...The Holocaust: Effects of Dehumanization in Art Spiegelman’s Maus War broke out in Europe in September of 1939. Everything went downhill from then, Germans began to take over and minorities such as Jews were quickly forced to go to concentration camps, these horrible camps were stationed all over Europe. One of the main camps in Poland was Auschwitz. Opened in May 1940, it was an extermination camp located in southern Poland in a small town named Oswiecim. The camp consisted of three separate camps not far from one another so that communication could be kept between them. These three camps included: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II–Birkenau and Auschwitz III–Monowitz. Auschwitz I was classified as the base camp where prisoners mainly worked, Auschwitz II–Birkenau was the main extermination camp where prisoners went to die in a variety of ways after being too weak to work, and Auschwitz III–Monowitz another labor camp, which held prisoners who worked at a German chemical factory, IG Farben. The killing methods ranged from being lined up at a wall and shot to being put into ‘showers’ that realized a toxic gas. Once the prisoners were dead, they were then burned in the crematoriums at the camp. Essentially the prisoners of the labor and death camps were treated as objects and not as the humans that they were. Many might even go as far as refer to the Germans as heartless for doing the things that they did to the innocent Jews and other monitories. Art Spiegelman’s Maus shows...
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...In the books Maus I and Maus II by Art Spiegelman, the father and son relationship with the two main characters is an interesting adventure. The father, Vladek, is a survivor of a tragic 19th century event, the Holocaust. The holocaust has a negative effect on the way Vladek carries himself. Vladeks son, Artie, is getting told the story of the holocaust from a survivors point of view, Vladek is a survivor. Artie is writing a graphic book on the horrific story his father is proposing. Throughout the story, father and son have many disagreements, and certainly an entertaining love and hate relationship. One prime way the holocaust affected Vladek is the lack of trust he has with people. When Artie was a child, he was having problems with some kids at school, whom he referred to as his “friends”. Vladek assured him, “friends? Your friends? If you lock them together in a room for a week, then you will see what it is, friends!” (Spiegelman, 6). Artie must have had a rough time growing up with Vladek because his lack of trust, and also his compulsiveness of neatness or organization. Vladek constantly needs to keep all of his tasks in extremely precise order. Sometimes his compulsiveness provoke arguments and disagreements. Besides Vladeks thrive for organization, Artie and Vladek disagree on many events, often causing irritable situations. Vladek still treats Artie as if he is a child. He tries to influence the way he dresses by throwing out his coat, and giving him one...
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...abstractions that are often too difficult to put into words. One of the most famous graphic novels to date, Maus by Art Spiegelman is exemplary of this characteristic, seeing as it sheds light on the horrors of the Holocaust, one of the most difficult historical events to conceptualize. Using the unique format of the graphic novel and the literary elements of symbolism...
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...Persepolis and Maus: Two Survivors and Their Stories. Of the many items that help enhance the horror of the Nazi Holocaust, one of the most notable is what it had of systematic and bureaucratic. Not only killing people, which would have had already been enough, but precisely being made in a quiet and civilized way. It is not strange the image of the Nazi leader quoting his favorite poet while sending to death hundreds of people, belying the myth that culture and education make people better. The Holocaust was primarily an act performed with such rationality that could only become insane. It almost seems that it could have been avoided by appealing to the same reason as well served to run it. As indicated by the subtitle, Maus is the story of a survivor, as told to his son, who in turn transcribed into images and led to comic books. The father and son Vladek Spiegelman is Art Spiegelman. The story, like all of its kind, is bitter and full of cruelties. The work is structured in two levels. In one, the son tells the complex relationship with his father, a survivor of the Nazi camps, while collecting notes for the completion of a comic book that will have the experiences of the war. In the other, we see the story itself, that of a young newlywed couple immersed in the Nazi tumult. In contrast, contemporary events show an apparent visual poverty that hides repressed emotions in really classic and neat little vignettes, in which the author struggles with quiet desperation to...
