Unit topic: Holocaust
Text Study: Maus I by Art Spiegelman
Days in Unit: 5 weeks
Essential Questions:
What is the relationship between the past and the present?
How do the effects of past events impact the lives of those who did not experience them?
How does one read and interpret a graphic novel?
How do authors use metaphors to reveal themes?
How do authors use images to reveal themes?
What’s worse – creating the cruelty or experiencing it?
CCSS Standards:
INFORMATIONAL READING
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.2
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its
relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone,
including analogies or allusions to other texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and
responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.7
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video,
multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is
sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.9
Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify
where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
WRITING
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information
through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant
descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3
above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and
audience have been addressed. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language
standards 1-3 up to and including grade 8 here.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships
between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on
several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of
exploration.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively;
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of
others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.9.B
Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the argument and
specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and
sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced").
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
SPEAKING AND LISTENING
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with
diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own
clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.A
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that
preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under
discussion.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.B
Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and
deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.C
Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and
comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.D
Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own
views in light of the evidence presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.2
Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its
presentation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.3
Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and
relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.4
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant
evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.5
Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and
evidence, and add interest.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.6
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when
indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
LANGUAGE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.D
Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.C
Spell correctly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.A
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a
sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.B
Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g.,
precede, recede, secede).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.C
Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both
print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its
part of speech.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.D
Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred
meaning in context or in a dictionary).
PRE-READING MAUS I
1. Wordle: Holocaust, Swstika, Nazi, Yittish, Rabbi, Genocide, Sheik, Hitler, Communists, Auschiwtz,
Jewish, Germans, Nazis, Polish – Have students look at all words and tap into prior knowledge.
(All words will appear in Maus I). Ask them what they already know about the words. Help clarify
misconceptions. Give a little bit of information on all the words. They will do in-depth research
on a chosen few.
2. Show students a short video clip on the Holocaust to emotionally prepare them (your choice of
video) for reading.
3. Open unit with research:
a. Group students into six topic groups: Hitler, Communists, Auschwitz, Jewish, Germans
(Nazis), Polish.
b. Each group will research to answer overarching focus question: What role does your
topic play in the Holocaust? Before students use information, students must evaluate
their websites using the CARDS method previously learned.
i. Students are required to come up with an additional 4-5 focused questions that
stem from overarching question. An easy way students can do this is to ask them
to put the word “WHY” in front of their answer to the overarching focus question.
Once answers are found, continue to put “WHY” in front until students have
answered at least another 4-5 additional focused questions.
c. Students must organize this information into one of the following products of their
choice: Prezi or Imovie. Product isn’t limited to but must include:
i. 1 media clip (can be from youtube) (3-4 minutes long at most)
ii. 2-4 illustrations (graphics, charts, etc.)
iii. news article
iv. 2 other credible online sources
****REMIND STUDENTS THEY MUST CITE ALL SOURCES USED IN
PRESENTATION!**** Also, remind students to save work frequently and email to
themselves before closing down.
d. Presentations - Give students a rubric before having them present: After presentations, in
an exit slip, have students “Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different
mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or
idea.” (RI 8.8).
4. Have students flip through Maus I and make predictions as to why the author chose to use cats,
mice, and pigs to represent the different groups (Have them use evidence from research
presentations as support). How else could the author have represented these three types of
groups and been just as effective? *You may want to save this question until after reading OR
you can ask them the same question after reading to see if answers change.
DURING READING MAUS I
1. Read aloud Chapter 1 and do a think aloud for them to show students:
a. that a comic should be read from left to right, up and down
b. what types of questions and comments a strong reader should be making as she reads
c. that a strong reader must analyze the art in a comic to fully understand (noticing the
numbers on the arm of page 12, determining why the path resembles a swastika on page
125)
2. Students will read silently. Along the way, you will ask text-based questions and have students
discuss text-based questions with each other to ensure understanding.
a. Example: Examine page 108’s last few frames. Why do you think Vladek’s tone of voice is
so nonchalant about the horror of the times? *See bottom of word document for other
examples.
**I would break up the chapters into weeks: (Writing assignments should have a developed introduction
with supporting evidence and analysis, and a developed conclusion!!)
Week: Chapters 1 and 2 – focus skill: point of view and summary; Writing activity: Summary
writing.
