Dear Michele

Last year Ben had to read the book The Life of Pi for school. I helped him write his paper and even though he didn't mention it, I could tell he was grateful. To be fair, I thought I would help you by writing the paper for you, so when you get this assignment you can just put your name on it and hand it in.

The Life of Pi; A Book I Read

By (put your name here)

Spoiler Warning! This report gives away major plot elements, such as what was in the boat with the boy.

I really liked this book because it was about a boy in a boat with a tiger. Of all the books I have read about boys in boats with tigers, this one is my favorite. I have long been a big fan of the whole boy in a boat with a tiger genre.

The boys name was Pi, and it looked like his life would be pretty short, what with there being a tiger in the boat with him and all.

Who is the boy? Why is he in a boat with a tiger? What will happen? I will leave such questions for my fellow classmates to answer in their reports while I delve into the deeper, less obvious themes of the book.

The book is rich with symbolism, which is a literary device whereby one thing symbolizes something else. Take for example the tiger. The tiger represents big, deadly, cat-like animals. Some people think that the tiger symbolizes the uncertainty of life and the uneasy alliance we must forge with death. But that's just stupid.

Mr. (or Mrs.) (teachers name here), I would now like to treat you to a dialogue which I have taken the creative license to imagine between Pi and the tiger. "Hi tiger," said Pi. "Hi Pi," said the tiger. "Nice boat, huh?" queried Pi. "Oh, it's just great," stated the tiger sarcastically. Tigers tend to be a sarcastic lot as any reader of Calvin and Hobbes would know.

Recent studies have shown that people love stories about tigers, and stories about boats are good too. So put a tiger in a boat and Baby, you've struck literary gold!

All good stories have a crisis. In this story the crisis is that there is a tiger in the boat with the boy. If that doesn't shout crisis, I don't know what does. Any time you are writing a story and you need a crisis, just put the main character in a boat with a tiger and BAM! Instant crisis.

Remember that movie A Perfect Storm, when the giant tidal wave is about to destroy the boat? Now just imagine that same scene only this time with a tiger in the boat! I think you get my point.

In summary, this book had a profound effect on me and changed my life. If I ever see a boat with a tiger in it there's no way I'm getting in that boat.

Michele, just sit back an collect your A+. You're welcome. Love, Dad