Choices

PROMPT:

A term used to refer to difficult decisions made during war time is a "choiceless choice". A modern cliche' would be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Vladek had to make "choiceless choices" during WWII. Some of the decisions he made were ones that he may not have made in peacetime.  In your opinion, what are two of those choices? Explain with textual evidence from Maus I and/or Maus II. 

Guidelines:

• Your response needs to be 75-100 words. At the end of your response please put your first name, last initial, and school initials in parenthesis.
• Your response needs to be directed to the main prompt but reflect your reading of the responses that have been made prior to your post. You cannot merely restate what those before you have stated.

A Survivor's Tale

Read the interview with Art Spiegelman from LAST MONTH...
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/09/maus-author-art-spiegelman-talks-art-and-existence-at-harvard/

In the interview he states:

“When I was growing up, it’s not such a good idea to be a Jew. They killed you,” he said.

Admitting that he still has “trouble drawing in ways that don’t make sense for someone who has been doing this their whole life,” Spiegelman also noted that “Maus” was not intended “to make the world a better place.”

“It’s a cartoonist’s job to tell stories. I wanted to find a story worth telling,” he said, adding that parent-child relations were also in play. “I wanted to be in touch with my father. I didn’t want to be in touch with my father.”

PROMPT:

After reading the interview and at least MAUS I, how do you believe the book connects with the subtitle: A Survivor's Tale? Is it the story of Vladek, Anja, and Mala the three people who survived the Holocaust? Is it also the story of Artie who survived being raised by parents who were victims of the Holocaust? Explain your response with textual evidence.

Guidelines:

• Your response needs to be 75-100 words. At the end of your response please put your first name, last initial, and school initials in parenthesis.
• Your response needs to be directed to the main prompt but reflect your reading of the responses that have been made prior to your post. You cannot merely restate what those before you have stated.

Memory

After reading part of Maus, you are aware that Vladek is sharing memories with his son Artie.

Watch this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7WLk-KVYM4

After watching the video and reading Maus, comment on Vladek's memories of life before WWII citing specific evidence from the text. Do his memories appear REALISTIC or IDEALISTIC?

 
Guidelines:

• Your response needs to be 75-100 words. At the end of your response please put your first name, last initial, and school initials in parenthesis.
• Your response needs to be directed to the main prompt but reflect your reading of the responses that have been made prior to your post. You cannot merely restate what those before you have stated.

2017-2018 Maus Collaboration

Art Spiegelman was born in Sweeden and immigrated to the USA when he was young. His parents are both Holocaust survivors and, after his mother's death, he was compelled to tell their story. Read more about the author Art Spiegelman go to http://lambiek.net/artists/s/spiegelman.htm. How is he qualified to share this difficult topic with the reader?

As you begin to read Maus, what are your first impressions? What do you think about the GRAPHIC NOVEL genre as a medium for conveying history? How does it differ from traditional print? Provide textual examples from Maus I chapters 1-4. 



Guidelines:

• Your response needs to be 75-100 words. At the end of your response please put your first name, last initial, and school initials in parenthesis.
• Your response needs to be directed to the main prompt but reflect your reading of the responses that have been made prior to your post. You cannot merely restate what those before you have stated.

Reflections

Telling this story was challenging for both Artie and Vladek. What challenges do you think this task presented for both of them? How did these challenges manifest themselves throughout the texts? In what ways did Artie successfully overcome the challenge of telling his father's story?

Additionally, now that you have read the Maus books, what advantages do you think this medium has over other forms of testimony (oral, traditional written and visual)? What disadvantages exist?

 

Respond in 75-100 words with textual evidence to support your response. 

Memories

Memories are sometimes all that we have from an event or experience. Vladek has many memories of his life prior to coming to America. What tangible objects does Vladek still have from his life in Europe?

Looking further into Vladek;s memories, what did Vladek experience once he found out the war was over? How did he find Anja after the war?

Look beyond the text and explore...


Look at/Watch the video the Animated Map of the Liberation of the camps.

Read the page about Life After Liberation and watch the personal testimonies. How did Valdek, Anja, and other survivors describe life after the war. Cite specific details from the testimony you watch/historical footage you see.

Respond in 75-150 words with  textual evidence from MAUS and specific details from the USHMM clips.

Courage

Vladek had the courage to do "whatever it took" to survive WWII and his memories. What acts of courage do you think were the most beneficial to his survival?

As we learn in Maus, Jewish businesses were closed or damaged beyond repair during WWII. This week marks the 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's website to learn more about the Nazi effort to destroy Jewish culture.

Listen to the testimony of eye witnesses to history. How were they courageous?

Visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's website to listen to other survivor's memories of courage.

Make connections between the stories you hear and Valdek's. Explain with textual evidence (MLA format) from MAUS and at least TWO testimonies. Place your word count after final word (HERE). Word count range 150-200 words.