The Whale Rider Essay

Whale Rider Analysis
Whale Rider Review
Niki Caro's film, Whale Rider, beautifully captures the small village of Whangara, which is located
in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. The film portrays a Maori tribe that tells the story of
a long–held tradition. This film is rich in symbolism, which is easy for any viewer to understand.
Whale Rider does a wonderful job of capturing the attention of the audience because of the intense
and close relationships between the characters, the way Caro conveys the movie's message, and the
features the movie offers.
In the beginning of the movie, we learn that the Maori tribe only allows the first born son to
become the next chief. This custom is broken when Porourangi's son dies at birth, but his twin
sister, Paikea, lives. As she grows older, she develops a close relationship with her grandparents as
her father leaves to pursue a sculpting career in Germany. Once, Paikea takes interest in Koro's
cultural school, he condemns her and blames her for the conflicts occurring within the village.
Paikea must take on the challenge of getting her grandfather's approval to claim her birthright.
The development of Paikea and Koro in the movie allows the audience to not only root for Pai,
but also understand the feelings of Koro. Koro's negative feelings towards Pai leave the viewer
angry that he does not fully accept her into his life; However, the heavily anticipated approval of
her grandfather at the end is worth the wait. The determined Pai never allows herself to be too
discouraged by his harsh words. In an article from the Chicago Tribune, Mark Caro explains their
relationship by saying "[a]lthough Koro fits the mold of the stubborn authoritarian patriarch, his
disappointment in the surviving twin's gender and his resistance to Pai's ambitions are always
tempered by his tenderness towards her." It's easy to understand why Koro acts the way he does
towards Pai, but it's more interesting to watch how Pai uses it to motivate herself.
The messages that Caro portrays in her film easily makes this a good movie to watch with family or
friends. The film teaches about leadership and how to handle disappointment through the characters.
The stubborn Koro refuses to have a female leader. Koro
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

Analysis Of The Film Whale Rider
Throughout the film Whale Rider, many characters address the ancient custom that only males can
ascend to chiefdom in the Maori tribe. In the film, the culture and traditions are extremely important
to the Maori tribe, especially the elders. Koro is blind to the potential his granddaughter holds
because he holds onto the ancient traditions dearly. The movie Whale Rider deals with a hybrid
culture, and some characters have a harder time transitioning than others. In the film, the audience
sees the biggest struggle during this transition with one of the elders, Koro. Throughout the film
Whale Rider, Koro resists cultural change and this has a major impact on his life because he pushes
his son and granddaughter away and then tries to lead a traditional school that leaves Koro
physically ill.
In the movie Whale Rider, Koro resists cultural changes and pushes away his son, Porokangi
because of it. He begins to do this when Porokangi was younger. Koro pushed his son to be the
leader because he is the first–born male and it is a tradition in their family. Porokangi shows this
while talking to Paikea, he says, "You know, your Koro, did the same thing to me." Implying that
Koro believed so much that he was going the new leader. Koro is now disappointed in Porokangi
because he did not live up to the standards that he set. Koro set the same standards for his
grandson before he was born. Doing this pushed Porourangi away further. In the hospital after
Porokangi wife dies, Koro comes to the hospital and walks in while his son is grieving the loss of
his wife. Koro says nothing except, "where's the boy?" This causes an argument with Porokangi
and his father because all Koro wanted the boy to become the leader. After this confrontation,
Porokangi leaves for the first time and leaves his daughter with Koro. When Porokangi comes back,
Koro insults his work by saying, "you call it work? It's not work. It's souvenirs." Koro insults his
work because he believes that Porokangi should be at home continuing the traditions. This argument
with Porokangi and Koro causes Porokangi to leave again, this time taking Paikea with him.
Throughout the movie, Whale Rider Koro resists cultural changes and pushes away his
granddaughter, Paikea.

