Some argue that Maus I and II would be better if Art Spiegelman has not wasted so much space with lllustrations. They argue that the author could have used fewer pages if he didn't have all those pictures. What do you think? What does Spiegel gain by using cartoons? What does he lose?
51 Comments
Bach Tran
7/24/2019 01:31:18 am
I am between the 2 mediums since they both have the advantages and disadvantages. Comic helps the reader understand the story easier by showing illustrations and pictures usually catch the eyes of people who consider reading. Meanwhile, a regular novel does not have illustrations would make the readers visualize what happened in their own head using words. Words are certainly powerful if used correctly and can create much more vivid images for readers. The problem is the vocabulary and understaning of readers to fully take in what the author had to offer. I think the author chose comic to aim for a wider range of people.
Reply
Jocelyne salgado
7/28/2019 04:11:36 pm
I think that both are great but it depends on the type of reader you are. Personally I love picturing what my book is talking about so I would think that the regular novels are more superior than the novels with illustrations. The pictures might not be what you had imagined and that might take away some of the fun part of reading your book.
Reply
Ryan Sarau-Young
7/30/2019 03:14:28 pm
Art had everything to lose if he did it with less pictures. The biggest reason is that with the comic about his mother is greatly important if it's kept. If it is remove, then that whole point is removed. The art style also adds to the story and would be better if it stayed than removed. If a story is removed, then its just another Holocaust story. The whole underlying meaning is removed.
Reply
Rafael Garduno
8/10/2019 09:31:01 pm
I agree with you Ryan, without the illustrations it would just be another holocaust story . I fell like the author wanted us to visualize what was really going on, and not let us imagine it.
Reply
Diamond Russell
7/30/2019 07:06:27 pm
I think between the two options that a regular novel is more superior. I do agree that it could have been fewer pages if he didn’t use as many pictures. I believe it could have been fewer pictures if the details weren’t so large and if some of the photos weren’t as big. By using the cartoons I think that Spiegelman gains more attention to his readers because more people likes pictures over words and also because since the story is about the holocaust, it’s like a tale of someone’s else story which I find interesting. Personally for me my attention span is really when I’m reading and I think what he lose from using cartoons in MAUS is more distractions because you’re more focused on the pictures and the illustrations rather than the words present on the page. Also I don’t think “waste” is the right word to describe the page number because he wanted to get his point across so more pages were needed.
Reply
Minh Le
8/1/2019 09:56:34 pm
Although I personally enjoy reading graphic novels more, I think regular books remains superior. While graphic novels are more fun to read, they don't allow readers to be imaginative while reading. Graphic novels seem to mould the story into the author's personal interpretation, making them less challenging to read and readers might grow bored after rereading a few times.
Reply
Isabella Hernandez
8/3/2019 07:37:50 pm
I think that the book the way it is illustrated is fine itself since we get to at least visually see and understand what went on in Arties fathers life during the war. Other book can be fine without drawings to create more imagination to the story but with books like Maus, the reader needs to see in picture since this book was not made to be a fun story but a better understanding on what happened during history.
Reply
Marco Nova
8/6/2019 08:19:33 pm
A regular novel without any illustrations is superior because in my eyes it is more professional since informs you more by using more words and literary devices to help you think about the meaning and take it in. You can still see while reading a graphic novel but it isn't classic or the same when the story is given to you.
Reply
Darius Little
8/6/2019 09:32:58 pm
I think that graphic novels are superior because they are more engaging and gets the reader more invested into the characters. In graphic novels you see the characters interact with each other unlike reading how they interact with each other. It's easier to understand their character traits when you see their thoughts and how they act. When you see something happen you are more engaged with it because it's an easier form of communicating to the reader a scene getting them more engaged with the story and characters.
Reply
Orlando Ramirez
8/8/2019 12:43:13 am
I personally like reading books with pictures. I don’t mind reading just words but I think Art would loose a lot without the illustrations. The pictures allow the reader to see what they were seeing and it allows readers to imagine how they were feeling better not just from words used to describe their emotions and feelings but by being able to see what they saw and understand the story better.
