Whale rider directed by niki caro notes english junior. Plenty of rich themes are found in ihimaeras the whale. The changing role of women, importance of cultural identity and generational differences are some of the main issues that are dealt with in whale rider. The whale is a reminder of the oneness the world once had. If youve been lucky enough to catch the movie version of whale rider you will notice quite a few differences, but youll still be able to enjoy this very unique tale. The chiefs eldest son, porourangi, fathers twins a boy and a girl. 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. Whale rider tells the tale of kahu and her familys struggle to bring balance back to their maori tribe. The whale rider abstract whale rider is a drama film of the 2002, based on the novel of witi ihimaera, and directed by niki caro. Directed and written by niki caro, the film is based on witi ihimaeras novel the whale rider. Coupling a specific sense of place and culture with a. Whale rider can only give a boost to such efforts which, as this film shows, makes not only new zealand but the world richer. The movie also shows how resilience is a significant aspect of being a leader. Find books like the whale rider from the worlds largest community of readers.
Comprehension and discussion activities for the film whale rider. The module consists of teachers notes and a handout with background information that you can copy and give to your students. Then, use the book excerpt and translate it into single frames. It is bothand if we have forgotten the communion then we have ceased to be maori. On either side the younger whales were escorting their leader through the surf. The purpose of this comparison is to clarify the major differences and similarities which is a. There are very physical things that are described in the book the sweep of the bay, the island that looks like a whale. Whale rider is essentially about leadership and the fact that leadership presents itself in the form of a young girl, states its director, niki caro. Only 120 pages long, its a richly layered story dealing with several major social issues.
The movie begins with the birth of twins, the latest in that line. The story follows a 12yearold maori girl named paikea apirana who struggles to earn her grandfathers. Whale rider is set in the maori community of new zealand. Create your own storyboard using the template on the next page. Whale rider when talking about choosing the location to shoot whale rider, the films producer, john barnett says. The whale rider abstract whale rider is a drama film of the 2002, based on the novel. The two main characters of each story share one major characteristic in. English assessment whale rider comparison with book and. She is willing to sacrifice her own life to protect and continue her community and familys traditions and beliefs.
Such feminist sentiments certainly inhabit the movie, but theyre not forceful by any means. She saw that now she was surrounded by the whale herd. Bbc world book club on the world service is interviewing him soon and would love to hear from you. Based on the novel of the same name by witi ihimaera, the film stars keisha castlehughes as kahu paikea apirana, a twelveyearold maori girl whose ambition is to become the chief of the tribe. Discuss the attitude of the maori people throughout most of the movie and compare it to their attitude in the final scene of whale rider. There is one drug reference but its so hidden that smaller kids wont notice. Whale rider the movie shows that culture is important and that working together makes everything better. Witi ihimaera books may not often make a huge impact on ya. The whale rider 2002 summary and analysis uk essays. Analysis of witi ihimaeras the whale rider on the basis of.
Analysis of witi ihimaeras the whale rider on the basis of postcolonial theory nancy reinhardt term paper english language and literature studies culture and applied geography publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay. The whale rider themes what does the director suggest about the themes of culture, leadership and expectations. Now, so many years after their separation, the nostalgia for their time spent together cuts away at the old bull whale. Whale rider mat no 10 storyboarding read the following excerpt from the book the whale rider.
Disregarded by her village, a maori girl trains herself in the customs of her people to prove shes the rightful heir to her grandfather as chief. This summary of whale rider includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. I absolutely adore everything about it, and really do think theres something everyone can relate to in this story. The whale rider by witi ihimaera penguin books australia. Can you provide an example a scene character quote symbol from the film that shows this theme. When the audience is watching the film, they compare their own family. Theyre usually things you are forced to read for class and you end up dreading every sentence. The influence of beliefs on individual life in witi ihimaeras. This is one of the best movies i have ever seen, but this disc omitted the most crucial part of the movie. Read online the whale rider and download the whale rider book full in pdf formats. The movie opens with the birth of pai played wonderfully by keisha castlehughes and the resulting death of her mother and twin brother. Written in 1987, the whale rider is a deceptively short book. Watch whale rider 2002 full movie free online streaming.
