1. Gods and Generals, by Jeff Shaara. Because this was my I.D. Paper Book, I don’t think I have read anything else in such detail.
2. The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara. This book was memorable because it opened my eyes to the amazing history surrounding the Civil War.
3. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. This is a book different from any others I have ever read because of the power of its survival story and moving fiction.
4. Brisingr, by Christopher Paolini. This book I remember for the very annoying cliffhanger at the end.
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, by J.K. Rowling. As the final book in the Harry Potter series, this book pulled everything together.
6. American Slavery, American Freedom, by Edmund S. Morgan. This book was memorable because of how difficult it was to read and because it was the first historical analysis book I’ve ever read.
7. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. This was the book I read at the hospital when I had pneumonia in junior year.
8. 1984, by George Orwell. A very interesting book that opened by eyes to the horror of living under an over-bearing government.
9. The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown. This highly interesting book was what got me through long chemo days spent at Phoenix Children’s.
10. Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown. I simply could not put this book down; it was a definite page-turner.
11. Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card. This is one of the best science fiction books I have ever read.
12. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. This was the last book I can remember made me laugh out loud.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Summer Reading: Life of Pi
Ever since I finished reading Life of Pi, my mind has been kindled with a burning fire as I have been struck with a philosophical question that requires immense introspective—does God really exist? Indeed, Life of Pi is a metaphorical representation of the ongoing intellectual battle between the believers of different religions, the agnostics, and the atheists. Yann Martel, the book’s author, does not fault atheists in any way; however, he does call out the agnostics basically for not taking the time to look into themselves and go one way or the other. All in all, the book revolves around this age-old debate, but Martel doesn’t pass up the chance to get in his side of the argument, which I believe he does brilliantly through the metaphorical power of fiction.
In Life of Pi, Martel begins by shaping his main character as a human being with an excessively strong interest in religion. Piscine Molitor Patel (or Pi for short) is a young boy who becomes involved with Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. Although I had felt the first part of the book was somewhat boring and monotonous, after finishing the novel, I saw how important Pi’s character is to understanding the thematic value of the final pages.
To me, the most important parts of the first section of the book are the interaction between Pi’s three religious mentors and between Mr. and Mr. Kumar. I will begin by stating my thoughts on Mr. and Mr. Kumar. Indeed, I believe Martel is pointing to something important by having and atheistic biology teacher scarred by childhood polio have just as much influence on a deeply religious boy as a poor, deeply religious baker. I find it even more striking that Martel chose the same name for this pair. Thus, Martel could be subtly making an observation about the similarities between the atheistic and the pious; both are strong in their belief system and have obviously come to some climactic decision within themselves to answer the question. Pi may be religious, but he is also heavily interested in biology, so he does not ignore the teachings of his atheistic mentor. The second important scene occurs when the three religious teachers—who find Pi so devoted to their respective faiths—meet Pi at the same time. The predictable spat that follows is both hilarious and thematically important as a satirical representation of the conflict between religions. The idea that came to my mind after reading this scene was that immediate conflict arises out of minor disparities between religions, and Martel makes it seem somewhat ridiculous here. When Mr. and Mr. Kumar meet at the zoo, however, there is no argument or conflict between them – both just seem in awe of the natural world, and both are good people. I had never really though of the similarities between the atheistic and the pious in this way, and I must admit that Martel’s portrayal of these two characters piqued my philosophical interest
The last two things that I will touch upon are the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker, and the final dialogue between Pi and the two Japanese men. The interaction between Piscine and Richard Parker the gigantic Bengal tiger is very fantastical and inspiring. It seemed to me when reading over the diary entries of Pi’s journey that the atheists reading the book could find some value in the relationship, and the fantastic aura certainly suites those religious folk as well, but what about the agnostics? The story of Pi’s taming of Richard Parker can be taken three ways: 1-as absolutely ridiculous; 2-as seemingly possible and a demonstration of the power of the human mind and animal evolution; and 3-as awe-inspiring. To me, it seems like the agnostics might not find anything in this, or Martel could be using the story as a balance system to help the agnostics choose an answer for themselves. I believe it is clear that the message of the book is to find within yourself a belief system and cement in place. But it is not until the book reaches the final pages that the real philosophic bashing begins. Indeed, Martel uses a startling metaphor that hit me with wonder once I figured it all out. After Pi makes it to land in Mexico, he is interrogated by Japanese men who want to know what happened to his boat. Pi tells them his story of taming Richard Parker, getting stuck on a floating, carnivorous island filled with meerkats, and talking to a blind Frenchmen before listening to him get eaten by Richard Parker. The Japanese men, quite frankly, cannot believe Pi because he has no proof of the story. In response, Pi tells a horrific story replacing all the animals and the island with humans, and the Japanese men are repulsed. Pi acknowledges that he has no proof but asks the men which story they prefer. The both preferred the one with animals. That was when I began to realize where Martel was going with the dialogue format. These final pages were a metaphorical representation of the dilemma with religion—there is no proof that there is a God, and there is no proof that there isn’t. Still, Martel is saying that the religious story, at least for him, seems more heart-warming and inspiring than reality without a God. (890)
In Life of Pi, Martel begins by shaping his main character as a human being with an excessively strong interest in religion. Piscine Molitor Patel (or Pi for short) is a young boy who becomes involved with Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. Although I had felt the first part of the book was somewhat boring and monotonous, after finishing the novel, I saw how important Pi’s character is to understanding the thematic value of the final pages.
