Life of Pi Part Two

      The second section was much easier for me to read than the first part! I like this section more because it has more action instead of just talking about religions. This section also tells you the traumatic event that Pi alludes to in the first section.
      We find out that the ship Pi and his family were on sinks, and Pi's whole family dies. Pi ends up on a lifeboat with a tiger, a hyena, a zebra, and an orangutan. Most of the section is about his struggle to survive on this boat. The book gets a little gruesome when the hyena kills the zebra and decapitates the Orange Juice. This part made me pretty upset, because Orange Juice is my favorite character in the book.
       Pi seems very compassionate towards the animals. For example, he basically saves Richard Parker by  getting him to get on the boat, so he won't die. He also feeds Richard Parker and keeps him alive. I guess he also did that so the tiger wouldn't eat him. When Orange Juice dies, Pi seems pretty upset.
       I thought it was really interesting that Pi holds on to religion. I think religion kind of kept him holding on because it gave him hope. Pi's passion for religion in the beginning of the book is probably because it helped him get through this time. 
        It's pretty cool that Pi is able to pretty much train Richard Parker and they kind of bond. The weirdest  part of the book so far is when Pi runs into another blind guy in the middle of the ocean. What are the chances that he would run into some other guy in the ocean. Ii shows the bond between Pi and Richard Parker when Richard Parker kills the guy for trying to kill Pi. This reminded me of Pi learning in the beginning of the book that humans are the most dangerous animal. 

Current Event: Spate of Bomb Threats Annoys Pittsburgh Students

        Since February, the University of Pittsburgh has had over 50 bomb threats that were all false alarms. These threats have continuously disrupted the university campus. About 29000 students attend the university, and each threat is followed by an evacuation. The campus has had to tighten security, but they are still receiving threats.
        I think it is crazy that someone is sending bomb threats to this school just to cause a scene. I definitely think it is good that the school has tightened security just to be safe. I think the worst thing about these bomb threats is that if there is a real bomb threat, the students may not take it seriously. Also, several students' classes have been disrupted which can definitely hurt their education. I do think the school needs to try a little harder to track the threats and solve this problem.
        

Life of Pi: 1

           So far, I like this book more than I thought I would. Other people had told me this book was boring, but I think it is a pretty interesting book. It is a little difficult to read at some points because it is completely different from any book I have ever read. At first, I was a little confused about the switch from Pi talking to the narrator talking, but I caught on when you explained it in class.
           I like that the book kind of has some mystery to it in the beginning. Pi alludes to a tragedy from his past, but he doesn't tell you what happened. I think this technique made me want to keep reading to find out more. Pi also pursued degrees in religion and zoology, which seems kind of random because they are completely different. I am not sure if these two degrees are connected in some way or have some kind of symbolism.
           Pi talks a great deal about his passion for religions. He kind of believes parts of several religions, but he hates people that don't believe in anything. I can't really decide if Pi is just really open-minded or confused. It seems like the more he learns about religions, the more confused he becomes. Pi also talks a lot about his interest in zoology. His dad used to own a zoo, and Pi loved the animals. At some point, Pi learned that the most dangerous animal of all is man.

Farenheit 451: The Sieve and the Sand & Burning Bright

             I thought this book was actually way more interesting than I thought it would be. I really enjoy dystopian books that get you thinking, so this was a good read to me. Farenheit 451 reminds me of Harrison Bergeron in a couple of ways. In both dystopian societies, people are prevented from thinking individually. In Farenheit 451, books are burned to eliminate controversy or debate among people. In Harrison Bergeron, people are given handicaps, so everyone is equal, and they are forced to wear caps that zap their brains if they think. Another similarity is the search for instant gratification. In Farenheit 451 and Harrison Bergeron, people are more connected to characters on TV than they are to the people they know.
      In Farenheit 451, people overstimulate themselves just to feel something. They all feel numb because they aren't allowed to do things that provoke thought. Instead, they fill the time with television or some other form of technology. For example, the only time Mildred feels anything is when she is talking to her virtual family. I cannot stand Mildred! She doesn't care about Montag at all. She burns his books and even tries to turn him in. The sad part is that society has made her that way through technology.