Blackfish Analysis

1600 Words4 Pages

Millions of people come from across the world to visit Seaworld every day without thinking about the lives of the animals behind the scenes. Why would they have concerns? From Seaworld’s commercials to the website, they convince the general public that Seaworld is the place to go to see the happy sea animals perform. If Seaworld is such an ecstatic place, what excuse does Tilikum, their greatest well known orca whale, have for the three attacks on trainers? The documentary “Blackfish” was created by the director Gabriela Cowperthwaite because she questioned herself after realizing Tilikum's odd behavior over time in captivity, and if there was any indisputable parts to animal captivity? Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a notorious orca …show more content…

The mental and physical stress affects the whale’s bodies, which leads them to lash out in different ways. Expressed in the “Blackfish” documentary, Tilikum shows his stress in different ways, from breaking teeth to three deaths of trainers. Tilikum, in attempt to manage stress, chewed on the concrete and metal walls of his tank, shattering his teeth. Many of the Orca’s teeth end up being drilled, hollow, or fractured. Tilikum eventually turned to a different way of relieving stress. The first occurrence happened in February 21st, 1991 where Sealand trainer and marine biologist student Keltie Byrne fell into a pool with the holding of three orcas, one including Tikilium. Keltie’s autopsy read that she was drowned by being tossed among the three orcas like a playtoy (“Orca”). The second occurrence happened on July 6th, 1999, a man trespassing through the park named Daniel P. Dukes was found dead across the back of Tilikum one morning when the park was being opened. He was found with many wounds and punctures to his body, his autopsy showed he had a profound death of drowning. The last occurrence happened February 24th, 2010 when Dawn Brancheau, a SeaWorld trainer was pulled into the water by Tilikum, who had her ponytail in his mouth. The death of Dawn Brancheau concluded that she was killed by blunt force trauma and being drowned. “Tilikum (orca)”. By levels of stress being strained, different animals take out stress

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Techniques Used In The Film Blackfish

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    The trainers, along with Cowperthwaite, believe having them in a captivity like SeaWorld is inhumane. I agree with this documentary, Blackfish. This documentary gave a perfect visual representation of why I do not like having animals in a cage or in a small area. Having animals captive, working hard, and hardly fed is wrong, especially when only allowing them in a small area to roam. Watching this documentary made me feel sympathy towards these poor animals that must go through this harsh life style.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues In Blackfish

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    They succeed in catching Tilikum, a large male orca, along with two other females, and almost immediately, an important question is raised in the viewer’s mind: What gives humanity the right to incarcerate and separate these animals from their natural environment and their families? As the documentary progresses, Tilikum begins to exhibit frustration and aggressive behavior at the amusement park due to the fact that he is being kept in a small underwater storage container when not on display. Eventually, this treatment leads Tilikum to kill his trainer by dragging her to the bottom of the performance tank and forcing her to drown. At this point, another question is presented: Is Tilikum’s aggressive behavior a product of nature, and the nature of orcas as a species, or is it due to his coerced captivity? Over the course of the documentary, a number of killer whales are caught and brought to different aquatic parks where the viewer gets a behind-the-scenes look at what happens to these animals and their families upon imprisonment.

    Read More

  • Is Tilikum the Killer Whale Truly a Killer?

    1669 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tilikum is the name of the most notorious killer whale in Seaworld. He is responsible for three deaths in SeaWorld. The most recent case of the death of Dawn Brancheau in 2010 brought the world’s attention to the captivity of killer whales. Dawn Brancheau was one of the most senior whale trainer that is allowed to to work with Tilikum (Kirby 305). Despite that, many rounds of checks were carried out before the training starts. The incident occurred during a ‘Dine with Shamu’ experience where guest could eat while watching the killer whale interactions. Dawn fell in the pool and was taken down by Tilikum. Tilikum held her in his mouth, ramming her twice head on and dragging her to the bottom of the pool, holding her there for several seconds (Kirby 313). She tried to swim away but to no avail. Tilikum thrashed around violently, flailing her around. By the time the rescuers removed her from his mouth, Dawn’s left arm, ponytail and scalp was not attached to the body anymore (Kirby 313).

