English 3U Mrs. Meldrum October 2011

Life of Pi Personal Response Portfolio

Part of the purpose of Life of Pi is to make readers think about their lives, beliefs and priorities. Therefore, while you are reading the novel, you will be writing a personal response to a quotation from each part of the novel. The portfolio part means that while you must write all three responses, you must decide which response is your best, make a good copy of that one for me to evaluate. However, you do have to hand in all three rough copies.

For each part, respond to one of the quotations given. If there is a quotation from the novel that you would prefer to write about, please consult with the teacher about the possibility. Remember, your responses should make specific reference to both the text and your life experiences/observations. Also, your responses should be roughly 400 words. As part of your response, please indicate which quotation you are addressing.

Reminder: focus on the opinion / information presented in the quotation; do not write a summary of the surrounding areas of the text. Your response should have a restatement of the opinion / information, how you feel about it, a personal example (or two) that is (are) well developed, and a concluding thought or deeper realization.

Part One

a. “One might even argue that if an animal could choose with intelligence, it would opt for living in a zoo, since the major difference between a zoo and the wild is the absence of parasites and enemies and the abundance of food in the first, and their respective abundance and scarcity in the second.” (20)

b. “But religion is more than rite and ritual.” (53)

c. “Why do people move?...The answer is the same the world over: people move in the hope of a better life.” (86)

Part Two

d. “It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even to killing.” (205)

e. “It was natural that, bereft and desperate as I was, in the throes of unremitting suffering I should turn to God.” (314)

f. “It’s important in life to conclude things properly. Only then can you let go.” (316)

Part Three

g. “That’s right. We believe what we see.” (326)

h. “‘Isn’t telling about something – using words, English or Japanese – already something of an invention?’” (335)