Reply
Jessica Robinson
8/9/2019 01:49:49 pm
Spiegelman gained interest I believe. Especially from different age groups, many kids would rather read a novel with illustration that just words on a page. Spiegelman knew what he was doing and knew what art style to write in. Since HE is the one writing it, he would know the best way to describe and illustrate what he wants to say. I think if Spiegelman wrote this as a regular novel, it would change many words and phrases he said wanted to use, that would’ve possibly changed interpretations from readers. I believe when you write, inspiration means everything and if he would’ve considered what everyone said about his writing style, this book wouldn't have been created in his favor.
Reply
Andrea Lagunas
8/11/2019 11:13:06 pm
You came across a great point Jessica , his inspiration lead him to write the book he wanted to . I agree that readers would have different interpretations because on how it is changed and that would have not been the intention in the first place .
Reply
Haziel Sanchez
8/12/2019 07:55:24 am
I agree with you Jessica, you make a really good point. I feel like if Spiegelman did this book without illustrations then he would of needed more detail to describe the feelings of characters or the atmosphere in a situation. Without the illustrations the words being used would have changed a lot.
Reply
Nathan Borja
8/9/2019 03:16:46 pm
In my opinion I prefer novels with illustrations.I'm a visual person so I rather look at things because sometimes I'm reading and I may not understand the material but if I have pictures it gives the context more structure and helps the reader understand better. To others it may be different. Sometimes words give enough information and are really powerful that pictures and drawings may not be needed, honestly depends on the material and who's reading it.
Reply
Randhy Perez
8/9/2019 04:19:00 pm
I'd say a novel without many illustrations is far superior that one with illustrations. I say this because you can paint your own picture and use you're imagination.
Reply
Nikya Warren
8/9/2019 04:19:45 pm
I feel like it’s all about how you are as a reader. To me personally a graphic novels are more superior because sometimes I get bored easily. If I see too many words I’m going to zone out. When I see pictures though I feel more interested because I want to ask more questions like what’s the meaning behind the photo or what is this photo going to lead to.
Reply
Anissa Mayas
8/9/2019 08:30:00 pm
I think that both kind of books are great. I think a graphic novel can show just as much detail as regular novels. Regular novels is just more words that describe things in detail and we have to imagine what that looks like and picture it for ourselves. In graphic novels they help us picture it and put an image in our head for us with there pictures. I ask feel that graphic novels are more helpful for readers who don’t like to read regular novels. But regular novels are still just as good they still give us a lot of detail and depth on characters and their stories.
Reply
Isaiah Davis
8/9/2019 09:56:24 pm
I think they are equally good because no matter what book you read if it is good, you will be able to visualize what is going on in it. But personally I think illustrations make whatever you are trying to read better because it is easier to understand which can bring more readers of all ages to come and read the book.
Reply
Yareli Santoyo
8/9/2019 11:06:32 pm
I think that graphic novels are more superior in my opinion. I am a visual learner and I honestly get bored easily when I read books with only words. I haven’t read a graphic novel in a while so it was nice being able to look at the pictures. I felt like if Spiegelman wouldn’t have used pictures the book would’ve had spent more time describing everything.
Reply
Jabril Muhammad
8/11/2019 05:39:33 pm
Yes I agree Yareli because after a while I can get bored of reading words. Also the book was already long so if he wouldn’t have used pictures the book would be longer than it need to be.
Reply
Jailyn Adames
8/10/2019 12:18:04 pm
Honestly, I think that one cannot be more superior that the other. It all depends on the author and the story being told. Pictures can be a good support to a story but I still think the story should be the main focus. Maus 1 and 2 does a great job keeping the story interesting with all of the pictures. I feel interested in reading and like continuing.
Reply
Valentino Lara
8/10/2019 01:03:14 pm
I think that they are both good. Regular novels take a lot longer to read, but they are really good with details. Graphic novels are a lot faster to read but they are interesting because you can see how the author wants their story to be seen through the pictures. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, it depends on the type of reader you are.
Reply
Yareli Santoyo
8/10/2019 05:41:39 pm
I think that graphic novels are more superior in my opinion. I am a visual learner and I honestly get bored easily when I read books with only words. I haven’t read a graphic novel in a while so it was nice being able to look at the pictures. I felt like if Spiegelman wouldn’t have used pictures the book would’ve had spent more time trying to describe the setting for the book. By Spiegelman using illustrations he obviously had a vision that he wanted the readers to visualize, which is why I think that he did a good choice in choosing to do a graphic novel.
