...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...
Words: 507 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 1170 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 1041 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 1742 - Pages: 7
...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...
Words: 978 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 1044 - Pages: 5
...1. New Zealand is an island located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, not far away from Australia. The Polynesians settled down in New Zealand some time during 1250-1300 CE. They developed a culture which they called Maori. Maori became and is today a unique culture, hence the importance of their own language, mythology and also performing arts. After the Europeans arrived to New Zealand, Maori got strongly influenced by the Western culture but remained to keep traditions and a part of the old form. 2. Paikea Paikea Apirana also known as Pai is the main character in the movie. The eleven year old girl is a strong individual - during her mother’s birth of them both, she was the only one who survived. She grew up living with her grandparents and other close family members. They’re apart of the Maori culture and her grandfather is the traditional chief of the community. Paikea’s twin brother was supposed to be the perceived chosen one, but because of the loss, her grandfather has to find a new leader. Paikea has to face a challenge all of a sudden, her father comes to visit the family. He’s been living in Germany as an artist. She has the opinion to leave and live with her father in Germany but she chooses to stay because she felt like they needed her at home. She wants to show her grandfather that this is what she really wants, to become the Chief. The way she does that is she shows love for her community, respect for nature, her ancestors and the faith of their traditions...
Words: 485 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 297 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 766 - Pages: 4
...“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...
Words: 937 - Pages: 4
...How American History Influenced The Movie Industry? The period of 1960’s is known as one of the most creative periods in the history of the Hollywood filmmaking. It was prominent due to usage of new narrative and style techniques in presenting changes in American values in the film industry at that time. The period of 60’s is known as a period of change, which was carrying an idea that the goal American society sets, can be successfully achieved. The most common topic in the movies of that period was America’s role in the World, as well as it’s controversial position. President of the US at that time, John Kennedy was promising that before the end of the decade men will step on the moon. He also lobbied for the civil right movement and the Civil Rights Act, which emphasized the end of the period of long segregation in the South. The latter finally gave the same amount of equality to Whites and Blacks. However, the decade ended with the Watts riots. All of these occasions summarized gave a clear sign that there was something wrong happening in America. The movies of 60’s were a way to respond to social movements, which were connected with the issues of civil rights, poverty, and feminism. Films were not only the representation of public view on the issues taking place in America, but also presented the favorable outcomes of values and institutions. Movies produced during the 60’s exposed the new figures to the audience. In addition, they presented the ways of thinking and suggested...
Words: 2009 - Pages: 9
...our own experiences, we discovered that Aramark uses cost leadership to operate. The cost leadership strategy is beneficial to a company because it has the lowest cost in the industry. The dining service goes through rapid change and has specific ways in which they function on a daily basic. Due to elements such as the strategic target, basis of competitive advantage, product lines, production and marketing emphasis, the strategy a company chooses to have is relative to its goals and characteristics. The only true way to understand the strategies of two companies is through experience. After spending much time at Daly’s, the Rider University cafeteria, we concluded that there are definite traits of the company that directly correlate to the aspects of cost leadership. There is a broad section of the target market that Aramark focuses on, which is the Rider University student body consisting of both graduates and undergraduates. Before Aramark Food Service, Campus Dish had a different way of food distribution, but changed it to lower costs in the industry. Aramark, like almost all food services, attempts to keep their costs down. For instance, in the beginning of 2010 we believe that there was a large amount of food wasted. Even twenty minutes before closing time employees would be continuing with the preparation and cooking of food. It was not smart to continue to cook and serve food at this time because there were less and less people entering the dining hall. To change this and...
Words: 698 - Pages: 3
...York with lower second class degree in English literature and art history in 1977. He often did not get along with his dad and he remembers him as a cruel man that only cared about his money. Facing bankruptcy, his dad moved all his assets into Swiss numbered accounts. He later died of cancer and the family wasn’t able to track down the money. As for his mother, Anthony had always adored her; she even gave him a human skull for his 13th birthday, he still has it. It sits by his desk and reminds him that life is short… he needs to get a move on with that next chapter! Life as an Author and Achievements: Anthony Horowitz started professional writing at the age of 22 and already has over 40 books by now. His most famous series are: Alex Rider (with 11 books), The Power of Five (with 5 books), and The Diamond Brother Series (with 8 books). He has won Booksellers Association Award (2008), Booktrust Teenage Prize (2008), British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year (2006), British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year (2005), British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year (2004), Red House Children's Book Award (2003), British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year (2002) and one of the awards he is recognized for is the Hampshire Book Award (2003). The Hampshire Book Award is given to works of...
Words: 586 - Pages: 3
...Douglas Salayka Prof. Major Easy Rider Easy rider was a film I couldn’t understand. I have to say I didn't like it. I somewhat respect what the film did for the industry but still I cant full respect it for the scenes of them having sex at the graveyard. That was a bit to much for me. The movie starts out with a cocaine deal, The 2 main characters then wanted to use the money and jet. The scenes of them riding around on motorcycles used music from the time like Born to be wild. At that time it was very new to be using tracks like that in films. For that reason I give the movie bonus points because it did something nobody ever really did at the time. So the 2 men on the road trip find themselves in all sorts of trouble. The film actually used real drugs in the scenes that depicted them using cocaine and marijuana. To me that's crazy, but I know Dennis hopper had to do with this as he was a user at the time. I even read that Jack Nicholson actually came out and said it was real marijuana that he smoked. In class we touched upon why Jack Nicholson died but the other men didn't. I think we came to a consensus that it was just luck that they survived a bit longer but I still don't get that. The biggest thing I want to talk about is the drug tripping scene in the graveyard. Hopper didn't get permission or anything to film there and they were basically having sex on the tombstone of a dead child. If something like this happened now the media would be all over it saying how unforgiving...
Words: 449 - Pages: 2
...“Storm breaker” an award winning book for all ages by Anthony Horowitz is a spy thriller about a teenager named Alex Rider. He is not your everyday average 14 year old. After the book was published , a film was made in 2006 starring well known actors like Alex Pettyfer, Ewan MacGregor and Micky Rourke. The film and the book is simmilar but has some differences. For example, in the book it starts with “When the door bell rings at 3 in the morning, its never good news.” on the other hand, in the film, it starts with Alex's school, then his uncle , Ian Rider being chased and it is not that fun if we know how his uncle died. There are other parts that are different too .In the film,Alex goes to the car junk-yard from the funeral chasing the van with his bike but in the novel he goes from the school library to the junk yard and the junk yards name is JB stryker but in the film,the name is Jeff Slater. Some characters are different too. Like Mr. Blunt. In the book it it said he has grey lips, grey eyes grey hair grey suit but he did not wear grey suit, and don't have grey eyes. He does not say the word from the book. I thought he moved like a robot . The film maker put a statue behind him and he did the the same action. I didn't expect him to be like that. If I was you I would read the book because there are more details and it is more like a mystery. He finds out how his uncle died. The film is not that fun. Some parts are very different. I like the book more. I will prefer...
Words: 311 - Pages: 2
