Setting – ‘whale rider’
- 1. Setting – ‘Whale Rider’ ‘Whale Rider’ is set in a small village called Whangara, on the East Coast of the north island of New Zealand. The novel is set in modern times – and there are some references that link it into the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. The French testing at Muruora Atoll that happened in the 1960’s has contaminated the sea for the whales and is mentioned in a chapter of the novel. The 1981 Springbok tour is also mentioned by Rawiri. Other things that place this novel into the 1980’s rather than today are:
- 2. Setting – ‘Whale Rider’ The novel does have other settings away from the central place of Whangara. Rawiri travels overseas to live in Sydney and then Papua New Guinea. He is away for four years while Kahu is growing up and describes the places he goes to in contrast to Whangara… but he also compares them to his home. How does Rawiri describe Sydney? How does Rawiri describe Papua New Guinea?
- 3. Setting – ‘Whale Rider’ The other main settings in the novel are the different oceans where the ancient Bull whale and his herd live. This underwater setting is described in a different way to the other places in the novel. It is mystical, sacred. Witi Ihimaera has chosen to write these chapters in italics to show that they are different. He has chosen to use mythical language and a mythical style so that this setting is presented to us as a myth from a long time ago woven into the modern chapters.
- 4. Setting – ‘Whale Rider’ The underwater settings that the whales travel to include _______, _____________, ___________, ____________, ____________. Examples of the language that make this setting mystical and mythical are: Look at chapter 14. Find 6 examples of effective descriptions that Witi Ihimaera uses in this chapter. Find some examples of ‘mythical’ language in this chapter.
- 5. The sea – in the sea scenes, lyrical language is used. The sea is used as a setting to link the two narrative strands, the past and the present, together. The sea is the setting where the ancient Bull Whale lives. Each of his chapters are set in different oceans as he makes his journey to Whangara. The sea is also the place where ‘the chosen ones’ of the Maori tribe feel at home and where they can almost, it seems, communicate with the creatures.
- 6. Whale Rider - questions Answer the following questions in paragraph form. Write the question as a heading. 1. Are tradition and progress opposites? How does The Whale Rider help you think about this question? 2. Do you believe that some people, like Kahu, have a strong psychic connection with animals? Why or why not? 3. How universal are the themes of this novel? Talk about whether or not the big ideas apply mainly to Maori culture. 4. How do characters in this novel fight against sexism and racism? Could their strategies help other people fight these problems? 5. Witi Ihimaera says he was inspired to write this novel when one of his daughters asked why boys are always the heroes in movies. Does his story create a believable girl hero? Why or why not? 6. Why do you think the author included words and phrases from the Maori language? Was this technique effective for you? 7. If you have seen the movie, talk about how the filmmakers changed the story. What were the most important changes? Do you think the story was more effective in the book or film?
- 7. Whale Rider - questions Answer the following questions in paragraph form. Write the question as a heading. 1. Are tradition and progress opposites? How does The Whale Rider help you think about this question? 2. Do you believe that some people, like Kahu, have a strong psychic connection with animals? Why or why not? 3. How universal are the themes of this novel? Talk about whether or not the big ideas apply mainly to Maori culture. 4. How do characters in this novel fight against sexism and racism? Could their strategies help other people fight these problems? 5. Witi Ihimaera says he was inspired to write this novel when one of his daughters asked why boys are always the heroes in movies. Does his story create a believable girl hero? Why or why not? 6. Why do you think the author included words and phrases from the Maori language? Was this technique effective for you? 7. If you have seen the movie, talk about how the filmmakers changed the story. What were the most important changes? Do you think the story was more effective in the book or film?