Questions to Consider:
LTQ Post Option 1:
1. Is Spiegelman’s use of the comic form effective in conveying the emotional and historical weight of the Holocaust? How does the format of the graphic novel support movement between past and present, and integration of the two, as Vladek tells his story? What is the argument against the suggestion that the medium lacks the seriousness needed to discuss the Holocaust?
LTQ Post Option 2:
2. How does generational trauma impact the children of Holocaust survivors, like Spiegelman? How does the weight of the trauma experienced by direct ancestors as well as communities as a whole play into the lives of young people today? Is it possible to move beyond generational trauma, or is it better to live with and acknowledge it? (Please note you can also discuss generational trauma from other wars, conflicts or genocides in addition to what you notice in Maus).
Word Count Requirement: 500-750 words
Sources to Reference:
Please refer to the ideas, either using a description, quote or paraphrasing, from Maus I or II in addition to one other source in your response.
Maus I (Spiegelman,1986)
Maus II (Spiegelman,1991)
“The Shadow of Past Time”: History and Graphic Representation in Maus (Chute, 2006)
Intergenerational transmission of trauma in Spiegelman's Maus (Stanislav, 2013)
Rubric to Review: LTQ Rubric