What exactly is a biography? According to Dictionary.com it is “a written account of another person’s life”. However, that is a very broad definition, so I have decided add on to this definition to make my own definition of what I believe a biography to be. A biography is a written account of another person’s life told by an individual outside of the story. In Art Spiegelman’s Maus, although pushing the boundaries, certain sections of the book could best be described as a “biography” through the way they are written. One aspect that sets this biography apart from others is the medium used. While most biographies are purely written and tell the story of the subject’s life, Maus is (or could be considered) a graphic biography, if there is such a thing. It is both written and illustrated by Art Spiegelman, who happens to be the subject’s son. By using a mixture of drawings, dialogue and commentary, Spiegelman is able to tell the story of his father’s experiences during World War II. This is another factor that sets it apart from other biographies; it doesn’t follow Spiegelman’s father, Vladek Spiegelman’s life in its entirety, but instead focuses primarily on his life during World War II. By using drawings to depict scenes certain scenes, it allows the reader to visualize exactly what Spiegelman wants them to see. It allows his creative expression and freedom to run wild and create a unique way to tell the story of his father. The ‘biography’ actually begins at the
“The story is told through the photographs, and so what may appear to be autobiographical is not always so. On the other hand, many of the events are completely fictional, although they may be true in a historical context. For some of these events, there are photographs; for others, the image is a collage; and in all cases, the result is entirely of my doing. So although it may appear that these stories are my family’s, they are not precisely, and yet they are. (xi)”
All i gotta say is, this book is awesome!! I would rate maus a 4.5 out of 5. The book i'm reading is maus by Art, Spiegelman. This book is revolving around the author's father and his family's experiences in the days of the holocaust. The way the author drags you in by introducing you with a little family comedy is amazing i didn't really expect much out this book because for many years i've learned a lot about the holocaust and thought that i knew it all. The author goes his way explaining a different view that i never thought of. The spigelman family are jewish and the way the author goes about telling their story is by through their memories. I would always try to think what it would've been like as a jew during that time but the author opened my eyes as i was reading this book it was like learning every tragedy all over again. I reason i rated this book so high
Biography, or curriculum vitae represents one’s personal identity and experiences across time and place. The biography of Gerardo Herrera represents a journey of new experiences. He was born on February 27th of 1997 in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. Her parents were very happy when he was born because it was her second son, which looked a lot like his father. He was taken home a few days after. He began to walk at the age of 1 and a half and to talk at the age of 3, the achievements in his life where already on course.
Biographies and autobiographies both show events of someone's life just like the two somewhat similar stories like The Noble Experiment by Jackie Robinson as told to Alfred Duckett which is memoir about the conflicts Jackie Robinson had to face when he was going from the Negro league to the MLB and Clara Barton:Battlefield Nurse by Jeannette Covert Nolan which is documenting how Clara Barton was underestimated being a women and trying to be a battlefield nurse while in a form of a play. These both show similarities but these main difference are the genres of autobiography and biography.
the book MAUS by Art Spiegelman is an amazing book about Spiegelman father’s experience during WW2. The story is told by Spiegelman, as in present time with present events, and the story of WW2 is described as a memory. The main characters in the story for the present time are Spiegelman (author) , Vladek (author’s father), and Mala ( Vladek’s wife). The main characters in WW2 story are Vladek, and Anja (Vladek’s wife during the war). The story takes places in Poland, mid 1930’s to winter 1944. The main conflict Vladek is facing is, he is losing his family along the way throughout the war.
Biography.com Editors. "Abigail Adams Biography." The Biography.com Website. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
The purpose of a biography is to enhance the reader’s knowledge about a particular person’s life, in this case, Florence Beatrice Price, and offer a sort of historical background focusing on significant events, accomplishments, and personal aspects of that particular individual’s life. Ideally, the writer molds complex biographical facts—birth and death, education, ambition, conflict, milieu, work, relationship, accident—into a book [or article] that has the independent vitality of any creative work but is, at the same time, "true to life." Barbara Garvey Jackson, author of the biography on Florence Price chosen for this class, has noted that the purpose of her article is
I was born on January 6, 1878 in Galesburg,Illinois. My wife was born on May, in Hancock,Michigan. I left school after the eighth grade to help my family and I left Galesburg for the first time to see Chicago. It was hot as a Jalapeno in June. When I was 19 I left home in June, I went to work on farms and railroads as a laborer. I was a walking freight train. I rode a freight train then I became a hobo. I sharpened my interest in labor laws and the plight of working people.
Mary Romero's essay "Intersection of Biography and History: My Intellectual Journey" illustrates C. Wright Mill's concept of the Sociological Imagination in three aspects. First Romero is observing the girl in a detached fashion and not letting the personal aspects cloud the Sociological Imagination. Then Romero connects personal problems to societal forces because Juanita's problem was that she was not being treated fairly as the other kids in the household. She was the only one working with all the household chores while other kids were enjoying their life and giving her orders instead. One day Romero observed that the employer's younger son was giving orders to Juanita and Juanita just stood there shocked and humiliated. Since she was a servant, she could not express her feelings because no one really cared. She was just a servant for them. Romero deals really well in this situation. She reallocates the chores to everyone in the household and divides the workload.
A biography is defined as a written account of another person 's life. The key word in the definition being another person’s life. Biographies are full of great information that can often times make history fun and exciting. Historical phenomenon is often portrayed through biographies allowing us to see how society has developed over time and how the past and present may be similar. Although biographies are full of information often times it is impossible to prove them to be true because they aren’t written by the person themselves. Linda Colley’s The ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh is a great example of an exciting biography that allows us to learn about British Imperial Rule through someone else’s eyes.
Art Spiegelman’s Maus, is a unique way of looking at history. Through the use of comics, Spiegelman allows the reader to draw their own conclusions within the parameters of the panes of the comic. Unlike reading a textbook in which the author describes every detail about the subject matter, comics allow for the reader to draw their own conclusions from the information given to them. Also by reading a serious comic such as Maus, we are able to break away from
Maus by Art Spiegelman is a comic book about Holocaust. Even though it is hard to relate comics and Holocaust, Maus is widely considered as one of the best and most influential Holocaust-inspired works. Unsurprisingly, with Holocaust as the subject for the whole book, issues of races and classes are traced heavily in the themes and structures of Maus.
Rather than reading something that brings you down, or reading something that has no purpose, when you read something inspiring it makes people feel good or encourages them or even makes them smile. When a writer writes a biography about a persons life yes the he or she tries to portray the truth but he or she is also giving inspiration to the reader or even giving them a role model to follow. That is why it is more important that the biography is inspiring rather than being impartial. To get the reader inspired and to maybe make a change in the
Throughout life, people are influenced by others when it comes to career paths. For example, career paths can be directed by our backgrounds such as family and culture. The career path I chose has been influenced by family and those who support me and encourage me during school. The career path, I have chosen is to work with women survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. I will discuss how self-assessments helped me gain an understanding, which careers might be worth pursuing because of my interests.
Historians use literary techniques and even poetic devices to craft historiographies that are compelling for readers. For example, a historian may construct a plot or narrative based on a series of events or on biographical data. A fiction author likewise relies on historical events and biographical data to construct plots: a process White calls "emplotment," (1714). Emplotment is basically the "encodation of facts," (White 1714). The storyteller is a historian, for no fiction is created out of thin air. Likewise, the historian is a storyteller, for readers of history require a