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TRANSCRIPT
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DISCOVERY Life of Pi
Rubric:
• Emotional • Creative • Intellectual • Physical • Spiritual
• Something new • Re-‐discovering the
misplaced, forgotten, or hidden
• Impact of experience determined by individual’s circumstances
• Unexpected or surprising
• Individual’s personal, cultural, historical, and social situation affect the process/ experience
• Challenge your understanding of the world
• Stimulate new ideas
• Life-‐changing
• Attitudes questioned throughout process
• Transformed perceptions of individuals DISCOVERY
RUBRIC
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Camera Shots and Film Techniques: Camera Shot Definition Purpose Establishing Shot Opening sequence usually
extreme long shot, Sets the scene
Overhead Shot Camera directly above subject
Make object small/ inferior
High Angle Shot Camera above, not directly over subject
Make subject powerless/ insignificant
Eye Level Shot Camera eye-‐level Suggests equality and real life Low Angle Shot Camera below subject,
looking up Make object powerful and dominant
Extreme Long Shot Camera furthest distance away
Emphasise background
Long Shot Most of surroundings and subject in camera-‐shot
Shows object in environment
Medium Long Shot Almost all of subject (E.g. knees up)
Social themes-‐ (documentaries) keep social circumstances main focus, not person
Mid Shot Subject in equal amount of camera shot
More detail of object
Medium Close Up Above shoulders Show emotions, and reactions Close Up Shot Face fills camera shot Show immense detail, and
create intimacy Extreme Close Up Focuses extremely small
part of object (E.g. eyes, lips)
Show detail or create focus
Over The Shoulder Shot
Camera behind a character in a dialogue scene
Show perspective and facial expression. Often in confrontation
Tilted Shot Camera tilted on an angle Create imbalance or uneasiness
Hand Held Shot Shot to look unsteady or bouncy
Create realism, sense of immediacy, or chaos
Panning Shot Camera moves side to other side
Establishes setting
Point of View Shot From subject’s viewpoint Show object’s perspective Tracking Shot Follows subject (usually
on track), can contrast with zoom
Show speed, and enhance audience involvement
Zoom Lens is focused in a continuous movement
Focus on a subject to draw attention
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Editing Technique Definition Purpose Animation Rapid display of still
images, (E.g. Stop motion) Create hyper-‐reality or sense of fantasy as reality.
Camera Focus Clarity or sharpness of shot
Character perspective, shows connection between two things
Diegetic Sound Sound that is natural to the action
Create realism of setting
Non-‐Diegetic Sound Sound not natural to the action
Fast Cutting Consecutive short shots Convey lots of information quickly
Flashback Story flashbacks of past Create back story, and information
Freeze Frame Gives image appearance of still photo
Gain better focus of object expression/ emotion. Capture significant moments
Montage Combination of sequences placed next to each other
Condense time, space, and information. Suggests passage of time or change
Slow Motion Film takes place at a slower rate
Make fast action visible, make familiar action strange, emphasise dramatic moment
Split Frame Division of the screen to show several images at once
Same action from slightly different perspectives, show similar actions at different places
Voice Over Narration of action over film, narrator is not seen
Provide information/ insight that is not apparent by just viewing film. Can be used to interpret or persuade images to a point of view
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Life of Pi: Spiritual Discovery
• Pi’s mother reading the story of the universe in the mouth of Krishna-‐ Pi
then discovers his connection with the universe and religion for first time. • Pi’s discovery with religion influenced by Indian culture (religious
culture). Without this, Pi would not discover religion or spirituality. • Pi’s discovery is unexpected, and helps him feel at one with himself.
• Each religion Pi discovers has its purpose in his survival. Brings Pi’s
personal understand of the world into context. • Christianity referenced throughout film with baptism on the island
(cleansing of self) teaches adult Pi the connection of religion and man.
