Hi! I truly need help for my rhetoric paper. I need to write a 5-6 page paper about Art Spiegelman's use of the conventions of the comics genre in his epic graphic novel, Maus. I need to use at least one comic book besides Maus to complete this assignment. First I need to identify several conventions of the comics genre, and then create an argument that identifies a few conventions of the comics genre and that explains how Art Spiegelman uses them to tell his dark and terrifying family stories. I need to answer these questions in my paper (which I am not sure I answered all of them correctly): why does Spiegelman use those conventions? What is his artistic intention? What advantage do SPECIFIC CONVENTIONS give him in his effort to get his themes across to you? What is he trying to convey to the reader?
Any help is appreciated!!
Maus I vs. Shonen Manga
Conventions of the Comic Genre in Maus I
"The Jews are undoubtedly a race, but they are not human."
- Adolf Hitler
Unlike most of the mainstream comics on the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shonen JUMP!, which fill of sinewy and dazzling battles among the hero(s) and the antagonists, Art Spiegelman portrays the horrors of his family history and the internal conflicts using the comic medium - Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History. Although the Holocaust is often brought up in American literature yet the mental illness within the survivors is beyond what a regular text could describe. Comics, on the other hand, offer a visual communication and presentation to the reader. Besides utilizing animalization and visual texture, Spiegelman breaks the text into many panels in various sizes to create a difference between the excruciating past and his conflicts with his father in present.
Conflict between Good and Evil has been considered the most common theme in comics; pursuing a dream also been shown repeatedly in Japanese manga. "I decided long ago that I'm going to be King of the Pirates . . . if I'll have to die fighting for that, then I die. I'm the man who'll become the pirate king and I will" (Oda 73). One Piece has been recognized as the most popular manga in the past decade. Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist in One Piece, was inspired by a pirate known as "Red Hair" Shank and started his journey when he was twenty - underwent countless obstacles and fought hundreds of battles - to become the Pirate King. Enthusiasm and sentiment are indeed the main elements in Japanese manga. Another classic example from Weekly Shonen JUMP! is Naruto: "My dream is to become the greatest Hokage, that way the whole village will stop disrespecting me and treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important" (Kishimoto 36). Both One Piece and Naruto define the significance of striving, friendship, faith and love for the protagonists to accomplish their dreams. Authors also often use animalization as a symbol to reflect the text to the real world. Chopper, as an example in One Piece, is a reindeer who symbolize innocence and trust. Another characteristic of Japanese manga is visual texture. Japanese cartoonists intend to use less narration and exposition in the dialogue to deliversthe story through the characters and the drawing. They want to keep the storyline as simple and straightforward as possible; and instead of developing a controversial plot, they let the characters' personalities to lead the stories. The panels of the Shnoen manga are also different than American comics. They are relatively huge in order to leave enough differentiation between characters and the background, which also allow the author to shift between different points of view throughout the text. In some cases, in order to create a tense impact to the viewers, mainstream comics on Weekly Shonen JUMP! contain more than five continuous panels without any worlds, but just the action of the characters or the surrounding. However, Art Spiegelman's Maus I is more toward non-mainstream in the comics industry.
Instead of having splendorous battles, Spiegelman uses a simple stroke to depict his artwork yet connects the reader deeply with characters' mental relationship. "If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week . . . then you could see what it is, friends!" (Spiegelman 5). Vladek Spiegelman, Art Spiegelman's father, not only satirizes at the value of friendship at the beginning of the book, but at the same time, he opens an ancient gate of his memory. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History brutally unclothes the morality of humans and shows a shocking image of how selfish and benefit-oriented men had become as a result of the war. However, in this darkest history, to survive is the only goal for all Jews; and thus, all the other noble sentiments became relatively secondary. Compares to manga, Spiegelman's Maus I has developed a much deeper theme of humanity, both through characterization and the unique comic elements.
