Discuss the content and visual strategies - Essay Example

Despite the authors portraying different cultural and political issues, there are similarities between the two graphic novels. In the story Maus, Spiegelman explores the experiences of holocaust survivors. The author is able to achieve this through an interview, which involves his father. The sentiments and experiences of the author’s father are instrumental in the novel since he was a polish Jew and witnessed the holocaust(Hungerford 28). The author depicts the experiences documented from the interview with his father using a postmodern approach of animal characters.

For instance, the Jews are likened with mice characters while the Poles and Germans are pigs and cats respectively. The political and social situation experienced in the period is evident in the characterization of Spiegelman’s work. The work is unique since the political events are inclined towards the Jewish perspective hence portraying the experiences of the victims. In Spiegelman’s work, the most salient inclusion is the use of animal characters. It is apparent that the author has employed a combination of symbolism, allegory and imagery in order to illustrate the story.

The animal choices are deliberate since they have symbolic intonations. Considering the perspective of the author, the symbolism of rats, which was the animal character of Jews depicted the negative perceptions of the poles and Germans towards the Jews. The character suggests that the Jews were viewed as pests. The symbolism of Germans as cats showed that they preyed on the hapless Jews, while the character depicting the Poles as pigs was based on the Germans referring to the poles as such. This symbolism also suggested that the poles were cunning and only sought to serve their interests.

There are other characters in the book whereby the Americans and the French are represented by the animal characters of dogs and frogs respectively. The novel also involves allusion off actual incidences and places that were experienced during the holocaust. This can be attributed to the contribution of his father who was a witness of the holocaust. It is safe to make the assumptions that the information in the book is presented with accuracy. This is evident in the character of Vladek whereby there is evidence the events presented by the character coincide with historical fact.

In addition, the author includes an actual map of the infamous Auschwitz a concentration camp a venue that was used during the holocaust (Hungerford 31). The map of the camp is instrumental in depicting the dire situation the Jews faced during the period. From the picture, the audience can tell that it was impossible to escape from the camp reiterating the helpless situation, which the Jews experienced. The comic strip in Maus was instrumental in reinforcing the author’s sentiments. The use of illustrations made it possible for the audience to connect emotionally with the work.

Some of the emotions, which can be experienced in the comic strip, include frustration, despair anticipation, anger and relief (Hungerford 32). The art appears to spill from the frames illustrating excitement. This is an indication of the feelings being experienced in the characters in this instance the birth of Richiev. In order to increase the effect of the art to the audience, the author fractured, interconnected and broadened slides according to the message he was willing to send. In the novel Palestine, Sacco