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Compare and contrast Vladek's identity as an old and a young man in Maus. What traits disappeared and which ones survived? What is the reason of his losing or preserving certain characteristics? - ANSWER Vladek's personality traits were negatively impacted by his hardships as a prisoner in the concentration camps during the Holocaust. Before the war Vladek was kind, wealthy, and had a compassionate marriage with Anja. However, after the war Vladek became bitter, frustrated, and almost lifeless. This is seen through the horrible relationship with his second wife, Mala. He was constantly refusing to let Mala buy anything and he refused to through anything away. For example, he refused to let Mala throw away a plastic pitcher he received a year ago in the hospital. This scenario of needing to keep everything shows how Vladek was never able to escape the survival thoughts during the Holocaust. During the Holocaust he had to save everything to use as resources like a blanket for a hammock in the train to every crumb of bread he received. This shows how Vladek was never able to recover his train of thinking after the war due to his traumatic near death experiences. I think the reason of his drastic negative change in his personality was due to the hardships he faced during the war. Being in the concentration camps brainwashed him into using everything he had for survival. Compare and contrast Vladek's and Anja's survival skills in the camps in Maus. What traits of their personalities do they reveal? - ANSWER Vladek's independence is contrasted by Anja's dependence of survival strategies during the Holocaust. Vladek mostly used his resourcefulness, fast acting skills, and bargaining for survival in the camps. For example, he traded the bread he was saving for help to go to the bathroom when he had typhus. This shows his personality is very creative, resourceful, and determined. He also learned how to adapt to many different situations in the concentration camps. For instance, he knew how to do different crafts like shoemaking and being a tinsmith. He also was able to speak English, French, and Polish, which saved him in several instances throughout the book. One specific example is when he was teaching English to the Kapo. In return the Kapo gave him gifts like food and also protected him. Anja relied mostly on depending on others and using her kindness to get help. For instance, she relied on Vladek to provide her money and food through the packages Mancie sent to her. Also, her dependence on others for survival is shown when she waited for Vladek to find her after the war instead of going to search for him. List three symbols/images in Maus. Analyze one of the symbols. - ANSWER Three symbols in Maus consist of using animals to represent people, the idea of masks
to cover the true identity, and Vladek's exercise bike as an outlet of frustration from explaining the horrible experiences in the concentration camps. In Maus, mice were used to represent Jews and cats represented the Germans. This idea was used to illustrate the "cat and mice" concept. The Jews always had to hide from the Germans just like the mice have to hide from cats so they do not get captured. The Germans usually execute the Jews just like cat predators kill mice. Compare and contrast Maus and "The Prisoner on the Hell Planet." Stylistically and visually, how do they differ? What is the purpose of this difference? - ANSWER The comic strip "The Prisoner on the Hell Planet" is different from the rest of the book by the stylistic and visual representation that highlighted Art's guilt of Anja's suicide instead of Vladek's view of the concentration camps. Art's remorse is shown when he says "mommy!" next to Anja reading a book to him when we was little. This represents Art missing the quality time he spent with his mother. Right after this he said, "bitch" next to a picture of his mother cutting her wrist to represent Anja's suicide. Both "mommy!" and "bitch" seem to be connected to the meaning of guilt. Art once had a loving relationship with his mother but when he got older he treated Anja more like a "bitch." This broken relationship might have been part of the reason why Anja committed suicide, and the reason Art feels so guilty. Graphically, "Prisioner on the Hell Planet: A Case History," is different from the rest of Maus because it has thick black borders around the pages and the numbering of the pages stop. Also, the comic has very dark pictures with real characters and a real picture. The purpose of the difference is to make this particular comic stand out. It is about Art's view as being a prisoner in his mind instead of Vladek's experience as a real prisoner in the concentration camp. In Maus, analyze Art's identity struggle as a child of Holocaust survivors. - ANSWER Art's identity was negatively impacted by the stories his parents told about the experiences in concentration camps during the Holocaust. The idea of having to listen to the fatal stories wrecked havoc on his psyche. In fact, one side effect for Art was having nightmares which consisted of gas coming out of his shower instead of water. He also faced the guilt of not having to live through the Holocaust like his parents. This shame is shown when he states he felt guilty on having an easier life than his parents did. He also always had the burden of his brother, Richieu, dying in the Holocaust. This burden shows he constantly compared himself to Richieu thinking he would never live up to his parent's expectations. Analyze the impact of war on human identity in Maus. - ANSWER The war negatively impacts human identity by brainwashing the psyche. For example, Vladek's personality totally changed after the war from being joyful to depressed and lifeless. The traumatic experiences he had to face for survival in the concentration camps never left his mind. For example, he went from being a friendly husband with Anja before the war to a bitter, frustrated, and depressed husband with Mala after the war. During the Holocaust, Vladek had to save