The other comic convention Art Spiegelman uses in Maus I is animalization. He portrays Jews as mice, Germen as cats and Poles as pigs to not only show the racial differences in Central Europe, but also use the subconscious in human mind to reflect the dehumanization both during and after the war. The characterization foreshadows Jews have to hide in the dark and struggle for their lives; Germen have the fangs and claws (political power) that Jews scared of; and Poles assist the Germen due to their ignorance. Every Jews, at that time, is doomed to die in front of the shackles of fate - millions become history and the forever pain in their families' hearts. The image of mice, nonetheless, creates a limited light spot in the book. Unlike Shonen manga, which often use light background and thin lines to highlight the characters, Maus I's background is dark and heavy; yet on the other hand, the white of the mice heads light up in the dark and create a dramatic compression between the cats and them. Spiegelman uses the image of animals effectively and creates a serious mood under the medium of comics.
Maus I combines two different primary narrations: one told by Vladek about the process of how Anja and him survived through the World War II and the genocides; the other one is told by Art about the relationship and the conflicts between him and his father. The tone of narration, though, is calm and neutral; the past's vicissitudes, on the other hand, is shivery to the audience's hearts. Every word and line Spiegelman uses is cold and harsh as a bone without any flesh. The texture of the darkness, furthermore, creates an irrespirable mood and reveals the pain and depression in that historical period. Spiegelman alleges, "It was many, many such stories - synagogues burned, Jews beaten with no reason, whole towns pushing out all Jews - each story worse than the other" (Spiegelman, 33). Yet, under the racial cleansing, true love remains between Vladek and Anja. This is indeed the only bright light in the history Spiegelman's father is telling, and it creates warmth beyond the darkness by the use of different lighting and shading. A marriage for profit, stubbornly persists, the pain of losing their child . . . all, no matter how it started or how it ended, deliver an eternal commitment and an unbreakable love between two Jews.
While the setting is in present, the size of the panels is similar and the background is bright. However, it becomes less methodical and more disarrayed while in Vladek's memory. This shifting of time happened frequently throughout the comic and creates a dramatic comparison of Vladek between the two different time periods. Although Japanese manga also uses different types of panel to represent the memory of the character, the past is often more organized as it is the foundation stone for the protagonist to achieve their dreams. In Maus I, on the other hand, is opposite, especially consider Vladek is old and the memory itself is full of pain and chaos. As an image on the bottom left on Page 67 shown, Vladek is humpbacked and wants his son to stay. He is just an old man who needs someone to talk to, yet Art couldn't get along with him. "God DAMN you! You-you murderer! How the hell could you do such a thing!!" (Spiegelman 159). Spiegelman not only bolded the word "damn" but also use double exclamation marks and sharp speech bubble to show his anger toward his father. Indeed, arguments often break out; and he isn't the only one who gets mad by his father's stubbornness, Mala does too. She says on page 43, "You should know it's impossible to argue with your father." A question brings up: How did the war changed Vladek's personality and how did that help him to survive?
Art Spiegelman states more than once in Maus I that many people went to the concentration camp, but none like his father. Yet, this book is not only a personal history; it is a scar of time that burned on everyone's mental body; it just that the outcomes are different from various perspectives. Some people become afraid of the dark, some afraid to shower and some will still hide their food into the gap of the wall. Men are strong, in a way that no matter how many suffering they had experienced, they still desire to live; yet, men are weak, in a way that the shadow of pain will follow them forever. Vladek is the same. Although he has his unique personality, he has the same scar as everyone else. The text is no longer about one or a group of Jew(s), nor the Holocaust, it is the sufferance of human and the change of morality in a cruel world, which all are reflected by one person - Vladek. Spiegelman uses the comparison between the past and present and the expressions of the characters to answer the question about Vladek's internal transition.
Although Art Spiegelman's Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History is more toward non-mainstream comics compares to Japanese manga, but they both share similar comic conventions, such as the theme of Good vs. Evil, animalization, and the usage of visual textures. Spiegelman not only combines novelistic elements into his book, he also utilizes comic conventions as steppingstones to amplify the text and connect to his audiences graphically. The lighting and shading, as examples, create a depressing mood of the Holocaust and the internal conflicts of both himself and his relationship with his father. This nonetheless brings up a question to every viewer: How should we treat the survivors and their psychological trauma after the war?
