1. Find your group. 2. Get a novel and a question guide. 3.DO NOT LOOK passed the first page of THE NOVEL! 1. Sign in your book. Put the novel aside. 2.Take out your LETTER homework (2 COPIES)! Be ready for specific instructions about the letter! While waiting for me -- DO NOW! On the piece of scrap yellow paper, put your name and jot down the answers to the following question. SHHHHHHH! THINK/JOT DOWN! Consider the various physical/personality traits of the animals in the pictures on this slide. What are some of these traits? In a minute, you will be discussing this information with your group. BE READY! fish frog cat pig dog mouse

1.Talk and turn within your groups and make SIX lists of traits, one list for each animal (see organizer). What are the personality/character traits of the various animals? (See provided list for help.) What are some of their most obvious physical traits? How are these animals known to be/react? DO A MINIMUM OF THREE FOR EACH ANIMAL. Example: Which animal might be described as strong? How about sneaky? How about most respectful? fish frog cat pig dog mouse

MAUS My Father Bleeds History By: Art Spiegelman

Why Write MAUS? Think about it! There are a decreasing number of people left to “bear witness” to the events of WWII and the horror of the Holocaust. The novel MAUS is a son’s attempt to narrate (tell a story) his father’s experiences in the Holocaust. To narrate the story means a secondary source is used to tell the story, or the person telling the story was there but not in an actual participant in the event. Art (the son) is a secondary source, while Vladek (the dad) is a primary source.

Why Write MAUS?  This graphic novel depicts Art Spiegelman interviewing his father, Vladek, about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor.  Three situations going on at once!  Spiegelman’s troubled relationship with his father. PLUS:  Inner-story – Vladek’s experiences during the Holocaust in the 1930s and 1940s.  Outer-story – Art actually interviewing and interacting with Vladek throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.

Let’s Talk about Genre! Is MAUS … Fiction? Non-Fiction? A Memoir? A Biography? An Autobiography? A Novel? A Comic Book? Nobody seems really clear on this point. The Boston Globe and Publisher’s Weekly list it as non-fiction. The Washington Post and The New York Times originally listed it as fiction. So, if this is a son telling his father’s story. How do you classify Maus?

Let’s Talk about Genre! In truth, Maus is all of these genres/mediums and none. It transcends (goes beyond) categorization. Maus is commonly accepted as NON-FICTION (true story), but it is given to the reader in a different medium – the graphic novel.

Genre = Non-fiction Medium = Graphic Novel

Maus’s Anthropomorphism Characters Anthropomorphism is when human characteristics are given to anything that is not human.  It is a similar idea to personification.  In this case, it is about animals having human characteristics.

Maus’s Anthropomorphist Characters Mice The Jewish people are depicted as mice in order to mock (make fun of) the German portrayal of Jewish people as vermin (worthless pests). However, by using mice to depict this group, the author also shows the group’s resourcefulness. Mice are known to be great at hiding and saving food.

Maus’s Anthropomorphist Characters Cats The Nazis are depicted as cats, the natural predator (killer and hunter) of mice and thereby, the Nazis are the natural predator of the Jewish people. This relation of predator/prey is dynamic in nature and in life, and violent.

Maus’s Anthropomorphist Characters Dogs The Americans, who many (including the author and his family) believe were responsible for liberating the prisoners from the concentration camps (saving them), are depicted as dogs. This representation is because dogs chase away cats, and at the same time, most dogs only have a quickly passing fascination with mice. Dogs are also incredibly loyal and known to be rescuers and helpers.

Maus’s Anthropomorphist Characters Pigs The Polish (who were NOT Jewish) are depicted as pigs because the author (and his dad) felt these people were selfish in their actions towards the Polish Jewish people during the reign of Nazi Germany. Hitler believed this group of people (Polish) were lazy and indifferent (uncaring). They were known to be followers rather than leaders. However, they were also known to be very physically strong people!

Maus’s Anthropomorphist Characters Frogs The French are depicted as frogs. The French were known to be against Jewish people (anti-Semitic). Calling them FROGS is derogatory (negative) and SLANG! Fish The British people are depicted as fish, most likely a satire (spoof, parody) of the author’s perception of British people’s cold personalities. “A Cold Fish!”

The Medium These anthropomorphic characters were obviously carefully chosen and offer symbolism. Spiegleman wrote an ALLEGORY of the Holocaust and the war using ANIMALS! An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Only a visual, graphic novel format would have allowed Spiegelman the freedom to execute an allegory such as he does.

How to Read a Graphic Novel? Left  (to) Right Words (Boxes FIRST, then the dialogue bubbles) LASTLY  Study the Picture! YOU MUST STUDY THE PICTURE! STUDY THE LAYOUT OF THE PAGE! HORIZONTAL

How do I read Maus?  Most of Maus has traditional comic book movement (horizontal – from left to right).  The panels read from left to right. Then, back down and to start at the left again.  You need to learn to recognize who is speaking.  PLUS! Spiegelman will move back and forth between the two time periods. You must pay attention to the timelines or you will get lost! Two more notes – Vladek has an accent! Sometimes he says phases differently than we would! You have to take the time to figure it out. ANNA and ANJA are the same person! When Vladek says the name is it Anja. When Artie says the name it is Anna.

HINTS for Reading!  Comic format manipulates your reading speed because the complex visuals force readers to slow down.  Panels are very “busy” and tend to be filled with extremely important words and pictures.  Take your time and slow down!  Be sure to see what the artist is drawing, and understand what the writer is saying. Plus, make the connection between the two.

LET’S TRY IT!  TURN TO PAGE 5/6.  USE MY INSTRUCTIONS/HINTS AND SILENTLY READ THESE TWO PAGES.  Wait for everyone at your table to finish. SHHHHH!  TALK and TURN (pairs):  Take turns!  Tell the partner(s) what you think these two pages are about.  Compare your ideas.  Be ready to tell me!

WHAT DID YOU NOTICE?  Look over the pages you just read.  What TRAITS did you notice about the characters?  Did you list any of those traits in your animal discussion?  What other observations did you make?  Do you have questions?

The End

In 1987, a reporter in Germany asked Art Spiegelman, “Don’t you think that a comic book about the Holocaust is in bad taste?” The author replied, “No, I thought Auschwitz was in bad taste.” Newspaper Credit Auschwitz was a German concentration camp where many Jewish people were murdered.

Resources Brown, Joshua. “Of Mice and Memory.” Oral History Review, Spring Dec Friedländer, Saul. "Trauma, Transference and Working-Through." History and Memory. 1992: Dec Johnston, Ian. “On Spiegelman's Maus I and II.” Malaspina University- College, British Columbia. 28 Dec Dec Scarborough, Elizabeth. The Complete MAUS. USA: Voyager, Spiegelman, Art. Maus I: My father bleeds history. New York: Pantheon, Spiegelman, Art. Maus II: And here my troubles began. New York: Pantheon, Weschler, Lawrence. “Art’s Father, Vladek’s son.” Shapinksky’s Karma, Bogg’s Bills, and Other True-Life Tails. USA: Penguin, 1988.