beginnings, celebration of multiculturalism, and communication challenges are three characteristics of American immigrant literature. Celebration of new beginnings could be one of the benefits of going through the door in "Prospective Immigrants Please Note." Although there are many risks of not being accepted into the new culture by being looked at "doubly," there is also the chance of starting a better life by making the decision to go through the door into the new world. The writer is trying to explain that assimilation for immigrants in a new world is defiantly not easy, but it is worth the risk in order to have a successful life. An immigrant should be excited to begin a new life by leaving the tough times behind and celebrating new ones in the new world after going through the door. The immigrant will finally be able to see the success the world brings instead of being "blind" by the closed door. The immigrant went from being "blind" to seeing all of the new offerings the world has to offer. Analyze the theme of the quest of immigrant identity in "Emigrant/Immigrant I & II." Compare and contrast the speaker's immigrant experience in "Emigrant/Immigrant I" and "Emigrant/Immigrant II." - ANSWER In "Emigrant/Immigrant I" the immigrant feels isolated in the new country. The new country consists of having a new name, occupation and language which are the markers of the new identity. She also experiences a large language barrier. In fact, she talked about how mainstream society had to "syl-lab-icate slowly." This emphasize shows how everyone made her feel like an outcast and treated her as if she was deaf. She ends the poem with feeling that she has no identity in the new world by questioning her own identity. In "Emigrant/Immigrant II" the immigrant is having an easier time adjusting with less of a language barrier. She is becoming familiar with using a knife and fork instead of her fingers. She also had an easier time adjusting to the accent. Also, she states that she was closer to assimilating when she says, "almost there" at the end of the poem. Graphically, the reader also sees that she assimilated to the accent by seeing the progression of choppy lines to flowing lines toward the end of the poem. Analyze the role of language at different stages of assimilation in "Emigrant/Immigrant I & II." - ANSWER In "Emigrant/Immigrant I" the immigrant had a larger language barrier. She stated how everyone had to "syl-lab-i-cate slowly" or yell when they talked to her. This made her learn how to read lips in order for her to understand the new language. However, she felt like an outcast and was even treated like a deaf person. She ends the poem with feeling like she still has no identity in the new world by questioning her own identity. In "Emigrant/Immigrant II" she has an easier time adjusting with less of a language barrier. In the middle of the poem she states she is "close" to assimilating the new accent. Also, closer to the end of the poem she states "Almost there." This means she had an easier time assimilating the new language and culture than the immigrant in "Emigrant/Immigrant I." The reader can also see how the immigrant became assimilated with the American accent by graphically looking at he poem.
In the beginning the lines of the poem were choppy symbolizing the difficulty of understanding the American accent. However, towards the end, the lines of the poem became fluent symbolizing assimilating better with the American accent. Analyze the symbol of the radio in "Carlton Fredericks and My Mother." How does it shape the mother's immigrant identity? - ANSWER ... Name three characteristics of American immigrant literature. Apply and analyze one of these characteristics to one of the works we have studied. - ANSWER Three characteristics of American immigrant literature is celebration of new beginnings, celebration of multiculturalism, and feeling of isolation created by cultural difference. The feeling of isolation created by cultural difference is portrayed in "Emmigrant/Immigrant I" by having a hard time assimilating to the new world, America. In fact, she stated that she stood "alone" in the new country. She basically had to restart her life with a different job, language, haircut, outfit, and name. She felt ridiculed when people "syl-lab-i-cate" slowly" and yelled at her. This made her feel like an outcast by people treating her like she was deaf. She ended the poem with feeling like she has no identity in the new world by questioning her own identity displaying her feeling of isolation. Analyze the role of the English language in the mother's immigrant experience in Carlton Fredericks and My Mother." In what ways does English shape her immigrant identity? - ANSWER In "Carlton Fredericks and My Mother," the mother learns some English language through the radio, which becomes her sense of English education. She was unable to receive an American education due to her controlling husbands wish so she resulted in using the radio for English lessons. She was unable to read many of the signs on the streets and had to ask her daughter to read the sign, "Packaged Goods." This shows how much of a language barrier she has in America. The mother's English was limited even after fifty years of living in America. However, despite her illiteracy she was happy that her children were able to get a proper English education. Provide the character analysis in "Carlton Fredericks and My Mother." - ANSWER The mother in "Carlton Fredericks and My Mother" is an Italian catholic Immigrant