My take on: "Maus" by Art Spiegelman

Hello Readers.

"Maus" by Art Spiegelman is the first graphic novel I've read. At first, the graphic novel was intimidating to me because of the distraction of the pictures and comic-like style of a graphic novel isn't the most appealing thing for me. As a continued through the novel, I noticed myself enjoying it more and more. "Maus" hits very close to home for me. My grandparents were from Germany and lived in Nazi Germany. This was a difficult time for them and Spiegelman shares this story which parallels his father's story. Spiegelman brilliantly uses the traditional plot line of "cat and mouse" in this novel to show the realistic reality for Jewish people during the Holocaust. The most powerful theme, for me, in this novel was the theme of guilt and blame. I say guilt because of the surviving Jewish individuals questioning their worth over others who've died from Hitler's reign. To me, this was impactful because no one thinks about those who've survived as feeling guilty for living. There are multiple ways to teach this novel to students. Not only could it be a resource for historical fact, but it could also serve for differential instruction as the words aren't difficult and the pictures supply understanding for visual learners. I personally would like to create a mini-play for students. This would entail the teacher separating the students into small groups, have them pick a scene and act out in front of the class. This would allow for students to work on performance skills, and also help with the understanding of the novel. As an assessment, students could compare and contrast the two volumes on themes and why Spiegelman constructed the novel into two separate volumes. Students could also look at the different narrators, Vladek and Art, to pinpoint differences and how their perspectives shape their understanding of the world and in turn, shapes the readers understanding of the events. All-and-all, I would recommend this novel for teachers. I could be used in a class to excite hesitant readers by changing up the "traditional" curriculum on classic novels. I know personally, I've never been taught through the tool of a graphic novel, but to me it looks fun!

Cheers.

Ryan