So the focus of the eye humanizes the whale and connects the young girl to the animal. Meet Kahu, a young Maori girl, and follow her journey as she contradicts the roles females are expected to play. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. The summary of The Whale Rider is about a young girl, named Pai, who wants to be chief. She gives birth to a baby girl, but things soon take a turn for the worse as the narrator reveals, When I was born, my twin brother died and took our mother with him. berkeley Synopsis Another theme is Independence because in chapter 15, Kristin Sweetwater finally breaks up with Mike Barbour and actually sticks with the breakup., Every December, a fleet of hungry, evil whaling vessels set sail from Japan to commence their annual hunt on the minke and humpback whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary in the Southern Ocean. After being told for so many years that she is worthless because she is a girl, Pai is also struggling to find acceptance and love. Summary, Pages 3 (537 words) Views. Pequea Makita. account. After Pai is hospitalized Koro realizes that Pai is the leader that they have been waiting for and asks for her forgiveness. Whale Rider is a 2002 drama film directed by Niki Caro, based on the novel of the same name. The movie shows this visually and thematically all throughout the story. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. It is shown that all people have their depth of sadness, yet in this sadness we can find out what truly connects us with those we love. When Pai is found and brought to the hospital, Koro declares her the leader and asks her forgiveness. When Paikea expresses her interest she is excluded by her grandfather, who is adamant that a woman should not be involved in learning about tribal leadership. Pathetic Fallacy in Literature Overview & Examples | What is the Pathetic Fallacy? Though she is loved by her grandfather named Koro, who is the Chief of the Maori tribe, she is not accepted as a future leader, and as a person as well. Pai, of course, is banned from these classes, but she eavesdrops and enlists a wayward uncle to reveal some of the secrets of the males. Eventually, he begins teaching classes that teach the young boys how to act like true tribesmen. Before man, "in the years that have gone before us, the land and sea felt a great emptiness, a yearning" (8). From the beginning, Paikea, or Pai, is a young girl in a mans world. Caro effectively uses the different generations starting with the eldest, that of Koro and other traditional leaders, to the youngest generation of Paikea through a complex story that shows traditional change. Koro, Pai's grandfather and leader of the Maori tribe, is devastated that their future leader has died. He rode the whale and founded the Maori people, and from that day the tradition exists: an eldest son is the Chief of the tribe and the leader. A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to full fill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize., Whale Rider shows just how important culture and tradition is to some people. Copyright 2023 service.graduateway.com. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. One night Paikea delivers a speech to the rest of the tribe that traces the history of her people and the significance of the Paikea legend, which she tearfully dedicates to her grandfather. Pais father leaves her because he doesnt believe that there is such thing as a leader and shows that he does not want any part of the culture. The novel Things Fall Apart (1958) by Chinua Achebe and the film Whale Rider (2002) by Niki Caro both address the overcoming of emotional boundaries, while following the progress of the main characters. Something in a larger and more significant scale, that brings together all of the themes of the film into a magnificent final sequence. Koro is equally as upset because he feels that this is a sign for his people. Pai feels, that she can become the leader, but it is impossible for a woman to do so, and she is given little encouragement by her grandfather. The film Whale rider is considered to be a personal and family drama, showing that families even in the most far away parts of the world have similar relations and personal problems. It can mean that one has self-respect, but it can also mean that one is arrogant and has a huge ego. A Maori family, despite their beliefs or rituals, can be just like an American family, or any other one. They are going there to do whatever is necessary to make sure Japan does not kill any whales as it is illegal to kill whales in this sanctuary in Antarctica. *You can also browse our support articles here >. Fall 2014. The culture has also become unhealthy for example, when Pai comes home and notices that the women playing cards at the dinner table have been smoking. The book "The Whale Rider" by Witi Ihimaera is about a girl named Kahu and is in line to becoming chief in her tribe but greatly discouraged by her grandfather . Most heroes are big strong men, or mythical creatures that have thousands of stories and tales written about them. Identity is not what race we are born into or the colour of our skin it is, For over 40 years, Massillon-Washington High School has continued a tradition of leasing a new tiger cub as a mascot every year for their football season. The theme ofWhale Rideris female empowerment is not unique, but the context in which it is presented is very interesting and unusual. Paikea, realising what she was destined to do, proceeds to ride the large whale, sparking it into life, followed by the rest of the pod. Sep 30, 2014. If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera 9,745 ratings, 3.84 average rating, 1,109 reviews The Whale Rider Quotes