Reply
Alejandra
8/10/2019 09:23:36 pm
I believe that a graphic novel with many pictures is superior because the reader can understand the story and emotions of the character better with pictures. I believe that a text message is not the same as in person or facetime it makes it more personal. Just like the pictures in the novel makes it more personal for the reader to have a connection with the character it just brings the book/ what your reading to life.
Reply
Alejandra Sotelo
8/10/2019 09:33:29 pm
*Sotelo
Reply
Jabril Muhammad
8/11/2019 10:14:25 am
In my opinion I think graphic novels can be superior at times because it doesn’t just give you words but pictures that the words are talking about but also can use excessive drawing which draw your attention from reading the book.
Reply
Alexandre Martinez
8/11/2019 11:45:10 am
It is not a battle between which is superior it depends on which explains the situation better. The book can have numerous amount of pages and still leave of information. A graphic novel can be short and till portray its purpose in a condensed way.
Reply
Noel Lopez
8/11/2019 01:27:39 pm
I think it all depends on the type of reader someone is. For me, pictures make the story more interesting and keep me focused and interested. For some others, pictures can be distracting and take away from the story. Some people don’t like pictures and would rather get all the detail from words like in regular novels. Both are great, but it all depends on the type of reader someone is.
Reply
Alani Waites
8/11/2019 02:44:01 pm
In my opinion graphic novels are superior because the illustrations make you dig deeper. Yeah there is a description of what is happening or dialogue but even after reading that you could still think to yourself, "Why did they decide to draw it like this, instead of like that?" or "If this was drawn in a different setting/time/place how would it change the overall message?", With graphic novels I tend to think deeper than with regular novels.
Reply
Damian Garcia
8/11/2019 03:58:13 pm
I feel like a graphic novel is more superior because it just shows more attention to the audience and to the readers as well. I have always liked graphic novels because they are easy to understand and fall through on too. Someone who also has trouble reading can easily follow a graphic novel over a regular novel because of the illustrations it has and it can feel some sort like a movie to you
Reply
Elias Lopez
8/11/2019 04:38:18 pm
Yes Damian I agree about the movie part. People like movies and pictures. And this attracts a bigger audience. I feel like if there weren’t pictures, more people wouldn’t read it.
Reply
Elias Lopez
8/11/2019 04:34:50 pm
I feel like Maus is fine the way it is. I also feel like graphic novels are superior. They just attract a bigger audience. Younger readers will like this because it has pictures and pictures makes the read less boring. Art helps the readers visualize how exactly everything looked. It makes it more real and the readers can see what exactly they’re reading. But with this, Art loses the possibility of the readers using their imagination. It’s good for us to use it but it’s not that bad.
Reply
Donta Givens
8/11/2019 07:04:34 pm
I feel like by using cartoons it makes the reader take the book and situation less serious but at the same time the illustrations help you understand what the characters are living through.
Reply
Destiny Phillips
8/11/2019 10:21:19 pm
In my opinion it varies. It really depends on the type of reader. Some people would prefer graphic novels because they may have a harder time imagining and grasping the concept of the story and some people might prefer just regular novels because they don’t mind it. Either way is fine for me but ever since I was a kid I had been into graphic novels. I wouldn’t read them all of the time but I wouldn’t mind reading one.
Reply
Dorien Little
8/11/2019 10:39:29 pm
In my opinion regular books with just words are better because when reading them you have visualize what’s going on in the book and are usually more serious or informative then a comic book. Also sometimes you can get caught up in just focusing on the pictures then what’s actually going on .
Reply
Alexia Train
8/11/2019 11:16:16 pm
I believe that a graphic novel is superior because it helps the reader put a visual to the dialogue and actions.
Reply
Mellanie Palacios
8/11/2019 11:35:19 pm
I agree with you bestie. I think it really does make a difference to see illustrations to help us comprehend the dialogue that is beneath it. It gives us the reassurance that we are correctly understanding it.