Week: Chapters 3 and 4 – focus skill: claim and evidence and point of view; Writing activity:
Compare and Contrast Artie and Vladek using a double bubble map or t-chart; next, use thinking
map to compose a response. (I would usually do this together as a class, then prompt would
change to two different characters and they would do this in pairs, then prompt would change to
two different characters and they would attempt the writing on their own).
Week: Chapters 5 and 6 – focus skill: point of view and main idea; Writing activity: Narrative
writing in comic strip format: Students should be allowed to choose from two prompts:
a. Write a narrative from the perspective of Vladek while in the bunker (pages 110-113).
Specifically, how would Vladek pass the time? What conversations would he have?
What sounds would he hear?
b. Write a narrative from the perspective of one of the grandparents on page 87.
Describe their journey to Auschwitz. What do they see? Hear? What are their
reactions to what they see and hear?
Helpful Hints:
Point of view can be taught through a double bubble map or t-chart. Example:
Artie’s Point of view
Vladek’s point of view
Topic:
Topic:
Evidence:
Evidence:
Main idea and Claim and Evidence can be taught through a tree map. Example:
Main (central) idea here
Quoted word, phrase, Quoted word, phrase, Quoted word, phrase,
or sentence to
or sentence to
or sentence to
support main idea.
support main idea.
support main idea.
AFTER READING MAUS I
1. Students will research the Holocaust and find a text that finds conflicting information from
perspective told in Maus I and have students identify where texts disagree on fact or
interpretation. Have students record responses in t-chart form; report out in groups, then large
class.
2. Assessment using a cold read on all skills taught.
EXTRA
Prologue
1. What is Vladek implying in the last two frames of this Prologue?
2. What is the purpose of the Prologue?
Chapter 1 “The Sheik”
1. Explain the relationship between Artie and Vladek.
2. What is your response to Artie’s casual approach to a book about Vladek’s life? - Note - Artie
never mention the Holocaust.
3. How do you interpret Vladek’s story – open, truthful, etc….Explain.
4. Respond to Young Vladek’s “dating” situation.
5. What seems to be the attraction between Vladek and Anja?
6. What stories do you see developing at this point? Are the two different developing stories both
important?
7. What expectations and standards does Vladek, old and young, seem to possess? Artie?
8. How can having expectations and standards impact the experiences of a Holocaust victim/
survivor?
Chapter 2 “The Honeymoon”
1. Why would Artie want to know about Anja’s past romances?
2. How would you characterize the marriage between Vladek and Anja?
3. What is your reaction to Anja’s communist activities? To her involvement of the innocent
tenant?
4. Why is the relationship between Vladek and the father-in-law relevant to the telling?
5. What is your reaction to Vladek’s military (WWI) experience?
6. Do you feel Vladek really cares for Anja? His family?
7. Consider Artie’s response to his father’s story.
CHARACTERS – Your reactions to the following…..
Artie, Old Vladek, Young Vladek, Anja
Chapter 3 “Prisoner of War”
1. How does Artie depict himself? (43, 45, 51, 52, 54)
2. Why is Vladek so adamant about not wasting food?
3. What are Mala and Artie’s reaction to Vladek’s conservative ways?
4. What seems to be Vladek’s issue with Mala? (67)
5. Why does Vladek include the story of his father’s decision to keep his sons out tof the army? Is
his father cruel or caring in his methods?
6. Would you call Vladek’s behavior in combat brave or cowardly? Explain. (47-49)
7. Is Vladek justified in killing the “tree”?
8. Does knowing the name of the Nazi he has killed affect Vladek in any way? Should it?
9. Why do the Nazis impose impossible work expectations? How does this speak to the fact that
the Nazi empire was so effective?
10. Why segregate the Polish prisoners from the Jewish prisoner? Is there in true validation in this
type of prejudice?
11. How or what are the attempts of the Jewish prisoners to adapt and survive? Could there have
been other options?
12. What is your reaction the Jewish Reich? Do you see why this would be created?
13. How is Vladek good at deception? Is this a positive or negative attribute?
14. At Vladek’s return from the war, what implementations had the Nazis already imposed on the
Jews? Why would any large number of people allow this to happen?