• Storm scene-‐ Pi’s unwavering faith turns around, and he starts his
journey: “God, I give myself to you. I am your vessel. Whatever comes I want to know. Show me…”
• However Pi is forced to face tough questions against his choices, and at a
point he loses his faith and belief: “Why are you scaring him? I lost my family! I lost everything! I surrender! What more do you want?” Yet after surviving Pi discovers his love and belief in God again.
• The reporter listening to Adult Pi’s story is forced to reflect on his own
values and beliefs regarding his religion. Pi’s story has a ‘transformative’ effect.
• However the reporter must still question and challenge his spiritual
discoveries as he hears the alternate story given to the Japanese reporters, giving the film a different perspective.
The feeling and connection with the universe
Connection with the body and mind, or connecting with inner-‐self
Reflection of values, and beliefs
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Scene Analysis:
Scene Significance Film Techniques Quotes Introduction to the Zoo
• Discoveries of wonder-‐ the zoo
• Introduces spiritual discovery
• Confronting nature of discovery
• Discovery of religion
• Connection of humans and animals, and land and sea
•
• Traditional Tamil music
• Establishes Indian context-‐ zoo as place of grace and dignity
• Highly visual and serene
• Orange wall= Hinduism
• Water= truth • Green fence= Islam • Tiger behind bars
sustained throughout film-‐ irony of nature
• Blue sky= Christianity
• Blue, orange, and green birds intertwine all religions
• Water rippling as Richard Parker walks past water (distorting truth)
Reporter Meeting Pi
• Introduces narrative structure of film
• Discovery based on curiosity
• Mid-‐shot of Pi: importance and power in story
• PI: “The way of Karma, the way of God”
• PI: “If you want your son to have a clean soul, you must one day take him to swim in the Piscine Molitor”
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Dinner Table • Reinforces ideas and beliefs within religion
• Shows mother nurtures Pi and is understanding and encouraging by promoting happiness
• Father is a rational thinker, stern, and believes in science over religion
• Pi is shown as strong-‐willed and doesn’t abandon his blended/holistic faith
• FATHER: “Believing in everything at the same time is the same as not believing in anything at all”
• FATHER: “I would much rather have you believe in something I don’t agree with than to accept everything blindly. And that begins with thinking rationally”
• PI: “Faith is a house with many rooms”
• PI: “Doubt is useful. It keeps faith a living thing. After all, you can’t know the strength of your faith until it has been tested”
Meeting Richard Parker
• Tiger’s name was originally Thirsty (Water motif)
• Shows that Pi is naïve, and wants to meet Richard Parker despite his brother’s doubts
• Shows Pi’s eagerness to learn about animals
• Pi is impulsive with an inquisitiveness of nature
• Lacks understanding of natural world from a skewed perception and controlled environment
• Pi challenges his father views
• Close-‐up of Pi placing his hands into the caged corridor
• Silence captures tension of scene as we focus on the initial meeting of two main characters
• Brief moment of enchantment for the viewer before Pi’s Father’s panic interrupts
• Close-‐up of Richard Parker-‐ gives responder a moment to look into the eyes of the tiger as a window to the soul on an emotional and spiritual level of discovery
• FATHER: “You think that tiger is your friend. He is an animal, not a playmate!”
