Quillota English School

Miss Solange González S.

GRAPHIC NOVEL ANALYSIS GUIDE: SHAUN TAN EMIGRANTS

Name: ___________________________________________________ Grade: 2° Medio C Date:

TOTAL SCORE: 42 points. SCORE OBTAINED: ____ points.

Group work based on reading the novel. One assignment is delivered per group, which should not
exceed three members. You must work collaboratively, that is, each member must contribute their
ideas in all the answers.

I Before reading. (3PTS.)

1. What is a graphic novel?

2. What do you think about preserving a person's history through photographs in an album?

3. If you had to leave your country and travel to another place to seek a better life, what personal
items would you take?

II During reading. (19 PTS.)

Chapter I

1. What do the small boxes on page 5 represent? What information do they give us?

2. Up to p. 8 shows a sequence of images that tell what happens to the characters, who stars in
the story? what happens with those characters?

3. On pages 9 and 10 you see them leaving the house and on the buildings you can see shadows of
tails, apparently, what do you think they represent?

4. How important is the paper bird given by the father to his daughter? What happens to the
characters at that moment?

Chapter II

5. What happens to the protagonist? Where does it arrive? What should you do when you enter?

6. What idea emerges from p. 28?

7. In the following pages we see the protagonist in a new place, what does he see there? What are
you trying to communicate on page 38?

8. What happens when you get to your room?

Chapter III
9. What does the man do at the beginning of chapter III? Who is he meeting?

10. What story does the woman tell you? What situation experienced in many countries is
denounced in your story? what do you think about that?

11. Point out the situation that occurred on page 58.

12. Who does the man meet on page. 59? What do they explain to you? Where do they take it?

13. What does the protagonist tell the new character and what does he, in turn, tell him? Notice
the zoom in his eye.

Chapter IV

14. indicates what the main character is doing in this chapter.

15. What story does the old man you meet tell you? How did he lose his leg? Where are you taking
it?

Chapter V

16. In this part the paper bird appears again, what function does it serve?

17. How long does it take until you receive the only letter? How did you know? What news did the
letter contain?

Chapter VI

18. What happens in this chapter?

19. What meaning does the last image contain?

After reading (20 PTS.)

1. What do all the characters in the story have in common?

2. How important is the pet for man's life?

3. Why do you think the author did not use words in his work (in fact he called it a “silent graphic
novel”)?

4. What does the color change from sepia to gray reflect?

5. In what situation does the author put the reader in this novel? Think about the topic the story is
about.

6. What would you have done in the protagonist's place when he decides to leave?

7. What do you think of the outcome of the play?

8. How are violence, oppression and social catastrophe reflected in the work? Give examples
9. What reading level is required to answer the underlined questions?

10. Judge the way of acting of the characters who met the protagonist (those who told him their
stories).