Shaun Tan and John Marsden’s picture book, “The Rabbits” both portray conflicting perspectives that are shaped from past events. Tan and Marsden’s “The Rabbits” uses the British Colonization as the core event Shaun Tan and John Marsden’s “The Rabbits” brings out the significance on the ‘British colonization’ in which the audience in introduced to the British and the Indigenous Australians perspectives to this event.The rabbit and the possum act as vital character to which Tan and Marsden use to portray the conflicting perspectives about the British colonisation.
In “The Rabbits” the audience is introduced to the conflicting perspectives of the rabbits and the possums. These two animals which represent one human race are employed by the composers in relation with the ‘British Colonization’ through which the composer employs various colours and setting of images to portray how the ‘British colonization’ caused a conflicting perspective between the two races.Throughout the story the rabbits are shown to have been ‘industrialized’, ‘educated’ and ‘well mannered’ as they are seen to have various machines and clothing which make them look more civil. The scene where the golden boat is at shore represents the coming of the British colony, in this scene the audience is introduced to the bright and royal colors of the rabbits leaving the ship. This use of colors enables the audience to feel and realize the extent of the rabbit’s power and dominance. While the rabbits are seen all high and mighty the possums are peaking in the background not know who or what their purposes are.
The confliction between the two races is scene explicitly through the war scene where the composers employ dark colors with the combination of collage placement of images give the audience the dramatic effects of the British Colonization. The use of such colours and placement of images give the audience a clear understanding on their perspectives and physically portrays the conflict between these perspectives. It is clearly evident that the Rabbits are overtaking the land for their own benefit and see’s Australia as a land to be ‘industrialized’ whilst the possums see this land as their own and hence the need to protect it.In Tan and Marsden’s “The Rabbits” the audience is constantly reveals to the personalities to the power differences between the rabbit and the possums.
Through the use of color and placement of images the composers have successfully portrayed the perspectives on both rabbits and possums on ‘power’. However, the rabbits are seen to be power dominant over the possums as they are drawn to be very big compared to that of the possums. The composer has also included the social distance of the possums which emphasizes their weakness and how little authority they have.The use of color in the scene where the ‘golden boat’ enters the land the audience is introduced to a major contrasting choice of characters as the audience is able to see the small, miniature size of the possums in the corner whilst the rabbits walk with pride and power. Through Shaun Tan and John Marsden’s “The Rabbits” the audience is introduced to the conflicting perspectives which are constructed by the combination of techniques with the use of an event or personality.
Both texts have successfully portrayed the conflicting perspectives which are formed through the events in human history and the personalities humans face and or faced.
