Since I was young, I’ve always took a special interest in learning about the Holocaust. While the Holocaust represents a horrible time in history, I’ve always been interested in learning about the horrifying details because I simply couldn’t imagine how so many people complied with and remained silent as the Nazi regime took over much of Europe. So naturally, I was very excited to begin reading Maus. Similar to Persepolis, Maus is a graphic novel. I do not like reading graphic novels at all, but because the Holocaust is a topic that interests me so much, I was still able to enjoy Maus. Throughout middle school and high school, I learned quite a bit about the Holocaust. I learned about Hitler’s rise to power, the qualities of Fascism, the oppression …show more content…
To begin, I would like to say that it is always important to remember and recall the horrific events of our history. I fully support the saying that “those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” With that being said, any time is a good time to learn and remember the Holocaust in an effort to prevent further tragedy. However, we’re currently living in a time when anti-Semitism is certainly not dead. Indeed, anti-Semitism is on the rise in the United States. Additionally, the current President of the United States encourages scapegoating certain races and religions in an attempt to trace the problems that the United States is experiencing back to one certain group. Because of this, I think that it is more important than ever to recall the events of the Holocaust. I think it is important to recognize that the techniques that Donald J. Trump used to attract followers are similar to those used by Hitler during World War II. I am not suggesting that Trump is capable of committing an atrocity comparable to the Holocaust. But I am recognizing that the ideas that Trump supports and conveys (whether intentionally or unintentionally) transmit the idea that it is okay to pinpoint certain groups and blame them for problems that are not their fault. For example, Trump’s administration has dubbed Muslims, as a whole, as a threat to the national security of the United States. And let us
The graphic novels Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegelman possess the power to make the reader understand the pain and suffering that takes place during the Holocaust. Spiegelman uses animals instead of humans in his graphic novels to represent the different races of people. The use of visual mediums in Art Spiegelman’s Maus enhances the reading of the narrative. The graphics throughout the novel help the reader fully understand everything that is happening.
The format of "Maus" is an effective way of telling a Holocaust narrative because it gives Art Spiegelman the chance to expresses his father's story without disrespecting him at the same time. It shows this through its comic book style drawings on a topic that is difficult to explain. With the illustrations throughout the story, it shows the true meaning of a picture is worth a thousand words. Compared to any other type of Holocaust book, it would be hard for a person who did not go through the Holocaust to understand what was taking place during that time.
In the end, the real main question is why. Why do we study the Holocaust? We study it for so many reasons. We study it so we remember all the tragic events, from the murdering of the Jews to the liberation of death camps. Also this defineing moment in history lets us see how rasicim effected everything. Not only in Germany with the Nuremberg Laws, but here as well with the Jim Crow Laws. WWII did help us out of The Great Depression though. But the most important reason as to why we study this is so we know the signs, so it will never happen again. No one should ever want this to repeat. It was tragic all around. Thats why kids world wide will alwats study about the Holocaust.
The Holocaust was a very impressionable period of time. It not only got media attention during that time, but movies, books, websites, and other forms of media still remember the Holocaust. In Richard Brietman’s article, “Lasting Effects of the Holocaust,” he reviews two books and one movie that were created to reflect the Holocaust (BREITMAN 11). He notes that the two books are very realistic and give historical facts and references to display the evils that were happening in concentration camps during the Holocaust. This shows that the atrocities that were committed during the Holocaust have not been forgotten. Through historical writings and records, the harshness and evil that created the Holocaust will live through centuries, so that it may not be repeated again (BREITMAN 14).
We need to remember the Holocaust because of all the Jewish people who died and the people who tried to save them. In the book “Book Thief”, the family risked their lives to help one of their friends who was Jewish. If the Nazis found out about the Jewish person in their basement they would take the whole family to the death camp with the Jewish friend. Also in the “Boys who challenged Hitler”, a group of boys who lived in Denmark, risked their Life’s to save Jewish people by putting them on rafts to float over to Sweden. They did that because Sweden was a free country and the Nazi’s did not have control over them.
The Holocaust was a dark time not only in Jewish history, but also in the history of mankind. The conclusion that all people are not equal and those of lesser value need to be exteminated is one that should never have been made. The concrete evidence that we, as a society, have today seems to prove that the Jewish Genocide by the Nazi people did indeed happen. In addition, it is very difficult to reasonably doubt this event, and people who do so seem to always have a political plan attached to it. David Duke used his radical position to gain almost half the voter’s in Louisiana’s support, and Patrick Buchanan used it to try to help his political campaign. Since Duke is not a household name or a prominent political figure, and Buchanan (though he is an accomplished author) did not win his presidential election in the early 90s. It is bad enough that the Holocaust happened, and even worse that people deny it happened, but the worst part remains that political figures still use the denial to further their respective careers.
