Making Connections
You must find the connections between the three theme statements
you selected and write a thesis for your essay.
MY THREE THEME STATEMENTS:
Martel appears to begin a theme that religion provides the structure
that humans need to explore their spiritual beliefs. (from Zoology)
Here, Martel appears to send the message that some universal
guiding force—perhaps God-- pushes all creatures toward salvation.
(from Zoology)
Martel presents a theme that having faith in something is what
connects us all. (from Religion)
WRITING PROMPT:
How does the author use structure and language to develop a
theme?
THESIS (FIRST ATTEMPT):
In the book Life of Pi, Martel places importance on the topic of God
and even on organized religion, which he defends as providing a
necessary shelter for believers; he accomplishes this by juxtaposing
descriptions of animals with philosophical discussions in order to
create an allegory that sends the message that we are created to
connect to other creatures and to each other both physically and
spiritually.
NEW THESIS (MORE CONCISE):
Martel compares the human and animal world by placing
descriptions of animals next to conversations between humans in
order to form an extended metaphor; the theme that emerges from
this structure is that all of God’s creations require connection with
each other and with Him.
Example introduction-- you should include these 3 elements:
HOOK:
In the years following 9-11, religion has taken the world’s
center stage, cited to rationalize division rather than foster
cohesion. Countries and individuals cite their respective doctrines to
justify intolerance, hatred, murder, and even full-scale war.
TOPIC:
Published in 2001, Yann Martel’s Life of Pi also focuses on
religious belief. At the center of the novel Piscene Patel, a nowgrown shipwreck survivor, recounts his adventures before and after
the disaster. In Part I of the novel, the deeply religious, Piscene—
Pi—paints a picture of his childhood in an Indian zoo as well the
starting point of his devout belief in God. Martel’s depiction of
religious belief highlights its power to unite rather than its divisive
qualities. Much of Part I moves back and forth, told first from the
writer’s perspective and then from Pi’s, so that the reader
simultaneously experiences Pi as an adult seen from someone else’s
eyes and Pi as he remembers his childhood in the Pondicherry Zoo.
THESIS: In Part I Martel compares the human and animal worlds
by placing descriptions of animals next to conversations between
humans in order to form an extended metaphor; the theme that
emerges from this structure is that all of God’s creations require
connection with each other and with Him.