m a u sm a u s - vancouver holocaust education centre

M a u sM a u s

teacher’s guide

Frieda Miller Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

a memoir of the holocaust

m a u s a memoir of the holocaust

teacher’s guideFrieda Miller and the

VancouVer holocaust education centre

MAUS: A MEMOIR OF THE HOLOCAUST / Teacher's GuideText: Frieda Miller, Education Coordinator, Vancouver Holocaust Education CentreEditing, Layout and Design: Graham sharpeResearch assistance: Daniel Fromowitz

Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre50 - 950 West 41st avenueVancouver, bc V5z 2n7604 · 264 · 0499 fax 604 · 264 · 0497

© 1998

Material may be reproduced in part or whole, in any print or electronic format for non-commercial purposes provided that the publisher and author are acknowledged.

IsBN 1-895754-29-1

Copyright to the editorial cartoons reproduced on pages 33-36 by Brian Gable, Bob Krieger, Bruce MacKinnon, and Malcolm Mayes remains with the artists.

The Exhibitionmaus: A Memoir of the HolocaustCurated by Natalia Indrimi and organized by La Centrale dell'arte, Rome-New York.

AcknowledgmentsWith special thanks to Brian Gable, Bob Krieger, Bruce MacKinnon, Malcolm Mayes for the permission to reproduce their work.

SponsorshipThis Teacher's Guide was made possible with the generous support of: Mordehai and Hana Wosk Family Fund for Education and through funding for the Maus project provided by: Benwell–atkins Ltd., British Columbia Teachers’ Federation, Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Lucien and Carole Lieberman, Community Liaison Branch – Ministry Responsible for Multiculturalism and Immigration British Columbia, united Way of the Lower Mainland, and VanCity.

I ntroduc t ion 1

about the Teacher ’s Guide 2ar t spiegelman 3

a Memoir of the Holocaust 4 Pre-War Jewish Life 6 Loss of Rights 7 Separation, Hiding, Deportation 8 The Workings of Auschwitz-Birkenau 9 Language of Deception 11 Resistance 14 Liberation and the Aftermath 15

Form and Genre 17M a u s as Metaphor 18 Metaphor by Design 19 Ethnic Metaphors 20 Controversies 21Charac ter study 23

a Comic Book about the Holocaust ? 26

Artistic Style 27 Artistic Process 29socia l Just ice Car toons 31 Editorial Cartoons 33

Glossar y 37Timel ine of the Holocaust 44Resources 47

social s tudies

language ar ts

visual ar ts

Historical record, memoir or comic book? maus defies easy definition. The two volume, Pulitzer Prize winning book by acclaimed graphic artist art spiegelman functions on three distinct yet seamless levels. It is the story of the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of the artist's father, Vladek; it is the story of the tortured relationship between the artist and his father; and finally it is the story of the relationship between the artist and his art.

spiegelman uses a unique cartoon style, characterizing humans as animals, to illustrate the disturbing story of his parents' Holocaust survival, his father's ongoing pain, its impact on family relationships and his own artistic struggle. as a character in his own work, spiegelman juxtaposes the minutiæ of day to day life with the magnitude of events surrounding the Holocaust. Beneath the apparent simplicity of maus' comic book format lies a serious and complex narrative derived from hours of personal interviews and historical research that included visits to auschwitz and other places in Poland.

maus first appeared in 1980 in art spiegelman's avant-garde magazine Raw. maus, a survivor's tale i: my father bleeds history was published in 1986 and maus, a sur-vivor's tale ii: and here my troubles began in 1991. The two volumes were awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 with the creation of a special category to honour the originality of the work.

some critics contend that the comic book format is inappropriate for the subject mat-ter and demeans the enormity of the Holocaust experience. Others argue that the car-toon medium opens up the history to a new readership and that by neither trivializing nor sentimentalizing, Maus raises the comic book to a higher art form.

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introduction

The guide has been organized into three classroom subject areas. Teachers who wish to borrow ideas across disciplines will find that the student materials are particularly easy to adapt to different teaching needs.

social studies

as a memoir of the Holocaust, History and social studies teachers will find that maus offers an opportunity to explore the history of the Holocaust through Vladek's experi-ences of: segregation, hiding and deportation, the workings and specialized language of auschwitz, resistance, liberation, and the aftermath of war.

language arts

as autobiography, expressed through the conversations between father and son, maus offers English teachers a unique opportunity to analyze form and explore char-acter development and the use of metaphor.

visual art

as a comic book which features the artist as one of the characters, maus offers art teachers an opportunity to explore style, the artistic process and contemporary car-tooning as it relates to issues of social justice.

please note:ReferencestothetwovolumesofmausaredenotedinthetextwithRomannumeralsfollowedbythepagenumber:page46inVolumeIIisindicatedas(II.46).

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about the teacher’s guide

ArtSpiegelmanwasbornin1948inStockholm,Sweden,thesonofAndzi(Anja)and Vladek Spiegelman. The family moved to Rego Park, New York in 1951.Spiegelmandemonstratedanearlyinterestincomicbooks.Popularhorrorcom-ics, Mad, underground comics, television, as well as pop and high art wereall formative influences. By adolescence, Spiegelman was seriously involvedin comic making. As Spiegelman tells us, the underground comic movementdevelopedinthe1960swhilehewasinjuniorhighschool:

"I met some people who later became, like myself, that first generation of underground cartoon-

ists – like Jay Lynch, Skip Williamson. We were all working for the same little magazines. They

were amateur self-produced magazines."(Dreifus,36)

Chaptersofmauswerefirstserialized in1980 inArtSpiegelman'savant-gardemagazineRaw.maus, a survivor's tale i: my father bleeds historywaspublishedin1986andmaus, a survivor's tale ii: and here my troubles beganin1991.ThetwovolumeswonaPulitzerPrizein1992withthecreationofaspecialcategorytohonour theoriginalityof thework.Theacclaimandpublicattention that fol-lowedthepublicationofmauscameasasurprisetoSpiegelman.

"One of the reasons I wasn't ready for the response to maus is that I was living in a world where

comics were being made seriously and taken seriously. So, to me, it was very natural."(Dreifus,36)

"There's a kind of shock in people's minds when they hear that this story is a comic strip

– 'Somebody did a comic strip about the Holocaust.’

Actually, that invests it with a certain lack of hubris. It's not an opera about the Holocaust; it's

something modest, it's a comic strip – a medium that has a history of being without pretensions

or aspirations to art. And perhaps if there can be no art about the Holocaust, then there may at

least be comic strips."(Dreifus,35)

Despite the acclaim, Spiegelman experienced angst and misgivings about hiswork.This self-doubt isexpressedboth in the text (I.16) and imagesofmaus,whereheisdiminishedinsize(II.2,II.46).

TodaySpiegelmanisacknowledgedasoneofthisgeneration'sforemostcomicartists. Co-founder and co-editor of Raw with his wife Françoise Mouly, theacclaimedmagazineofavant-gardecomixandgraphics,Spiegelmanhasbecomewidelyknownformausandhiscurrentworkasacoverartist,contributorandconsultingeditorfortheNew Yorkermagazine.

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art spiegelman

maus is a memoir of one man's Holocaust experience. Like any eyewitnessaccount, Vladek's story is a partial view that enhances but does not replacehistorical knowledge. Vladek's personal account reflects his particular circum-stances,age,personalityandcountryoforigin.YethisunrelentinghonestyandunwaveringrecallprovidestudentswithmanyentrypointsintothestudyoftheHolocaustincluding:pre-warJewishlife;thelayoutandworkingsofAuschwitz;theeuphemisticlanguageparticulartoAuschwitz;survivalandresistance;libera-tionandtheaftermathofwar.

vladek as eyewitness

Vladek tells us why his eyewitness testimony is important by explaining thathisfirsthandknowledgeoftheHolocaustisdifferentfromhistoricallyacquiredknowledge.

discussion questions

Read the definition of crematoria provided in the glossary and compare it toVladek'sfirsthandexperiences(I.46,I.86,II.27,II.55,II.69-72,II.79).WhatdoyoulearnfromVladek'saccount that isdifferent fromahistoricaldefinition?Conversely,whatdetailsaremissingfromVladek'saccountthathistoricalresearchprovides?MemoirsandhistorybooksaretwowaysoflearningabouttheHolocaust.Whichprovides a greater sense of immediacy, an identification with the individualandwhy?Whatarethelimitationsofoneperson'smemoir?Howdofirsthandaccountshelpusunderstandthelargerhistory?

timeline activity

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social studies

a memoir of the holocaust

Understandhowoneperson'sexperiencescanbothintersectanddeviatefromthe larger history. Plot the major events and dates in Vladek's life against thetimelineoftheHolocaustincludedintheappendix.

research extension

Students areencouraged tohear fromaHolocaust survivoror readother firsthandaccounts,diariesormemoirsoftheHolocaust(seebibliography).ComparethemtoVladek'sstoryinmaus.Forexample,ElieWiesel,likeVladek,wasalsointerned in Auschwitz and bears witness to the workings of Auschwitz, slavelabouranddeathmarches.UnlikeVladek,Wieselspeaksfromtheparticularvan-tagepointofayoungboyfromatraditionalandreligiouslyobservantHungarianfamily.

small group activity

Studentsaredivided intosmallgroupsandeachgroup isprovidedwithoneormoreof thefollowingstudydocuments.Eachgroupchoosesa recorderandareporter.Students read thematerials, thesuggestedexcerpts frommaus andanswerthequestions.Groupssharetheirfindingswiththeclass.

➢ pre-warJewishlife➢ thingsbegantochange➢ separation,hiding,deportation➢ workingsofAuschwitz-Birkenau➢ languageofAuschwitz➢ resistance➢ liberationandtheaftermathofwar

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social studies

Before1933Jewishfamilieslivedindiverse,vibrantcommunitiesacrossEurope.In Poland, where Vladek and Anja came from, there were 3.35 million Jews,representingtenpercentofthepopulation.Jewishcommunitieshadbeeninplacesincetheeleventhcentury.SomeoftheJewswerereligiouslyobservant,othersmoresecular.Some,particularlythosefromsmallervillages,spokeYiddish,oth-ersonlythelanguageoftheirnativeland.Dependingonwheretheylived,Jewsoften faced many restrictions. Others enjoyed greater freedoms and achievedsuccessasscholars,politicians,artistsandscientists.Notonlyweremillionsoflives lost in theHolocaust,entireJewishcommunitiesanda richculturewerelost.Todaytherearefewerthan4,000JewsremaininginPoland.

read vladek's account

➢ Anja'sfamilyI.15-22

➢ grandparentsI.86,I.116


Vladek presents Anja's large extended family, the Zylberbergs, in some detail.Whatdoeshetellyouaboutthem?Describetheirsocialandeconomicstatus?HowdotheZylberbergscomparetothedescriptionofpre-warJewishlifeabove?WhydoyouthinkVladek'saccountofhispre-warlifeisincludedinmaus?

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pre-war jewish life

TherestrictionofJewishrightsandtheremovalofJewsfrompubliclifewasagradualandsystematicprocess.The1933Anti-JewishLegislationandthe1935NurembergLawswerethefirst legalstepstobeenactedbytheNazis.TheselawsbarredJewsfromtheGermancivilservice.Basiccivilrightsandrightsofcitizenshipwereremoved.Jewswerenolongerpermittedtoholdjobsinpublicschools,thelawcourts,postoffices,railways,fireandpolicedepartments.Theywere forbidden to practice law or marry non-Jews. Children were forbiddentoattendpublic schools, visitparksandownpets. Jewswere forced towearyellowstarsofDavidinpublicandtheiridentificationpaperswerestampedwiththeletter"J"forJewaspartoftheprocessofidentifyingandisolatingthem.


