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.

Valdek, Memory, and Historical Accuracy

Vladek's story of his experiences in WWII is being told several decades after the event. Artie tries to keep Vladek's story as authentic as possible.

Watch this video and listen to VLADEK's VOICE...Art Spiegelman discusses his creation of the book.

People tend to remember events with which they emotionally connect very vividly. How is this true for Vladek?

What tendencies of Vladek's demonstrate to the reader that Vladek not only had vivid memories of his experiences during WWII but also carries the "baggage" of that experience with him on a daily basis?

Respond with textual evidence in MLA format in 75-100 words  (pick valuable words...blog posts are concise).

Note: Image here is Vladek in 1972 the year Art began to interview him for the book.

MAUS II

MAUS II is subtitled "and here my troubles began". In this portion of the story we experience some of Artie's and Vladek's pain. How does Artie's brother that he never knew because he died during the war cause him grief? How does Vladek display survivor guilt?

Vladek was a young adult during WWII. Look at the USHMM's Online Exhibition Collaboration and Complicity, and find the TEENAGERS TAB. Listen to the other views of survivors who were young adults during WWII. How does viewing images and listening to other accounts add to the authenticity of Vladek's memory that Artie was trying so hard to deliver?
 
Respond with TEXTUAL EVIDENCE in MLA format. Indicate word count (75-100 words) after last word.

 

Human Nature

From Vladek's discussions with Artie, what did you learn about people/human nature? Did WWII and the Holocaust bring out the best or the worst in people? What examples are given in Maus of people going out of their way to care for their fellow man and what examples are there of people being fearful to stand up for what is right?

As Maus includes REAL elements, so too does this blog, The image is from the Unites States Holocaust Memorial Museum exhibit titled Collaboration and Complicity. What does this image reveal to you about human nature? Are there any other images from the USHMM exhibit that you can connect to any of the stories that Vladek shares with Artie?

Respond with TEXTUAL EVIDENCE in MLA format. Indicate word count (75-100 words) after last word.

Prisoner of War

Chapter 3 is Titled "Prisoner of War". How is Vladek both literally and figuratively a prisoner of war? An old saying is that the true test of one's self is how they react under pressure/in challenging times. How did Vladek react? What character traits of Vladek's were prominent during this time?

Respond in 50-100 words with textual evidence in MLA format. Include word count after final word.

Pre War Jewish Life in Europe

Describe Vladek's perception of his life/his world pre-WWII?

In your 50-100 word response cite TWO specific examples.

Welcome to 2015-2016 Cross Country Connections

Art Spiegelman was born in Sweden 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 (http://lambiek.net/artists/s/spiegelman.htm).


In his process to record his father's story of his experiences in WWII and in Auschwitz, what ways does the author show compassion toward his aging father? In what ways does he demonstrate frustration? How has the Holocaust and its aftereffects shaped this relationship?


Please respond in 50-100 words citing textual evidence.

At the Conclusion of Maus...

Respond to both: One's experiences in life shape them. How did WWII shape Vladek? How was Artie shaped by his father's experiences? How does their story impact you? Now that you have completed a graphic novel, what are your thoughts on this medium as a means to communicate a story meant to inform?

Chapter 4 Book 2

In Chapter Four, Artie depicts the story of Vladek's liberation. How does telling this story impact Artie? How does it impact Vladek? At this moment, with which character do you feel a stronger connection?

Getting into Artie's Mind...

"Why do you think Artie titles Chapter 3 'Here My Troubles Began'? What do you believe to be the biggest problem he faced thus far? Answer BOTH with evidence from the TEXT.

Maus II ... Chapter 2

"What do we learn about Vladek's experience in Auschwitz in this chapter? How do the illustrations add a dimension to the story?"

Maus II

How does Artie depict himself at the start of Maus 2? do you think he tone is the same or has it changed from the tone of Maus 1? Explain with evidence from the text.

Expectations

How did Maus meet your preconceived notions of a Holocaust story? How did it differ?

Images teel the story too...

Find a panel that emotionally connected you to the story. On what page is it? Explain why that panel emotionally "grabbed" your attention.