book review

Life of Pi
I’m guessing you picked this book up for one of the two following reasons, one, you liked the book cover, or the other reason, you were in the mood for a math book, no I’m just messing with you. No, actually this book has nothing to do with math, but the cover does have a meaning you see, Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a story about a small Indian boy, whose dad owns the local zoo, decides to sell it, and decides to move him and his family to Canada, but will he reach his destination or will something occur on the way?
Well the story starts out with Piscine Patel or Pi for short starts out with a small narration about his childhood and his life. During the begin Pi explores 3 religion which are Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, he says I just want to love god. Pi’s father decides to sell the zoo and move the family to Canada. In the middle of the ocean, the cargo ship on which the family is traveling sinks, the ship was called Tstisuni. Pi manages to find refuge on a lifeboat, though not alone. He shares the small area with a female orangutan named Orange Juice, a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, and a Royal Bengal Tiger by the name of Richard Parker.
Pi manages to construct a raft using supplies aboard the boat, and avoids direct confrontation with Richard Parker by keeping out of the tiger's territory on the deck of the boat, Pi goes temporarily blind, and during this state meets another castaway on a boat traveling like his own. The other man has a French accent, and after a period of a conversation he boards Pi's boat with a view to murder him. As soon as he boards, however, he is killed and devoured by Richard Parker. Soon after they wash ashore upon a strange island, populated by meerkats, and containing pools of fresh water.
After some time, Pi finds a strange tree on the island, and upon examining the fruit, finds human teeth. He realizes that the island is deadly, and he and Richard Parker must leave the island immediately. The lifeboat finally washes up on the beach in Mexico at which point Richard Parker bounds off into the jungle never to be seen again.
Well in my opinion Life of Pi is a very confusing book, as the book follows through; the scenes start to fad in and fade out as it switches from the present to the future. The setting is also confusing as it starts out in India, switches to the ship, the onto a life boat, then onto an Island and so on. The other only book similar to it that I’ve read is Eragon, and Eldest. This book is an okay book for Middle and High scholars.

chapter 13

Ramon Chavez

11/03/08

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

6 years later.............

As Ralph climbed up the steps to receive his high school diploma, he was overwhelmed by the sensation of victory and pride. He looked at his mother and smiled, she alone out of all the people who were in that crowd knew what he had suffered, she alone knew the inhumanity that he had gone through, he saw that she to had suffered, maybe not in the way he had but she had also sulfured, suffered from not knowing if her son was alive or dead, this is a mothers worst nightmare, for no one else knows there son better than their mother. Ralph was glad that his mother was here to share this moment with him, he was glad she could see that he had surpassed all the obstacles in his life, that he had overcome those obstacles, that he had reached the top, by being a graduate with honors, that he deserved to be proud. As he reached out to grab his diploma, he turned to his mother and smiled.

Things could not have been worse for Jack, being sent to juvenile for the supposed murder of Simon and that good for nothing, a pain in the neck, piggy. As he laid on the wall, he thought of all that had happened, as he laid he thought if would still be here if he had done as Ralph had done. If he had followed orders, would he be here?, “Of course not” said a small voice inside his head, “You wouldn't have even survived, you probably would be like Simon or piggy, Dead!! As jack laid on the bed, looking up at the ceiling he realized who's fault all this was, he realized that who's fault all this was, that spoiled, person he once thought of as a friend, how could he have believed that he could have been a good leader, how could he have thought that he could actually trust Ralph. If it hadn't been for Ralph, he wouldn't be here, if he had just given Jack the position of leader, he and the rest of the boys would still be alive and he wouldn't be in this tiny, compressed cell room. He wouldn't be sentised to life in prison, so as Jack layed, he began to scheme a plan to escape and deploy his plan of revenge, as the day passed, Jack busied himself with his devilish plan for revenge, as night struck, he said to him self “At last the time for my revenge is upon us, tom morrow, when they send from juvenile to prison, I will make my move.” So with his plan finished, he went to bed and for the first time in a long time, he went to bed with a smile, for the first in a long time he was happy.

