Important Schedule Change Announcement

My apologies for springing a change to the schedule on you, but it looks like I will be out of town on 14 March, when we were to have discussed the second book of Spiegelman's Maus. Therefore, I am moving up the reading by one class period, so on Thursday of next week, 7 April, we will cover the first book of Spiegelman's Maus, followed by the second book of Maus on Tuesday 12 April. We will NOT hold class on Thursday 14 April.


I will be posting discussion points for Spiegelman's Maus tomorrow afternoon on the course blog to help get you started. Again, my apologies for the change in schedule.

The Iron Tracks Reading Response Prompt

Choose one of the following questions to answer. Reading responses for The Iron Tracks are due Tuesday 5 April, in class or in Avery 475 by 5 PM.

Headings for reading responses should adhere to the following format:

Stu Dent
Humanities 450
Reading Response #1
5 April 2011

Please note: the reading response number should correspond to the number of assignments you've turned in, so up to 5.


Reading Response Prompt Questions:

1. Psychic trauma is defined as "an experience that produces psychological injury or pain." Is Erwin suffering from psychic trauma? What evidence from the text suggests that Erwin is dealing with psychic trauma, and how does he cope with his traumatic past?

2. Why does Erwin make a living "circulating" antique Jewish religious regalia and books? What deeper meaning do these items have for him?

3. The acquaintances that Erwin meets and interacts with along the course of journeys are important clues as to the state of popular opinion of the Holocaust (and the Jews). What do these clues offer as the state of popular opinion after the war?

Link to Otto Frank Interview

To view the YouTube clip from Thursday's class, in which Otto Frank talks about Anne's diary, follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWRBinP7ans

Auschwitz and After Reading Response Prompt

1. In Auschwitz and After, community plays a significant role in both Delbo's memories and in the well-being of the women in the camp. What are both the benefits and the drawbacks to writing a text that stresses the collective as opposed to individual experience?

2. The ambiguity of language in Auschwitz and After is striking in that from the very first page ("Arrivals and Departures") Delbo calls attention to words that would never be the same in a post-1945 world. What example or examples best illustrate the ambiguity of language?

3. Extremely graphic, incredibly visceral descriptions are a central feature of Auschwitz and After. How do these descriptions affect your reading experience? Do they help you to visualize and comprehend the experience, or does the graphic nature of the descriptions make it more difficult for you to imagine?