NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
The Whale Rider (1) The rising popularity of so-called post-colonial literature is closely associated with the philosophy of New Age beginning to attract more and more White people in Western countries. In its turn, this can be explain by these peoples tendency to indulge in social escapism while growing increasingly uncomfortable with the factual realities of multiculturalism, these people are simply afraid of admitting this fact to themselves, which in its turn, prompts them to seek emotional refuge in the imaginary world of peace, tolerance and closeness to Earth, which they believe should be non-Eurocentric. This is the reason why the percentile ratio of New Age literature in American public libraries, has significantly increased in recent years. In her article Beyond Crystals and Chakras, where Gwenda Bond provides us with the insight onto the fact that New Age spirituality now attracts more Americans then it used to even as recent as 10 - 20 years ago: Years ago, for example, the category (New Age) wouldn't have contained a bestseller about spirituality and golf, says William Singer, publisher of Gotham Books.
So far, Gotham has published two - 2005 's Every Shot Must Have a Purpose, which has sold 75, 000 copies, and April's Zen Putting: Mastering the Mental Game of the Greens, with 30, 000 copies already in print And it's not just Zen golfing. What other category could include A Unicorn Is Born, about a pregnant unicorn; Our Gods Wear Spandex (Weiser), on superheroes and myth; and Magickal Self Defense: A Quantum Approach to Warding (Llewellyn), about Wiccan self-protection (Bond, p. 22). There can be little doubt as to the fact that With Ihimaera's novel The Whale Rider belongs to the same category, because it contains the motif of native people being able to come in touch with their true selves, after being freed of colonial oppression. Therefore, in this paper we will discuss Ihimaera's novel as such that allows us to get a better understanding of the very essence of the process of non-White natives returning back to their spiritual roots, after having realized that they no longer need to live by White mans rules. (2) With Ihimaera had written his novel in 1989, after having lived in New York for ten years, which allows us to conclude that The Whale Rider is one of many books made on order. Ihimaera was able to realise that the story of little Maori girl Kahu riding whales would instantly win the attention of marginalized readers, just as it was the case with the story of Terminator inflicting terror on overly materialistic Americans. This was also the reason why author strived to simplify novels plot as much as possible, so that his story could be easily digested by readers not overburdened with intelligence.
Let us briefly describe the plots subtleties. The inhabitants of Maoris village Whangaras believe that their legendary ancestor Paikea had a mystical power over whales and was also able to communicate with them, which is the reason why whales would always come to his assistance, whenever is needed. Apparently, this legend had such strong effect on Maoris, that they were willing to subdue themselves to the descendants of Paikea, as their Chiefs, throughout the centuries. However, when Chief Porourangi fails to provide a tribe with the male heir, the tensions begin to rise high in the village, as local people appear as being incapable of understanding how is it possible to go on with their daily routine (fishing, hunting, having sex and sleeping), without being supervised by the descendant of Paikea, as their Chief. Porourangi has a daughter named Kahu, who appears to be entitled with psychological and physical qualities of a true leader. However, she is a female, which results in tribes elders not even wanting to consider her candidacy for the position of Chief.
Yet, as novels plot unravels, it becomes clear, to just about everyone in the village, that Kahu suits for the role of a Chief better than anyone else. The novel climaxes by the time a group of whales become stranded on sandy beach, with village people realising themselves utterly helpless to do anything about the situation. However, when they wake up the next morning, they realize that the whales were no longer at the beach. During the course of next few days, it finally starts to dawn on them that it was Kahu, who convinced whales to jump back into the ocean, while sitting on the top of one of them.
This proved Kahu as being worthy to become a village Chief, once and for all. On this note, The Whale Rider ends. Surprisingly enough, Ihimaera's does not feature many motifs of colonial oppression, as one would expect. Porourangi is being mentioned to have travelled to Europe and in his conversations with Kahu he describes it as crowded place, but this is about it. Therefore, the post-colonial essence of The Whale Rider is best discussed within a context of how author describes the existential mode of Whangaras residents, as being only superficially affected by Western civilization. At the same time, it is important for the readers to be aware of the fact that the way, in which author portrays Maoris, does not always correspond to the objective reality, which is another reason why The Whale Rider can be referred to as clearly belonging to New Age literature.
In her article Deconstructing the Pakeha Gaze: Whale Rider, Tracy Johnson suggests that novels plot is based on logical fallacy, because the traditional Maori society is matriarchic, rather then patriarchal, as described by Ihimaera: The grand narrative of New Zealand society that depicts traditional Maori society as patriarchal has inscribed upon Maori culture a falseness that is more about western notions of gender inequality than a concern for cultural authenticity. In this light the Whale Rider can be identified as a text that articulates western feminist concerns of gender inequality, rather than the more matriarchal concerns that are articulated by Maori women (Johnson, 2004). Therefore, The Whale Rider cannot be thought of as such that accurately portrays the realities of Maoris living in New Zealand Ihimaera had written what was expected of him by White readers, preoccupied with exploration of native spirituality. In the novel, Whangaras people are described as highly spiritual beings that spend most of their time, while enjoying their closeness with nature, which is why they are capable of referring to its emanations in rather whimsical manner: Earth and sea began to feel the sharp pangs of need, for an end to the yearning. The forests sent sweet perfumes upon the eastern winds and garlands of pohutukawa upon the eastern tides. The sea flashed continuously with flying fish, leaping high to look beyond the horizon and to be the first to announce the coming; in the shallows, the chameleon sea horses pranced at attention.
