This week more than most, I really appreciated seeing the artwork that was pulled out for us to view at the end of class. Being able to see real life imagery of immigrants in their daily routine made the book, “ The Arrival” much more impactful to me. While I greatly enjoyed the imagery and plotline within “The Arrival”, I found it difficult to relate and imagine the story in real life. However, the combination of talking about the book in class and then immediately viewing the pictures pulled out for us allowed me to have a better understanding of the messages Shaun Tan was aiming for.

In addition, since all our ancestors were immigrants at one point or another in our country’s history, the photos we saw on Monday and Wednesday morning particularly impacted me because I felt a connection to them. I have often heard stories of how my great-grandfather came to America and the hard conditions he went through in order to provide for his family. While each family’s immigration path is different, these photos definitely gave me a better understanding of what people went through during this time and the conditions they were forced to endure.