May 01, 2003 the whale rider is definitely in my top ten list of alltime favorite books. If youve ever felt discriminated against because of your gender, this is the book for you. 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. Witi ihimaera was the first maori to publish both a book of short stories and a novel, and has published many notable novels and collections of short stories. Jan 01, 1987 written in 1987, the whale rider is a deceptively short book. Whale rider when talking about choosing the location to shoot whale rider, the films producer, john barnett says. Whale rider is a 2002 drama film directed by niki caro, based on the novel of the same name. There are physical things that are described in the book the sweep of the bay, the island that looks.
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. Can someone give me a summary of the whale rider book. A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. Since whale rider is set in new zealand and the story is about a maori tribe, a lot of the words used are traditional maori words, making it a. The module consists of teachers notes and a handout with background information that you can copy and give to your students. Oct 28, 2017 how characterisation builds up the story in the whale rider saturday october 28 2017 lucy kamau takes a look at koro apirana, kahu and nani flowers in witi ihamaeras book. Whale rider is the story of a female child who is not allowed to be the leader and whale rider due to her gender.
Jun 20, 2003 whale rider arrives in theaters already proven as one of the great audiencegrabbers of recent years. The biggest whale, the founder of maori culture, has a special relationship with the whale rider, a young man who sits upon its back. 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. The story of whale rider is about pai, a girl descended from paikea, the mythical ancestor of ngati konohi hapu sub tribe who live in whangara on the east coast of new zealand.
This film actually tried to depict the civil rights movement. Whale rider this module has been designed to accompany the film whale rider 2003. The role of chief is always passed onto a male, but there is no male heir, only kahu. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The army wouldnt let black soldiers fight, but they used them for cooking, cleaning, or running ammunition errands. The whale rider film is one element of a female gaze it was created to counter the idea that women cannot be the central human subject. The movie freedom riders by pbs and the book the struggle for black equality, 19541992 by harvard sitkoff introduction one of the most comprehensive dramatic documentaries that focused on the history of the civil rights movement is the film produced by pbs, entitled freedom riders. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the whale rider by witi ihimaera. The whale rider is definitely in my top ten list of alltime favorite books. By tradition, the leader should be the firstborn son a direct patrilineal. Whale rider is a 2002 new zealandgerman family drama film written and directed by niki caro. A love story is the novelization of the unfulfilled romantic longing between herman melville and nathaniel hawthorne during the short time they lived near one another in massachusetts from 18501851.
The whale rider chapter 6 porourangi returns from south island to live in whangara porourangi brings kahu back to nani flowers from rehuas mother for the holidays porourangi brings kahu back to nani flowers from rehuas mother for the holidays kahu is back. The whale rider is a 1987 novel by new zealander witi ihimaera. When wwii came around, a lot of league players were drafted. The whale rider is a story about a maori girl named kahu, who dreams of being the chief of her tribe. Kahu, an eightyearold maori girl, adores her greatgrandfather, koro apirana, but he pays her little attention. The indie film whale rider is an engrossing character drama with an inspirational message. Ancestor of the people of te tai rawhiti, he travelled from hawaiki, the place of the ancients, to the east coast of new zealand. Led by the newly promoted captain george pollard jr. A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young maori girl fights to full fill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. If youve ever felt discriminated against because of. How characterisation builds up the story in the whale rider. The novel was set in whangara and it would almost have been heresy to shoot anywhere else. One relationship in particular that between the whale rider and his giant whale was exemplary of a symbiotic connection. Pais mother died during childbirth and her artist father has left new zealand.
She is a bright buttoneyed girl with shining skin and the youngest member of the maori tribe. Whale rider arrives in theaters already proven as one of the great audiencegrabbers of recent years. Unfortunately her twin brother, who was supposed to be the chief of her village, died at birth and her grandfather did not want her because of her being a girl. The planet premiere was on september 2002, at the toronto international film celebration. In films created with the female gaze, females are given the rare opportunity of being the central role. The world premiere was on september 2002, at the toronto international film festival. Can someone compare the whale rider book and movie to me i. With keisha castlehughes, rawiri paratene, vicky haughton, cliff curtis. After that kahu grew up with her mothers people, but she came over. The whale rider essays are academic essays for citation. However, pai is female and technically cannot inherit the leadership. The film whale rider follows the story of a young girl paikea. The whale rider 2002 summary and analysis uk essays.
You are in for a bit of an emotional rollercoaster with whale rider. At that point man touched base from the east, and the connection amongst nature and man throve. The whale rider starts a thousand years ago, with a pod of whales. Since whale rider is set in new zealand and the story is about a maori tribe, a lot of the words used are traditional maori words, making it a little tricky to follow along. Paikea is said to have arrived from their place of origin, hawaikii, on the back of a whale. The first greatgrandchild of the whanau, she was loved by all her relatives except the one whose love she needed mosther greatgrandfather. Now available in simultaneous hardcover and paperback.
Kahu is his only greatgrandchildand maori tradition has no use for a girl. The whale in this context of whangara takes on the mythical origins of the taniwha but also serves as a lineage to. How characterisation builds up the story in the whale rider saturday october 28 2017 lucy kamau takes a look at koro apirana, kahu and nani flowers in witi ihamaeras book. By tradition, the leader should be the firstborn 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. The first thing that struck me about the book was that its narrator is rawiri, kahus uncle.