The only reluctant ones were the fairy people, who retreated with their silver laughter to caves in glistening waterfalls (Ihimaera, p. 5). However, it is highly doubtful of whether many members of Maori tribe are capable of indulging in lengthy contemplations on the subject of nature or morality (as described in the novel), simply because by the time Maoris were discovered by Brits, their vocabulary consisted of only two hundred words. We get to hear about how highly spiritual Maori are, although author never bothers to explain how Maoris environmental spirituality relates to their strong cannibalistic traditions. Therefore, Ihimaera's portrayal of his people needs to be taken with the grain of salt. At the same time, we cannot doubt authors sincerity when he seriously suggests that it is quite possible to communicate with whales telepathically. Despite his strive to represent Maori in the best light; Ihimaera did them a bad favour, because The Whale Rider, contains a clue as to why this native tribe was never able to evolve beyond the Stone Age, prior to being discovered by Europeans they appear as being quite incapable of utilizing their sense of rationale, while dealing with lifes challenges.
Ihimaera's novel is about traditions, spirituality, and cultural uniqueness, rather then about progress, civilization or science. Although these motifs were supposed to emphasize novels post-colonial essence, all they do is revealing The Whale Rider as being strongly affiliated with the philosophy of New Age, and therefore colonial, because this philosophy originates out of White peoples psyche. It is only Liberal Whites who perceive the image of little girl riding a whale as especially appealing, who believe in Natives environmental friendliness, and who consider Natives as being entitled with the superior sense of morality. The objective reality is slightly different the Natives of Canada, Australia and New Zealand do not think of whales other then simply a food. Despite the fact that hunting for whales is now illegal, Natives continue to indulge in whale-poaching, with the thought that this practice may lead to whales extinction never occurring to them.
Therefore, if the group of whales had ended up on the beach near Maori village, the last thing the villagers would do, is trying to save the poor animals. They would cut these whales in pieces and try to sell them, or simply exchange the whale meat for booze. Thus, it appears that we cannot discuss the value of post-colonial literature as thing in itself. Nowadays, it considered to be fashionable, in certain circles, to be preoccupied with discussion of how to end worlds hunger, how to protect animals rights and how to eliminate racism. It is namely this fact that inspired many Natives to consider pursuing a literary career, despite their inability to express their thoughts in clear and cohesive manner. This is also the reason why, despite The Whale Rider dubious literary value, this novel was made into the movie with the same name.
During his time in New York, Ihimaera was able to realize that there is a popular demand for books that praise irrational spirituality, as opposed to euro-centric rationalism. His quick mindedness, in this respect, had brought Ihimaera a fortune. However, New Zealand's Maori do not think of The Whale Rider as an exceptional book, simply because it does not correspond to the realities of their everyday living. Ihimaera's novel is written specifically for decadent Whites, whose bellyful idleness often prompts them to seek the meaning of life in exotic philosophical doctrines and in existential primitivism. In her article The Whale Ride: Book and Film Review, Antje M. Rauwerda is making a good point when she says: The cynic in me wonders if the overwhelmingly positive international reactions to the book and the film suggest something about western viewers; perhaps the western world would so much like to be convinced that indigenous populations can recover from European settlement Traditional Maoriness in a contemporary context relieves our consciences (Rauwerda, 2003).
Therefore, the rise of post-colonial literature simply reflects the intellectual marginalization of many citizens in Western societies; because it is only truly decadent adults that can derive pleasure out of reading about pregnant unicorns or about spiritual communication with whales. Apparently, the process of colonization can never end whereas as recent as fifty years ago, Whites had a good half of the world subjected to their colonial rule, nowadays they allow their own countries to be colonized by the hordes of illegal immigrants from the Third World. The fact that books like The Whale Rider appeal to many Westerners, simply confirms the three dimensional properties of this process, as such that occurs on many different levels, including the intellectual one. Bibliography: Bond, Gwenda Beyond Crystals and Chakras. Publishers Weekly. (254) 35. 2007, p. 22. Johnson, Tracy Deconstructing the Pakeha Gaze: Whale Rider. 23 Feb. 2004.
Independent Media Centre. 1 Dec. 2008. web Ihimaera, With The Whale Rider. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 2003. Rauwerda, Antje The Whale Ride: Book and Film Review. 2003.
Simon Fraser University. 1 Dec. 2008. web This paper discusses the post-colonial motifs in With Ihimaera's novel The Whale Rider, as such that reflect the philosophy of New Age. Outline: Introduction Main part
Free research essays on topics related to: gender inequality, years ago, post colonial, objective reality, 000 copies
Research essay sample on Gender Inequality Objective Reality