Whale Rider Analysis
'Whale rider,' is a film directed by Niki Caro. It explores themes of duty, culture and tradition through
the eyes of Paikea Apirana. She is the protagonist in this film and narrates sections too. Viewers are
introduced to different characters throughout the movie, who have different opinions about their
culture and how they should uphold them. Culture, tradition and duty are perceived differently by
the various characters. Paikea is very passionate about her history and ancestors. Even though just a
child, she wants to do her part to keep the tradition alive. More so than many in this film, Koro,
Paikea's grandfather and the aging chief of the tribe, believes it is his duty to keep the people
interested and dedicated to culture. He wants to avoid the modern influence as much as possible.
Paikea's father, Porourangi, believes it is his duty to help Paikea escape the confinements of the
culture. He believes there are more opportunities in the modern world. However, he also wants to
protect himself from the grief his culture reminds him.
Paikea believes that tradition is an important part of their life and should be upheld in their society.
She shows more passion and commitment to tradition than many other characters, even generations,
such as her father's. Paikea sees it as her duty to help others understand the beauty of traditional
MДЃori culture. "My name is Paikea Apirana and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all
the way back to the whale rider. I am not a

Whale Rider Analysis Essay
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. It's a story about a
young Maori girl, Paikea Apirana that's born into the chief line along with a twin brother. With her
twin brother dying moments after birth, only Paikea was left to fulfil the role of heir, though Koro,
the current chief and Pai's grandpa refuses as does their culture and religion. Throughout the film the
director utilises a variety of techniques including costuming, symbolism and characterisation to
portray Pai's strength in leadership and personality over the male characters in the film.
Throughout the film the director uses symbolism and costuming to show Pai's strengths and
leadership qualities. A reoccurring example of this is, in many of scenes in which Pai is leading,
developing and/or challenging someone she is wearing the colour red. She wears a red t–shirt when
she retrieves the whale tooth, when she defeats hemi with the taiha, when she leads the traditional
songs, and also when she beats the school bus on her bike. This is a very subtle use of symbolism
that the director has implemented, that many casual viewers wouldn't pick up on, but it is a great
use of film techniques as not only does it display and symbolise her strength, leadership and overall
ability, it depicts a part of her personality, that presents itself throughout the movie. Caro portrays this
level of

Analysis Of Whale Rider
In the film "Whale Rider", we explore the traditions of the Maori tribe located in New Zealand.
This tribe holds their traditions very high and only direct descendants of the Whale Rider himself
can become the chief of the tribe. The main character in the film is a twelve–year–old girl named
Paikea. Her twin brother died during childbirth, leaving Paikea as the only child. Because Paikea is
a girl, she cannot be the leader of the tribe. Since there is no one in his family to become the next
leader of the tribe, Paikea's grandfather, Koro, is very upset about the death of his only male
grandchild and becomes worried about the tribe's future after he is gone. Paikea is caught in the
middle of this and desperately wants to be included in the...show more content...
However, Paikea was not allowed to sit in on these classes and was always watching from the
side. She was even better at learning the cultural skills than any of the boys attending the classes.
She kept sneaking around the school, teaching herself the tribe's songs and everything else that
Koro was teaching the boys. Paikea wanted to be included and accepted, but Koro always
believed that only males can be the leaders and kept ignoring Paikea's attempts to be a part of the
class. Sometimes Koro even got very upset with Paikea, saying, "You don't mess around with sacred
things!", thinking that she is just doing so to be rebellious, and certainly disrespectful of the
traditional patriarchy. To convince her grandfather that she can do everything the boys can, she took
action to prove herself. One of these times the boys had to swim after a whale's tooth (symbolic of
tribal leadership) that Koro had thrown into the deep water. None of the boys could bring the
tooth back and that is when Koro realized that he might have lost the tooth that had been passed
down to him forever. After hearing of this, Paikea decided to dive into the deep water and get the
tooth herself, "I'll get it", Paikea said, and to everyone's surprise, she succeeded. This just shows
that this little girl can participate and keep up with Koro's challenges. Paikea also has a way of
communicating with the whales in the deep, dark ocean, much like

