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  • Son of Nicole Perron and Émile Martel
  • Born in Salamanca, Spain.
  • Parents were French-speaking and from Quebec
  • Father posted diplomat for the Canadian government at the time of Martel's birth.
  • Mother- literary translator
  • Raised in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Alaska and Canada.
  • Attended high school at Trinity College School (boarding school in Port Hope, Ontario)
  • As adult Martel has traveled Iran, Turkey and India
  • Studied philosophy at Trent University in Ontario
  • Then spent 13 months in India visiting mosques, churches, temples and zoos, and two years reading religious texts and castaway stories.
  • Now lives in Saskatoon, Canada
  • Published first work of fiction, Seven Stories, in 1993
  • Life of Pi is what he's best known for. Won Man Booker Prize, is a #1 international bestseller, has been published in more than 50 territories, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, and spent more than a year on the New York Times Bestseller list.
  • Martel is also the author of the novels Beatrice and Virgil, Self, the collection of stories The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, and a collection of letters to the prime minister of Canada: 101 Letters to a Prime Minister.
  • Has won myriad literary prizes, including the 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the 2002 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
  • First Canadian to represent the Washington Arts Commission.
  • First language is French but he writes in English, saying, "English is the language in which I best express the subtlety of life. But I must say that French is the language closest to my heart. And for this same reason, English gives me a sufficient distance to write."

"This son is a god who died in three hours, with moans, gasps, and laments. What kind of a god is that? What is there to inspire in this Son?

Love, said Father Martin. ... He bothered me, this Son. Every day I burned with greater indignation against Him, found more flaws to Him. He's petulant! It's morning in Bethany and God is hungry; God wants His breakfast. He comes to a fig tree. It's not the season for figs, so the tree had no figs. God is peeved. The Son mutters, 'May you never bear fruit again,' and instantly the fig tree withers. So says Matthew, backed up by Mark.' I ask you, is it the fig tree's fault that it's not the season for figs?" (56-57)

Passage from the Bible this alludes to (also in Mark): "Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again!' Immediately the tree withered" (Matthew 21:18-19).

Initially this passage from the novel really confused me, but it also really intrigued me. But what does it mean?

  • Although Jesus is named Son of God and is part spiritual, he's also part human
  • This passage brings light to his flaws: HE'S HANGRY
  • Because of Jesus' flaws, his humanity, Pi initially hates him
  • However, it is this flawed nature which eventually draws Pi to LOVE Jesus
  • Moses, Gandhi, and many other great spiritual leaders are FLAWED
  • Shows that maybe the only figure that is truly 'Perfect' is God, who is LOVE
  • Everyone sins/has inner demons but Love overcomes all

Everyone grab one of these slips of paper. On the paper, write in pencil something within yourself that you constantly battle with (even if it's fairly subtle). For example, perhaps you battle with feelings of jealousy.

Next, everyone should crumple up their paper and throw it into the center of the classroom.

Finally, everyone now can go pick up a random piece of paper, and then we will go around the class reading the papers out loud. To whom they belong should remain anonymous.

The purpose of this activity is to acknowledge the 'inner demons' that are present within all of our lives (even Jesus'), but then reflect on how we can utilize love to overcome these negative feelings

Biblical Allusions: Life of Pi

Passage from Text to be Analyzed:

Connection to our Class Studies

Activity!

"God is love and whom I love"

Work of the author: Yann Martel

Why it Matters

Biblical Allusion

Indian(ish?) Jesus

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