• PI: “Animals have souls. I’ve seen it in their eyes”
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Themes Analysis: Scene Significance Film Techniques Quotes Pi’s Name • Significance of his
name • Presents Pi as an
unreliable character-‐ Uncle Francis story appears absurd
• Discovery is unexpected
• Uncle Francis presents Pi with guidance and valuable advice
• Under shot of Pi’s uncle-‐shows his strength and broad body overhead shot of young Pi swimming (vulnerability)
• WRITER: “I assumer you father was a mathematician because of your name”
• “I trained with him three times a week at the Ashram. His lessons would save my life one day”
• UNCLE: “A mouthful of water will not harm you-‐ but panic will”
Adult Pi Discussing Religion and Beliefs
• “None of us knows God until someone introduces us. I was first introduced to God as a Hindu”
Pi’s Discovery of Hinduism
• Shows he has a deep connection to these Hindu gods. A connection, which has been developed through storytelling. All stories capture the notion of love, sacrifice, and universal power
• The exploration of Hinduism, Pi’s mother has fostered Pi an awareness of the universe; a place of mystery and marvel
• “The gods were my superheroes growing up”
• “Vishnu sleeps, floating on the shoreless cosmic ocean and we are the stuff of his dreaming”
Pi’s Father’s Ideologies
• Negative words of his father about religion juxtaposed with the brightness of festival lights-‐
• FATHER: “Don’t let the stories and pretty lights fool you, boys. Religion is darkness”
• PI: “As a child he
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suggests religion is superficial
• Pi’s father is represented as a rationalist (his beliefs are shaped by science and reason) a result of experiencing a life-‐ threatening illness
had Polio; he used to lie in bed wracked with pain, wondering where God was. In the end, God didn’t save him; Western medicine did”
Pi’s Mother • Religion is all that Pi’s mother had to sustain her as she journeyed through life
• It provides her with comfort-‐ a connection to her family
• Close-‐up captures Pi’s mother as she watches the ceremony in contemplation
PI: “Her parents cute her off because they thought she was marrying beneath her. Religion was the only link she had to her past”
Christianity Analysis:
Scene Significance Film Techniques Quotes Pi Discussing Discovery of Christianity
• Picturesque vision • Captures vastness
of natural world • Place where Pi’s
second phrase of religious discovery occurs
• Establishing shot captures landscape of rocky mountain-‐tops through sea of clouds and mist
• Bright, green imagery juxtaposed with white clouds and blue sky
• Voice over, and non-‐diegetic music, which is whimsical and joyous
• “I met Christ in the mountains”
Pi’s Dare • Captures blended community of Pi’s world
• Amalgamation of faiths
• Physical representation of Pi’s spiritual discoveries
• Extreme long shot capturing church on hillside
• Colour contrasting stark white of building to green surroundings-‐ sense of importance among other religions
PRIEST: “You must be thirsty” (water motif)
Pi’s Journey to the Church
• Presented as spiritual enlightenment
• Natural light in the church-‐ directed towards crucifixion
• PI: “Why would God do that? Why would he send his own son
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• Blue symbolising peace, wisdom, intelligence, faith, and heaven
• White represents innocence, purity, and safety
• Pi discovers Christianity in a welcoming way
• Water is positioned in the centre of the screen to show its importance
• Also represents the moment Pi discovers Christianity
• Links religion and spirituality with nature
• Further reinforced through faded music and emphasised sounds of nature
• Mid shot focuses on glass of water
• Low angle shot features icons on the wall of the church
to suffer for the sins of ordinary people?”
• PRIEST: “Because He loves us… We can’t understand God in all His perfection, but we can understand God’s son and His suffering as we would a brother’s”
Adult Pi Questioning Religion
• Pi’s discovery of Christianity comes with realisation of Hinduism stories focusing on harmony, and love, while Christian stories focus on death and suffering
• Water as a motif-‐ serenity of stream
• Movement and sound of water provide opportunity for contemplation
• Supports Hindu belief that water has cleansing powers
• Fade into the stream shifting time frame
• Mid shot capturing Pi sitting by stream in thought
• ADULT PI: “That made no sense. Sacrificing the innocent to atone for the sins of the guilty? What kind of love is that?”