Analysis of the Whale Rider
THE WHALE RIDER
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. 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. However, Pai is female and
technically cannot inherit the leadership.
Pai's koro, Apirana, or Old Paka as his wife Nanny Flowers calls him, the leader of the tribe, is
initially angry at losing his grandson and being left with a "worthless" female. While he...show more
content...
Most heroes are big strong men, or mythical creatures that have thousands of stories and tales
written about them. This hero is an unlikely one, a small girl, from a small tribe, in a small village
in New Zealand. Paikea is a small girl that is 13 years old, and is a direct descendant of Paikea, the
original whale rider. On her journey to become the leader of the tribe, she comes across numerous
amounts of challenges from her grandfather, Koro.
In the Paikea tribe, only the first–born son should be the leader of the tribe, which proves difficult
for Paikea, since she is a female. Her journey begins when she does not even know anything about
becoming leader; she is living a normal life, doing her school work and living with her
grandparents. At school, she is the most interested in Paikea culture and origins, unlike the other
boys. Eventually, her birthfather, Porourangi, comes back and describes his current situation in
life; how he lives in Germany and has a great life with a new woman, who is pregnant. This upsets
Paikea's grandfather who out of anger says that he does not need Paikea, and that she is just a
hassle. 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. When she returns, her grandfather
acts as if nothing has happened, and focuses more on the task at hand, finding somebody to lead the
tribe. Her

Essay On The Movie Whale Rider
In the movie "Whale Rider" directed by Niki Caro, many important objects are used to foreshadow
the later events involving protagonist Paikea Apirana, a young girl forbidden by tradition to become
the chief of her tribe. Although the outcome of the film seems quite unprecedented at first, Director
Caro conceals many clues regarding the ending for the audience to discover. She does this through
the use of camera angles, dialogue and props, notably through the use of the rope, the Taiaha and the
Rei Puta. Furthermore, while making links to certain scenes in the movie, Niki Caro has hidden life
lessons and morals regarding discrimination, prejudice and leadership that the audience can closely
relate to and learn from.
Firstly, an important object in "Whale Rider" is the Rope. It is used to repair a motor, and is used by
Koro to represent the tribe's ancestors. This is shown in the two shot of Koro and Paikea
repairing the motor, and Koro's dialogue tells Paikea that "each one of those threads is one of your
ancestors, all joined together and strong". The rope is also important as it foreshadows Paikea
becoming the Chief of the tribe. The rope is said by Koro to symbolise the ancestry and community
of the people of Whangara, but Koro breaks that wire, thus breaking the community. However,
Paikea mends the rope that Koro broke, foreshadowing the mending of the community that can be
seen at the end of the movie. This is shown in a medium shot of Paikea mending the rope and even

Whale Rider Essay
Caro's focus on the pre–adolescent female protagonist in Whale Rider creates a parallel between
the personal development of the individual and that of the ancient Maori culture in modern society.
The Whangara people are portrayed as "a community frozen in time, waiting to be saved"
(Hokowhitu 58) as they believe that their existence is reliant purely on a brave prophet, Paikea,
who rode on the back of a whale to escape death. Whangara chiefs trust that each first born male
has the potential to be Paikea's direct descendant. Paikea knew from the moment of her birth that
she was resented, stating "there was no gladness when I was born. My twin brother died and took
my mother with him. Everyone was waiting for the first born boy to lead us, but he died and I didn't".
...show more content...
Hokowhitu states that "Whale Rider's alignment with these myths of primate society privileges a
certain brand of knowledge by misrepresenting Maori culture as patriarchal, sexist, and based on
encumbering traditions" (63). The film portrays a biased Maori culture where tribal traditions
can only be carried on by future male generations. Therefore Paikea, who was born to be a leader,
is limited by her gender and "fighting over one thousand years of patriarchal tradition" (Hokowhitu
63). Throughout the film, Paikea builds her identity by uncovering her ancestral roots. When no
males could retrieve the Reiputa, the whale tooth emblem that can only be recovered by the true
leader, it is seen to be lost forever much like the Whangara people without a leader. The traditions
that were once held will be lost at sea as no males are able to step up and rescue their tribe. It is
Paikea who contests these patriarchal traditions by achieving the responsibilities that her male
counterparts could

