Below the Roots

      Just a few days ago, my power went out for almost an hour. I was irritated! I couldn’t even do my homework, talk to my friends, or watch Netflix. But, that’s when I realized that these were all privileges. I realized that I should be thankful for the roof that covers my head and for the food, clothes, and knowledge that my parents provide me with on a daily basis. Many people in society take most things for granted. For instance, how many people actually know where their water is coming from? Most often people have no idea; they don’t realize that these are all privileges. However, this is not the case for everyone. Almost 1.5 billion individuals throughout the world lack electrical power, something that I take for granted. They are not given the same privileges as me, but does that mean I can judge them? No. Many people in society are quick to jump to conclusions about people based on their appearance, but we need to start considering t...

Did you think I was done blogging about Maus ? Well, you thought wrong. There is so much depth in Maus that I could write about it for weeks. But, this week I will be focusing on the similarities and differences between Nazi propaganda and Maus chapter title pages. Take a look at the two images above. On the left is a Nazi propaganda and the right is the title page of chapter four from Maus . The first thing I noticed was that they both have some sort of portrayal of Jews. The Nazi propaganda represents the Jews as evil and conniving. You can come to this conclusion by the facial expression of the Jew. Also, the wider size of the Jews depicts how they are greedy and well-off. This shows how the Nazi believe that the Jews are corrupt people and are capable of causing destruction. On the other hand, Spiegelman portrays the Jews in a completely contrasting manner. Despite being saved from the Nazis, the Jews are still wearing prison uniforms. This shows how they w...

For the longest time, I believed that my life was very difficult. I had to complete vast amounts of homework. I had to study for numerous tests and quizzes. I had to prepare for the SAT and ACT. I had to work for many hours a week. I had to volunteer for 4 hours a week. And it all seemed never-ending. But, I’ve realized that there are many others with far more challenging lives. What changed my perspective? Maus. I’ve learned a lot about the Holocaust over many years; however, I was only taught the logistics. I never fully understood how it impacted individual’s families after war and how deadly war times were. After reading Maus , all this became very clear to me. Spiegelman was able to depict the impacts of war by presenting motifs throughout the comic. One significant motif was guilt. The effects of war were not only presented upon Vladek; they were also placed upon Art. Vladek carried survival guilt. He felt a great amount of guilt for surviving the war....