• ADULT PI: “I couldn’t get him out of my head”
Pi At Home • Suggestion of important discoveries and that Pi’s spiritual discoveries aren’t over yet
• Fade into Pi paying to Vishnu
• Close up shots represent Christianity and Hinduism
• Pi praying in front of
• “You cannot know the strength of your faith until it has been tested”
• ADULT PI: “I came to faith through
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• Meets God once more in the form of Allah
• Allah allows Pi to experience serenity and brotherhood
• Scene highlights Pi’s discovery of a multi-‐faceted faith
Vishnu statue Hinduism and I found God’s love through Christ, but God wasn’t finished with me yet”
Discovering Islam
• • Moving shot of Pi walking into the Islamic mosque, then moving upwards to show the white and green building with speaker
•
• PI: “God works in mysterious ways”
• The sound and feel of the words brought me closer to God
Life at Sea Scenes Analysis:
Scene Significance Film Techniques Quotes Sinking Ship Scene
• Laughter and open arms embrace nature and energy
• Pi is still naïve of natural world
• Oblivious to the danger present
• Fathers lessons have taught Pi the real world is not so enchanting and comes to term with them
• Realisation of truth and reality
• Sea takes on characteristics of having power and Pi struggled for survival with animals
• Pi undergoes another type of baptism
• Metaphorically thrown into new
• Panning shots • Lighting • Magical realism • Explores nature of
travel and journey as a still of a map fades and camera zooms to darkness
• Camera and score emphasise massive nature of the ship
• High angle looks down on the ship to create it had no power against forces of nature
• Tensions and struggles amplified by non-‐diegetic and diegetic sounds
• Muffled underwater sounds
• Pi’s vulnerability captured through low and high angle shots to show inferiority
• PI: “More rain, lord of storms! Let it rage!”
• BROTHER: “Don’t tempt a storm Pi”
•
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phase of life and discovery
• Pi is alone, and thrust unwillingly from ship
opposed to ship • Underwater shot with
soft filtered light shows confronting nature
• Crescendo of score Hyena Attack • Pi discovers the
savage nature of the animal kingdom
• When Pi becomes angry that the hyena has killed Orange Juice, he challenges it to a fight, which is against his beliefs of harming animals, this is where Richard Parker comes out, as the darker side of Pi
• Pi curls up in a ball because he is scared of Richard Parker, then finally makes the leap away from the boat onto the raft
• Harsh sounds are used with quick cutting of shots to exaggerate the intensity of the situation
• PI: “No! Stop it! No!” • PI: “I’m sorry
Orange Juice, I don’t have any sea sickness medicine for you”
Surrealism Sunrise
• New opportunities prevalent at dawn-‐ a fresh start
• Reflective ocean quality mimicking the pool scene
• Pantheistic storytelling (That all Gods are equal to the natural universe)
• Pi feels the power of God and nature
• Uses rational and spiritual thinking to equalise science and nature
• Glowing yellow/orange
• High angle shot as if the eye of God
• High angle shot shows ripples from help
• Tiger appearing from boat, Pi pulling towards him-‐ wanting to acknowledge his darker side
• Close up shot of Tiger’s eyes, represents the eye motif
• PI: “I am on a lifeboat alone… with a tiger. Please send help”
• PI: “God, I give myself to you, I am your vessel. Whatever comes I want to know. Show me”
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Strategies To Survive
• Science side of strategies using rational thinking
• Pi begins writing in diary and keeps track of the days
• Super-‐imposed/ split views to show different strategies and uses of supplies and survival kit
• PI: “Above all, don’t lose hope”
• PI: “Keep busy, but avoid unnecessary exhaustion”
• PI: “Telling stories is highly recommended”
Richard Parker Overboard
• Pi attempts to get away from Richard Parker by lifting the raft up, and about to hit him with the axe, but the eye motif comes in, and stops him as he realises he needs Richard Parker in order to survive
• Pi sees through Richard Parker
• Level of Pi’s compassion towards him
• Tiger clings on to the boat to survive
• Low angle shot used for when Richard Parker jumps into the water, to mimic when Pi is thrown into the pool, and sea
Pi Killing Fish • Going against vegetarian beliefs and Hindu beliefs
• Fish changes colour quickly, as if the life has been sapped out of it
• Eye motif of fish
• Over the shoulder shots
• Mid close-‐up of killing fish
• PI: “Thank you Lord Vishnu, for coming in the form of a fish saving our lives”