Chapter 4 “The Noose Tightens”
1. Are there any indications that Artie and Vladek are growing closer? Explain.
2. What is the purpose of Artie’s tape recorder? What could this possibly imply about Artie and his
continuation with the research?
3. How have things within Vladek’s home changed yet remained the same since his POW
experience? (Young Vladek)
4. What does Young Vladek seem to understand about their circumstances that the “family”
doesn’t? Why is it Vladek that makes this realization?
5. Is Vladek’s “lie of omission” justified? How does this speak to his character?
6. What is the purpose for food coupons? Working papers? Again, what does this say about the
effectiveness of the Nazi empire?
7. What other methods were used as a way to control the Jews?
8. In what ways is Vladek suited to work the Black Market trade? Should he?
9. What is your reaction to the Jewish police?
10. What purpose does Mala’s story serve if this is a book about Vladek’s experience?
11. Should Mala be as discontented with Vladek as she is? Should she say or do something about it?
12. Why is it the Vladek still doesn’t use the word “Holocaust”?
13. At this point in the telling, should Artie reconsider what he is asking his father to remember?
14. What images are now being used in the frames that are familiar to you in regards to the historical
aspects of the Holocaust?
Answer the following by providing detailed responses and chapter and page references.
1. What stereotypes of men and women are seen in Maus I: My Father Bleeds History?
2. How would you categorize the Jews within this book? The Poles? The Nazis?
3. What type of power do the Jews wield over the Nazis?
4. Compare and contrast Vladek’s responses to Mala and Anja. What does this tell us about
Vladek?
5. Which of the characters are truly believable?
6. Explain how the following settings affect the characters and your responses toward them:
 Old Vladek’s home vs. Young Vladek’s apartment

The shared apartments in the Ghettos

The hidden bunkers, barns and cellars where the Jews hide
7. What symbolic representation can be found in the following:
 Old Vladek
 Young Vladek
 Anja’s suicide
 Richieu’s Death
 Artie’s Earlier Comic
 Mala
8. Provide and explain at least two examples of irony from this novel.
Maus 1: My Father Bleeds History: As you read, you should be able to notice the obvious as well as
subtle changes of each of the major characters. For each chapter and character, provide an emotional
or intense response to a focal plot event.
CHARACTER
Artie
Young
Vladek
Old Vladek
Anja
Ch.1”The
Sheik”
Ch.2”The
Honeymoon”
Ch.3”Prisoner
of War”
Ch.4”The
Noose
Tightens”
Ch.5”Mouse
Holes”
Ch.6”Mouse
Trap”
Exploring the Novel
Questions for Discussion and Writing
1. How would the story change if Spiegelman used human characters instead of animal characters?
2. To what extent does Anja survive the holocaust?
3. Discuss the theme of dehumanization in relation to the text.
4. In what ways has the past affected the present for Vladek and Art?
5. What does Spiegelman gain from learning the horrifying details of his father’s story?
6. Maus is written in the rather unconventional form of a graphic novel. Is this format an effective means
of telling a Holocaust narrative? How might it differ from a more conventional Holocaust
narrative? 7. To what degree was Vladek’s survival based on luck, and to what degree was his survival based on his
considerable resourcefulness?
8. To what extent are Vladek’s aggravating personality traits a product of his experiences during the
Holocaust?
9. Discuss Art’s portrayal of his father. Is it a fair portrayal? What feelings does Art have about this
portrayal? 10.
Throughout Maus, Art is consumed with guilt. Discuss these different forms of guilt. How do they
relate to one another? How do they differ? 11.
Compare Vladek’s marriage to Mala with his previous marriage to Anja. Why is Vladek’s
relationship with Mala so contentious, while his relationship with Anja was so filled with love?
12.
Though Maus focuses largely on the Jewish people, the narrative generally avoids issues of
religion. To what extent are the major characters religious? What role does religion play in their
lives?
13.
Where is Hitler in Maus?
More Questions for Essay and Discussion
1. Discuss the effectiveness of the frequent movement from the story of the young Vladek and the
Holocaust to the story of the elderly Vladek and his relationship with Artie (and back). Would the
story of the young Vladek have more emotional weight if Spiegelman had decided to tell it in one
uninterrupted piece? Defend your answer.
