Maus Response

It seems as if all the Jews are shaded. However, some of those who are speaking are not shaded. The effect of writing a comic strip makes it more of a narrative. It is a series of events that when used in a graphic novel the pictures give more of an image as to what is going on. Some of the dialogue written is not part of the actual dialogue being spoken. It is more of a narrative for the readers to know what was going on in each box. For example, “everyone was worried”. That line allows the reader to visualize the feelings in that room. If there were no visuals there would be a different picture in my head. With the dialogue the reader is able to tell what is going on, however the visuals aid in allowing all readers to picture the same thing. The images react with the text in the sense that they correspond accordingly. I would say the visuals are there so the readers are able to visualize exactly what happened, especially when the Jewish people were all being told to register, it is important that you get the visual that thousands of people were being told to do so. Spiegelman sets the tone but the use of his words. Immediately after the first question containing the word Auschwitz, a rush of images will run through the readers mind because of the horrible stories tied into it. One of the most important layers of meaning portrayed in this is the idea that the Jewish are represented by rats, and the Nazi’s are represented by Cats. This signifies that the Nazi’s are superior to the Jewish, just like Cats are to Rats. The visual and textual elements of this paper work together because they really try to get across the idea of what was going on at that time. Just as the narrative says, whether or not they went and registered, they were not in good shape.

Many of us know of and have seen one if not not all of the Jurassic Park movies. I would have to say it was one of the first movies that actualy scared me. The actual thought of dinosaurs on the loose gave me a rush of fear. Well, a few years ago, I attended a cheerleading competition and part of the package was free tickets to Universal and Islands of Adventure. Obviously we all went. At that point I was a total baby and hated rollercoasters; I was much more of the girl who held everyones bags and waited at the bottom. Little did I know, that was all about to change. We came across this new ride, Jurassic Park and it didnt look all that bad. There was no dangling feet, upside downs, or barrel spins. I was still a little unsure though but my friends were basically bribing me to go. I gave in. Let me just say the ride is completely different than it looks on the outside. It is the shortest version of the movie however you are actually living it. The dinosaurs that terrified you in the movie were literally five feet in front of you and 3-d. It was an entirely new experience. Oh, and the end was definately the best/worst part. It is a complete suprise and a true rush, but at the same time, extremely terrifying. Your boat drops off of a cliff for what seems like an entire minute, and at the bottom you are soaking wet. This interpretation of the movie was amazing, especially for someone who has never seen it. You get a real feeling for what the characters in the movie went through. It is amazing to see how different the two experiences affect you, even though they are interpreting the same idea.