BlackFish
Killer Whales
Thesis
In the documentary Blackfish, Gabriella C. is more than successful in proving whales in isolation are dangerous and should not be held in captivity by showing stock footage of whales in isolation versus whales in the wild and interviews with whales trainers and scientist.
Purpose
The purpose of this documentary film was to prove to the viewers that whales held in isolation/captivity are dangerous and when you put them in front of a crowd anything can happen these are whales not human beings, you never know what their thinking or what mood their in. Its dangerous anytime your getting in the water with them because your life is always at stake and anything can happen at any given moment. Orcas are better off in their natural habitat.
Technique 1: Stcok Footage
This documentary shows footage of Tilikum pulling a known whale trainer under water repeatedly and dragging him around in the water while he was scared for his life. This is connected to the purpose because whales are dangerous, especially when they're held in captivity, you never know what one might or might not do. The stock footage also shows a whale trainer playing with one of the whales and then the whale aggressively pulling her down and under water resulting in breaking her arm. This is connected to the purpose because its telling us that whales aren't in their natural habitat and that is making them angry, harmful and capable to hurt anyone. Lastly, the documentary shows a former whale trainer riding one of the orcas backward and another whale jumping up and crushing both of them. This is connected to the purpose because it proves whales are smart creatures which not only makes them more dangerous but, it makes it easier for them to kill.
Technique 2: Interviews
In this documentary Gabriella interviewed people about the man who snuck into sea world, stripped naked and got into the swimming tank with Tilikum and died. This is connected to the purpose because these animals are dangerous and no matter what happened or how many times it happened sea world will try to hide what really happened and blame it on the victim. Tilikum is an angry whale whose been held in captivity his whole life, and this was not his first killing either. Gabby also interviewed scientist who study orcas and they have never had a whale in the wild attack anyone but have had many deaths and injuries with whales held in captivity. This is connected to the purpose because whales should not be held in isolation like this, they belong in the wild. Lastly, I saw an interview with whale trainers saying Dawn was the best of them all, as you can see in the photo below, she spent her life doing this and she felt comfort and love with the whales and she was still killed. This is connected to the purpose because it makes me think if she was the best and she died from a whale incident then it can happen to anyone.
Conclusion
Orcas should not be held in captivity. They need to be free living in the wild where they belong and be free with no boundaries. You see what happens when they're held in isolation: killings, injuries, incidents. Its time to put a stop to all of this, no one else needs to get hurt and no one else needs to die. These whales don't know what freedom is because they've been in a tank their whole life. Whales should be in the wild where they belong.