Scribd
Upload
77 views4 pages

The Hobbit Is The Tale of Bilbo Baggins A Quiet Creature Known As A Hobbit

This document provides a bibliography of works that relate to the theme of believing in oneself, as explored in the novel Life of Pi. It summarizes several novels, articles, and webpages that describe characters who overcome difficult trials through perseverance, discovering their own capabilities, and developing self-belief. These include Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, Harry Potter, and the girl Karana from Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Uploaded by

gabiarama
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
77 views4 pages

The Hobbit Is The Tale of Bilbo Baggins A Quiet Creature Known As A Hobbit

This document provides a bibliography of works that relate to the theme of believing in oneself, as explored in the novel Life of Pi. It summarizes several novels, articles, and webpages that describe characters who overcome difficult trials through perseverance, discovering their own capabilities, and developing self-belief. These include Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, Harry Potter, and the girl Karana from Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Uploaded by

gabiarama
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Life of Pi

Thematic Unit Bibliography—Believing in Oneself

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

The Hobbit is the tale of Bilbo Baggins a quiet creature known as a hobbit.
He finds comfort in the peace and quiet of his hillside home. One fine day,
he is encountered by Gandalf the wise and charming wizard who discovers
he is of Took descent. Like the story of Pi, Bilbo is on his own journey to
self-discovery. He must overcome trials like overcoming his potential
enemies and outwitting captors. Bilbo is like Pi in that he discovers he has
amazing capabilities that can help him to overcome impending trials.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Arthur
A. Levine Books, 2003.

Previously degraded by his unloving uncle and aunt, Harry is


astonished to discover that he is a wizard. He is sent to Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he befriends Ron and
Hermione. Before school, Harry found himself an awkward and
worthless teenager but at Hogwarts, Harry finds his amazing
potential and talents. When mysterious events began happening at
Hogwarts, Harry finds he is the only one with the capabilities to
deal with the situation. Like Pi, Harry rises from the shadows and
proves himself to others, but most importantly, to himself. Like Pi,
he must face an unimaginable trial to learn of his true abilities.

O’Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins. New York: Yearling, 1999

Karana is only a teenager when the white man boat deserts her brother
and her on an empty island. She waits endlessly to be discovered and
returned to her family. After he brother is killed by a pack of wild
dogs, Karana finds herself left to her own devices. She must find her
own food and shelter and keep herself company. Her journey, like Pi’s,
is a solitary one. Karana must make use of her resources in order to
ensure her survival. Also like Pi, is the attitude in which she views
Edgeworth—BYU—2008
herself at the time of her rescue. She has admiration of herself for her perseverance and patience
during the extremely difficult time.

L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. New York: Square Fish, 2007

At the opening of the novel, Meg Murry describes herself as a


delinquent. Readers find others thinking of her as a nuisance, worthless,
and a waste of time. However, when Meg finds herself on an
emergency trip to save her father with her brother, Charles Wallace, and
a friend, Calvin, she must learn to put aside the Pygmalion thought she
has of herself and search deep inside her soul for what she knows to be
true. It is only after Meg openly accepts her abilities that she is able to
discover the true way to save her brother. Like Pi, Meg feels some
discouragement in what must be done to solve the problem. However,
they both must put aside those discouraging thoughts and open their
eyes to their true potential. Only then can they find success.

Picoult, Jodi. My Sister’s Keeper. Washington Square Press, 2005.

In My Sister’s Keeper, the story is told of the life of Anna. Born to be a


medical helpmeet for her sister, Kate, who is diagnosed with leukemia.
As the story opens, Anna is seeking out medical emancipation from her
parents and the ability to make her own decisions regarding her body.
Though discouraged by her parents and at times her own layer, Anna
continues to push through the trial. Anna, like Pi, must do the things
she feels are right without the help and support of those around her. She
must press on and continue despite pressing thoughts of giving in.

“Self Esteem: Believing in Yourself—Self Acceptance” 26 July 2007. Peel


Public Health. 18 March 2008.
<http://www.peelregion.ca/health/commhlth/selfest/selfimg.htm>

On this webpage, the Peel Public Health System has made multiple
exercises available for helping individuals discover their current self-
acceptance and improve upon it. Individuals first think of how they view
Edgeworth—BYU—2008
themselves and think of various characteristics they would use to describe themselves. The page also
includes a link to self-image exercises so individuals might recognize forgotten talents.

“The Journey to Self-Acceptance” McCormick, Sally. Orchid. 18


March 2008
<http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncodh/orchid/pages/journey.cfm>

In this article, McCormick talks with Lara, an intelligent, independent


woman living with cerebral palsy. Lara, though an accomplished
student and advisory board member does not consider herself
disabled. Through a lifetime of experiences, Lara has developed a
strong self-confidence and self-acceptance and, thus, has been able to
live with her disability. McCormick also include tips for creating a
positive self-acceptance.

“How Positive Thinking Phrases Can Help You” 16 December 2007. Selfvolution. 18 March 2008.
<http://www.selfvolution.com/how-positive-thinking-phrases-
can-help-you/>

In this article, readers are told of the benefits of positive


thinking. Some of those benefits are helping to overcome hills in
life, strengthening beliefs, and trigger responses that allow
individuals to realize the strength of their wills. The article
recognizes the multiple trials that individuals can face and the
importance of developing personal and believable positive thinking phrases.

"The literal definition of self-efficacy implies a conscious awareness of one's


ability to be effective, to control actions or outcomes”. About Personal
Growth. 18 March 2008. <http://www.about-personal-growth.com/self-
efficacy.html>

This article describes how an individual with a high level of self-efficacy can
improve their self-esteem and learn to believe more in themselves. It discusses how to how to raise
and maximize self-efficacy, which is the way individuals feel about their abilities to accomplish
something, by seeing how others do things and using your brain and mind effectively. This would be
a great tool for introducing students to certain measures Pi may have taken on his journey in order
to believe he could survive.

Edgeworth—BYU—2008
Hammill, Rita. “Five Steps to Self-Belief”. Fiona Harrold: Life Coaching. 18
March 2008. http://www.fionaharrold.com/articles/5rh050705.html

In this article, Hammill discusses five important ways to develop individual


self-belief. She discusses being focused on things that are truly wanted and
not wallowing in self-pity. She also mentions appreciating oneself and
recognizing accomplishments. One of the most important things she says,
that applies especially to Life of Pi, is watching one’s tongue. She mentions
that individuals should not bring themselves down and should use only positive thinking (refer to
“How Positive Thinking Phrases Can Help You” above). This would be a great example to use
during the text when Pi is beginning to get discouraged.

Edgeworth—BYU—2008

You might also like