    Read More

  • Movie Review: Blackfish

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    Yet these people do not stop to consider what is going on behind the scenes when they are watching the dolphins and whales swim and dive through the water with their trainers. If one were to approach a trainer and ask about the abuse that these animals suffer every day in order for them to perform their shows and tricks, the trainer would say that it is an educational and necessary aspect to keep the animals in captivity. They would also defend these abusive acts by speaking of the information they are gaining of the animals and how they can use this information to help those in the wild. This is due to their own ignorance that they would say such terrible things about these intelligent yet helpless animals. These animals endure much more torture in captivity than most people would like to admit to themselves. Furthermore, the “facts” that the trainers tell the visitors of SeaWorld are untrue. For example, as one sees in the movie Blackfish, the trainers do not give accurate facts regarding life span in and out of captivity as well as the percentage of the collapsed fins

    Read More

  • Tilikum Died For His Freedom Summary

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    with sea animals is encouraged and well provided. However, for others SeaWorld is seen as a place of tragedy and heartbreak due to the deaths and mistreatment of the sea creatures, and more specifically the Orca Whales. Is it true SeaWorld is responsible for the deaths of dozens of Orcas in order to make money, or is a simple misunderstood tragedy?

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Documentary Blackfish

    1745 Words  | 4 Pages

    This goes to show that if enough people take action against a company, then t hey may get the result that they are fighting for. The company does want to rebuild its reputation and will have to make sacrifices in order to help make them a trustworthy brand again. By doing things like this, SeaWorld can hopefully regain the respect of some of its customers. However, while they have decided to stop breeding orcas, they still do not agree with many of the facts that are presented in Blackfish. They have published their own website with references saying that the film is closer to propaganda rather than a documentary (seaworldcares.com). As with many documentaries, Blackfish only presents one side of the story and does not show any of the good things that SeaWorld does to help rehabilitate and save animals. Before taking any action, people should try and get all sides of the story and make a decision for

    Read More

  • Seaworld's Rhetorical Analysis

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    SeaWorld claims that Blackfish’s rhetoric is “false and misleading” because it lacks “a shred of scientific support.” But if SeaWorld has dealt the scientific evidence card, then there are plenty of holes within its game play. One of the first claims that SeaWorld makes is that Blackfish’s information is dated. There is validity to that claim: after all, Blackfish relies on trainers who had their heyday in the 1990s. Yet SeaWorld’s scientific evidence is equally dated. SeaWorld backs many of its claims with a paper written in 1998 by Dr. Ingrid Visser. Dr. Ingrid Visser, whose work was cited without her permission, has since decried SeaWorld’s use of her paper in its rebuttal. Dr. Visser is also an outspoken opponent of killer whale captivity.

    Read More

  • Executioner Whales In Seaworld's 'Blackfish'

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    To present this defense, the narrative concentrates on Tilikum, a 32-year-old male orca. Tilikum was caught in the northern Atlantic Sea in 1983 and taken to Sealand of the Pacific, a now-covered stop close Victoria, English Columbia. Previous Sealand coaches met in "Blackfish" say the recreation center's female Orcas would forcefully pick on Tilikum, especially when they were kept in a 20-foot-by-30-foot pool overnight. In February 1991, Tilikum and two different orcas assaulted

    Read More

  • Informative Essay On Blackfish

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    The verification of the information that is communicated through the documentary by the former trainers acts as expert opinion and persuades dominant viewers to connect with the films point of view. Jeffrey Ventre tells the audience “This is a multi-billion-dollar corporation that makes its money through the exploitation of Orcas and trainers” (Blackfish, 2013). To a dominant viewer, this quote signifies that the only justification for SeaWorld’s captivity of Orcas is for monetary purpose and that they have no compassion for the whales. This quote can be further verified by the John Hargrove novel, Beneath the Surface: Killer whales, SeaWorld and the truth behind Blackfish. Hargrove states ‘Since water work was now proscribed by OSHA, the company explained, trainers weren’t swimming with whales anymore and shouldn’t be paid extra.” This statement summarises to viewers of a dominant reading position that SeaWorld only paid their trainers ‘extra’ to perform water work and since that was now prohibited due to safety risks, the wages were dramatically decreased. If SeaWorld really cared about their staff, the wages wouldn’t be cut because of a small decrease in park revenue when the job still has

