For Tuesday: Maus II, Chapters 3-5 (the rest of the book, basically!)

Try to finish Maus for Tuesday, though if you don’t, we’ll still discuss it on Thursday, so no worries. The questions below cover the rest of the book, read as much as you can—it goes pretty quickly. Also, don’t forget about the Paper #3 assignment in the post below, due April 6^th!

Answer two of the following:

Q1: Chapters Three and Four use photographs throughout, not just drawings of photographs, but also real ones, such as the one of Vladek at the end. How do these photographs add a unique layer to the story? What do they show us that no amount of fictional storytelling could manage? 

Q2: In Chapter Three, Vladek hassles Artie to take home a used box of cereal. When Artie refuses, Vladek responds, "I cannot forget it...ever since Hitler I don't like to throw out even a crumb." How much should we blame the Holocaust for the 'present' Vladek, who is often insulting, intolerant, and even racist (the scene with the hitchhiker)? Does Artie believe the Holocaust made him this way? Should we?

Q3: When Maus was first published, the New York Times put it on their bestseller list for fiction, which Spiegelman strongly objected to. He claimed it was "non-fiction," even though the editor told him, "when you show me a six-foot mouse, then I'll call it non-fiction." Based on your reading of the book, what category do you feel best represents this book: fiction? Non-fiction? History? Something else? Or should it just be called a "comic book"? 

Q4: What do you make of the interesting passage in Chapter Three, where a soldier shoots a prisoner for walking too slowly, and Vladek says, "And now I thought: how amazing it is that a human being reacts the same like his neighbor's dog." This not only destroys the animal metaphor (since the American soldiers are portrayed as dogs), but it also makes an interesting connection between men and animals. What might this say about the true danger of the Holocaust and of Nazi ideology? What makes people become dogs (or other animals)? What keeps us 'human'? 

Paper #3: Teaching History or Censoring Trauma, due April 6th

English 1213

Paper #3: Teaching History, or Censoring Trauma?

CONTEXT: A recent article in the Daily Maverick states that a Tennessee school board removed Maus from its district “because of its unnecessary use of profanity and nudity and its depiction of violence and suicide,” which the panel found was “simply too adult-oriented for use in our schools...We do not diminish the value of ‘Maus’ as an impactful and meaningful piece of literature, nor do we dispute the importance of teaching our children the historical and moral lessons and realities of the Holocaust…[but] administrators would look for other works that are suitable in a “more age-appropriate fashion.”” (Gorman).

PROMPT: For this assignment, imagine that you’re the State Superintendent of Public Education for Oklahoma, and you’ve been asked to set policy for the teaching of Maus in middle and high schools in the state. RESPOND to the decision above (and to other criticisms of the book) by examining whether you ultimately agree with this decision, and think the book isn’t age appropriate, or whether you think the book needs to remain a part of the English/History curriculum. In writing this response, consider carefully what the book is trying to do, and the importance of teaching history to students who have no connection to the Holocaust and/or WW2. On the other hand, listen carefully to the objections of the Tennessee school board and other sources who have problems with the book: what are their chief objections? Are they sound and/or legitimate?

REMEMBER: This is a Conversation Paper. You can’t just say “I agree with the decision because of X, Y, and Z.” You MUST bring in other voices into this paper so that we see the full range of discussion about this topic. You will need at least 4 sources to give you enough context to respond to and to support your own decision. Consider that if you say “we’re keeping the book in,” someone will ask you, “but why? It’s such a terrible book!” You’ll need to other sources to back you up. Conversely, if you say, “we have to ban the book in our schools,” someone will say, “how dare you resort to censorship—that’s what the Nazis did!” The better you can support your decision with sources and evidence, the more persuasive/authoritative it will sound.

SOURCES: At least 4, and they should be of the following variety…

• Passages from Maus to support your ideas: QUOTE and even describe the images—don’t just say “it shows some really violent imagery.”
• Articles about the Maus controversy in Tennessee and elsewhere
• Interviews with the author
• Articles/websites about book censorship
• Articles/websites about teaching history and/or the Holocaust
• Articles/website about teaching difficult subjects to students
• Aritcles/websites about comics/graphic novels in the classroom

REQUIREMENTS: No page limit, but you must write a reasonable Conversation Paper that responds to sources with your own ideas. Due THURSDAY, APRIL 6^th by 5PM

For Thursday: Maus II, Chapters 1 "Mauschwiz" and 2 "Auschwitz: Time Flies"

Read the next TWO chapters of Maus, which are technically the first two chapters of Book II (but they might be labelled chapters 7-8 in your book). I'll also give out the Paper #3 assignment in class on Thursday, but it won't be due for weeks yet, so don't get too worried!

