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This panel is so incredible to me because it is able to show so many things that just words alone could not do. We see that vladek is looking incredibly skinny which is because of not being fed at the concentration camp. This is subtle but can only be shown through pictures. I think that an author just describing to us that vladek was skinny wouldn't do the actuality of it much justice, but since there is a picture to show us it does. His emotion are portrayed in this panel as well. We see the anger and the sadness, and the nervousness by just looking into his eyes. Without the words the reader could still interpret what he is feeling just by the drawing alone.I'm not necessarily saying that comics are better than books, but i do feel that comics are very important and can show the reader many things that just words on a paper could not.
Thanks for reading! What are your thoughts?
I think that by writing Maus as a comic instead of as a book really allows the readers to get a better understanding of the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. During so many parts in the book the drawings help to convey the true gruesomeness of the war. As you said, the images also allow the reader to not only read about the emotions felt during the Holocaust, but they bring them to life!
ReplyDeleteI agree that combining writing and pictures helps illustrate Vladek's experiences better. Words are subjective, but pictures can allow the mind to interpret them in different ways. The pictures allow us to understand the Holocaust better; however, we can never truly understand the Holocaust without direct experience.
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteI too was confused when we got a copy of this book. But slowly I saw that for so long I've only considered the power of words to convey a meaning, reading a comic has showed me the connection between words and pictures. I agree with you about page 108/109 as it shows the emotion of Vladek without ever saying it. I feel like the misconception of comics as being for kids will probably never change, but hopefully as more people read stories like this they will understand how deep emotion and tragic events can be portrayed in comic form.
Very interesting ideas and in-depth analysis of this page. The fact that you can write so much just based the pictures shown on a single page just further proves your point that comics are an extremely effective way of communicating details and emotions.
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction as you did when I first got Maus. However, I was even more excited when I realized that it was a comic and not a conventional book. This wasn't because it was a comic, but it was something different than what we had always done in school. I also agree that the pictures do something different for the book that words itself cannot do. I think that the author did a fantastic job accomplishing his goals of portraying the Holocaust.
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