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Answer TWO of the following as a Comment below:
1. How does Spiegelman play with the Mouse/Cat metaphor in the second part of Maus I? Where does he lift the mask and expose the metaphor for what it is--a way of looking at the world (and race) rather than reality?
2. Why does Spiegelman include his earlier autobiographical comic Prisoner of the Hell Planet in the narrative? How does this disrupt the flow of the story as well as the style of the piece? What important information/insight do we learn about the characters in this piece to justify its inclusion?
3. When discussing the realities of life in the ghetto, Vladek explains, "At that time it wasn't anymore families. It was everybody to take care for himself!" How else does Vladek document the breakdown of society in the ghetto and elsewhere? What makes Vladek different from everyone else--or is he?
4. Why does Artie call his father a "murderer" at the end of Chapter Six, "Mouse Holes"? Is this an incredible foolish and insensitive thing to say of a Holocaust survivor (and one's father)? Or do we agree with him that, on some level, Vladek has committed his own act of biographical genocide? Why did Vladek do this?
Kendall Dobbs:
ReplyDelete2. Part of me wants to think that Spiegelman put in this comic as a way to promote himself, advertising! But then again, I think that this comic does give us more of an insight on the life of the characters. Spiegelman used this comic to show the lasting effect that the Holocaust had on each survivor. I don’t think that this addition disrupted the flow of the story, it made me understand the relationship between father and son even more. It showed aspects of their relationship at an earlier time that help us understand why and see correlations to how their relationship is at a later time.
4. Artie calls Vladek a murderer because he destroyed all of his mother’s diaries. Diaries that had the story of the Holocaust from his mother’s point of view, which would have been useful for this graphic novel. I disagree with Artie. Though I understand his frustration with his father, I don’t believe Vladek to be a murderer. Vladek was in mourning and tried to remove those things that brought back the sad memories. I probably would have done the same thing! Yes, it would have made an even more incredible biographical comic if the diaries had been included. But there was nothing Artie could do about it ...
Josh Coats
ReplyDelete2. I think he included this comic to, again, make the entire comic seem more real, less of a cartoon. After all, the theme of Prisoner is raw and very emotional. I don't think there was a disruption in the flow of the story, I was able to follow just fine. It helped me to better understand the relationship between Spiergelman and his father.
4. He was so pissed that his dad burned his mom's diaries he felt his father had killed any possibility of telling her side of the story. I don't agree that he's a "murder"; I think this is a classic situation of son digging on his father for burning his mom's diaries. I don't think Artie truly understood why his father had burned the diaries. He didn't want to be reminded of his wife and it was the only way for him to begin to heal.
Stefan Schodlbauer
ReplyDelete2) From my point of view, I think that the author tries to put this comic in the book to give an importance to his life. He is giving a role to the Prisoner of the Hell Planet. I believe that this did not disrupt the flow of the story, although, it made me realize better how was the relationship between Spiergelman and his father. It was really needful to get a good connection between both characters.
4) I believe, that in the story its not a good way to characterize him as a murderer. In such a way is not easy to react and think but it was a really strange part. For sure, burning the diaries was the best way to try to hide the possibility to know the other part of the story.
Ashley Barnes
ReplyDelete2. I think that Spiegleman included the Prisoner of the Hell Planet comic because it added necessary scenes that needed to be added into the book. We get an insight into the dark time after his mother committed suicide, it showed how much of an effect it had on both of them especially his father. It lets us see his grief and also to see how far he had came from there but also realize the relapses he obviously had when it comes to Anja.
4. He calls his father a murderer because he is upset that he destroyed the last voice and really personal things they had from is mother and her Holocaust experience. However Artie does not truly understand his father's moment of grief and the reasons behind him burning the diaries. He was in mourning and reacted he way he saw best fit. Artie is mainly upset because of the tremendous help and detail they would give his book since they were coming from his mother's point of view.
Teresa Buretta
ReplyDelete1) Throughout the second part of Maus Vladik and Anja are forced to hide from the German Nazis who are hunting them just as cats hunt mice. On page157 Vladek and Anja are disguised as pigs (Poles) and are unmasked and captured by their enemies.
3) On page 115 Vladek and his fellow refugees took pity on a man they suspected of being a spy and gave him a little food for his family and let him go. The man betrayed them even though they had helped him, probably for more food or protection for his family. There was little loyalty for fellow Jews or even family members. Vladek is somewhat different. At various times he does help others, sometimes for payment, sometimes for kindness, and he always put Anja first.
