Our Casuarina Tree (Poem)

Unit 2 – Supplementary

Life of Pi

Yann Martel

Warm Up

Imagine you are going on a trek or an adventure. It requires grit and a strong will to survive the odds and emerge unscathed. Most importantly, you should carry an emergency kit.

Choose the ten most essential items from the box below and complete the table.

• First-Aid Kit
• … (list continues)

Share your list with your friend.

Life of Pi – Abridged Extract

I was alone and orphaned, in the middle of the Pacific, hanging on to an oar, an adult tiger in front of me, sharks beneath me, a storm raging about me. Had I considered my prospects in the light of reason, I surely would have given up and let go of the oar, hoping that I might drown before being eaten. But I don’t recall that I had a single thought during those first minutes of relative safety. I didn’t even notice daybreak. I held on to the oar, I just held on, God only knows why.

The elements allowed me to go on living. The lifeboat did not sink. Richard Parker kept out of sight. The sharks prowled but did not attack. The waves splashed me but did not pull me off. I watched the ship as it disappeared with much belching and flotsam of tragedy.

…

I thought of sustenance for the first time. I had not had a drop to drink or a bite to eat or a minute of sleep in three days. Finding this obvious explanation for my weakness brought me a little strength.

…

My thirst pushed me on. I unrolled the tarpaulin a little. Immediately I was rewarded: upon the end bench, a hasp glittered like a diamond. There was the outline of a lid. My heart began to pound. I unrolled further. I peeked under.

Between life jackets I had my first unambiguous glimpse of Richard Parker—tawny, striped and simply enormous. He was lying flat, breathing slowly.

…

I saw drinking-water cans—pale golden, 500 ml, stacked in abundance. I had to open one. No can-opener? I banged the top against a tarpaulin hook until a pearl of water appeared. I licked it, widened the hole, tilted the can—

To the gurgling beat of my greedy throat, pure, delicious, beautiful, crystalline water flowed into my system. Liquid life, it was.

I drank four cans—two liters—before I stopped. A sense of well-being overcame me. I had water rations to last me 124 days.

…

I realized I had to tame Richard Parker. It was not a question of him or me, but him and me. We would live—or die—together.

A part of me was glad about Richard Parker. Without him I would be alone with despair, a foe even more formidable than a tiger.

I left Richard Parker in a jungle and waited for a ship. It found me; I am now reunited with my family.

About the Author

Yann Martel was born in Spain to French-Canadian parents. His father worked as a diplomat, and the family lived in Costa Rica, France, Mexico and Canada. Martel studied philosophy at Trent University, Ontario, and later spent a year in India visiting religious sites and zoos. His first three books received little attention, but Life of Pi (2001) brought international fame and the Man Booker Prize (2002).

Glossary

• belch – expel air noisily
• flotsam – debris floating in a river or sea
• tarpaulin – a heavy waterproof sheet
• incredible – unbelievable
• conundrum – a riddle
• asphyxiation – death due to lack of oxygen
• putrid – rotting
• guise – pretence
• cauldron – a large bowl or pot
• splinters – long sharp fragments of material, often wood
• plausible – probable, likely
• unambiguous – clear
• supplication – a humble request, prayer
• glistened – shone
• gunnel – upper edge of the side of a boat
• gurgling – sound made when water is drunk fast

Comprehension

1. Answer in a sentence or two

a) Describe the pathetic condition of Pi in the middle of the ocean.
Alone, orphaned, without food, water or sleep for three days, he clung to an oar while sharks circled beneath and a tiger lay on the lifeboat.

b) Who was Richard Parker?
A 450-pound Bengal tiger sharing the lifeboat with Pi.

c) Richard Parker’s survival seemed incredible to Pi. Why?
Pi could not understand how he had failed to notice so large a tiger aboard for two-and-a-half days.

d) Why was the great beast not behaving naturally?
Pi reasoned the tiger might have been sedated by his father before the shipwreck and was further subdued by seasickness.

e) Why was Pi not afraid of the hyena?
The presence of the far more dangerous tiger made the hyena seem trivial by comparison.

f) Describe Pi’s struggle to find drinking water.
Weak and parched, he crawled across the boat, prised open a locker with a hook, and opened cans by banging them against metal.

g) What was Pi’s reaction when he discovered drinking water?
He felt positively giddy with happiness, drank four cans, and experienced ecstatic well-being.

h) Why did Pi want to tame Parker?
To ensure mutual survival; if the tiger could be trained, Pi might live longer.

i) What saved Pi’s life?
His thirst drove him to search, and the discovery of water revived him; Richard Parker’s presence later gave him purpose.

j) How did Pi reunite with his family?
A ship rescued him after he left Richard Parker in a jungle.

2. Answer in about 50 words

a) How did the presence of Richard Parker help Pi?
The tiger distracted Pi from grief, forced him to maintain routines, and gave him a reason to stay alert and alive.

b) Describe the lifeboat.
3½ feet deep, 8 feet wide, 26 feet long, bright orange, designed for 32 people, stocked with supplies under a tarpaulin.

c) How did Pi feel after drinking water?
Moist-mouthed, relaxed, clear-headed; strength and suppleness returned; he felt drunk on water, euphoric.

d) Did Pi want Richard Parker to die?
No; though the tiger was dangerous, his companionship kept despair at bay, giving Pi the will to survive.

3. Answer in a paragraph

How did the presence of Richard Parker influence the attitude of Pi?
Initially terrified, Pi soon realized that sharing the boat with a tiger forced him into disciplined action: he planned, prayed, and devised ways to tame the beast. Paradoxically, Richard Parker became both threat and motivator; focusing on the tiger’s needs kept Pi from succumbing to sorrow over his lost family. The tiger’s mere breathing reminded Pi he was not alone, transforming fear into purpose and, ultimately, gratitude.

4. Sequence the incidents logically

1. Pi was stranded in the Pacific on a lifeboat.
2. As he looked around, he was shocked to find Richard Parker on board.
3. He was pinned by weakness having had no food, water or sleep for nearly three days.
4. Strangely his thirst overpowered his fear of Richard Parker and he went about exploring for fresh water.
5. His search for water took him dangerously close to Richard Parker but nothing could stop him—neither tiger nor hyena.
6. A little later, he succeeded in his search when he found stacks of cans of drinking water.
7. Pi came back to life and his senses after drinking the elixir of life.
8. He understood that it was Richard Parker who helped him survive for 227 days.
9. Pi left Richard Parker in a jungle and reunited with his family.

ICT Corner

Conjunctions & Connectives / Linkers

Steps:
1. Visit: https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-91807.php
2. Read the description of Connectors with examples.
3. Scroll to English exercise – Connectors, answer objective questions, click Check my Test.
4. Review your answers.
5. Click Linking words at the bottom; attempt further exercises to strengthen understanding of connectives.