To me, the most important parts of the first section of the book are the interaction between Pi’s three religious mentors and between Mr. and Mr. Kumar. I will begin by stating my thoughts on Mr. and Mr. Kumar. Indeed, I believe Martel is pointing to something important by having and atheistic biology teacher scarred by childhood polio have just as much influence on a deeply religious boy as a poor, deeply religious baker. I find it even more striking that Martel chose the same name for this pair. Thus, Martel could be subtly making an observation about the similarities between the atheistic and the pious; both are strong in their belief system and have obviously come to some climactic decision within themselves to answer the question. Pi may be religious, but he is also heavily interested in biology, so he does not ignore the teachings of his atheistic mentor. The second important scene occurs when the three religious teachers—who find Pi so devoted to their respective faiths—meet Pi at the same time. The predictable spat that follows is both hilarious and thematically important as a satirical representation of the conflict between religions. The idea that came to my mind after reading this scene was that immediate conflict arises out of minor disparities between religions, and Martel makes it seem somewhat ridiculous here. When Mr. and Mr. Kumar meet at the zoo, however, there is no argument or conflict between them – both just seem in awe of the natural world, and both are good people. I had never really though of the similarities between the atheistic and the pious in this way, and I must admit that Martel’s portrayal of these two characters piqued my philosophical interest
The last two things that I will touch upon are the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker, and the final dialogue between Pi and the two Japanese men. The interaction between Piscine and Richard Parker the gigantic Bengal tiger is very fantastical and inspiring. It seemed to me when reading over the diary entries of Pi’s journey that the atheists reading the book could find some value in the relationship, and the fantastic aura certainly suites those religious folk as well, but what about the agnostics? The story of Pi’s taming of Richard Parker can be taken three ways: 1-as absolutely ridiculous; 2-as seemingly possible and a demonstration of the power of the human mind and animal evolution; and 3-as awe-inspiring. To me, it seems like the agnostics might not find anything in this, or Martel could be using the story as a balance system to help the agnostics choose an answer for themselves. I believe it is clear that the message of the book is to find within yourself a belief system and cement in place. But it is not until the book reaches the final pages that the real philosophic bashing begins. Indeed, Martel uses a startling metaphor that hit me with wonder once I figured it all out. After Pi makes it to land in Mexico, he is interrogated by Japanese men who want to know what happened to his boat. Pi tells them his story of taming Richard Parker, getting stuck on a floating, carnivorous island filled with meerkats, and talking to a blind Frenchmen before listening to him get eaten by Richard Parker. The Japanese men, quite frankly, cannot believe Pi because he has no proof of the story. In response, Pi tells a horrific story replacing all the animals and the island with humans, and the Japanese men are repulsed. Pi acknowledges that he has no proof but asks the men which story they prefer. The both preferred the one with animals. That was when I began to realize where Martel was going with the dialogue format. These final pages were a metaphorical representation of the dilemma with religion—there is no proof that there is a God, and there is no proof that there isn’t. Still, Martel is saying that the religious story, at least for him, seems more heart-warming and inspiring than reality without a God. (890)
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