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Review Of Shaun Tan's Book 'The Rabbits'

952 Words4 Pages

Throughout school I have learnt about the discrimination First Nations Peoples (FNP) have faced and much like the constellations of stars, it is never ending. Reality hit once I did some research for school and discovered the Beyond Blues study, Discrimination Against Indigenous Australians, which highlights the impact of racial discrimination on FNP. Australian youth, is this the society you want to grow up in? Together we can take a stance against racial prejudice in Australia and spread the constellations. Evidently, childrens’ picture book ‘The Rabbits’, written by John Marsden and drawn by Shaun Tan in 1998, explores the invasion of Marsden’s land by rabbits. The story is an allusion to the First Fleet, which occurred in 1788. 15 years …show more content…

Oliver parallels Marsden as it too takes the perspective of First Nations. The concept of colonialism covered in Olivers text is shown through the quote “We’re ancient and chained from the stains that remain.” Olivers’ metaphor discusses the impact of colonization, referring to Indigenous Australians’ as stained from the effects of genocide and assimilation, as well as signifying their long-lasting culture. Similarly, ‘The rabbits’ discusses the neglect of traditional way of life for First Nations, through the quote “They only know their own country.” Marsden represents neglect and erasure of FNP, showing the Eurocentric values the rabbits held. Along with this, Marsden also discusses the concept of environmental degradation through the quote “The land is bare and brown and the wind blows empty across the plains.” Throughout the book, the audience sees bright and saturated colours before the rabbits came, but as they slowly colonise the marsupials the colour scheme grows monochrome with greys. This visually impacts the us to feel sad for the marsupials as they see how FNP have been affected by

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