Whale Rider Essay
Whale Rider Essay: Koro Apirana
In the film 'Whale Rider', directed by Niki Caro, an old man named Koro Apirana is in search of
a young man to take his place as chief. He has to change many of his views and beliefs to be able
to become more accepting of his granddaughter, who shows the true potential of the new leader that
he had been looking for. Throughout the movie, Koro has to learn that the world isn't the same as it
used to be. He must learn to love and accept his family, and that his opinion might not always be
right.
Koro is a stubborn, old–fashioned and driven chief that has to change his view on leadership. Koro
believes strongly in keeping tradition, which is why he wants to find a male leader to take his place.
It was what he was used to, as it was what he was taught and how he had lived all of his life. He
changes his view on leadership after his granddaughter Paikea shows a set of skills to prove herself
...show more content...
He is always the person to stand in her way and stop her from doing things and achieving her
dreams. He forbids her from learning the taiaha and sitting at the front of the group for the opening
of the new marae, where he would teach the first–born boys old skills and lessons from when he was
young, and from before he was born. When he catches Paikea several times outside the school, he
grows angry and yells at her for 'breaking the tapu' of the school. Paikea fights one of Koro's
students, Hemi with a taiaha and wins, but Koro overlooks it, filled with rage at the fact that she
disobeyed him. When people like Nanny Flowers, Rawiri and Shilo are encouraging Paikea, he is
bringing her down and making her feel unsure about herself. He puts his position as the tribe leader
first instead of his position as her grandfather, but she loves him anyway and proves him wrong. This
shows the audience that no matter how big, strong or important you may seem to people, you still
have no right to treat them

Essay on The Whale Rider
This book 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...show more content...
But those words didn't get to her at all it seemed to make her try harder. In the movie, There's a
part where The grandfather takes the boys from the school out to the sea. He drops a whale tooth
necklace into the sea. He tells the boys " One of you will bring this back to me" . The boys dive
in and actually one comes close to getting it but it falls through his hands back to the sea. The
grandfather loses all hope for his tribe and at the same time he again blames the girl. It really was
sad to watch at times how he lays all the blame on his tribe to her birth. He feels that the birth of a
girl was the biggest curse ever. Pia secretly still wanting all the knowledge of her grandfather and
I don't think she actually thinking "I want to be the tribe leader" . I feel that for Pia is was just
wanting the acceptance and uncondional love of her grandad. . Pia was learning and becoming
exactly what the tribe needed and she was a girl. Pia would hear her grandfather trying to call in
the whales but she knew that they were not listening to him. So she began to call them in for him.
She had the power to do so. Pia wanted to what ever it took to help her grandad. I think as the
movie progressed it got more intense . The granddad was wanting Pia out of his house . He felt
she was messing up his world by not listening to him. She was rebelling from him and he wasn't
ready for that . He was used to the

The Whale Rider
In this novel, "Whale Rider", the main character, Kahu wants to become the chief of the tribe, but
her great–grandfather who is the powerful commander tribe of the Maori people of Whangara
doesn't allow her because in the Maori's rules, leadership was a heredity from a male bloodline of
the family. The problem in the story is an unstable relationship that has built up between thefamily
members. At the end of the story, Kahu nearly dead because she helped the whale and on the other
hands, she wants to show her great–grandfather that even though she is a girl; she has an enormous
heart.
A new event can be added where Nanny Flowers write a letter to Koro and teaching him how to
live among all the family members. Nanny Flowers will use a gentle

