Communications 12 Sardis Seconda ary Maus 1 By Art Spiegelm man On a separate piece of paper, answer these questionss in full. Capitalize the 1 st word of each sentence and do not start with because, which, that or of. "Prologue" (c. 1958) What is your first impression of Vladek Spiegelman? What does his remark about friends suggest about his personalit ty? How does it foreshadow revelations later in the book? 1
Chapter 1: "The Sheik" (c. 1973 and mid 1930 s) 1. What has happened to Artie's mother? Who does Vladek live with now? 2. What have taken their toll on Vladek, according to Artie? 3. How long has it been since Artie last visited his father? What does it suggest or foreshadow about their relationship? 4. What evidence is there early in p. 12 that Vladek is a concentration camp survivor? 5. Here s a challenging question: Vladek pedals hard on his exercise bike, but he s obviously not moving forward. What might this symbolize about his connection to the past? 6. What evidence do we have that Vladek is very worried about neatness? 7. Some people marry due to passion, while others marry due to calculation. Which one do you think is it for Vladek when he chooses Anja over Lucia? Explain your answer. Chapter 2: "The Honeymoon" 1. What is Vladek doing when Artie comes to visit him? Does Artie seem interested? 2. How does Vladek become wealthy? 3. What does Vladek see while traveling through Czechoslovakia? Explain. 4. Why is Anja s mental illness a major part of this chapter? 5. How can we easily tell that Richieu's governess (i.e. nanny), is a non Jewish Pole? Considering what happens on p. 37, do you think it ll be easy for the Nazis to turn Pole against Pole when war comes? Explain. Alternate Chp. 2 Assignment: Pretend you are Anja. Write a letter (min. 150 words) to your father just before you come home from the sanitarium. Describe all you have seen, heard and experienced on your trip. Also discuss your health and recovery. 2
Chapter 3: "Prisoner of War" 1. When Artie refused to finish his food as a child, what did Vladek do? Why do you think he is so uptight? 2. Why was Vladek's father so reluctant to let him serve in the Polish army? What means did he use to keep him out? 3. How does Vladek feel after shooting the German soldier? 4. How did the Germans treat Vladek and other Jewish prisoners after transporting them to the Reich? How was this different from their treatment of Polish P.O.W.'s? 5. What is the significance of Vladek's dream about his grandfather? What recurring meaning does "Parshas Truma" have in his life? 6. How does Vladek get back to his wife and son? What visual device does Spiegelman use to show him disguising himself as a Polish Gentile (non Jew)? 7. Why do you think Vladec throws out the coat? Alternate Chp. 3 Assignment: Redraw the map from p. 60. Include all the details and city names, including Lublin and Sosnowiec. Shading and outline colours are expected. What pages in the chapter occur in Lublin? In Sosnowiec? Put these numbers beside the names of the cities. Chapter 4: "The Noose Tightens" 1. Describe the activities depicted in the family dinner scene on pages 74 76. What do they tell you about the Zylberbergs? 2. Although Jews were allowed only limited rations under the Nazi occupation, Vladek manages to circumvent (get around) these restrictions for a while. What methods does he use to support himself and his family? 3. During the brutal mass arrest depicted on page 80, Vladek is framed by a panel shaped like a Jewish star. How does this device express his situation at that moment? 3
4. After seeing his business associates hanging, why does Vladek continue with his "black market" dealings? Does he consider his dealings to be immoral or just illegal? 5. What is the benefit of cut away views, like on p. 86? 6. What happened to Vladek's father? What do the events on pages 88 91 suggest about how the Nazis viewed the Jews? Alternate Chp. 4 Assignment: Pretend you are one of the Jewish Committee members helping the Nazis in the stadium. In a full paragraph (min. 100 words), defend your actions with at least three fully explained reason. Chapter 5: "Mouse Holes" 1. By the end of the chapter, the Jews are almost forced to act like mice. Explain two of the mouse holes (hiding places) we encounter in this chapter. 2. Why does Artie claim that he became an artist? 3. A story inside a story: How does the comic strip "Prisoner on the Hell Planet" depict Artie s mother? Why do you think he has chosen to draw himself dressed in a prison uniform? 4. Why did Anja finally consent to send Richieu away? Was his death "better" than the fate of the children depicted on page 108? 5. What eventually happens to the "mouse" who informed on the Spiegelmans? What becomes of Haskel, who refused to save Vladek's in laws even though he accepted their jewels? 6. What does the incident on pages 118 and 119 tell us about relations between Jews and Germans? Does the knowledge that some Nazis fraternized with their victims make their crimes more or less horrible? 7. Mala thinks Vladec is miserly; Vladek thinks Mala is greedy and covetous. Who do you think is right? 4
Chapter 6: "Mouse Trap" 1. On p. 136 Vladek says that he was able to pass for a member of the Gestapo but that Anja's appearance was more Jewish. What visual device does Spiegelman use to show the difference between them? 2. On p. 149 Vladek is almost betrayed by a group of schoolchildren. What stories did Poles tell their children about Jews? How do you think such stories and perhaps similar stories told by German parents helped pave the way for the Holocaust? 3. Why does Vladek want to flee to Hungary? How are he and Anja eventually captured? What is the significance of the letter from Mandelbaum's nephew (p. 154)? 4. Why does Artie call his father a murderer? Is he justified? 5. Why do you like, or dislike, the ending of Maus? Why might you want to read Maus II? Alternate Chp. 6 Assignment: Pretend you are Artie. Write a letter to Vladec. Be loving but honest; explain why you are so angry with him. 5