Short Paper #2 and Short Maus 2 Lecture

I'm posting the Short Paper #2 assignment below, along with a short lecture to give you a little guidance and context for the assignment. These are the ideas I would normally show you and discuss in class, but for now, have to make do with a short Zoom video. Please let me know if you have any questions as a comment or via e-mail. There are no comments necessary for this video (this time), but be sure to answer the response questions in the previous post. Otherwise, start thinking about this short paper, due next Friday by 5pm (since we don't really have TR classes anymore). 

Short Paper #2: Words and Pictures

INTRO: For your Second Short Paper assignment, I want you to focus on how Spiegelman uses words and pictures together to change the meaning of his comic, adding context that we might not have seen or been aware of. Just like in the photos from Morris’ book, when you add words to an image, it changes what we see and how we experience it. This could make the picture more “true” or more “false” depending on what the artist wants you to see, or what the picture represents about history, people, etc. In a comic book, the pictures alone don’t tell the story, since they could tell many different stories. The words help us frame the stories in a specific moment for a specific meaning, even when they seem to push against the meaning of the images.

PROMPT: So for this assignment, I want you to choose TWO passages from the comic, one from Maus I: My Father Bleeds History, and one from Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began. A “passage” should be no more than a few frames, or a single page at most. Discuss how these two passages change when you add the words to the pictures. In other words, if you blocked out the words, why wouldn’t you ‘see’ this story or this idea? Discuss why he wanted us to see this, and how it complements some of the major themes of his novel and of the Holocaust itself. Be sure to describe the images so we can understand how the words work with the images: in other words, don’t just tell us what the words say. Think back to your first short paper, when you had to describe the photos from Humans of New York.

REQUIREMENTS:

• At least 2-3 pages, double spaced (though you can go beyond this)
• Only choose TWO passages, one from each part of the book (Maus I and Maus II)
• Describe images and cite the passages you use, using page numbers according to MLA format
• For example: In Chapter Three, “And Here My Troubles Began,” Vladek sees a man shot by a German soldier and reflects, ““The dog was rolling so, around and around, kicking, before he lay quiet. And now I thought: “how amazing it is that a human being reacts the same like this neighbor’s dog” (82).
• DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 10^th by 5pm via e-mail (jgrasso@ecok.edu)

For Thursday/Friday: Maus Part 2, Chapters 3-5

Be sure to finish Maus this week, and answer two of the following for Thursday or Friday (just no later than Friday). Since we don't really have class on Thursday, the questions don't have to be due then--but no later than Friday. I'll post the Paper #2 assignment along with a short discussion (also explaining the paper) tomorrow as well.

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 outright racist? 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'? 

Short Lecture on Maus and The Holocaust (see below)

At least once a week (but maybe twice) I'll post a short video lecture to add to the conversation of our reading. These lectures will bring out ideas I would have discussed in class, often using slides that highlight specific ideas and images. Hopefully they will add useful perspectives as you answer the reading responses and write the next short papers (one is coming up very soon!). This lecture is on being an eyewitness to history, and why that's so important for historical events that are quickly becoming ancient history. Watch below...

AFTER you watch the video, respond to the following question as a COMMENT on this post. Just click where it says "1 comment" and write your own. You shouldn't need to create an account to do this (but let me know if you have any problems).

THE QUESTION: Besides the Holocaust, what other historical event recent or distant, do you feel is in danger of being forgotten? Why should we never forget this event? Why, to you, is it so important? 

ALSO, don't forget to answer the questions for Maus (see previous post) Tuesday's class. E-mail me with any questions! 

For Tuesday: Maus II, Chapters One & Two

NOTE: I'm posting this a little early so you have time to read and think about it. I know it's hard to get started again, and for some of you, it will seem pointless to finish a class you don't even attend. However, we only have about a month left, and I want to get you all to the finish line, and also, to share these works and ideas with you. In many ways, Maus is the perfect work to read at this time, because it's about a man who survives the end of the world, and lives to tell about it. Our world isn't ending, but sometimes it might feel that way...so let's try to finish the semester, and I'll do everything I can to make it bearable and hopefully a little interesting as well.

