“Plumes of spray from the narwhal catching the light in a spectral play of colour” is how Kari Herbert, a

British travel writer, polar explorer, photographer, and television presenter, portrays the beautiful
image of the narwhals. As the eldest daughter of the polar explorer Sir Wally Herbert, she lived for the
first years of her life with the Inuits on a remote island in Northwest Greenland in the Arctic region.

This no doubt has influenced Herbert’s writing and how she identifies herself; the very title of this piece
is a clear homage to her father and his influence.

Kari’s admiration and respect for the narwhals are evident throughout the text, however, she also
recognizes the necessity of hunting for the Inuits, explicitly stating her emotional conflict while
describing the ideas and rationale behind whale hunting. Conveying her own opinion, Herbert often
switches between descriptive and informative language highlighting her internal dilemma between her
love of the narwhals and the need for the survival of the hunters. The contrasting perspective presented
by the author fires up the reader’s interest in both the toothed whale and the Arctic people.

Writing about her personal experience gives way for Herbert to personify the narwhals through the
adverb “methodically,” making them seem to be intelligent creatures, aware of the situation that was
about to commence, immediately contradicting the perception of animals being oblivious to what is
happening around them, thus paves the way to a build-up tension in the passage. Portrayed in a
“glittering kingdom,” where the noun “kingdom” places the narwhals in high stature and kingship
creates a metaphor of a magical image and expresses the author’s awe. Describing the “evening light”
turning “butter-gold,” Kari appears to romanticize the setting, which is ironic since the scene is about
how a hunter picks up the harpoon to kill the narwhals. The colour “gold” represents royalty and class,
which is supposedly a typical human trait as they view themselves at the top of the animal kingdom,
further juxtaposing the idea that the narwhals are pictured to be of higher status than humans. The
writer’s description of the narwhals having “keen senses and the ability to “talk with one another”
further challenges the idea that they deserve to be hunted and killed.

On the other hand, the hunters are characterized to be “dotted all around the Fjord.” The verb “dotted”
seemingly points out that the hunters are in a position waiting for the action to attack, just like in a
battlefield, resulting in tension for both the hunters and the narwhals, for they appear to know each
other’s intentions. Kari’s employment of complex sentences adds to the build-up suspense as it slows
the situation down, indicating the calm before the storm. The conjunction “and” in “man and whale”
where two contrasting ideas are joined hints at equality between them. This is an indication that one is
no greater than the other, enhancing more suspense and tension as the idea is quite unfamiliar to the
reader, who is used to hearing about a “predator versus prey” scheme, in which humans are always the
predators.

The night “glinting off man and whale” helps the reader understand Herbert’s perception, and could be
interpreted that she sees them to be square-matched, alike, and even. A notion that pilots the writer’s
feeling of dilemma while watching the hunt. Additionally, the incomplete sentence that details her
doubts if she can trust what she sees, just because they seem to be “mischievous tricks of the shifting
light…” transpires the tranquility of the scenery she was witnessing.

Throughout the passage, Herbert shows the essence of the narwhals to the Inuits’ lives. She depicts
them as “essential contributors to their survival,” highlighting the fact that these people simply could
not live without hunting the narwhals. The author’s transition in her writing from the literary style in the
first paragraph to a factual detached tone in the subsequent paragraph reminds the reader of Kari’s
intertwined emotions. Herbert’s careful choice of language to highlight the necessity of the hunt,
despite the sentimental presentation of the setting and her love for the narwhals, influence the reader’s
realization that she also appreciates the valid reasons why the narwhals are being hunted—words such
as “survival,” “essential,” “necessary rich source,” “valuable only” emphasize the list of arguments,
validating the purpose and justifying the hunting of the narwhals.

The author further navigates the logic behind the hunting. She describes how every part of the narwhal
is used by the Inuits, for things that the reader considers to be important, such as food, shelter, light,
and heat, 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 descriptions of the natural setting at
the onset of the passage, which contains poetic imagery. To add to the justifiable reasons for the hunt,
Kari provides specific details and facts on all the ivory tusks by mentioning the list of materials and
equipment made out of them, juxtaposing the information that the tusks aren’t that useful to the
narwhals. This signifies the importance of considering the practicalities of surviving in such a limited
environment, rather than being simply sentimental about its beauty.

By portraying the hunt as dangerous, Herbert portrays the significance of the narwhals to the Inuits that
they even risk their lives to catch them. This danger is evident in the reactions of the women who watch
their family members hunting. The fact that “the women are clustered” suggests that this is an
important event, with “binoculars pointing in every direction,” a line that says that this doesn’t happen
very often arousing curiosity and anticipation for their lives depend on the successful hunt. Their body
language- “spinning round at a small gasp or jump,’ shows their anxiety, depicting thrill on the hunt, not
just on the dangerous act itself, but also on the result that could affect their lives. It also positions the
hunters to be skilled but vulnerable. In particular, the equipment that they use to hunt is pictured to be
insufficient to keep them safe. The “flimsy” description of the kayaks suggests that they could break
easily, and the seem-to-be homemade weapon with its composite parts: “two heads and one bladder”
resonate that the Inuits only do the hunt and risk their lives, because they absolutely need to.

The vocabulary choice, “crucial and much needed” emphasizes more the critical and fundamental effect
the narwhal hunt is for the Arctic people’s survival. Every hunter was on the water, a vivid picture that
depicts how vital the hunt is. Exploring simile to compare it with a “waterborne game,” foreshadow the
anticipation that the reader would experience if the hunt is watched as a “sport,” an interesting irony
defiant on Herbert’s opinion, when she clearly states that people don’t kill for sports.

The writer’s experience stirs up the conflict between her head and her heart. Though her figurative
words show her respect for the narwhals, the factual and informative tone manifests the broader aspect
of the text. She recognizes and articulates her support and commendation to the Arctic people as it
can’t be easy to hunt an intelligent creature and “to sit very still in the water,” giving the reader an
understanding on the formidable danger these hunters take.

Herbert's compassionate concerns for their well-being emerge as she describes the narwhals as
immense creatures—"huge," the pivotal term she employs, conveying the massive size of the hunted,
implicitly depicting the hunters as vulnerable. Tension and suspense intensify through the writer's
exaggerated personification: "in that split second my heart leapt for both hunter and narwhal." The
personification of the "heart" underscores the depth of fear she experienced during the hunt. The
abrupt ending of the clause, with the use of full stop, leaves the reader in suspense about what comes
next, adding to the tension. The adverb "gently" underscores that the hunters engage in this activity
with reluctance, indicating they are thoughtful about their actions and not engaging in it for pleasure.
These reflections delve into the writer's anxieties, fearing for both the hunter and the narwhal,
contemplating how the hunter's and his family's lives will be impacted if the hunt fails, while recognizing
that if successful, the narwhal will die.

“One cannot afford to be sentimental in the Arctic.” If the Inuits stop hunting these creatures, then what
will they eat? Can they afford to think of the narwhal’s survival, when they are striving so hard to
survive?

While she empathizes with the potential loss and extinction of the narwhals, Herbert’s concluding
statement “Hunting is an absolute necessity in Thule” deepens her beliefs and offers insight into the
necessity of this otherwise repelling activity, seeking to persuade the reader of the justifiable cause of
narwhal hunting with certainty.