Nesha Pickens:
ReplyDelete2) Spiegelman's autobiographical comic Prisoner of the Hell Planet I feel disrupted the flow of the story because it kind of came out the middle of no where and gave us this piece of information about his mom when the story is all about his dad. Vladek's wife, Arts mother, is a very sore subject for them. She was everything to them. Vladek loves and misses her so much that Mala feels like she has to live up to the expectations that Vladek had of his wife.
4) Artie calls his father a murderer because Vladek got rid of his mother diaries from the holocaust. Vladek being an holocaust survivor and seeing the things he had to see, I disagree with Artie. Vladek just didn't want to remember all that stuff. It brought back emotions that Vladek was trying to make go away.
Stephanie Callen
ReplyDelete4. Why does Artie call his father a "murderer" at the end of Chapter Six, "Mouse Holes"? Is this an incredible foolish and insensitive thing to say of a Holocaust survivor (and one's father)? Or do we agree with him that, on some level, Vladek has committed his own act of biographical genocide? Why did Vladek do this?
Artie calls his father a "murderer" because by destroying his mother's diaries he destroyed the one chance that Artie had to know her. I can understand why Vladek did this because of the hurt memories it brought up. However, I can see Artie's side and the hurt and anguish it would bring.
Stormee Chestra,
ReplyDelete4. I feel like Artie called his father a murderer, because of his destroying the diaries, but I feel like he should have I mean who would to recall those events and remember them?
1.In the second half they are being hunted down by the German Nazis and are hiding out as a cat hunts down a mouse which I feel has a lot to do with the timeline
Destiny Coley
ReplyDelete2)I don't necessarily think that it disrupted the story. It kind of depends on who is reading it and what message they are getting out of it. I think that it really does help to better understand the relationship between the two and that helps to understand more of the story.
4)I think that he called his father a murderer because he burned the diaries that his mom wrote. Of course no one want to look at those every day and be reminds of the terrible tragedies that they were faced with, but it would have been such a good thing to help people to understand what really went on from her point of view. I can understand why he is upset that they were burned but I can also understand that his father was just trying to forget that any of it happened.
Paul Sandy
ReplyDelete1) These metaphors are easily identifiable to the story being told. They can be seen foremost in the perspective of how they were having to live at the time Vladik was retelling. Just as mice are viewed as vermin, so must those in hiding must have felt. they were certainly treated as such. Their actions of hiding behind walls, going out at night to scurry around,barely having enough to eat, and being in constant fear of "cats" is exactly the way a mouse lives.
4) I associate thisquestion with question 2). The darkly personal graphic strip about his mother's demise gives us the reference needed to accept the accusation. The strip showed the lack of closure he felt when she died. that would surely be a difficult thing to process and in it he referred to his mother as a murderer. When Vladek tells his son he destroyed them it must have been a disappointment. When Vladek further went on to claim the only recollection of the contents was that she wanted her son to have them (possibly to give him that closure) I got angry with Vladek myself. I don't know why he would even say he recalled anything, even if that was truly the only thing he did recall.
Weston Haynes
ReplyDelete2.) I see this as a simply a strategy of advertising, or maybe he wanted readers to know what kind of writer he was. He could be dark and bold, as was putting this in the story. In a way it disrupted the story, but it made sense to put it in, because it was personal and real to the story. It related to the relationship that was displayed in the story between Spiegleman and his father. They went through hard times but tried to keep face despite this terrible time. The father-son relationship in the story is very important and this passage made me realize it even more.
4.) Artie was fustrated that his dad could do such a terrible thing as burn his moms diaries from the Holocaust. These were viewed as sacred from Artie's view. This was the only connection he had with his mother due to the Holocaust. I understand that his father didnt want any memories of the tragic incident, but Artie felt that this was the only way he could understand the Holocaust from his moms side, and also the last remnants of his mom since her death. There were reasons to both sides. It was tragic but necessary from both sides. Artie wanted to have that sole connection with his mom, while his father didnt want to be reminded of his wifes death.
2. Adding the piece about his mom puts a hold on the book and tends to his fathers emotions during his interview.
ReplyDelete3. Vladek seems to have pull in society and he knows how to get by. Although he gained this pull through his in-laws he is unable to use it to get them out of the camp b/c they are old and he doesn't look back.
Casey Bear
Cristian C. Nazario Cruz
ReplyDelete2.For me the autor included this comic to, again, make the entire comic seem more real, less of a cartoon. After all, the theme of Prisoner is raw and very emotional. I really think that it really does help to better understand the relationship between the two and that helps to understand more of the story.
4.For me he called his father a murderer because he burned the diaries that his mom wrote. This was the only connection he had with his mother due to the Holocaust. I understand that his father didnt want any memories of the tragic incident, but Artie felt that this was the only way he could understand the Holocaust from his moms side, and also the last remnants of his mom since her death.