The Life of Pi exam requires you to respond to five questions, each valued as twenty points, within the eighty minute time allowed to you during class. The exam will be entirely a written response format.
The questions revolve around the essential story structure, story credibility, story chronology, story purpose, and essential story theme.
Be familiar with the concept of rhetorical device: A rhetorical device is a linguistic tool that employs a particular type of sentence structure, sound, or pattern of meaning in order to evoke a particular reaction from an audience. Each rhetorical device is a distinct tool that can be used to construct an argument or make an existing argument more compelling.
Types of Rhetorical Devices:
Rhetorical devices are loosely organized into the following four categories:
- Logos. Devices in this category seek to convince and persuade via logic and reason, and will usually make use of statistics, cited facts, and statements by authorities to make their point and persuade the listener.
- Pathos. These rhetorical devices base their appeal in emotion. This could mean invoking sympathy or pity in the listener, or making the audience angry in the service of inspiring action or changing their mind about something.
- Ethos. Ethical appeals try to convince the audience that the speaker is a credible source, that their words have weight and must be taken seriously because they are serious and have the experience and judgment necessary to decide what’s right.
- Kairos. This is one of the most difficult concepts in rhetoric; devices in this category are dependent on the idea that the time has come for a particular idea or action. The very timeliness of the idea is part of the argument.
Take time during this class to formulate your thoughts for each of these listed literary considerations of the novel.