Maus

=Maus= =﻿ Written by Art Spiegelman=

Maus is a graphic novel that tells the true story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew during World War II. It is illistrated in black and white. The characters are represented by animals; Jews are mice, Poles are pigs, and Nazies are cats. Maus conveys Vladek's life story by connecting the present and past. He effectively does this by switching between the present and the past and changing the animal that is portrayed. Dogs represent present day people. The story follows Vladek through his youthful charming days, through meeting his wife, through building a business, and through his life as a happy family man. As the reader begins to familiarize and relate to circumstances and people in Vladek's life, everything changes. Hitler takes over and the Germans set out to destroy every Jewish man, woman, and child living in Europe. This novel reveals the cruel and inhumane actions taken against Jewish people before and during World War II. Vladek loses his business, his home, his possessions, and possibly himself by through harsh events he endured.

The beginning does not reveal much graphic detail, but as the novel progresses the pictures and the dialogue become more graphic. As the events become increasingly severe the book reveals some of the greater depravities experienced and committed by people during the war.

This quote is emphasized by the graphic picture of a Nazi soldier holding the leg of a young child that is plastered against the wall with dark coloring (blood) all around him. “Some kids were screaming and screaming. They couldn’t stop. So the Germans swinged them by the legs against a wall…And they never anymore screamed.” Vladek tells his son, the author, how his brother Richieu, whom Spiegelman never met, died during the war. Those who knew they were being sent to Auschwitz chose suicide and infanticide over relocation. “Always Tosha carried around her neck some poison…’I won’t go to their gas chambers!...And my children won’t go to their gas chambers. Bibi! Lonia! Richieu! Come here quickly!’ She killed not only herself, but also the 3 children.”

The book explores the relationships between a holocaust survivor (Vladek)and his son (Art). The book also examines Vladek’s relationship with his second wife and the rest of the world inclusively. These relationships demonstrate the personal characteristics he carries away from the holocaust and how they affect his interactions with the world.

Vladek wants only the best for his son. He argues with his wife about giving his son a wire hanger. “A wire hanger you give him! I haven’t seen Artie in almost two years…we have plenty wooden hangers.” He then throws his son's coat away and gives him a newer one.

At the same time, he hoards things for himself and picks up junk off the street. “Artie: ‘What did you pick up?’ Vladek: ‘Telephone wire. This it’s very hard to find. Inside it’s little wires. It’s good for tying things.’ Artie: ‘You always pick up trash! Can’t you just buy wire?’ Vladek: ‘Pssh. Why always you want to buy when you can find!? Anyway, this wire they don’t have it in any stores.’”

Vladek and Art's history is also discussed in the book. How they both have survived since the war and how they both have dealt with Art's mother's suicide is also shown in Maus.

Vladek’s holocaust tale ends with his placement in Auschwitz. Book One finishes with Art discovering his mother’s journals were burned by Vladek and Art eventually storms off.

“Vladek: ‘These notebooks, and other really nice things of mother…one time I had a very bad day…and all of these things I destroyed.’”

The story continues in the second book.

The novel leaves the reader asking how Vladek beat the odds and lived to tell his story to Art, his son. How could anyone allow the holocaust to occur? Are we destined to repeat our past?

Publication Information:

Published: August 1986 Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Length: 160 pages ISBN: 0394747232

=__About the Author media type="youtube" key="0Lx7jDjtGQY" height="195" width="240" align="right"__= Art Spiegelman was born in Stockholm Sweden on February 15, 1948. At a young age Spiegelman immigrated to New York with his parents who were Polish Jews that lived through the Holocaust. He wrote for many underground comics, began a comic review called //Arcade//, and started a magazine titled //Raw// with his wife. One remarkable thing about Art Spiegelman is that he is not only the author of Maus, but he is the son of Vladek Speigelman as well. After completing his work on Maus, Spiegelman went on to finish his father's story in //Maus II: and Here My Troubles Began//. In 1992, he recieved the Pullitzer Prize. Heavily influence by the 9/11 tragedy he wrote a story called //In the Shadow of No Towers//.



=Maus II= You can learn about other books written by Art Spiegelman by clicking on this link. [|Art Spiegelman works].

=__﻿Teacher Suggestions__= Maus provides many teachable moments for both English and Social Studies teachers. It may be beneficial for teachers of both subjects to work together and form a comprehensive unit that will engage students. The book provides many accurate depictions of the Nazi occupation of Poland. Social Studies teachers may use the escalation of the events to inform students on how the Nazi agenda progressed through time. English teachers may also use the book to teach literary forms such as symbolism and frame stories. The book offers a unique and entertaining introduction to the holocaust which students will find both exciting and informational. Teachers may also want to have their students create a fun and educational video of Maus. The following videos are examples of what this might look like.

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[|study guide] This study guide offers valuable essay question suggestions, summarys, as well as quizes about Maus. =__Lesson Plans__= A variety of lesson plans are available for teachers. This book can be taught in Language Arts classes, Literature classes, Social Studies classes, and Ethnic Minority classes.

Get Graphic Maus Lesson Plan Bucks Library: Teaching Resources for Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivor's Tale Random House Academic Resources Reading Questions and Resources for Art Spiegelman's Maus

An indepth analysis of the characters can be found here.

My Life in Memoir has 8 lessons for Maus and continues with lesson plans for comparable books such as //Edward Scissorhands//, //A Day No Pigs Would Die//, //Bodega Dreams//, and other for a total of 45 lessons.

Lesson 1: Begin Maus Objective: What do I want students to have learned/done by the end of the lesson? Goal: Why is it important for students to have learned/done this?

Opening Frame/Initial Engagement: Do Now: Link to Central Engagement: Central Engagement: Closing Frame/Final Engagement: Homework: Evaluation/Assessment:

Lesson 2: Reading Maus Set up is similiar to the above lesson. Lesson 3: Maus and Metaphore Lesson 4: Maus, Conflict Lesson 5: Maus and Identity Lesson 6: Maus and the Author Lesson 7: Maus, Mapping the events Lesson 8: Maus direct application and end

__ **Further Resources on the Holocaust** __

A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust

Resources: The Holocaust from the NY Times

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The Holocaust Mixed Media Resources

"I share this feeling. When I am at Auschwitz I start looking at the world and at my own life. I remind myself of what's important, which is so easy to forget. In the kingdom of death you can find the meaning of life. At the biggest cemetery in the world I know what I live for."

The Holocaust was the systematic annihilation of six million Jews by the Nazis during World War 2. In 1933 nine million Jews lived in the 21 countries of Europe that would be military occupied by Germany during the war. By 1945 two out of every three European Jews had been killed. 1.5 million __children__ were murdered. This figure includes more than 1.2 million Jewish children, tens of thousands of Gypsy children and thousands of handicapped children.

Holocaust Survivors and Rememberance Project

Created by: Ralph Kotecki, Tavra Wahr, Becky Henza, Jeanette Schaaf