WEEK 1: The Arrival Response
In reading The Arrival by Shaun Tan, I observed many meaningful gestures that were beautifully and emotionally seen throughout the comic. This wordless story deals with the theme of the migrant experience. A man from an impoverished town leaves his wife and child, in the hopes of seeking better opportunities in a foreign country thousands of miles away. When he arrives in this strange city he is bombarded with newness and what might seem ordinary, is confusing and confronting to the man. As he begins to try to navigate, he is coldly separated from everyone by a barrier called foreign language.
Growing up in an country where everyone spoke my language and shared my same culture, I have never had this experience until I recently visited Japan for the first time. The world of everything I had known completely changed and my survival mode set in. While I was versed in a little of the culture, the unfamiliarity of a new language felt almost crippling. Although this is a small experience, I sort of get a glimpse into what the man in the story, or any foreigner for that matter might feel as they embark into a new world.
After experiencing this heartfelt and vulnerable comic, I felt like as if I had just discovered a family treasure from the attic. The personal and relatable subject matter is something that everyone can connect with, no matter which language you speak. The universal nature of the graphic novel is one of the reasons why it is so powerful to many.
The decision that the author (or artist per say) made by creating these stunning photorealistic human figures in abstract, surreal environments, truly evokes the intimacy of an individual immigrant experience. Also, I feel that the choice of adding text would have only distracted from the message and perhaps ruined the unique interpretation each viewer has when they view this piece.
Growing up in an country where everyone spoke my language and shared my same culture, I have never had this experience until I recently visited Japan for the first time. The world of everything I had known completely changed and my survival mode set in. While I was versed in a little of the culture, the unfamiliarity of a new language felt almost crippling. Although this is a small experience, I sort of get a glimpse into what the man in the story, or any foreigner for that matter might feel as they embark into a new world.
After experiencing this heartfelt and vulnerable comic, I felt like as if I had just discovered a family treasure from the attic. The personal and relatable subject matter is something that everyone can connect with, no matter which language you speak. The universal nature of the graphic novel is one of the reasons why it is so powerful to many.
The decision that the author (or artist per say) made by creating these stunning photorealistic human figures in abstract, surreal environments, truly evokes the intimacy of an individual immigrant experience. Also, I feel that the choice of adding text would have only distracted from the message and perhaps ruined the unique interpretation each viewer has when they view this piece.
-Abigail
Comments
Post a Comment