Skip to main content

Response to "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan


Although I only read it once, everything about it was clearer to me than looking through a glass window of a small cafe somewhere up the hills of a small town. I have not considered picture books as much until now because my thoughts were that they were targeted towards children, but at this very moment I realized this was a mistake. Yes, picture books can still be produced for a children and for adults, I could tell that this book was for all ages. But what is interesting is that depending on the reader's age, the story began to relate to certain events that occur in this very present of our lives. Now I had never considered immigration to be part of the story until someone made it very clear that it was being presented from beginning to end. Even if I have not re-read it, from my recollection of it everything began to make more sense. From the family's escape from their home to the father's struggle to live in a new world to find out in the end that he was doing all for his family to come back to him certainly represents how many families in today's immigration will go above and beyond to find peace for their loved ones from somewhere they could not even think about going back to. What Shaun Tan and the people that worked with him on this book for five years had done was reach out to both children and adults and gave them this understanding of what immigration is like. Without a single word, it taught me the importance of the lengths people had gone to leave a certain place and try to start a new life. Instead of having to read page by page on certain histories, the images invoked in "The Arrival" made it far more clear to understand. The commitment the father took to find work to bring his family over, the connection between him and the immigrants who had their reasons to leaving their country, the adjusting to society, everything about the story kept me wanting to read more until the very end I am glad I did so.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What I see with "Une Semaine de Bonte"

1) A beggar that sat at the center of everything in a small town up the mountains slowly took out a golden shiny rooster on a ball from her dress as people continued to walk past her. Some began to take an interest in her, as she began to pick herself up and dance overshadowing the tiny object. As more people continued to crowd around her waiting to seem some interesting show like the jugglers or performers, the object began to shine. The ball suddenly threw a burst of lighting in every direction hitting every single person, one by one everyone started to collapse as she continued to dance. 2) The door that led below the castle had finally opened after what seemed centuries. A man held a women who looked to be dying, could the books be true or was it all a myth? Rushing through the dark and dusty hallway, a light at the end started to build up. The light blinded him the second he passed the torches and found himself in a room, across from him was a man in a dark cloak. Could this h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thinking About the Future of Comics

Jumping in my the first comic to catch my eye were the ones on Dr.Who. The basic premise of the stories is a ship of timelords just trying to survive. The only the reason I read this first is because I wanted to know the difference between the comics and television. It came as a surprise that the comics came out a year exactly after the show started to air. The style might have not been my cup of tea, but I definitely enjoyed the premise of the storyline, where it had started with the timelords, definitely would read more so I could have a better understanding of where they came from and why it all ended up with one left. Hellboy is a hell of a comic, the story of Hellboy or his birthname "Anung Un Rama" is an intriguing story about a demon that fights against evil forces such as witches, nazis, and many other enemies. There is a slice of regret in not reading these comics until now. I don't know about you but I certainly love the art direction they are going with in th...
Post a Comment
Read more

What I thought of "Understanding Comics"

Back before I moved from the United Kingdom to South America, as a child I had always taken an interest in comics, well just "The Simpsons" comics. This memory was easy to recall because whatever store had them in stock, I would buy every single week for at least two years straight. The point I am trying to make here is that if I had discovered comic book stores at a much younger age, my room would have been stacked to the point where I could have made a couch, not comfortable I might admit but definitely well built. Anyway after taking a dive into comic book stores by the time I was back in the United States, I was surprised by the vast amount of characters and designs, especially the construct of it. From the beginning to end of each comic book I read, I began to notice a different pattern which peaked my interest. Neglected to do any research in it, until now when I was introduced to "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud. From what I have read, Scott McC...
Post a Comment
Read more