ALSO, I'll be posting a short video tomorrow with some ideas to think about in regards to reading the second part of Maus. For now, however, here are some questions for Tuesday's class. But as I said in the previous post, you can either e-mail these to me on Tuesday, OR send me one e-mail on Thursday with both Tuesday and Thursday's questions. It's totally up to you. 

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? 

Welcome (Almost) Back!

First of all, I'm extremely sad that we can't continue our normal classes this semester. I had so much more I wanted to discuss with you and teach you--though, I think we can still salvage some of this virtually. However, it just won't be the same, and my only hope is that I'll see some of you again in the Fall in a future class. 

For now, here's what I propose to do with this course:

1. We're going to stick closely to our old TR schedule, so I'll post the first work this Thursday, and that will be due on Tuesday. And then the work for Thursday on Tuesday, etc. Same as always. 

2. I'll also post at least one short video lecture on the blog per week. These replicate the kind of information I would have given you in class, and will basically be a video of my head narrating over a Power Point or a handout. They will be short (10-15 minutes max), but will help you see things in the readings you might not otherwise get, or will help introduce key writing topics and ideas before a paper. I'll also give you a few in-class writing prompts this way, just as we did in class. This way, it will feel sort-of normal.

3. I'll also be posting our next short paper assignment on the blog very soon. 

4. All questions and papers should be e-mailed to me at jgrasso@ecok.edu or jgrasso91@gmail.com (either one is fine with me). Horace Mann is being locked at all times, so you probably won't be able to get inside the building. 

5. If you need to talk to me, feel free to e-mail me at any time. However, if you would rather talk in person, I can do a Zoom conference with you. If you've never used Zoom, it's free to install and very easy to use. 

Otherwise, stay tuned and PLEASE keep checking the blog, since this is our lifeline for the course. Everything will show up here in the next few weeks. Take care and I'll talk to you soon!

--Joshua Grasso

Class Update--see below

NOTE: Be sure to check your e-mail and/or Facebook/Instagram/Texts from the university for details about class cancellations. 

Spring Break is next week, and then the President decided to extend Spring Break for an additional week. Classes will resume on the 30th but only on an on-line basis, meaning I can only conduct class via our blog. We'll talk more about what this means tomorrow, and of course I'll keep you updated on the blog itself. If you have any questions, just e-mail me any time.

So we'll keep going, keep reading and doing questions, and I'll try to give you my insights on the works we read, but obviously, without our class discussions. I'll have to revise the schedule to accommodate our lost time, and maybe even delete one of the assignments (oh no!). :) 

I'll write more during Spring Break, and I'll e-mail everyone as well in case someone forgets to check. Again, please e-mail me with any questions. Enjoy the break and stay safe--and well! 

For THursday: Spiegelman, Maus I, Chapters 4-6

SORRY--these questions didn't post yesterday! Here they are...

For Thursday, read the rest of Part 1, which comprises the chapters "The Noose Tightens," "Mouse Holes," and "Mouse Trap." Then answer two of the questions that follow:

Q1: How does Spiegelman play with the mouse/cat metaphor in the rest of Part 1? In other words, when does it help him tell Vladek's story effectively, and/or when does he want us to forget it entirely? Focus on a specific scene that shows this.

Q2: 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 comic? Do we learn anything important about the characters of the piece to justify its inclusion?

Q3: 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 does Vladek document the breakdown of society in the ghetto and elsewhere? What makes Vladek so different from the others (or is that simply what he wants us to think)?

Q4: What does Artie call his father a "murderer" a the end of Chapter Six? Doesn't this strike you as a senseless and selfish thing to say to a Holocaust survivor? Or do we agree with him that, on some level, Vladek has committed his own act of biographical genocide?