LETTER TO AN AUTHOR; Yann Martel

Hello everybody!

This is going to vary a little bit from my usual posts. I'm submitting this letter to Letters about Literature, and I thought that I may as well share it. If you like this, I might even write a couple more to other authors of books that I'm going to read.

Now that my explaining is out of the way, I hope you enjoy this!

In case you were wondering, my normal post about the Life of Pi is over here.

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Dear Yann Martel,

What could a fierce tiger and a personal flaw have in common?

Your book, The Life of Pi answered that question: They can both be a channel to show us the meaning of life. The happiness of my life does not lie in simple comfort. Instead, it lies in involving myself in the lives of others, and engaging myself in a battle against my own weakness.

Pi’s life went from something ordinary in India to two hundred and twenty seven days fighting for survival in a lifeboat with a tiger. Fate turned his peaceful youth upside down in the blink of an eye. Only when that happened did Pi realize how much his happiness was associated with his family. And not only that, he was also forced to see how much his very existence depended upon a fierce creature he used to fear—a tiger named Richard Parker.

After Pi’s family was swallowed by the storm in the ocean, Pi’s life completely changed. For two hundred and twenty seven days, the lives of Pi and Richard Parker are tied together: Richard Parker got food from Pi, and Pi found a reason to survive in Richard Parker. Everyday Pi tried to find ways to feed the tiger. This daily routine was set up originally because of Pi’s fear of Richard Parker. Gradually it evolved into a rewarding activity with pleasure generated by the satisfaction of another living creature. They both knew how they depend on each other —Pi acknowledged it through his narration in the book, and Richard Parker with his snorting sound, prusten.

I see three main characters involved in Pi’s life in the ocean: Pi, Richard Parker, and the ocean. Pi and Richard Parker are two creatures coexisting and struggling to survive. Meanwhile, the ocean torments them. It gives Pi boils and half-drowns Richard Parker in storms. It takes away their food and water and then grudgingly gives them barely enough fish for sustenance.

As I finished reading your book, I noticed something that I never understood before: Not only does a person’s happiness depend on other people, but sometimes it is manifested through something that he thinks is frustrating, onerous, or even fearful. The revelation that came after my reading made me see some of my daily activities from a new perspective.

Basically, these activities deal with people. I cannot grasp the meaning of my life without other people, just as Pi’s life would be pointless and empty, and probably over, without Richard Parker.

I started tutoring three younger elementary school students two years ago. I accepted the job because these kids are family friends and their parents asked for help, and I thought it would be nice to have my own income. Over the past two years, I have come to realize what an impatient person I am. I don’t blame myself. I have a busy life—school work, marching band, music lessons, and many extracurricular activities. To me, tutoring was just another job. These naughty boys got on my nerves, and I became annoyed at times.
The day after I finished reading your book, the boys came for their lessons. After I helped them with their homework, I pulled out the Life of Pi. I told them the story and read a few paragraphs to them. They were enthralled. Seeing the sparks in their eyes and listening to their comments about the story uplifted my spirit. I suddenly felt that instead of me helping them, we were helping each other. They made me feel happy and fulfilled. The tutoring sessions were no longer just a source of income—they actually gave some concrete meaning to my existence: All the years that I’ve been in school, I’ve been working hard to get good grades and seeking to excel in all the activities I participated in. But what are the good grades for if I am a lonely person?! Yes, helping others takes time and entails hard work, but it’s through the time and hard work that we establish a bond as Pi and Richard Parker did.

This is the first time a book has made me look at my tutoring sessions in a different way. My students and I are like Richard Parker and Pi, and my impatient personality is like the ocean. I must fight against my personal flaw to help my students learn, and my students, in turn, help me in this battle. I’ve been enjoying my tutoring experience like never before, and I see my life and everyday activities in a much more positive way.

Thank you, Yann Martel. Your book, Life of Pi, taught me how to view various facets of my life and my adversaries. As a result of that, my tutoring experience has been much more pleasant. At the same time, I have become more appreciative of everything around me that gives me happiness.

Truly,
Makea Luzader

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Click the title to go to the Amazon page to purchase

I'm not going to write as much about this book as I do about other books, but that doesn't make it any less amazing or enthralling. Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman living in Baltimore City, Maryland. She developed cervical cancer and died soon afterwords, but her cancer cells became the first "immortal" cells.

I first heard about this book from my honors biology teacher last year when we were going over genetics. The whole topic had interested me, so I thought that this book would most likely be very interesting as well.

I was right. It tells about the story of the woman behind this amazing breakthrough; the unknown person who helped scientists and doctors develop so many of today's life-saving cures. It was amazing, knowing what her cells had led to and hearing her family's story.

If you're interested in genetics or biology, this book would be interesting. It doesn't say too much about exactly what her cells led to, but I believe that learning about the history of the woman behind HeLa is just as interesting as learning what her cells led to.