Identity
Individual Identity –
The unique characteristics that are held by no other individual, which we are recognized by. Set by our own attributes and own concepts that we are brought up with. We discover this as we grow and can be determined by other influence through out our life. "The words that the writer and, the poet tries to shape (to mould) are rooted in the sources of our identity." (Peonides, 2015. Pp 1) Whatever the influence might be, illustrations or writing your perceptions or understandings of the concept are driven by your own previous knowledge, concepts and beliefs.
External –
How your external world or makes you feel, gives you this identity of being a part of something- belonging somewhere or not. How you are involved within the culture of the environment that you are brought up in.
Within Shaun Tan’s books there is a clear understanding of his connection with his heritage. Tan is able to convey the messages of how the external environment can be such an impact of the whole of a persons personal or indentity. Example could be the a number of his books (e.g. Rules of Summer) where he shows distinct images of the inter suburban of city’s and where the country meets this type of world that you can find within Australia. Also often characters are isolated, or in a surround that is confusing or different from “normality” or society (The Arrival) where the external environment has the impact on their internal identity.
" I've learned to be generous to the reader, in the sense of trusting their imagination to "connect the dots" between disparate images and text...
that is, particular references to places, people, or things, anticipating that readers will fill these "gaps" with their own personal experience, inevitably different from my own." - Shaun Tan ( Ling. 2008. Pp 46)
Internal –
Internal identity is often reflected through the external but only lead by the characters actions and their influence on others and themselves. Characters are usually introverted in Shaun Tans books, often being unusual to others or two "outsiders" coming together to have this relationship, through out the involvement of each other journey of the book. Showing that you are not alone in this world although it may feel like it at times, there is other people out there just like you. Although there are not many words in some of Shaun tans books, rather the communication through pictures, the internal focus shows through out the characters journey or presents within the book, the way they are drawn, the colours that they are represented by.
"By conceptual, I mean something like the sepia tones in The Arrival, where the book is meant to reference old photography and take advantage of those associations. The redness of the tree in The Red Tree makes it stand out against the gray background, so that it suggests something positive and radiant, without being too specific. The shifts in colour within that book also signal a big shift between worlds, as dreamlike discontinuity is part of the theme of the story (if you can call it that). The world of The Lost Thing is very muted, because it's a place where people have essentially lost their imagina- fion, and every aspect of life is industrialized and departmentalized. " - Shaun Tan ( Ling. 2008. Pp 45)
Whimsical, purposeless and estranged from everything around it, it is out of place in a much deeper sense than just being 'lost'. The environment described by the illustrationasls or esists any simple reading: a treeless industrial metropolis full of excessive plumbing, mysterious and dehumanizing architecture, green skies and cheerless citizens. Furthermore, nobody pays any attention to the lost creature, despite its disruptive presence as a conspicuous absurdity. What's going on? A passage between familiarity and strangeness is opened, and the reader cannot help but ask questions in the absence of any explanation. (Tan. 2001. Pp6)
Through out our internal struggle the reflection on how we are viewed within society may be the biggest question we have within. How is our identity portrayed to others, and trying to process this happiness, this longing to belong. Why Shaun Tan's books are different? is they don't conform to this ideal, being an outsider is accepted and you may be different but not alone. I think this is a critical idea / emotion to convey in picture story books. He tells it how it is, there is no censorship when it comes to the emotion or feeling through Shaun Tan's books, their gritty and has depth to them.
The unique characteristics that are held by no other individual, which we are recognized by. Set by our own attributes and own concepts that we are brought up with. We discover this as we grow and can be determined by other influence through out our life. "The words that the writer and, the poet tries to shape (to mould) are rooted in the sources of our identity." (Peonides, 2015. Pp 1) Whatever the influence might be, illustrations or writing your perceptions or understandings of the concept are driven by your own previous knowledge, concepts and beliefs.
External –
How your external world or makes you feel, gives you this identity of being a part of something- belonging somewhere or not. How you are involved within the culture of the environment that you are brought up in.
Within Shaun Tan’s books there is a clear understanding of his connection with his heritage. Tan is able to convey the messages of how the external environment can be such an impact of the whole of a persons personal or indentity. Example could be the a number of his books (e.g. Rules of Summer) where he shows distinct images of the inter suburban of city’s and where the country meets this type of world that you can find within Australia. Also often characters are isolated, or in a surround that is confusing or different from “normality” or society (The Arrival) where the external environment has the impact on their internal identity.
" I've learned to be generous to the reader, in the sense of trusting their imagination to "connect the dots" between disparate images and text...
that is, particular references to places, people, or things, anticipating that readers will fill these "gaps" with their own personal experience, inevitably different from my own." - Shaun Tan ( Ling. 2008. Pp 46)
Internal –
Internal identity is often reflected through the external but only lead by the characters actions and their influence on others and themselves. Characters are usually introverted in Shaun Tans books, often being unusual to others or two "outsiders" coming together to have this relationship, through out the involvement of each other journey of the book. Showing that you are not alone in this world although it may feel like it at times, there is other people out there just like you. Although there are not many words in some of Shaun tans books, rather the communication through pictures, the internal focus shows through out the characters journey or presents within the book, the way they are drawn, the colours that they are represented by.
"By conceptual, I mean something like the sepia tones in The Arrival, where the book is meant to reference old photography and take advantage of those associations. The redness of the tree in The Red Tree makes it stand out against the gray background, so that it suggests something positive and radiant, without being too specific. The shifts in colour within that book also signal a big shift between worlds, as dreamlike discontinuity is part of the theme of the story (if you can call it that). The world of The Lost Thing is very muted, because it's a place where people have essentially lost their imagina- fion, and every aspect of life is industrialized and departmentalized. " - Shaun Tan ( Ling. 2008. Pp 45)
Whimsical, purposeless and estranged from everything around it, it is out of place in a much deeper sense than just being 'lost'. The environment described by the illustrationasls or esists any simple reading: a treeless industrial metropolis full of excessive plumbing, mysterious and dehumanizing architecture, green skies and cheerless citizens. Furthermore, nobody pays any attention to the lost creature, despite its disruptive presence as a conspicuous absurdity. What's going on? A passage between familiarity and strangeness is opened, and the reader cannot help but ask questions in the absence of any explanation. (Tan. 2001. Pp6)
Through out our internal struggle the reflection on how we are viewed within society may be the biggest question we have within. How is our identity portrayed to others, and trying to process this happiness, this longing to belong. Why Shaun Tan's books are different? is they don't conform to this ideal, being an outsider is accepted and you may be different but not alone. I think this is a critical idea / emotion to convey in picture story books. He tells it how it is, there is no censorship when it comes to the emotion or feeling through Shaun Tan's books, their gritty and has depth to them.