Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Maus ... a GRAPHIC NOVEL that INFORMS...

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. To read more about the author Art Spiegelman, follow this link. As you begin to read Maus, what are your first impressions? Have you ever read a GRAPHIC NOVEL? What do you think about the genre? Have you read any other graphic novels? Is this genre appropriate for conveying history?

36 comments:

  1. I finished the book yesterday. I had never read a graphic novel. It was an interesting book and I think it was an appropriate way to discuss the Holocaust.

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    1. In Maus I, Spiegelman uses comic style drawings to express hidden meanings to the reader. For example, he uses a circle shape and draws Vladek in the middle. It could be a magnifying glass, and the reader has a chance to look at Vladek when he was younger. (p. 12) Later, I think he uses the poster of “The Sheik” in the background to show Vladek in the past. Vladek in the future is pedaling the bike. It shows how different Vladek’s two worlds were. (p. 13) Chapter 2 has a picture with the words “The Honeymoon” and a flag with the Swastika symbol. It seems to foreshadow that Vladek and Anja’s honeymoon will be disrupted by the Nazis. (p. 23) Another interesting drawing was how he drew the picture of Miss Stefanska in jail. I think the bars were at a slant because it wasn’t clear why she was in jail. She had been “framed”, and had not had anything to do with the documents. (p. 29) He drew a large picture of Jews kneeling in the forest. Several Germans are pointing guns at their heads and two soldiers have a bottle of alcohol, and they are smiling. This was for dramatic impact. (p. 61)

      Overall, I feel that he drew the Jews as mice because they were small and weak. He drew the Nazis as cats because they hate the mice (Jews), and wanted to get rid of them by killing them all.

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    2. The pictures really do make the story come alive.

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  2. I have never read a graphic novel before, and I believe that this is a very interesting way to put out information. It is really cool how he is able to express his thoughts through a more visual way rather than by simply reading. This should attract a lot of readers who do not like to read because they do not like the words. With a graphic novel, they do not have to read so much and they get to see more pictures. You are also able to put more emphasis on certain words with a bolder font or bigger font. Both work really well. I have never read a graphic novel, and I never knew there was a difference between a graphic novel and a comic book. They seem to have a really similar style, and many people like comic books, therefore many people will probably like graphic novels. Both have a big emphasis on drawings and visual art, and both have the special characteristic that they can modify their fonts in order to add emphasis. I think the book is really good, and the genre is a very creative and different approach to what is usually done for conveying history.

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    1. A difficult subject, The Holocaust, is not made as GRAPHIC in this manner. I see this demonstrating the discrimination between cultures, not the death and destruction. I think this addresses an underlying issue...not the result like many stories do.

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  3. I have finished chapter one and it was interesting. It starts out differently than i had expected because most of the stories i have seen deal with just the holocaust. in this a young man is telling the story of how his parents met although his father objects to putting this into his book i'm glad he did because it makes it feel all that more personal. i haven't read many graphic novels but it seams like a good alternative way to tell the story.some might say that this genre type isn't appropriate to convey a holocaust story but if u look at it from a younger persons point of view it makes it maybe more entertaining and interesting to read about. -Dalton Greenlee

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  4. I have just finished chapter one and I think that is totally different from any other holocaust story I have ever heard or read. This is my first graphic novel I have ever read and I think I might consider reading more. Maus is a great story so far, and I can't wait to read more of it. It is a very interesting way to portray a holocaust book.
    - Hayden Groff

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  5. I think that Maus 1 was very creative, I had never read a graphic novel before, but I just finished this book and I enjoyed reading it. My first Impression when I started reading Maus it was that the drawings would make the story much less violent and more appropriate for children. While reading this book I noticed how wrong I was, and that this book has some strong images about the horror that people live through the holocaust. I have read another book about the holocaust like: The Diary of Anne Frank. And this story is very different, more specific. I think that the genre for this book is very creative and that it fits perfectly, the drawings all over the book definitely helped me to get a better idea of what was going on in the story. Art Spiegelman used animals to represent the different cultures that are presented in the story, and he uses them on a clever way, making the Jews maus and the Nazis cats is an easy way to see how it was during those years in Germany, and I think that that representation helped me understand on a better way how the Nazis treated the Jews.

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    1. I agree, the simplicity of the cat and mouse concept helps us better understand the idea of people feeling like they are being hunted.

