Life of Pi - Book Review

Life of Pi – English Language Paper

1. Water flooded the ship

Water came from hole below

The ship was sinking

The stairwells had been flooded

1. Written in book

1. The writer has structured the text in a way that it is meant to keep us engaged. For example, the writer straight away begins by talking about “Deep structural groans,” within the ship. This tells us that something is happening to the ship. He then goes on to explain how water was flooding the ship and how there was a lot of confusion and commotion going around within the people in the ship. This makes us ask many questions, such as, “What is going to happen?” or “Where are his family?”

The writer then begins to add much more suspense of how there were wild, dangerous animals being transported alongside the people and they were running amok. He changes our initial focus from the ship to the animals then by stating, “These were dangerous wild animals we were transporting, not farm livestock.” This then creates more tension as to what will happen between Pi and the animals.

Furthermore, the writer adds many short, rhetorical questions which are impactful when creating tension. From lines 32 to 34 Pi asks many questions which add to the suspense by showing that he is very scared and confused.

At the end of the extract, the writer leaves us on a cliff-hanger which then adds the most to the suspense. This interest us as readers as then it makes us ask questions such as what will happen next and what the aftermath of this will be.

Overall, the writer creates a lot of suspense throughout the extract which almost forces us to ask questions which interests us as readers.

1. I agree with this statement as the writer begins by talking about a problem occurring with the ship that the narrator is on. This almost straight away creates sympathy for the narrator as we know that something is about to happen to him.

The writer makes the narrator ask many questions to show his fright and confusion. This creates sympathy as we can see that he is clearly scared and does not know what is happening. The writer also adds to the sympathy by explaining how he is aboard alongside wild and dangerous animals. This adds to the sympathy as we are sympathetic to what will happen between the narrator and the animals.

Furthermore, the writer creates sympathy by continuously describing the devastation occurring to the ship. He explains about the water flowing in and the uses of sensory imagery adds to the devastation. He explains how the ship is creating a, “Monstrous metallic burp,” adding to suspense which creates sympathy for the narrator.

The writer also adds to the sympathy for the narrator through the last two sentences. He had a lot faith in the men but after throwing him overboard he realised what was to happen to him. The uses of the cliff-hanger add to the sympathy as we then ask questions which increases our ‘worry’ for the narrator.

Overall, I agree with this statement as the writer uses many different techniques and phrases which add to our sympathy for the narrator.

1. “The end is near!” I had heard this as rumbling had begun from under my feet. I heard and saw cracks form in between solid rock, standing aloof, unknown of what was to follow. Men, women and children evacuating from their homes, driving away from the city, unknowing of the fact that there was no escape from the monstrosity that was to follow with this one, simple crack.

After that one crack, more began follow. Crack upon crack, a distinct line was created across the field going on until the human eye could no longer see any further. Panic-stricken families screamed and cried until the noise from beneath began to drown out their screaming. The noise that had emerged from underneath was as if retribution had come for us. A slow, ominous groan developed as the cracks opened wider and wider. Water began gushing from underneath, while the abyss had eaten cars, and even some people, alive. Schools, playgrounds and parking lots had been rendered useless from this. But that was just the beginning. This was the purest form of nature in action and not even God, I think, could have stopped this from happening.