...Whale Rider In the novel The Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera, we learn about the Maori tribe from Whangara of New Zealand. They believe that the first person to come to their land was brought by a whale. They believe that this man was the Whale Rider. Being the Whale Rider is the passing of the tribal torch of leadership. When a girl is born, the first grandchild of that generation, her great-grandfather Koro is terribly disappointed. He doesn't acknowledge the possibility that she could be the one to take over leadership. However, even though Kahu is a girl, she was born with the gifts known to tribal heritage, such as being able to talk to the whales. Kahu is the eldest great-grandchild of Koro. Unfortunately, because Kahu is a female her great-grandfather has no interest in her because he is only focused on finding the next leader of the tribe. Kahu showers Koro with love, but does so continuously dismissing her abilities. Kori stays focused on continuing his classes for the males in the tribe and searches for “the one”. Spirited, young spirited Kahu, is also a member of the Maori tribe of Whangara but is not eligible for head role. Although being the great-grandchild of Koro means she should be able to overtake the leadership of the tribe, but unfortunately the tradition imagines a boy for this position. Therefore, she is not allowed to follow her determination or display her gifts. This situation leads to constant conflict with Koro who would surely have preferred a boy...
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...Empathic Response – Whale Rider – Kahu In this empathic response, I will be giving an insight into one of the main characters’ feelings in the book “The Whale Rider” by Witi Ihimaera. This character is Kahu, Koro Apirana’s great-granddaughter. I will be responding to the part in the book, when Kahu rides the whale. “Why? Kahu asked Koro Apirana. ‘Our ancestor wants to die.’ ‘ But why?’ ‘There is no place for it here in this world. The people who commanded it are no longer here.’ He paused. ‘When it dies, we die, I die.’ ‘No, Paka. And if it lives?’ ‘Then we live also.’ I plunged into the frigid waters with only one thought in my mind. I have to take action. If the ancient one dies, every single one of us will disappear. That’s what Paka said. I really don’t know what to think. I can’t bear the thought that my dear Paka and my family would cease to exist. I don’t even care about my own fate, as long as they are safe, I’ll be happy. Everything that has happened so far, the two hundred sacred whales dying has led to this, the very whale that our ancestor rode thousands of years ago has decided to wash up on our shores. This time, he has the intention of self-slaughter, which basically means it’s a sign that we humans are all going to die. Right now, nobody is even trying to do something about it. Every now and then, I had to take a deep breath because the waves were like dumpers, slamming me down to the sandy bottom. The lights from the beach were dazzling my eyes, making...
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...The Whale Rider This movie really grabbed me right from the beginning of the story. The story begins with the birth of fraternal twins, with the grandfather patiently awaiting the birth of the son. Right away I felt sadness when the mother and one of the twins die. The boy dies and the girl survives. The grandpa seems to not care about the girl who survived . He was longing for his grandson because he is from the Maori tribe and the tribe is waiting for the sign of a new chief to be born . The chief would lead the village and its community to greatness. Many elders have been born but none with the strength to be the next chief. The little girl was named Pai. The grandma of Pai took her home to raise her along with the grandfather. The grandfather showed right away that women or girls where less than a man. He longed for a new chief. This was grandpa’s goal in life right now. He could see that their tribe was going down hill. He had hoped one of his son’s would become the chief but neither one did. So grandpa was set on his grandson becoming the next Chief. It was no secret that he blamed Pia for the death of his grandson. He felt by her birth she gave a curse to the tribe. He couldn’t see any truth or purpose in her having life over the grandson. He showed resentment toward her. As time went on , Pia seemed to be this stubborn, curious, and smart little tomboy. The grandfather...