➢ swastikaappearsI.32

➢ pogromsinGermanyandPolandI.33,I.37

➢ invasionofPoland,VladekdraftedI.37-8,I.44,I.47-50

➢ restrictionsagainstJewsofSosnowiecI.65,I.75-76,I.78-79

➢ identificationofJewsI.62,I.71,I.80,I.83,I.88,I.90,I.106

➢ gradualsystematicchangeI.65,I.74,I.79

➢ aryanizationofJewishbusinessesI.33,I.76-77

fact finding questions

Describe the ways in which Vladek, Anja and their family were subjected todiscrimination.What rightswereremovedfirst?Howdoesmausmakeuseofimages to explain this process to readers? What did you learn from Vladek'stestimonyabouttheinitialstagesoftheHolocaust?


Whatroledidthese initial restrictionsplay intheoverallFinalSolution?Why isitimportanttounderstandtheseearlyrestrictionsandtheirgradualimplementa-tion?Whatlessonsdotheyholdforracismanddiscriminationtoday?

research extension

The Nuremberg Laws laid down the legal groundwork for restrictions againstJews.Whatwerethey,howweretheyenactedandwhy?Whobenefitedfromthem?

student material

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loss of rights

Kristallnacht,the"NightofBrokenGlass,"wasadefiningmomentinthehistoryoftheHolocaust.OnNovember9,1938,Jewishsynagogues,storesandhomesinGermanyandAustriawere lootedanddestroyed.Jewsweremurderedandthousandsweredeportedtoconcentrationcamps.NewsofthiseventspreadtoJewishcommunitiesacrossEurope.

Thosewhocould, tried toemigrate.Somemade thedifficultdecision tosendtheir children on "Kindertransports" to safety in other countries. Families whoremainedweredrivenintohiding,ghettosandconcentrationcamps.Tosurviveinhiding,Jewshadtoassumeotheridentities–changingtheirnamesandpass-ingasnon-Jews.Separatedfromtheirfamiliestheylivedinconstantdangerofdiscovery.

Childrensufferedfear,separation,disease,starvationanddeath.Olderchildren,whocould serve as slave labourers, had thebest chanceof survival.Only 1.1percentofJewishchildreninEuropealiveatthebeginningofthewar,survivedtoitsconclusion.


➢ "actions,"round-upsanddeportationsI.78-80,I.86-91,I.109-111

➢ slavelabourI.106,I.116-7,II.67

➢ hidingI.110-113,I.121-125,II.80-88

➢ ghettosI.82,I.105,I.121-24

➢ liquidationI.112-115,I.121

➢ experiencesofchildrenI.81,I.90-1,I.107-109,I.121-123


VladekusesseveraltermstodescribethesystematicroundupanddeportationofJewstoconcentrationcamps.DrawupalistofthesewordsanduseVladek'sdescriptionsoftheeventstoexplaintheirmeaning.Compareyourfindingstothedefinitionsfoundintheglossary.

VladekandAnja'ssurvivaldependedontheirbeingabletoworkasslavelabour-ers,evadecaptureorgointohiding.WhatskillsdidVladekhavetoaccomplishthis?Whohelpedhim?

Vladekwas awitness to the liquidationof theSosnowiecghetto and thepar-ticularexperiencesofchildren.WhatstepsdidheandAnjataketokeepRichieusafe?Whatweretheobstaclesandriskstoplacingachildinhiding?Describetheliquidationprocessanditspurpose.

student material

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separation, hiding, deportation

VladekwasawitnesstotheworkingsoftheconcentrationcampDachauandthedeathcampofAuschwitz-Birkenau.

Immediately after assumingpoweronJanuary 30, 1933, theNazisestablishedcamps where they “concentrated” and imprisoned perceived enemies of thestateincludingpoliticalopponents,tradeunionists,Jehovah’sWitnesses,Gypsiesandhomosexuals.Thegeneralround-upofJewsbeganin1938.

Dachau was one of the first three concentration camps built. The barracks,gaschamber (whichwasneverused)andcrematoriumofDachaubecametheprototypeforlaterconcentrationcamps.Auschwitzwasestablishedin1940nearOswiecim, Poland and became an extermination camp in 1942. It contained alabour campand thesub-campBirkenau (alsoknownasAuschwitz II)with itsfour gas chambers. The Auschwitz gassings took place at Birkenau, as manyas6,000aday.Upto1.5millionJewishmen,womenandchildrenand100,000victimsfromotherethnicandculturalgroupswerekilledinthiscamp.Only7,650prisonerswerefoundaliveatliberation.


student material

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the workings of auschwitz-birkenau

Dachau➢ cattlecars/trainsII.85-88

➢ "Here,inDachau,mytroubles began"II.91-97

Birkenau➢ mapbackcoverVol.I&II,II.52,II.51

➢ trainsII.55

➢ gaschamberI.109,I.116,II.69-72

➢ crematoriaI.86,I.146,II.27,II.55,

II.69-72

Auschwitz➢ mapbackcoverVol.I&II,II.51

➢ foreshadowingI.78,I.86,I.88,I.107➢ deportationsI.114,I.121,I.146,

II.108

➢ arrivalinAuschwitzI.157,II.24-5

➢ rolecallII.50

➢ workII.36,II.47,II.53,II.60

➢ "organizing",tradingII.64,II.67,II.96

➢ resourcefulnessII.85,II.94

➢ hungerII.32,II.48-49,II.59,II.61,II.78,

II.86,II.91-94,II.111

➢ diseaseII.91-2,II.94-96

➢ brutalityII.50,II.57


Whatdoyou learnfromVladekaboutDachau,AuschwitzandBirkenau?Usingthemapsfoundinmaus,describethephysicallayoutofthecamps.

HowwasAuschwitz-BirkenauorganizedtoachievetheNazipurposeofthemasskillingsofJews,Gypsies,Poles,Homosexualsandothers?Considerthemove-mentofpeoplefromthetrainstoshowers,barracksandforcedlabourortothegaschambersandcrematoria.Whatjobswereperformedinthissystematicpro-cessbyguardsandprisoners?WhatjobsdidVladekperform?

DespitethecrueltyanddeprivationoflifeinAuschwitz-Birkenau,anundergroundculturedevelopedamongsttheprisonersthatincludedacommunicationnetwork.Describethephysicalandsocialconditionsofthecamps.Howwasatypicaldayorganized?Describesomeofthestrategiesthatimprovedprisoners'chancesofsurvivinginAuschwitz.HowdidVladekavoidselections?FromVladek'sdescrip-tionofhisrations,calculatethenumberofcaloriesheconsumeddaily.Howdoesthiscomparetothenumberofcaloriesyouconsumeonanaverageday?

research extension

Auschwitzissometimesreferredtoasa"factoryofdeath."TowhatextentisitaccuratetosaythatAuschwitzandtheHolocaustareessentiallymodernevents?What technologicalandorganizationaldevelopmentsof the20thcenturymadetheHolocaustpossible?

student material

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the workings of auschwitz-birkenau

BecauseAuschwitzseemedlikeanotherworld,ithassometimesbeenreferredtoas"PlanetAuschwitz."InmanywaysAuschwitzfunctionedasasociety,albeitaperverseone,removedfromtheworldandallsenseofnormalcyandjustice.Aspecialized languagearose todescribe thisdestructiveworld.Vladekmakesliberaluseofthislanguagethroughoutmaus.


➢ actionI.111

➢ appelII.50,II.66

➢ kapoII.30-33,II.63

➢ liquidationI.112,I.114,I.121

➢ organizeII.64

➢ selection/selektionII.31-32,II.58-59,II.67

➢ SonderkommandoII.71,II.79

define the words

Workinpairsorsmallgroupstowritedefinitionsforeachofthefollowingwords.Compareyourdefinitionswithothers in theclass.Match theclass'definitionswiththeglossary.What isthedifferencebetweenthewords'actualmeanings(denotation)andtheiruseintheHolocaust(connotation)?Foranalternativeactiv-ity,cutuptheglossarysothatthewordsandtheirdefinitionsareseparated.Giveeachgroupasetandseewhichgroupcanbethefirsttomatchthewordsandtheirdefinitions.

student material

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language of deception

Action/ AktionAppel

AryanizationFinal Solution

Kapo

LiquidationOrganizeRoundup

Selection/ SelektionShower

Sonderkommando


WhichwordsdoyouthinkwerecoinedbytheNazisasalanguageofdeception,tomaskwhatwasreallygoingon?Whichwordsdoyouthinkmayhavebeencoinedbytheprisonersthemselves?WhichofthewordsdescribesomegeneralaspectoftheHolocaust?Whichofthewordsrefertotheconcentrationcampsinparticular?WhydoyouthinkSpiegelmankeptthesespecializedwordsinmausratherthanreplacethemwithonesmoreeasilyunderstood?Howdoesunderstandingthesewordscontributetoyourappreciationofthework?

On the gates to Dachau and Auschwitz were the words Arbeit Macht Frei,Germanfor"work will make you free."Whatdoyouthinktheintentofthismottowas?Howdoesitrelatetothelanguageofdeception?Doyouthinkthislanguageevolvedorwascreated,andwhy?

student material

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language of deception

action / aktionGerman word meaning "action" but used to refer to any non-military campaign. an aktion would be an operation undertaken for political or racial reasons. For example Aktion 14f13 was the code name for the murder of the dis-abled.

appelFrenchwordforrollcall.Processofforcing

concentrationcampprisonerstolineupout-

doorstobecounted,oftenforseveralhours

andunderallweatherconditions.

AryanizationTerm used to describe the confiscation of

Jewish-ownedbusinessesandtheirtransfer

toGermanownership.

FinalSolutionNazicodenamefortheplantodestroythe

JewsofEurope.

KapoPrisoner inchargeofagroupof inmates in

Naziconcentrationcamps.Theword "kapo"

comesfromtheItalian"capo"meaninghead

or chief. Kapos were often professional

criminals, former soldiers, foreign legion-

naires and other rough unskilled prisoners

whodirectedtheforcedlabourworkdetails

ofJewsinconcentrationcamps.Theywere

appointed by the SS work detail officers,

and they had equally cruel foremen assist-

ingthem.PrisonersoftenhadtobribeKapos

to avoid being beaten to death. To distin-

guishthemfromJewswearingyellowstars,

Kapos wore black arm bands with white

letteringontheirleftarms.

LiquidationTermusedbyNazisreferringtotheremov-

al and/or elimination of prisoners: the

liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto saw the

deportation of Jews to the concentration

camp Treblinka, where most were then

killed.

OrganizeWordusedbyAuschwitzprisoners to refer

to stealing and procuring food or other

necessitiesneededtosurvive.

RoundupTerm used to refer to the Nazi collection

of Jews and other victims for deportation,

labourormurder.

Selection/SelektionTermforchoosingwhomtokill.Theprocess

of choosing (selecting) victims for the gas

chambers by separating them from those

consideredfittowork.

ShowerLanguage of deception for the gas cham-

ber.

SonderkommandoGerman word meaning, "special comman-

do."TheSonderkommandowasaunitofSS

soldiersgivenaspecialdutyorassignment

suchashelpingthemobilekillingsquads.It

isalso thenamegiventoJewishprisoners

assigned toworkat thegaschambersand

crematoria. At Auschwitz-Birkenau these

Jewish Sonderkommando were replaced

every few months and put to death them-

selves.

student material

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glossary

Despitetheextremedangerto life,Vladekrecountsseveral instancesofresis-tancethatoccurredunderNazioccupationandintheconcentrationcamps.Someweresmallactsofpersonalaltruismandsacrifice,othersheroismonagreaterscale.Resistancetoinjusticetookmanyformsincludingthephysical,psychologi-calandspiritual.Someactsofresistancewereplanned,othersmorespontane-ous.