Whale and Jellyfish
• Naïve in summoning whale
• Iridescent and illuminessent glow of the jellyfish and stars
• Magical • Delirious moment
engaging with nature (algae)
• Pi’s insignificant size to the whale reinforces his
• High angle shots shows God is watching
• Haunting score with diegetic water sounds-‐ builds tension
• Music intensifies when the whale comes to the surface
• Tracking shots of Pi, showing him trying to grasp onto food
• PI: “Of course, I brought all the biscuits and food onto the raft… idiot”
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place in existence • Whale causes
destruction • Nature is
destructive • Loses all of his
food and supplies Flying Fish • Self-‐discovery
(quote) • Life cycle, that
smaller animals are consumed by the bigger ones
• Realisation of food supply
• Animal instincts kick in to Pi, as he fights with Richard Parker to win the fish
• Fights Richard Parker for the bigger fish, taming with pole
• Low-‐angle shots • Moving shots,
covering the lens • Whooshing noise and
motor sound of fish flying through air and crashing against boat and water
• Pi is shown as the taller figure on the boat, signifying dominance to Richard Parker
• PI: “Hunger can change everything you ever knew about yourself”
Pi’s Battle With Richard Parker
• Pi is shown as the dominant figure
• He learns the struggle with the tiger is more about power than food
• Inner strength grows-‐ realises he can gain control of the situation
• Uses training methods he learnt from the zoo to stand his ground with Richard Parker
• Pi acknowledges he will never have complete power over the animal
• Close up of tiger and Pi being threatened by one another
• Close up of Pi’s realisation of his power
• PI: “I can’t risk my life every time I need to come onto the boat for supplies, it’s time to settle this. If we’re going to live together we have to learn to communicate”
• PI: “With God’s will, he can learnt to be tamed”
Pi’s POV Before Dolphins
• Basic instinct has been challenged
• Tiger is reliant on Pi for food
• Close ups • Fading • Split images
• PI: “Knowing Richard Parker was here might ever bring me peace”
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• Pi is reliant on tiger to give his life purpose, and to keep surviving
• God reinforces the importance of the soul
• Quotes establish symbiotic relationship
• Shared experiences develops a connection between the two
• Mutual respect = co-‐existence
• PI: “He has as little experience of the real world as I do”
• PI: “We were both raised in a zoo by the same master. Now we’ve been orphaned, left to face our ultimate master together” (God)
• PI: “Without Richard Parker, I would have died by now. My fear of him keeps me alert. Tending to his needs gives my life a purpose”
Surreal Tiger Vision
• Sea imagery shows religious connotations of seeing the world
• Mouth of Krishna is referenced again
• Entering the tiger’s soul
• Imagination and speculation of the natural world
• A kaleidoscope of life
• Pi’s sense of abandonment and hopelessness gives mystical expression
• Stripped of everything, Pi has reached limits of his ability to cope
• Re-‐evaluates life-‐ no possessions, family, existence
• Shots reflect real and imagined: life and death, past and present
• Extremely wide shot of the boat floating in a sea of stars
• Animals all shifting in and out from one another mixing between Richard Parker’s and Pi’s perceptions
• Richard Parker’s world becomes merged with Pi’s and the camera shot comes back through Pi’s eyes as a connecting window to both of their souls
• PI: “What are you looking at? Talk to me. Tell me what you see”
• PI: “Words are all I have left to hang on to”
Storm of God • Amazed by beauty of God’s world
• Another spiritual baptism as feeling
• Mise-‐en-‐scene captures the awe and power of the storm
• Stunning display of
• PI: “Everything fragmented, mixed up. I can’t tell daydreams from
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connected to God • Pi’s resignation
that God has come for him
• Hope of an afterlife providing him with some comfort
• Challenges God-‐ his spiritual beliefs are contested here
• Pi apologises for scaring Richard Parker
clouds and lightning • Diegetic crashing
sounds of lightning and waves add intensity
• Extreme long shots capture Pi’s vulnerability against sea
• Light shining through clouds-‐ surreal lightning crash into the sea next to boat
• Extreme close-‐up of tiger’s eyes, sees the frightened feeling of tiger in storm
nightmares anymore”
• PI: “Come out Richard Parker! You have to see this! It’s beautiful! Come see the hand of God! Don’t hide yourself! He’s come to us! It’s a miracle!”
