Shirley, Michelle, Irene, Kristina - Group 2

Question: Journeys are about the experience and not always about the
destination.
Thesis + Intro: The confronting nature of reflective journeys allows
individuals to conquer and challenge preconceived assumptions from
adversities aligned along the process, demonstrates intellectual curiosities
and potent experiences that subsequently allows for the ultimate shaping
of self, regardless of the destination. Gwen Harwoods poetry anthology
entails past memories re-experienced through reflective journey as a
catalyst to transform the individuals perspective and gain a sense of
identity converted in Barn Owl and At Mornington,. In juxtaposition,
The Rabbits by Shaun Tan exemplifies the unexpected encounters of
colonisation as a detrimental catalyst in loosing a sense of self, regardless
of the final destination.
The persona's regression into childhood memories allows a sharp
reflection of her current mature identity and is solidified as the persona
realises the juxtaposition of her current identity to the personas past.
The persona's imaginative journey proffers a scope for reconciliation of
her past and present, unifying the components of existence and selfidentity allowing the persona to recognise the immortality of memories
from experiences acquired from journey's obstacles.
It is only till we experience the process of the reflective journey of the
numbats' past, rather than the final destination, do we transform our
perception and widely held assumption of colonisation and loss of culture.

Evidence:
Barn Owl:
- Alluding to Lucifer, horny fiend is contrasted with angel-mind,
indicating the loss of innocence through the formation of new
instinctual drives that come with maturity. Religious imagery
- Acquisition of human experience is foreboded through the
synecdoche beak and claw which disempowers the symbolically
wise owl to emphasise its animalism.
- Alliteration My first shot struck shows the personas urgency
realisation of mortality and pain, an insight into reality that
ultimately erodes our childhood innocence.
- Bittersweet metaphorical pun owl-blind to convey her sadness
for what I had begun. What she has begun is the journey to
maturity, which innocence is lost and wisdom is gained.

This obscenebundle of stuff that droppeddribbled through loose

strawtangling in bowels low modality language in stuff
combined with alliteration of the letter d.
End what you have begun direct speech and imperative
language

At Mornington:
- On what flood are they borne rhetorical question and
metaphor communicates contrasting sensation of experiencing
memory and nostalgia as overwhelming and magnificent.
- I remember believing I could walk on water- biblical allusion
and a motif throughout poem related to child-like optimism and
hopefulness.
- Cultural allusion to Halloween and repeated word of grave
twice. I laughed at hallowed pumpkin/with candle flame for eye
sight.
- Layered effected created by superimposing memories, a dream and
reflections into the account of day spent with friends reflective
nature of life.
- Memories is utilised to highlight ones transition from innocence to
experience correspondingly to the human condition of the cyclical
nature of life is explored in At Mornington where, reflection on
iridescent, fugitive memoirs lead to the personas growth and
acceptance of mortality.
-

At Mornington extends this abstraction, to examine childhood

innocence as an underlying element of human experience when
coupled with the ability of memories in shaping our present
perceptiom.

through the structural device of an irregular rhyme scheme,

mirroring the stream of consciousness that manifests as we
apprehend the ignorance stemming from juvenile innocence.

the personas childhood is satirized as her biblical attempt of

walking on water symbolizes childhood naivety and the blind faith
associated with infancy.

Harwood metaphorically exemplifies memories of childhood being

iridescent, fugitive to suggest the endless opportunities associated
with childhood innocence, whereby reflecting its fleeting nature of
evanescence.

Furthermore, the recurring water motifs within the dialogue water

left over stimulate images of lingering memories and innocence
from childhood. Thus, Harwood elucidates that memory and
childhood innocence facilitates the forging of our present identity.

That said, Father and Child builds upon At Mornington and as`part of
defining our individuality. The prominent discrepancy between the
diptychs Barn Owl characterises a shift in time that accentuates
childhood as the period which catalyses internal maturation.

Alluding to Lucifer, horny fiend is contrasted with angel-mind to

indicate the loss of innocence through the formation of new
instinctual drives that come with maturation.

However, the acquisition of human experience is foreboded through

the synecdoche beak and claw which disempowers the
symbolically wise owl to emphasise its animalism. This is closely
followed by the alliterated laconic My first shot struck which
bequeaths urgency to the personas realisation of mortality and
pain, an insight into reality that ultimately erodes our childhood
innocence. Thus, Harwood exemplifies the loss of innocence as an
internal change, causing new insights to be gained as our
understanding of life is deepened.