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Black Fish

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    While the forensic examinations, along with the footage from each accident, stated reliable proof in each case; Sea World and Sea Land blamed all three cases the victims. In the first case, Tilikum drowned Keltie Byrne at Sea Land Park, because there was no footage that supported her dead as this way, Sea Land claimed that she slipped and drowned. Tilikum’s second incident involved a Daniel P. Duke, who was found dead on top of his back at Sea World Orlando. Trainer Kelly Clark stated at that time that Mr. Duke died of hypothermia. However, the medical examiner’s autopsy stated that his body suffered multiple bites sized from an orcas tooth. Lastly, Tilikum suffered a third incident which was recorded. The victim this time was senior trainer Dawn Brancheau; Tilikum bite Brancheau’s arm and drowned her. However, Sea World claimed that Tilikum grabbed Brancheau by her hair and pulls her in, because she had not tied her hair the proper

    Read More

  • Analyzing The Film 'Blackfish'

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    ‘Blackfish’ directed/produced by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and Manuel Oteyza, initially released in 2013, is a contentious documentary regarding Orca’s held at SeaWorld. The documentary gives a history of this topic especially focussing on the notorious killer whale Tilikum. Using filming techniques regarding language, audio, visuals and structure, Cowperthwaite positions the audience to accept that the whales are victims of society and have reasoning behind their killings, former trainers oppose the idea of whales in captivity and support doing something about the issue and SeaWorld is a criminal organisation who complete inhumane and dastardly deeds for profit.

    Read More

  • SeaWorld's Dark Secrets: Unveiling the Orcas' Plight

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    As an infant leading all the way up to the beginning of adolescent years, SeaWorld had always been a place of refuge for families, to get away and be entertained by the famous orcas or also known as killer whales. Although, it is much more than just an entertainment source, this is an exceeding crisis that was well overdue to be examined into further investigation. Within the 2013 documentary Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, tales of the beloved, yet infamous killer whales are told.The story of Blackfish is told by a group of former SeaWorld trainers, a story that leads to the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau who was attacked by an orca named Tilikum. Despite the fact that in the wild, killer whales are viewed

    Read More

  • Film Techniques In Blackfish

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Crowe, one of the hunters, is interviewed and tells the story of “the worst thing he’s ever done”. He appeals to the appalled emotions of the audience by admitting to the inhumane way they captured the baby whales. He uses an analogy when discussing the capturing, claiming it was like “kidnapping a kid from its mother”, which pulls at the heartstrings of any parent watching the film, establishing a sense of relatability. The film uses juxtaposition by examining how Crowe, a tough looking man, can be brought to tears by this horrific act. Blackfish then moves to discussing the reason behind Tilikum’s outburst by running a montage of news reports ambushing SeaWorld on the inhumane treatment of whales. The use of the rhetorical question “If you were in a bathtub for 25 years don’t you think you’d get a little irritated, aggravated, maybe a little psychotic?”, grabs the audience’s attention by creating a scenario they can understand. These events create an accusing tone that convinces the audience that SeaWorld is the antagonist of the film. Along with accusations from reporters, SeaWorld has fought many lawsuits against OSHA- the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, due to the way SeaWorld treats their animals. A court hearing is held regarding Tilikum’s behaviour due to pulled video footage of Tilikum lunging towards one of the trainers

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of Blackfish By Gabriela Cowperthwaite

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    While this footage plays, the former trainers discuss the alarmingly low amount of information they, as employees who worked with these orcas on a daily basis, were given. Footage of Tamaree being pulled into the water by Orkid and the resulting compound fracture in her arm exemplifies a situation that could have ended in a fatality. Cowperthwaite also includes several minutes of footage of the Ken Peters attack, as well as footage of him receiving medical attention in the aftermath. A multitude of shorter clips of trainer accidents surround these longer clips. The interviewees comment on the culture at SeaWorld where they were expected to get right back out there after an injury and that SeaWorld ignored risks to trainer safety. The interviews about the danger the trainer’s were unknowingly placed under are disturbing on their own, however without the footage of bloody and injured trainers, there is less of an impact. By including the gory footage, Cowperthwaite forces the viewer to acknowledge how dangerous working with orcas is. In turn, the interviews contrast this evident danger with SeaWorld’s repeated claim that working with orcas is not particularly dangerous, thus showing that SeaWorld knowingly misinforms their

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects Of The Documentary Blackfish

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Blackfish” has had people thinking about the tragic events happening at SeaWorld and the reasons behind it. SeaWorld tried to cover up the deaths of trainers but, there are always people that find out the truth. The trainers who

    Read More

More about Blackfish Analysis

Open Document