Model Essay - Travelling in The Whale Rider

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A* Narratives

Assessment Criteria: IGCSE English Literature 4ET1

My model essay for The Whale Rider hits both of these Assessment Objectives (AOs) throughout:

AO1 Demonstrate a close knowledge and understanding of the texts, maintaining a critical style and presenting an informed personal engagement.
AO4 Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.

Notice that you are not tested for AO2 – analysing of language, form and structure. This is because this is a closed book essay, so there’s no expectation for you to have lots of quotes or techniques, unlike in Paper 2.

**Model essay – The Whale Rider for IGCSE English Literature Edexcel/Pearson 4ET1**

‘Travelling to different places is experienced by some of the characters and the whales.’

Explore the significance of travelling in The Whale Rider.

You must consider the context of the novel in your answer.

Travelling in The Whale Rider symbolises the emotional journeys and changes the characters undergo, as Witi Ihimaera aims to make the reader understand that traditional cultures should modernise whilst holding onto their history and cultural identities. Travelling is a metaphor for maturing and progress, particularly with Rawiri’s trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea, Kahu’s coming-of-age narrative, and the parallel journey that the Ancient Bull Whale and Koro make in the novel. Writing during the Māori Renaissance, Ihimaera offers a voice for the hope that tradition and modernity can coexist while preserving culture in a post-colonial world.

Throughout the novel, the reader sees Kahu mature from a precocious and chatty child who happily monologues at Rawiri to becoming a wiser person, ready to take her “rightful place”. This is shown through Kahu’s returning journey to her tribe on the back of the Ancient Bull Whale. As a result, the “partnership between land and sea, whales and all humankind” is restored. This journey is both literal and metaphorical; Kahu’s return from sea to land signals a new age and hope for her Māori tribe but also resolves many of the troubles facing humanity as a result of their loss of “oneness”, or disconnection from the natural world. This idea can also be shown structurally, as this novel is written in the genre of magical realism and is narrated by two distinct voices: the everyday realism of Rawiri’s perspective and the magical and lyrical perspective of the whales. However, by the end of the novel, as Kahu makes her journey and restores “oneness”, these two voices are no longer separated into different chapters as they were previously but now are interspersed and complement each other as the story reaches its denouement. Kahu’s journey has made this oneness possible and granted the prayer of “haumi e, hui e, taiki e. Let it be done”, restoring the connection of the Māori people to their ancient land.

Nevertheless, Kahu’s journey to restoring “oneness” and saving her Māori tribe is not an easy one. The novel wrestles with a paradox at the heart of the text: how can tradition and modernity coexist? Koro Apirana represents an unwillingness to modernise and fiercely protects tradition, as shown through setting up Māori language schools to preserve the Māori tongue. It is significant then that he is one character in the novel who never travels beyond the Māori lands, perhaps suggesting his reluctance to face the modern world beyond. Though Koro can often be hurtful in his rejection of Kahu as the tribe’s future leader due to his patriarchal attitudes, Ihimaera does show the good that tradition can bring. Koro’s involvement in his community is commendable, such as fighting for Māori people in court and land disputes – an issue which still affects Māori people today. He is a role model for many of the Māori children, Kahu included. By the end of the novel, this paradox is resolved as Ihimaera suggests that tradition and modernity both have their place in the future of the Māori people, with both coming together in “oneness”, just as the whales and humans learn to live in harmony. In fact, the structuring the novel into four seasons implies that the passing of time is inevitable, just as progress and journeying onto the future are also unalterable features of life.

This message of resolving two seemingly incompatible elements is made all the more pressing by Rawiri’s trip overseas, as Ihimaera uses this journey to represent the alternative of giving up and losing Māori identity altogether. Rawiri realises the importance of his Māori community when overseas. Initially, in “big, bold, brassy, bawdy” Australia, he finds community in his “Māori cousin[s]”, showing the special connection and family that can be found in traditional communities. Ihimaera then juxtaposes the relative acceptance Rawiri finds in the Australian Māori diaspora with the discrimination he faces from the expats in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea was briefly a protectorate of Australia with a lot of white people who came to exploit its natural resources. When confronted by such white expats, like Jeff and his family, Rawiri realises for the first time that he is considered “too dark”, implying that prior to this moment, his racial identity had not been something he considered deeply or that challenged him in everyday life. Jeff’s mother treats Rawiri cruelly, referring to him as a “dog and stray”, thereby dehumanising him. After saying this, “her laughter glitters like knives”, a simile which suggests the enjoyment she got from causing pain and shows how deeply her words cut Rawiri. The moment in which Rawiri recognises he needed to return home was when Jeff’s friends run over and subsequently kill “a native” and face no consequences. Following this, Rawiri understands his vulnerability as a racial minority and thus develops an “understanding of [himself] as a Maori”. This journey was vital for both Rawiri and the reader to understand the safety and understanding that tradition can provide. As the sea whispers to Rawiri “come home”, we too see that being Māori is not just an identity but a home, a place of belonging. Koro’s attempts to preserve this safe space therefore become more empathetic, whilst Kahu’s journey to become tribal leader similarly becomes all the more urgent.