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...own environment. This saying is evident for Paikea in Whale Rider, as she is the only survivor during a birth difficulty and she has to live knowing her loving grandfather is upset that the boy hadn’t survived. Environment for individuals are unique and diverse just like snowflakes, there will never be one the same as the other. In Whale Rider, environments that are evident in the film were when Paikea rode the whale, only a baby girl was born, and when Koro believed there was no hope for the Apriana family’s continuity. In the whale rider, Paikea was about to leave her hometown until she felt as if the whales were calling back. Spiritually, she felt destined to stay to live her legacy. When the Apriana family noticed various beached whales washed up on the shore, they all made an extensive effort to try and drag them back to the water, but all attempts failed. Later, Paikea came and tried to help but Koro told her not to because he thought even her presence was not helping. After Koro and the rest of the family left the detrimental scene, Paikea stayed and mounted the largest whale. She tried talking to the whale and it started to breath and eventually made its way back in the ocean with Paikea, leading the other beached whales. A spiritual environment is happening while she is riding the whale in the sea. “My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider. I'm not a prophet, but I know that our people will keep...
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...Whale Rider Themes In the film the Whale Rider, the once complimentary narratives that governed the Maori culture: Gender, Identity, and Traditions are competing against one another. The fundamental elements of these narrative has stayed unchanged; However, some characters are interpreting these liturgies to their own personal narratives, causing conflict within the Maori Culture. Synopsis of film During a time of modernization, poverty, and the decentralization of the role the Maori culture play in the people lives, one local leader (Koro) looked upon Hope in a form of a prophet. According to the Maori's traditions, the ancient ancestor Paikea descendants: the eldest son are the rightful tribe leader and will centralize the community again...
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...the main characters’ feelings in the book “The Whale Rider” by Witi Ihimaera. This character is Kahu, Koro Apirana’s great-granddaughter. A deep emotional understanding of the text pages 100-102 shall be demonstrated in this text through her perspective. I must save the whale, my sacred ancestor; otherwise everyone that I love will perish. Daddy, Ana, Nani, Rawiri, Paka. Paka. Oh, Paka. I plunged into the agitated, frigid waters with only one thought in my mind. I have to take action. If the ancient one dies, every single one of us will disappear. That’s what Paka said. I really don’t know what to think. I can’t bear the thought that my dear Paka and my family would cease to exist. I don’t even care about my own fate – as long as they are safe, I’ll be happy. Everything that has happened so far, the two hundred sacred whales dying has led to this – the very whale that our ancestor rode thousands of years ago has decided to wash up on our shores. This time, he has the intention of self-slaughter, which basically means it’s a sign that we humans are all going to die. Right now, nobody is even trying to do something about it. Except for me. I, Kahutia Te Rangi, direct descendant of Paikea, won’t let this happen to my loved ones. I’m going to have to try and save Whangara by sacrificing myself to the whale. If the whale lives, we live. My line of vision narrowed down to only the distance between the whale and myself. The whale was all I could see. He was so beautiful. My...
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...Whale Rider was a movie produced in 2003, and it is about a girl named Paieka, or Pai. She is the granddaughter of Nanny Flowers and Koro. In the beginning of the movie, Koro has a good relationship with Pai. He brings her to school everyday by giving her a ride on his bike, and everything is good between them. Later on in the movie, Koro is worried about the rest of his people since they are drifting away from the traditions. People are smoking, the men are drinking and shooting pool, and the children do not take the ancestor celebrations seriously. Koro realizes that there is going to have to be a new leader, but his only option would be to have his granddaughter be leader, which goes against tradition. Pai is determined to prove to Koro that she could be a good leader even though she is female, and throughout the film, she tries to get Koro to acknowledge that she would be the best option for leader. Koro starts a school for the boys to find out who would be the best leader out of all of the boys in the village. He does numerous things with the boys to train them to be a chief, and Koro is planning to eventually pick the best leader out of everyone that he is teaching. Koro does not allow Pai to learn how to be chief in his training school since she isn’t a man. Pai learns how to stick fight from her uncle, and eventually defeats a boy in a stick fight. Koro saw this, and yelled at Pai for it, since that is not what women are supposed to do. Pai later wrote...