Written in 1987, the whale rider is a deceptively short book. The whale rider by witi ihimaera penguin books new zealand. The whale rider the films plot follows the story of paikea apirana paiin the book, her name is kahu, short for kahutia te rangi, a 12yearold girl who is the only living child in the line of the tribes chiefly succession following the death of her twin brother and mother when she was born. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Then, use the book excerpt and translate it into single frames. The second thing that struck me is that the girl called paikea in the film the protagonist is in the book called kahu, in full kahutia te rangi. Only 120 pages long, its a richly layered story dealing with several major social issues. Kadir nelson tells the story of this allblack league in his picture book we are the ship. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of whale rider by witi ihimaera. Her grandfather koro apirana believes that this is a role reserved for males only. Although very adventurous and brave, pai, who should have been the first born. The two main characters of each story share one major characteristic in common.
Create your own storyboard using the template on the next page. As you follow kahu and her family, youll soon realize that theyre not that different from you and your family. Before you start, have a look at the sample frame below. Whale rider takes place in present day new zealand, where a 12yearold girl named pai keisha castlehughes is growing up in an allmaori community. Described by metro magazine as part oracle, part memoralist, and an inspired voice, weaving many stories together, ihimaera has also written for stage and screen, edited books on the arts and culture, as well.
Niki caro based on the book by witi ihimaera prezi by. Her greatgrandfather is chief of the whangara, who are descendants of a legendary whale rider. The movie whale rider, directed by niki caro, have many things in common with the book nervous conditions, written in 2002 by tsitsi dangarembga. Kahu is the protagonist in the book the whale rider. Comprehension and discussion activities for the film whale rider.
Whale rider mat no 10 storyboarding read the following excerpt from the book the whale rider. The bull whale is an ancient whale, about 65 feet long. Eightyearold kahu, a member of the maori tribe of whangara, new zealand, fights to prove her love, her leadership, and her destiny. Like paikea, she is given the leading role because caro wanted to use her as a success story. 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.
But when hundreds of whales beach themselves and threaten the future of the maori tribe, it is kahu who saves the tribe when she reveals that she has the whale rider s ancient gift of communicating with whales. But now there is no male heir, and the aging chief is desperate to find a successor. Nov 17, 2012 on the other hand, paikea took on the male stereotype, when she sat in the car and suddenly in the middle of the trip, she reflected, when she was born thats when things went wrong for her, thats where well find the answer whale rider, 2002. The whale rider abstract whale rider is a episode film of the 2002, predicated on the book of witi ihimaera, and directed by niki caro. Only males are allowed to ascend to chiefdom in a maori tribe in new zealand. Nelson uses his awardwinning painting skills to illustrate this story about an important part of.
Many books have been made into movies, and they are often not at all faithful to the original, other than the name, and usually the names of the characters. Comprehension and discussion activities for the film whale. It is about the struggles of a maori girl, paikea, to succeed her grandfather as leader of her tribe in spite of tradition dictating that the chief be male. Her people claim descent from kahutia te rangi, the legendary whale rider. 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. Tradition as a tool for oppressing women in witi ihimaeras the whale rider. In every generation since kahutia, a male heir has inherited the title of chief. My name is paikea apirana and i come from a long line of chiefs, stretching all the way back to the whale. During this time, melville was pursued by creditors and lived off of loans from his fatherinlaw. Pai main character and the new whale rider born into a line of chiefs has all the qualities of a leader struggles against gender stereotypes and koro. Whale rider summary supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
Whale rider is a magical tale of survival, stubbornness and destiny. The whale rider by witi ihimaera, jay lagaaia, audiobook. The story follows a 12yearold maori girl named paikea apirana who struggles to. It is leading its herd in search of safer waters, but at the same time it struggles to come to terms with its deep love for the ancient whale rider, now long dead, who once had been its dearest companion. The taniwha is the mythological whale or sea creature that paikea the ancestor rode on to lead the way to aeoteara new zealand originally. But now we were waiting for the firstborn of the new generation, for the descendant of the whale rider. The biggest whale, the founder of maori culture, has a special relationship with. I absolutely adore everything about it, and really do think theres something everyone can relate to in this story. What was supposed to be a routine mission becomes an unprecedented disaster for the whaleship essex launched from nantucket in 1819, the essex is expected to take a two to threeyear jaunt to the pacific ocean before returning home with oodles of whale oil. The song of a whale calls through deep water as the huge mammal swims far. Pai, is the main character and heroine of the film. The story follows a 12yearold maori girl named paikea apirana who struggles to earn her grandfathers.
They struggle, fight, laugh, cry and have no idea how to make things perfect. 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. These two share many common themes such as sexism, discrimination, and loss. Setting whale rider whale rider is set in a small village called whangara, on the east coast of the north island of new zealand. Her parents are porourangi and rehua, because kahus mom died three months after her birth. First published in 1987 in new zealandthe authors homeland as well as. Her twin brother died in childbirth and she is set aside as an outcast. Te kaieke tohora is a 2002 film based on the book the whale rider by witi ihimaera. Writing sample of summary essay on a given topic the whale rider the story starts with an emphasis on the old days, when nature and all untamed life were energetically sitting tight for the happening and coming of man. Within this contemporaryfairy tale, whale rider also entails a spiritual bond that the main character, paikea, has with a quasimystical creature.
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