From Hitler throughout the Holocaust, Maus the graphic novel has brought a story of a survivor, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew. Vladek has been there when the Swastika was a symbol of well-being and the goods. From the start of World War II and sustained until the war ended. Vladek survived the war because of luckiness, after that, being resourceful was the reason he lived. Lost his first born son in the process, moved to the United States. Lost his wife and lived with a fear it might happen all over again, he is a survivor of the Holocaust.
When I signed up for this course, I had limited knowledge of the holocaust and was not very interested in its history. This course ended up being one of my favorites and the most informational courses that I have taken. Other Political leaders such as Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin had committed mass murders that caused a much higher victim rate than Hitler, so my thoughts were that the holocaust was just another tragedy in human history. This class has given me a different perspective in the way I view the holocaust. It has personalized this horrific event in that it begs a person ask themselves how could this tragedy take place? How come the Jews and the world did not do more to prevent it from happening? The course has spiked my interested in the the holocaust in that I have found that if I come across a holocaust program while watching the television, I will stop to watch that show or read a holocaust article that I would not have read in the past. The four books assigned for reading by Browning, Sierakowiak, Lengyel, and Rajchman expounded on the personalization of the holocaust by giving insight into the experiences of
The Holocaust was an extremely horrific period of history. Millions were killed and lost everything, including money, family, and dignity. However, it has taught many lessons. We can study it today to make sure nothing like it ever happens again.
The senseless massacre of millions upon millions of innocent people all started by a man named Adolf Hitler who came to power in 1933. The Nazis brought terrible fatalities and chaos in Europe beginning with a purified race and ending with the Final Solution in a maniacal plot to exterminate Jews. The holocaust is a awful incident that should have never happened in the first place, but I believe that this made me more aware of the fundamental causes and vast implications involved in how a genocide can occur. I also learned how this changed the future I live in today. I believe that the holocaust still plays an important role in current times, history contributes to moral understanding, and it helps us understand people and societies, and makes an impact in our own lives as well. Examples of this would be how tactical we start and finish wars, if we let propaganda get to us, or how we don’t let just one person reign. By studying the past and different societies in the past, a broad viewpoint can help us change and improve the future. This moment in history is much better than before more rights and freedoms, better technology, and more education to help prevent any future genocide. From the holocaust people can learn not to do this again. The world would be a better place if all races and creeds developed tolerance and respect for each other - but all sides have to make the effort. Hitler’s perfect
During 1925, Mein Kampf was published by the Nazi Leader Adolf Hitler. In this autobiography, where Nazi racist ideas originated, he depicted his struggle with the Jews in Germany. These ideas sparked World War 2 and the Genocide of the Jews. The tragedy of the Holocaust inspired authors, such as Art Spiegelman who produced a Graphic novel, where both the text and images helped him convey his own ideas and messages. In fact, Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus is an effective medium for telling a Holocaust narrative and specifically his father’s story of survival. Through this medium, he is able to captivate the readers while providing interesting insight into the tragedy of the Holocaust by using the symbols of animals, the contrast between realism and cartoon imagery and the various basic elements of a graphic novel.
During the rule of Adolf Hitler, many children who were Jewish lived a very frightening and difficult life. They never were given the love and compassion that every child needs and deserves growing up. The Holocaust is a story that will continue to be shared till the end of time.
Initial Reflective Essay When I first thought of what I wanted to do with my life after college, the first thing I thought of was helping people. The next step in deciding what I wanted to do with my life was to examine how I could accomplish this goal. I started pondering and I was thinking about how much I love to take care of my body. Health care and personal hygiene has always been an important factor in my life. So I decided to major in Health Sciences.
The comic book form is very useful in telling a story as complex as Maus. Usually, comics are associated with fun and lightheartedness, but Maus is almost the complete opposite. It is a serious story of one’s recollection of the holocaust. Not exactly light reading.
The Holocaust was one of the most tragic and trying times for the Jewish people. Hundreds of thousands of Jews and other minorities that the Nazis considered undesirable were detained in concentration camps, death camps, or labor camps. There, they were forced to work and live in the harshest of conditions, starved, and brutally murdered. Horrific things went on in Auschwitz and Majdenek during the Holocaust that wiped out approximately 1,378,000 people combined. “There is nothing that compares to the Holocaust.” –Fidel Castro