Exploring obstacles and growth through physical journeys.

Physical journeys involve different types of obstacles and movement to new places. They provide opportunities for travellers to extend themselves physically, intellectually and emotionally as they respond to challenges and learn more about themselves and the world around them. The film Whale Rider I about a young girl named Paikea. The film does not only show us one girl’s experience of growing up, but also tells us about the Maori culture, tradition how gender is treated, and their leadership. The Happiest Refugee is an extract from a memoir, it is about Ahn Do’s journey to a better life, it tells us about all the challenges he and his family have to face, along with the joyful rescue.

In the middle of the film Pai presents her speech in front of the audience for her Paka (grandfather). Half way through her speech Pai realizes that Koro isn’t coming. This shows an emotional importance because her speech is about her ancestors, and how the ‘line’ from the accident ones was broken.

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An emotionally journey is represented through this scene because it shows how Pai has come to except that she isn’t to blame for there being ‘no leader’. This scene uses multiply camera shots showing the important focus on Pai and what she is saying, they include close-ups with enables viewers to understand the actor’s emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character and also a long shot which gives the viewer a more specific idea of the setting.

In the scene of the storm of The Happiest Refugee the passengers are faced with an emotional journey having all their food, water and other resources ruined a quote that shows the emotion the passengers would of faced is “She sat crouched down wrapping her arms around a wooden pole” This quote creates imagery, its shows how weak and broken this families were after the terrible tragedy.

There are many physical examples shown in the film whale rider, especially shown in the scene at the beginning of the film at the hospital. After facing a death of loved ones, his wife and newborn son Pai’s father decides to leave and start a new life creating art and sculptures and travelling around Europe. In the middle of her father’s visit her shows a presentation of his work, the relation of this scene to his journey is that is shows by travelling overseas has made him able to have his own freedom with out carrying the bourdon of his old life, allowing him to start a new family. The last time we see her father in the hospital is when he is walking away, a full shot is used this allows the viewer to take in the setting and the costume of the character and also helps demonstrate the relations between characters. In Happiest Refugee the physical journey is shown with everyone on the boat during the storm. As said in the text the storm “turns sinister” and they use a simile to refer to the wind as a “panicking ghost” which helps us understand how terrible this journey was at this point. It has the effect of creating an image in the reader's mind. This shows a physical journey because the passengers on the boat were in poor living conditions, dehydrated and starving but there was nothing they could do about it.

Finally at the end of the film Whale Rider Koro had realized that Pai is the true leader, to face this Koro had to travel an inner journey to accept that the tradition had changed. In the room when they are both alone, Pai is unconscious when Koro says to her “Wise leader” this shows that Koro has faced the facts that Pai is the born leader. “Forgive me, I am just fledging new to fight” Koro knows he has done wrong and has changed his attitude completely towards the situation. In this scene extreme close-ups and close-ups are used to create a sympathetic mood and provides interaction between the characters and the viewer. In the extract The Happiest Refugee a scene that relates to a inner journey is when the passengers on the boat have been rescued by German sailors. “Dad cracked into a whopping great smile as he tasted his own salty tears of reliefs” this quote doesn’t only use imagery, imagery allows the reader to get more involved in the extract, this quote also uses descriptive language, descriptive language encourages the readers imagination by giving them imagery to picture in their minds.