Showing 1-9 of 9 "He loved them deeply, but sometimes love becomes a power game between the ambitions that parents have for their children and the ambitions that children have for themselves." Witi Ihimaera, The Whale Rider 15 likes Like report, Analysis of the Whale Rider. One of the students, Hemi, is also sympathetic towards her, but Koro is enraged when he finds out, particularly when she wins her taiaha fight against Hemi. She has used a number of cinematic techniques in this film to create atmosphere and sometimes show what the character is feeling. Every single author creates some sort of journey in the stories that they write, no matter what form or medium it is in, there is always a journey being taken. Lyrics to Whalerider What's in Your Head? Years later Koro is determined to find a leader and begins to teach and train the boys, in which Pai is not allowed to join because she is a girl. Ruined by Lynn Nottage | Play, Characters, and Analysis, Analyzing & Interpreting Literature for Teachers: Professional Development, Teaching Young Adult Books & High School Literature, CAHSEE English Exam: Test Prep & Study Guide, MTLE Communication Arts/Literature: Practice & Study Guide, Literary Analysis: Lesson Plans & Activities, Famous Authors Lesson Plans & Teaching Resources, OAE School Library Media Specialist (041) Prep, Statistics for Teachers: Professional Development, Beginning Spanish for Teachers: Professional Development, Gerontology for Teachers: Professional Development, Sociology for Teachers: Professional Development, Physical Science for Teachers: Professional Development, Natural Sciences for Teachers: Professional Development, World Religions for Teachers: Professional Development, Create an account to start this course today. Recently, this tradition has come under scrutiny. Pai later proves herself to Koro at the near end of the book. Whale Rider exemplified the Ideology of Patriarchy perfectly because of how Koro ran his tribe. Pai shows the strengths of a leader through out the whole video but her grandfather does not notice it. They attempt to move the largest bull whale using a tractor, but it is a problem that cannot be resolved by modern technology. By continuing well Issues such as cultural differences and gender equality are presented by the composers through the clever use of devices appropriate to the medium, while using the post-colonial context to accentuate these issues. This film combines elements of history, traditions, depicting them from the point of view of a child, that sees the world not in black and white terms. The biggest whale, the founder of Maori culture, has a special relationship with the whale rider, a young man who sits upon its back. To try and combat the cost increase of an e-bike versus an "analog" model, Denver launched a series of rebates for anyone looking to buy an electric bike last year. Whale Rider is the story of a girl, Pai, whose twin brother and mother die in child birth. He teaches the boys to use a taiaha (fighting stick). For Brief Language and A Momentary Drug Reference, HBOs Rain Dogs Finds Humor, Despair in the Working-Class Mum at its Center, Berlinale Highlights, Part Three: Hummingbirds, Concrete Valley, Afire, The Oneness of All Things: On Sofia Alaouis Animalia, New York International Childrens Film Festival Opens Window to the World. Analysis: The Plight Of Captive Killer Whales These animals aren't happy or healthy and keeping them in captivity is inhumane. Pai is just a young girl in the beginning of the film, and a leader in the end. Whale Rider is the story of a girl, Pai, whose twin brother and mother die in child birth. The validity of Woolfs claims is seen through Pais actions and outlooks where her androgynous mind and woman-manly characteristic allows for the full spectrum of being human; having both male and The Whale Rider Together with Yavaraj Athur Raghuvir I watched the movie called The Whale Rider which deals with the issue of cultural restrains both as an individual and as a society. Koro sees it as a sign of his failure and despairs further. When I finished the story I believe that the theme of The Whale Rider was to overcome the odds to achieve the greatness. 197216. By tradition, the leader should be the first-born son a direct patrilineal descendant of Paikea, aka Kahutia Te Rangi in the book, the Whale Rider he who rode on top of a whale from Hawaiki. Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand, and Whangaras citizens do their best to carry on their traditions in the modern day. For Koro, this symbolises the tribes contemporary crisis of identity, a loss of spiritual connection to their ancestors. 1672. Registration number: 419361 From this point of view, the film establishes a personal form of communication in the family, despite all cultural, racial, and geographical boundaries. For Jimmy and Roxane Henderson, though, it's what they do when their son Jordan plays hoops for Canisius College . "Whale Rider" arrives in theaters already proven as one of the great audience-grabbers of recent years. Since the largest whale traditionally belongs to the legendary Paikea. Porourangi offers to take Paikea with him back to Europe, but as she looks out to sea she feels the pull of her ancestors and cannot abandon her heritage. Journeys can be both physical and emotional. It is not just a family film, just an Australian film it is a film that can touch the hearts of millions. The families of Maori have also become ruptured for example, when Hemi goes up to present his father only stays for a little while to watch him then leaves with his friends. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Journeys motivate the travellers to overcome their specific obstacles and undergo change. So many films by and about teenagers are mired in vulgarity and stupidity; this one, like its heroine, dares to dream. Whale Rider is a great example of the problems that many cultures and families are facing around the world. The Whale Rider by Ihimaera, Witi at AbeBooks.co.uk - ISBN 10: 1439517193 - ISBN 13: 9781439517192 - 2008 . Pai states, My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider. Whale Rider is an expressive, cultural drama film by the award winning director Nikola Jean "Niki" Caro, that explores the ideas of love, rejection, tradition and gender roles. A close-up camera shot allows the audience to focus on a character's feelings or thoughts. Whale Rider analysis. She also secretly follows Koros lessons. The film's plot follows the story of Paikea Apirana ("Pai")[In the book, her name is Kahu, short for Kahutia Te Rangi], a 12-year-old girl who is the only living child in the line of the tribe's chiefly succession following the death of her twin brother and mother when she was born. Paikea is a small girl that is 13 years old, and is a direct descendant of Paikea, the original whale rider. Nanny insists on making him acknowledge his granddaughter and hands Pai to him to carry her. Car Games . In the end everyone from the village is celebrating her status as a leader, and working together, the waka is finished and is taken into the sea. Koro is bitterly disappointed when Porourangi announces to his family that he already has a pregnant lover in Germany and will not be returning home with the child, putting an end to Koros aspirations. Living in Whangara, a small Maori village in New Zealand. This essay has been submitted by a student. Im not a prophet, but I know that our people will keep going forward, all together, with all of their strength.. On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. While the grandfather is explaining about the ancestors, hes trying to start the engine but the rope breaks. Available at www.indiewire.com/article/girl_power_new_zealand_ writerdirector_niki_caro_talks_about_whale_ rider. Pai herself is interested in the leadership, learning traditional songs and dances, and Taiaha fighting a traditional stick fighting method used by the Maori men. The Maori, the native Polynesian people of New Zealand, are looking for a male descendant of Paikea the brave leader who escaped death on the back of a whale to lead them and restore the traditions. Teaching Resources for Middle Grade & Young Adult Books, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Teaching Death & Loss in Children's Books, Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin Discussion Questions, Iqbal: A Novel - Book Summary & Characters, American Born Chinese: Book Summary, Analysis & Themes, American Born Chinese: Book Characters & Quotes, American Born Chinese Discussion Questions, Journey of the Sparrows Summary & Characters, Wonder by R.J. Palacio: Summary & Characters, Pre-Reading Activities for Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Wonder by R.J. 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Director Niki Caro Writers Niki Caro Witi Ihimaera (book "The Whale Rider") Stars Keisha Castle-Hughes Rawiri Paratene Vicky Haughton See production, box office & company info Watch on Freevee Whales in the wild tend to live longer and reproduce more often to healthier offspring, which is why we should leave them there., Today the meaning of journey has been lost in many forms of literature. Also, the largest whale traditionally belongs to the legendary Paikea. 'I heard helicopters whirling around and the ships in the river using all their sirens - a whale had When the audience is watching the film, they compare their own family experiences with the ones in the story. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. You may use it as a guide or sample for Koros frustration is plain to see as he proceeds to exclude both Hami and Pai from his final challenge to determine who will become the next chief. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. This time, while no one is looking, Kahu jumps into the water and talks to the whales. Find out how you match to her and 5500+ other characters. One day Koro summons all of the young teenage boys of the village to a series of compulsory lessons on how to be a Maori, and the leader of Maoris. This relationship is ambivalent since the colonised subject is never completely opposed to the coloniser. She uses her gifts of communicating with nature to save a beached pod of whales, and because of that she is finally accepted. And he came on the back of a whale, a man to lead a new people, our ancestor, Paikea The 2003 movie Whale Rider is a wonderful story, aptly described in this IMDB plot summary: A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. The characters and relationships are rather complex and intricate, they are developing through the film, and the audience makes a journey through heroes lives. Porourangis unfinished te waka (ceremonial canoe) is left abandoned on the beach, acting as a constant reminder to Koro of his unfulfilled mission to anoint another male heir to tribal leadership (Sison 2012: 122). A man who removed a whale fossil from a riverbank at Little Wanganui on the West Coast has apologised for his actions, but the exact fate of the treasured taonga remains unknown. Whale Rider Year: 2002 Director: Niki Caro Rating: PG-13 Communication Concepts: Self-Concept Communication Climate (Disconfirmation) Assertiveness Whale Rider takes place in present day New Zealand, where a 12-year-old girl named Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is growing up in an all-Maori community. It's a story about a young Maori girl, Paikea Apirana that's born into the chief line along with a twin