Answer two of the following:

Q1: Where do we see Artie wrestling with the ethics of writing a comic book about his father's life (and the Holocaust) in Chapters 1 & 2? What is he most worried about? Are his fears justified, or is it merely another form of guilt for not appreciating his father? 

Q2: What do you think Vladek most wants to communicate to Artie, or to the reader, in his story of the Holocaust? While he's obviously trying to make himself the hero (sort of), what else does he want people to understand about the reality of making it through Auschwitz? 

Q3: One of the most touching passages of these chapters occurs early in Chapter One, when Vladek gets new shoes and a belt for his friend, Mandelbaum. Why is this such an important passage in the book? What does it show us about the very 'human' element of the inhuman Holocaust?

Q4: Even though Spiegelman uses simplistic animal metaphors for the different people in his story, how does he attempt to humanize even the 'villains' in his story? What does he reveal about the nature of the various Germans and Poles who ran Auschwitz? If this is a book about the nature of evil, what might surprise us about the people who commit evil deeds? 

For Tuesday (after Spring Break!): Maus, Chapters 4-6

 No questions for the Break, but do keep reading the first part of Maus, which consists of Chapter 4 "The Noose Tightens" (in case you didn't finish it for last time), Chapter 5 "Mouse Holes" and Chapter 6 "Mouse Trap." We'll have an in-class writing over this when you get back to class, so bring your book, since you might want to use it!

Here are some ideas you might consider as you read:

* How does Spiegelman try to offer proof of his father's experience throughout these chapters? Why does he want us to know that this book isn't fiction, but an actual history of an actual man?

* What qualities and philosophies help Vladek survive during their time in the Jewish ghetto? Does Speigelman make his father seem occasionally too smart/capable in the book? Does he emerge as a typical 'hero'?

* Similarly, why does his mother take a back seat in his story? Why do we see so little of her in the comic? 

* Why do so many people seem to turn on one another in ghetto? How does Vladek, to a lesser degree, also have to betray his own family?

* One of the most startling passages of the comic is the inclusion of an earlier Spiegelman comic, Prisoner of the Hell Planet, which features some of the main characters of the comic in human form. It's also drawn completely differently and has a much more violent, scary tone than the comic itself. Why do you think he includes this in the book? Do you think it's necessary? (it's one of the main reasons the book is banned from school districts today)

* Why does Artie call his father a "murderer" in the final pages of the book? Though he's not being literal here, is there any truth to this accusation? 

Enjoy the break! 

For Thursday: Speigelman, Maus, Chapters 1 to 4

I introduced Maus and some of the controversy surrounding it in class on Tuesday, and now want you to experience it for yourself. So read Chapters 1 "The Sheik" to Chapter 4 "The Noose Tightens" for Tuesday's class. Here are a few questions to get you thinking about the book before class...

Answer two of the following:

Q1: We discussed the metaphor of mice and cats in class on Tuesday, where Spiegelman said he was inspired by the Nazi's comments that Jews were "rats" and "vermin." But besides the metaphor, why do you think the comic is drawn not only in black and white, but in such a rough, cartoony style? Would it have been more effective if it were in color and more realistic-looking? Does the style somehow aid the metaphor?

Q2: Why does Artie have such trouble relating to his father in these early chapters? What seems to be their biggest conflict or argument? Is this a generational issue, or does it have something to do with Vladek's war experience, do you think?

Q3: Why do you think Artie shows us the early days of Vladek's romance with Anja? Does this make Vladek look like a sympathetic character? Do you think Vladek would have approved of this characterization (since he tells Artie at one point not to record some of his stories, such as the one with Lucia)?

Q4: According to these chapters, why didn't the Jews of Poland and elsewhere resist the gradual cruelties and dominance of the Nazi regime? In other words, why did so few of them fight back? You might consider how Anja refuses even to send her children away to safety, even though at this point the 'noose' is tightening around them.