AoB 4 Representation

Representation is the process of the media presenting their world to its audience. Things that are covered by the media are usually told from the media's point of view. For example wars. We are told by the media that enemy troops are continuously bombing, firing at and killing our troops. Another is Micheal Jackson's death. Before he died the majority of people believed that he had done inappropriate things as that is what the media had told them, now, the media is telling everyone what a wonderful man he was.
Stereotyping is linked to representation. Whole groups of people are (mostly negatively) labeled because of a minority. These include Gypsies being thieves, Irish, and smelly. Another being Teenagers. Who are always on hanging around the streets intimidating people, drinking, smoking and misbehaving.

In Maus Speigelman uses different animals to represent different types of people. These include Jews as mice, Germans as cats, Americans are dogs, English are fish, Poles are pigs and Gypsies are moths.

The Jews are shown as mice as mice are vermin, which is what Jews were portrayed as. Also Germans are shown as cats. This is because the Cat / mouse relationship is similar to that of Nazi's and Jews. The Nazi's catch the Jews, then toyed with them before they are killed.

In the second book (which was released five years after the first) Spiegelman had doubts about the animals he had used to represent different people. In the book he still uses the animals to show the different races, but the animals are clearly masks.

Here Spiegelman is showing that race is only a deception, and that underneath we are basically the same.

Instead of using the animals to create social stereotypes, Spiegelman ridicules them. He shows that it is absurd to class anyone by nationality or race. In the end the book shows the humans unite.

The animals are used so the reader becomes detached from the novel. The use of animals may also be used to attract younger readers.

Spiegelman represents his father in different ways. The story shows his father now and then. Valdek tells his son all about his life, including things that he doesn't want included in the book. Spiegelman thinks that these are good and so includes them. Spiegelman is the media source and can include and miss out what he wants.

In Palestine, Joe Sacco is visiting from America. He goes there as neutral to capture the life there. He writes about his experiences there, showing how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is effecting people. He tells about experiences of others as well as his own. He is affected by what he sees and cannot help but take part in and write about demonstrations, funerals, encounters with soldiers and roadblocks. Nearer the end, Joe, is even more active and shares food and lodgings with Palestinians he has met for interviews.