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...literature * The Holocaust Name: Pooja Nath Entry No: 2009CH10087 Group No: 1 Contents | Chapter | Page Number | | | | 1. | Literature from the Holocaust: An Introduction | 3 | 2. | Piecing Together History: Stories of Survival | 4 | | Map: Nazi Concentration Camps | 4 | 2.a | Before the war | 4 | 2.b | During the war | 5 | 2.c | After the war | 6 | 3 | Maus: Graphics and Symbolism | 6 | 4 | Comparative Analysis: Understanding the Characters | | 4.a | Sophie and Vladek | 8 | 4.b | Sophie and Anja | 9 | 4.c | Nathan Landau and Holocaust survivors | 10 | 4.d | Stingo and Art as narrators | 10 | 5 | Bibliography | 11 | Literature from the Holocaust: An Introduction “The Jews are undoubtedly a race, but they are not human.” Adolf Hitler Official figures tell that six million Jews, two million Poles, one million Serbs, five million Russians were exterminated during World War II – the actual toll of executions by the Nazi Government, can never be estimated. Holocaust was a period of unspeakable horror and infernal ramifications which were not only felt across Europe but also in places like Laos. When I began this term paper, it was meant to be a study of the literature pertaining to this period of Nazi regime in Poland during World War II. What it turned out to be was a account of implacable and starkly real evil. A subject that has inspired countless movies, novels, real-life accounts, memoirs and poems, the holocaust continues to haunt...
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...Spiegelman’s Maus is a graphic novel which explores events of the holocaust and the uniting of a father and son. Though often overlooked the dedications play an integral role in better understanding the text. The dedications do not influence the meaning of the book but do reinforce events in the book. Spiegelman dedicates the first book to his mother as an attempt to rid himself of the guilt associated with his mother’s suicide. In an attempt to not have the same short comings as his father, Art associates his most prized work with the most prized people in his life. Richieu is often disregarded in the book however he is vital in Spiegelman’s eyes. The book in its entirety is highly important as it is a dedication to a whole race. Anja is thought to be Artie’s only parent as she is the one that raised him and made him who he is. The dedication to Anja acts as a medium through which Artie tries to apologise to his mother for the grief that he caused her and also a way to thank her. In the Prisoner on The Hell Planet, Art reveals the last moments that he shared with his mother and how all he said to her was “Sure Ma!” in a dismissive tone. This seemingly rude gesture towards his mother wasn’t Spiegelman but rather the LSD induced depression and anxiety. Despite this, Spiegelman was berated for the way he had treated her and this added to what he described as an overwhelming guilt where it was him against the world. While driving to Vladek’s, Art reveals that he used...
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...Effects of the Holocaust on Art Second generation survivors are the offspring of the survivors of the Holocaust. Though, these individuals are not directly impacted by the trauma of the Holocaust they are considered to have acquired the scars without the wounds (Albeck 1994). In the graphic novels Maus I and II by Art Speigelman, Art tells the tale of his father Vladek who is a survivor of the Holocaust. Throughout the novels, Art makes references or portrays within the comic how this has affected himself in one way or another. By constructing the panels in a way that shows how one event is connected to or lead to the other: the text demonstrates that Art has experienced some psychological scarring from the Holocaust as a second generation survivor. In a broader statement, the Holocaust has had a psychological and cultural effect on its survivors. In a television interview titled, “The Holocaust through the Eyes of a Maus” with Art Speigelman: Art states that the purpose of this graphic novel was to recite his father’s story as a survivor of the Holocaust. Art mentions that Maus is about the past and the present intertwining irrevocably and permanently. One of Art’s intentions were to gain a relationship with his father. Through this process of coaching Vladek, trying to collect information about the events that occurred he gained a relationship as interviewer/interviewee. Multiple situations throughout the novels Maus I and Maus II, Art indicates that the Holocaust has been the...
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...Surviving the Holocaust as a Comic Book Art Spiegelman’s MAUS: A Survivor’s Tale is uniquely suitable to study the holocaust and literature because of its innovative qualities such as a graphic novel, its detailed biography of a witness of the Holocaust in Poland, and its complex sroey of that witess as a survivor in the United States. MAUS: A Survivor’s Tale gives readers new insight into literature because of its form as a graphic novel. “We don’t need more genteel synonyms. We need to examine and redifine the words we inherit” (Spiegelman “Eyeballs”). Emotion is being assigned to abstract icons, it has become a predicament. The word “retarded” symbolizes a mental disorder, but it has been over used, and now carries a meaning of offensive criticism. “…Working relentlessly to sharpen students’ reading skills…hopes the graphic-novel rage at the school had something to do with it” (Solomon). Schools are hoping that reading comic books will help students in school, and they are preferred due to their illustrations. Also, reading, even comic books, will help improve FCAT scores, which will help the school. Cartoons are especially effective since people can recognize the drawing and characterize it into someone by age, gender, ethnicity, intelligence, and feelings (Spiegelman “Eyeballs”). Comic strips were made from stereotypes. Stereotype means to give a solid form to, and was invented as a way of making relief-printing plates. MAUS: A Survivor’s Tale also serves...
