For Chapter 5, address one of the following questions for your blog comment (REQUIRED). ONLY 3 PEOPLE MAY RESPOND TO ONE QUESTION! (If 3 have answered one question, and you post a fourth answer, IT WILL NOT BE COUNTED!) Be creative, bring your OWN thoughts to the questions. Don't just state facts, but INFER something new from what you see and read. Make sure you ask yourself "why?" ... and then answer it! ALL POSTS SHOULD BE AT LEAST A SOLID PARAGRAPH, AND ANSWER ALL OF THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS GIVEN FOR THE NUMBER YOU SELECT.
1.) What do you think are the LITERAL and FIGURATIVE meanings of the phrase "Mouse Holes," the chapter's title, in regards to the story? Cite ONE example that shows your figurative meaning and discuss it. MAKE SURE YOUR EXAMPLE IS FROM CHAPTER 5, as that's what these blog posts should discuss. Remember, Spiegelman's chapter title artwork (above) usually offers insight into the double and hidden meanings.
2.) On page 100 (at the beginning of Artie's "comic book"), we see an ACTUAL PHOTO for the first time in the book. Who can you infer is in the picture? WHY do you think Spiegelman used a photo instead of a drawing?
3.) Discuss, at length, the importance of Artie's comic, "Prisoner on the Hell Planet." Why did Spiegelman include it in MAUS? Why, for the first time, did Spiegelman depict humans? What does it reveal about the central characters (Artie, Vladek and Anja) in MAUS?
4.) In this chapter, we finally learn the fate of Richieu, Vladek's firstborn son. Take a stand: Do you think what Tosha did was right or wrong? Did she act with courage or cowardice? Write about what YOU would do in the same situation and explain WHY.
5.) On page 112, Lolek is sent out of the bunker to gather food. He returns with a little food, but something else that is NOT EDIBLE. What does he have? Like Mala's crossword puzzles (Ch. 3), this may seem an unimportant fact, but Spiegelman included it for some reason. Why? What do you think is the importance of this item?
6.) On page 113, some family members sneak out of the attic bunker to search for food. Who do they find in their present "home?" What is this man (Pole, Jew, Nazi, American, etc.)? What do they do for the man? How does "the stranger" repay their kindness? MOST IMPORTANT: We are not given a reason for the stranger's final actions towards Vladek's family. Infer WHY you think the stranger did what he did, supporting your answer with facts that Spiegelman has written about the war. (Several different answers may be inferred. Just make sure you support your answer with facts about how people acted during the war.)
7.) Look at the story above in #6 about "the stranger." Write a paragraph on how this story directly relates to the Nazi's attempts to steal the dignity from their enemies and dehumanize them.
8.) On page 114, Vladek says, "At that time, it wasn't anymore families. It was everybody to take care for himself." What events that follow (in Chapter 5) show his statement to be true? Discuss one event at length.
9.) Look at the "frame story" (Artie and Old Vladek) as it unfolds from pages 118 - 127. Select one specific incident FROM THE FRAME STORY and discuss what it says about the father and son's relationship. How has it changed from the beginning of the book? How has it remained the same? Some possible incidents you may discuss include Vladek's heart palpitations, the safe deposit box/bank visit, or the final moment of the chapter when they discuss Mala/Anja. (You may also discuss an item of your own choosing.)
5.)Lolek returns with a few old turnips for his food haul and a bunch of books. Of course they cannot eat the books, so why would Lolek risk his life to grab them? During World War II, the Nazis burned countless numbers of Jewish books and books that did not support their opinion. Artie includes this fact because it shows that the hiding Jews need a distraction while the war wages around them. This shows how rare it was to find everyday items, like books, that we take for granted.
ReplyDelete1.)
ReplyDeleteThe literal meaning of the title "mouse holes" in regards to the story is that the main characters, mice, hide in a hole in a wall, covered in shoes, from the antagonist, cats. A figurative meaning in regards to the story is that the protagonists are as defenseless and mice, and must hide from their pursuers in a secluded area that is hard to access. For example, when the Nazis intened to empty Srodula, Vladek, Anja, and Miloch have to hide in Miloch's bunker that is hidden by shoes. Said hideout is also literally a hole that mice are in.
2.) On page 100 (at the beginning of Artie's "comic book"), we see an ACTUAL PHOTO for the first time in the book. Who can you infer is in the picture? WHY do you think Spiegelman used a photo instead of a drawing?
ReplyDeleteI think Spiegelman used a photo instead of a drawing to emphasis the relationship between Artie and his mom. To show what their entire family was missing when she dided. I feel that he couldn't express why Vladek was so angry/sad with a drawing because it would be a fake depiction of her and the author wanted the readers to see who really died, not just a character mouse.
2) This seems to be a picture of Anja and Artie. I think he used this here to show just how human he saw his mother and himself as opposed to how the Nazis thought they were. He used this so that the reader would not forget that he was in fact talking about people here and not fictional mice.
ReplyDelete4.) I believe Tosha acted with courage. She saved herself and the children from a much worse fate in Auschwitz by killing themselves before they could be taken away. If I were in Tosha's position, I would have done the same thing. I would not want to live with the guilt of making the children I love suffer when I could have saved them from the misery of being in a concentration camp.
ReplyDelete4.) In the story, Richieu was killed along with two other children when Tosha found out they were being sent to Auschwitz. I believe that although what she did was tragic, it was the right thing to do. IF I WERE IN THE SAME position i would've done something the same way. It is a much more proud way to go, rather than abiding to what the Nazis wanted me to do with me and my children.
ReplyDelete5.) I think the importance of Lolek bringing books back may have been because they had nothing to do up in the bunker and was giving them something to take their minds off things, like the war or being deported.
