Psychology

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Students IN HIGH SCHOOL will follow Pi as he deals with loss and grief, lonliness and isolation, and ultimately survival. What in our psyche allows us to survive?

Keri, Sarah, Meredith, Katie-Hour 1

[] [] [] http://media.photobucket.com/image/brain/mattamudra/brain_diagram.jpg?o=2 "Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve."-Erich Fromm -This relates to Pi when Pi's father is talking about how humans are the most dangerous animal in the zoo because humans are very complex and are the most intelligent animals which gives humans the most problems with themselves.
 * __Quotes__**

"If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn't."-Emerson M. Pugh -Pi understands alot about the human brain but if we were any more simple, like some animals, we would not be able to understand ourselves.

"Repetition is important in the training of not only animals but also of humans."(Martel, 23) -This relates to psychology because the brain learns things by repetition. It shows that Pi understands psychology of humans and animals and how they relate.
 * __Quotes from the book__**

"Life will defend itself no matter how small it is."(Martel, 47) -This shows that living things will do whatever it takes to survive. This is part of their psyche.

"Getting animals used to the presence of humans is at the heart of the art in science of zookeeping."(Martel, 49) -You have to train the animals brains to accept their living environment. The zookeepers, Pi and his father, change the psyche of the animals so that they accept human interaction.

"Time is an illusion that only makes us pant. I survived because I forgot even the very notion of time." (Martel, 192 New Book) -Pi didn't try to keep track of time because it made him realize how doomed he was. Instead he focused on a routine which kept him busy and calm.

"So you see, it was not good zookeeping I was up to, but psychological bullying. And it worked. Richard Parker never stared back; his gaze always floated in mid-air, neither on me nor off me." (Martel, 211 New Book) -When Pi gave food to Richard Parker or invaded neutral territory he blew his whistle and rocked the boat back and forth to show Richard Parker who is boss. It seemed to work because Pi made himself the alpha person by force even though physically he is much weaker.

"It was Richard Parker that calmed me down. It is the irony of this story that the one who scared me witless to start with was the very same who brought me peace, purpose, I dare say even wholeness." (Martel, 162 New Book) -Pi has been forced to be comfortable with Richard Parker. He is the only sense of familiarity to Pi and because of this the tiger comforted Pi although he could easily kill Pi.

"I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life." (Martel, 161 New Book) -Pi is saying that fear is the worst thing. If he is afraid he knows he will not survive. He tames Richard Parker and develops a routine to deal with his fear.

"I was so sorely in need of company and comfort that the attention brought to making each one of these mass-produced goods felt like a special attention paid to me." (Martel, 145 New Book) -When Pi found the locker with the food and supplies he felt a sense of relief. He had had nothing for several days so when he found these simple necessities he felt as if they were a gift especially for him. This calmed his nerves.



Psychology 2- Katie R, Rachel F, Phil L

"It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names" pg. 20 -Pi changes his name because others make tease him about his name which shows his desire for acceptance and how much hr care about what others think. Also, this quote is very true about life in general because the people a person meets and the experiences they have impact who a person is psychologically. (2)

"I would suffer from following in the footsteps of a popular older sibling" pg. 21 -It will be interesting to see the psychological impact of Ravi on Pi. Does Pi feel inferior to Ravi and if he does how does this impact his actions and who he is as a person? (2)

"Like me, they go as far as the legs of reason will take them- and then they leap" pg. 28 -This quote shows a very important message for life. At some point a person has to take a risk and have faith that everything will be okay in the end. There is only so much a person can do with reason because there are so many other factors that determine outcomes. There is a quote by Dag Hammarskjold that says"There is a point at which everything becomes simple and there is no longer any question of choice, because all you have staked will be lost if you look back. Life's point of no return" which relates to this quote from __Life of Pi__ (2)

"To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation" pg. 28 -We disagree and agree to this quote to a certain extent. Doubt is essential to life becuase doubting something leads to further exploration and knowledge. However to dwell on this doubt makes it so a person doesn't live life to the fullest." (2) "They'll be scarred for the rest of their lives" pg 36 It will be interesting to see the impact of the killing of the goat on Pi and Ravi's psyche. Will the take the learning experience and move on or will they dwell on it? (2)

Famous Psychological Quotes: Our minds can work for us or against us at any given moment. We can learn to accept and live the natural psychological laws that govern us, understanding how to flow with life rather than stuggle against it. We can return to out natural state of contentment. -Richard Carlson -This quote could act as foreshadowing for the book in the sense that while Pi is in the boat with the tiger will he take all his experiences and use them for the better or will he forget he's learned becuase he knows what the tiger is capable of?

Quotes 37-44 " Only when they threw me overboard did I begin to have doubts" -Pi trusts the crew on the boat at first. This shows that he has trust in authority figures and his superiors. It will be interesting to see if Pi's trust in others changes because of his experience. (2)

" I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves, such an ache of the heart." Pi realizes that everything he has in this world is gone. The pain of realizing this is worse than any physical pain he could ever experience. It is amazing that he has the mindset to keep going after all that he has gone through. (2)

Quotes 45-56 "You might think I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better." (2) -This quote shows the power Pi's mind has on how he perceives his situation. Life in general is determined more by a persons psyche than anything else.

"I had no idea a living being could sustain so much injury and go on living." (2) -This quote is about the zebra but relates to Pi very well. Pi has suffered so much and he continues living. It is interesting that he doesn't realize that he is surviving injury and going on living but he comments on the zebra's ability to survive.

Quotes 57-89 "I should not count on outside help. Survival had to start with me." (2) -Pi realizes that he must survive or die on his own. He is responsible for his own actions and it is all up to him how this turns out.

"I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still. My suffering did not fit anywhere, i realized. And i could accept this period. It was alright. (It was daylight that brought my protest: "No! No! No! My suffering //does// matter. I want to live! I cant help but mix my life with that of the universe. Life is a peephole, a tiny entry onto a vastness-how can i not dwell on this brief, cramped view I have of things? This peephole is all I've got!") (2) -This shows the conflict in Pi's mind. He is debating how he feels and whether he should stick with it or give up. He tries to put his suffering in perspective but fails because he is preoccupied with his situation.

"Stupidity has a price. You should show more care and wisdom next time." (2) -Pi is talking to himself and again shows conflict in his mind. When he makes a mistake he is hard on himself because he knows that he only has a certain number of mistakes he can make before he dies.

"I wept heartily over this poor little diseased soul...I was now a killer... And now I had blood on my hands.It's a terrible burden to carry... I never forget to include this fish in my prayers." (2) -Pi is conflicted between his survival and his moral principles. he realizes he has to change his morals in order to survive and it shows how upset Pi is by the position he is in. This also shows his belief that animals have souls.

"It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even to killing." (2) -This shows human nature to survive. Pi gets used to killing and eating animals even though it was against his original nature.

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