A/N: Response to prompt on January 5, 2011
Each and every hour the same task over and over, working at the ticket booth of a zoo. All of the people are the same sorts. Most are parents with their young children, then there are a few older couples just looking to relive their childhood memories. Rarely, if ever are there any people on their own, one singular person., who always looked somewhat out of place. Although today was one of those days where one of those odd people showed up at the zoo, this was the day I saw and meet Mr. Kumar.
A strange looking man Mr. Kumar was. Described as two triangles one on top of the other. The triangular head on top of the triangular body, held up by a set of parallel lines, his legs. Pi uses many geometrical terms when describing Mr. Kumar, just as he uses with his name, Pi, 3.14159….. , the term that relates to circles. Geometry seems as though it is the base of all of Pi's knowledge yet it goes much deeper than that. The number of Pi is important for the circles. Circles are similar to cycles, cycles go in a circle. One of the most prominent cycles known to man is the life cycle, the circle of life. By describing Mr. Kumar with triangle it is almost as if Pi is saying that he, Mr. Kumar, is not actually living or that there are no consistent cycles in his life.
Mr. Kumar's appearance can also be taken as a distorted hourglass looking past the geometric base. One on top of the other with the parallel bars/lines on the sides. The hourglass represents time. This has the possibility to mean several things, that Mr. Kumar is very careful with time or that his time may be running out.
A strange looking man Mr. Kumar was. Described as two triangles one on top of the other. The triangular head on top of the triangular body, held up by a set of parallel lines, his legs. Pi uses many geometrical terms when describing Mr. Kumar, just as he uses with his name, Pi, 3.14159….. , the term that relates to circles. Geometry seems as though it is the base of all of Pi's knowledge yet it goes much deeper than that. The number of Pi is important for the circles. Circles are similar to cycles, cycles go in a circle. One of the most prominent cycles known to man is the life cycle, the circle of life. By describing Mr. Kumar with triangle it is almost as if Pi is saying that he, Mr. Kumar, is not actually living or that there are no consistent cycles in his life.
Mr. Kumar's appearance can also be taken as a distorted hourglass looking past the geometric base. One on top of the other with the parallel bars/lines on the sides. The hourglass represents time. This has the possibility to mean several things, that Mr. Kumar is very careful with time or that his time may be running out.
The level of respect Pi has for Mr. Kumar is very high even though Pi has some other beliefs and thoughts. Right off the bat Pi states that Mr. Kumar is one of his favorite teachers. Students have favorite teachers all of the time but the ones that stick are well respected by the student and the student constantly looks up for advice to one of the most trusted adults in their life. However Pi finds many of the traits that Mr. Kumar has quite odd, such as the habit at the zoo of reading all the placks and approving of all the animals. Pi also respects Mr. Kumar for holding strong in his beliefs even though he doesn't agree with them, i.e. him being atheist and a communist.
This man, Mr. Kumar was very strange indeed as my assumptions were correct. Although besides the oddness of this man he was very well respected. He was a teacher that many students looked up to. If he were not a fictional character they would probably still look up to him in life. This character seems very similar to many of the present students favorite teachers.
A/N: January 25, 2011 Response to Prompt- Discuss any of Pi's specific behaviors over the last section of reading and how that behavior serves as a metaphor; what aspect of life or human is that action taken by Pi asking us to examine?
Richard Parker is the Bengal tiger that Pi both fears and appreciates the companion ship of this tiger. When they first come to land both Pi and Richard Parker seem to be overjoyed that there journey is almost complete. The tiger takes off to explore the jungle where he is free, where as Pi stays near to the life boat, his anchor. Both of the two collect whatever food they may find and feast but then Pi realizes that the journey is not still not quite finished. Pi returns to the life boat and waits for nightfall and the return of Richard Parker to leave and complete there journey to North America.
When there is a something that is terrifying the instinct people normally have is to escape the fear, run away. Although why does Pi not do this he waits for the return of Richard Parker, the tiger that he has seen kill so many things, and knows could kill him without a second thought. This is just like in the scenario of family. There are times when siblings can get on each others nerves to the point that they hate each other, fear each other. Though there is never a time in which they don't care for each other or would ever think of abandoning one another.
Pi and Richard Parker have been together for months. They are all the "family" that the other has left. Pi waits for Richard Parker because he doesn't want to leave him behind, abandon him. To survive the have both help each other just as a real family would do. Therefore even though Pi may not like Richard Parker he takes into consideration that they need each other and would not survive without each other.
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