“A long time ago, my ancestor Paikea came to this place on the back of a whale. Since then, in every generation of my family, the first born son has carried his name and become the leader of our tribe... until now.” –Paikea (Whale Rider). Leadership is something anybody can have, no matter who you are, where you come from, and even gender. Although The Secret of Roan Inish has a moral of family values, actually the Whale Rider has a better moral because of leadership, gender doesn’t matter, and how anybody can be a leader.

Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization. In the case of   the Whale Rider it is the new leader for the Maori. In the Secret of Roan Inish, leadership comes in play a little differently. In the Secret of Roan Inish, Fiona uses leadership to bring everyone in their family back to Roan Inish. In the Whale Rider, Pai has to find a way to prove to her grandfather that she is worthy of being the leader, even though she is girl. Leadership is shown in both movies, but in the Whale Rider, the value of leadership is reflected more.

Gender is something that gets in the way of everyday life. In the Whale Rider, Pai is being prejudiced because she is a girl. Her grandfather treated her as if she was a mistake because when she was born, her twin brother died who was supposed to be the next leader of the Maori. Everybody was telling she couldn’t be a leader because she was a girl, but in the end she proves herself worthy. In the Secret of Roan Inish, everybody treats Fiona like she can’t do anything. Her grandparents don’t let her do anything by herself. Also, they don’t trust her to do things herself because she is a girl. In the end, Fiona finds the strength to bring everybody together on Roan Inish. Gender is just a label that everyone uses, but it doesn’t decide whether you could be a leader or not.

Anybody can be a leader; gender doesn’t matter, race doesn’t matter, age doesn’t matter, and intelligence doesn’t matter. In the Whale Rider, nobody believes that Pai can be the next leader except her grandmother. She does many rigorous tasks that even the boys can’t do, and still nobody believes that she can be the next leader. The only reason nobody believes in her is because she is a girl. Finally, in the end of the movie, her grandfather finally realizes that she is the next leader. In the Secret of Roan Inish, Fiona’s grandmother won’t believe anything she says. Even if she has proof for it, her grandmother won’t believe what she says. This is because she is too young, and she won’t believe her because of her imagination. Anyone can be a leader, noting matters as long as you are brave enough to face the challenge.

Leadership is a value anyone possesses. Leadership can be a very general term, but people often use it to prejudice others. Gender does not determine if you can be a leader or not. Anybody can be a leader, gender doesn’t matter, age doesn’t matter, and race doesn’t matter. The Secret of Roan Inish shows that you can be a leader no matter how old you are. The Whale Rider shows that labels doesn’t determine if you can be a leader.