John Marsden and Shawn Tan’s picture book 'The Rabbits' depicts the devastating influence of the colonization on the culture and customs of Aboriginal Australians.
The theme of colonization is demonstrated on the page "We lost the fights" (page 9). The composer has used a dark and lifeless colour scheme that emphasises the devastating effects of the rabbits. This is strengthened by the vector that leads our eyesight to the numbats, at the bottom of the page. They have been chained up like prisoners. This gives the impression that the numbats are there not by their own choice or free will. Further portraying the numbats as weak and insignificant compared to the rabbits.
The colour scheme of the book goes from beautiful, vibrant coloured land, to dull, black, colourless barren land. Trees and bush have been replaced with buildings and machinery.
Page 6 shows the stark contrast in colour between the introduction of new animals and food, and the harm it's brought to the numbats. The sky is pink, indicating that the environment has been manipulated. The sheep have been numbered, recognising the rabbit’s need for everything to be ordered and in its right place. On the right side of page 6 shows the devastating effects of introduced species on the numbats, the environment and even fish, “But some of the food made us sick”.
On page 7, the hues of blue and yellow contribute to the scene, depicting the rabbits scheming and planning in the night. This identifies the rabbit’s determination and willingness to build, regardless of the time. Their flag is shown here on a table with the rabbits. Its repeated on many pages, representing Britain’s flag, the arrows symbolise their imperialism and nature to expand and always move forward. Clocks are also repeated; symbolising time and measurement of time, which is an alien concept to the numbats, who have always depended upon natural sense of time.
On page 8, the colour scheme is a dirtier brown, not the natural brown from the beginning. Like feral rabbits that bread uncontrollably, the rabbits begin to outnumber the numbats and fight them. The page is reminiscent of a news reel, portrayed brilliantly by the fragmentation of the page into separate pictures showing different episodes. The numbats and their spears have no hope against the homogeneous, uniformity of the industrial rabbits, with their guns and machines.
Another technique that Marsden and Tan have used is the traits and costuming given to the rabbits. Through the use of rigid lines, the rabbits have been made to look stern, authoritative and emotionless. On the top right of page 9, there is a single rabbit. He embodies the traits of an inconsiderate person, who ‘looks the other way’, while the numbats are being held prisoners, on the bottom left corner of the page. They are blind to the destruction they've caused the numbats, and won’t even look at them, but instead look forward. There eyes are always looking away, as shown on page 11. As the baby numbats are being stolen, the rabbits look away, blind to their actions. Only one rabbit as the end observes what is happening, this could symbolise the moral academias that some faced, who couldn't just look away.
The rabbits clothing is very different to the numbats. They wear dark, rich, and regal colours (page 4). The methodical and clinical order of the rabbits gives them a military look, presenting them as overpowering and intimidating to the numbats. Contrast to this, are the numbats, who only wear body paint/ art. Their shape is organic and curvy, coloured with an earthy shade of brown.
Vector lines have been strongly used throughout the book, guiding the audience’s eyes to either the salient image or important sections of the page. This is clearly shown on page 4. The massive ship (which is the salient image), acts as a vector, directing our eyes from left to right across the page, towards the rabbits. Thus establishing the rabbit’s intentions to expand and conquer. Vectors are once again used on page 12, enhancing the order and structure of the rabbits and their buildings. The rabbits are shown to be methodical, having soulless qualities and mechanical features, indicated by the wheels for feet. The salient image is a massive queen like statue, holding a ball with arrows pointing out, and a clock crown. This symbolises the colonization of the monarchy and the power it wields.
The theme of colonization is demonstrated on the page "We lost the fights" (page 9). The composer has used a dark and lifeless colour scheme that emphasises the devastating effects of the rabbits. This is strengthened by the vector that leads our eyesight to the numbats, at the bottom of the page. They have been chained up like prisoners. This gives the impression that the numbats are there not by their own choice or free will. Further portraying the numbats as weak and insignificant compared to the rabbits.
The colour scheme of the book goes from beautiful, vibrant coloured land, to dull, black, colourless barren land. Trees and bush have been replaced with buildings and machinery.
Page 6 shows the stark contrast in colour between the introduction of new animals and food, and the harm it's brought to the numbats. The sky is pink, indicating that the environment has been manipulated. The sheep have been numbered, recognising the rabbit’s need for everything to be ordered and in its right place. On the right side of page 6 shows the devastating effects of introduced species on the numbats, the environment and even fish, “But some of the food made us sick”.
On page 7, the hues of blue and yellow contribute to the scene, depicting the rabbits scheming and planning in the night. This identifies the rabbit’s determination and willingness to build, regardless of the time. Their flag is shown here on a table with the rabbits. Its repeated on many pages, representing Britain’s flag, the arrows symbolise their imperialism and nature to expand and always move forward. Clocks are also repeated; symbolising time and measurement of time, which is an alien concept to the numbats, who have always depended upon natural sense of time.
On page 8, the colour scheme is a dirtier brown, not the natural brown from the beginning. Like feral rabbits that bread uncontrollably, the rabbits begin to outnumber the numbats and fight them. The page is reminiscent of a news reel, portrayed brilliantly by the fragmentation of the page into separate pictures showing different episodes. The numbats and their spears have no hope against the homogeneous, uniformity of the industrial rabbits, with their guns and machines.
Another technique that Marsden and Tan have used is the traits and costuming given to the rabbits. Through the use of rigid lines, the rabbits have been made to look stern, authoritative and emotionless. On the top right of page 9, there is a single rabbit. He embodies the traits of an inconsiderate person, who ‘looks the other way’, while the numbats are being held prisoners, on the bottom left corner of the page. They are blind to the destruction they've caused the numbats, and won’t even look at them, but instead look forward. There eyes are always looking away, as shown on page 11. As the baby numbats are being stolen, the rabbits look away, blind to their actions. Only one rabbit as the end observes what is happening, this could symbolise the moral academias that some faced, who couldn't just look away.
The rabbits clothing is very different to the numbats. They wear dark, rich, and regal colours (page 4). The methodical and clinical order of the rabbits gives them a military look, presenting them as overpowering and intimidating to the numbats. Contrast to this, are the numbats, who only wear body paint/ art. Their shape is organic and curvy, coloured with an earthy shade of brown.
Vector lines have been strongly used throughout the book, guiding the audience’s eyes to either the salient image or important sections of the page. This is clearly shown on page 4. The massive ship (which is the salient image), acts as a vector, directing our eyes from left to right across the page, towards the rabbits. Thus establishing the rabbit’s intentions to expand and conquer. Vectors are once again used on page 12, enhancing the order and structure of the rabbits and their buildings. The rabbits are shown to be methodical, having soulless qualities and mechanical features, indicated by the wheels for feet. The salient image is a massive queen like statue, holding a ball with arrows pointing out, and a clock crown. This symbolises the colonization of the monarchy and the power it wields.