Introduction to Maus
• SWBAT define and understand
how to read a graphic novel.
• SWBAT define visual metaphor
and understand its relation to
Maus.
Graphic Novel
Graphic
Novel-
A novel with images similar to a
comic book.
Graphic novels are
______________________ than an
ordinary comic book and tend to deal
with more
longer
serious issues
___________________________.
Maus I—My Father Bleeds History
Overview
Title: Maus I—My Father Bleeds History
Author: Art Spiegelman
Published: 1973 through 1991
Category: Nonfiction
Graphic Novel
Memoir
Biography
Historical
Maus I
My Father Bleeds History
Art Spiegelman Born in 1948 in Stockholm, Sweden,
Art Spiegelman is a naturalized U.S. citizen. While
growing up, Spiegelman lived with his parents in Rego
Park in the Queens section of New York City. From
1966 to 1989 he worked for Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.
illustrating trading cards and stickers including the
Garbage Pail Kids series. He has written many comix
(underground comics), worked as a New Yorker staff
artist and writer, and been a lecturer and teacher at
various times in his career. His work has been the
subject of special museum and gallery exhibits both in
the U.S. and abroad. Maus earned him a special
Pulitzer Prize.
Maus I—My Father Bleeds History
Summary
Maus is a story within a story: Art Spiegelman,
the son of two survivors of the Holocaust, tells
how he interviewed his father Vladek about his
Holocaust experience, and it tells the story of the
father's persecution and survival. It is written in a
comic book format, with various types of animals
representing the various nationalities and
religions (however, Jews are mice, no matter
what nationality they are).
Primary Source Significance?
• One individualized account
• pre-war Jewish life; the layout and
workings of Auschwitz (the worst
concentration camp); the euphemistic
language particular to Auschwitz;
survival and resistance; liberation and
the aftermath of war.
Answer in complete sentences
• What do you predict we might be able to
gain from an eye-witness or first hand
account that we could not from a second
hand source, such as a textbook?
Characters
Art(ie
Spiegelman):
Author/Narrator & son of Vladek
Spiegelman
Vladek
Spiegelman:
Anja
Spiegelman:
Mala
Spiegelman:
Father of Art & Survivor of the Holocaust
Francoise
Mouly:
Wife of Art. Although she is French. Art also
draws her as a mouse because she converted
to Judaism.
1st wife of Vladek Spiegelman, mother of Art
and Richieu.
2nd wife of Vladek Spiegelman, survivor of the
Holocaust.
Visual Metaphor
Any visual symbol or picture that is used to represent something
else. Visual Metaphors are often used in political cartoons.
Some Poles have found the pig metaphor
to be offensive. Spiegelman relates a
conversation he had with a member of the
Polish press:
Criticism
• "[A Polish press attaché] said, 'Do you
realize that it is a terrible insult to call a
Pole a pig? It's worse than it even sounds
in English. Do you realize that the
Germans called us schwein [pigs]?'
Art’s Response
• So I said, 'Yeah, and the Germans called us
vermin. These aren't my metaphors. These are
Hitler's.' And that gave us common ground. I
pointed out that, in the book, there are Jews who
act admirably-but there are many Jews in the
book who don't. These are just people wearing
masks. And the same is true of the Poles. There
are some Poles who saved my parents' lives
and who were very kind, and there were some
who were swine."
Maus I—My Father Bleeds History
General Characters
Maus I
• The Jews are represented by mice.
• The Germans are represented by cats.
• The Americans are represented by dogs.
• The Poles are represented by pigs.
Maus II
• The Roma (Gypsies) are represented as gypsy
moths.
• The British are represented by fish.
• The child of a Jew and a German is shown as a
mouse with cat stripes.
List characteristics of a…
List characteristics of a…
List characteristics of a…
List characteristics of a…
Look at the pictures
• Why do you think Spiegelman used
animals for symbols rather than
drawing humans?
"The Jews are undoubtedly a race, but they are
not human.” –Hitler
Visual Metaphors in Maus: The depiction of characters
This quote is written on the copyright page
of Maus, why do you think the author placed it
there?
___________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
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Before Reading
• Pretend you are 10 years old and your
friends run off and leave you behind. How
would you feel?
• How would you expect a loving mother or
father to respond to the situation once you
told them the story of what happened to
you?
How to read a graphic novel
Left 
right
Words
picture
(boxes, then dialogue
bubbles)
After Reading
• Answer the questions as we discuss them
as a class.
Closing
• What is the difference between a graphic
novel and a comic?
• What is visual metaphor?