RLST 7: Written Assignments

TRAGEDY AND IDENTITY

Maus: A Survivor's Tale, Part I: My Father Bleeds History, by Art Spiegelman

Due May 1 at the beginning of class

In this graphic novel, Art Spiegelman recounts the story of his parents (Vladek and Anja, Holocaust survivors) in Poland from 1936-1944. In this novel, ethnicities represented by animals: Jews are mice, Germans are cats, Poles are pigs, and so forth. Interwoven with Vladek's reminiscences are present-day scenes showing the difficulties that still persist between Art and his father Vladek.

As you read through the novel, answer the following questions in your journal (in a few paragraphs per question). For each question, in addition to your typed answer, find an image or set of images from the graphic novel that illustrates your response, and copy and attach those images to your journal.

1. To what extent does Art think his family has been affected or shaped by the Holocaust?

2. Do Art's feelings for his father change in the course of the novel? Why?

3. What does Art learn about his parents and the Holocaust that surprise him?

4. What is Jewish identity in this novel: an ethnicity, a religious identity, or a sense of history?

5. Find one image that you would show to a friend to demonstrate the emotional impact of the novel. Why did you choose this one?

Format: Written responses to questions should be typed, double-spaced, and in a reasonably sized font (such as 12-point Times New Roman), with margins no more than 1" all around. Images should be clearly labeled and attached to the typed pages (please indicate which of your answers they illustrate). You may creatively arrange the text and images in the journal however you like, as long as your answers are clear. Additional formatting instructions may be given by your TA.

FAMILY AND SOCIETY

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Due May 31 at the beginning of class

In this graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi recounts her childhood from 1979-1984, in the years following the Iranian Revolution. Satrapi grew up in Iran but left to go to school in Europe as a teenager. In this first part of her graphic memoir, she recalls the changes around her--to society, government, school, and her own family--and how her own views on the world--religion, politics, justice--changed during this period.

1. Would you describe Marjane as "religious" in this novel? At the beginning? At the end?

2. What is most important to Marjane's family: politics, class, religion, or ethnic identity?

3. What is the role of "the West" in Marjane's life, before and after the Revolution?

4. How do gender and religion relate in this novel?

5. Find one image that you would show to a friend to demonstrate the emotional impact of the novel. Why did you choose this one?

Due June 9 at the beginning of class

Find one article each that treats some aspect of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These articles should be from non-religious publications (newspapers, magazines) and have appeared in the last three years. Some aspect of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam should be the primary subject of the article. For example, an article about an actor making a new movie which happens to mention that the actor is Jewish is not an article for this assignment. However, an article about how an actor is making a new move because she is Jewish, the subject is important to Jews, and so forth, would be appropriate for this assignment.

To find articles, you may thumb through actual newspapers and magazines (found in the basement of Rivera Library), or you may use a search engine such as:

http://news.google.com/ (which only archives recent news stories)

http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe/ (which can only be accessed through a UCR terminal)

Several newspapers and magazine archives are available through the UCR Library database page, here: http://library.ucr.edu/?view=find/alphalist.html

When you have chosen your three articles, please answer the following questions about each article (please type your answers):

1. Does this article seem sympathetic, unsympathetic, or neutral to the religion it is discussion?

2. Does the reporter seem knowledgeable about the religion he or she is reporting about?

3. What sources does reporter cite for information about this religious tradition?

4. Would an adherent of these tradition like or dislike this article? What other factors would you need to know to determine an answer to this question?

5. What information do you think should have been included about this religion in this article (this may not necessarily be information you know that the reporter didn't; it might be questions you find you still have after having read the article)?

Copy each article (an internet printout of the article is sufficient; please make sure the date and source of the article appear clearly at the top of the page). All three articles should be appended to the typed answers to the questions above.

Format: Written responses to questions should be typed, double-spaced, and in a reasonably sized font (such as 12-point Times New Roman), with margins no more than 1" all around. You may creatively arrange the text and newspaper articles in the journal however you like, as long as your answers are clear. Additional formatting instructions may be given by your TA.