Initial response Close study Significance Informed reaction

Introductory activities

Activity 1: pre-reading

Present students with the following prompts in preparation for thinking through some of the themes in Shaun Tan’s The Arrival. The first prompt focuses on a sense of aloneness or alienation; the second is concerned with objects we identify as having pragmatic or sentimental value; and the third relates to unfamiliarity and a lack of connection. Give students time to read each prompt, then have them form pairs or groups to work through their thoughts and ideas. This will feed into a broader discussion about alienation and journeys. You can have students join up with other pairs or groups, OR come together as a whole class, to share responses.

  1. View the photograph entitled Alone… by Steve Evans. What do you think is happening? How might the person in the image feel? How does the image make you feel?
  2. Imagine you are five years old and planning to run away from home. What items would you want to pack?
  3. Think of a time when you were new to a place and couldn’t find your bearings OR didn’t know anyone else. Describe how you felt and whether your sense of being in an unfamiliar place was resolved (if so, how?).

Version 9.0: (AC9E10LE01)

Version 8.4: (ACELT1639)

Activity 2: visual collage

Select key images from The Arrival, ensuring an even spread from the beginning, middle and end of the text. The number of images should be equivalent to the number of students in your class.

Step 1

Give each student an image and guide their exploration with the following questions:

  • What is the focus of the image? How do you know – does it seem illuminated, does it use stronger lines, is it in the foreground?
  • What is happening in the image, either in that moment OR in terms of what might come before or after?
  • Based on what you see, to which genre of storytelling might this image belong: fairytale, horror, romance, mystery, drama, crime, soap opera, etc.?
  • What is the mood of the image? How does lighting, the placement of objects, and selection of what is large/small or near/far guide your interpretation?
Step 2

Place students in pairs, then direct them to discuss the following questions and try to come to an agreement:

  • How are the images similar or different in terms of lighting, objects, size, movement, etc.?
  • How might these two images connect in a single narrative? What story might they collectively tell?
Step 3

Each pair will join up with another pair to make groups of four. They will repeat Step 2, putting all four images into a narrative sequence and coming up with an explanation for their choices.

Step 4

Each group will justify their narrative sequence to another group OR the whole class.

Note

This exercise can be useful for sharpening attention during the first reading of the text, as students look for and evaluate their interpretations of the images and predicted sequences.

Make a note of all the images used during this activity. At the conclusion of the first reading, it can be a rowdy/fun activity to see how accurately the class can reorder their images to match Tan’s narrative. A follow-up discussion will enable students to articulate how narrative works to give The Arrival its structure, meaning and impact.

Version 9.0: (AC9E10LA03)  (AC9E10LA04)   (AC9E10LA07)   (AC9E10LE02)   (AC9E10LE03)   (AC9E10LY01)

Version 8.4: (ACELA1566)   (ACELA1567)   (ACELA1572)   (ACELT1640)   (ACELT1641)   (ACELY1749)

Personal response on reading the text

NOTE: Every student must have access to the text.

Activity 3: ten facts, ten questions

Encourage students to revisit their responses to Activities 1 and 2.

Step 1

Allow students to engage with the narrative during the first reading. Encourage them to look for:

  • events involving the protagonist
  • changing settings
  • the development of the narrative
  • recurring motifs and themes
Step 2

Guide a class discussion to arrive at ten facts and ten questions, i.e.:

  • Ten facts about The Arrival that the class can state with certainty (e.g. it is a fantasy landscape; it’s a man travelling to a new place)
  • Ten questions that the class has not yet resolved (e.g. is he a refugee? Why are there so many birds? What’s the point of this book?)

Keep these questions accessible or on display as students undertake subsequent activities and readings. This will allow them to review their growing understanding and appreciation of the text.

Version 9.0: (AC9E10LE01)   (AC9E10LE02)   (AC9E10LE03)   (AC9E10LY01)   (AC9E10LY05)

Version 8.4: (ACELT1639)   (ACELT1640)   (ACELT1641)   (ACELY1749)   (ACELY1754)

Outline of key elements of the text

A selection of key themes

  • ‘The journey’ as a personal and universal experience
  • Belonging, alienation and disconnection
  • Home, family and belonging
  • Global politics involving peace, conflict, oppression and migration

Elements of the setting

  • Surrealism, emphasising alienation and universality
  • Extensive use of boats, water and harbours
  • The passage of time revealed in images of seasons, weather, day/night, migration of birds, clock faces
  • Familiar yet unfamiliar settings, e.g. harbours, shopping precincts, animals, cooking utensils, food, billboards

Key characters

Introduced in Part I The protagonist is a family man who migrates, with papers, to a foreign land. In Part II there is a suggestion that he may belong to an oppressed group or minority, as the tags on his clothing are reminiscent of Star of David identifiers.
Introduced in Part III A young woman helps the protagonist purchase a boat ticket; they share their stories via their papers. She has fled persecution and arrived at the same destination to which the protagonist is heading.
Introduced in Part III A middle-aged family man befriends the protagonist and invites him to share a meal. It becomes clear that he and his family have escaped war and arrived at the same destination as the protagonist.
Introduced in Part IV An elderly factory worker communicates his story of leaving home, going to war as a soldier, suffering injury, and finally arriving at the same destination as the protagonist.

Structure

  • The Arrival is structured in six sections, marking the progress of the protagonist’s journey.
  • Narrative threads and cohesion are provided by the repeated use of motifs: origami, boats, teapots, hands, birds, etc.
  • The plot is constructed solely through the placement, size and sequencing of images, with no recognisable print text.
  • There is a suggestion of promise and blue skies ahead in the final image of the text.
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