Scientific Connections to The Arrival

The graphic novel The Arrival by Shaun Tan has no words but still conveys a powerful message. With just illustrations, readers can see that this story is about a man who leaves his family to go to a new place in search of a better life. The story shows that this journey of being an immigrant can be scary and unfamiliar, but eventually, you find your way. Shaun Tan uses different colors to show the emotions that the characters feel at that time. For example, the illustrations have warm tones of yellow when the characters are happy. When it is scary or unfamiliar for the character, it is cold and has a grey hue. This strategy is really effective because warm tones are associated with feeling positive, and cold tones are the opposite. This is especially useful in art, but it also can be applied to many other disciplines. This association with colors is a scientific phenomenon because we feel happier when things are bright, and the sun is shining. Most of the time, we feel more depressed when it is dark and gloomy. This is mainly due to Vitamin D or lack thereof.

Another scientific connection is that in the story, there are many mythical animals. The purpose of these creatures is to show that the new place the main character travels to is unfamiliar. As he gets more comfortable in the new environment, he starts to befriend the animals and feels an emotional connection to them. The mystical creatures evoke a sense of companionship. The friendly creatures symbolize comfort and support throughout his journey and act as a bridge between him and the unfamiliar environment. This shows the psychology of connections to animals or companions in general. With the use of mystical creatures, it makes the story timeless and applicable to any type of migration. As an immigrant, I can relate to the feeling of being in a new and unfamiliar place. I came to the US when I was 14, and it was scary at first. However, I found my people, and now America is my permanent home. The Arrival is an immigrant story, but anyone can relate to it because it conveys a feeling of being in a new environment and feeling lost, frightened, or confused. It reminds us that change can be scary but helps us in the long run. With the help of people we meet in this new environment, we can find our new home and have a profound sense of belonging.

Comments

  1. Wilson Caraballo IIIDecember 8, 2024 at 10:16 AM

    I think this story is really important for us to see as we are/want to be high school teachers. If we are teaching freshmen we need to understand that this are kids in a new environment trying to establish themselves. Maybe we will have a transfer student who really has no connection. It is our job to make these new and possibly scary environments safer for them so they can learn.

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  2. MarlenDecember 8, 2024 at 6:27 PM

    Interesting scientific connections to the story! I hadn’t necessarily thought of how it could relate to scientific From being connections. Being judged, criticized, or even distant to home can make sure someone feels like the outside. From this, we learn to be inclusive, aware, and mindful of individual
    situations. In the book, most people help the dad find his way or provide some comfort in this new world. As future educators, we should also open our arms to students and invite them to be “okay” with the struggles that may be occurring.

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  3. Ed EscatelDecember 9, 2024 at 12:58 PM

    I really liked the use of the fictional language in the book and of the colors that you had mentioned. It was able to showcase the characters' emotions as well as portray the confusion and frustration trying to navigate a location where the language is unfamiliar. The absence of understandable language for anyone forces the reader to infer meaning using other literacies like reading facial expressions, color theory, and using past experiences to fill in the information that written language would normally do for them.

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  4. ArthurDecember 9, 2024 at 4:45 PM

    I liked that it is a story that is told without words. Through images it is still able to convey meaning and ideas that it presented to us and other readers. Thinking about that in a classroom setting is helpful in my opinion since we should be able to communicate or explain the ideas we are trying to teach the students not just through lectures. Similarly to what Wilson mentioned, we should be mindful of the students and their place within the school environment and how we can set the tone and help students. We should do our best in communicating in ways outside of written and spoken language to help students better understand if they do not.

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