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Life of Pi; Living colorfully; UVa supplement


katev 18 / 120 24  
Dec 30, 2012   #1
I really need some help with this one! I'm not sure where to go or how to spin this so it reveals something good about me! Here's the prompt

We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. What work of literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way? (250 words)

I first came across Life of Pi by Yann Martel the summer before my junior year. Luckily, my English teacher decided to change the syllabus and assign the novel that year. Having already read the book for pleasure, I was excited to gain a new perspective on the book and all that Yann Martel crafted.

I am a surprise ending kind of reader. If there is some sort of unexpected twist at the end, I am almost guaranteed to fall in love. In the case of the Life of Pi, even a self-proclaimed plot twist expert like myself could not have foreseen the ending of this novel. The majority of this novel was spent detailing the trials and tribulations of a boy separated from his family and stuck on a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The ending was spent in an arguably similar, yet starkly different manner. Throughout the first part of the novel, the boy was stuck on the raft with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and, most importantly, a ferocious Bengal tiger. However, after facing doubt from reporters that he could have survived 227 days on a raft with a carnivorous tiger, the second part of the story was about a boy who was stuck on the raft not with animals, but with humans. The reporters, along with the readers, were then faced with the challenge of which story they believed. After analyzing the novel from a purely literary perspective, it was clear to me that Yann Martel is really asking how readers would choose to live their lives. Accept what is believable and live a yeast-less existence, or choose to challenge your beliefs and live a colorful life. This work of literature has led me to challenge how I choose to believe things. Instead of leading a "yeast-less existence," I choose to live colorfully.

It's over the word limit by about 50 words!
OP katev 18 / 120 24  
Dec 30, 2012   #2
Big changes: I'm at 262 words now

I am a surprise ending kind of reader. If there is some sort of unexpected twist at the end of a novel, I am almost guaranteed to fall in love. In the case of the Life of Pi by Yann Martel, even a self-proclaimed plot twist expert like myself could not have foreseen the ending of this novel.

The majority of this novel was spent detailing the trials and tribulations of a boy separated from his family and stuck on a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The ending was spent in an arguably similar, yet starkly different manner. Throughout the first part of the novel, the boy was stuck on the raft with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and, most importantly, a ferocious Bengal tiger. However, after facing doubt from reporters that he could have survived 227 days on a raft with a carnivorous tiger, the second part of the story was about a boy who was stuck on the raft not with animals, but with humans. The reporters, along with the readers, were then faced with the challenge of which story they believed. After analyzing the novel from a purely literary perspective, it was clear to me that Yann Martel is really asking how readers would choose to live their lives. Accept what is believable and live a yeast-less existence, or choose to challenge your beliefs and live a colorful life. This work of literature has led me to challenge how I choose to believe things. Instead of leading a "yeast-less existence," I choose to live colorfully.
luying9682 6 / 35 6  
Dec 30, 2012   #3
This is a great choice! However, you should emphasize on how the book influenced you, and talk more about your thoughts on this book. Maybe you gain some knowledge, or impressed by the ending compared to other books, or even your analyse on the book. The admission officers would like to read what you think, but not what the book is about.

Good luck!


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