Monday, December 16, 2013

Emotional Expressions

Maus is filled with emotions. Art Spiegelman is frustrated at his father for not keeping his mother's journals and other personal items. Vladek is saddened when he remembers his family. What literary and artistic techniques does Art Speigelman use to get these emotions across to the readers? How does this Maus II differ from Maus I regarding to the Holocaust experience. Do you like it better thus far or do you prefer Maus I?
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20 comments:

  1. Dustin R. 3December 16, 2013 at 12:36 PM

    There's some little subtle things, like when Vladek talks about the fate of his family, it simply shows smoke stacks from a death camp. This book dives straight into life in Auschwitz, it shows just about every gruesome detail of life in the camp. Book I focuses on the start of the tragedy, Book II dives right into, and relishes in all the events in the tragedy. I find Maus II to be very much superior to Maus I.

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    1. AnonymousDecember 16, 2013 at 6:34 PM

      i agree both books are great but this one gets into way more detail then the other one.
      Cheyenne Leap

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    2. Montana WelcherDecember 17, 2013 at 7:07 PM

      I agree that the details in Maus II shows more gruesome details and to me that makes the book more real when you read it. Having a better view of what that time period was like, helps me better understand.

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    3. UnknownJanuary 14, 2014 at 8:58 AM

      I completely agree with you. I like Maus II way better than Maus I.

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  2. AnonymousDecember 16, 2013 at 6:33 PM

    i think the reason for getting rid of the stuff is to get rid of all the bad memories that go along with it and move on.i like them both very much but im getting into this one a little more, probably because it goes into it in more detail.
    Cheyenne Leap

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    1. Montana WelcherDecember 17, 2013 at 7:09 PM

      I agree. Vladek got rid of the memories Anja wrote probably because he didn't want to hurt anymore, as in think about her because he misses her and remember the past.

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    2. AnonymousDecember 23, 2013 at 8:40 PM

      i though the same thing that he got rid of the stuff to get rid of the memories -dalton greenlee

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  3. Montana WelcherDecember 17, 2013 at 7:05 PM

    Art listens to his father when he explains what happened to his family during the Holocaust and explains vividly on what happened (the smoke stacks). Maus I was just a setting to get the book started. Maus II is where it talks more in detail of the Holocaust. The first book showed more the relationship between Art, Vladek and Mala. I like Maus II better because it goes right into things of the Holocaust.

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    1. AnonymousDecember 31, 2013 at 7:00 PM

      I agree that the first Mous book was more focused on introducing the story, rather than getting into detail about the actual occurrences during the Holocaust. I also enjoyed this book more than the first because it was more into detail about the Holocaust.
      -Angela B.

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  4. AnonymousDecember 20, 2013 at 12:38 PM

    I probably would say I like the second one better, it gets into the depravity of the camps and delivers it's message with great the great detail in the faces and such in the different panels.~Noah B.

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    1. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2014 at 3:54 PM

      I agree! The detail is great at sending the message.
      -Summer C.

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  5. AnonymousDecember 23, 2013 at 8:37 PM

    I think the main reason for not keeping arts mothers things is because of the awful memories of losing her and saddened him by the memories of loosing his family. i personally like this one in the aspect that it talks more about the graphic details of the camps but i also like the first one because it makes it a more personal sorry by getting to know the characters. -dalton greenlee

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    1. Dustin R. 3December 24, 2013 at 7:38 AM

      I felt this book was much better at telling the emotional story happening in the present and mixing it with Vladek's stories of his past. To me, Maus I only really an effective emotional moment between Art and Vladek was at the very end.

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  6. UnknownDecember 30, 2013 at 5:41 PM

    Art Spiegelman uses the technique of art such as the the mice and cats to capture the emotions of the reader. We, the readers, get the perfect animals for the perfect book scenario of the cat being the predator and the mice being the prey to symbolize the Nazis and the Jews. Art Spiegelman's technique of literary is bolding a word for more emphases on a certain situation. For example, Tosha states “I won’t go to their chambers! And my children won’t go to the gas chambers (p.109 Maus I). another example would be Vladek stating, “My father pulled out 14 teeth to escape.”
    Maus II differs from Maus I regarding to the Holocaust experience by being more detailed about the Holocaust for such as the gas chambers, the ovens for trying to hide the evidence of their action . While Maus II had some time family time such as Mala, Vladek, and Artie being together at some point, Maus I had more instances of that throughout the book. In addition, Anja appeared more in Maus I since Artie tells the beginning of Vladek and Anja being together. I like Maus II far more since It goes more into detail into the Holocaust and into Vladek’s story of him being in Auschwitz.

    word count: 212

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  7. AnonymousDecember 31, 2013 at 6:57 PM

    The journals and other memorabilia was probably gotten rid of to avoid bringing up past pain and sorrow. The author uses many literary tools to get the point of pain and suffering across. He uses images such as the concentration camps (smoke from chimneys, and sick looking Jews/mice). He also describes the pain and weariness of the concentration camps and the gas chambers. In comparison to the first Mouse, this book was much more in detail about the suffering that the Jews went through. Personally I liked this book better because even though they are talking about mice and cats, the more descriptive scenarios and series of events makes the story seem more real.
    -Angela B.

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2014 at 3:53 PM

    One of the things that the author uses is the fact that he makes all of the characters as animals, also the smoke from the chimneys at the concentration camps.
    I like Maus II more because it goes more into Vladek's story.
    -Summer C.

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  9. Sam JarrellJanuary 13, 2014 at 1:42 PM

    There are some small things, like when Vladek talks about his family's fate it just simply shows a picture of smokestacks which i assume to be from a death camp. Book two seems to dive straight into detail about life at Auschwitz which is pretty horrific conditions for anyone to live in let alone a child. I cannot say which book is better because i did not read the first book but i do enjoy reading Maus II

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  10. AnonymousJanuary 14, 2014 at 8:20 AM

    He uses illustrations that indirectly tell you what was happening. He would be saying how he felt so bad and like he was going crazy, but he drew it as him being very small when he is talking to his therapist.
    -Ben Shifflett

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  11. UnknownJanuary 14, 2014 at 8:56 AM

    The reason for not keep her stuff is because of all the bad memories those items held. He uses animals in the book as characters to tell a story. I like this book better than the first one because it talks a lot more about the camps and does lead into the holocaust.

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  12. AnonymousJanuary 15, 2014 at 7:09 AM

    i think his father didnt keep the storys because it was such a bad experience in their lives that he just wanted to forget about that time of their lives. the second book is better because it talks alot more about the camps and leads into the holocaust. -Justin Register

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