Reply
Isaac Velez
8/12/2019 12:01:14 am
It was a good idea for Art Spiegelman to keep in all of his illustrations in the book because it opens his audience more, and it really helps the audience have a visual understanding of what was going on back in that time period.
Reply
Ariana Nelson
8/12/2019 12:19:11 am
Neither one is superior because it is all about the symbolism or message behind what you are reading. A regular novel basically describes a picture for a reader, while a graphic novel shows you. It does not matter in any way, just as long as you understand why things happened the way they did.
Reply
Abby Gabriel
8/12/2019 12:36:14 am
I wouldn't say either if both can convey a good story or a message. I feel like i can't really judge i am quite biased twards comics but i know writing can cast you to another place when the words are placed in the right place. With novels you use mainly your imagination somthing is written down and given detail it appers but its diffent from person to person the details may be listed it can look diffent from person to person. A novel is more to you it will relate to you. It can also give you great detaid of everything not just the looks; novels can give objectives, how it works, whats its use, etc.
Reply
Julian Pena
8/12/2019 12:45:01 am
The way the book was written does not matter to me, I enjoy non-fiction, fiction, and graphic novels. I enjoy the opportunity to let my mind wander that fiction novel gives me, but I also appreciate the opportunity to compare my imagination to the illustrators. Nonfiction is good as well as I enjoy learning new things. I find them all different in their ways, each of them provides different things, and so it just depends on what the topic is and how I want to think on what I'm reading.
Reply
Haziel Sanchez
8/12/2019 07:09:32 am
I think that a novel without many illustrations is now superior than a graphic novel because I think that words are more powerful than pictures. I picture only shows one thing, but words together have so many different meanings. I think that a group of words can always have more meaning and interpretation than illustrations.
Reply
Gia Aponte
8/12/2019 08:43:24 pm
I like graphic novels more because it makes it more fun and intriguing for me to read.
Reply
Gia Aponte
8/12/2019 08:45:36 pm
I meant to put this in the other disscusion post .
Reply
Isabella Toler
8/14/2019 11:32:34 am
In my opinion, i like to read graphic novels more than regular ones because i feel as if it is a lot easier to understand when there are actual pictures as suppose to words because that way you can actually get a better view of what is going on in the book at that makes it helpful to a lot of readers. When i have to choose between a graphic novel or a regular novel, usually i would go with the graphic novel and thats just my preference
Reply
Pedro Martinez
8/14/2019 09:47:56 pm
Neither is superior to the other because they both have valuable information. Maus for example provided a whole different feel and aspect to Hitler's reign than Anne Frank did in my opinion.
Reply
Richard Augustyniak
8/18/2019 05:24:11 pm
I think graphic novels are superior because the illustrations in them help the reader visualize what the writer is trying to say
Reply
Imani Gonnigan
8/18/2019 09:34:07 pm
Graphic novels are better because they can show and convey emotion better than regular novels. They also make stories more interesting because they illustrate what's actually happening instead of reading words that you can often get lost in if it's overly detailed. They are simple,straight to the point, and easy to understand.
Reply
Kailyn Adames
8/19/2019 12:05:25 am
In my opinion I think it depends on the person your asking , if you are looking for a challenge you would go to a book without images. Other than the slight language and broken English the narrators spoke I think it wasn’t a challenge for me to read. If you want something more easy then you would be more tempted to read a graphic novel :)
Reply
Mitzi Flores
8/20/2019 09:38:07 pm
I don't really think that either of these are superior because both of them are telling a story in distinct ways but if I had to choose I would choose a regular novel because it gets the reader thinking about how this story is playing out and depending on the person who is reading it the story will look a little different the story it self will obviously still be the same but the way things are and where they are will look a little different to the individual reading it.
Reply
Deiter Duncker
8/31/2019 02:10:16 pm
It's hard to choose. Neither are superior, both have their own different advantages and disadvantages. I personally prefer regular novels because I like to imagine the illustrations/ create them in my head, it makes it more interesting, especially when I get really focused on the reading and get lost in it for extended periods of time. Graphic novels are lighter, as in the author doesn't really give you many opportunities to imagine something on your own, the authors give you all the images.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
A note from Mr. HelbigHello. Welcome to the summer reading forum for Junior English and Honors Junior English. Archives
August 2019
Categories |