The Ancient Bull Whale parallels Koro because both characters long for the past. The Bull Whale’s nostalgia is so great that he spends most of the novel travelling to sites of his youth. Ihimaera warns, however, that being too narrowly focused on the past can be dangerous when the whale tribe become stranded on the beach and almost die as a result of the paralysing pessimism caused by being too fixated on what came before you and not on where you will go next. The parallel between not just Koro and the Bull Whale, but between the Māori tribe and the whale herd is made explicit when Koro says, “if the whale lives, we live.” Through this phrase, it can be understood that humanity’s fate is inextricably linked with the health of our natural environment, as Ihimaera urges the reader to preserve not just culture but the world around us. Indeed, this novel was written just as the ban on whaling came into effect in New Zealand, and Ihimaera believed strongly in conservation. Whaling is one such tradition that must come to an end and must be modernised if the Māori are to survive. Longing for the past cannot cloud our judgement of what needs to be done to secure our future. Therefore, the progress society makes on the issue of whaling and environmental issues can be read as a journey Koro and the Bull Whale make towards accepting that they must stop lingering in the past and proceed with present day.

Writing during the Māori Renaissance, Ihimaera was part of a wave of Māori writers providing hope for preserving Māori traditions. After colonisation destroyed many indigenous cultures in New Zealand and beyond, this optimism for the future was a refreshing message of hope that Māori traditions could live on in the modern world. Ihimaera offers a world in which there is space for both the old and the new, for men and for women, for nature and humanity, for magic and realism – in other words, for “oneness”. Yet, to achieve this, we must progress onwards from the past and therefore journey onto the future, both literally and metaphorically.

What makes this model essay for The Whale Rider score highly?

Unpicking the model essay for The Whale Rider

AO1 for IGCSE English Literature

AO1 is defined in the mark scheme as…

AO1 Demonstrate a close knowledge and understanding of the texts, maintaining a critical style and presenting an informed personal engagement.
Pearson Edexcel 4ET1 English Literature Mark Scheme

So how do you score highly for AO1?

AO1 – close knowledge and understanding of the text

This part of AO1 is testing how well you know the events in the novel. Since this is a closed-book exam, you don’t need to have quotations to get full marks, but you do need to pick out the best moments to answer the question. By picking well-selected moments, you show you have a close understanding of the text.

Moments rather than quotations from the novel is enough to prove good knowledge. For example, you should say, “When Nanny Flowers buries Kahu’s birth cord” or “When the whales become stranded on the beach” and this would be classed as evidence.

However, there are some key words that you can often quote in most essays for The Whale Rider. You could mention:

Kahu’s “birth cord” that Nanny Flowers buries, showing her willingness to defy Koro’s patriarchal views. This Māori tradition symbolises a powerful connection between past and present, reality and fantasy. It serves as a reminder of the “oneness” that the world once had. The cord joins different realms—both real and unreal, natural and supernatural. It also foreshadows Kahu’s return to Whangara and her journey towards becoming the tribal leader.
The “spear” that Paikea throws into the future, based on a true Māori legend. The spear symbolises the Māori people’s special connection to the past and the enduring power of tradition in the modern day.
When Nanny Flowers rides Rawiri’s “motorbike“, a symbol of her willingness to embrace change, adventure and modernity. Not only this, but motorbikes are often seen as more masculine, so it could represent how Nanny Flowers is willing to challenge gender roles and patriarchy.
The “stone” that Kahu retrieves from the bottom of the sea, representing both that she is destined to become the future leader of the tribe, but also that Nanny Flowers recognises that Koro wasn’t ready to change at that point in the novel. Nanny Flowers gently brings Koro along at his own pace, showing even the most traditional can embrace modernity if we bring them along with us rather than reject them as incapable of change.
Chapters often end with “let it be done“, which is a phrase used at the end of Māori prayers.
Koro says that humans have lost their “oneness” with nature through abusing their environment. The whole novel is about the journey to restore this oneness, humans with nature, tradition with modernity, realism with magic.
Nanny Flowers’ “Muriwai blood” represents that women are capable of being strong leaders too. It’s not against tradition to have a female leader, as strong and successful female leaders have existed in Māori tribes prior to Kahu.