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  6. In Maus I, it is very strange seeing Vladek, Artie, and Anja drawn as humans for the first time. I was used to seeing them as mice and did not think of how they would look as humans. I would use the word “apprehensive” to describe the build-up to actually seeing Spiegelman’s drawings. I was not sure I wanted to see them because the story had become very interesting. I did not want the new pictures to change the way I felt about the story. It also makes the book interesting because the reader is not expecting drawings of people. (p. 100-103)

    While reading, we know that Artie is writing this very book. This is an interesting technique. It is written like a comic book with illustrations, dialog, and action scenes. The book is easy to read, yet it has a strong message. It’s hard to believe that this is a real part of history and a true, personal story. The end of the book was especially disturbing. Artie walks away from his father and mumbles, “murderer.” However, it did make me question what would happen next. For example: What happens to Artie and Anja at Auschwitz? How do they get out? Why does Anja commit suicide? (p. 159)

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  7. My first impression of this novel was that having pictures to go along with the story was a great visual aid! I have never read a graphic novel before, but so far I really like the genre that is used! I think a graphic novel is an appropriate way to present history because it helps to give an image to the events that took place. The same historical story is being told and is even more enjoyable to read because the pictures make it more interesting. Reading along with the drawings makes the story-line much clearer and easier to follow. I am really enjoying reading from a graphic novel!
    -Angela Bailey

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  8. i have never been into graphic novels. but this is a great book and i really enjoy it. i think it tells a great story and i like how he's telling his son about what happened to them.

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  9. I have read Maus before, and i'm a fan of graphic novels, and I believe that the first chapter is a great introduction to making the characters come alive.~Noah B.

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  10. So far, Maus is pretty engaging, the first chapter sets everything up wonderfully. I'm a huge fan of comics myself, I've read lots of Batman, and X-Men stuff, but not really anything based on real events. Comics are a fantastic format to tell a story, there should definitely be more comics based on history, I'd definitely read a comic about an event like Vietnam. The only thing I find odd about Maus is very apparent, why is everyone mice? It seems to me like Art Spiegelman is trying a bit too hard to be different......

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  11. I finished chapter one and I love reading graphic novels because there are words with pictures. Maus is a good book about his life during the holocaust. I can not wait to see what stories he will tell in the book.

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  12. I think the story is very interesting so far. I've read a bunch of graphic novels before, and I find them very interesting. I like seeing how they are drawn out. I think its an appropriate way to show the holocaust, and it's also something very different.

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  13. I haven't read any graphic novels and so far I am enjoying this book. I like how there are picture's so I can reflect what I have read. I like how the book starts off. It doesn't tell you the main points right off the bat, it starts off with a good chapter and is gradually getting to all the main points.I can tell every chapter from now on will be more detailed of what the holocaust was like. I thought I would not like graphic novels but for this book I can make an exception because its about the holocaust and its what im interested in.

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  14. After reading the first chapter I have found this novel very intriguing. I have never read a graphic novel before, but I have enjoyed it! The beginning surprised me because it truly did not get into the beginnings of the Holocaust all that much. I know it said somewhere in the book that the author wanted to make the story seem realistic to people who did not encounter the Holocaust first hand, and I think incorporating his parents' coming together was a good way to do that. The entire Holocaust situation seems as if some horror movie writer grouped together his most horrific thoughts; Spiegelman did a wonderful job of relating the story on a more personal level with the reader. In my opinion, The graphic novel seems an appropriate way to convey the Holocaust survivor story because it allows the reader to be able to visualize one person's different thoughts of what happened. Though the whole of the event can not be shown, the important things are magnified and better explained to some who might not grasp the concept quite so well.

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  15. I think that Maus is the perfect way to discuss the Holocaust! The fact that the characters are mice make the content of the Holocaust easier to fathom! My first impression was great considering I have never liked the way that graphic novels seem to be all over the place; however, I really like this one! I am very interested to see the things that Spiegelman witness through his experiences! This book has got me hooked and all ready to go! (Anne-Charles)

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  16. I agree with Cole in the fact that when Artie, Anja, and Vladek were potrayed as humans. I have to admit that It cought me off guard when I first saw it. Seing the characters in Maus I as humas almost changed my whole point of view on the story, and why the author chose to show them as mice in the first place. In the picture I saw ugly helpless figures that looked to be humans. If I had to read the whole book like that I don't know what I would do because I cant stand reading sad books with people in them.. In my opinion I don't like to read about sad events or happenings, but if I saw the mice potrayed as humans I would really not want to read the book. I am glad it was only a couple of pages.