➢ Anja'sresistanceI.27-8

➢ spiritualresistanceI.54

➢ falseidentitycardsI.78

➢ altruismI.53,II.33-35,II.56,II.59➢ obstaclestoresistanceII.73

➢ SonderkommandoresistanceII.79

➢ PolishrescuersI.81,I.136-139,1.141-148


Vladek's account illustrates some altruistic acts and sacrifices. Describe theseusingexamplesfromthetext.

DescribetheconditionsatAuschwitzthatmaderesistancedifficultifnotimpos-sible.InwhatwaymightasmallactsuchasthesharingoffoodbeconsideredtobeanactofheroisminAuschwitz?JewswhoparticipatedinreligiouspracticedidsoindefianceofNaziorders.Inwhatwaywasmaintainingaspiritual lifeaformofresistance?

DescribetheSonderkommandouprisingofOctober7,1944anditssignificance.VladekidentifiesafewactsofaltruismandrescuebyPolishChristians.Whatcantheseexamplesteachusaboutthehumanresponsetomoralcrisis?

research extension

ResearchotherexamplesofJewishresistancetotheHolocaust, including:theWarsawGhettouprising; the rebellionat theSobibordeathcamp;andJewishpartisanactivity.

Asmallnumberofnon-JewsperformedheroicdeedsandrescuedJewsduringthe Holocaust. Some of these individuals, such as Oskar Schindler and RaoulWallenberg, are well known. Many others are known only to the individualsthey rescued.Researchsomeaccountsof rescuers.Canwemakegeneraliza-

student material

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resistance

ForsurvivorsoftheHolocaust,liberationwasthegradualprocessofreclaimingidentities, searching for family, and finding countries that would accept them.The luckyones founda relativealive.Manydidnot.Withnowhereelse togotheydrifted throughEuropeandendedup inDisplacedPersonsCamps.Manywaited years for the nations which had defeated Germany to determine theirfate.SomelanguishedinEuropeuntil1950–morethanfiveyearsafterthewar.Most countrieshadvery restrictive immigration lawsbarring Jews fromentry.TherewereveryfewchoicesopentoJewishrefugees.Canadawasoneofthefirsttoopenitsdoors.

Many Displaced Persons Camps were housed in former labour or concentra-tioncamps.Nutrition,sanitaryconditionsandaccommodationswereoftenpoor.Despitethis,camp lifewasoftenculturally richand includedmarriages,births,schools,clubs,trainingandemployment.BasicnecessitieswereprovidedbytheUnitedNationsRehabilitationandReliefAgency,theInternationalRedCrossandotherwelfareorganizations.

liberation

➢ GermanretreatII.69

➢ deathmarchII.80-88

➢ exchangedasaprisonerofwarII.97

➢ falseliberationII.105-108

➢ guardsrunawayII.109

➢ foodII.111

aftermath of war

➢ SwedenII.123

➢ displacedpersonscampsII.129,II.31

➢ searchforfamilyII.131,II.133,II.136

➢ dangersofreturninghomeII.131-132

➢ returntoPolandII.135

➢ aidorganizationsII.134


Auschwitz-BirkenauandmanyoftheotherconcentrationcampswereinPoland.AstheRussianArmyapproached,theGermansretreated,force-marchingtheirprisonerstowardsGermany.Whyweretheseevacuationscalled"deathmarches"andhowdidVladeksurvive?

student material

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liberation and the aftermath

Liberation did not come to Vladek in a single defining moment. Describe thestagesofhisliberation,thedangersandtheset-backs.

Liberationdidnotbringan immediateend tosurvivors'hardships.MapVladekandAnja'sroutethroughEuropeintheirsearchforfamilyandahome.WhycouldVladekandAnjanotremaininPoland?

research extension

Whoweretheliberators?Interviewmembersofyourfamilyorcommunitywhoservedasamemberofoneoftheliberationforcesabouttheirexperiences.

What was Canada's response to those seeking refuge, during and after theHolocaust? Research Canadian immigration policies towards various ethnicgroupsduringthefirsthalfofthiscentury.

student material

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liberation and the aftermath

maushasgeneratedmuchdebateastoitsliteraryform.EventhePulitzerPrizecommitteeestablishedaspecialcategorytohonour thework.maushasbeencategorizedvariouslyasacartoon,graphicnovel,memoir(Vladek's),autobiogra-phy (ArtSpiegelman's),oralhistoryandallegory.Somethinkof itasaworkoffiction,othersasnon-fiction.

Spiegelman recounts an amusing anecdote about his efforts to have maus removedfromtheNew York Times Book Review'sfictionlist,sayingthat"DavidDuke[theformerleaderoftheKuKluxKlan]wouldbequitehappytoreadthatwhathappened tohis fatherwas fiction" (Blume,1997). In response,oneof thebook revieweditorsquipped that if he rangSpiegelman'sdoorbell andagiantmouseanswered,thenhewouldplacemausonthenon-fictionlist.

Spiegelman'suseof thecomicbookhasbeenhighlycontroversial,withsomesuggesting that the form demeans the gravity of the Holocaust experience.Othersargue that to thecontrary,maushaselevated thecomicbook formtonewandseriousheights.

analysis of form

Studentschooseoneofthepossibleformsorgenre'sattributedtomauslistedbelow,andfindaworkingdefinitionofthatform.Studentswriteanargumentforclassifyingmausaccordingtothatform.Studentspresenttheirargumentsintheformofaclassdebate.Afterhearingallthepresentations,theclassagreesonacollectiveclassificationofmaus.Studentsdiscusshowtheclassificationcanchangereaders'perceptionofthework.

➢ comicbook➢ graphicnovel➢ memoir➢ autobiography➢ oralhistory➢ allegory➢ fiction➢ non-fiction

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language arts

form and genre

Nopartofthecomicbookstylehasevokedmorediscussionthanmaus'useoftheanimalmetaphor.Central to themetaphor isSpiegelman'sdecisionto rep-resentGermansascats,Jewsasmice,andPolesaspigs.Thismetaphor isavehicleforrenderingtheenormityoftheHolocaustinacontainedform.

Studentsexaminetheuseofmetaphorbyreadingthefollowingstudentmateri-alsincludingtheexcerptsfrommausandansweringthequestions.Studentsareencouragedtosupporttheirargumentswithreferencestomaus.

➢ metaphorbydesign➢ ethnicmetaphors➢ controversies

18

language arts

maus as metaphor

maus isclearly intendedasametaphor.Readersarecontinuallyremindedthattheanimalsaretobethoughtofashumanandthattheanimalsinmausthinkofthemselvesashuman.

Inexplaining theoriginsofmaus,Spiegelman tellsofhavingseenoldcatandmicecartoonsandoldracistcartoons,whichspawnedanideaforacomicstripabout racism in America that would be called "The Ku Klux Katz." However,Spiegelmanchangedhismind,realizingthathecouldusethecatandmicemeta-phorwithasubjectmuchclosertohisownpast–theHolocaust(fromSpiegelman’s

The Complete mauscd-rom).

read excerpts

➢ SpiegelmanawareofhisownmetaphorII.41,II.43

➢ AnjastartledbyarealratI.147

➢ psychiatrist'srealcatanddogII.43


HowdoesSpiegelmanremindreadersthatmausistoreadasametaphor?Whydoyouthinkhedoesthis?

research extension

Comparemaus'useoftheextendedmetaphorwithanotherliteraryworksuchasGeorgeOrwell'sAnimal FarmorAesop'sFables.

student material

19

metaphor by design

Thecentralmetaphorofmaus,inwhichGermansarerepresentedascats,Jewsasmice,andPolesaspigs,isnotasstraightforwardasitseems.mausplayswithideasofethnicidentityandhowthoseidentitiescanbehiddenormasked.OnlytherepresentationofJewsasmiceremainsconstant.Jewsaremicewhetherthey are Polish, French or American. Yet other ethnic or national groups areportrayedwithsomevariations.

read excerpts

➢ African-AmericansII.98-100

➢ anordinaryGermansoldierII.54

➢ GermanciviliansII.130

➢ German-JewishchildrenII.131

➢ Art'swife,FrançoiseII.11-12

➢ maskingJewishidentityI.64,I.125,I.136-141,I.149

➢ Spiegelman'sidentityII.41


HowareAfrican-Americansrepresentedandwhy?Whatvisualelementisusedto distinguish ordinary Germans from Nazis? How is this same element usedtoconvey themixed identityofGerman-Jewishchildren?Explain thedilemmaSpiegelmanfaces in trying to findananimalmetaphor to representhisFrenchwife who has converted to Judaism? Why do you think Spiegelman drawshimselfasahumanwithamousemask?WhatdoVladekandAnjadotopassas non-Jews and how is this conveyed visually? What does this suggest toyouaboutthenotionofethnicidentity?Howaremasksafittingwaytoconveypeople'sperceptionofraceorethnicidentity?

WhydoyouthinkSpiegelmanusedanimalsinsteadofhumanstotellthestory?Doyouthinktheanimalmetaphoriseffective,ordoyouthinktheanimalmeta-phordiminishestheenormityoftheHolocaust?

research extension

TheclassificationofpeopleaccordingtotheirethnicidentitieswascentraltoNazipolicy.ResearchNaziracialideology,eugenicsandthetheoryofamasterrace.Explain how these beliefs were implemented during the Holocaust. ConsiderNazipropagandaandlegislation.

student material

20

ethnic metaphors

maus'useofmetaphor raises thecontroversial issueof raceand thedangersofidentifyingpeoplebyrace.SomepeoplehaveobjectedtothemicemetaphorbecauseofitsassociationwithNazipropagandawhichportrayedJewsasvermin,andPolesparticularlyhavefoundthepigmetaphorobjectionable.

race

Because we think of cats, pigs, dogs and frogs as different species, readersmightconclude thatdifferentnationalitiessuchasGermans,Poles,AmericansandFrencharedistinctraces.Inrealityeachofthesecountriesispopulatedbypeopleofdifferentracesandethnicbackgrounds.

SomecriticssaythattheanimalmetaphorplaysintotheNaziideologyofJewsasarace.Hitlerwrotethat"TheJewsareundoubtedlyarace,buttheyarenothuman"(preface,maus,Vol.I).Infact,Judaismisnotarace,itisareligion.PeopleofanyracecanbeJewish.

Nazismusedracetosegregatepeopleandcreatethedistinctionbetweenamas-terAryanraceandtheinferiorSlavicraces,likethePoleswhoweretobeusedasslaves.JewsandGypsieswereconsideredtobesub-humanandtargetedfordeath.Recentgeneticresearchhasquestionedthewholeideaofrace.Researchfindingsshowfewgeneticdifferencesamongstpeople.

vermin

NazipropagandaportrayedJewsasvermin. "Mickey Mouse is the most miserable ideal ever revealed. ... Healthy emotions tell every

independentyoungmanandeveryhonorableyouththatthedirtyandfilth-coveredvermin,the

greatestbacteriacarrierintheanimalkingdom,cannotbetheidealtypeofanimal....Awaywith

JewishbrutalizationofthePeople!DownwithMickeyMouse!WeartheSwastikaCross!"(from

aGermannewspaperarticle,mid-1930s,reproducedintheprefacetomaus,vol.II)

Spiegelman created the mice metaphor intentionally, knowing about the Naziassociation of Jews as vermin and that their method of “extermination” wasthroughtheuseofacommonpesticide–ZyklonB. "I foundthat inafilmcalledThe Eternal Jew,aracistdocumentarymadebyaguynamed

Hippler,there'sshotsofoldJewishmenmillingaroundinaghetto,cuttoaswarmofratsina

sewer,andsayingthattheJewsaretheratsofmankind,carryingtheirdiseasethroughoutthe

world."(fromSpiegelman’sThe Complete mauscd-rom)

student material

21

controversies

poles as pigs

SomePoleshavefoundthepigmetaphortobeoffensive.SpiegelmanrelatesaconversationhehadwithamemberofthePolishpress: "[APolishpressattaché]said, 'Doyourealizethat it isaterrible insulttocallaPoleapig?