As Ralph rode home with his mother he wondered what had happened to all the boys from the island, the last time he had seen any of the was at a ceremony for Simon and Piggy's death, he knew that Roger and Maurice were in a rehabilitation center, and he knew that SamnEric were partners and owned a small business. He wondered if he would ever see any of them ever again. To Be continued....................

blog 8

Piggy

It's was a rough night for all of us, we lost my speck to Jack's tribe, and we were all injured, as we try to light the fire we see that it's hopeless without my specks, I squint and I can hardly see, I recommend that Ralph should call a meeting to discuss our options, Ralph blows the conch and they remaining boys sit on the beach waiting to hear what Ralph has to say, as we go over our options we decide to go to castle rock to see if we could make Jack and the rest of his tribe come to their senses. Ralph decides to take the conch to Castle Rock, hoping to remind Jack's followers of his former authority. When we get to Jack's camp we encounter a minor problem, armed guards, Ralph blows the conch and tries to get everyone attention, but the guards tell us to go away, and start to throw rocks at us, aiming to miss. Suddenly Jack and a group of hunters come out of the forest, dragging something I could not tell what it was because of my bad eye sight, but it resembled an animal, an knowing Jack it was probably a pig. Jack and Ralph immediate face off. I hear Jack commanding Ralph and the rest of us to leave his camp, Ralph demands for my specks, Jack rushes at Ralph and the battle has begun, I hear Ralph trying to make Jack understand the importance of the signal fire, that that is the only way home, that it is the only hope any of the boys have to getting home. Jack ignores Ralph and orders his hunters to tie and capture Sam'n'Eric, this angers Ralph and he lunges at Jack. I can hear Jack and Ralph fight for a second time, I start to cry shrilly, I struggle to make myself heard over the sound of the fight. As I struggle to remind the group the importance of rules and getting rescued, a rumbling sound is heard and the ground shakes the next thing I know is that I am struck in the stomach and that I'm flying through the sky, then I start to descend and.........

I open my eyes and see that I'm staring down at my self, though I can clearly see that my head has been cracked open and that I'm being carried away into the sea, I look into the water and see that I'm a ghost as shocked as I should be I know what has happened and I'm actually calm, now at last I can join my mother and father in heaven, but I will help my friend Ralph for one last time before I go, as I travel a few miles south, I overpower the captain and lead it toward the island, as I can see the smoke coming out I go out and see that the captain is clearly confused but accepts the situation and advances toward the island I then see a tunnel with a light, and I know where I belong.

post 7

Ralph

As Piggy and I walk towards Jack's feast, we hope to try to keep some control over the events. As we reach the feast there are boys sitting and laughing while eating some roasted pig, as I look for Jack, I find him sitting like a king on his thrown, I was shocked at the state of him, he was covered in paint, he reminded me of a savage, one who had been depraved of all human knowledge, while he sat on his thrown he was issuing commands, the boys were his servants, attending his every whim, after the meal Jack addresses whats left of my tribe, he invites them to join his tribe, my fears are realized as most of my tribe members join his tribe, as I try to convince the others to come back to mine, my efforts are futile, as they are ignored. As the rain starts to fall, I ask Jack how him and his tribe are going to face the weather without shelters, in response to my question they start to do their wild hunting dance. As circles of boys chanting and dancing pop up along the beach, the boys are caught in the movement, even Piggy and I are caught in the excitement, as we start to dance on the tip of the circles, the boys start to re-enact the hunting of the pig, and the energy starts to pile up to a high pitched frenzy chant and dance. All of a sudden we see a shadowy figure creep out of the forest. As the figure got closer we start to understand that he was shouting something of a beast, as the boys jump on the figure, they start to tear at his flesh with their bare hands and teeth, the figure desperately starts to try to explain who he is and what has happened, desperately he tries to make them recognize him, unfortunately he trips over the rocks and plunge towards the beach, the boys fall on him and kill him. As the storms starts to explode the boys run towards the shelters, and the figure is carried into the sea, where it's surrounded by glowing fish, the wind then carries the monster towards the beach and we all run away.

The next morning Piggy and I sit on the beach, we are bruised and sore and we feel deeply ashamed of out behavior last night. Piggy who is unable to c confront his role in Simon's death says that its an accident, as if, I no that Simon death was no accident. I clutch the conch and start to laugh hysterically, I insist that we had been participants in Simon's murder, Piggy denies his role in Simon's death, we two are now virtually alone, everyone except SamnEric and a handful of litluns are left, everyone else joined Jack's tribe, which is now in Castle rock, the mountain on this deadly island.

As night befall us we drift into sleep, we are depressed and are loosing interest in the signal fire, I sleep fitfully, attacked by nightmares. We are then awakened by some howling and shrieking, we are suddenly attacked by a group of Jack's hunters. I am badly injured by Jack's hunters, and so are my companions, we don't even know why this assault was provoked, for we hardly gladly have shared the fire with them, but Piggy knows why, for the hunters have stolen his specks and with them the power to make fire.

POst 6

Jack
As i lock in the fact that there is certainly a beast on the horrid mountain that seems to have caused us all such misory, there is an uproar as all the biguns and littluns gather. As i lookeds around that winey little baby, piggy seemed to have a blown a circuit upon the news of a beast on the mountain. I see my opportunity for the place of leader, I denounce Ralph as both a coward and a bad leader, an as such he should be removed from the top of the food chain , as i demand a re vote to see who should be leader, once again i am denied of my right full place as leader, angrily i storm away from them and say that anyone who wants to join my tribe can do so.

