Name__________________________________
MAUS II Found Poem
A found poem uses language from prose contexts and turns it into poetry. Think of a collage.
Visual artists take scraps of newspaper, cloth and feathers and create magic. You can do the
same with language and poems. Writing this type of poetry is a kind of treasure hunt. Search for
interesting scraps of language, then put them together in different ways to see what comes out.
Creating a found poem is a great way to spark your imagination!
Step 1: Select a topic or theme from MAUS II that you find particularly interesting and will be
reflected in your poem.
Step 2: On a separate sheet of paper, copy down words and phrases that strike you as
appealing and are tied to this topic or theme.
Step 3: Rearrange the words and phrases that you have copied down into a poem. Pay attention
to line breaks, layout, and other elements that will emphasize important words or
significant ideas in the poem.
Step 4: When you’re close to an edited down version, if you absolutely need to add a word or
two to make the poem flow more smoothly, to make sense, or to make a point, you may
add up to five words of your own.
Step 5: Write a short paragraph explaining why you chose this topic or theme and how the
words/phrases you chose in your poem are tied to your topic/theme. Explain poetic
choices you made (line length, repetition, alliteration, stressed words, etc.).


Must be at least TEN lines long
Must have a title that explains or represents your main idea
SAMPLE FOUND POEM
Hypocrisy
Stop, Francoise
A hitch-hiker?
A Shvartser!
Ya’ll take care now, an’ be good
This shvartser doesn’t steal us the groceries from the back seat
It’s not even to compare the shvartsers and the Jews!
How dare you generalize!
Just stop
Now we can make a very happy lunch from all my new groceries
Your shvartser didn’t take them
(This is what I would have expected from Vladek, not his actual racist response to the hitch-hiker)
MAUS II Form Poem
Choose any ONE character from MAUS II. Use the following to write a non-rhyming form poem.
Please write this on another piece of paper (or the back of your found poem). Have fun with this!
Line 1 The character’s first name
Line 2 Who is... (3 descriptive words that describe your character)
Line 3 Who loves...(3 ideas or people)
Line 4 Who feels....(3 ideas)
Line 5 (Choose a powerful quote from that person)
Line 6 Who needs... (3 ideas)
Line 7 Who gives...(3 ideas)
Line 8 (Choose a powerful quote from that person)
Line 9 Who fears...(3 ideas)
Line 10 Who would like to see....
Line 11 Who is ….
Line 12 Who thinks....
Line 13 (Choose a powerful quote from that person)
Line 14 The character’s last name (if unknown, use character’s first name again)