It'sworse than itevensounds inEnglish.Doyou realize that theGermanscalledusschwein

[pigs]?'SoIsaid,'Yeah,andtheGermanscalledusvermin.Thesearen'tmymetaphors.These

areHitler's.'Andthatgaveuscommonground.Ipointedoutthat,inthebook,thereareJews

whoactadmirably-buttherearemanyJewsinthebookwhodon't.Thesearejustpeoplewearing

masks.AndthesameistrueofthePoles.TherearesomePoleswhosavedmyparents'livesand

whowereverykind,andthereweresomewhowereswine."(Dreifus,37)


Whydoyouthinkthemiceandpigmetaphorsmightbecontroversial?DoyouthinkthatmausplaysintothehandsoftheNaziideologyofJewsasverminordoyouthinkthatitrefutesit?Explain.WhatreasonsdoesSpiegelmangiveforusingthesemetaphors?

HowdidtheNazi ideologyofJewsasaracecontributetothe"FinalSolution"?HowwasNaziracialideologyusedagainstGypsiesandPoles?HowareethnicandreligiousdifferencesbeingusedtodayintheFormerYugoslaviaandRwanda?

Doyou think it is appropriate todesignatepeopleby race?A recentCanadiancensus question asked people to identify themselves according to race. Thisinformation is commonly used to measure racial discrimination and to studyincomedifferencesbetweenethnicgroupsanditscauses.Doyouthinkpeopleshouldbe categorizedby race?Whendo you think itwouldbe appropriateorinappropriate?

student material

22

controversies

As a work of literature, maus' strength lies in its honest and unsentimentaldepictionofthecharactersandtheiremotions.Atthesametimethenarrativeiscomplex,forwhoistellingthestoryafterall?ThestoryisVladek's,andtoldbyVladek,butthenreportedtousbySpiegelman.Towhatextent isthenarrativecloudedbythelayersofinterpretationorbythedifferentstorieswhichVladekorArtmightwishtotell?Bystudyingtherelationshipbetweencharacters,studentscangainanawarenessoftherichnessandcomplexityofmaus.

Students choose one of the characters for a character study. They read therelatedexcerptsandquestionsandwriteananalysis.Studentsareencouragedtosupporttheirargumentsbyusingquotesfrommausandrelevantportionsofthecomicstrip.

readers' theatre

Select a portion of maus that explores the relationship between two of thecharacters.Doadramaticreadingoftheexcerpt.Propsmaybeused.Followingthe readers' theatre, students paraphrase the scene in their own words anddiscusstheirinterpretationsoftheevent,charactersandemotions.

23

language arts

character study

vladek

Vladekwasonceadashingyoungman, resourcefulanddaring (I.12-16, II.33). Inmaushe isportrayedasanagingand inpoorhealth.Describesomeof thesechanges using examples from the text. How do you think Vladek's Holocaustexperienceshavecontributedtothekindofpersonhebecame?

Vladek is sometimes portrayed in a negative light and at other times moresympathetically.CompareVladek'saltruismtowardsMandelbauminAuschwitz(II.33-34) with his prejudice towards an African-American hitch-hiker (II.98-100).DescribeVladek'scharacter–hisstrengthsandweaknesses.Findothercontrast-ingexamplestosupportyourargumentandexplainhowtheseexamplesaffectyourattitudetowardshim.

ArtportraysVladekasaninconsideratefather,emotionallydemandingandguiltinducing(I.67-69,I.96-7,II.13,II.77).Whatotherexamplescanyoufindthatsupportthisview?DescribeVladek'srelationshipwithAnjaandhissecondwifeMala(I.11,

I.104,I.130-134)?

Vladekispresentedassomeonewhohoardsfood,rustynailsandtriestoreturnopenedboxesofcerealtothestore(I.98,I.116,I.132).Artsaysthat"insomeways[Vladek]didn'tsurvive"(II.90).WhatdoesArtmeanbythis?Findotherexamplesofhoarding.WhydoyouthinkVladekwouldcarefullykeepcalendarsfrom1965(1.93) and yet throw out Anja's diaries (I.158-159)? What are the physical andpsychologicaleffectsoftheHolocaustonVladek?

student material

24

character study

art

Talking about the past gives Art a reason to talk to his father. Art's self-por-trait is a realistic one. He presents himself as sarcastic, bitter and ambivalenttowardshisfather.FindexamplesofArt'sfeelingsforVladek.WhydoyouthinkArtrespondssobadlytohisfather?ArtbreaksapromisetoVladeknottousesomeofVladek'smoreprivatememories(I.23).Whatdoyouthinkofthisbrokenpromise?

Artfearsthathehasreducedhisfather,notonlytoamouse,buttoarat,a"racistcaricature"whoreusesteabagsandhoardswoodenmatches.DoyouthinkitisimportantthatVladekbeportrayedwithsuchhonesty?Howdoesitcontributetotheliterarymeritofmaus?CanyoufindcontrastingexamplesofArt'scompas-sionforhisfather.

TheHolocausthadlastingeffects,notonlyonsurvivors,butalsoonthechildrenofsurvivors,often referred toas theSecondGeneration.Art, likemanyof theSecond Generation, is plagued by guilt (I.100-103, II.120), fears (II.16) and anger(I.84,I.158-159).ArtgrewupwiththeghostofhisbrotherRichieuwhodiedintheHolocaust(II.15,II.136).ExplainArt'sfeelingsandfears.WhyisArtsoangrywithhisfatherforhavingdestroyedAnja'sdiaries?Explainthe ironyofArtsprayinginsectswithpesticideintheCatskills(II.74).

anja

Anja isamoredifficultcharactertoasses,becauseunlikeArtandVladek,Anjadoes not really speak for herself. Anja is created from memory. Compare thesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenArtandVladek'srelationshipswithAnja.DoArtandVladekspeakaboutorpresentAnjadifferently?Ifso,whatdoesthistellusaboutherhusbandandson?HowdoesAnja'smemory,orlackofit(asherdia-riesweredestroyed(1.158-159)),affecttherelationshipbetweenArtandVladek?Howmight thestoryofmaushavechanged ifArtcouldhave interviewedhismotheraswellashisfather?

student material

25

character study

Spiegelmansharesthemakingofmauswithhisreaders.Asaresult,readersarecontinuallyremindedofthefactthatmaus isacomicbookandthattheartist,isacharacterinhisownwork.Theartist'sprocess(I.132-133,II.11,II.16),andtheresponseofreaders(II.41-42)aretransparentfeaturesofthenarrative.

Asanartform,comicbookscanbeextremelyvariedinstyleandcontent.mausmakesuseofadeceptivelysimplestylebutistheresultofalengthyandinvolvedprocessthatincludedfortyhoursoftapedinterviews,firsthandhistoricalresearchandmucheditingandreworking.

Studentscangainanappreciationofmaus'understatedstyleandanunderstand-ingofthecomplex,artisticprocessbyreadingthefollowingstudentmaterialandrespondingtothequestions.

student material

➢ artisticstyle➢ artisticprocess

AsacomicbookabouttheHolocaust,maushasgeneratedsomecontroversy.AskstudentstodiscusswhethertheythinkmausdemeanstheHolocaustexpe-rience or to the contrary, elevates the comic book form and informs a wideraudienceaboutthehistory?Studentsshouldsupporttheirideaswithquotesandillustrationsfromthetext.

26

visual arts

a comic book about the holocaust ?

simplicity

The style of maus is deceptively simple. Unlike colourful mainstream comics,maususesonlyblackandwhite.Thereare fewdetailsand fewfacialexpres-sions.Mice facesareexpressedsimplywithdots foreyesandshort lines formouthsandeyebrows.Sometimes,facialshadowsareusedtoconveyemotions(II.78).Onlydifferencesinclothingdistinguishesonemousefromanother.Despitethis,eachcharacterisclearlyrecognizable.Thesimplicityofmausmakesiteasytoreadbothintermsoftextandimages.

Incontrast,Spiegelman'searlierwork,Prisoner on the Hell Planet(I.99-103)isverydifferentinstyle.Inthis"comicwithinacomic"hismother'ssuicideispowerfullydrawn,withhumanfacesdepictingafullrangeofexpression.

frames

Renownedcomicbookartist,WillEisnercallscomics"sequentialart," referringinparttothewayeachframefollowstheother.maus'useofframesisatradi-tionalone.Fewdrawingsbreakoutof theirbordersand the frameshelpkeeptheHolocaustseparatefromthepresent.Anexceptiontothis,wherepastandpresentmeetcanbefoundinthedrawingoftheAuschwitzhangingspresentedsimultaneouslywithadrivethroughtheCatskills (II.79).Othervariationsincludetheuseofaframewithinaframe(I.74,II.81),variedsizesofframes,andasingleimagedrawnthroughmultipleframes(II.116).

flashbacks

mausmakesuseofmanyflashbacksandflashforwardstotell thestory inanalternating fashion. At one point Vladek is shown looking back in time at hisyoungerself (I.74, I.115).Althoughextremelyeffective,maus'useofflashbacksandflashforwardsisnotnew.Studentswillbeaccustomedtointerpretingthesetimeshiftsfromtheirexperiencewithothercomicbooks,filmandtelevision.

student material

27

artistic style

diagrams, charts, maps and photos

Auniquefeatureofmausisitsuseofinformationaldrawings.Thesediagrams,charts,mapsandphotosprovideconcretesupport forVladek'sstory.Theyarealmostakindofdocumentaryevidenceforthehistory.Thesespecialdrawingsenhancereaders'understandingofpeople,placesandeventsbyaddingarich-nessofdetailstoanotherwisesimplestyle.


Compare the soft, rounded curves of the mice faces with the sharp, angularedgesofthecatfaces.

Prisoner on the Hell Planetandmausareverydifferentintheirlengthandsubjectmatter.Whichdoyoufindmorepowerfuloreffective?Doyouidentifyorempa-thizemorewiththecharacterswhentheyaredrawnasanimalsorashumans?Doyou thinkyouwould relate toVladekasmuchhadhebeendrawn realisti-cally?

Howdoestheuseofframeshelptoconveyasenseoftime?

Whatstylistictechniquesareusedtomovethereaderbetweenflashbacksandflashforwards?

How do diagrams, charts, maps and photos act as documentary evidence oftheHolocaust?Whatdoyoulearnfromthem?WhydoyouthinkArtandVladekincludetheminthenarrative?Whatfunctiondotheyserve?

student material

28

artistic style

➢ mapofPolandI.60,backcoverVol.I,

II.84

➢ mapofconcentrationcampback

covervol.II,II.51

➢ mapofdeathmarchII.84

➢ mapofRegoParkandthe Catskillsbackcoversvol.I&II

➢ familyphotographsII.5,II.134

➢ drawingsofphotographsI.17,

II.114-116

➢ magnifieddrawingofliceII.91

➢ diagramonshoerepairII.60

➢ diagramsofhidingplacesI.86,

I.110,I.112

➢ diagramoftheworkdonebyslavelabourI.56

➢ diagramsofthecrematoriaII.70

➢ chartshowingexchangevaluesofgoodsinAuschwitzII.64

➢ document–NaziproclamationI.82

➢ document–passportmarkedwitha"J"1.90

➢ timelineII.68

➢ acomicwithinacomicI.99-103

interviews

Spiegelmanrecordedmorethanfortyhoursoftapedinterviewswithhisfather.BecauseSpiegelmanwasnot trainedtocollectoralhistories, these interviewswere conducted over a long period of time and are often highly personal innature.

