Blackfish Film Analysis

In the film Blackfish by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the scene in which Seaworld trainer Kenneth Peters, almost died when he was repeatedly pulled and dragged under the water by the killer whale kasatka, was by the most breathtaking and disturbing footage presented throughout the film. Based on this scene, the director is arguing that the captivity of Killer whales is inhumane, because the emotions humans contain and express are equivalent or inferior to those of animals, which can lead to extreme mental instability. Similarly Mark twain also touches upon the ideas of animals being equal or superior towards humans in “The Lowest Animal”. Furthermore, Twain brilliantly and satirically describes the animal kingdom and the placement of humans on it. He argues that Animals are the lower species when he states that “ the higher animals have no religion. And we are told that they are going to be left out, in the hereafter. I wonder why? It seems questionable taste”(Twain 15). In the previous quote Twain refers to the higher animals as every species not including man, therefore in other words he simply is saying that human beings are the lowest species.

By giving direct evidence that the lifespan of an orca is relatively similar to ours, provides a sense of equality. Furthermore the fact that these intellectual and majestic creatures are living less than half their average lifespan, goes to show the cruelty and mercilessness conditions captivity provides. To compare, the “Legend of Natsilane” tells a story of sea lion hunter named Natsilane who created the blackfish, which by today's standards means an orca or killer whale. Furthermore he created this beautiful creature to exact vengeance on his brothers in law whom left him started in the middle of the ocean. Thus as the blackfish killed his brothers for their treachery the townspeople began to fear this being of the sea; however “as the blackfish continued to help the villagers, they realized that the "Killer Whale" was a gift from Natsilane and so they took it for their crest. Natsilane became a legend to their village and some have claimed to have seen him riding the seas on the backs of two great black fish”(Legend of Natsilane). By making the the killer whale the Crest of the town, it illustrates that man values or worships