Whale rider is a film about the coming of age of a 12 year old new zealand girl and her struggle for acceptance of her father, grandfather and tribe which just happens to be looking for a new leader. These two share many common themes such as sexism, discrimination, and loss. Analysis of the whale rider essay example graduateway. May 01, 2003 the whale rider is definitely in my top ten list of alltime favorite books. In whale rider, pais resistance to assume her peoples traditional female gender roles clashes with koros ideas of the masculine qualities needed for leadership. Whale rider arrives in theaters already proven as one of the great audiencegrabbers of recent years. Koro, who was the current leader, was in search for a new person to become the leader as his grandson, who was supposed to be the leader died at birth. He explained the differences between his novel, movie, and maori culture and how the literary characters in the whale rider accurately reflect the traditional role of men and women in maori society. The film whale rider tells the fictional story of pai, a twelveyearold girl living with her. In analyzing how gender and specifically masculinity are depicted in maori culture through the relationship between pai and koro in whale rider, it becomes evident. The whale mothers look over their young while the single leader whale the bull whale reminisces about his own youth so long ago. The whale rider epilogue summary and analysis gradesaver. The idea of the whale rider is a maori myth but myths and legends are a huge part of any culture, and maoris are very proud of theirs.
The film is based on the whangara people from the east coast of new zealand, who believed that their existence was purely reliant on a brave prophet, also named paikea, who rode on the back of a whale. Every culture has its own traditions and many of the times these traditions are broken when new generations are born. Everyone plays their part in an excellent and believable way. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. This film is based on the book the whale rider by witi ihimaera.
Not only will you walk away feeling a little more cultured and inspired after reading whale rider. Although there are many, many divergencies in details between the book and the movie. An analysis of the culture and traditions of the maori. It is easy to name all the recent failings the da vinci code, sahara, and many more. If something goes wrong you should get back up and keep fighting.
In the film whale rider depicts a culture in transition. Witi ihimeras novel the whale rider 1987 and niki caros film. It won the audience awards as the most popular film at both the toronto and sundance film festivals, played to standing ovations, left audiences in tears. I am very excited about the narrative space created between the two forms as they rubbed shoulder in a extremely companionable way. This movie showed that the main leadership qualities are loyalty, confidence and resilience. Whale rider set in the east coast town of whangara, whale rider tells the tale of a young maori girl, pai keisha castlehughes, who challenges tradition and embraces the past in order to find the strength to lead her people forward. But novel and film have somewhat different emphases and the whale rider is.
Nov 17, 2012 in the 2002 film, whale rider, the director, niki caro created a magnificently empowering movie that serves as an inspirational tool for females. In whale rider the main example of sacrificial love is seen through paikeas self sacrifice for her community and traditions. The whale mothers look over their young while the single leader whalethe bull whalereminisces about his own youth so long ago, and the precious time he spent with the whale rider. May 24, 2012 the whale rider was an informative movie. Spoiler alert in the hospital scene after pai rides the whale and is unconscious in the bed, the grandfather speaks maori to her, and in the movie an english translation appears as a subtitle on the screen with words to the effect of wise leader, forgive me for i am just a.
These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the whale rider by witi ihimaera. Whale rider is an internationally successful new zealand film focusing on indigenous cultural issues. The world premiere was on september 2002, at the toronto international film festival. Paikea had resilience, every time koro shot her down she. Astride the whale she felt the sting of the surf and rain upon her face. Can someone compare the whale rider book and movie to me i. According to legend, the maori came to whangara when their great leader paikea led them by riding on a whale. Whale riders film analysis essay 82 words bartleby.
As mentioned before, this relationship has clear evidence from past sections of the book and even receives explicit mention from rawiri. The film is based on the book the whale rider by witi ihimaera. The taniwha is the mythological whale or sea creature that paikea the ancestor rode on to lead the way to aeoteara new zealand originally. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book. The whale rider 2003 read online free book by witi. Whale rider is a 2002 new zealandgerman family drama film written and directed by niki. The movie of the whale rider was filmed in whangara, north east coast of new zealand, and won these awards. Whale rider many books have been made into movies, and they are often not at all faithful to the original, other than the and usually the s of the characters.
