Maus+Unit+Thesis+Statements

Choose from a thesis statement we've created in class, or create one of your own. Start with the techniques to create a thesis statement:
1.  **__Identify__** a potential theme (topic) in the novel. You may even choose two with which you are most comfortable. Example: Lost Innocence. 2.  Turn your theme/topic in to a **__guiding question__**. Example: What are the factors that cause or contribute to the boys’ loss of innocence? 3.  **__Answer__** your question with a statement. Example: The dangers associated with living in poverty compromise the safety of the children each day. Children have no opportunity for innocence because of the violence they witness and experience. Further, they must devote most of their energy to basic survival: food, shelter, clothing, and safety. 4.  **__Refine__** your statement into a thesis. Example: Alex Kotlowitz’s novel //There Are No Children Here// reveals how the dangers associated with living in poverty steal the innocence from children. 5.  **__Develop__** your thesis into an introductory paragraph that includes **mapping statements** that lay out the order and organization of your essay.

Thesis from: Ben...The theme of survivors guilt is presented via visual aid in Maus, The Pianist, and Millgram while being shown in literary context from Frankl's work.

= Here are some potential thesis statements. Feel free to adjust and adapt them according to your own interpretation and needs. You are welcome to create your own thesis. Remember the goal of this final paper is to make connections between at least two of the works we studied during the course of this unit. =


 * ** Viktor Frankl’s observations and experience regarding identity change and survival are authentically portrayed in Art Spiegelman’s //Maus// and Roman Polanski’s //The Pianist.// **
 * ** Art Spiegelman’s use of focal point and shading in his graphic novel //Maus// and emphasizes the struggle to survive the Holocaust in much the same way Roman Polanski uses shot composition in certain poignant scenes in //The Pianist//. **
 * ** Art Spiegelman’s decision to portray his characters as animals (predator and prey) in //Maus// conveys the same identity struggles Frankl recounts as a prisoner in //Man’s Search for Meaning.// **
 * ** Art Spiegelman reveals his struggle to understand his father’s experience in the Holocaust and his relationship with his father through his use of specific graphic art techniques. **
 * ** The graphic art techniques in //Maus// captures the critical importance of the attitude and disposition for survival Viktor Frankl’s explains in “Experiences in a Concentration Camp.” **
 * ** Viktor Frankl’s premise in //Man’s Search for Meaning// is that the meaning of life includes suffering. This can be clearly seen in //Maus// as Art Spiegelman portrays the suffering of his father using specific, artistic methods. **
 * ** Both //Maus// and //The Pianist// powerfully display what Stanley Milgram’s experiment confirmed: the capability of humans (even fellow Jews) to commit horrible acts because of the direction of an authority figure. Spiegelman and Polanski reveal Milgram’s findings through their respective art forms of illustration and film. **
 * ** Art Spiegelman and Wladyslaw Szpilman both rely on artistic expression to understand the impact of the Holocaust. Spiegelman uses the artistic elements of //Maus// to examine his own insecurities in his relationship with his father and his work. Szpilman’s relationship to the piano and his music provide his means of survival. **
 * ** Through his controversial experiment, Stanley Milgram confirmed the capability of the concentration camp guards and capos to commit the horrible acts of violence and degradation Viktor Frankl recalls in his work //Man’s Search for Meaning.// In a very real sense, Frankl’s ability to endure such abuse, reveals the mindset necessary for the victim of Milgram’s experiment to survive. **


 * ** The experience and observations of Viktor Frankl regarding one’s attitude toward existence under extremely oppressive conditions are portrayed through the artistic techniques used by Art Spiegelman’s in //Maus.// **