2. As a librarian faced with the challenge of finding an appropriate location for Maus, would you
shelve it with histories, comic books, biographies, fiction, or in some other pre-existing section?
Defend your choice with specific examples from the book.
3. Using specific examples from the text, compare the artistic and narrative styles of the bulk of
Maus with those of Prisoner on the Hell Planet, in Maus I. How does the form of each reflect its
content?
4. An old saying has it that, while some wait for good luck, others make their own good luck. Using
specific examples from the text, explain how this saying applies to Vladek.
5. Vladek tells his story in broken English peppered with Yiddish, Hebrew, and German words. What
impact does the language in which his story is delivered have on the story itself? What, if
anything, would be lost if Vladek’s language were rendered into standard—or proper—English?
Analysis 1: Maus I, page 47. “Bridging Decades”
1. The title of Maus I’s Chapter Three, “Prisoner of War”, echoes which other, later, section of the
graphic novel? What parallels can you detect between the two sections?
2. How does Art visually use himself to “bridge decades” between his father’s story and the present
moment?
3. How does breaking through the separate panels on the page work to both emphasize the interruption
of the story and propel the narrative forward?
4. Why does Art depict this aspect of his father’s story in a static series of Vladek sitting in a chair instead
of “dramatizing” the action?
Analysis 2: Maus I, page 53. “Hands”
1. Spiegelman has described comics as “a vital and expressive language that talks with its hands”.
How does this page call attention to "handwriting" as a theme in Maus?
2. In the conspicuous corner panel on the bottom left of the page — an iris diaphragm — focusing in on
two hands, how can you tell which hand belongs to whom? Describe the differences between the
two hands.
3. What is the pointed comparison that Vladek makes between Art and himself and what is the point of
the comparison?
4. Vladek tells Art, later on in the book but fairly early on in his narrative, that he “didn’t want to put my
hands where Jews were being taken”— an odd sentence accompanied by an image of the latterday Vladek, hands up in the air demonstratively (86). How does Vladek later use his handwriting
in particular and his hands in general to aid his survival?
5. Comment on the shifting perspective used by Spiegelman on this page. What different "camera shots"
do we see and what purpose do they serve?
Creative Activities
In your answer refer closely to the novel as a whole.
1. You are non Jewish Polish citizen. A Jewish refugee has asked you if he can hide out in your
basement. Would you help him? Justify your decision.
2. You are Tosha, the family friend who has taken in Richieu to protect him from the Nazis. Explain your
decision in a journal entry to poison yourself and Richieu.
3. Interview Vladek about a part of his story not covered in Maus.
4. Write a monologue in the persona of Mancie, the woman who helps Vladek get in contact with Anja.
Why do you risk your life to help strangers?
5. Find out what it’s like to be married to a Spiegelman. With a partner, role-play François interviewing
Mala about her husband, Vladek. Then role play Mala interviewing François about Art. How do
the men differ? How are they alike?
6. Write a missing part of the text from young Richieu’s perspective. What was his experience like?
7. Write a monologue in the persona of the Jew who betrays Vladek and his family to the Gestapo,
explaining his actions.
8. Write a letter from Vladek to Anja to give her hope to survive the camps.
9. Write a journal from Spiegelman’s perspective explaining what he has personally learnt from
interviewing Vladek.
10.
Write a journal entry from Spiegelman’s perspective describing how he feels about the deaths of
his brother Richieu and his mother, Anja.
Analytical Essay Topics
In your answer make detailed reference to the novel as a whole and support your point of view with
well-chosen illustrative evidence.
1. ‘The story of Maus could only have been told as a graphic novel.’ Do you agree?
2. ‘Spiegelman’s masterful execution of multiple, intricately linked levels or frames allows for meaning
to flow back and forth freely between different times and places.’ Discuss.
3. ‘About Auschwitz, nobody can understand.’ Maus is more a story of a son trying to understand his
father, than it is a Holocaust story. Discuss.
4. ‘In Spiegelman’s Maus, even the dedications are an essential part of the text.’ Discuss. 5. ‘Maybe they need a newer, bigger Holocaust.’ To what extent can Maus be seen as responding to this
suggestion?
6. ‘Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness.’ Examine the difficulties of
memory and the portrayal-of-self for both Artie’s and the reader’s ability to know the truth.