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...Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale—And Here My Troubles Began The Holocaust was one of the worst epidemics in the entire world. Many people were killed, more importantly the Jewish community, with millions dead. Families were torn and never mended. Among these families were the Spiegleman’s. Art Spiegleman was the son in the family who wrote about his father’s experience in the Holocaust. Maus I and Maus II are his two works of art that share historical information and his personal struggle. Within Maus II, Art talks about the start of his father’s struggles and what will be the beginning of a life changing event. The Holocaust affected victims just as the American Great Depression did its victims. This chapter starts out with Vladek continuously counting his pills, and then Artie and Francoise are staying with him just for a little since Mala left. Vladek keeps everything; he doesn’t want to get rid of anything, even crumbs. In chapter three, page 78 of Maus II, he is trying to give Artie a piece of fruitcake, and Artie refuses, and says he isn’t hungry. Vladek then tells Artie, “So, fine. I can pack the fruitcake in with the cereal for you to take home,” then Artie refuses to let Vladek give him the food because he doesn’t want it. Vladek then says, “I cannot forget it…ever since Hitler I don’t like to throw out even a crumb.” This shows that Vladek is still afraid to get rid of anything, because he is still in fear of the past. They begin talking more about Auschwitz, and how in...
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...Art Spiegelman - Thirteen www.thirteen.org/nyvoices/transcripts/spiegelman.html WNET ART SPIEGELMAN: No, MAUS ended up being kind of a crossover hit. ... LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL says, I guess the message of that film was something like, if you ... Maus I and Life is Beautiful Comparison Essay - Term ... www.studymode.com › Home › Geography Jul 22, 2014 - Maus I and Life is Beautiful Comparison Of all the Holocaust movies that exist, one in particular stands out. directed by Roberto Benigni in 1997 ... "Life Is Beautiful" vs. Maus Ii - College Essays - Noura41298 www.termpaperwarehouse.com › English and Literature Oct 2, 2014 - "Life Is Beautiful" vs. Maus Ii. There have been many re-tells of Holocaust survivor stories. For example, Maus II and “Life is Beautiful” are two ... Maus/Life is Beautiful Compare/Contrast rubric - RCampus https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=S52W55&sp... iRubric S52W55: Compare/Contrast essay scoring rubric.. Free rubric builder and assessment tools. Works inspired by Maus | Analysis of Art Speigleman's ... mausgraphicmemoir.blogspot.com/2012/.../works-inspired-by-maus.htm... Jul 5, 2012 - Maus was serialized in the Raw magazine from 1980 to 1991. ... Roberto Benigni's 1997 italian film Life is Beautiful, original titled La vita è ... Analysis of Art Speigleman's Memoir MAUS mausgraphicmemoir.blogspot.com/ Jul 26, 2012 - Maus I is a memoir about his fathers life and experiences while in Germany ..... LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL says, I guess...
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...Spiegelman’s Maus first and perhaps most forcefully established the connection between archives and comics. His groundbreaking work documenting his father’s experience in WWII Poland, where he survived internment in Auschwitz, is a visual narrative based on oral testimony that consistently heightens our awareness of visual, written, and oral archives, and where they interact, overlap, or get transposed one into the other. Hillary Chute recounts and interprets her collaboration with Spiegelman in the process of assembling MetaMaus, a book compiling interviews and archival materials on the making of Maus. MetaMaus, argues Chute, reflects the tension between different kinds of extant archives—oral, written, photographic—and the cross-discursive work of (re)building new archives that motivates Maus. Its defining feature is that it shows the materiality of Spiegelman’s archive; it is about the embodiment of archives. The subject of Maus is the retrieval of memory and ultimately, the creation of memory…. It’s about choices being made, of finding what one can tell, and what one can reveal, and what one can reveal beyond what one knows one is revealing. Those are the things that give real tensile strength to the work—putting the dead into little boxes. – Art Spiegelman (MetaMaus 73) Maus: A Survivor’s Tale is a book about archives. And the book about making Maus, MetaMaus, is both a process of taking stock of the Maus archive and an active process of creating a new archive.1 Maus is about...
