The Arrival

Part I

Shaun Tan, graphic novel

How does Shaun Tan use images to create meaning in his graphic novel, The Arrival

?
EVIDENCE

COMMENTARY

Describe the image

Explain what the image represents/means in words

In part I, Tan depicts the protagonist and

his family walking through their town.
Large, darkly colored tentacles weave
throughout the town as if giant monsters
were lurking there. The family is depicted
as very small, and the buildings are all
uniform and seem run down. There are
no other people out; the streets are
deserted.

The creature in this scene connotes

something evil or ominous. In other
words, in this picture, the images are
standing in for actual words. Tan is
saying that the hometown of the
protagonist has been overrun by
something like the Nazis, civil war, or
famine, and it is no longer safe for the
man and his family.

SUMMARY:

In Part I, Tan the audience is introduced to the protagonist, his family, and his
circumstances. The protagonist and his family are depicted as poor people
living in a dangerous city.
ANALYSIS:

In Part I of the graphic novel, The Arrival, Shaun Tan introduces the
characteristics of the life of an immigrant. The main idea from the chapter
emphasizes the need for many to leave their homelands in search for a better
place. The author uses images to illustrate the dangers that many people face
in their hometowns. In part I, Tan depicts the protagonist and his family
walking through their town. Large, darkly colored tentacles weave throughout
the town as if giant monsters were lurking there. The family is depicted as very
small, and the buildings are all uniform and seem run down. There are no other
people out; the streets are deserted. This is a powerful example because the
creature in this scene connotes something evil or ominous. In other words, in
this picture, the images are standing in for actual words. Tan is saying that the
hometown of the protagonist has been overrun by something like the Nazis,
civil war, or famine, and it is no longer safe for the man and his family. The
examples and details found in this chapter illustrate the dangers that many
immigrants face before they move away. This is important because

The Things They Carried

Tim OBrien, chapter
How does Tim OBrien create a deeper level of meaning in his novel?
EVIDENCE
What does the text say ?

In a scene where he is thinking about

home, Jimmy Cross wondered how the
tides and the waves had come into play
on that afternoon along the Jersey
shoreline when Martha saw the pebble
and bent down to rescue it from geology
(OBrien 8).

COMMENTARY

What does the text mean? Why does it matter?

Not only does the pebble Martha sends

Lt. Cross symbolize home for him, but
the idea that he imagines her rescu[ing]
it from geology represents that his own
situation is futile. To try and rescue a
piece of geology from itself is
pointless; the pebble IS geology and
cannot be separated from itself. In the
same way, neither can a soldier be
rescued from war, as man cannot be
separated from his violent, animal self.

SUMMARY:

In this chapter, OBrien introduces the characters and the setting of his novel
about soldiers fighting in Vietnam.
ANALYSIS:

In the chapter The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien introduces several
American soldiers fighting in Vietnam. The main idea from this chapter
explores the nature of the things the soldiers carry, both tangible and
intangible. OBrien uses symbolic details to suggest the true, animal nature of
one soldier in particular, Jimmy Cross. In a scene where he is thinking about
home, Jimmy Cross wondered how the tides and the waves had come into
play on that afternoon along the Jersey shoreline when Martha saw the pebble
and bent down to rescue it from geology (OBrien 8). This pebble is a key
detail that symbolizes the nature of soldiers at war. Not only does the pebble
Martha sends Lt. Cross symbolize home for him, but the idea that he imagines
her rescu[ing] it from geology represents that his own situation is futile. To
try and rescue a piece of geology from itself is pointless; the pebble IS
geology and cannot be separated from itself. In the same way, neither can a
soldier be rescued from war, as man cannot be separated from his violent,
animal self. The symbolism used in this scene illustrates the relationship
between man and war; we cannot escape the violence of war because our
nature as animals is intrinsically violent. We cannot escape war because we
are war.