"Ihavenobackgroundperseinoralhistory.LongaftertheinterviewIdidwithmyfatherIfound

abookonoralhistory, read itand foundout thatmaybe Ihadgoneabout it inanunorthodox

way....mausgrewoutofacomicstripIdidin1971.Athreepagestripbasedonstoriesofmy

father'sandmother's that I recalledbeing told inchildhood.When I finished the1971strip, I

wasprettymuchestrangedfrommyfather.Iwentbacktohimandshowedhimthestripasan

excusetorenewcontactwithhim.Someoftheinformationhegavemeatthatpointmademe

actuallygobackandreworkthethreepagestrip.Andthatledmetotapehisexperiencesinmore

fulldetail,andIspentaboutfourdayswithhimtalkingintoareel-to-reelclunkytaperecorder."(Smith,1987)

Spiegelman'sintendedtotellhisfather'sstory"thewayitreallyhappened"(I.23).Howevertheinterviewsreflectthetroubledrelationshipbetweenfatherandson.ForexampleVladekwantstotalkabouttheglaucomainhis lefteye,whileArtwants tocontinue tohearabout theHolocaust.Spiegelmanexpresses frustra-tionwithhisfather'sdigressions,tothepointofyellingathimtocontinue(II.47).Healsoresortstobribery,promisingtoputupthestormwindowsifVladektellshimmoreaboutAnja(II.103).Theprocessseemstobeadifficultandemotionallydrainingoneforbothofthem: Art:I'm-uh-sorryImadeyoutalksomuch,pop.

Vladek:So,nevermind,darling.Alwaysit'sapleasurewhenyouvisit(II.117).

student material

29

artistic process

research

Spiegelmanresearchedhisparents'storybyvisitingPolandandtheconcentra-tioncampAuschwitz-Birkenau.

"Thecrewhelpedmefindmyparents'houseinSosnowiec.Wefoundpeoplewhoremembered

myfamily.InAuschwitz,wewereabletohookupwiththecuratorofthevisualarchivesofthe

museum,andhehelpedmefindthepicturesIneededformyvisualreconstruction....Thefirst

timeIwent,wewenttoAuschwitzI,whichiswheremyfatherwasincarcerated.Andthatlooks

fairlybenigninsomebizarreway.It'spaved.It'sgottrees.Sointhatfirsttrip,Ispentalotoftime

inAuschwitzI,whichwasarathersanitizedplace,setuplikeamuseumoraworld'sfairdisplay.

Andthatkeptitatapeculiardistance...[Birkenau]stretchedasfarastheeyecouldseeinany

givendirection.Andtheninthebackistherubbleofwherethekillingapparatuswas.Wewalked

inanditwasnearingduskwhenwefoundBirkenau.Andthatwasfrightening.Itwasoneofthe

onlyplacesI'veeverwalkedwhereonereallydoesbelieveinghosts.Itfeltlikeeverystepwas

walkingonashes."(Dreifus,37)

layout

Spiegelman used a lengthy process to complete each page. Starting with hisfather'stapedmemories,Spiegelmanselectedthemost importantscenesandscrapsofdialogue,whichhetheneditedtofittherestrictionsofacomic-strip.Spiegelmanbeganwithatinylayoutofeachpage,followedbyafull-sizetrialonaplasticmastergrid.Spiegelmanreworkedeachpanelmanytimes,paringdownthedialogueandtracingandretracingthecontoursofeachdrawingwithmulti-colouredinks.Spiegelmancontinuedtoeditevensomeofhisfinalversionswithwhite-outorpasted-indialogue.

student drawing activity

History isoften left tohistorians.Butordinarypeople,whohave lived throughmomentoushistoricaleventshavemuch tocontribute toourunderstandingofhistory.Interviewamemberofyourfamilyorcommunityabouttheirmemoriesof the Holocaust, World War II or other recent historical events. Record theirexperiences and discuss any related photographs and documents that theymayhave.Dolibraryresearchforbackgroundinformationandsupportingvisualdocumentation.Select themost importantevents anddialogue.Edit to fit thelimitationsofacomicstrip.Doaroughlayoutofeachpagebeforedoingthefinaldrawings.

student material

30

artistic process

Issuesofsocialjusticehavelongbeenthesubjectmatterofgraphicartistsandcartoonists.Thoughnot the firstof itskind,maushelped to legitimizegraphicnovelsandintroducedanewformofliteraryexpressiontoageneralreadership.Italsointroducedamoreserioustopictoareadershipthatmaynothavesoughtitoutotherwise.Othergraphicnovelsconcernedwithhistoricaleventsorissuesofsocialjusticeinclude:KeijiNakazawa's Barefoot Genwhichrecordsthetesti-monyofachildsurvivorofthebombingofHiroshima;JackJackson'sComanche MoonaboutNativeAmericandisplacement;JacquesTardi'saccountoftheFirstWorldWar inThe War of the Trenches;andRaymondBrigg'sWhen the Wind Blowsaboutanuclearattack.

Onadailybasis,newspapereditorialcartoonistsoftenuseironyandsatireasaweaponagainstdiscriminationandracismwherevertheyfindit,beitinCanadaorontheworldstage.Byrespondingwithimmediacytocurrentissuesandeventscartoonistschallengeustoexamineourownethicalandmoralvalues.

Students examine the selection of Canadian editorial cartoons found in thestudentmaterial:➢ BrianGable,The Globe and Mail➢ BobKrieger,The Province➢ BruceMacKinnon,The Halifax Herald➢ MalcolmMayes,The Edmonton Journal


Describeyourfirstreactiontoeachcartoon.Wasitoneofamusement,annoy-ance,understandingorpuzzlement?Didyouagreewiththeintentofthecartoon?Explainwhyyoureactedinthewaythatyoudid.Whatpurposecansuchcartoonsserve?

Comparethestylesofthefourcartoonsintermsoftheiruseofrealism,details,backgroundsanduseofexaggeration.Howdoestheartist'sstylecontributetothemessageofthecartoon?

written response

Writeabriefexplanationofeachcartoonasyouwouldforayoungersiblingorfriend.Setthestagebyexplainingtheeventorissuebeingportrayed.Explaintheintendedironyandyourreactiontoit.

31

visual arts

social justice cartoons

cartooning activity

Selectacurrentorhistoricalissueoreventfromanewspaper,socialstudiestext,novelormemoirthatinterestsyou.Describethesocialinjusticefoundinthesitu-ation. Identify thevictims,oppressorsandmoraldilemma.Chooseastyle thatbestsuitsyourpurposesanddrawacartoonthatchallengestheviewertothinkmorecloselyaboutyoursubject.Shareyourcartoonswithclassmates.

Measure how well the intent of your cartoon has been conveyed to fellowstudents. Working in pairs or small groups, read each other's cartoons. Writeasingleworddescribingyour initialreactiontoeachcartoon.Writeasentencewhichexplainsyourunderstandingofeachcartoon'ssocialjusticeissueormoraldilemma.

32

visual arts

student material

33

editorial cartoons

©B

rian

Gab

le

student material

34

editorial cartoons

©B

obK

riege

r

student material

35

editorial cartoons

©B

ruce

Mac

Kin

non

student material

36

editorial cartoons

©M

alco

lmM

ayes

Action / AktionGermanwordmeaning"action"butusedtorefertoanynon-militarycampaign.AnAktionwould

beanoperationundertakenforpoliticalorracialreasons.ForexampleAktion 14f13wasthecode

nameforthemurderofthedisabled.

Anti-SemitismOppositionorhatredofJews.Asaterm,itcameintowide-spreaduseinthe1870’s.Subsequently,

ithascometodenotehatredofJews,inallofitsformsthroughouthistory.

AppelFrenchwordforrollcall.Processofforcingconcentrationcampprisonerstolineupoutdoorsto

becounted,oftenforseveralhoursandunderallweatherconditions.

AryanOriginallyalinguistictermreferringtotheIndo-Europeangroupoflanguages.Beforetheendof

thenineteenthcentury,thetermhadtakenonracialdefinitions,oftenreferringtopeoplewhose

ancestorswerenorthernEuropeanandthus"purer"than"lesser"races.TheNazisviewedJews

andothernon-AryanssuchasGypsiesandPolesaseitherinferiororsubhuman.

AryanizationTermusedtodescribetheconfiscationofJewish-ownedbusinessesandtheirtransfertoGerman

ownership.

AuschwitzA concentration camp established in 1940 near Oswiecim, Poland. In 1942, it became an

exterminationcamp.Itcontainedalabourcamp,thedeathcampBirkenau,andtheslavelabour

camp,Buna-Monowitz.Upto1.5millionJewishmen,womenandchildrenweremurderedinthis

campand100,000victimsfromotherethnicandculturalgroups.Only7,650werefoundaliveat

liberation.

BirkenauThesub-campofAuschwitzwithfourgaschambers,alsoknownasAuschwitzII.TheAuschwitz

gassingstookplacehere–asmanyas6,000aday.

Cattle CarJewsweremostoftentransportedtoconcentrationcampsbytraininfreightcars–sometimes

referredtoascattlecars.Thecarswerepackedtightandsealedoff,andpassengershadnofood

orwater.Manypeopleinsidethecars,especiallytheoldandveryyoung,diedbeforethetrain

reacheditsdestination.

37

glossary

Concentration CampsImmediatelyafterassumingpoweronJanuary30,1933,theNazisestablishedcampswherethey

“concentrated”and imprisonedperceivedenemiesof thestate.EnemiesofNazism included:

actual and potential political opponents including; Communists, Socialists, Monarchists, trade

unionist, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Gypsies, homosexuals and others deemed “anti-social.” The

general round-up of Jews did not begin until 1938. Before then, only Jews who fit the other

categorieswereinternedinthecamps.Thefirstthreecampswere:Dachau,Buchenwald,and

Sachsenhausen.

CrematoriumBuildinginaconcentrationcampcontaininglargebrickovenswherecorpses,includingthosewho

hadbeengassedtodeath,wereburned.Vladek refers to thecrematoriumas "ovens."Jewish

prisoners,calledSonderkommando,wereassignedtoworkinthecrematoriumforafewmonths,

untiltheywerekilledandreplacedbyotherprisoners.

DachauOneofthefirstconcentrationcamps,itopenedinMarch1933asaprisonforpoliticalopponents

oftheNaziregime.Although,Dachaudidnothaveapoisongas,massexterminationprogram,

therewere31,591registereddeathsoutof206,206registeredprisoners.Thetotalnumberof

non-registereddeathsisnotknown.ThecampwasliberatedonApril29,1945.

Death MarchInretreatingfromAlliedsoldiersattheendofthewar,Nazisforcedlargenumbersofprisoners

to march long distances under heavy guard and under intolerable conditions. Approximately a

quarterofamillionprisonersweremurderedorotherwisediedonthesemarchesbetweenthe

summerof1944andtheendofthewar.