The Whale Rider
Witi Ihimaera manipulates the characters within the novel The Whale Rider to convey the theme of
Unconditional love. Eight–year–old Kahu was born into a tribe with deep cultural and traditional
beliefs that remains instilled in the members through the rigid leadership of Koro Apriana. Upon her
birth, Koro Apriana expresses an immediate disdain for the girl as she is the first–born of
Poruorangi; successor and heir to the Whangara tribe, in which according to tradition is passed from
eldest son to eldest son. The chief manifests a strong belief the preservation ancient traditions which
in a modernising world becomes problematic and a source of dispute among tribe members. As
Kahu matures, she develops a yearning for acceptance and recognition...show more content...
A term that describes the hatred or entrenched prejudice towards women and the downgrading of
females in social hierarchies. This form of discrimination to women is thinly disguised in today's
modernising world, but nevertheless remains deeply manifested in society. Koro Apriana
developed his views and opinions from his childhood where his elders imprinted the rules and
moral values of the Maori people in order to prepare him for his role as chief. However, in those
years, the role of the women in society was to remain in the home tending to children and
preparing meals; whereas in the modernising western world women have been empowered and
viewed as capable. 'A girl', Koro Apriana said, disgusted. She has broken the male line of descent in
our whanau... 'Here it's your fault .Your female side was too strong.–Page 18 'She won't be any good
to me',he would mutter. 'No good, I won't have anything to do with her. That Porourangi better have
a son next time'.–Page 20. The misogynist views of Koro Apriana branches from a deeper flaw in
his personality which renders him unwilling to break or alter the rules of his tradition even to
preserve that tradition. As a consequence of his stubbornness, Koro Apriana remains oblivious to the
many traits of leadership that Kahu develops as she matures. All due to one minor detail that Kahu
is female and according to

The Whale Rider By Niki Caro
The Whale Rider by Niki Caro is a film about a young girl, Paikea's journey to acceptance from her
grandfather. This film explores many themes such as feminism, family and conflict. One of the main
conflicts explored throughout this film is the conflict between Nanny Flowers and Koro, Paikea's
grandparents. Conflict is an important issue in this film because it causes rupture among an already
fractured family.
The film Whale Rider is based around a family living on the East Coast of New Zealand, in
Whangara. The film revolves around two characters, Koro and his granddaughter Paikea. Koro is
the chief in his village and he is growing old meaning soon he will have to pass down his title.
Staying true to his history of passing down his...show more content...
Nanny Flowers didn't like this gesture and after Koro had said goodbye made him hold her.
"Here, hold your granddaughter," Nanny told him. This was an important quote for, during this
time because of Koro's rejection too Paikea the conflict between these two characters ignited.
Nanny Flowers thought this was wrong and stood by Paikea for she was only an innocent child
and Koro was being a blinded man. He was looking for something that didn't exist, a prophet, a new
leader who was going to lead their family to great heights. During this scene, Niki Caro used some
clever camera movement and shot compositions to enhance the message she was trying to get
across. When we see Koro saying goodbye to Pai's brother the shot we see is from behind a glass
wall, behind Nanny Flowers shoulders. This was effective because the shot was made out to be
from Nanny Flowers perspective. Caro also used the wall as a barrier showing that there is
separation between the characters. This was clever of Caro because this event was the beginning of
the conflict between Nanny Flowers and Koro.
Throughout the film the conflict between these characters builds until the very end of the film
when, the conflict reaches its peak. At the end of the film one of the last events is helping a whole
pod of beached whales, back into the sea. After a long night 's struggle Paikea gets onto the biggest

Whale Riders Film Analysis Essay
When choosing a film for this assignment, my original choice was Bend It Like Beckham because
I had heard of it and I had a general idea what it was about. I then decided that I wanted to take on
a more challenging film, one that I had never heard of, and one that I would really have to study to
understand its full meaning. After looking into a few of the listed movies, I ended up choosing
Whale Rider, a drama filmed in New Zealand in 2002. After watching the movie two times, I feel
that I now understand some of the more drastic cultural and gender based problems that are occurring
today. The film's plot follows the story of Paikea Apirana, yet she goes by the name Pai in the film.
Pai is a 12–year–old girl who is the only remaining...show more content...
When the young boys are training with Koro to hopefully become the next descendent to be
leader of the tribe, Pai is still not allowed to take part in the events. I feel that gender issues are
also present in the everyday life of people all around the world, not just in this particular small
tribe. It is a proven fact that in America, the average wage of men is higher than the average wage
of women. Men also tend to hold higher positions in various labor industries across the country.
Gender discrimination has always been a major issue in many societies around the world, yet
many feminists groups around the world are slowly making the issue diminish. Another aspect of
the film that Niki Caro explores is the way the power and control affects the lives of anyone in a
given society. In the film, Pai's grandfather Koro exerts his power over Pai by informing her that
she will never be leader of the tribe due to her gender. Throughout the film he continuously tells her
that she is the reason that the tribe may be at its final downfall. Even though she did nothing wrong,
her being female makes her grandfather feel let down. Koro is in charge of everything that the
people of the tribe do on a regular basis. He is the person who makes all of the decisions and
controls all events. The presence of his power makes him seem like more of an intimidating figure
who can control the lives of others. This leads to my first

