The Island (Term Paper Sample)

The Island
Name
Institution
The Island
1 The notes
The texts of The Island by Amin Greder contain a rhythm of words when reading aloud. For example, "If he was in my kitchen, nobody would want to eat at my inn; muttered the innkeeper" (Greder, 2007, p.13). The author employed repetition of words to affirm the position of the Island People on the stranger; for instance, they said "…He is not one of us, He isn’t our problem, He is a stranger, He doesn’t belong, He has to go" (p. 19). Greder also used questions to create anxiety for the fate of the stranger; for example, "…why had he come here? What did he want? What should they do? (p.3)" The author used pacing to show a dramatic change of events; for instance, when the stranger had been welcomed closed in a secluded empty house, Greder says "…then one morning… (p. 9).”
The dominant color in the book is black; the author has used the dark color paint the clothing and the environment of the Island. The tone of the pictures representing the Islanders has been done in dark tone compared to the intruder. Greder has employed scaling to depict the locals as huge and strong compared to the stranger who is small and weak. The shape widely used in the book is a curve that represented abstracted objects; this has been repeated throughout the book. The objects that got my attention are paintings of the locals as contrasted to the intruder; this creates an element of irony. Greder used the colored ends picturebook layout since the story begins in the third and fourth ages, and the colored papers serve as the end pages (Lazar, 2009).
The use of black color on the clothing of the Islanders is a sign of unwelcoming gesture to the foreigner who has no other place to go; this helps children to understand and relate colors with human emotions (Greder, 2007, p.3-4). The use of scaling to depict the locals as huge compared to the Intruder helps children to understand the relationship between body size and strength; this is a good way of showing desperation in people with small body size such as the intruder (Greder, 2007, pp. 5-6; 19-20). The use of abstraction by the author on human faces intends to assist children to read the emotions of the characters; this is a good way of relating pictures and emotions (Greder, 2007, p.21-22).
2. Introduction
The Island is a picturebook that is authored by Armin Greder; a teacher at the Queensland College of Art, teaching design and illustration. Greder was born in Switzerland in 1942, and later moved to Australia; he learnt the art of drawing while schooling, as a way of escaping the harsh reality of classroom (Yoldi, 2007, p.50). The Island is his latest book that was initially written in German by the title "Die Insel." The book won several international awards as the best picturebook for children in the two versions (Yoldi, 2007, p.50). For instance, according to Exhibits (2004), Greder won The Australian Multicultural Children’s Literature Awards (1992), and the BIB Biennale der Illustration Bratislava: Goldener Apfel/Golden Apple (2003). Greder was able to achieve his objective of educating and entertaining the consumers of his book, through abstraction and cartooning. He has demonstrated a unique prose that is complemented by the mesmerizing illustrations depicting the extreme human behavior (Yoldi, 2007, p.50).
The book has been chosen for the review because it is one of the educative materials that target a wider part of the society by tackling themes that are significant to the current society. According to Yoldi (2007), the book is suitable for educators, youth, and adults who are interested in discussing the plight of refugees. The author tried to balance between the illustrations and words to ensure that they complement one another. For instance, every text on each page has a corresponding illustration; this is to ensure that the reader is engaged to the book. The themes addressed in the book, such as prejudice and racism, "…He is not one of us" (p. 14; 19); cruelty and terror are social issues that affect each member of the society. The author has illustrated on pages seven and eight that even the young children are subject to prejudice since they are exposed to the actions of their parents when they handle those who are "not one of us." The author has targeted the global society by producing The Island in German and English.
3.
Greder utilized the abstraction and cartooning to communicate to his audience. According to Horning (2010), abstraction is the act of deliberate distortions on pictures, done by the author to show the emotional state of the characters, and remove the reality from them. For instance, pages 19, and 20 portray human beings; however, the size of the Islanders had been distorted to be huge compared to the foreigner. Cartooning according to Horning (2010) involves exaggeration of images and use of fine line to reveal characteristics; the second and third pictures on page 15 and 16 represent the exaggerated images of the foreigner.
The artistic tradition that Greder draws on is the art picture of David Munch, found in The Scream (Margaret & Thomson, 2011). Greder employed an existing image to create a sense of fear the Islanders had developed when the intruder was around them (Curriculum Matters, 2008, p.8). The second image on page 15 was lifted from The Scream. The locals could not sleep since; the foreigner haunted them in their dreams.
The line and color are some of the artistic devices used by Greder. According to Horning (2010), "there are only two types of lines in art and nature; straight and curved." The author used straight lines to represent the weapons the local people used to protect themselves against the intruder. Pages 5 and 6 show the tools held in horizontal position towards the intruder. The action demonstrates an orderly action that moves from left to right (Horn, 2010). Pages 11, and 12, however, show the same tools held vertically; this according to Horn shows static action; the Islanders are undecided on what to do with the intruder. Colors reveal emotions (Horn, 2010), the dark colors of black and red have been repeatedly used on the Islanders to show their emotions and actions towards the foreigner. The black color indicates weight, and unwelcoming atmosphere of the people of the Island while red indicate their anger on him (Margaret & Thomson, 2011). The white color around the intruder shows the emptiness and weakness that surrounded him.
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Greder has utilized a unique way of relating words and illustrations in The Island. Although the texts are supposed to explain the events in the picture below or above them, the author has deviated from this belief in engaging his audience. For instance, the title page reads "The Island," yet there is no land for the viewer to see. The pages 7 and 8 show three children that are pushing another child with sticks off page 8. There is no text that matches the event on the pages; however, a similar event is illustrated on pages 5, and 6, where the intruder is pushed of page 6. According to Salisbury and Styles (2012), the arrangement of words and pictures in a book can create a unique rhythm of the events.
The pages 19 and 20 show the locals on page 19, and the intruder on page 20, being pushed off the page with rakes and other tools. The intruder’s hands have been tied, and his nude exposed. The locals have black clothes, red and yellow hats; they exist together and look the same. According to Horning (2010), when pieces of a picture fit together as a whole such that a smaller part look like the rest, it creates unity. The tools are drawn with horizontal lines to reinforce the aspect of unity on page 19. The dark black color indicates the rejection of the intruder on the Island; the red and yellow colors shows their anger and cruelty towards the foreigner (Curriculum Matters, 2008, p.7). The white color around the intruder and his nude demonstrated how desperate and weak he is; his smaller size compared to the locals, reinforce his weakness. The texts reinforce the illustrations on the two pages; it summarizes what happened to the intruder.
Greder has demonstrated that the themes of The Island are controversial in nature. For instance, prejudice, racism and the plight of refugees are contemporary issues that have different insights to different stakeholders (Eccleshare, 2008). The author has illustrated that the themes are embedded in society; for instance, the discrimination illustrated on pages 5, and 6 is repeated on pages 7 and 8 by children.
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The style employed by the author for illustrations and the themes addressed, have an impact on the popularity and the perception of the book. For instance, the author’s portrayal of the nude of the intruder limits the age of the audience to the youth and older people who can easily share information...