Fear In Life Of Pi Essay

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In Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, A young indian boy is stuck on a small lifeboat with a 450-pound bengal tiger. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean along with one of the top hunters in the animal kingdom, fear often lingers in Pi’s mind. Pi reflects how fear affects the mind and body. He says, “Fear which is but an impression, has triumphed over you. The matter is difficult to put into words. For fear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation, such as you feel when you are brought face to face with your mortal end” (204). Pi explains how fear, which is not a real, tangible item, just an emotion induced by perceived danger, can shake one mentally and because the mind is the foundation of a person, fear affects the entire individual. The…show more content…
According to Arash Javanbakht and Linda Saab, both Assistant professors of Psychiatry at Wayne State University. They explain that fear is a defense mechanism. The brain prepares us when we sense danger, the first reaction is in the amygdala, a set of nuclei near the temporal lobe, it senses emotion, mostly anger and fear and this allows our bodies to trigger the fight or flight method. Studies from the University of Minnesota explain that fear even sharpens our sense to help survival, it improves eyesight and shuts down the digestive system, which is necessary for survival. While the brain and body attempt to help us survive, fear can still harm a human. Chronic fear can lead to physical health problems, such as the weakening of the immune system, accelerated aging, and even premature death. Fear can also lead to mental health problems, such as depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This shows that while fear triggers the defense mechanism in your brain, it also can have negative long lasting effects on a person. All in all, while people see different forms of fear and cope in different ways, fear, while just an emotion, can affect a person so much that they have to live with its problems for the rest of their
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