The Whale Rider Essay
The Whale Rider, a novel written by Witi Ihimaera which is set on the East coast of New Zealand at
WhДЃngДЃrДЃ.The novel tells the story of the local MДЃori iwi, Te Tai Rawhiti, and of Kahu, a
young MДЃori girl whose spirit and determination challenges tradition to overcome adversity and
lead her people into the advancing times. In this essay the theme of tradition
The Whale Rider takes place during a time where MДЃori culture was witnessing a decline, there
were concerns of the culture being assimilated by European influences. Koro Apirana, Kahu's
obdurate grandfather fights for the preservation of his culture, he is expecting a new leader from his
first–born grandchild, a male warrior that will bring salvation to his people. However the grandchild
is Kahu Apirana, not the male warrior Koro wilfully sought, but the cultural revolution the time
demanded.
The novel presents the need for a cultural evolution, where the people of Te Tai Rawhiti must adapt
to the...show more content...
Prominent character, known by all as Nanny Flowers, descends from Muriwai, a powerful woman
leader whom Nanny Flowers is said to have "always made constant reference" to. Nanny Flowers
is described to "hold up her arms" and declare her pride that "Muriwai's blood flows in [Nanny
Flowers'] veins." This great awareness of their ancestors can benefit the individual, for example
during the beaching of the whales at Whangara, when Koro was instructing for all the boys and
men to met in the meeting house, Nanny Flowers says "in a huff" to him, "What about us
woman!" She illustrates them as having the much needed "hands to help" but Koro replies to his
wife that he does not "want [her] to interfere" pronouncing the work "tapu." Nanny Flowers then
warns Koro that she will be "like Muriwai if [she has] to," Nanny Flowers then adds in that young
Kahu will also, "if she has to be." Here Nanny

Symbolism In The Whale Rider
Identify an important character in the film. Explain why the character is important and discuss what
techniques the director uses to portray the character and the effect on the audience?
By Tishya Kapoor
In the film, The Whale Rider, by Nicki Caro, is about a young girl named Paikea Apirana (Pai)
who is destined to become a leader and lead the community. However Koro, Pai's grandfather
expects a male leader to lead the community as he expects Maori tradition and culture to carry on.
Koro refuses Pai from inheriting that leadership as she is a female. An important character in this
film is Koro as he expects he is the current leader of the Maori community. But now that he is
getting old, he needs to find individuals who have those leadership attributes in order to be a
successful leader. However, he will not be able to pass on the legacy and heritage as he...show more
content...
For example, when Koro expects one of the boys to retrieve his whale tooth underwater. However
the boys have failed to retrieve it and Koro is disappointed as the whale tooth was a symbol of his
leadership and power. There is a close up of the whale tooth slowly drifting away in the murky
waters. Also when Koro has discovered the beached whales, he drops his stick. This is significant as
this is also a symbol of his leadership and power. It then shows a close up of the stick and the stick
being washed away.
In conclusion, the film The Whale Rider has left a strong impression on me as I have understood the
character more in depth and how the character is important in this film through a variety of effective
film techniques. I have gained a lot of understanding through the director's messages and ways of
communicating through a variety of film shots, symbolism and sound effects. The director has used
effective film techniques in order for the audience to engage with the film and to get a better and in
depth understanding of each

Whale Rider Research Paper
Whale rider essay.
The whale rider is a film about 12 Pike whose ambition is to become chief of the MДЃori tribe.
There's only one thing standing in her way; her grandfather Koror believes that the role of chief is
restricted to males only. Pikeas persistence and determination, really shines through throughout the
movie when she really shows off her leadership skills as they are tested in many situations
throughout the movie especially when the other boys fail to find the sacred "whale tooth".
Throughout the film, the director Nikki Caro has used many film techniques to show aspects of
pai's life. The opening scene is a great representation of how these were used.
The opening scene consists of mainly narration with very few instances of

