A True Person: student reflections

A True Person- Gabiann Marin

www.newfrontier.com

Stephanie: "A True Person" is a powerful, meaningful and hopeful book with illustrations that use vibrant colours to enhance and bring text to life. The writing style was focused on Zallah’s thoughts and emotions throughout the book and used short and sharp sentences to really capture the essence of being held captive, unable to be free and being rejected. I believe that this book is much more than just a story. This book tells an important message to all who read it and leaves them in amazement and awe. The moral of this story is to never lose hope. The author was also protesting against the cruelty of Australian laws and how they are unjust and unfair.

Jamie: This story was a reflection on how Australia can be so cruel to immigrants and refugees who come here for a better and safer life.

I thought this book really connected to real life problems that happen to people in our world. The illustrations in the book were really powerful, such as the way the girl’s face appeared up close, because you could see her emotions when she was on her way to Australia hoping for a new life.

The story of A True Person had hidden messages.... never stop believing in yourself and that the governments may be cruel and unfair to immigrants and refugees that come to Australia.

Grace: In this story of "A True Person" I think that the illustrations go beyond the text because of the emotion that they show. In close ups of Zallah’s face especially, you can see the tears in her eye.

Reading this book made me feel disappointed because of the way that the governments treat asylum seekers. This also made me feel sad.

Ciaran:

This story gave us an insight of the harsh reality In our sometimes cruel world. It is horrible to think that behind the scenes, people treat others in a grotesque manner. The book ‘’A True Person’’ really nailed how inhumane this system is. Sending people to crowded camps isn’t  impressive and doesn't make Australia look good.  We can’t ignore this issue, it is a growing problem that must be stopped.  As a nation, Australia needs to understand and realise the fortune these people have. This story explains how life is for a large quantity of people. It shows that they need help and wisdom.