Maus Image Analysis Essay
Eleanor Stalick
English 101, sec DE
July 26, 2013
Final Draft
Essay 1 - Image Analysis on Maus
Some said they were too powerful, some said they were too different. Words like ‘inferior’, ‘outsiders’, and ‘scapegoat’ were their labels. Those not afraid of them would ask: Did you actually cause the Black Plague? What about the spread of AIDS in Europe? Did you kill Jesus Christ? Regardless of how peacefully they walked down the street, people would cross to the opposite side. Ever since the first recordings of Judaism in 1400 BCE, the Jewish people have been persecuted as a religion, and even as a race, but the largest case of this discrimination was certainly the Holocaust. In the case of the Holocaust, or World War II, which took place in the 1930’s and 40’s, the Jewish people were being blamed for causing the first Great War, or World War I. During this time, it seemed like all fingers pointed to the Jews; they had no where to turn but to other Jews. The average person closed their door when a Jew knocked. Not only hatred, but fear of association caused the public to turn their backs on this constantly bullied group of people. With the masses on standby, the President of Germany at the time, Adolf Hitler, led the Nazi Party to kill an estimated 6 million Jewish men, women, and children. “The sad and horrible conclusion is that no one cared that Jews were being murdered... This is the Jewish lesson of the Holocaust…” quotes former Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon. The only people who stood up for the Jews were their fellow Jews. The Holocaust was undoubtedly the largest slaughter of Jewish people in history, but the question is, if they had no one to help them, how did any Jews get out alive? Well, as few as “195,000 survivors and family members” lived through the Holocaust, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (“Frequently Asked Questions.”). Only a portion of these survivors were Jewish, and out of those Jews, very few shared
English 101, sec DE
July 26, 2013
Final Draft
Essay 1 - Image Analysis on Maus
Some said they were too powerful, some said they were too different. Words like ‘inferior’, ‘outsiders’, and ‘scapegoat’ were their labels. Those not afraid of them would ask: Did you actually cause the Black Plague? What about the spread of AIDS in Europe? Did you kill Jesus Christ? Regardless of how peacefully they walked down the street, people would cross to the opposite side. Ever since the first recordings of Judaism in 1400 BCE, the Jewish people have been persecuted as a religion, and even as a race, but the largest case of this discrimination was certainly the Holocaust. In the case of the Holocaust, or World War II, which took place in the 1930’s and 40’s, the Jewish people were being blamed for causing the first Great War, or World War I. During this time, it seemed like all fingers pointed to the Jews; they had no where to turn but to other Jews. The average person closed their door when a Jew knocked. Not only hatred, but fear of association caused the public to turn their backs on this constantly bullied group of people. With the masses on standby, the President of Germany at the time, Adolf Hitler, led the Nazi Party to kill an estimated 6 million Jewish men, women, and children. “The sad and horrible conclusion is that no one cared that Jews were being murdered... This is the Jewish lesson of the Holocaust…” quotes former Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon. The only people who stood up for the Jews were their fellow Jews. The Holocaust was undoubtedly the largest slaughter of Jewish people in history, but the question is, if they had no one to help them, how did any Jews get out alive? Well, as few as “195,000 survivors and family members” lived through the Holocaust, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (“Frequently Asked Questions.”). Only a portion of these survivors were Jewish, and out of those Jews, very few shared
Cited: "Frequently Asked Questions." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, n.d. Web. 5 Aug. 2014. . Spiegelman, Art. Maus: a survivor 's tale. New York: Pantheon Books, 19861991. Print. Spiegelman, Art. Maus II: a survivor 's tale : and here my troubles began. New York: Pantheon Books, 1991. Print. "Vince Lombardi quote." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 6 Aug. 2014. .