The Whalerider

In the film Whalerider by Nicky Caro a main character is Pai. This essay is going to describe Pai and explain why I liked this character. Whalerider is a story about a young girl who is the next descendent in a long line of chiefs. But her grandfather doesn't want to have a girl for a leader. The movie is about Pai's struggle to prove herself  to her grandfather as a leader, a struggle which she eventually wins.

An important scene is when Pai swims underwater to get Koro's necklace. This scene is important because it shows Pai's leadership. This long shot shows when Pai swims underwater to get the necklace. It makes me feel that Pai is able to be a leader and she will do anything for that.

An other important scene is when Pai tried to talk to Hemi about a personal problem. This scene also shows Pai's leadership because she's able to talk to people and understand their feelings. In the medium shot the scene shows when Pai finished school she saw Hemi smoking, and she realises that he needed help, so she tried be kind and speak to him. I think Pai is very kind to try to help people who need it and that is another thing that shows Pai leadership skills.

Also other important scene is when Pai repaired a boat with a broken string. When his grandfather taught Pai about the ancestors with a string and his grandfather used that string to repair the boat, he broke it, but Pai could repair it. In this long shot we can see how Pai is repairing the boat of her grandfather with the string. I think that's very smart because to repair a boat is not a easy thing to do, and of course it shows another thing about Pai's ability for leader ship.

In conclusion the scene of Pai swiming for get her grandfather necklace is important because this long shot shows that Pai is able to be a leader. Pai also shows leadership by being kind and trying to help Hemi, this is a midshot and we can see how she tries to speak to him to resolve his personal problems. The boat scene is also an important thing, this scene is show as a long shot and we can see when Koro is teaching Pai about the ancesters with a string that he used to repair the boat but is broken, and Pai could repair it with the string broken, this scene is very important and also shows Pai's leadership. All these verbal and visual scenes put together shows that Pai is an important character because she will be a good leader so we can understand it.

By Paula

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Pai's Character

In the film Whale Rider the character Pai is a strong ,brave and confident girl. Verbal and visual features about Pai helps her stand out. She is a good and also a main character because the film is about her past, present and the future.


Pai is a strong girl. She has had a hard life but she hardly ever crys and always was good with everyone; For example when her grand father and grandmother were fighting and shouting in a room and talking about her badly, She didn't show that she was sad and didn't cry. This make me feel that maybe I couldn't be as strong as Pai if this would happen to me.

Pai is also a brave girl in the movie. She did many things even when she was scared of that thing. When the grand father throws the whales tooth necklace in the water, so the other boys tried to get that necklace but they couldn't so Pai tried and went deep in the ocean and got it.This makes me feel that nothing is impossible.

In the film whale rider the character Pai is a girl full of confidence. She is never shy or without confidence to do some thing that others are shy to do.When she is dancing and singing a song loudly infront of many people, this makes me feel that Pai is a fully confident girl.


In conclusion, the character Pai is a brave, strong and confident girl. This is shown by performing a speech in front of  people while her grand father didn't come for her to listen to her speech. Or when she was diving into the deep ocean and getting the necklace. All verbal and visual features in the film worked together to show us that Pai is a brave girl, with confidence and a strong girl.

By Pegah

International Farewell

Congratulations to all our leavers for 2013. We thank you for studying with us and wish you all the best for your future. It has been a privilege having you here at NPGHS. Go well and keep in touch.