The Rabbits:
- Page 8-9: Size of ship is large, salient image and conveys its
dominance. Yellows, red, black, white - natural colours.
- Page 6-7: Imperative language, shows transformation. Salient image
of the rabbits shows its dominance. Ellipsis - pause in the sentence
which highlights the change of culture.
- Page 15: Anaphora - shows the unstoppable nature of the rabbits.
- Recurring motif of Union Jack flag, taking over of the land.
- Horizontal banner shows the insignificance of the numbats as the
events occur.
- Repetition of they conveys a distinction between the two species,
they is dehumanised.
- At first the inhabitants, although mystified, are able to be
philosophical about the newcomers who have come to their land.
The illustrations cleverly mirror and interpret the progression of the
text. The wisdom of the elders suggests a distinct wariness because
these new people are different.
-

Then comes the ominous building up of numbers: The fact that the
new arrivals have new and different ways is emphasized, but still
there is a tolerance on the part of the original inhabitants.

The negatives are emphasised in the illustrations by an insertion of

a monochrome portion of the page which impinges on the main
story.

There is a feeling of helplessness as the invaders take over. The

starkness of the illustrations reflects the feeling of impending doom.

Then the sheer weight of numbers of newcomers results in fighting.

This is portrayed brilliantly by the fragmentation of the page into
separate pictures showing different episodes.
-

The text, in its minimalist manner, states the inevitable and the
design of the book adds to every aspect of the unfolding of the
concepts. Then comes the juxtaposition of the new order with the
old the conquerors above and the defeated, in bondage, below.

The new order progresses, destroying all that mattered to the

original inhabitants coupled with the horror of the loss of the most
precious thing the children; the future.

Now there are the conquerors everywhere: A walltowall illustration

covering the page edge to edge shows this with some colour
reappearing to indicate that this is the new status quo; order,
alignment, MIGHT = RIGHT.

Then the desolation, the destruction, the despair are depicted:

The end result of the taking over of another country and then the
harking back to the old natural order of things as they were
The rhetorical question at the end is a sobering reminder that we
need solutions. There is a deliberate contrast of the endpapers with
the remainder of the illustrations.

Initially:
- Uses colour in first few pages to represent a connection to the land
brown, red
and yellow earthly colours that effectively work together in creating a
definitive environment
o
They work with the land instead of abusing it

Brown possums raised as the inhabitants -> there is a

conflict in colour
when
the white rabbits enter the land
o
Foreshadows tension further on

Juxtaposing positions of societies on double page spread brown on left,

white
right. Hiatus represents a conflict of interest, further with a conflict in
colour
white environment consists of dark, grayscale -> reflective of their
technological
advancement
Progression:

Book progresses, so too does dissolution of the brown rabbits belonging

Marsden uses repetition of text There were too many rabbits to

exemplify the
newfound dominance of the rabbits in a forceful attempt to belong to the
land ->
superficial and forced belonging to place.

Violence as a symbolic representation of the limitations of the cultures,

which
creates a sub concept of conflict. Juxtaposition of weapons, especially in
size and
detail white rabbits are larger in size, greater detail, and greater number.
Feeble
opposition of brown rabbits limited, uses elements of the earth as
opposed to
manufactured goods -> destruction of brown rabbits
o
Upon brown depletion, comes a depletion in colour within the world
turns grayscale progressively w/ houses, buildings and farms

Signifying the NOT belonging to place by the black rabbits

Post-destruction:

Brown rabbits are framed to the left of the page, enshrouded by

technological
advancement and the vectors of a fence lead them to be seen as
prisoners

Black colour dominates final pages to suggest lack of life, lack of

belonging
colour and light used as symbols

Low key colours + vector of horizon leads readers eyes towards a huge
jail wall,
framed to the left of the page. The text the land is bare and brown and
the wind
blows across the plains sits above the horizons vector although the
white
rabbits occupy the land, they do not
belong
- to it, hence Marsdens use of bare

o
Furthers link between black rabbits and the land


Wind blows empty is mysterious imagery to show the rejection that
natural
elements now have towards the land, and suggests that the white rabbits
have
destroyed the landscape ->
superficial colonization and forced belonging /
signifies change, they belong physically but not emotionally Marsden
delves
into the dual layer components of belonging

White rabbits become salients in recurring images especially their

industrialization and technological dominance, contrasts earlier images of
natural
world elements being the salients.
Motifs:

The same white rabbit appears throughout the novel, as a symbol of hope.
Does
not appear on every page, is incredibly small, and always spaced away
from his
own tribe to show how he is a traitor towards them, yet a symbol of hope
towards
the brown rabbits.
Marsden comments here on the inherent decency that lay
within many of the settlers, and lessers the dehumanizing traits of the
white
rabbits.

The whole novel is an extended metaphor for the colonization of Australia

in
1778 by Captain Cook and the First Fleet. White rabbits are consistently of
larger
size to reflect their dominance in all aspects. Extended metaphor makes
the novel
suitable for a younger audience.

Inferiority resounds through all facets of the rabbits lives. Technology

(e.g.
agricultural use / framing. Image where main white huge rabbit holds a
small
globe in his hands, as if he is metaphorically manipulating the world
around him.
Also language, brown rabbits often say We couldnt understand the way
they
talked etc. -> collectively furthers Marsdens exploration of belonging.