• PI: “Why are you scaring him?! I’ve lost my family-‐ I’ve lost everything! I surrender! What more do you want?!”
• PI: “I’m sorry Richard Parker”
Dying Pi and Richard Parker
• The physical qualities reflect his inner peace
• Resigned himself from his own fate-‐ at peace
• Water move from one place to another-‐ spiritual cleansing
• Water becomes symbol of transcendence (transporter from one world to another)
• Full shot of boat on still water
• Aerial shot • Close up shot of boat • Blurred vision shows
delirious eyesight of Pi
• Close up of first interaction-‐ touching of tiger (comforts)
• Fades to black
• PI: “We’re dying Richard Parker. I’m sorry. Amma, Appa, Ravi-‐ I’m happy I’m going to see you soon”
• PI: “Can you feel the rain?”
• PI: “God thank you for giving me my life. I’m ready now”
The Island • Pi lost all hope-‐ spirituality has been tested
• Ambivalent paradise showing duality of nature-‐ awesome but with the potential to destroy
• Open to interpretation
• Could represent a life without God-‐
• Long panoramic shots and high shots capture a world of green-‐ personal geographical perspective of man and the island
• Parallel high angle shots capture dual nature of the water hole
• Diegetic sound of meerkats in amongst broken bones
• ADULT PI: “Don’t you see, the island was carnivorous… al that the island gave him by day, it took away again at night”
• PI: “Even when God seemed to have abandoned me, He was watching. Even when He seemed indifferent to my suffering, He was watching. And when
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many offerings that will be taken back-‐ making your existence meaningless
• Fruit with teeth opens like lotus flower answering Anandi’s question “Why would a lotus flower hide in the forest?”
• Pi cannot live without God and chooses to leave Island-‐ going back to his faith
• Island could represent a false faith and the temptation to indulge in a harsh reality that is evil yet comfortable (carnivorous)
• Figment of Pi’s imagination
• Island is shaped like a woman’s body
• Joyous and calming music played
• Haunting music played in Whale scene plays again, to show haunting moment, finding something bad is occurring
• Long distance shot of boat drifting away
I was beyond all hope of saving, He gave me rest, then gave me a sign to continue my journey”
• ADULT PI: “But all that the island gave him by day, was taken away again by night”
• ADULT PI: “I saw how my life would end if I stayed on that island, alone”
• PI: “I couldn’t leave without him, I would be killing him otherwise”
• ADULT PI: “If I hadn’t discovered that tooth, I would have been left to die”
After Sea Scenes Analysis:
Scene Significance Film Techniques Quotes The Mexican Coastline
• Pi attributes his survival to his father’s lessons
• Close up of Pi’s face as he looks up to Richard Parker jumping, and then at the edge of the jungle
• Long distance shot of Richard Parker on the edge of the forest
• Long distance of helpers coming up to rescue Pi
• Close up of Pi crying being carried away
• ADULT PI: “And then Richard Parker, my fierce companion, the terrible one who kept me alive, disappeared forever from my life”
• ADULT PI: “I wept like a child… I was weeping because Richard Parker left me so… unceremoniously. It
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broke my heart” • ADULT PI: “I was
never able to thank my father for all I learned from him, to tell him that without his lessons I would never have survived”
• ADULT PI: “I was afraid to let go of the boat, all of my strength was gone. I was so weak”
• ADULT PI: “Richard parker went ahead of me, he stretched his legs and walked along the shore. At the edge of the jungle he stopped, I was certain he was going to look back… Bring our relationship to an end in some way, but he just stared into the jungle”
• ADULT PI: “You know, my father was right; Richard Parker never saw me as his friend, after all we had been through he didn’t even look back. But I had to believe there was more than the reflection in his eyes staring back at me. I felt it. Even if I cant prove it”
• ADULT PI: “The act of life becomes letting go, and its not taking a moment to say goodbye”
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The Second Story
• Allegorical meaning is revealed
• Introduces the idea that humanity seeks “the truth” and rational explanation for all the occurs and exists (storytelling)
• Magical version takes up the majority of the film
• Scepticism of the two Japanese investigators prompts the more visceral alternative
• Idea of cannibalism is introduced
• Pi makes a parallel between the two stories and religion
• Secular and materialist
• Prompts reflection about how people deal with life and death
• Story is set up to help responder’s consider which version of the world they prefer, regardless of which God we may accept
• Story has been passed down on to a different storyteller and will be discovered by a new audience
• Close up shots to show facial expressions of Pi and the reporter’s
• Ends with a flashback of Pi smiling, and Richard Parker walking into the jungle and the colour fading
• Slowly fades to black
• WRITER: “It is a lot to take in, to figure out what it all means”
• PI: “If it happened, it happened. Why should it have to mean anything?”
