Belonging In Shaun Tan's 'Immigrant Chronicle'

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To what extent have your perceptions of belonging been influenced by the texts you have studied? Refer to your prescribed text and at least one other text of your own choosing. Belonging or feeling as though you are an important part of a whole, is an essential part of an individuals’ understanding of life. If an individual does not feel as though they belong either to a group, place or community it can lead them to feel unsatisfied with their lives. This perception of belonging has been influenced by both Peter Skrzynecki’s ‘Immigrant Chronicle’ and Shaun Tan’s graphic novel ‘The Arrival.’ Cultural identity often plays a large role in our sense of self and allowing us to feel as though we belong. If we are unsure of our cultural identity…show more content…
The characters have all come from countries that have are filled with darkness; this is shown by Tan’s use of harsh dark lines and shadowy figures overwhelming the cities. Tan shows the stories of other characters that the protagonist meets throughout the book, all with an imposing threat of war, or some other factor, driving the characters together. The bombardment of images all showing different symbols represent the confusion of the protagonist much like the confusion Skrzynecki has about Warsaw. The bewildered expression depicted on the protagonists’ face as he tries to find a place to stay reflects…show more content…
This is another concept that is explored by both Tan and Skrzynecki. Skrzynecki represents this concept best in ‘St. Patrick’s College,’ he resents the school and his mother’s choice to send him there. The religion is alien to him and he finds that he cannot relate to the motto ‘Leuceat Lux Vestra’ and believes it is a ‘brand of soap.’ This language metaphor is again brought up in ‘Post Card,’ ‘remnants of a language I inherited unknowingly.’ This concept is also conveyed by Skrzynecki in ‘Feliks Skrzynecki.’ Although Feliks has accepted that the new culture is the best alternative he still struggles to learn English again bringing up the language metaphor when Skrzynecki is asked by the stereotypical crew-cut clerk ‘did your father ever attempt to learn
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