DeportationPartof theNaziprogram to removeJews fromGermany,and increase livingspace forethnic

Germans. Initiallyaneffort to ridGerman-held landofJews,deportationeventuallybecamea

meanstodeliverJewstoconcentrationcampsandimplementtheFinalSolution.

Displaced PersonsAfterthewar,refugeeswhonolongerhadfamiliesorhomestoreturnto.Theyfacedeconomic

deprivationandfearedreprisalsorevendeathiftheyreturnedtotheirprewarhomes.Immediately

afterthewaritwasestimatedthattherewerebetween1.5millionand2milliondisplacedper-

sonsincluding200,000Jews,mainlyfromEasternEurope.

DysenteryOftenleadingtodeathduringtheHolocaust,dysentryisadiseasecausinganinflammationofthe

intestinesandseverediarrhea.Itcanbecausedbyvariousbacterial,viral,orparasiticinfections,

andismostoftenpassedbycontaminatedwater.

38

glossary

EinsatzgruppenNazimobilekillingunitsmadeofupmenfromtheSSSecurityPoliceandothervolunteers,oper-

ating inGerman-occupied territoriesduringWorldWar II.TheEinsatzgruppenwasused in the

invasionsofAustria,Czechoslovakia,Polandand,mostbrutally,Russia.Theirvictims,primarily

Jewswereexecutedbyshootingandwereburied inmassgravesfromwhichtheywere later

exhumedandburned.

Final SolutionNazicodenamefortheplantodestroytheJewsofEurope.

GasThe Nazis used poison gas to kill large numbers of victims. Among the different gases used,

ZyklonBwasoneofthemostefficientanddeadly.

Gas ChamberUnderground room where victims were gassed. Prisoners were told that they were showers

intended for sanitationpurposes.Aftergassing thebodiesof thevictimswerebrought to the

crematorium.

GestapoApoliticalpoliceunitestablishedin1933.ItsofficialnamewasGeheimeStaatspolizeiorsecret

statepolice.TheGestapoactedabovethelawandwerenotoriousfortheirbrutality.

GhettoTheghettowasasectionof thecitywhereall Jews from thesurroundingareaswere forced

to live.Surroundedbybarbedwireorwalls, theghettoswereoftensealed topreventpeople

fromenteringor leaving.Establishedmostly inEasternEurope,ghettoswerecharacterizedby

overcrowding, starvation and forced labour. All were eventually destroyed as the Jews were

deportedtodeathcamps.

Graphic NovelDifferentiated from an ordinary comic book in its length and that it tends to deal with more

seriousissuesandisaimedatmorematurereaders.

Hitler, AdolfNaziparty leader from1921to1945.HebecametheGermanChancelloronJanuary30,1933

andPresidentonAugust2,1934.Hecommittedsuicide inhisBerlinbunkeronApril30,1945

followingGermany’sdefeatbytheAlliedpowers.

39

glossary

Holocaust Thedestructionofsome6millionJewsbytheNazisandtheirfollowersinEuropebetweenthe

years1933-1945.Otherindividualsandgroupswerepersecutedandsufferedgrievouslyduring

thisperiod,butonlytheJewsweremarkedforcompleteannihilation.Theterm"Holocaust"-liter-

allymeaning"acompletelyburnedsacrifice"–suggestsasacrificialconnotationtowhatoccurred.

ThewordShoah,originallyaBiblicaltermmeaningwidespreaddisaster,isthemodernHebrew

equivalent.

KaddishTheJewishprayerofmourningforthedead.

KapoPrisoner inchargeofagroupof inmates inNaziconcentrationcamps.Theword"kapo"comes

from the Italian "capo" meaning head or chief. Kapos were most often professional criminals,

formersoldiers,foreignlegionnairesandotherroughunskilledprisonerswhodirectedtheforced

labourworkdetailsofJewsinconcentrationcamps.TheywereappointedbytheSSworkdetail

officers,andtheyhadequallycruelforemenassistingthem.PrisonersoftenhadtobribeKapos

toavoidbeingbeatentodeath.TodistinguishthemfromJewswearingyellowstars,Kaposwore

blackarmbandswithwhiteletteringontheirleftarms.

LiberationPeriodoftimeduringwhichconcentrationcampswereenteredandcapturedbyAlliedforces.

LiberatorsSoviet,British,CanadianandAmerican troopswhoentered theconcentrationcampsafter the

Nazishadleft.

LiquidationTermusedbyNazisreferringtotheremovaland/oreliminationofprisoners:theliquidationofthe

WarsawghettosawthedeportationofJewstotheconcentrationcampTreblinka,wheremost

werethenkilled.

Maus Germanwordformouse.

MauschwitzNameusedinmaustorefertotheconcentrationcampofAuschwitz.Derivedfromacombination

ofthewordsmausandAuschwitz.

MeshugaYiddishwordforcrazy.Vladekusesthiswordtodescribehisnephew,Lolek,inmausI.

40

glossary

NaziNamefortheNationalSocialistGermanWorkersParty.

NazismTheideologyoftheNationalSocialistGermanWorkersPartyandtheparty’ssystemofrulefrom

1933to1945.Alsoaformoffascism.Theideologyincluded:1)anti-liberalismandanti-parliamen-

tarianism,2) anti-communismandanti-socialism;3) theFührerprinciplewhich replacedparlia-

mentwithahierarchicaldictatorshipbasedontheconceptsofleaderandfollower,commandand

obedience;4)nationalism,5)racismandanti-Semitism,6)imperialismand8)militarism.

OrganizeWord used by Auschwitz prisoners to mean stealing or procuring food or other necessities

neededtosurvive.

OswiecimPolishnameforthetownandcampofAuschwitz.

PogromA Russian word for physical attacks on Jews, usually accompanied by the destruction of

property,murderandrape.

RavensbrückAconcentrationcampforwomenlocatedoutsideofBerlin.OpenedonMay15,1939,amen's

campwasaddedinApril1941,andUckermark,acampfor1,000children,wasalsoestablished.

Outof132,000prisoners,92,000womenfrom23nationsweremurderedatthissite.Inmates

wereforcedtoworkforthearmamentsindustryandSiemens,whohadbuiltafactoryadjacent

tothecamp.ThoseunabletoworkwerekilledinthegaschambersofUckermarkwhichoperated

fromDecember1944toApril14,1945.ThecampwasliberatedbytheSovietArmy.

Role callProcess of forcing concentration camp prisoners to line up outdoors to be counted, often for

severalhoursandunderallweatherconditions.VladekreferstoitbyitsFrenchname,"appel."

Round-upTermused to refer to theNazi collectionof Jewsandother victims fordeportation, labouror

murder.

SSAbbreviation usually written with two lightning symbols for Schutzstaffel (Defense Protective

Units).OriginallyorganizedasHitler'spersonalbodyguard,theSSwastransformedintoagiant

organizationbyHeinrichHimmler.AlthoughvariousSSunitswereassignedtothebattlefield,the

organizationisbestknownforcarryingoutthedestructionofEuropeanJewry.

41

glossary

Selection/SelektionTermforchoosing(selecting)whomtokill.Theprocessofchoosingvictimsforthegaschambers

byseparatingthemfromthoseconsideredfittowork.

SchnellGermanwordfor"quicklyorhurry."

ShowerLanguageofdeceptionforthegaschamber.

ShvartserGerman/Yiddish word for black. Used in a derogatory manner by Vladek Spiegelman when

referringtotheblackhitchhikerinmausII.

SonderkommandoGerman, meaning "special commando." Sonderkommando was a unit of SS soldiers, given a

specialdutyorassignmentsuchastohelpthemobilekillingsquads.Itisalsothenamegivento

Jewishprisonersassignedtoworkatthegaschambersandcrematoria.AtAuschwitz-Birkenau

theseJewishSonderkommandowerereplacedeveryfewmonthsandputtodeaththemselves.

Sonderkommando RevoltTherevoltbyprisonersatBirkenauinwhichacrematoriumwasblown-up,October7,1944.

SosnowiecLocatedinUpperSilesia(south-westPoland),itisthetownwhereVladekandAnjaSpiegelman

livedpriortothewar.Sosnowiecgrewtremendouslythroughthelate1930'sandearly1940's,

andofapopulationof130,000,overtwentypercentwereJewish.Annexedearlyinthewar,and

locatedlessthan60kmawayformAuschwitz-Birkenau,thelargescaledeportationofSosnowiec's

Jewsbeganin1942.May10thto12thsawthedeportationof1500JewstoAuschwitz,followed

by another 2000 in June. By August 12th 1942 all the remaining Jews of Sosnowiec and its

outlyingareaswereorderedtogatherinthetown'scentralsquareallegedlytohavetheirpapers

checked.Overaperiodofseveraldaysanadditional8,000JewsweredeportedtoAuschwitz.In

1943theremainingJewsofSosnowiecweretransferredtoaghettonearKamionka.

Star of DavidAsix-pointedstarformedoftwoequilateraltriangles;atraditionalsymbolofJudaism.Usedbythe

NazisasanidentificationmarkforJews.ByNazidecree,Jewsovertheageofsixhadtoweara

yellowStarofDavidbadgeontheirclothing.

SwastikaSymbol of the Nazi party. A cross with equal arms each of which is bent at a right angle. It

appearedonNaziuniformsandflags.

Terezin(Czech) / Theresienstadt(German)

42

glossary

Terezinwasestablishedin1941asa"modelcamp"todeflectinternationalcriticismoftheNazi's

treatmentofJewsandtocamouflage theexterminationofJewsfromworldopinion.Situated

in northwestern Czechoslovakia it served as a transit camp for Jews deported from Western

EuropeancountriesunderNazioccupation.Asaghettoandtransitcampitwaslittlemorethan

astopoverforJewsonroutetotheexterminationcampsofTreblinka,MajdanekandAuschwitz-

Birkenau.

TyphusAninfectiousdiseaseandcommoncauseofdeathinthecamps.Characterizedbyfever,exhaus-

tionandnervoussymptoms,typhuswasmostoftenspreadbyliceandfleaswhichthriveunder

unsanitaryconditions.

World War IIThewarfoughtfrom1939-1945betweentheAxisandtheAlliedpowers.Thewarbeganwhen

GermanyinvadedPolandinSeptember1939.GermanysurrenderedonMay7,1945.OnAugust

6,1945,theUS.droppedthefirstatomicbombonHiroshima,Japan.OnAugust15,Japansur-

rendered.ThewarendedwiththesigningofapeacetreatyonSeptember2,1945.

YidSomeone who speaks Yiddish or a slang term for a Jew. Sometimes used in a derogatory

manner.

YiddishAlanguagespokenbymanyJewsinEurope,usuallywrittenintheHebrewalphabet.Itisadialect

ofHighGermanwithamixtureofwordsofHebrew,RomanceandSlavicorigins.

Zyklon BApesticideandcommercialnameforprussicacid.Asadeadlypoisongas, itwasusedbythe

Nazistokilllargenumbersofvictims.Amongthedifferentgasesused,ZyklonBwasoneofthe

mostefficientanddeadly.

43

glossary

1933January 30 AdolfHitlerappointedChancellorofGermany.

March 20Dachauconcentrationcampopens.

April 1BoycottofJewishshopsandbusinesses.

April 7Lawsforre-establishmentoftheCivilServicebarredJewsfromholdingcivilservice,universityandstatepositions.

April 26Gestapoestablished.

May 10PublicburningofbookswrittenbyJews,politicalopponentsoftheNazis,andothers.

July 14LawpermittingtheforcedsterilizationofGypsies,thementallyandphysicallydisabled,African-Germansandothersconsidered"unfit."EastEuropeanJewishimmigrantsstrippedofGermancitizenship.