• OKAMOTO: “We need a simpler story for our report. One our company can understand. A story we can all believe… The truth”
• PI: “I could never understand why we let people suffering”
• PI: “He was such an evil man, but worse still he brought the evil out in me, and I have to live with that”
• PI: “That’s up to you, the story is yours now”
•
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The Rubric & Life Of Pi:
Discovery can encompass the experience of discovering something for the firs time or re-‐discovering something that has been lost, forgotten, or concealed
Discoveries can be sudden and unexpected or emerge from a process of deliberate
and careful planning evoked by curiosity, necessity, and wonder
Discoveries can be fresh and intensely meaningful in ways that may be emotional, creative, intellectual, physical, and spiritual.
• Bildungsroman style film enables us to view Pi’s journey and his discoveries,
their impact revealed through narration from Adult Pi, and revelatory flashbacks
• Pi is an inquisitive child-‐ abundance of the world inspired him (religion) and the world of the zoo
• Religion and faith are empowering proving a natural way to make meaning of life
• Each path Pi explores he acknowledges the differences in beliefs and comes to understand his places within them, and the concept of love
• Act of being thrown off ship crosses threshold between a world he understood and a world in which he dreamed he never encountered
• How young naïve faith responds to ultimate tests • Pi’s religious development conveyed over time • Divine beliefs altered when he is in the middle of the ocean • Pi’s personal discovery is sudden, unexpected, and experienced mostly
through adversity
Leads us to new worlds and values, stimulate new ideas, and enable us to speculate about future possibilities.
Discoveries and discovering can offer new understandings and renewed
perceptions of ourselves and others.
Impact of such discoveries can be far-‐reaching and transformative for the individual and for broader society.
Discoveries may be questioned or challenged when viewed from different
perspectives and their worth re-‐assessed over time. • Pi’s survival leads to self-‐discovery renewing his perspective of himself,
religion, and nature • Undertakes a spiritual quest for truth and meaning-‐ questioning God and the
nature of life and love
Nature of Discovery
Impact/ Outcome/ Consequence of Discovery
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• Humans are subject to lessons that will challenge and provoke us to discover our inner strength
• Events in Pi’s early life, and at sea allow him to discover the ritualised practicalities in life, ever-‐present possibility of death, and the beauty and ugliness of the world-‐ expressions of God’s power
• Pi is hardened through physical adversity • Pi accepts situation and finds ways to make his life bearable • Personal growth is revealed through his resourcefulness and level of
resilience • Disobeying elements of his faith • Richard Parker is pivotal to Pi’s survival, as it helps him to cope with tragedy,
loneliness, and the apparent abandonment from God • Pi’s religious and moral values are constantly challenged • Inner violence is driven by Pi’s will to survive • Pi re-‐assesses his understanding of faith and the human relationship with the
natural world • Ang Lee states “The film is about testing faith and strength” • Nature is a religion unto itself-‐ Pi finds solace in nature’s beauty
Students may make discoveries about people, relationships, societies, places and events, and generate new ideas.
