CP - Argument Paragraph #2

It's time to write another argument paragraph--again, we are building an important writing skill you will need not only for your essay about Life of Pi, but for much of the writing you will do in high school and college!

The question:
Is Pi's story about the pandit, the imam, and the priest true? (This story is told in Chapter 23 of Life of Pi, p. 64-70.) As you think about your answer, consider this: Can a story be true without being factual?

Use your notes from class today, the Google Presentation we went over in class, along with your notes about writing a short argument, to help you answer this question. Review the feedback you received on your first paragraph before you begin writing!

Remember:

-indicate the text you are writing about in your topic sentence

-topic sentence serves as your thesis; answer the question

-choose evidence carefully

-follow the flow of ideas we discussed in class

-adhere to rules of formal writing! (No 1st or 2nd person, use present tense, no contractions or informal language)

DUE - Monday, 11/25

HONORS - "The Three Wise Men" in Chapter 23

Now that we've closely analyzed Chapter 23, please reflect on the truth of the story, what makes a story true, and the influence of Chapters 21-22 on the way that we perceive Pi's tale of the "three wise men" meeting his parents and informing them he is practicing three religions.

DUE - next class meeting

CP - Argument Paragraph

Now that we have talked in class about how to write a brief argument about a work of literature, it's your turn to try writing an argument yourself. Using Chapter 4 of Life of Pi (Martel 12-19), answer the following question:
What does Pi argue about zoos and freedom?

Remember:

-indicate the text you are writing about in your topic sentence

-topic sentence serves as thesis; answer the question

-choose evidence carefully

-follow the flow of ideas we discussed in class

-adhere to rules of formal writing! (No 1^st or 2^nd person, use present tense, no contractions or informal language)

DUE: Tuesday, Nov. 19

HONORS - Zoos - Confinement vs. Freedom

Using the evidence gathered for our in-class debate about whether zoos are places of confinement or freedom for animals, please write one paragraph (minimum) on your blog revealing your own views. In your blog post, be sure to compare your views to Pi's and to carefully review the evidence presented by your peers!

DUE:
Honors - 11/15

CP - Author's Note Reflection

1) Read through the notes from our Socratic Seminar:

• period 6

• period 7

2) Choose ONE of the quotations in Part B and blog your answer to the question in BLUE below the quotation you have selected. You should write a minimum of one paragraph. Be sure to reflect on the Socratic Seminar we had and review any notes you took as you read the Author's Note OR as you observed/participated in the seminar.

DUE - Tuesday, Nov. 12

HONORS - What is truth in story?

Yann Martel begins his 2001 novel Life of Pi with an Author's Note, in which an author character reveals what led him to Pi Patel and offers many ideas about writing. The author character writes that he had planned to work on his second novel in India, and "Thus set up, pen in hand, for the sake of greater truth, I would turn Portugal into a fiction. That's what fiction is about, isn't it, the selective transforming of reality? The twisting of it to bring out its essence" (Martel VIII).

Based on our seminar discussion of the short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," and on your understanding of the Author's Note, please comment on this quotation from Life of Pi. Cite a specific example from your own reading experiences that either proves or disproves the idea that fiction is a "selective transforming of reality."