WHY IS CONTEXT IMPORTANT? MAUS

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA Understanding of ideas, characters and themes Analysis of structures, features and conventions used to construct meaning Analysis of ways in which values are embodied in the text Discussion of the ways in which a text may be open to different interpretations Use of appropriate textual evidence and relevant metalanguage Expressive, fluent and coherent oral language conventions

Analysis of ways in which values are embodied in the text. Discussion of the ways in which a text may be open to different interpretations CONTEXT of a text directly relates to these criteria in your Outcome.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Patterns and links that occur throughout the text to highlight themes, values, ideas and characterisation.  the use of animals / anthropomorphism to show the relationship between those with power and those without.  Recurring symbols – how pervasive is the Swastika symbol in the text and what does it embody?  The graphic novel elements of the text such the point of view of an image; the use of shades and tones; the combination of visual and literary devices to highlight values and themes. The way eyes and mouths are drawn to highlight a theme. The hanging mice with their feet dangling says something about the way the Nazis saw the Jews.

Context – means all aspects of an environment or setting, including the humans that occupy that space and time.. Three main types of contexts in literary analysis are: – social – historical – cultural In “Maus” we have a number of time changes each with their own but also shared contexts.

Authors do not write in a vacuum. Authors are influenced by the times in which they live and the values and ideals of that society whether they draw on them directly or indirectly. The panel below illustrates the contexts of two different time periods.

REMEMBER WHEN WE WRITE/SPEAK ABOUT CONTEXT: Description is equivalent to saying, “This is what the author is telling us about”. Analysis is equivalent to saying “ This is how the author is sharing their ideas and values and why.”

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT JUDAISM – one of oldest religions – History of Persecution – History of trying to find the Homeland – Blamed for “killing Christ.” Poland 1920’s to 1930’s – Majority of European Jews lived in or around Poland despite it being a Catholic Country – Jews were an easy target as they occupied very specific locations in Polish cities

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT HOLOCAUST – Hitler’s notion of racial purity, “garbage races” and “degenerate humans” formed the philosophical basis for the “Final Solution” Policy – Jews were the single biggest victims but homosexuals, gypsies, Russian Prisoners of War were also victims – Hitler also hated the Poles as a race so Jewish Poles were some of the first victims of the Holocaust

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT HOLOCAUST – Death camps were killing factories – There was an arbitrary nature to survival or not – Humiliation and psychological torture were also tools used by the Nazis to “dehumanise” their victims

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT POST WAR 1945 – PRESENT – Anya and Vladek moved to Sweden where Art was born in 1948 (real name Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev) – Moved to New York shortly after this. Many Jewish people migrated from Europe to North America; and New York in particular. – The state of Israel was formed. Jewish people are automatically citizens of the state of Israel as well as their own country

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT POST WAR 1945 – PRESENT – The first decade after the Holocaust, organizations were formed to help people re-connect with “lost “ family members”. – Holocaust literature, survivor accounts and psychological studies on the nature of survival began to appear, raising the awareness of the world to this horrific event. – There was a legacy passed on to the children of survivors – “We must not let the world forget.”

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT POST WAR 1945 – PRESENT – Art had a stable upbringing but not an uncomplicated one sharing that experiences with other children of survivors – Anya committed suicide when Art was 20 – suicide was a crime and depression carried a social stigma which Art himself experienced when he was in a mental hospital – Many Jewish children of survivors like Art were not necessarily religious but culturally affiliated themselves with being Jewish – Francoise converted when she and Art married so their children could be Jewish

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT POST WAR 1945 – PRESENT – Art grew up at a time when the USA was changing with Civil Rights; the Vietnam War so he by comparison is much more tolerant than Vladek. This is a source of tension between them.

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT ROLE OF WOMEN