The Arrival - Shaun Tan
The Arrival - Shaun Tan
Where the text came from
The Arrival is a migrant story told as a series of wordless images, it was illustrated by Shaun Tan in 2006.
Purpose of text
The fact that Shaun Tan grew up in Perth, he said was one of the main reasons for making so many novels based on the concept of belonging, he describe Perth as being one of the most isolated cities in the world, sandwiched between a vast desert and a vaster ocean, and they lived in a “freshly minted northern suburb that was devoid of any clear cultural identity or history”.
Also, being half-Chinese, Tan was subject to racism and being consistently asked ‘where are you from’, he had a sense of separateness, and an unclear notion of identity and not understanding what it is to be ‘Australian’ or ‘un-Australian’.
He has also talked about that the ‘problem’ of belonging is perhaps more of a basic existential question that everybody deals with time to time. It especially rises to the surface when things ‘go wrong’ with our usual lives, when something challenges our comfortable reality or defies our expectations.
Tan has said this is what was going on in his mind when working on The Arrival, a book which deals with the theme of migrant experience, moving to a strange land, to a new life in an unseen country.
Who would be the intended audience for the text?
The target audience is immigrants who can relate to this book, although there is no particular audience as it can relate to everyone for the book questions every day experiences, with illustrations that draw people in so they can interpret it in their own ways based on their feelings, ideas and personal background and experiences.
What it says about belonging
The Arrival effectively conveys the feelings of isolation, belonging (and the desire to belong), the long process of integration and establishing a sense of familiarity, security and friends.
The arrival tells the story of a young father and husband, who leaves his family and home behind
Where the text came from
The Arrival is a migrant story told as a series of wordless images, it was illustrated by Shaun Tan in 2006.
Purpose of text
The fact that Shaun Tan grew up in Perth, he said was one of the main reasons for making so many novels based on the concept of belonging, he describe Perth as being one of the most isolated cities in the world, sandwiched between a vast desert and a vaster ocean, and they lived in a “freshly minted northern suburb that was devoid of any clear cultural identity or history”.
Also, being half-Chinese, Tan was subject to racism and being consistently asked ‘where are you from’, he had a sense of separateness, and an unclear notion of identity and not understanding what it is to be ‘Australian’ or ‘un-Australian’.
He has also talked about that the ‘problem’ of belonging is perhaps more of a basic existential question that everybody deals with time to time. It especially rises to the surface when things ‘go wrong’ with our usual lives, when something challenges our comfortable reality or defies our expectations.
Tan has said this is what was going on in his mind when working on The Arrival, a book which deals with the theme of migrant experience, moving to a strange land, to a new life in an unseen country.
Who would be the intended audience for the text?
The target audience is immigrants who can relate to this book, although there is no particular audience as it can relate to everyone for the book questions every day experiences, with illustrations that draw people in so they can interpret it in their own ways based on their feelings, ideas and personal background and experiences.
What it says about belonging
The Arrival effectively conveys the feelings of isolation, belonging (and the desire to belong), the long process of integration and establishing a sense of familiarity, security and friends.
The arrival tells the story of a young father and husband, who leaves his family and home behind