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...and destiny. This whole concept of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey is what many authors use to write stories for books and movies. This path is what keeps the readers or audiences entertained. Without this intriguing structure, the story may not be successful, especially in movies. However, in the film Whale Rider, the story of the main character, Paikea, goes through three different phases, separation, initiation, and return. When these phases are put together, they form the structure of the Hero’s Journey. Therefore, Paikea’s story follows the structure of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey is evident throughout the beginning of this movie as Paikea goes through a separation phase. This separation phase begins with Paikea’s birth. Since she is born into a long line of male chiefs, the death of her twin brother and mother makes her birth exceptional. The birth of a new leader is shown when a Maori woman is smoking and Paikea gets upset and says, “We’ve got to protect our childbearing properties.” The protective instinct and sense of responsibility for others are leadership qualities that she possesses. The call of adventure for Paikea occurs when the whale calls her to return home. She then makes her own choice to go back home to try to become a leader. The mentor early on in the film is her grandfather, Koro. The knowledge and wisdom given to Paikea is by accident. Koro does not provide her with assistance intentionally, but she finds a way to learn from...
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...HRS 151: World Mythology Study guide, Whale Rider 1. Who is Paikea (Pai), and what is the significance of her name? What are the circumstances of her birth? What is her lineage? If she’d been a boy, what role would she have been expected to play in the life of her tribe? 2. Who is Koro? What is his role in the tribe? How does that role affect the way he lives his life, especially his relationships with other members of his family? 3. Who is Porourangi? What choices has he made about how to live his life? Do any of his choices reflect a desire to honor Maori traditions? 4. Who is Rawiri? How does his life symbolize the situation of many modern Maori people? What other characters symbolize this situation? 5. Discuss the symbolism of: a. the scene with the boat motor b. Porourangi’s waka c. Koro’s reiputa d. the final scene 6. Discuss how this passage from Pai’s speech embodies the themes of Whale Rider: “I broke the line back to the ancient ones. It wasn't anybody's fault, it just happened. But we can learn. And if knowledge is given to everyone, we can have lots of leaders. And soon everyone will be strong, not just the ones that have been chosen. Because sometimes, even if you're the leader and you need to be strong, you can get tired like our ancestor Paikea when he was lost at sea and he couldn't find the land and he probably wanted to die. But he knew the ancient ones were there for him so he called out to them to lift him up and give...
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...“By comparing the 2 texts you have studied, how do they reflect the concerns of their time?” Texts are shaped by the concerns of their time and the comparison of texts provides an extensive insight into these ideologies. With the consideration of Chinua Achebe’s novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ (1958) and Niki Caro’s film ‘Whale Rider’ (2003) in tandem, the similarity in their didactic principles of the condemnation of ethnocentrism explores the impact of European imperialism upon Ibo and Maori societies. Both texts also criticise the suppression of females in the patriarchal view of the tribes, emphasizing the significance of gender recognition and together, they delineate the concerns that arise from 1900s colonialism Within Things Fall Apart (TFA), Achebe reprimands the subservience of traditional Nigerian Ibo culture through colonialism in the context of the nation’s independence in 1960. Presenting the loss of traditions resulting from imperialism, Achebe deliberately includes William Yeats’ “The Second Coming” in the epigraph to the novel as a foreshadowing of the imminent collapse of the Ibo tribe, thus immediately establishing the Greek tragedy convention. His use of proverbs where they are the “palm-oil which words are eaten” is an allegory that captures the intricacy of Ibo language, emending the European portrait of a ‘savage’ Africa which was a notion popularized at the time by Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness” (1899). Furthermore, Achebe juxtaposes the Ibo’s...