ReplyDelete5.)Lolek brought back books to the bunker. Some of the people in the bunker thought this was foolish because they are not edible. Lolek brought them in order to have something to do. Reading allowed him, and maybe others, to pass the time in the bunker. I think Spiegelman included this tiny detail because it shows how the people in the bunker only care about their basic survival needs, which shows how drastic of a situation they found themselves in. Lolek is handling the situation better because he is able to take his mind off their current predicament, or it might show that he doesn't fully understand the gravity of the situation he is in.
ReplyDelete8.)On page 121 one of Vladek's old friends, Miloch, lets Vladek in on a secret hiding place in case of chaos breaks out. Located in a shoe shop, Miloch was able to create an entire full sized secret bunker. The bunker was hidden through a tunnel of shoes. The bunker was said to fit 15-16 people,however Miloch only wanted to keep it to his loved ones and dea friends. Miloch said "Dont tell ANYONE about this except Anja and your nephew." This is an example of how everyone has to survive for themselves.
ReplyDelete1. The literal meaning of mouse holes is that mice hide in holes whenever they are in danger. The figurative meaning of mouse holes is that the Jew, who are shown as mice hide in "holes" which are bunkers to keep them safe from the German Nazis who are drawn as cats. It's like a game of cat and mice, but with people. The Jews hide in the bunkers just as mice do and then come out at night to search for food. The Nazis are trying to catch and capture the Jews like a cat hunts for mice.
ReplyDelete2) The picture in the beginning of Artie's comic book looks like it is a picture of him (Artie) and his mother (Anja). At this point in the book, the reader has only seen Artie and his family portrayed as mice and, sub-conciously, they forget that they are not cartoons. This picture is there as a reminder to the reader that everything in this book happened to actual people, not cartoon mice.
ReplyDelete#6)After the family members sneak to get some food, they find a Jew who they take to their bunker. He said he had a starving baby and was looking for some food. Some Jews argued whether he was lying but helped him anyways. In return, this stranger repays their kindness by turning them in with the German Nazi's. One reason why he might have done this could be that during this time, Jews would give other Jews to the Nazi's because they thought that they could save the rest of them or at least save themselves. This is said by Vladek in page 87. Another possibility could be that "the stranger" was caught and thought that maybe he could save himself by turning in other Jews. This is what some people did during this time.
ReplyDelete8.)
ReplyDeleteOn page 114,when Vladek says, "At that time, it wasn't anymore families. It was everybody to take care for himself." It probably means every man for himself. One event that shows this is true is that on page 113, a Jew found out that Vladek's family and friends had a hiding place, he was offered food to keep quiet but in the end he reported them to the Gestapo in return for a reward. This shows that the Jewish were being more selfish only to try and save their own lives instead of others lives.
6) On page 113, you see a stranger inside the family's present "home." This man is undoubtedly Jewish, seeing that he is a mouse. He seemed to be in trouble and the family decided to let him stay. The stranger ended up back-stabbing the family by, what I infer, going to the police and reporting them so he can gain some type of reward. He could have gained food, money, or receive a better chance in surviving. Vladek tells us that everyone is only out to save themselves, this what I believe he was attempting to do.
ReplyDelete3.)
ReplyDeleteI think the importance of this comic is to show how the death of Artie's mother impacted Artie. From the drawings, one can see how creepy and eerie-looking the drawings are made and the colors he used; an excessive amount of dark colors. This can symbolize how Artie felt after the death of his mother; he could have felt depressed, in a mourning state of mind, etc.
9) An incident that happened in the frame story between Vladek and Artie is at the end of the story when Vladek shows Artie the safety box and starts crying over Anja. This is a change in their relationship becuase instead of Vladek being sort of strict his is now trusting Artie with his money and belongings with the safety box and is now more emotional and open with Artie about his feelings.
ReplyDelete7. The Nazis try to dehumanize Jews in a few ways. They make them all wear the Star of David so everyone knows they are Jewish. They cut off or had the Jews shave off their beards, which takes away their dignity and individuality. They also focus only on whether hey can work or not, if they are young or old, and if they are in good health or sickly. The Nazis only care about what they Jews can physically do. To the Nazis, the Jews are tools, which isn't a very human occupation.
ReplyDelete8) There are a couple of events that occure in the story that supports Vladek's statement about there not being any mpre families and it being every man for.him self. One thing that supports this to be true in Vladek's story is how he says he seen his cousin and asked him for help. But instead of his cousin being very willing to help he said no. Only when Vladek mentioned payment he agreed. This shows hpw family nonds were broken at the time. In mosy families when someone needs help the pther members of the family willing help them with put the need for payment. But due to the state that the jewish people were in at that time, family came second to then selfs and their immediate family.
ReplyDeleteLook at the story above in #6 about "the stranger." Write a paragraph on how this story directly relates to the Nazi's attempts to steal the dignity from their enemies and dehumanize them.
ReplyDeleteThis story relates to how the nazis try to dehuminize the jews because the because they are offering FOOD to turn in the jews. and this is turning everyone, even people who once was a friend of a jew, against them since food is scarce. so this is basically saying that the jews are worthless in my eyes.
#3 Spiegelmans book Prisoner on hell planet is a tragic tale of a jailed son who feels guils towards his mothers suicide.I believe that Spiegelman included this to show how much Vladek and Art himself truly loved Anja and how her suicide completely devestated the family. In fact I believe that this her suicide is what caused Art and his father to be so distant because Anja was all that kept Vladek reasonable and with her gone he became the strerotypical jew. The stroy was most likely written in human format fro two reasons: 1) is that Maus was his only book that was written with animals and this book was also created long before Maus. 2) is that with humans he could create a unique sort of abstract ffeling with the artwork along with the metaphors weaved into the text.
ReplyDelete