1934August 2HitlerproclaimshimselfFührer und Reichskanzler (LeaderandReichChancellor).ArmedForcesmustnowswearallegiancetohim.

October - NovemberFirstmajorwaveofarrestsofhomosexuals.

1935March 17Hitler'sarmyinvadestheRhineland.

AprilJehovah'sWitnessesbannedfromallcivilservicejobsandarearrested.

September 15"NurembergLaws,"anti-Jewishraciallawsenacted;JewslosetherighttoGermancitizenshipandtomarryAryans.

1936SummerOlympicGamestakeplaceinBerlin.Anti-Jewishsignsaretemporarilyremoved.

July 12FirstGermanGypsiesarearrestedanddeportedtoDachauconcentrationcamp.

October 25MussoliniandHitlerformRome-BerlinAxis.

1938March 13Austriaispeacefullyannexed(Anschluss)byGermany.Allanti-SemiticdecreesimmediatelyappliedinAustria.

July 6-15Representativesfromthirty-twocountriesmeetattheEvianConferenceinFrance.MostcountriesrefusetoletinmoreJewishrefugees.

November 9-10Kristallnacht(NightofBrokenGlass):anti-JewishpogrominGermanyandAustria;synagoguesdestroyed;Jewishhomesandshopslooted;nearly30,000Jewishmensenttoconcentrationcamps.

November 12DecreeforcingallJewstotransferretailbusinessesintoAryanhands.

November 15AllJewishpupilsexpelledfromGermanschools.

December 2-3AllGypsiesarerequiredtoregisterwiththepolice.

44

timeline of the holocaust 1933-1945

1939March 15 GermansinvadeCzechoslovakia.

August 23Molotov-RibbentropPactsigned:non-aggressionpactbetweenSovietUnionandGermany.

JuneCuba,theUnitedStatesandCanadarefusetoadmitJewishrefugeesaboardtheS.S.St.Louis,whichisforcedtoreturntoEurope.

September 1GermanyinvadesPoland;WorldWarIIbegins.

September 10CanadadeclareswaronGermany.

OctoberHitlerextendspowerofdoctorstokillinsti-tutionalizedmentallyandphysicallydisabledpeopleinthe"euthanasia"program.

October 12GermanybeginsdeportationofAustrianandCzechJewstoPoland.

October 28FirstPolishghettoestablishedinPiotrków.

November 23JewsinGerman-occupiedPolandforcedtowearanarmbandoryellowstar.

1940SpringGermanyinvadesDenmark,Norway,Belgium,Luxembourg,HollandandFrance.

May 7LodzGhettosealed.

May 20AuschwitzconcentrationcampestablishedatOswiecim,Poland.

September 27Italy,GermanyandJapanformanalliancecalledtheRome-Berlin-TokyoAxis.

OctoberWarsawGhettoestablished:ultimatelycontains500,000people.

1941March 22GypsyandAfrican-GermanchildrenareexpelledfromschoolsintheReich.

March 24GermanyinvadesNorthAfrica.

April 6GermanyinvadesYugoslaviaandGreece.

June 22GermanyinvadestheSovietUnion.TheEinsatzgruppen,mobilekillingsquads,beginmassmurdersofJews,GypsiesandCommunistleaders.

July 31HeydrichappointedbyGöringtoimplementthe"FinalSolution."

September 23SovietprisonersofwarandPolishprisonersarekilledinNazitestofgaschambersinAuschwitz.

September 28-29 Approximately34,000Jewsaremurderedbymobilekillingsquads,atBabiYarnearKiev,Ukraine.

OctoberEstablishmentofAuschwitzII(Birkenau)fortheexterminationofJews;Gypsies,Poles,Russiansandothers.

December 7 JapanattacksPearlHarbour.

December 8GassingbeginsatChelmnoexterminationcampinPoland.

December 11UnitedStatesdeclareswaronJapanandGermany.

45

timeline

1942NaziexterminationcampsatAuschwitz-Birkenau,Treblinka,Sobibor,BelzecandMajdanek-LublinbeginthemassmurderofJewsingaschambers.

January 20WannseeconferenceinBerlin;Nazilead-ersmeettodiscuss"theFinalSolution,"theplantoexterminatetheJewsofEurope.

JuneJewishpartisanunitsestablishedinthefor-estsofBelorussiaandtheBalticStates.

June 1JewsinFranceandHollandarerequiredtowearidentifyingstars.

1943JanuaryGerman6thArmysurrendersatStalingrad.

April 19 - May 16WarsawGhettouprising;Jewisharmedresistancetodeportation.

June HimmlerorderstheliquidationofallghettosinPolandandtheSovietUnion.

SummerArmedresistancebyJewsinTreblinkaconcentrationcamp,Bedzin,Bialystok,Czestochowa,LvovandTarnówghettos.

October 14ArmedrevoltinSobiborexterminationcamp.

October - NovemberRescueofDanishJewrytoSweden.

1944March 19GermanyoccupiesHungary:EichmannputinchargeofplantoeliminateHungarianJewry.

May 15 - July 9Over430,000HungarianJewsaredeportedtoAuschwitz-Birkenau,wheremostofthemaregassed.

June 6D-Day:AlliedinvasionatNormandy,France.

July 24RussiansliberateMajdanekconcentrationcamp.

August 2NazisdestroytheGypsycampatAuschwitz-Birkenau;approximately3,000Gypsiesaregassed.

October 7PrisonersrevoltatAuschwitz-Birkenauandblowuponecrematorium.

1945January 17NazisevacuateAuschwitzandforceprison-erson"deathmarches"towardGermany.

January 27SoviettroopsliberateAuschwitz-Birkenau.

AprilU.S.troopsliberateBuchenwaldandDachauconcentrationcamps.

April 30HitlercommitssuicideinhisbunkerinBerlin.

May 5U.S.troopsliberateMauthausenconcentra-tioncamp.

May 8V-EDay:Germanysurrenders;thewarendsinEurope.

August 6 and 9TheU.S.bombsHiroshimaandNagasaki,Japan.

September 2V-JDay:Japansurrenders;endofWorldWarII.

November 1945 - October 1946InternationalMilitaryWarCrimesTribunalheldatNuremberg,Germany.

46

timeline

Bammer,Angelika.Displacements: Cultural Identities in Question. Bloomington:Indiana

UniversityPress,1994.90-109.

Blume,Harvey."Art Spiegelman: Lips."Boston Book Review.1997.

Dreifus,Claudia."Art Spiegelman."The Progressive.November1989.34-37.

Groth,Gary."Art Spiegelman Interview."The Comics Journal.No.180,Sept.1995.52-114.

Halkin,Hillel."Inhuman Comedy."Commentary / Books in Review.February1992.55-56.

Kasrel,Deni."The Cartoon 'maus' that Roared."Philadelphia Business Journal.Vol.15,No.

32,September27,1996.18.

Levin,Martin."Comic Books for Grown-ups."The Globe and Mail.February15,1997.D10.

Nassau,Jessica."'Road to maus' Investigates Artist's Process."Art Matters.September,

1996.

Orvell,Miles."Writing Posthistorically: Krazy Kat, maus, and the Contemporary Fiction

Cartoon."American Literary History.110-128.

Sabin,Roger.Adult Comics: An Introduction.NewYork:Routledge,1993.

Smith,Graham."From Mickey to maus: Recalling the Genocide Through Cartoon."Oral History Journal.Vol.15,Spring1987.26-34.

Spiegelman,Art."Mein Kampf (My Struggle)."The New York Times Magazine.May12,1996.

36-37.

Staub,MichaelE."The Shoah Goes On and On: Remembrance and Representation in Art

Spiegelman's maus."Melus.Fall1995.

Stone,Laurie."Chasing History."Nation.Vol.254,No.1,1992.28.

Tabachinick,StephenE."Of maus and Memory: The Structure of Art Spiegelman's Graphic

Novel of the Holocaust."Word & Image.Vol.9,No.2,April-June1993.154-162.

Thomas,Gordon,P."Graphic Autobiography: Using maus in a Composition Class."1996.

Weinstein,Andrew."Art After Auschwitz."Boulevard.Vol.9,No.1-2,1994.187-196.

47

resources

reviews and articles on maus

Witck,Joseph.Comic Book as History: The Narrative Art of Jack Jackson, Art Spiegelman, and Harvey Pekar.JacksonMississippi:UniversityofMississippiPress,

1989.

Briggs,Raymond.When the Wind Blows.Penguin,1983.

Concernedwithpossibilityofnuclearwar.

Briggs,Raymond.The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman.

Penguin,1984.AsatireoftheFalklandsWar.

Eisner,Will.To the Heart of the Storm.KitchenSinkPressInc.,1991.

Anautobiographicalnovelthatexamineshowtheanti-Semitismin1920sand1930s

Americashapestheauthor’spersonalityandlife.

Jackson,Jack.Comanche Moon.LastGasp,1978.

ConcernedwithNativeAmericandisplacement,itisthetruestoryofCynthiaAnnParker,

hersonQuarahandtheComanchesofTexas.

Nakazawa,Keiji.Barefoot Gen.Penguin,1987.

ApowerfulandtragicstoryofthebombingofHiroshimaasseenthroughtheeyesofthe

artistasayoungboygrowingupinJapan.

Nakazawa,Keiji.Barefoot Gen: The Day After.Penguin,1988.

ThetestimonyofachildwhosurvivesthebombingofHiroshima.

Tardi,Jacques.The War of The Trenches.

RelatestheexperiencesofFrenchsoldierduringtheFirstWorldWar.

48

resources

graphic novels and social justice

Bitton-Jackson,Livia.I Have Lived A Thousand Years.

NewYork:Simon&SchusterBooksForYoungReaders,1997.

Memoiroftheauthor,whowasthirteenyearsoldwhentheNazisinvadedHungary.Asone

ofthefewteenagecampinmates,EllimanagedtosurviveAuschwitz.Grades7-12

Brewster,Eva.Progeny of Light / Vanished in Darkness.

Edmonton:NewWestPublishersLimited,1994.

Of the thousand Berlin Jews deported to Auschwitz–Birkenau on April 20, 1943 Eva

Brewster andhermotherwereamongthesevenwhosurvived.Brewsterdescribesheryouth,the

events that led to her capture, her time in Auschwitz and the rebuilding of her life.

Grades10-12

Delbo,Charlotte.Auschwitz And After. NewHaven:YaleUniversityPress,1995.

This unique and profoundly moving memoir of life in the concentration camps and after-

ward waswrittenbyaFrenchfemaleresistanceleaderandnon-Jewwhobecameanimportant

literaryfigureinpostwarFrance.Vignettes,poems,andproseareusedtospeakeloquently

ofhorror,heroismandconscience.Grade12

Delbo,Charlotte.Convoy to Auschwitz: Women of the French Resistance.

Boston:NortheasternUniversityPress,1997.

The book is Delbo’s testament to those who, along with herself, formed a convoy to

Auschwitz.Delborecountstheuniquelifehistoryofeachwoman,fromherchildhoodtoher

involvement intheResistance,fromherarresttoherhorrigyingexperience intheconcen-

trationcamp.Grade12

Delbo,Charlotte.Days and Memories.

Vermont:MarlboroPress,1990.

The book relates scenes and images of Birkenau, Spain at the end of Franco's regime,

KolymaintheSovietUnionandaGreekvillagemartyredbytheGermans.Delboweavesalogical

continuitybetweenthenotsodistantpastandanongoingpresent.Grade12

Geve,Thomas.Guns and Barbed Wire: A Child Survives the Holocaust. Chicago:ChicagoAcademy,1987

ThomasGeve(apseudonym)spentatotalof22monthsinAuschwitzandBuchenwald.He

arrivedatthecampsattheageof13,oneoftheyoungestinmatesatthetime.Includedin

the book are seventeen full-colour reproductions of Thomas's haunting drawings done

imme- diatelyafterliberation.Thedrawingsrepresentmemoriesofdailycamplife.Grades10-12

49

resources

auschwitz memoirs

Lengyel,Olga.Five Chimneys.