who faced patriarchy in both the old and new world. She went from having an education in Italy to no education in America. Her husband did not allow her to go to school, which resulted in her learning the American culture and language through the radio. In America she became a mother and wife to a controlling husband. She had a large communication barrier with her children and mainstream culture due to her inability to properly learn English in a school. However, her children were able to get an education so she was willing to assimilate to America. Her willingness to assimilate was greatly due to her love of the radio. She viewed the radio as a way to connect and reduce the communication gap with her children and became an everyday companion. She viewed listening to the radio as a way to fit in with the American culture. In a way, the radio diluted her thinking by believing she became Americanized by learning
status due to his personal pride of deserving more than being a peddler. He went from being a successful businessman back to a greenhorn as a low class immigrant not being able to provide for his family. In fact, the father was on the verge of committing suicide due to his hopelessness and social downfall. He went from being able to enjoy bananas with his son as a social event to having to sell them for survival. However, the father found peace in knowing that son could have a better life in America since he would be considered an American instead of a Greenhorn. Analyze the narrator's father's immigrant experience in "Learning My Father's Language." How does the word "emergency" reflect this experience? - ANSWER The narrator's father experienced a difficult immigrant experience in "Learning My Father's Language" due to a language barrier. He was a first generation American son of Bohemian parents totally inept with the English language. In America, the father was constantly ridiculed and mocked by his classmates at school for not knowing how to pronounce English words. He had great difficulty understanding the accents in the English vocabulary and relied on the Czech handbook for his only guide. The father was only a boy at the time when he experienced the negative experience of immature boys mocking him to the extent of being "red faced" and completely "humilated." This mocking has a huge negative impact on a boy's psyche, and could result in self-consciousness the rest of his life. The father also shows feeling of isolation when he uses repetition like "this country" and "this vocabulary" portraying that "this" English language is completely foreign to him. The word "emergency" also reflects the hardship the father faced by emphasizing the difficulty and complexity of pronouncing the English words. In a sense, he views learning the English language as an emergency to meet the high expectations of the mainstream society. He knows that he must learn the English language fast in order to avoid more damage to his American identity. Analyze the theme of language barrier in "Learning My Father's Language." How does it contribute to our understanding of immigrant experience? - ANSWER The narrator's father experienced a difficult immigrant experience in "Learning My Father's Language" due to a language barrier. He was a first generation American son of Bohemian parents totally inept with the English language. In America, the father was constantly ridiculed and mocked by his classmates at school for not knowing how to pronounce English words. He had great difficulty understanding the accents in the English vocabulary and relied on the Czech handbook for his only guide. The father was only a boy at the time when he experienced the negative experience of immature boys mocking him to the extent of being "red faced" and completely "humilated." This mocking has a huge negative impact on a boy's psyche, and could result in self-consciousness the rest of his life. The father also shows feeling of isolation when he uses repetition like "this country" and "this vocabulary" portraying that "this" English language is completely foreign to him. The word "emergency" also reflects the hardship the father faced by emphasizing the difficulty and complexity of pronouncing the English words. In a sense, he views learning the English language as an emergency to meet the
high expectations of the mainstream society. He knows that he must learn the English language fast in order to avoid more damage to his American identity. Analyze the theme of language barrier in "Learning My Father's Language." How does it contribute to our understanding of immigrant experience? - ANSWER The language barrier in "Learning My Father's Language" shows how hard it is for an immigrant to assimilate to the new world, America. Knowing the English language is crucial since it is the way to communicate and provide for one's every day needs. The narrator's father had a very hard time learning the English language since he was a first generation immigrant of Bohemian parents without any former English education besides the Czech handbook. He was constantly ridiculed and mocked in school because he could not pronounce English words due to the complexity of accents in the vocabulary. He was so embarrassed and "humiliated" he had to leave the classroom "red faced." This embarrassment shows how mentally exhausting it is to assimilate into a new culture. The reader can get a sense that the father felt isolated due to the repetition like "this country" and "this vocabulary." This reputation shows that he felt like a foreigner to "this" country. After reading this poem, I can only imagine how hard it would be to move into a new country not being able to speak or understand anyone and being ridiculed just for not talking like they do. Compare and contrast the symbolism of hats in "The Hardships