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...William E. Cosper English 201 – Spring 2016 Prof. Andreason March 29th 2016 The Hero’s Journey & Whale Rider Joseph Campbell's “Hero with a Thousand Faces” is the journey that heroes from myth undertake to transfer from their uncomfortable limits to their maximum potential. Throughout Campbell’s studies of myths, he has realized that all heroes follow a fundamentally similar path. Their stories are universal, which is why it is essential for us to pay attention to the myths of the Hero’s Journey so we can reach our maximum potential. The film “Whale Rider” you find the role of the hero is very important. The Call to Adventure: “The herald or announcer of the adventure, therefore, is often dark, loathly, or terrifying, judged evil by the world; yet if one could follow, the way would be opened through the walls of day into the dark where the jewels glow.” Refusal of the Call: “The adventure may begin as a mere blunder, as did that of the princess of the fairy tale; or still again, one may be only casually strolling, when some passing phenomenon catches the wandering eye and lures one away from the frequented paths of man.” Supernatural Aid: “One has only to know and trust, and the ageless guardians will appear.” The Crossing of the First Threshold: “The usual person is more than content, he is even proud, to remain within the indicated bounds, and popular belief gives him every reason to fear so much as the first step into the...
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...Gender is a social construct created through culture, traditions and observed in texts we read. Texts such as novels and films reinforce gender stereotypes. In some cases, novels and films challenge these ideas as well. The construct of gender sets restrictions and constructs boundaries through stereotypes and traditions we have created ourselves. In news articles, the film Whale Rider directed by Niki Caro, and the novel Tomorrow, When the War Began, written by John Marsden, traditional stereotypes are challenged, either directly or indirectly. Different writing or film techniques are used to portray relatable and personal experiences that the viewer or reader can identify with. Gender is a construct that can be discussed through characterisation,...
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...An individual’s identity is constructed and evolved from a variety of experiences such, moments of clarification, realisation or discovery of self and others, which excels them to change the perception of one’s identity. Jane Yolen’s novel Briar Rose illustrates Becca’s pursuit to discover her grandmother Gemma’s true identity. Throughout this process Becca’s identity is evolved by clarification and disclosure of Gemma’s past, leading Becca to not only discover Gemma’s identity but also of her own. Similarly, in the film Whale Rider directed by Niki Caro, the protagonist Koro realises the potentials of his granddaughter Paikea, advancing him to change his perception of Paikea and himself. These texts exemplify how identities are shaped by individual’s experiences and essentially through personal connections, resulting in to gain new perceptions, knowledge and insights of themselves and the world....
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...include Kitugala, Udawatta Kale, Minipe, Minneriya Forests as well as Kumana, Bundala, Willpattu, Bellanwila Bird Sanctuaries. WORLD LARGEST BLUE WHALE COLONY Blue whales worldwide are known to migrate great distances unlike the ones in Sri Lanka trip guarantees a better experience. This could involve dressing in either shorts or long pants, whichever makes you more comfortable. Take a sunscreen lotion, a camera, a pair of binoculars as you are going to be out in the ocean for quite some time and you will need protection against harmful sun rays while enjoying the view and documenting for reference. If you have a history of feeling nauseated, take necessary precaution before the trip. The safety gear is provided onboard by the crew taking you on the trip on a rather choppy boat. The best time to quench your thirst for the adventure is in the morning though afternoon trips also work well for some individuals. Checking the weather conditions prior the trip is also advisable to avoid getting caught up in a storm in the sea. This is not always likely to happen as the weathermen of this place have an already pre-determined weather forecast of the region due to the monsoon seasons associated with this place. We advise that you arrive to the dock earlier than the specified departure time. Though this place is famous for dolphin and whale watching, you might not be able to see these magnificent creatures in some of the trips. The sea itself however...
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...Leeyah McKinney Mrs. Dwiggins Computers 1 28 April 2017 Horse Abuse Thousands of horses a year are being abused, neglected or, tied to starve, a year. The cause of horses being neglected is owers buying horses that they cannot afford or provide a safe home for. Also provide the medical and daily care a horse needs. Another way of horse abuse is called soaring. In soaring of a horses being tortured in the art of dressage for owners to win thousands of dollars. Last discussion on horse abuse is horses on the track. Baby horses being pushed to race. Soaring Soaring is a very cruel way to win money. There is a fancy way of horse showing called the art of dressage. (Dressage in french is “training”) In art of dressage theres is horses that compete...
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