Friday, February 28, 2014

Maus and Barefoot Gen


This week in lit class, it got pretty heavy, reading comics from a different and a closer perspective to World War II.  I was introduced to Anne Frank in sixth grade when learning about World War II.  However, as an adult, reading stories like Maus and watching movies like Barefoot Gen brings on an entirely new perspective for me.  It is so beyond emotional because you do become attached to the characters.  Maus is the story of Art Spiegelman’s father, who was a survivor of the Holocaust.  

This story changed the minds of many to include comics as a legitimate form of narrative beyond children’s stories.  It is a graphic novel in which there are parallel stories both involving Valdek, who is Art’s father.  Art Spiegelman is telling an autobiographical story involving the journey he and his father are taking to become closer in the present day line.  The other story is about Valdek’s story of survival during the Holocaust.  With the use of his animal characters paralleling the real life people involved with the story, it adds a humor element that makes this comic easier to digest as opposed to Barefoot Gen. 

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