AO1 – critical style

You should write academically and formally, avoiding using slang or casual language
You structure your essay clearly with well-organised paragraphs
No marks are awarded for for spelling, punctuation and grammar
…However it doesn’t look good to spell Ihimaera or the characters’ names wrong!

AO1 – personal engagement

“Personal engagement” means having your own opinion or perspective on what the text might mean.

For a Grade 9 student, not just repeating what your teacher has said but having your own view on what the text might mean. Of course, if you tend to score lower, it might be a better idea just to use your teacher’s ideas so you don’t say something completely incorrect.

Thesis statements

One way of showing all of AO1 skills – personal engagement, knowledge and critical style – is to begin your essay with a clear thesis statement. A thesis statement means your argument in answer to the question.

A method for crafting strong thesis statements is by beginning your essay by writing: x is symbolic of y.

For example:

Travelling is symbolic of the inevitability of progress.
Koro Apirana is symbolic of both traditionalism and the capability of even the most stubbornly old-fashioned members of our communities to embrace change.
Women in the novel symbolize the challenges faced by Maori cultures to embrace modernity whilst preserving important traditions.

Writer’s central message

Another way to show personal engagement and knowledge is by considering what Ihimaera’s central message was. In other words, what were his intentions when writing the novel? What lesson did he want the reader to learn and why?

Here are some examples from my model essay for The Whale Rider where I outlined Ihimaera’s central message:

Ihimaera offers a voice for the hope that tradition and modernity can coexist while preserving culture in a post-colonial world.

Ihimaera warns, however, that being too narrowly focused on the past can be dangerous when the whale tribe become stranded on the beach and almost die as a result of the paralysing pessimism caused by being too fixated on what came before you and not on where you will go next.

Ihimaera offers a world in which there is space for both the old and the new, for men and for women, for nature and humanity, for magic and realism – in other words, for “oneness”.

AO4 for IGCSE English Literature

AO4 is defined in the mark scheme as…

AO4 Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.
Pearson Edexcel 4ET1 English Literature Mark Scheme

So how do you score highly for AO4?

AO4 – relationships between texts and contexts

Literary context is defined as:

The context of an idea or event is the general situation that relates to it, and which helps it to be understood.
Collins Dictionary

In other words, context is the historical or background information about the text that helps us to understand the writer’s central message.

Any context you include should be relevant and related back to the text and the writer’s central message. Don’t just randomly stick in any context point you can think of!

AO4 – useful context points for The Whale Rider

Here are some useful context points that you can often include in many essays for The Whale Rider:

The novel is in the magical realism genre, which combines features of both magic/fantasy with realism. This can be seen through the fantastical elements of the novel, like Kahu speaking with whales, and the realistic elements, like Rawiri visiting Bondi Beach in Australia.
Ihimaera explores Māori culture, traditions and legends, such as Paikea and burying the birth cord.
The traditional male-dominated and patriarchal leadership of Māori tribes and expected gender roles are challenged
The Whale Rider was published in 1987, when there was much concern about nuclear testing. The bull whale changes the herd’s route to New Zealand after some of their calves were killed by a nuclear test near the island of Moruroa.
New Zealand has experienced cultural change. Whaling had been a part of the country’s culture and identity.
Environmentalists were also concerned about whaling and in 1986 an international ban on commercial whaling was imposed. The Whale Rider was published in 1987 so we can assume that Ihimaera was writing this novel as this campaign was in full force.
Ihimaera was inspired to write The Whale Rider after his two young daughters complained that the heroic characters in the books that they had read were all male. The daughters wanted a story with a heroic female character. Both Kahu and Nanny Flowers could therefore be read as role models for Ihimaera’s daughters.
Māori genealogy and legendary women are explored through Nanny Flower’s ancestry, challenging traditional patriarchy. Strong women in Nanny’s lineage include Mihi, who asserted her seniority over a chief, and Muriwai, who took the place of a man to save some of her tribe from drowning.
The Māori traditions, language and culture are central to the novel. The loss of the Māori tongue after colonisation was a very real threat. Koro setting up language schools to preserve the Māori language shows him as a protector of Māori tradition and culture. Ihimaera using the Māori language throughout the novel can also be read as a way of him protecting and preserving like language, just as Koro does.

Model Essay – Travelling in The Whale Rider