brother. The film is from New Zealand, though it has many Australian elements, it shows the connection between the land and the native people. Paikeas grandmother, Nanny Flowers, reveals that Rawiri was once a champion taiahi fighter, and asks him to tutor Pai. Fearing that his granddaughter has drowned Koro finally understands that it was Pai all along who was destined to be the tribes new leader, finally accepting that he must adapt his cultural beliefs. Pai herself is interested in the leadership, learning traditional songs and dances, but is given little encouragement by her grandfather. The program saw the city offer up to $1,200 for anyone looking to buy an electric bike, an additional $500 was also available for anyone considering a cargo bike. Supplemental understanding of the topic including revealing main issues described in the particular theme; I recite these facts right at the top of this review because I fear you might make a hasty judgment that you don't want to see a movie about a 12-year-old Maori girl who dreams of becoming the chief of her people. All rights reserved. Nanny Flowers has often threatened to divorce Koro over his treatment of Kahu. Porourangi would be next in line but has no interest in returning home. Once deep within the ocean, a herd of whales was responding, and when the whales began stranding on the beach, this seemed to be a signal of an apocalyptic end to his tribe. No plagiarism, guaranteed! Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you The film opens with Porourangi, eldest son of Koro, the current chief, anxiously supporting his wife who is in labour. Challenge. Some Important Scenes & Quotations from Whale Rider 1. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Similar to Things Fall Apart, the film Whale Rider by Niki Caro explores the breakdown of Maori culture in post-colonial New Zealand. Koro had believed that Porourangis first-born was destined to be the boy who would be chief, responsible for leading the community into a new age of prosperity, and he initially refuses to acknowledge his granddaughter. The movie seems headed for the ancient cliche of the auditorium door which opens at the last moment to reveal the person that the child onstage desperately hopes to see--but no, that's not what happens. The film gained much respect from critics, it went on in film festivals such as Sundance and Tribecca, and gained international recognition. . what's in your head right now? Despite his anger, he will come, won't he? The whales also are a symbol of the relationship between man and nature. Even the elder women of the community are shown playing cards and smoking. Pai believes that she could serve as the chief, but her grandfather, despite his love, fiercely opposes this idea. Koros high standards make him look stubborn and that is why he pushes Pai away from him. The Maori people faces a crisis as the current leaders firstborn grandchild, a baby boy dies at birth while the second born twin, a baby girl survives. Whale Rider is a drama film of the 2002, based on the novel of Witi Ihimaera, and directed by Niki Caro. As for Pai, all she wants to do is to earn Koros respect this point is brightly illustrated in the scene where she gives a speech dedicated to Koro. Koro Pais grandfather has been waiting for the first born of the new generation who would be chief. The Piano (1993 Movie): Summary, Analysis, Avatar: Story telling in the tradition of the legend, Analysis of cinematography and mise-en-scene of a short sequence from Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail, Zemlya / Earth (1930 Movie) - Summary - Analysis. She leaves with her father, but on their way to the airport, she suddenly decides to turn around and return to her grandparents, for she cannot leave them. The Film 'Whale Rider' uses cinematic techniques such as camera angles as an element to emphasise emotion and reactions to circumstances and conflict. Koro was very upset when Kahu was born because she was a girl, and since then has ignored her, even though she loves him very much and wants his affection. As well as this journeys can be a positive and negative experience. They initially find this strange in comparison to their modern lives but they gradually become more accustomed to Maori customs, especially the taiahi a ritual fighting stick. Another example of how the culture is unhealthy is when Pai goes to her uncle Rawiris house to ask if he can teach her taiaha, the uncle is just lying down being lazy with his wife smoking. Koro tells Kahu that he loves her regardless of whether she is a girl or a boy, and he names her the new leader, called Paikea, just like the founder of their tribe. Lesson Plans for English Language Arts and Literature. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny. Whale Rider Summary The movie is about Pai, a 12 year old who is the only living child in the line of the tribe's chiefly succession because of the death of her twin brother and mother during childbirth. While the movie Whale Rider is set in New Zealand and reflects Mori traditions and culture, it's relatable to kids everywhere. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Her mother died giving birth, and her twin brother never had a chance. But, no, her people need her--whether or not her grandfather realizes it. There are moments when Pai is lost in discouragement and despair, and when her father comes for a visit she almost leaves with him. Whereas the majority of her community appear disrespectful of Maori customs and traditions, Pai shows a deep affinity to the old ways and demonstrates her passion publicly. When Pai ties the rope together this shows, how she is a leader shes willing to put the pieces together and fix the culture that has lost hope.