The_Red_Tree

The red tree By Blake Farrow. Miss Bailey’s class. The ‘Red Tree’ is an award winning picture book. Written and illustrated by Shaun Tan. The story is told with simple sentences, but the dominant illustrations are complex and dark, they reveal more of the topic of ‘belonging’. Then the words do. The definition of belonging is to be a part of a family or group, and to fit in, the opposite of belonging is to not belong which is exclusion and alienation. The cover of this book presents the author ‘Shaun Tan’ and the title ‘The Red Tree’. This is an ambiguous picture. The motif in the book is on the front of the cover which is a red leaf; the cover of the book brings a feeling of loneliness, or “not belonging” so this idea is bought into the book starting at the front cover. The girl is on a lake in what seems to be a paper hat. She is looking down at the red leaf. She seems to be floating aimlessly, away from people, away from anything. Giving more of a feeling of not belonging. The girl in this picture book is characterised, which is developed through her words for each picture, they are narrated by the girl in the book; she appears throughout out the book to be conserved, depressed, bored and alone. Her personality seems to be quiet and distant. There are two dominant images before the book actually starts; I think it is trying to strongly reinforce the idea of not belonging, and trying to belong. The first picture in the book is of the only character in the book which is a red headed girl, with pale gray skin. She is holding a horn which has words flowing out of it onto the next picture. She is in a dark field, in the background there are gold coloured fields and soft looking mountains. Whereas I think the picture on the back of the first picture is a contrasting picture of where she wants to be just not physically but mentally. It seems to be in the gold fields with an odd looking grandfather clock that has the motif of the book included in the clock. It is replacing the 12 number on a clock and is almost striking it. I think the red leaf throughout this book is there too interest the reader, an make them think outside the box as to what the meaning of it is, to me it symbolises her longing to belong in this world, even if at the start it does seem like a hopeless adventure. I think that this book introduces the idea of that we move in and out of belonging to groups and families etc. We aren’t born into belonging somewhere we adapt to it, and as people change around you as well as you change. Meaning you aren’t born into belonging somewhere you adapt. In this book she is going on a journey to try and belong, to find her way. There are a few quotes the reinforce the idea of not belonging “nobody understands” you can’t belong if you’re not understood; this picture is over the girl at the very dull rocky beach. In a bottle with a huge mask over her face. The mood created in this picture hopelessness, she physically can’t get out of the bottle. It’s dark and gloomy. I think the feeling is enforced with the two words on the page which is “nobody understands”, you can’t belong without being understood. “Wonderful things are passing you by” coupled by a picture of a window with the girls sad face at the bottom of it, out the window is a wonderful looking flying thing, I think this picture represents the idea of restrictions in our minds can stop us from belonging. And that we only belong willingly. And she is missing out on these things because she has not found where to belong. The main thing I think is used in this book is empathy; we all feel for this girl, we all can put ourselves into her shoes. Because everyone does want to belong, its basic human nature too want to belong to something. This makes it a lot easier for the audience too relate and empathise with her.