Shaun Tan - Arrivals

the arrival represents many different aspects of the journey as the pictures follow one mans journey of immigration. he focuses on the destination but he has to overcome many hardships in the journey before he can start his new life in a safe and war free land. shaun tan is tryin to reflect the uncertainties and fear associated with a physical journey of immigration. whilst the immigrant is travelling there is a boat moving across the sea with an enormous, dark, looming cloud hanging overhead. the boat is depicted in the bottom left hand corner and is disproportionally small to the cloud. the vectors draw the readers attention to the cloud symbolising that just as the weather is unpredictable the future for these immigrants is undetermined. it is also symbolic of the immigrants lck of power as they are uncertain about what lies ahead. when the man arrives in his new land his journey is not over as he faces many barriers as he comes to realise there are still hardships to be endured. there is a 2 page spread of 12 pictures which move in a sequence as the man is being questioned in his new land. his facial features show he is scared and uncertain about his new surroundings. the mans use of hand gestures are symbolic of the communication barriet he is experiencing as it is clear that he does not understand what is being asked of him. small tages have been stuck all over the immigrant, symbolising his fear of just being a number he feels he is losing his sense of uniqueneess as he is processed in mass groups as they move from one context to another