The only other thing is a scene where an 11 year old is smoking. This site requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books or. The story takes place in new zealand where the maori people of a small village claim descent from the whale rider, paikea. Not only will you walk away feeling a little more cultured and inspired after reading whale rider, you wont have to give up a lot of time to do it. It really inspires me, and makes me really want to make spiritual movies like that.
The movie of the whale rider was filmed in whangara, north east coast of new zealand. The novel whale rider was written in a time of great change for women and the issues of the 1980s are still present today. Whale rider is yet another book that has been taken by the screen industry, and morphed into a movie. The whale rider directed by niki caro and written by witi ihimaera shares the same components of the story of antigone by sophocles.
Jun 01, 2014 can someone compare the whale rider book and movie to me i need some major diffrences for an essay i need for tommorow. The main reason is that the book and movie have differences, the musical is based on the movie and book and well the soundtrack is the soundtrack. Nov 23, 2014 this video fits the requirement for the whale rider video analysis of dr. Analysis of witi ihimaeras the whale rider on the basis. While pai lives in present day whangara, new zealand with her grandparents, maori tradition maintains that the leadership should only be inherited by males. The whale rider the snail and the whale a whale of a tale all about porpoises, dolphins, and whales cat in the hats learning library who would win. Expectations and disappointments generational differences page 11. Before you start, have a look at the sample frame below. Similarly, the book is rather ordinary near the beginning, and the writing is too simple. Jan 01, 1987 written in 1987, the whale rider is a deceptively short book. In the movie, the interloping shots of whales singing every so often does the books whalesingingspeakinghistory passages no justice well, some, but theres no comparison, and thats coming from someone who likes those film sequences. This whale rider casts spears as lifegiving objects to the islands, but one spear he casts years into the future, which is the time of the storys young heroine kahu. Expectations and disappointments generational differences 5.
It is the birth cord joining past and present, reality and fantasy. Books similar to the whale rider goodreads share book. Leadership in the whale rider by eliane botson on prezi. Whale rider can be enjoyed by adults, like myself, or with older children as well. Movie analysis 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. Plenty of rich themes are found in ihimaeras the whale rider saturday september 30 2017 the whale rider, by witi ihimaera, is rich in thematic concerns. In every generation for over 1,000 years, a male heir born to the chief succeeds to the title.
I just finished reading the book, the whale rider after having seen the movie version twice. The whale rider essays are academic essays for citation. Ever since, the maori have been led by the descendants of that leader. In a small new zealand coastal village, maori claim descent from paikea, the whale rider.
Narrative voices and maori identities in the whale rider. Comprehension and discussion activities for the film whale. The novel was set in whangara and it would almost have been heresy to shoot anywhere else. The maori, the native polynesian people of new zealand, are looking for a male descendant of paikea the brave leader. Ann mcclellans global literature class at plymouth state university. The whale rider study guide contains a biography of author witi ihimaera, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Tradition as a tool for oppressing women in witi ihimaeras the whale rider. The books front cover describes it as the triumphant novel that inspired the. But kahu trying to prove to her koro that she can be a leader even if she is a female is a strong representation of what this book is about. William trevors the hill bachelors is a heartbreaking book about men and women. The whale in this context of whangara takes on the mythical origins of the taniwha but also serves as a lineage to paikeas mythological escape story. If youve ever felt discriminated against because of your gender, this is the book for you. The movie whale rider, directed by niki caro, have many things in common with the book nervous conditions, written in 2002 by tsitsi dangarembga.
The whale rider 2003 read online free book by witi ihimaera. This is a film i will acquire on dvd as soon as it is available. While the book itself is powerful, the changes made to create a movie from the story bring it to life, making it a story of power and a happily ever after for those who watch it. If youve been lucky enough to catch the movie version of whale. The indie film whale rider is an engrossing character drama with an inspirational message. The girl who plays pai is in my opinion the best though as she is absolutely believable in all her varied situations.
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