CRITICAL THINKING AND WRITING

Critical Thinking And Writing



Critical thinking and writing

The Red Tree (2001), written and illustrated by Shaun Tan, is a picture book that presents a fragmented journey through a dark world. The illustrations are surreal. The text is sparse and matches the dark illustrations. The story is based on images inspired by the experience of depression. The main character is a lonely red-headed girl. A red leaf from a red tree follows the girl through her day; it states how she feels and depicts her worries. Almost unnoticed in each picture is a small red leaf (symbolising hope). At the end, the little girl stands smiling at a beautiful red-leafed tree growing in her bedroom.

The main Character is a lonely red-headed girl, who remains un named through the book, experiencing a lack of belonging to herself and connection to the world, causing to have the effect of alienation upon herself. Tan uses many techniques in conveying this deep meaningful piece towards the audience, helping to engage the viewer to become aware of those who don't have a safe place in the world in which we live in today.

The book presents a fragmented journey of a girl through a dark and frightening world.. The Red Tree follows the a lonely red-headed girl through her daily life; stating how she feels and depicting her dark, gloomy concerns. The visual image I have chosen provides an excellent portrayal of depression and the effects of isolation. The illustrator uses various visual techniques to portray the consequences of not belonging on the individual.

The participant in The Red Tree is positioned in the forefront of the image and is the only person in the frame therefore making her the most salient feature which in turn emphasizes her loneliness. She is shown to be wearing a weighty diving mask, huddled in a glass bottle on a stormy shoreline. The image is supported by just two words 'Nobody Understands” which stresses feelings of sadness and sorrow. She's alone and stuck, so small in such a huge world feeling alienated and isolated.

The illustrator uses colour connotation effectively by using obscure colours to convey the insecure, gloomy feeling underlining the mood of the girl and her surroundings. The use of the black in the background conjures the darkness in which the girl is in, creating a sense of coldness. It signifies how sad and depressed she feels highlighting the loss and confusion which are the results of not belonging. Tan contrasts the darkness of the black with a smokey mixture of white and dark blue on the horizon creating the sense of a distant light, perhaps a solution or a way out from her problems, somewhere she can belong. It can also portray how far she is from the horizon and the reality of her barrier, the bottle. The girls is located in an arid and unfriendly environment showing that that depending on the environment a sense of belonging or not belonging is ...