The endpapers are a calm blue-lilac. Clean water, the home to

graceful, long legged birds. What a contrast to the front cover. Is
this the land these invaders have arrived at, that they will soon be
invading?
The dark brown half title page imitates the format of a well known
flag, with pen-inked squiggly writing and some sort of shield in the
centre, superimposed over a map. You can peer and peer, but
nothing can be discerned or made out.
The title page comes next: a ripped sheet of paper, covering that
blue-lilac bird-filled lake. We can see that some of the paper has
begun to soak up the water, turning the white into a creeping grey,
the birds are moving away from us, their backs are turned and they
are all looking to the right, they've seen something we can't see yet.
The white paper is both a cover as well as a vehicle for the pond
life, as flowers are growing from its edges and dragon flies hum
towards the dedications. The title font, as on the front cover, is not
quite normal, the 'e' has a strange wave under it and the 't' is
uncharacteristic. Are these letters from a past, letters that have
changed over time to those we know and recognize today?
Opening 1 confirms our haunch, the birds are indeed fleeing, if the
book had sound we would hear their calls of alarm, we would hear
the snakes hiss in warning. What is that strange black chimney in
the horizon? What are the fossil-like shapes in the dark cave behind
the snakes? Does Tan want us to think of the time these fossils have
taken to form? An age-old land. We read an invisible narrator's
words, "The rabbits came many grandparents ago".
This illustration is of an immense land, home to tiny creatures, birds
and insects. It has been marked by the wheels of a strange
machine, which we can just make out on the horizon. Two worlds
meet and wonder at each other: "They looked a bit like us ..." they
were creatures, they had ears and tails, but they wore clothes and
had strange machines... "There weren't many of them. Some were
friendly."
And soon more came, and the old people warned us all... "they
came by water." And we see the front and back cover as a spread,
even more frightening now as we have begun the story, we know

the significance of these strange creatures.

We are told and shown how different they are:
"They didn't live in trees like we did. They made their own houses."
This particular spread gives us information in layers. The slightly
lighter blue strip at the top is the original layer and belongs to the
narrators. They are sitting in their trees, watching their world
change. The darker blue is a superimposed layer, the result of the
rabbits: we see both the buildings being built and what they will look
like. The buildings are like puzzles, already spewing black smoke.
Everything is mechanical, even the rabbits seem so, the symmetry
emphasizing the mechanical way they changed the world.
Not only were the rabbits' homes different, but "...they brought new
food, and they brought other animals." The illustrations show us
massive grass eating sheep, machines dressed in lambs' wool.
Cows, already marked for the butcher's knife. The land is covered
in these strange creatures, either in the fields or pilled high on
spindly locomotives. More words tell us that "... some of the animals
scared us." But that's not all, "... some of the food made us sick"
(the last three words turned upside down, as though rolling over
with belly ache). The illustration shows a rabbit giving a bottle to
the aboriginal creature collaged upon another illustration of a dried
up water bed, littered with flapping, gasping fish.
There was no stopping the rabbits, they spread across the country.
There was fighting, "but there were too many rabbits"
"We lost the fights." Those fossils we saw at the beginning, denoting
an ancient world, dominated above by the rabbits' flags, the
aboriginals, prisoners in their age old world, defeated below.
The atrocities continue: "They ate our grass. They chopped down
our trees and scared away our friends... "
I find this spread the most shocking: hundreds of kites, with baby
animals inside, being pulled by strange air machines. Mother
creatures, as though dancing, hands raised towards their children,
you can almost hear them moaning. And the rabbits, big and black,
their vertical backs turned against the mothers. They have red and
yellow eyes and the peacock feather pens mirror these evil eyes,
dripping with the blood red ink they have just used to write on the
certificates. These contain the verbal text of this page, each word on
a separate sheet of paper, as though being spoken in jerks of
distress, "and . stole . our . children."
"... everywhere we look there are rabbits." The statue in recto, a
large rabbit, the motto MIGHT = RIGHT. A grey automated world,
polluted and literally filled with rabbits, right to the very edges of
the page. Can you see the only aboriginal creatures on the steps of
the statue? The fallen kite? The rabbits holding masks? The gigantic
curved chimneys, sucking in the blue sky and puffy clouds? A
curious image, a frightening image.
"The land is bare and brown and the wind blows empty across the
plains. Where is the rich dark earth brown and moist? Where is the
smell of rain dripping from the trees? Where are the lakes, alive with

long legged birds?"

A final verso page shows a small cameo illustration against a black
background. Two solitary creatures, a rabbit and an aboriginal.
"Who will save us from the rabbits?". The land is wasted, littered
with bones, lost and broken pieces of machinery and empty bottles.
A small water hole reflects the stars in the sky. Can we read this as
an image of hope? Is there any hope left? If we turn again to the
back endpapers, we return to the bird-filled lake of cool lilac-blue
water. A distant memory? A possible future?