The Explorers Daughter
Herbert demonstrates her arctic dilemma of conflicted feelings for the narwhals and the inughuits
because she understands that one must die for the other to survive.
Herbert is struck in wonderment by the site of the narwhal’s elegance and beauty. This is illustrated
when she witnesses “The plumes of spray from the narwhal catching the light in a spectral play of
colour”. The metaphor used describes this event as a mystical and enchanting sight making the hunt
seem like a magnificent, surreal moment. Furthermore, she later describes the narwhals as
“intelligent creatures” who are able to “talk to one another under the water”. The
anthropomorphism used highlights the narwhals human like features showing them as intelligent
creatures. Therefore, the writer displays narwhals as intelligent and mystical through metaphors and
anthropomorphism.
Although the writer shows the narwhals as brilliant creatures, her dilemma is caused by
understanding and respecting both the narwhals and the inughuits. Narwhal hunting is essential in
an inughuits life because “for centuries narwhal blubber was also the only source of light and heat”
and “the dark rich meat is still a valuable part of the diet for both man and dogs”. This line tells us
that narwhal blubber is a necessity for the survival of the inughuits and is even more useful to the
humans than the narwhals themselves. However, narwhal hunting is an extremely difficult feat to
accomplish especially with the lack of tools and weapons of the inughuits. This is shown when
narwhals were spotted next to shore and a brave inughuits goes in to try and catch one : “he was so
close, and so brave to attempt what he was about to do — he was miles from land in a flimsy kayak,
and could easily be capsized and drowned”. This line shows the true bravery of the inughuits and
how much of a necessity narwhals are for the survival of the inughuits.
The hunt is illustrated as a great feat of earnestness and intensity because of the gamble
between life and death for not just one of the inughuits but many of the community. The
writer describes the hunt “like a vast, waterborne game with the hunters spread like a net around
the sound”. This simile portrays the hunt as a game due to it’s intense surrealism and the teamwork
of the hunters who were working together to capture as many narwhals as they possibly could. This
was extremely important for the community because a great hunt like this could provide the
inughuits with enough food for them and their dogs for a long while.
In conclusion, Herbert talks about her moral dilemma in her final paragraph where she states that
“the dilemma stayed with me the whole time while I was still in Greenland” which emphasis the
difficulty of trying to solve this dilemma of hers. However, her experiences of the inughuits culture
and the inughuits themselves has justified there need of hunting mammals like narwhals and seals.
Therefore, Herbert understands that one must die for the other to survive which why narwhal
hunting is an essential for the inughuits to survive.
Herbert demonstrates her arctic dilemma of conflicted feelings for the narwhals and the inughuits
because she understands that one must die for the other to survive.
Herbert is struck in wonderment by the site of the narwhal’s elegance and beauty. This is illustrated
when she witnesses “The plumes of spray from the narwhal catching the light in a spectral play of
colour”. The metaphor used describes this event as a mystical and enchanting sight making the hunt
seem like a magnificent, surreal moment. Furthermore, she later describes the narwhals as
“intelligent creatures” who are able to “talk to one another under the water”. The
anthropomorphism used highlights the narwhals human like features showing them as intelligent
creatures. Therefore, the writer displays narwhals as intelligent and mystical through metaphors and
anthropomorphism.
Although the writer shows the narwhals as brilliant creatures, her dilemma is caused by
understanding and respecting both the narwhals and the inughuits. Narwhal hunting is essential in
an inughuits life because “for centuries narwhal blubber was also the only source of light and heat”
and “the dark rich meat is still a valuable part of the diet for both man and dogs”. This line tells us
that narwhal blubber is a necessity for the survival of the inughuits and is even more useful to the
humans than the narwhals themselves. However, narwhal hunting is an extremely difficult feat to
accomplish especially with the lack of tools and weapons of the inughuits. This is shown when
narwhals were spotted next to shore and a brave inughuits goes in to try and catch one : “he was so
close, and so brave to attempt what he was about to do — he was miles from land in a flimsy kayak,
and could easily be capsized and drowned”. This line shows the true bravery of the inughuits and
how much of a necessity narwhals are for the survival of the inughuits.
The hunt is illustrated as a great feat of earnestness and intensity because of the gamble
between life and death for not just one of the inughuits but many of the community. The
writer describes the hunt “like a vast, waterborne game with the hunters spread like a net around
the sound”. This simile portrays the hunt as a game due to it’s intense surrealism and the teamwork
of the hunters who were working together to capture as many narwhals as they possibly could. This
was extremely important for the community because a great hunt like this could provide the
inughuits with enough food for them and their dogs for a long while.
In conclusion, Herbert talks about her moral dilemma in her final paragraph where she states that
“the dilemma stayed with me the whole time while I was still in Greenland” which emphasis the
difficulty of trying to solve this dilemma of hers. However, her experiences of the inughuits culture
and the inughuits themselves has justified there need of hunting mammals like narwhals and seals.
Therefore, Herbert understands that one must die for the other to survive which why narwhal
hunting is an essential for the inughuits to survive.
