The Life of Pi - the Pi’s Beliefs of the Religions

...

beast in the Lord of the Flies and/or Life of Pi. Refer to the story Pi tells the officers from the Japanese Ministry of Transport in part three in which Pi himself is the tiger and Simon’s conversation with the Lord of the Flies (the pig’s head) in chapter eight. (psychoanalytic theory, ecocriticism, archetypal criticism)

• The sow’s head and the conch shell each wield a certain kind of power over the boys. In what ways do these objects’ powers differ? In what way is Lord of the Flies a novel about power? About the power of symbols? About the power of a person to use symbols to control a group? (psychoanalytic theory, Marxist criticism, archetypal criticism)

• What does Lord of the Flies suggest about human nature, evil, and human civilization? Apply the theories of Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke to the novel in your essay. You may also refer to William Butler Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming” to help you to shed light on your interpretation. Another possibility is to compare human nature, evil, and human civilization concepts in Lord of the Flies to similar concepts in The Hunger Games. (psychoanalytic theory, archetypal criticism)

• Discuss dehumanization (denying someone the status of personhood) in one or two of the following: Life of Pi, Lord of the Flies, or The Hunger Games. (psychoanalytic theory, ecocriticism, archetypal criticism)

• Write an essay that links Peeta and Ralph as followers of the philosophy that morality imposes obligations on us and ought to guide our conduct no matter what. Call Peeta and Ralph followers of Kant. You may also make comparisons between Gale and Jack who follow the philosophy that in the absence of any dominant power to make and enforce rules, people have the right to do whatever they want and see fit. Call Gale and Jack followers of Hobbes. (psychoanalytic theory)

• Discuss the Hunger Games as a cautionary tale against the dark side of entertainment. (psychoanalytic theory)

• In what ways does Suzanne Collins give us characters who invite us to reflect on gender expectations in The Hunger Games? What expectations are there in Panem? In current mainstream America? What point does Collins seem to make about gender expectations? (feminist theory)