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The Rabbits - Context
The Rabbits - Context
The Rabbits, written by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan, is “a rich and haunting allegory for all ages, all cultures”. The 32-page picture book is a reference to Australia’s colonial past, exploring the history between British colonisers and Australia’s Indigenous population. (Cheung, 2017)
Introductory Activities
Introductory Activities
What is a fable?
A fable is a short story that features animals, legendary creatures, plants or inanimate objects that are given human qualities (such as talking). Each story contains a particular moral lesson; sometimes these are explicitly stated at the end of the fable.
Are a fable and a parable the same?
A fable differs to a parable as a fable includes animals, plants or inanimate objects that are given human qualities; however, a parable still contains a moral lesson.
Who was Aesop and why are they often referred to as Aesop’s fables?
Aesop’s Fables is a collection of fables credited to Aesop. Aesop is believed to have been a slave who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. His stories were originally aimed at adults, and contained political, social and religious themes. They were designed to be told orally.
Aesop’s fable: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep owing to the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs. But one day it found the skin of a sheep that had been flayed and thrown aside, so it put it on over its own pelt and strolled down among the sheep. The Lamb that belonged to the sheep, whose skin the Wolf was wearing, began to follow the wolf in the sheep's clothing; so, leading the Lamb a little apart, he soon made a meal of her, and for some time he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and enjoying hearty meals.
Questions
1. What are the main elements of this fable? Consider what animals have been chosen and why this might be.
2. What is the moral lesson? Was this message portrayed clearly throughout the fable?
3. Is this moral lesson still relevant today? Consider how you might relate this moral to a situation in your life.
Extension Activity
Write your own fable.
Consider:
Where is your fable set?
What animals will you use to convey your message?
How will you describe them?
What will your moral lesson be?
Remember that fables are short, so it is important to edit your work carefully to ensure that it is succinct.
The Rabbits Questions
Characters
Characters
1. Shaun Tan and John Marsden chose rabbits to represent the colonisers. Why do you believe they chose rabbits?
2. What other characters are included?
3. How are the Indigenous Australians represented?
4. Why do you think Tan chose (in his words) ‘native numbat-like creatures’ who are deliberately unrecognisable as native Australian animals? Why weren’t more obvious native animals chosen like kangaroos or emus?
Point of view
The Rabbits is written from the point of view of the native animals. The text is written in the first person plural (collective) with the rabbits often being referred to simply as ‘they’.
How do perspectives influence our reading of the text?
When reading a text it is important to consider the point of view or perspective that is being presented. Consider an event in your life where people have had different perspectives. What factors might influence someone’s perspective on an event, e.g. their physical circumstances, emotions, etc.?
Discussion questions:
Why do you believe Marsden and Tan chose to present this text from an Indigenous perspective?
What other perspectives could this text be presented from?
Image Comparison
They came by water
They came by water
Tan & Marsden
The Landing of Captain Cook at Botany Bay, 1770
The Landing of Captain Cook at Botany Bay, 1770
Fox
Compare the two images "They came by water" and "The Landing of Captain Cook at Botany Bay" and answer the following questions for both images;
What elements of visual literacy can you identify? What is their purpose and effect?
What is the surface meaning of this page/image? (what can you see)
What is the deeper meaning? (what messages are the authors trying to convey?)
What text has been included on this page? Does it add extra information or support the text? Consider the vocabulary choices.
How has the author positioned you to respond to this page? (How does this page make you think and feel?)
Phone Go/Computer lesson
Spilt class into 6 equal groups
Give each group one double page from the text, The Rabbits and one of these topics to research.
"They won’t understand the right ways" - The study of Australia's flora and fauna
"They made their own houses" - The First fleet and settlement at Botany Bay
"They brought new food, and they brought other animals" - Early farming and grazing by Europeans in Australia
"Sometimes we had fights" - Conflict, oppression, massacres and frontier violence
"And they stole our children" - The Stolen Generations
"The land is bare and brown and the wind blows empty across the plains" - Expansion of the colony and its negative environmental impact
Answer the following questions to help your research
Summarise what is being presented on this page and identify how this page relates to the theme/topic.
Identify the main visual literacy techniques used and their effects.
Explain the Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives of this event/scene.
Identify some main facts about this event, as well as the impact on the natural environment and Indigenous people and/or their culture.
How is this theme/event was portrayed in The Rabbits using the information you gathered through your analysis of your page?
Final Questions/discussion
Discuss with students the final line in The Rabbits: ‘Who will save us from the rabbits?’
Why do the native animals need saving?
Could they have saved themselves? Did they try?
How were the native animals’ lives and culture affected by the rabbits?
Consider recent events towards reconciliation in Australia (such as the ban on climbing Uluru, the move to include reference to Aboriginal peoples in the Constitution and the Uluru Statement from the Heart). Do you think the native animals have been ‘saved’? Can the damage ever be fixed? Who can or should save them from the rabbits?
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