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  17. Sorry for the lateness.
    I have read many comics and graphic novels before and have in fact read Maus before. Graphic novels are unique in their ability to combine prose with visual imagery. This is something you witness in virtually all graphic novels and can add an extra layer of subtle symbolism to the work because details in the image meant to symbolize something are not directly pointed out as is the case with full prose. This genre of art, like any other, can be used for anything with the right execution. I have read this book before, but it feels like I am reading it for the first time again as I now have better historical context. It is a well written, well executed work whose unique art style and representation serve to present the horrors of the Holocaust in a way like no other. In short it has a certain je ne sais quoi that makes it peerless among other historical fiction/nonfiction films and books. - Zack Wolfrey

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  18. After reading these two books I am in a awe of what Vladek went through and surprised how he made it. The whole time i was reading this book i didn't stop a minute to think how other Jewish survivors mad it and did what they needed to survive. I also believe Maus is a great graphic novel that i would recommend to others interested in the Jews during WWII and looking for something that they can get a better idea on how and what thing looked like. I also believe this is a good book conveying history because it was very detailed and real hearing the story and seeing the images of everything happening. Before i read the book my first impression were that this book would be interesting, and it passed my expectations. I'm now interested to find another book just as similar, but on a different time or event in history.

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    1. oopss, sorry this is Desi or D.C

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  19. So far I am really enjoying Maus. The visual aid is super helpful when reading and definitely didn't start out like I thought it would. Talking about his dad's life before the war made the story much more relatable. I've never read a graphic novel before, but I am really enjoying this one. The images portray the genre in a great way. Although the entire story of the holocaust cannot be told in one book, I think Spiegelman has done a great job so far! (Rula Tareq)

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  20. At first when I began to read the book I did not understand what any of the things that were happening had to do with the Holocaust. But after I got past the parts of the book that had to do with what life was like for Vladek before the war; i finally was able to see how this book had a connection with the Holocaust. Even though this is my first time reading a graphic novel, I have to say that i was amazed by how it was much more interesting to me then a normal documentation or normal book about the Holocaust. I believe that this genre was one probably of the best ways possible to cover the topic of the Holocaust because it is more attractive to younger audience and it makes it more pleasing to read than any ordinary book about the Holocaust. (Bryan Avalos)

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  21. I have never read a graphic Novel before, but found the pictures helpful in understanding what was going on. My first impression was i wasnt going to like it. I think the genre gives a different approach to the topic.( Mikequana Johnson0

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  22. I have never read a graphic novel, but Maus was much different. I really enjoyed reading the book because it was interesting as well as intriguing. I couldn't put it down. At first I didn't like the idea of history being portrayed in a graphic novel, but after I started reading it I really liked it. I believe that the graphic novel was more interesting to read than a regular Holocaust related book. ( Laura D)

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  23. i read the whole book this weekend because I got bored. I never really liked to read. But this book was acctully injoyable and easy to read. it also gave the reader [me] a new view piont of the holocost. I also thought it was neat that the main focus wasnt it on all the killings and horrible things it also talked about before the war and how his parents met. It also showed the effects and infulance money had on your chances of servivle

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  24. I read chapters 2,3,and 4 and arties dad keeps on telling him about how he was in a prison camp and how he got out of the camp. It shows that during those times food was scarce, and the Jews were moved from one place to another. The pictures that match with the words helps me to know what is going on. I like this book and I can not wait to see what happens in the oncoming chapters.

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  25. I have never read a graphic novel before in my life, because I didn't feel I will get something out of reading those kinds of books. But after finish chapter 1 in this graphic novel I have differently change my mind! I was very surprised by the book and the storyline was really great. I like that the author can describe scenes so simple with just few words. But it’s the characters facial expressions and movements that make the book so amazing and captivating for the audience. I also think it is much easier to read this book rather than a long depressing novel about the Holocaust. I am really fond of how personal this book is and the way the book started was very interesting. Mause is a great story so far, therefore am I really looking forward to read the whole book.

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  26. I have personally never read a graphic novel before, because i think of them as too unrealistic and too cartoony, but Art Speigelman changed my opinion on that when i started reading Maus, he makes a non-fictional graphic novel that is both entertaining and educational.(Ben Shifflett)

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  27. ive read graphic novels before, but they were all completely fictional. My first impressions of the book were that this wouldnt be a good way to tell histrorical events, but i will see how it pans out as i read.

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  28. The first chapter is very interesting, it was different than i thought it would be. I haven't read a graphic novel before but i do like how this book is starting off. The genre is interesting also i think its appropriate and a good way to explain the holocaust.

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  29. I thought this was a really great book. ive never read a book like this but i really liked it. i was never much into reading comics but i got into this one. -Justin Register

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  30. I've never read a graphic novel before, but so far this one is very interesting. In my opinion i feel like it does help convey history, and i also feel like it is very descriptive.
    - Jason Tovar Jr

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  31. I have never experienced a graphic novel such as this. i have read graphic novels that are all comedy and jokes. this book takes comics and history combines them together helping me understand the history a lot more.
    - PJ Sabo

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