As i gather the ones who followed me i declare my self leader without question, the first thing i say we should do is get meat so me and the rest of my tribe, we kill a sow and leave the head as an offering for the beast. We then raid whats left of Ralph's tribe and steal some fire, I kindly invite the rest of Ralph's tribe to join mine for a feast.

Post 5

What just happened?
Simon
Ralph and I carry a littlun back to the shelter before going to sleep.

Samneric rush into to the camp, wake Ralph, and tell him what they have seen. Ralph immediately calls for a meeting, at which the twins reiterate their claim that a monster assaulted them. The boys, electrified and horrified by the twins' claims, organize an expedition to search the island for monsters. They set out, armed with wooden spears, and only Piggy and the littluns remain behind.

Ralph allows Jack to lead the search as the group sets out. The boys soon reach a part of the island that none of them has ever explored before—a thin walkway that leads to a hill dotted with small caves. The boys are afraid to go across the walkway and around the ledge of the hill, so Ralph goes to investigate alone. He finds that, although he was frightened when with the other boys, he quickly regains his confidence when he explores on his own. Soon, Jack joins Ralph in the cave.

The group climbs the hill, and Ralph and Jack feel the old bond between them rekindling. The other boys begin to play games, pushing rocks into the sea, and many of them lose sight of the purpose of their expedition. Ralph angrily reminds them that they are looking for the beast and says that they must return to the other mountain so that they can rebuild the signal fire. The other boys, lost in whimsical plans to build a fort and do other things on the new hill, are displeased by Ralph's commands but grudgingly obey.

The boys stop to eat as they travel toward the mountain. Ralph gazes disconsolately at the choppy ocean and muses on the fact that the boys have become slovenly and undisciplined. As he looks out at the vast expanse of water, he feels that the ocean is like an impenetrable wall blocking any hope the boys have of escaping the island. Simon, however, lifts Ralph's spirits by reassuring him that he will make it home.

That afternoon, the hunters find pig droppings, and Jack suggests they hunt the pig while they continue to search for the beast. The boys agree and quickly track a large boar, which leads them on a wild chase. Ralph, who has never been on a hunt before, quickly gets caught up in the exhilaration of the chase. He excitedly flings his spear at the boar, and though it glances off the animal's snout, Ralph is thrilled with his marksmanship nonetheless. Jack holds up his bloodied arm, which he claims the boar grazed with its tusks.

Although the boar escapes, the boys remain in a frenzy in the aftermath of the hunt. Excited, they reenact the chase among themselves with a boy named Robert playing the boar. They dance, chant, and jab Robert with their spears, eventually losing sight of the fact that they are only playing a game. Beaten and in danger, Robert tries to drag himself away. The group nearly kills Robert before they remember themselves. When Robert suggests that they use a real boar in the game next time, Jack replies that they should use a littlun instead. The boys laugh, delighted and stirred up by Jack's audacity. Ralph tries to remind everyone that they were only playing a game. Simon volunteers to return to the beach to tell Piggy and the littluns that the group will not return until late that night.

Darkness falls, and Ralph proposes that they wait until morning to climb the mountain because it will be difficult to hunt the monster at night. Jack challenges Ralph to join the hunt, and Ralph finally agrees to go simply to regain his position in the eyes of the group. Ralph, Roger, and Jack start to climb the mountain, and then Ralph and Roger wait somewhere near the top while Jack climbs alone to the summit. He returns, breathlessly claiming to have seen the monster. Ralph and Roger climb up to have a look and see a terrifying specter, a large, shadowy form with the shape of a giant ape, making a strange flapping sound in the wind. Horrified, the boys hurry down the mountain to warn the group.

Post # 4

Journal Entry 1
Piggy

I am angry beyond resoning, I trip over a massive tree root, I felt rage toward jack how he had embarased me in front of all the hunters, as I take my specs off to clean the remaning lense I start to lamement. As I stand in the forest I hear the conch being blown, so furious i march toward the beach.

At the beach, Ralph say that they have not done anything that they said that they would do they dont do any work at building shelters, they do not gather drinking water, they ignore the signal fire, and they do not even use the toilet area. He reminds us of the importance of the signal fire, and then we say that there are no beasties in the island, i second that.

One of the littluns speaks up and claims that he has actually seen a beast. When the others press him and ask where it could hide during the daytime, he suggests that it might come up from the ocean at night. Suddenly, Jack proclaims that if there is a beast, he and his hunters will hunt it down and kill it. Jack torments me and then he runs away Eventually, only Ralph, me, and Simon are left. In the distance, the hunters who have followed Jack dance and chant.

