Rhetoric: Paper II
Some Inquiry Questions
❖ What makes Maus Pulitzer worthy?
❖ Why use a medium traditionally enjoyed by children to portray the horrors of the Holocaust?
❖ What are the limits of this genre?
❖ Why distinguish race with different animals, and why portray the Polish as pigs?
❖ What is historical fiction? What does the ironic phrase “a true history” imply about the nature of historical
works, and how does this idea apply to Maus ?
❖ What influences does the medium exert upon the message, or the message upon the medium? The last
word spoken at the end of Maus I is “murderer” what
is the meaning of this?
This is only a sampling of the many questions which readers have asked and attempted to answer in response to
Spiegelman’s M aus. For this assignment you will d evelop your own inquiries from the readings in Maus, and/or
explore/critique the arguments of others in scholarship.
Approach this paper as an opportunity to engage with an academic topic by accessing articles through the library’s
databases (E BSCO Host, JSTOR, WorldCat, InfoHawk Catalogue, etc. ), and then forming questions in response
to your own reading. Rather than starting with a thesis or hypothesis and trying to force scholarship to support your
idea, start by questioning your own interest in the topic and forming an inquiry. How do your ideas compare with
other scholars? Where does scholarship disagree? How does this inform your own position?
Creating your own annotated bibliography not only organizes your research, but facilitates an active understanding
of your sources. You can also use other methods to engage with your sources, such as careful annotations, organized
notecards, and outlining. What works for you?
After reading enough to answer these questions, begin to form a thesis to guide your argument. Subsequent
workshops will allow you the opportunity to refine your thesis and check for mechanical and formatting issues
which arise in the process of drafting.
Avoid leaving your paper to the last minute; take time after this class and start with small steps (begin locating
your article for the report, establish a schedule). The greatest pitfall to students during the research process is lack of
planning.
Requirements
❏ MLA
❏ 5 pages
❏ 4 or more scholarly sources

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