Introducing Language, Literacy and Literature for Educators a2
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EDUC1023 Introducing Language, Literacy and Literature
for Educator
Assessment Two: Presentation
Word Count: 1,500 (+/- 10%)
FINAL Word Count: 1,472
Curtin University
There are two parts to this assignment.
Part 1:
Multimodal text: Create a multimodal text, in the form of a poster, which is based on a children’s picture book.
Part 2:
Written explanation
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Part One: Multimodal Poster
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Part Two: Multimodality and Semiotic Systems in The Rabbits
Over the years, almost all texts have become multimodal. They incorporate different visual
and verbal semiotic systems to create meaning, such as pictures, illustrations, or verbal
narratives (Barceló, 2015). Multimodality helps develop an understanding of a text which can
be obtained from several semiotic systems and the relationships between them. Over time
five semiotic systems have been identified. These consist of visual, spatial, audio, gestural,
and linguistic. While these systems can be individually interpreted, they are often interwoven
together better to understand the text (Pantaleo, 2012). For this reason, many educators
incorporate picture books into their lessons as they build literacy skills and provide an
authentic input and output of language skills to students (Barceló, 2015) and (Pantaleo,
2012). The Rabbits, by Shaun Tan, is a picture book that symbolises the discovery or
subsequently the colonisation of what we today call Australia. The story is narrated from the
perspective of the Indigenous Australians with a focus on the Australian colonisation process
(Furlan, 2019). The story of The Rabbits follows from when The Rabbits first arrived as
egger explorers, with the natives not knowing what to expect, subsequently ending with The
Rabbits colonising and completely changing the customs and land of the native people
through war building their houses over sacred land and enslaving the natives who would not
conform to the new customs. The key elements that portray how semiotic systems convey
meaning within the children's picture book, The Rabbits, are presented within the multimodal
poster in Part One. The combination of text and image works together to explain how the
interaction between the semiotic systems within the picture book conveys the meaning,
specifically, how the story (shown on the poster) uses images to support further the ideas
and issues presented through the text.
A multimodal text is one that involves two or more semiotic systems combined to make a
text integrated and multimodally whole. Multimodal texts deliver meaning through the
different codes and conventions used, which are dependent on the semiotic systems used.
Explicitly, in texts, multimodality focuses on exploring the connections within the semiotic
systems and resources in relation to the meanings made (Lim, 2019). Students are exposed
to many different types of multimodal texts and technology within the classroom. Because of
this, they are already beginning to explore ways in which these resources can be
implemented into their own literacy and writing (Zbaracki, 2015). However valuable these
resources are, they are all dependent on translation and interpretation. For example, the
interpretation of different multimodal texts may vary between different social or cultural
groups depending on different cultural values. Therefore, it is the educator's role to
acknowledge this challenge and prepare students to decode the meaning of said literacies
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(Barceló, 2015). Teachers expose their students to multiliteracies daily through picture books
as they combine illustrations and verbal narratives. This allows the student to gauge an
understanding of the text by analysing different semiotic systems and their relationships
towards each other, even if they don't realise they're doing it (Barceló, 2015).
The study of language within the classroom is effectively incomplete without the analysis of
how language combines with other semiotic systems. The semiotic systems are visual,
audio, gestural, spatial, and linguistic, which consist of their own codes and conventions.
These codes and conventions are: Visual semiotic systems: colour, texture, line, shape,
juxtaposition, and point of view. Audio semiotic systems: Volume and audibility, Modulation
(voice), Projection (voice), Articulation (voice), Intonation and stress (voice), Rhythm and
rhythm patterns, Pace and Phrasing. Gestural semiotic systems: Appearance, Head nods,
Facial expression, Posture, Gaze, eye movement, and Proximity. Spatial semiotic systems:
Position (Left-Right, Top-Bottom, Centre – Margin, Foreground – Background), Distance,
and Framing. Linguistic semiotic systems: Conjunction and written language (Bull & Anstey,
2018). Throughout the text, The Rabbits by Shaun Tan, four of the five semiotic systems are
presented within the multimodal poster in Part One, these being visual, gestural, spatial, and
linguistic. The story is narrated from the perspective of the Indigenous Australians with a
focus on the Australian colonisation process, semiotic systems of visualisation were often
used to show the landscape and how it had begun to change throughout the story. The
character of the Rabbits often portrayed harsh gestural hand movements and facial
expressions to represent the power they hand over the natives. Alongside the visual aspects
of semiotic systems, spatial elements were used to show depth and emotion from the start to
finish of the Rabbits arriving, from eager explorers, with the natives not knowing what to
expect, to subsequently ending with The Rabbits colonising and completely changing the
customs and land of the native people. Finally, Linguistics were used throughout to narrate
and were included in images such as "And Stole Our Children" plastered on posters to
create a power dynamic. Throughout the text, visual and spatial semiotic systems work together to depict the
environmental impact and power dynamic between the two races. As displayed in sequence
one, the visual semiotic system viewed the two race groups from afar, with the land of the
natives in the foreground. Because of this, the viewer was able to focus on the vibrant land
the Rabbits had just 'discovered.' The shot also had both race groups separated and staring
at each other, creating a sense of curiosity for the reader about what will happen next. The
visual semiotic system changes throughout the text, with a clear power dynamic starting to
form in sequence three. The strong visual colours and leading lines create a strong sense of
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power that the Rabbits were beginning to form. The semiotic system's visual code of colour
was consistent throughout the text. The images got darker and darker as the text went on,
creating a feeling of despair as the reader sees the native race lose hope. In sequence
seven, visual and spatial semiotic systems work together to almost mirror the first sequence.