Piggy urges Ralph to blow the conch shell and summon the boys back to the group, but Ralph is afraid that the summons will go ignored and that any vestige of order will then disintegrate. He tells Piggy and Simon that he might relinquish leadership of the group, but his friends reassure him that the boys need his guidance. As the group drifts off to sleep, the sound of a littlun crying echoes along the beach.

post 3

Journal entry
Jack's gone nuts

Simon I are at work building huts for the younger boys to live in. I am irritated because the huts keep falling down before they are completed and because, though the huts are vital to our ability to live on the island, none of the other boys besides Simon will help me. Simon and I work, most of the other boys splash about and play in the lagoon. I nag that few of the boys are doing any work. I say that all the boys act excited and energized by the plans they make at meetings, but none of them is willing to work to make the plans successful. I point out that Jack's hunters have failed to catch a single pig. I also worrie about the smaller children, many of whom have nightmares and are unable to fall asleep.


I am, annoyed that Jack, like all the other boys, is unwilling to work on the huts, Jack responds to my complaints by commenting that the boys want meat. As jack and I continue to argue and grow increasingly dangerous toward each other. Hoping to regain our sense of friendship, we go swimming together in the lagoon, but our feelings of hatred remain.

post 2

When the explorers return, Ralph sounds the conch shell, summoning the boys to another meeting on the beach. He tells the group that there are no adults on the island and that they need to organize a few things to look after themselves. I remind Ralph of the pig they found trapped in the vines in the jungle, and Ralph agrees that they will need hunters to kill animals for meat. Ralph declares that, at meetings, the conch shell will be used to determine which boy has the right to speak. Whoever holds the conch shell will speak, and the others will listen silently until they receive the shell in their turn. I agree with this idea.

Piggy yells about the fact that no one knows they have crashed on the island and that they could be stuck there for a long time. The prospect of being stranded for a long period is too harrowing for many of the boys, and the entire group becomes silent and scared. One of the younger children, a small boy with a mulberry-colored mark on his face, claims that he saw a snakelike “beastie” or monster the night before. A wave of fear ripples through the group at the idea that a monster might be prowling the island. Though they are frightened, the older boys try to reassure the group that there is no monster. The older boys say that the little boy's vision was only a nightmare.

Thinking about the possibility of rescue, Ralph proposes that the group build a large signal fire on top of the island's central mountain, so that any passing ships might see the fire and know that someone is trapped on the island. Excited by the thought, the boys rush off to the mountain, while Ralph and Piggy lag behind. Piggy continues to whine about the childishness and stupidity of the group.

The boys collect a mound of dead wood and use the lenses from Piggy's glasses to focus the sunlight and set the wood on fire. They manage to get a large fire going, but it quickly dies down. Piggy angrily declares that the boys need to act more proficiently if they want to get off the island, but his words carry little weight. I volunter my group of hunters to be responsible for keeping the signal fire going. In their frenzied, disorganized efforts to rekindle the fire, the boys set a swath of trees ablaze. Enraged at the group's reckless disorganization, Piggy tells them furiously that one of the littlest boys—the same boy who told them about the snake-beast—was playing over by the fire and now is missing. The boys are crestfallen and shocked, and Ralph is struck with shame. They pretend that nothing has happened.

POst 1

Journal Entry 1
Simon

I was awaken by a sound of a crackling sound, as i stood up and i looked around I saw that the plane I had been in had crashed in a swamp, I quickly looked for the source of the sound, and i barely turned in time to see that it had come from the plane, apparently it had caught on fire during impact. I dragged my self to a tree and looked down, i had been badly scratched, I saw my leg turning red, I had cut my leg open and blood was oozing out. I grabbed some leaves and rapt it around my leg. I was feeling dizzy, then thats when I heard it, a trumpet like sound echoing through the trees, i stood up and imped toward the sound as i got closer i heard voices saw other little children running towards it. At last I got there, i stayed at the back leaning against a branch, my leg now felt much better. As more and more boys appeared, i caught a glimpse of the one who was making the trumpet like sound it was a boy not much older by the looks of it then me. Then thats when we all saw, a group of boys dresses in black robes, they looked Tow. I was then blinded by the effulgence of the shell like think that the boy was holding. I was surrounded by efflorescence flowers. I was in the shade of large fronds. As i turned back to the boys in black they seemed to be under some sort of glamour, the boy in front seemed to be their leader, as I looked at him, him and the boy who had blown the shell like thing were talking, I wonder what can be going on, well lets see, untill next time.