• Through Pi’s survival we are encouraged to consider our perspectives of
religion and nature • Pantheistic view of nature-‐ the world is divine and worthy of reverence-‐ with
powers of redemption and restoration with the power to heal and nurture • Use of technology emphasises visual splendour of nature-‐ reflective water
scenes leave the onlookers spellbound • Visual imagery highlights interconnection of nature, man, and God • Although it can batter the body, mind, and spirit, it can also offer spiritual
refuge and access to a higher plane of understanding • Encouraged to consider the fantastical and religious accounts of religion are
better options than facing the dark and horrendous capabilities of humanity • Pi’s story does not force to believe in God, as it provides rational thinking
though the absolute truth • Ang Lee states “You cannot tell somebody a story, or show them a movie and
for them to believe in God… You have to go through pain and suffering, you have to be in awe. You have to go through tests to believe in God, or not believe in some cases”
• Nature and power of storytelling is threaded through the text Eg/ Pi’s voice, disclosing aspects of the plot, characters, and ideas
• Tells stories of Hindu, Islam, and Christianity-‐ linked by love of a universal creator and the world He has created
• Represented as a way to access a deeper understanding of the world • Allegory and symbolism used for responders to understand complex ideas • Takes the reader beyond the world of rationality and reason
Outside The Text-‐ The Responder’s Experience
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• Allegorical storytelling is itself one of Pi’s survival-‐ interpreted as a way of avoiding and emotionally surviving the brutal reality of what happened
• Ending makes us conscious of the past two hours absorbing a story within a story
• Throws emphasis back onto viewers-‐ asked to choose between alternate stories
• Pi’s name takes on resonance (mathematical number) with its infinite decimal places, meaning the story cannot be pinpointed or rationalised, just like Pi’s story
• A myriad of possible truths • Stories provide us with a truth to get us through life (science or religion) The Rubric & Life Of Pi: Discovery Vocabulary Example for Life of Pi Discovering • Examples of truth
• Spiritual awakening • Religion
Rediscovery • Faith and religion • Family • Rediscovers self • Values
Impulsive • Explores ship • Replenishes food on raft • Feeding Richard Parker
Unforeseen • Leaving India & selling animals • Richard Parker on lifeboat
Planned • Process of surviving on lifeboat Fortuitous (Discovery by chance)
• Discovery of island • Finding the tooth
Essential • Supplies on lifeboat Inquisitiveness • Curiosity about Richard Parker
• Search for religion Desire to Learn • Pi (numbers) (name)
• Religion • How to survive
Evocative • Death of animals • Loss of family • Leaving Richard Parker
Awesome • Whale scene & glowing sea Emotional • Loss of family Spiritual • God
• Vulnerability to nature Intellectual • Surviving in the raft
• Pi • Value of education
English Standard
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Physical • Physical capabilities • Island • Taming the tiger
Imagined • Seeing family in water Challenging • Learning to survive
• Catching fish Uncomfortable • Leaving India
• Eating meat Disturbing • Hyena killing the zebra and
orangutan Inflammatory • Father talking about leaving
• Fight between father and cook Innovative • Making the raft Ingenious • Meeting girls-‐ lotus flower symbol
• Making the raft • Taming the tiger
Speculative • Predicting future-‐ Island (to stay or not to stay)
Insightful • Self-‐awareness/ realisation Thought Provoking • Pi’s name
• Killing the fish then eating it Self-‐Realisation • Will to survive
• Courage • Emotional-‐ at the end of film from
telling the story Values Driven, Limited, or Expanded
• Killing fish • Father’s view on religion • Father’s perspectives on animals
Change Our Perspectives • Power of stories • Value of fear from tiger • Effect of fear on our choice to take
chances Transform • Miracle of survival
• Leading to a happy ending from survival