The wide shot of the now barren land with nothing but machinery pouring waste onto the
bones of dead animals creates a sense of juxtaposition with sequence one. This is evident
as the once full of life land is now dead, repeating the dark colours as a metaphor for no
hope. Also working together throughout the text were gestural and linguistic semiotic systems to
depict the characters of the Rabbits as colonisers who slowly destroyed the land and
customs of the native people of the story. As displayed in sequence two, the gestural
semiotic system showed the Rabbits arriving at the new land on big boats and pointing
straight ahead. This, in conjunction with the text "they arrived by boats," foreshadowed the
immense destruction that was about to unfold. In sequence, six gestural and linguistic
semiotic systems worked together to create a sense of power and show the control the
Rabbits had over the native people. Under the linguistic semiotic systems, the Rabbits held
signs saying "And Stole Our Children" in order to full gage and understand this writing, the
viewer can see get a sense of what’s happening through the gestural semiotic systems that
the Rabbits are asserting power by holding out their arms and looking forward showing no
facial expression or compassion. The different visual and spatial semiotic elements such as colour and environmental spaces
work together to depict the Rabbits' power and goal of colonisation over the native people.
As discussed, sequence one and sequence seven, when placed in juxtaposition with each
other, mirror the land as before and after the Rabbits had colonised it and destroyed the
customs of the native people. As stated in Bull & Anstey, 2018, colour and juxtaposition can
be used to create contrast, relationships, and moods. The difference between light to dark
between the first and seventh sequence reinforces the two races' dynamic power
relationship. The meaning constructed through the different gestural and linguistic semiotic
systems was just as crucial in depicting the character motives of the Rabbits within the text.
As displayed in sequences two and six, the Rabbits' lack of facial expression or compassion
created a sense of power. In addition, their buffed chest and raised arms started to show the
hidden motive the Rabbits had, to colonise.
In conclusion, multimodal texts use two or more semiotic systems to create understanding.
They incorporate different visual and verbal semiotic systems to create meaning, such as
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pictures, illustrations, or verbal narratives. Currently there are five semiotic systems used in
multimodal text these are visual, linguistic, gestural, spatial and audio. The text “The
Rabbits” by Shaun Tan is narrated from the perspective of the natives Indigenous to the land
and depicts a story of colonisation and destruction when the antagonist characters, the
Rabbits, come to their home land. The poster uses visual and written components to show
how Tan utilises visual, linguistic, gestural and spatial semiotic systems throughout the text.
6
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Reference List:
Barceló, M. (2015). Theoretical background. Understanding multimodal texts through picture
books in the EFL classroom, 1
(1), 4-15. https://rdu.unc.edu.ar/bitstream/handle/11086/2293/Tesina.%20Barcel%C3%B3%2C
%20Mar%C3%ADa%20Ana.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Bull, G. & Anstey, M. (2018). Elaborating multiliteracies through multimodal texts. Changing
Classroom Practices and Developing Teacher Pedagogies, 1
(1), 102-123.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315149288/elaborating-
multiliteracies-multimodal-texts-geoff-bull-mich%C3%A8le-anstey
Furlan, S. (2019). Capturing The Rabbits. Emerging Scholars in Australian Indigenous
Studies, 1
(1), 1-3. file:///Users/sagebreeze/Downloads/Capturing_The_Rabbits.pdf
Lim, F. V. (2019). Investigating intersemiosis: A systemic functional multimodal discourse
analysis of the relationship between language and gesture in classroom discourse. Visual
Communication, 1
(1), 1-11.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1470357218820695
Pantaleo, S. (2012). Meaning
‐
making with colour in multimodal texts: An 11
‐
year
‐
old
student's purposeful ‘doing’. Literacy, 46
(3), 147-149.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1741-4369.2012.00664.x
Zbaracki, M. (2015). Writing right with text types. Future Gazing. 1
(1), 269-285.
https://ap01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/delivery/61CUR_INST/12182005120001951
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