The Explorer’s Daughter Background Kari Herbert, whose father was a polar explorer, lived as a child with her family in northwest Greenland in the Arctic. She was so fascinated by the place she returned there later as an adult to write about it. The book from which this extract is taken is partly a memoir (a form of autobiography) and partly a travel book, giving the reader information about this strange and beautiful place, its people and its animals.
She found that the way of life of the Inughuit people was changing under the impact of the modern world, but that they still retained aspects of their traditional way of life, for instance hunting for food and driving teams of dogs. A major part of the passage is an account of a hunt for narwhal whales. Hunting is a very emotive issue and many conservationists argue that whales should be protected. Kari Herbert’s feelings are divided on this topic. She sympathises with both the narwhal and the hunters, who face incredible danger.
They hunt in kayaks – flimsy canoes – in water so cold that they would die quickly if their kayak overturned. What can I say about language? This passage has many purposes. The writer uses language in differing ways to fulfil these. She uses description to convey the beauty of the setting, gives us information about the Inughuit and the narwhal, dramatises the hunt, and gives us an insight into her own thoughts and feelings. Complete the following table to help you sort out these various strands. Kari Herbert sympathises with both hunter and hunted, and this tension is shown in this passage.
Complete the following table to highlight this aspect of the passage Pharagraph by Pharagerph Paragraph 1 “… spectral play of colour. ” This sentence shows a sense of immediate aroma. It is an imagery so give a strong sense of place and setting. “.. butter-gold.. ” This text shows a sense of wealth “.. shifting light. ” is Poetical Paragraph 2 “dead of winter” This is a metaphor – weaker setting the tone is ominous and there is the sense of place and danger Paragraph 3 “dead of winter” is a metaphor to show a weaker setting. The whole of paragraph 3 has an ominous tone.
It shows a sense of place and danger. Paragraph 4 The whole of paragraph 4 has a shift in tone from paragraph 3; it is more factual, informative and for example shows this by using technical words. It is also the biggest paragraph. In the context you find out that the community really relies on the hunting and how dangerous it is. Paragraph 5 “.. clustered.. ” The word clustered is a powerful connotation, it means that the women are scared so they huddle together and try to comfort each other. “It was like watching a cast, waterborne game with the hunters spread like a net around the sound”.
This sentence is imagery. It has added adverbs to show how scared the women were and how much their husbands are important in their life. Paragraph 6 “… gently picked up his harpoon” thought and care, focus on the actual hunt and the text also switches back to the hunters. “… two heads and one bladder” not high-tech technology, limited, she respects them because they are using a harpoon, she is sympathetic to the narwhal and the hunters, dramatic. “.. urge… ” to show how strongly she wanted the narwhal to survive “… o dive, to leave, to survive” – triad Paragraph 7 “The dilemma stayed… ” This shows that she’s not that sure who to be sympathetic for, the narwhal or the hunters but her sympathy gets switched back to the hunters un this paragraph. “How can you possibly eat seal? ” is a view point of society this shows that the modern person thinks that this is a crime. -she builds up her argument, these are the points of her argument “use every part of the animal” – so theres no waste/leftover “imported goods can only ever account for… ” “do not kill for sport”