The explorer’s daughter is about a woman who is seeing a narwhal hunt take place, and is torn between

the lives of the hunter and the lives of the narwhal. She employs lots of language techniques to convey
her feelings. She has written this as a descriptive piece of writing but it ends up almost argumentative.
In the first paragraph the writer focuses on place and setting. She makes the place sound almost magical
with descriptions of her surroundings “spectral play of colour. ” This also gives the reader an aroma of
what it is like there. The phrase “butter-gold” not only conveys light, but indicates the wealth of beauty
in Greenland.

The writer admires and respects the narwhal, but also recognises the necessity of hunting for
the Inughuits. She explicitly states her emotional conflict during the description of the hunt

By focusing on the beauty of nature, including the narwhal, the writer shows that she is
conflicted about the idea of hunting. She reminds the reader of the magnificence of nature with
vivid visual imagery, such as a metaphor of the "glittering kingdom". The narwhals themselves
are also described as beautiful and worthy of respect. One vivid image in particular shows that
the narwhals contribute to the natural beauty of the setting: "the plumes of spray from the
narwhal catching the light in a spectral play of colour". The narwhals are also portrayed as
"intelligent creatures" with "keen" senses and the ability to "talk to one another". This focus on
their intelligence challenges the idea that they deserve to be hunted and killed.

On the other hand. the writer also appreciates the necessity of the narwhal-hunting to the
survival of the Inughuits: a group of people for whom she has great respect. She describes the
narwhal as -an essential contributor to the survival of the hunters", using strong vocabulary to
emphasise the importance of the hunt for the Inughuits. By listing the uses for the many parts
of the narwhal, the writer portrays the hunters as resourceful, whilst also highlighting the
difficulty of their lives. For example, the narwhal's fat is "the only source of light and heat" for
them. Thus by portraying the vital importance of the hunt, the writer highlights the
contradictions in her loyalties.

During the hunt the writer experiences conflict between her head and her heart. Logically, she
supports the hunters: "1 urged the man on in my head". She experiences fear and excitement in
her support of the hunters, highlighting the dangers of the hunt: the hunters' boats are "flimsy"
and they could "easily' be drowned. She also shows respect for the hunters' skill. The simile
"the hunters spread like a net' creates the impression that they can act skilfully as a team,
becoming one joint tool to catch the narwhal. However. she is also emotionally attached to the
narwhal: "my heart also urged the narwhal to dive, to leave, to survive". The triple infinitive
structure and the repeated 'V sound here create an emotional. sentimental tone, suggesting an
element of tragedy; she doesn't want the beautiful narwhal to die. The writer respects both the
Inughuits and the narwhals, and it is this conflict of appreciation and respect which leads her to
be unsure of her feelings about the hunt. Although she strongly believes that the Inughuits
need to hunt to survive, she cannot completely disregard her emotional attachment to the
narwhals.

Q2
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Although Kari Herbert has an emotional attachment to the narwhal, she emphasises that the
hunting of it is necessary to the survival of the Inughuits.

Throughout the passage, Herbert shows the centrality of the narwhal to the Inughuits' lives. She
describes the narwhal as an "essential contributor to [their] survival". The word "survival"
highlights the fact that these people simply could not live without hunting the narwhal. Using
scientific and factual language, Herbert describes how every part of the narwhal is used by the
Inughuits, for things that the reader considers essential, such as food, shelter, light and heat.
Every part of the narwhal is used by the Inughuits, showing that no part of the animal is wasted,
and that its body has many essential purposes. The informative tone of this paragraph contrasts
with the emotive description of the natural setting opening the passage, which contains poetic
imagery. This shows the importance of considering the practicalities of surviving in such an
environment, rather than simply being sentimental about its beauty.

By portraying the hunt as dangerous, Herbert shows that the narwhal is so important to the
Inughuits that they risk their lives to catch them. This danger is evident in the reactions of the
women who watch their family members hunting their body language - "spinning round at a
small gasp or jump" - shows their anxiety. Herbert's description of the hunt also positions the
hunters as skilled but vulnerable. In particular, the equipment that they use to hunt is
portrayed as insufficient to keep them safe. The emotive word "flimsy" is used to describe their
kayaks, suggesting that they could easily break. Herbert describes their weapon with its
composite parts: "two heads and one bladder, which sounds makeshift and homemade, as if it
would not be enough to defend the hunters against the large, powerful whales. The fact that
the hunt is so risky and difficult shows that the Inughuits only do it because they absolutely
have to.

Because Herbert feels sentimental about the narwhal, she feels conflicted while watching the
hunt. This comprises a battle between her head, which understands the necessity of hunting
the narwhal for the Inughuits, and her heart, which wants these beautiful creatures "to dive, to
leave, to survive". The triple infinitive structure and alliterative sounds create an exaggerated
sense of tragedy which shows Herbert's awareness that she is being sentimental. The passage
ends, however, with a statement of clear certainty which leaves the reader in no doubt about
the importance of the narwhal to the Inughuit's survival: "Hunting is still an absolute necessity
in Thule."

By admitting to her own sentimental attachment to the narwhal yet still defending the hunt,
Herbert persuades the reader to consider the practical necessity of the practice.