MAKING MEANING

About the Author

from Maus
Media Vocabulary
The following words will be useful to you as you analyze, discuss, and
write about graphic novels.

panel: individual frame of • The panels work together to tell a story.

Art Spiegelman (b. 1948)
is an American author and
illustrator whose Holocaust
narratives—Maus (1986)
and Maus II (1991)—helped
to establish the graphic
novel as a sophisticated
literary form. Maus was
serialized from 1980
to 1991, and it depicts
Spiegelman interviewing his
father about his experiences
as a Polish Jew and
Holocaust survivor.
a graphic novel depicting • The panels cannot show everything
a single moment that happens, so readers must use their
imaginations to fill in the blanks.
encapsulation: choice of • The layout and choice of the scenes drives the
which scenes to capture, readers’ interpretations.
or display, in panels • Graphic novelists can use different sizes and
shapes to give more or less weight to scenes.
speech balloon: display • The size, shape, and color of the speech
of what a character is balloon can show the emotion of the speaker.
speaking or thinking • Speech balloons can also show emotion
through the use of punctuation marks and
musical symbols.

First Review MEDIA: GRAPHIC NOVEL

Apply these strategies as you conduct your first review. You will have an
opportunity to a close review after your first review.

LOOK at each image and NOTE elements in each image

determine whom or what it that you find interesting and
portrays. want to revisit.

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CONNECT details in the RESPOND by completing

images to other media you’ve the Comprehension Check.
 STANDARDS
Reading Literature
experienced, texts you’ve
By the end of the year, read and read, or images you’ve seen.
comprehend literature, including
stories, dramas, and poems, at
the high end of grades 6–8 text
complexity band independently and
proficiently.
Language
Acquire and use accurately grade-
appropriate general academic and
domain-specific words and phrases;
gather vocabulary knowledge
when considering a word or phrase
important to comprehension or
expression.

230  UNIT 2 • The Holocaust

 MEDIA | GRAPHIC NOVEL

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BACKGROUND
In Maus, Art Spiegelman tells the story of his parents, Vladek and Anja
Spiegelman, who survived the Holocaust. At the start of this excerpt,
Vladek and Anja are living in hiding with Mrs. Motonowa, whose
husband does not know she is hiding Jews. They arrange a meeting with
smugglers at the house of a woman named Mrs. Kawka to discuss plans
to be smuggled out of Poland.
from Maus  231
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 Comprehension Check
Complete the following items after you finish your first read. Review and clarify
details with your group.

1. Why does Vladek Spiegelman want to go to Hungary?

2. What does Anja Spiegelman feel about the smuggling idea?

3. Once the Spiegelmans are on the train, whom do the smugglers say they’re calling?
Whom do they actually call?

4. Why does Vladek Spiegelman wear a pig mask in some of the panels of the graphic
novel?
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5.   Notebook  Confirm your understanding of the excerpt by writing a summary..

RESEARCH
Research to Clarify  Choose at least one unfamiliar historical detail in the graphic novel.
Briefly research that detail. In what way does the historical information shed light on the
story?

Research to Explore  The excerpt from the graphic novel may inspire you to learn more
about the plight of European Jews under the Nazis. Formulate a research question about
the subject, and briefly research it. Share your findings with your group.

from Maus  239

 MAKING MEANING

Close Review
With your group, revisit sections of the graphic novel you
marked during your first read. What do you notice? What
questions do you have? What can you conclude?
from MAUS

Cite textual evidence

Analyze the Media to support your answers.

Notebook  Complete the activities.

1. Review and Clarify  With your group, review the panels that focus
on Miloch and his family. Where are they living? What are they doing
there? How do the graphics help you understand their situation?

2. Present and Discuss  Now, work with your group to share the panels
that you found especially significant or moving. Take turns presenting
your panels. Discuss what you noticed, what questions you asked, and
what conclusions you reached.

3. Essential Question:  How do we remember the past? What has

this graphic novel taught you about how we remember the past?
Discuss with your group.

language development

Media Vocabulary
panel   encapsulation   speech balloon

  WORD NETWORK Use these vocabulary words in your responses to the following
questions.
Add words related to the

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Holocaust from the text to 1. What technique does the author use to show that a character is
your Word Network.
speaking?

 STANDARDS
Speaking and Listening 2. How does the author give special emphasis to important scenes, lines
Analyze the purpose of information
presented in diverse media and
of dialogue, or exchanges between characters?
formats and evaluate the motives
behind its presentation.
Language
Acquire and use accurately grade-
appropriate general academic and 3. How does the author help readers interpret the story in a
domain-specific words and phrases;
gather vocabulary knowledge graphic novel?
when considering a word or phrase
important to comprehension or
expression.

240  UNIT 2 • The Holocaust

 EFFECTIVE EXPRESSION

Research
Assignment
Work with your group to research Art Spiegelman, the author of
Maus. Then, write a brief informative report in which you discuss
the ways in which Spiegelman’s personal experiences are reflected in
his graphic novel.

Conduct Research  Work with your group to find the information

you will need to write your report. Consult multiple print and digital
sources, and evaluate the credibility of each one. Credibility refers to
the believability of a source. A credible source can be trusted to provide
accurate, unbiased information. To evaluate the credibility of sources you
might use, answer the following questions. If you check “no” for any   EVIDENCE LOG
source, do not plan to use it. Before moving on to a
new selection, go to your
• Does the information come from a reliable Evidence Log and record
publication?  Yes  No what you learned from the
A reliable print publication may be a respected newspaper, a scholarly excerpt from Maus.
journal, or a textbook. A reliable web site may be managed by the
government (.gov), a museum or other nonprofit (.org), or a college
or university (.edu).
 STANDARDS
• Does the author have a good reputation?  Yes  No Writing
Find out if the author is connected to a university or other reliable • Write informative/explanatory texts
to examine a topic and convey ideas,
institution. Consider what else the author has written. concepts, and information through
the selection, organization, and
• Does the text show bias or prejudice?  Yes  No analysis of relevant content.
Bias can sometimes be hidden. Be on the alert for statements that a. Introduce a topic clearly,
are not supported with evidence, or opinions masquerading as facts. previewing what is to follow;
organize ideas, concepts,
For each source you plan to use, collect the information you will need and information into broader
categories; include formatting,
to create a Works-Cited list, or bibliography. To avoid plagiarism, or graphics, and multimedia when
presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, be sure to credit all the useful to aiding comprehension.
sources you use in your report. b. Develop the topic with relevant,
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well-chosen facts, definitions,

concrete details, quotations, or
Organize Your Ideas  After you have finished your research, discuss how other information and examples.
events and experiences in Spiegelman’s life are reflected in the excerpt d. Use precise language and
from Maus. With your group, determine two or three key points on which domain-specific vocabulary to
inform about or explain the topic.
to focus in your report.
• Conduct short research projects
Clarify and Support Your Ideas  As you draft, be sure to make clear to answer a question, drawing on
several sources and generating
connections that show how Spiegelman’s events and experiences are additional related, focused questions
reflected in Maus. Use details from the graphic novel and your research to that allow for multiple avenues of
support and elaborate on your main points. exploration.
• Gather relevant information from
Use Domain-Specific Vocabulary  As you write your report, use specific multiple print and digital sources,
using search terms effectively; assess
vocabulary to relate the story and other information presented in Maus. the credibility and accuracy of each
Using the media vocabulary words provided and other media-specific source; and quote or paraphrase the
words will help you describe your subject clearly and precisely. In your data and conclusions of others while
avoiding plagiarism and following a
report, be sure to define or explain any terms with which your audience standard format for citation.
may be unfamiliar.

from Maus  241