The unique quality of The Arrival offers three amazing benefits for using it in the classroom. The story speaks equally by what it reveals and by what it leaves unsaid. The pictures’ somber muted tones create a sense of realism, while the images of monsters and strange creatures evoke a host of symbolic associations each reader must figure out on their own. The protagonist enters a busy, strange city and works to set up a life so that he can bring his family to join him. This wordless graphic novel follows a man who immigrates to a new land to escape persecution and poverty at home. It places the reader, regardless of their language, on the same journey of discovery. The Arrival is written entirely with pictures. We find it hard to understand the immigrant experience of inquiry, confusion, frustration and wonder. When you find yourself in a new culture, where you don’t know the language, customs or ways of life, how do you make sense of it all? Many of us have never traveled alone to a new country where a different language is spoken.
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