St.Albans:GranadaPublishingLimited,1973.

An intimate, day-to-day record of a woman who survived the nightmare of Auschwitz–

Birkenau.Toldwithanextraordinarycalmnessanddetachment.Grades9-12

Levi,Primo.If This is a Man / The Truce (Survival in Auschwitz / The Reawakening).London:Abacus,1987

Twobooks,buttheyshouldbereadasone.Thefirstbooktellsofthedescentintothehell

of Auschwitz,andthesecondbooktellsofLevi'sreturnhomeandrenewal.Oneofthemost

importantworksofthisperiod.Grades11-12

Leitner,Isabella.Fragments of Isabella.

NewYork:Laurel,1978.

TheKatzfamilywasdeportedtoAuschwitz inMay,1944.ManyofLeitner'sfamilydidnot

survive the first selection. Those who did survive heard their mother's final words: live!

Grades8-12

Leitner,Isabella&IrvingLeitner.Saving the Fragments.

NewYork:NewAmericanLibraryofCanadaLtd.,1985.

Isabella continues her difficult yet important story from liberation in Auschwitz to life in

NewYork.Grades8-12

Matas,Carol.Daniel's Story.

Toronto:ScholasticInc.,1993.

Story of young Daniel and his family who are uprooted from their home in Frankfurt and

sent to theLodzghetto inPolandandfinally, toAuschwitz.Althougha fictitiouscharacter,

Daniel'sstory isbasedonthe realexperiencesofmanyof themorethanonemillionchil-

drenwhodiedintheHolocaust.Grades5-6

Mayer,Anita.One Who Came Back.

Ottawa:OberonPress,1981.

Like Anne Frank, Anita Mayer spent several months in hiding from the Nazis. Her story

begins where Anne Frank's left off, with the arrest of her family by the Germans. Anita

tells of her time in a Dutch concentration camp (where she met Anne Frank) and in

Auschwitz,aswellashertriumphinovercomingthepast.Grades9-12

Mermelstein,Mel.By Bread Alone: The Story of A-4685.

HuntingtonBeach:AuschwitzStudyFoundation,Inc.,1981.

Mermelstein,asurvivoroftheHolocaustwhospenttimeinAuschwitz,sumsuphisreason

for writing this book: "The study of the Holocaust is the study of mankind." The book

containssomedisturbingphotographs.Grades11-12

50

resources

Millu,Liana.Smoke Over Birkenau.

Philadelphia:JewishPublicationSociety,1991.

Theastonishingstoriesofthewomenwho livedandsufferedalongsideLianaMilluduring

hermonthsinAuschwitz-Birkenau.Millu'sbookhasbeencalledthewoman'sequivalentof

PrimoLevi'swork.Grades10-12

Muller,Filip.Auschwitz Inferno: Testimony of a Sonderkommando.

London:Routledge&KeganPaulLtd.,1979.

Thisisthetestimonyofoneoftheveryfewwhosawthedeathprocessupclose and lived

totellaboutit.Grade12

Nyiszli,Miklos.Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account. Toronto:Little,Brown&Company,1993.

WhilevirtuallyallofhisfellowHungarianJewsweresenttoAuschwitztodie,Nyiszliwas

spared for a grimmer fate: to perform "scientific research" on fellow inmates under the

supervision of Dr. Mengele. Nyiszli also served as physician to the Sonderkommando. A

disturbingaccountofthefullhorrorofaNazideathcamp.Grade12

Stadler,Aranka.Mosaics of a Nightmare.

London:Kall-KwikPrinting,1995.

Ashort,yetveryinformativeaccountofasurvivor'sexperiences.Grades10-12

Vrba,RudolfandAlanBestic.Escape From Auschwitz (I Cannot Forgive). NewYork:GrovePress,1986.

Vrba spent twoyears inAuschwitz andmiraculouslyescapedwith anotherprisoner. Their

account of what the Nazis were doing shocked those who listened. The response of the

Alliestothereportisstillapointofcontentionamonghistoriansandobservers.

Grades10-12

Wiesel,Elie.Night. AvonBooks,1960.

Perhapsthemostwell-knownmemoirof theHolocaust.Thestoryofaboy's lossof inno-

cence,familyandthedeathofhisGod.Grades10-12

51

resources

Auschwitz, 1940-1945.

Albuquerque:Route66Publishing,1995.

Documents the daily existence of those imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp at

Auschwitz. Includes descriptions of sanitation and living conditions, crematoria and gas

chambers,aswellasmapsofthecamp.Grades9-12

Czech,Danuta.Auschwitz Chronicle, 1939-1945.

London:I.B.Tauris&Co.Ltd.,1990.

FromtheArchivesof theAuschwitzMemorial and theGermanFederalArchives, this isa

completerecordoftheeventsinAuschwitz.Includedaresketchesofperpetrators,glossary

andbibliography.Grades11-12

Dwork,DebórahandRobertJanvanPelt.Auschwitz: 1270 to the Present. NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company,1996.

ThisunprecedentedhistoryrevealshowanunremarkablePolishvillagewastransformedinto

a killing field. Using architectural designs and planning documents recently discovered in

PolandandRussiaandover200illustrations,thisdefinitivebooktracesthesuccessivestages

ofhowAuschwitzbecamethefocusofaGermanizedPolandandtheepicenteroftheFinal

Solution.Grade12

Gilbert,Martin.Atlas of the Holocaust. NewYork:WilliamMorrow&CompanyInc.,1993.

Acollectionof316 fullyannotatedmaps, thisatlas isacomprehensive recordof theNazi

attempttoannihilatetheJewsofEuropeduringWorldWarII.Theatlascoversallaspects

oftheHolocaustfromitsanti-semiticbeginningstotheliberationofsurvivors.Grades9-12

Gilbert,Martin.Auschwitz and the Allies.

London:Mandarin,1981.

Story of how and when the Allies learned of the Nazi extermination of the Jews, and of

how they responded. One of the major questions still debated by historians today: what

couldtheAllieshavedonetostopthegenocide?Grade12

Hellman,Peter.The Auschwitz Album: A Book Based Upon an Album Discovered by a Concentration Camp Survivor, Lili Meier. NewYork:RandomHouse,1981.

AnamazinghistoricalrecordofAuschwitzfromaphotoalbumdiscoveredthere.

Lagnado,Lucette&SheilaDekel.Children of the Flames: Dr. Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz.

Toronto:Penguin,1991.

Oftheapproximate3,000twinssubjectedtomedicalexperimentationbyDr.Joseph

Mengeleonly160survived.Thisisthestoryofthosetwins.Grade12

52

resources

auschwitz non-fiction

Piper,Franciszek&TeresaSwiebocka.Eds.Auschwitz: Nazi Death Camp.

TheAuschwitz-BirkenauStateMuseum,1996.

Ahistoryofthecampdealingwith:thedistributionofthecamp'svictimsintermsofnation-

ality, the plundering of the personal effects of the murdered Jews, the fate of

children at the camp, medical experiments upon prisoners, and aspects of the camp

resistancethatarelittleknownoutsideofPoland.Grade12

Webber,Jonathan&ConnieWilsack.Eds.Auschwitz: A History in Photographs.

Bloomington:IndianaUniversityPress,1993.

Throughmorethan280documentaryphotographsfromthearchivesofAuschwitz-Birkenau

State Museum and reproductions of artistic works by former prisoners, this book records

thehistoryofAuschwitzandwhat it looks liketoday. It includesphotographstakenbythe

Nazis of the construction and expansion of the camp, of individual prisoners and scenes

fromdailylife,andofthemachineryofmassmurderitself;clandestinephotographs,taken

byprisoners; aerial photographs, takenby theAllies; andphotographs takeat the timeof

liberation.

Eva Brewster: Interview with a Survivor InterviewwithasurvivorofAuschwitz-Birkenau.00:24min.colour.

Choosing One's Way: Resistance in Auschwitz-Birkenau Thisdocumentaryisaboutthelittle-knownstoryofresistanceinAuschwitz-B i r k e n a u .

Accomplished through thesmugglingofgunpowder fromanearbymunitions factory, the

inmatessucceededindestroyingCrematorium#4.Thefilmfeaturesthirteensurvivors,each

of whom contributes to the piecing together of this incredible story of heroism.

00:30min.colour/bw.

David E. Testimony Project Vancouver:VancouverHolocaustCentreSociety,1993.

This tape follows the experiences of a teenage Holocaust survivor from Hungary. David

describes the ghettoization of his community, Auschwitz concentration camp, a Death

March,forcedlabourandhisliberation.00:23min.colour.Includesteachingguide.

Klara F. Testimony Project Vancouver:VancouverHolocaustCentreSociety,1993.

ThefirstpartofthetapedocumentsKlara'slifeinHungary,herlifebeforedeportation,her

experiences in Auschwitz-Birkenau, labour camps and Bergen-Belsen. The second part is

heranswerstostudents'questions.00:34min.colour.Includesteachingguide.

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resources

videos

One Survivor Remembers It isanAcademyAwardwinningdocumentarybasedonthememoirofGerdaWeissmann

Klein's "All But My Life." It records the moving story of a young woman's three frightful

years as a slave labourer of the Nazis and her miraculous liberation. It stands as the ulti-

matelessoninhumanity,hope,andfriendship.

Prisoner 88 A documentary on Sigmund Sobolewski, a Polish Catholic survivor of Auschwitz, who, as

one of the first prisoners of Auschwitz and as Chief of the Second Fire Brigade, brings a

uniqueperspectiveashebearswitnesstotheHolocaust.00:49min.colour.

Auschwitz-Birkenau: The Death Factory

WiesenthalPosterSet(#31/40)

Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi camp. Poster contains photographs of Zyklon-B,

selections,burningcorpses,andthegatesandrailwaylinesofAuschwitz-Birkenau.

Auschwitz-Birkenau: Half Hell, Half Lunatic Asylum

WiesenthalPosterSet(#32/40)

Between April 1942 and November 1944, 2,000,000 Jews were gassed and in addition

hundreds of thousands of non-Jews, including Poles, Soviet POWs and Gypsies were

murderedatAuschwitz-Birkenau.Sadisticandbrutalmedicalexperimentswereconducted

byJosefMengeleandotherphysicians.Toeraseallsignsoftheirhorrificdeeds,theNazis

reduced corpses to ashes in the crematoria. Poster contains photographs of barracks, a

crematorium,andchildren.Scriptnotes,othervictims:Poles,SovietPOWsandGypsies.

The Last Agony at Auschwitz: Liberation, January 1945 WiesenthalPosterSet(#33/40)

November1944,theAuschwitzgaschambersweredismantled.Lastminutemassmurder,

deathmarches,starvationordeathfromexposure inovercrowdedcampstypifiedthelast

daysoftheNaziterror.PostercontainsphotographsofaliberatedAuschwitz.

Bolkosky,Dr.Sidney;BettyElliasandDr.DavidHarris.The Holocaust Curriculum: Life Unworthy of Life.

FarmingtonHills,Michigan:CenterfortheStudyoftheChild,1987.

An 18-lesson instructional Unit. Chapter called "Planet Auschwitz", includes time-line,

glossary,suggestedadditionalactivitiesandabibliography.

54

resources

posters

curricul a