. How does the text present a specific message about faith? Be sure to
explain that message.
5. Life of Pi can be classified as magical realism. How can it be classified as such? Be sure to demonstrate how
Life of Pi demonstrates the elements of magical realism and how they help to convey a theme in the novel.
You will type (double-spaced) your essay during class and drop box your work. Please copy and paste this rubric at the
end of your essay.
Thesis
Unity, Logic,
Coherence
Evidence of
Understanding
SMUGGS
4
Essay demonstrates an explicit,
clear thesis with an arguable /
debatable alternative; thesis is
fully developed throughout
paper
The writer includes a sexy,
relevant title
Essay’s organization is logical,
clear, and easy to follow,
making use of transitional words
and phrases that make the text
flow well. The writing is
concise, avoids redundancy, and
remains relevant to the main
point being expressed.
Essay demonstrates superior
understanding of the subject
matter. Thesis is amply
supported with reasons, quotes,
details, examples while avoiding
summary (three or more
supports per paragraph). Quotes
are attributed, cited.
Essay avoids unnecessary use of
the first and second person,
wordiness, and redundancy.
Demonstrates accuracy in the
use of the literary present tense,
grammar, word usage, spelling,
punctuation, and capitalization.
3
Essay demonstrates a
thesis that is somewhat
developed throughout
the paper.
2
Essay demonstrates a
thesis that is not fully
developed throughout
the paper.
1
Essay fails to
demonstrate a thesis ;
essay’s “thesis” is a
summary or statement
of fact.
Author doesn’t include a
title.
Essay is difficult to
follow due to lack of
unity, coherence, or use
of fuzzy logic.
Essay’s organization is
generally logical, clear,
and easy to follow, but
contains some
repetitions and
redundancies or drifts
from the main point
being expressed.
Essay demonstrates
understanding of the
subject matter. Thesis is
supported with reasons,
examples, details, and
quotes while avoiding
summary.
Essay’s organization is
basically okay, but
contains some faulty
logic, redundancies or
digressions that take
away from the main
point being expressed.
Essay is short on the use
of details and examples,
or the essay
demonstrates little
understanding of the
subject matter.
Essay does not
adequately demonstrate
understanding of the
text and subject matter,
or it does not support
the thesis with details,
reasons, and examples.
Essay contains some
minor errors in
punctuation, spelling, or
grammar, or some
minor slips in
maintaining consistency
in tense or person, but
essay is still credible.
Essay includes many
minor errors in
punctuation, spelling,
word usage, style, or
grammar that affect the
readability of the essay.
Essay includes careless
spelling or grammatical
errors, awkward
language, or other
mechanical errors that
discredit the writer.
Planning Outline: Life of Pi Essay—Name: __________________________________________
Opener / Background Information: Write a level three idea to open the paper, then provide author’s name / title:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thesis Statement: Remember that your thesis statement should be arguable (I.E. it shouldn’t merely be a fact—it should
be an idea that has a debatable alternative) and explicit (it should provide a guide for what topics you’ll discuss).Also
remember that you don’t have to write a five-paragraph essay.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Body Paragraph #1
Topic Sentence:
Supporting
Detail #1
Supporting
Detail #2
Supporting
Detail #3
Body Paragraph #2
Topic Sentence:
Supporting
Detail #1
Supporting
Detail #2
Supporting
Detail #3
*If you need space for planning another paragraph, please attach your planning to this sheet on a piece of loose leaf.
Conclusion: Brief summary of thesis, followed by connection to Level 3 ideas at the end that shed new light on the
opening topic:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Look back at your previous drafts of other papers. List two or three issues with which you struggled on your last
paper, and write reminders to yourself below about how to avoid these errors. Please be specific.
Please Print Pages 2-3 and bring them to our next class. You’ll be able to use this outline as you write in class.