of a Greenhorn" and "The First Day." - ANSWER The hats in "The Hardships of a Greenhorn" and "The First Day" symbolize the marker of their old world identity. In "The Hardships of a Greenhorn," the fez hat is used to symbolize Pupin's old world Siberian identity. In "The First Day" the karakul hat symbolizes Papashvily's old world Russian identity. The hat's also shows the attitudes of both characters in assimilating to the new world. In "The Hardships of a Greenhorn," Pupin held on to his old world identity by refusing to give up his fez. In fact, he proudly wore his fez after winning a fight with a street boy who knocked it off. The fez also did him a favor by sparking an interest in Vila who taught him English lessons. This shows that the old world identity of an immigrant can potentially help them in the new world. In "The First Day," Papashvily had an easier time giving up his old world identity by trading his karakul for an American cap and a dollar. He used the dollar very wisely by renting a stack of money to prove he had enough resources to live in America. This trading shows how eager and determined Papashvily was to start a new life in America. Compare and contrast immigrant experience of both characters in "The Hardships of a Greenhorn" and "The First Day." - ANSWER Pupin in "The Hardships of a Greenhorn" and Papashvily in "The First Day," had different experiences assimilating into the new world, America. Pupin's first impressions of America were optimistic. For example, when he used all of his money to buy a prune pie only to find it full of seeds he simply said, "Cheer up!" He knew that the first experiences in America would be hard considering he is only a greenhorn. On the other hand, Papashvily's first impressions were pessimistic due to feeling
NO - ANSWER Antin's assimilation to the New Land displays the celebration of new beginnings by once being in bondage in Russia to becoming free in America. Antin experienced many positive experiences while assimilating to America like receiving a free education. A free education meant the Antin can finally have a successful future instead of being in bondage in Russia. Antin's Hebrew name also became Americanized by becoming "Mary Antin." Although she wished for a stranger first name, she took pride in finally being called by her last name. This was so important because in Russia she was never called by her last name because she was always referenced as a daughter of her ancestor. Even though there were some strange things that she had to get used to like the "canned food," "bananas," and machine made American clothing she was very enthusiastic to assimilate into the American culture. She was very thankful for all of the "kind people" that helped her with the transition. Her mother taught her how to use a fire, and her "fairy godmother" took her to the department store to buy the American clothes. Analyze the role of the English language in Maus. What functions does it carry and on what levels it is presented by Spiegelman? - ANSWER The roles of the English language in Maus consisted of aiding Vladek in the relationship with Anja, Vladek's survival in the concentration camps, and the the high social class status in the concentration camps. In the beginning of the novel Vladek benefited in knowing English because he was able to decipher the English secret told to his cousin about how handsome Vladek was. Vladek used his knowledge as a pick up line to spark interest in Anja, which he succeeded since they became married. Vladek's english skills also benefited him in the concentration camps by giving the Kapo English lessons in return for food and advice to stay alive like where to stand in line in order to not be sent to the gas chambers. English was also used to symbolize the language of the high social class. For example, the Kapo wanted to learn English to be prepared for when the Americans were coming since English was their main language. Analyze the narrator in "Choosing a Dream." What traits of his character allow him to bring his dream to life? How does his ability to dream shape his identity as an American? - ANSWER - determination
- imagination
- felt like he deserved to dream
- his dream of becoming a writer came true in america In "Choosing a Dream," analyze the transition of the mother's female identity from the Old World to the New World. Compare this experience to that of any immigrant from the works we have covered. - ANSWER There was not a large transition of the mother's female identity from the Old World to the New World compared to the mother in "Carlton Fredericks and My Mother." The mother in "Choosing a Dream" remained illiterate, and in the low social class in both Italy and America. She also had very low expectations like "earning her daily bread"
that came true in the New World. She experienced much poverty in Italy during the Depression and came to America in order to mary a husband to afford to live. She went from being a poor wife in Italy to being a wife then a widow and then a wife and then a provider as a single mother of seven children in America. However, the mother always made it her mission to care for her children by making supper each day and making sure the family structure was "formidable" to keep the children out of trouble. In "Carlton Fredericks and My Mother" the mother received an education in the Old World, Italy, she received an elementary education, but did not receive any formal education in America. The mother also had independence in Italy as a child but had no independence after marring a controlling husband in the new world, America. However, she did keep her social class of being a middle to low class in both Italy and America. She also had no children in Italy but was a mother in America who yearned for authority over the children.
