Question 3 (chapters 31-44)
Page 118. “Darkness came. There was no moon. Clouds hid the stars.” How does syntax here help to establish the mood.
posted by Davis at
2:48 PM
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Page 118. “Darkness came. There was no moon. Clouds hid the stars.” How does syntax here help to establish the mood.
Previous Posts
- Question 4 (chapters 45-55)
- Question 5 (chapters 56-69)
- Question 6 (chapters 70-89)
- Question 7 (chapters 90-91)
- Question 8 (chapters 93-100)
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]
6 Comments:
The Darkness is foreshadowing the events that lie ahead of Pi. He's stranded in a boat in the middle of the ocean with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and ultimately a bengal tiger. His witnessing the hyena attacking both the zebra and the orangutan is the darkness.
The syntax of the words in this quote is an excellent way of foreshadowing upcoming events. The darkness is mentioned first, therefore we know that terrible dark things are going to happen. Then there isn't a moon. The moon could symbolize the overall feeling of hope and the idea of being rescued. The moon not being there would be like having no hope. And then sadly, the clouds hide the stars. The stars could be every little thing associated with the life of Pi that he is trying to hold onto as he attempts to survive in this life boat with the animals. But sadly the clouds or in this case Pi's situation make it difficult to see what he's living for.
9:31 PM
I agree with most all of the statements above. Pi is in a new place and when darkness falls he is not comforted anymore. When the sun sets and all sources of light disappear you may think Pi is losing hope. I think Pi still has some optimism left inside. He dose say he is scared and “relived myself in my pants.” But constantly he is staring to where he believes the horizon is for any help. As for the mood, the absence of light creates a dark, hopeless feeling. But you must remember Pi has a deep faith and trust in God, he will not lose all hope that fast.
8:46 AM
The tone is set from this quote because it describes the feeling of darkness and not only the physical darkness. I think the author uses this as a way to share that Pi's religious ways are not closely at hand, because in the three religions white, light, are symbols of purity and godliness. I am curious to discover if these experiances will make Pi question these religions and their values while he endures this struggle.
8:47 AM
Everyone is hitting on that idea of light v. dark to indicate hope v. hopelessness, comfort v. fear. Our other cultural knowledge of light and dark tells us that, archetypally speaking, light is symbolic of knowledge while dark represents ignorance; Katie, you touched on this with your comment about "the unknown". Taking this archetype into consideration, we can also presume that he currently resides in a world of ignorance, particularly when surrounded only by nature and no human comforts. This light and dark imagery is, then, interesting to follow as we reach the latter portions of the book when nature becomes more of an adversary. Will he continue to reside in the dark? If so, is this dark still presented as a force contrary to Pi or, conversely, does darkness become a source for comfort in its own right?
3:56 PM
The simple syntax used my Martel show that the night gave Pi a dulling of his senses. The dark sky of a missing moon makes his situation even more lonely. As the clouds move across the sky they cover the stars creating an enclosed, trapped feeling for Pi.
9:37 AM
Such a dark scene can mean either foreshadowing or the emotions Pi is feeling. The situation Pi finds himself in while on the boat is the same way he feels. The darkness and cloudy, starless sky shows Pi's emotions instead of Martel saying it outright. It also set the mood for when the hyena attacks the other animals on the boat.
12:06 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home