Summary Of ' The Whale Rider '
Introduction ''The Whale Rider'' revolves around Paikea, a twelve–year–old Maori girl. Paikea's
mother dies in childbirth along with her twin brother who was supposed to be–come the new leader
of the Maori tribe. Her father is deeply saddened about this and leaves his only child to be raised
by her grandparents, Koro and Nanny. Unfortunately, Koro does not appeal to this situation very
well as he was expecting a grandson to be born and eventually lead the Maori tribe. Throughout
the film, Koro is resentful towards Pai as she is a girl and therefore cannot lead his people.
Through various chants and warrior techniques he teachers the youngsters, Koro believes he will
find the true chief. During this time, Pai is desperately trying to prove herself to Koro as worthy
of being his granddaughter and the new chief. Finally, when some whales get stranded on the
beach near her home, Pai believes this is a sign for her tribe ending and knows the true whale
rider will be the one to save these creatures. She is, of course, the individual who is able to save
them! I will begin this essay by discussing relevant information regarding the Maori tribe including
their origin and location. My objective is to show how the social order is practiced in the movie and
connect it to a topic discussed in class. I will do this by high–lighting the key points revolving
around the social order and make concrete connections to the movie. I will discuss in detail the
patriarchy, role of men and

The Whale Rider
"Listen...once there were many of our protectors, now there are few.Listen to how empty our sea has
become"–Koro Apirana(Pg. 50). This comes from not real life, but in a novel/book called The
Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera.The story follows a young girl named Kahu Apirana and how she
battles her tribe's cultural beliefs in order to prove to her father she is worthy to be chief because he
strongly accepts only men can be a chieftain, Koro originally desired his son, Porourangi's newborn
baby to be next in line for chief but, unfortunately, he, as well as his wife, died shortly after the birth,
leaving only Kahu the second child left.This shows that with strength, determination and willpower
you can achieve what you originally thought was impossible.It's...show more content...
Another example that supports this is from the very beginning since Kahu was born Koro denied
every time someone would say Kahu would make a great chief including his own wife, he even
ignores any time Kahu tries to impress him with her knowledge of the ancient culture, like the
time a boy who was training with others in the new program, was kicked out because Koro found
Kahu trying to imitate what she saw the boys doing in their fight training and one even tried to
show her the proper techniques to do so, soon after she easily beat him in a fight with little effort,
but Koro found them and kicked him out for simply being beaten by a girl in combat and punished
Kahu as well by making her go home, back to Nanny Flowers(Koro's wife/her mother) and into her
room for the rest of the day. He even goes so far to say..."No good.I won't have anything to do with
her.That Porourangi(Kahu's father)better have a son next time"–Koro

Whale Rider
The Whale Rider
By Witi Ihimaera
Published May 2003
Kahu (Pai) is an eight year old Maori girl with a special gift. She can communicate with whales. She
could be the leader her tribe needs, but her great–grandfather adheres strictly to Maori tradition
which requires a male heir. He barely acknowledges her.
The Whale Rider" tells the story of Kahu, a young girl in New Zealand struggling to find her place
in her family and community. She craves the love of her great–grandfather, but he's entirely focused
on the future of their tribe who don't have an elder male heir to inherit the chief's title.
There's only Kahu, and her great–grandfather doesn't see the use of a girl. Kahu is strong and
determined, and her destiny as the fabled whale...show more content...
Your aim is to complete the book on or before the set period is up. Include other texts in your
personal reading.
Protagonists and Antagonists
in Literature
Reading Log
[pic]
|Name ______________________ |[pic] |
| | |
|Date _______________________ | |
|Title |Author |Comment on the role of the protagonist and the |Date completed |
| | |antagoniost | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| |

The Whale Rider Essay

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

Más de Paper Writer Service

Más de Paper Writer Service (20)

Último

Último (20)

The Whale Rider Essay