Maus :: essays research papers

Maus is one of the most famous of recent graphic novels. Winner of the prestigious Pulitzer prize for literature, it's the harrowing true story of a Jewish holocaust survivor, retold to his son decades later. The story has two main threads. The first is the true story of Holocaust survivor Vladek Spiegelman's experiences as a young Jewish man during the horrors leading up to and including his confinement in Auschwitz. The second intertwining story is about Vladek as an old man, recounting his history to his son Art, the author of the book, and the complicated relationship between the two of them. It's a difficult process for both father and son, as Vladek tries to make sense of his twighlight years, indelibly marked by his experiences and a slave to the processes he had to resort to in order to make it through. On this level, it's also about Art, as he comes to terms with what his father went through, while still finding the more irritating aspects of his father's personality difficult to live with. Maus uses anthropomorphic characters, using different species of animal to represent the different characters' race or nationality - Jews are mice, Germans are cats, Americans are dogs and the Polish are pigs. This doesn't always quite work, though Spiegleman is acutely aware of this as he struggles with whether or not to make his French wife, converted to Judaism before they got married, into a mouse or some other species. Please don't instantly dismiss this as childish nonsense though - it owes more to Animal Farm than Mickey Mouse. It's a sad tale, as although Vladek survives the Holocaust, the shadow of the great swathe of humanity that was butchered by the Nazi killing factories hangs over the entire book. It is also haunted by the ghosts of Vladek's first wife Anja and their son Richieu; the former surviving Auchwitz but eventually committing suicide, the latter not making it out of Poland. This book, originally a two volume work is now available in an excellent 'complete' edition in the UK, which binds both chilling volumes into one and is an excellent way for new readers to get hold of this classic work of literature.

Policy Is Now Made In A More Democratic Manner Essay

What Extent Do You Agree With This Statement? The 1997 general election in Britain changed the way that policies were made in both of the leading political parties. The Labour Party is composed of three major institutions: The NEC (National Executive Committee) -the administrative authority of the party, the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) which consists of all elected Labour Party MP s and the Annual Party Conference. The Annual Party Conference is the supreme decision-making body within the Party. Ordinary members of the party are given the opportunity to publicly articulate their views and for cabinet members (or shadow cabinet members if the party is not in government) to deliver set-speeches directed towards the party or the public. The Conservative Party had a system where power rested entirely in the hands of parliamentarians with little or no organisation outside of parliament. It also consisted of three main institutions: The Parliamentary Conservative Party, the National Union Of Conservative and Unionist Associations and The Conservative Central Office. The ultimate decision making body in the Party is the leader himself. He or she may be advised however this advice does not have to be taken. Before 1997, any member of the Labour party could raise a topic to be debated. However after the 1997 election, in an attempt by Tony Blair to meet the demands of party unity and discipline, the Labour Party changed its structure to include the NPF (National Policy Forum). The job of the National Policy Forum was to set our the agenda to be discussed at the annual party conference.Members could no longer bring up issues during the conference. Instead, members could make an application to the forum for a debate on a particular topic although the ultimate decision would be made by the forum. Although members were still free to convey their views at the annual conference. The Conservatives adopted a similar system to the Labour Party. The Conservative Party also underwent structural changes after the 1997 election. In a bid to make the party more democratic, William Hague introduced ‘the Fresh Future’. This included the creation of two new bodies, the ‘National Conservative Convention’ and the ‘Conservative Policy Forum’ (although these act as advisory bodies only, the final decision rests with the leader). In conclusion, the Labour Party certainly makes policy in a less democratic way. From an open conference where members could freely bring up topics for debate to a forum where only a select few have the ultimate decision in deciding party policies. This reform has decreased the number of members who can participate in making policies and reduced the range of views that the policies represent. Although the Conservative Party has made an attempt to make its policy making more democratic by introducing the ‘Fresh Future’ and the new Conservative Policy Forum, the leader still holds the ultimate decision when deciding on policy and although it increases the number of people who can attempt to advise the leader although the leader still has ultimate power when making decisions so it means nothing. It is therefore concluded that party policy is not now made in a more democratic manner.

Essay about Cannibal Spell vs Hymn to Aten - 732 Words

COMPARE AND CONTRAST CANNIBAL SPELL FOR KING UNIS AND GREAT HYMN TO ATEN Early civilizations each chose their own way to interpret their world and convey the morals and expectations they valued. Though the differences between them are many and vast, there are several common themes found as the oldest societies this world knows began to define their existence and purpose in the universe. No matter where they found themselves, they possessed a universal question and curiosity of their origins. Two of the most ancient pieces of writing scholars have access to are the Cannibal Spell for King Unis, and The Great Hymn to the Aten. The Spell was found in the temple of a buried king, never meant to be gazed upon by human eyes. It describes a†¦show more content†¦Both tales contain a single, omnipotent, all-powerful deity that keeps himself entirely separate from the humans, and requires their worship of his greatness. In this version, the almighty created humans to bear the burden o f the gods (Norton Anthology, 158.) The Enuma Elish addresses the omnipotence of the gods by labeling divine knowledge as â€Å"the entirety of all of everything† (Norton Anthology, 24). The Greek and Roman creation stories reflect much about the beliefs of their citizens and the expectation they had of each other from the way these tales were revered. The Romans were a society that valued duty above all, and a unified version of their tales. The ultimate goal of the Roman citizens was to create one massive, unified empire. The Greeks however, valued agon, or conflict. They felt it kept the best work at the forefront, and constant competition would force the best results. Their tales varied from city-state to city-state, so there are several versions of the Hesiod myth, for example. The Hesiod and Ovid creation tales contain many of the same characteristics, however. The gods found here are very selfish, human, and petty. They often have direct interactions with people and th eir lives, and can often have children with them, creating demigods. They have been