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...Andrew Hart Intro to Lit Prof. Rajaram Oct. 22 2013 Vladek’s Confusion To be in the Holocaust as a jewish citizen is a frightening stretch. Overcoming through all the odds that the concentration camps, Gestapo, and the war provided is a rewarding achievement for a lucky Jewish subject. Not for Vladek Spiegelman. In Artie Spiegelman’s Graphic Novel Maus, he uses pictures to describe his father’s journey through the Holocaust. Vladek loses almost everything he loves his business, home, and most of his family. This tests his character throughout the story and ultimately results him being bitter towards life after. However the Holocaust forces Vladek to rely on inanimate objects to get him through this time. He confuses people and things as a sense of coinage. In the story Maus, Vladek’s ordeal through the holocaust complicates his connection towards currency, and this consequently alters his relationships with Mala and Artie. Vladek’s relationship towards currency begins as a love story. Vladek is first attracted to Anja because of her wealth. The bottom of page twenty shows them at the park and the dialogue is an invite to dinner at her parents house. After the invite Vladek narrates that “The Zylberberg family was very well off- millionaires! (Spiegelman 20).” This panel shows his eyes in a very pleased manner as if he made the right decision in choosing a woman. It is the panels on the next page where he is assesses his wife to be. He comes in and the family...
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...What it takes to survive a war “Maus” is graphic novel that tells the story of some survivors of the Holocaust, written by Art Spiegelman. It revolves around the main character Vladek (Art’s father) and his journey starting from years before World War II throughout the war and finally the end of the war and his survival. As a Jewish man, Vladek’s survival through the war and the Nazi concentration camps was genuinely a tough and difficult trip. Not only he survived, but Vladek also managed to carry his family away from the face of death. Quite a few factors contributed to his success, some are physical; such as his various skills and abilities that he used to keep himself alive, while the rest are emotional; like his love to his family, his dedication and his resourcefulness. Vladek was a true handyman, he possessed lots of skills before the war which later turned out to be his boat to the shore of life. He started out in the textile business, where it was more management work than hard labor. Later after Anja fell into a state of depression and he was coming back from the sanitarium, he enlisted into the Polish army, where he learned survival and combat skills that would help him in the long run. He was taken as a prisoner soon enough after the war starts, however, he got released. Vladek got into the black market business, dealing in the black market taught him a lot of skills varying from negotiation and communication skills to life lessons such as not trusting everyone...
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...A Graphic Adventure A Graphic Adventure Nathan Reece Herzing University A Graphic Adventure The holocaust is well known as a very tragic event and a first-hand account of such an event is already intriguing enough. However, Art Spiegelman took the intrigue a step further by telling it through an ironic graphic novel. The short adscript, “Prisoner of War” is an ironic graphic representation of the holocaust from a Russian’s perspective. Artie, a secluded boy, visits his father one of many times to ascertain more information about his past experiences in the war. In this instance his father recollects a time of tragic momentums. Artie listens eagerly although seems to take more interest in the recording story’s events than his father’s suffering. Perhaps one of the most ironic aspects of this graphic novel is the decision to use animals to depict race and nationality. Rats and Mice, for example, are used for the male and female Jewish characters. Cats are used for German soldiers and pigs for the Polish, who were very bitter towards the Germans at this time. This allowed him to depict something through picture that he would normally describe in long script. The variation shows the Jews as pests, which is how society saw them at the time. And it also showed the German as their predators and natural oppressors. Cats are viewed as a control factor for rats and mice, which exactly the way they saw themselves. Prior to telling the story, Vladek is demonstrating...
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...Often times when reading novels based off of true events, the reader is inclined to interpret what the narrator says to be true. In Art Spiegelman’s Maus, neither Artie nor Vladek could be considered reliable narrators due to Artie being the author of the book thus being able to edit his book however he saw fit, and Vladek is unreliable because his recollection of the Holocaust has a large bias since he only encountered one side of the Holocaust and his memories could be skewed by his age. Artie is not a reliable narrator because he is both the author and narrator and because he has allowed his relationship to his father to bias his perspective. Art Spiegelman chose to show his relationship with his father in the book. “Simultaneously it is a sharp study of the tension that exists between father and son, and the story of the writing of the book itself” (Grossman “Maus…”). Due to him being the author and editor of the book, one cannot trust Artie because he could have edited anything he wanted in order to portray the tension between him and his father in a different light than what it really was. Throughout the novel, Art and Vladek have intense arguments, the most passionate being the final one where Art leaves his father, calling him “Murderer” (159). When taken out of context, it seems a bit extreme for Art to call his father a murderer. But, the way Art wrote about his mother and included the very personal strip that he wrote about her, makes the reader feel for his side...
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