The Whale Rider

Corruption of man and sacredness of nature ( structure and form)

Whales and humans contrast each other

Corruption of man - chapter 15 butchering the whale after it has died in the beaching

"The blood drenches the men in a dark gouting stream. Blood, laughing, pain, victory, blood."

Corruption of man - Koro Apirana's speech to empower the men to save the whales

'man assumed a cloak of arrogance and set himself up above the gods. He even tried to defeat Death, but failed'

Sacredness of nature - Chapter 14 when the whales are far south as the bull whale leads them through the ice

'The ice cracked, moaned, shivered and susurrated with rippling glissandi, a giant organ playing a titanic symphony. '

Corruption of man - Chapter 9 humans' arrogance

"He was fearful of the contamination seeping from Mururoa. He was afraid of the genetic effects of the undersea radiation "

Sexism - Nani Flowers speaking of genealogy

"Now I shall make myself a man. She called out to the crew and ordered them to start paddling quickly, and the canoe was saved in the nick of time."

Sexism - introduction of Kahu through phone call from Porograngi

" 'A girl', Koro Apirana, our grandfather, said, disgusted. 'I will have nothing to do with her.' "

Sexism - epilogue in hospital Kahu

" 'I fell off the whale. If I was a boy I would have held on tight. I'm sorry, Paka, I'm not a boy.' "

Kahu - men are in the meeting house. First connection with the ocean

"we would slowly see it again, like a spiny sea urchin."

Kahu - epilogue after falling off the whale Kahu

" 'I fell off the whale. If I was a boy I would have held on tight. I'm sorry, Paka, I'm not a boy.' "

Kahu - retrieving the stone Koro Apirana had thrown in order to find out which boy should become chief

"As quick as a flash, the dolphins sped her to another area of the reef and stopped. Kahu seemed to say, "Down here?" and the dolphins made a nodding motion."

Nani Flowers - Strong women speaking of Koro being seixst and not allow Kahu to become chief

'he isn't any chief. i'm his chief,'

Nani Flowers - Nani shower her power of Koro and her abilty to voice her opinions good or bad

" 'Te mea te mea,' she said, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, you old goat.

Nani Flowers - Koro and Nani flowers speaking of Kahu becoming chief

' girls can do anything these days

Rawiri - attempting to save Kahu as she swims into the ocean

"I instantly ran through the waves. People said I acted like a maniac. I plunged into the sea "

Rawiri - While spending time in Papua New Guinea as Jeff's mother speaks to her friends at the club

"You know our Jeff, always bringing home dogs and strays. But at least hes not native' Her laughter glittered

Koro Apirana - Rawiri talking of Koros distaste for Kahu

"... the love which Kahu received from Koro Apirana was the sort that dropped off the edge of the table, like breadcrumbs after everybody else has had a big meal."

Koro Apirana - Speaking to the boys in training

"them's the rules"

Koro Apirana - Disapproval for Kahu's actions

"Tea mea te mea tea mea"

Love

"I want him to come back to me in one piece"

Love - Kahu when seeing Koro

"She saw Koro Apirana. Her face lit up"

Love - Bull whale while carrying Kahu

Then let everyone live, and let the partnership between land and sea, whales and all humankind, also remain.'

Cyclical nature of time - introducing the the setting and the repetition of time

"The sun rose and set, rose and set"

Cyclical nature of time - Repeated at the end of every chapter

"Hui e, haumi e, taiki e. // Let it be done."

Cyclical nature of time - Repeated from first chapter mythology

' the last spear' ' this is the last spear' ' the ran fell like spears'

Sexism - Koro attempting to stick to tradition by only have a male heir

" 'A girl', Koro Apirana, our grandfather, said, disgusted. 'I will have nothing to do with her.'

Sexism - Nani Flowers women taking control creating leniency

"makes herself a man"

Sexism - Koro speaking of the disrespect that Nani Flowers show by not following tradition

"Koro Apirana felt that naming a girl-child after the founder of our tribe was belittling Kahutia Te Rangi prestige"

Koro Apirana felt that naming a girl-child after

the founder of our tribe was belitting Kahutia Te Rangi's prestige

Now I shall

make myself a man

' a girl' Koro Apirana

, our grandfather, said, disgusted ' i will have nothing too do with her

the last spear

this is the last spear

the rain fell like spears

Hui e

aumi e, taiki e. // Let it be done."

the sun rose

and set rose and set

then let everyone live, and the partnership between land and sea

whales and all humankind, also remain.'

She saw Koro Apirana

Her face lit up

"I want him to come back

to me in one piece

the love Kahu recieved from Koro was the sort

that dropped off the edge of the table, like breadcrumbs after everybody else has had a big meal."

4 motifs that express the cyclical nature of time

Spears

Bull whales

4 seasons

life and death

man might carve his mark on the earth

but unless he's vigilant, nature will take it back

Our Koro was like

an old whale stranded in an alien present

She was a small figure in a white dress

kicking at the whale as if it was a horse, her braids swinging in the rain

i love you

Koro apirana said.

Show redemption

anthropomorphism nature

giving nature human characteristic

In the old

days, in the years that have passed

( colloquial story telling )

hiss and roar

ebb and flow

She had no guile.

She had no envy. She had no jealousy

When it dies, we die. I die

' no, Paka. And if it lives?'

'then we also live '

Genealogy - on the back of the whale

Ko Paikea, ko Paikea

Human and whale parallelisms - whales debating if this is the real Paikea

although she had loved her husband, and had done for many whaleyears she was not blind to his faults

Sexism in part 1

women standing up for beliefs

Mauriwai

Male name Kahu

Foreshadows powerful future

Culture in part 1

Female characters creating modern liberal culture

loyalty to culture while introducing leniency

Contrast between culture and modernity part 1

nature and technology

globalization

modernization

changing culture

Recurring literary techniques in part 1

foreshadowing

motif

3rd person onimpotent

Genealogy in part 2

Muriwai

Kahutia te rangi

chiefency