DO NOW
If you saw a book written by a Maori author which had a rust red cover with a black outline drawing of a fish, similar to a Christian symbol like the following:
what do you predict the story will be about?
The text concerend is Ihimaera, W. (1977) The Seahorse and the Reef. In His Best Stories Auckland, New Zealand: Reed.
Witi Ihimaera
Following on from the last three lessons about authors who reveal a Maori perspective in their writing and the literary devices they use to do this, today we will look at Witi Ihimaera's work in more depth.
Ihimaera wrote his first book in 1972 and is now one of New Zealand's leading authors. As a pioneer Maori writer he has been "devoted to the pursuit of excellence, equity and justice...[and] literature has become an extension of these pursuits. (Ihimaera, 2003, p7). He is passionate about Maori politics, aestheticism (appreciation of beauty), articulates the concens of his iwi, and the times he lives in. Ihimaera acknowledges he is partisan (politically biased). A question that he constantly asks himself when writing is "What really matters" (p7).
The Seahorse and the Reef is in his personal selection of favourite short stories.
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Now reread The Seahorse and the Reef on this website:
The literary devices used by Ihimaera in this story, such as symbolism of the seahorse representing Maori culture, anthropomorphism of the whispering sea, and personification of the fingers of pollution image, are to be considered while you read.
TASK SHEET: Answer the following questions.
1. What is Ihimaera’s message?
2. Do you agree or disagree with Ihimaera’s message? Why?
3. Are some literary devices hard to understand and if so, which ones?
4. How effective do you think the literary devices are for producing another message in the story? Why?
TASK SHEET: Answer the following questions.
1. What is Ihimaera’s message?
2. Do you agree or disagree with Ihimaera’s message? Why?
3. Are some literary devices hard to understand and if so, which ones?
4. How effective do you think the literary devices are for producing another message in the story? Why?
HOMEWORK:
Write a paragraph or two about "Why the sea is important in Maori culture?" Use your own literary devices to enrich your message.
Use this planning guide to help you:
http://eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/planning.pdf
IMPORTANT: There will be a written assessment tomorrow, so make sure you revise what we have learnt this week. Focus on the literary devices used by Patricia Grace in Butterflies and by Witi Ihimaera in The Seahorse and the Reef. Remember to think about how they expressed their point of view and message about their culture in these stories.
IMPORTANT: There will be a written assessment tomorrow, so make sure you revise what we have learnt this week. Focus on the literary devices used by Patricia Grace in Butterflies and by Witi Ihimaera in The Seahorse and the Reef. Remember to think about how they expressed their point of view and message about their culture in these stories.
