Maus by Spiegelman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Maus by Spiegelman - Essay Example In Spiegelman’s novel, Vladek is an attractive and resourceful young man living in Poland. He is a successful businessman married to the rich and talented Anja. According to Wood, Vladek and Anja had a brief courtship and were married in 1937, on Valentines Day (82) and had a son named Richieu. With the help of Anja’s father, Vladek is successful in his business pursuits until the German invasion of Poland changes the fate of Vladek and his family. As a reservist, Vladek is determined to fight for Poland against the German intrusion, albeit it is against his father’s wishes. As an inexperienced soldier, Vladek is captured in 1939 and taken to a Prisoners Of War (POW) camp together with other fighters. Spiegelman writes that the Germans claimed that the Jews are responsible for the wars in the camp (33). It is for this reason that they are separated from otherS and made to do more work. I think this is just an act of religious persecution, considering there were o ther people fighting for Poland and not just the Jews. When an opportunity comes up for any volunteers to replace German workers, Vladek takes up the chance. Through hard work and perseverance, Vladek is released to reunite with his family. Vladek is living with his in-laws in an extended family; nevertheless, life is no longer the same. Weine states that soon after, in 1943, Poland is divided into two sections and Jews are taken to Auschwitz and killed (29). Seeing the gravity of the situation, Vladek and Anja give Richieu to Anja’s sister so that she stay with him and her children at Zawierci. However, fearing that she and the children will be taken to Auschwitz, Anja’s sister kills herself and the children, including Richieu. One could understand that everyone in Poland was worried about their future and safety of their loved ones. However, the decision by Anja’s sister to kill herself and the children is not a solution for me. She could have at least waited and maybe she and the children could have survived the war. Vladek and Anja are hiding in a ghetto waiting for the situation to calm down. According to Spiegelman, one of Vladek’s and Anja’s friends escapes to Hungary and writes them a letter telling them that Hungary is safe (125). Together, Vladek and Anja are on their way to safety in Hungary but are both captured and taken to Auschwitz where they are separated. Weine writes that at Auschwitz, Vladek works very hard as a tinsmith, a shoemaker, and a â€Å"black worker† earning enough to feed himself (27). As the war comes to an end, Vladek is set free and he goes back to his home place in Sosnowiec, where he reunites with Anja who had been released earlier. It is a happy and miraculous reunion for Vladek and Anja, considering that everyone they knew had been killed in the war. To me, it sounds sort of fictional for the two to be the only ones to survive the war in their family. In the novel, it is apparent th at Vladek and Spiegelman do not have a good relationship. According to Wood, Spiegelman feels guilty of living a better life than his parents (79). The relationship between Vladek and Spiegelman has deteriorated since Anja took her own life. Anja committed suicide after the war, primarily because she had lost Richieu. Spiegelman is furious with his father for burning Anja’s dairies about the war, after her suicide. In my opinion, Vladek is not to blame for burning the diaries; maybe he just needed closure and did not want anything that reminded him of how Anja had given up on them. At the time

Law of International Dispute Resolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Law of International Dispute Resolution - Essay Example The Treaty of Rome, in establishing the EEC in 1958, conceptualized a dynamic Europe to be an integrated regional economic and political union, "providing governance for a common market and organizing the steady growth of economic interdependence between the Member States". This new European environment which sharply defied the prevailing Westphalian state model - based on territoriality and autonomy - sought to engage states in an "international contractual arrangement that establishes authority structures superseding territorial boundaries and transgressing autonomy". Such a task was achieved by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) through the constitutionalisation of the Treaty of Rome, consequently cementing the "legal foundation for an integrated European economy and polity" and by the subsequent Treaties that followed. The most significant feature of the European Court of Justice is undoubtedly the doctrine of supremacy of Community law, which has continued to be the cause of much confusion and controversy regarding its actual Treaty position and entailment. The EC Treaty does not expressly provide for supremacy - there is no Article which clearly states that Community law is supreme over the national laws of the Member States - however, certain Articles of the EC Treaty impliedly require supremacy to be in effect. I will argue that in order to fulfil the main objectives of fostering integration stipulated by the Treaty of Rome, Community law requires supremacy of the ECJ which is provided through the interpretation of the European Community Treaties and case laws - whether categorically imposed or not. The need for an effective and uniform EC law applying within national legal orders in compliance to a voluntary limitation of sovereignty by Member States is critical to the concept of integration. By considering the fact that supremacy is ultimately perceived throughout national courts to be a monolithic holy concept which bears tremendous implications if removed or limited, the question is then raised as to how Member States receive the 'supreme nature' of Community Law. In attempting to clarify the need for a supreme legal authority for integration, I will examine the supremacy of EC law and state its Treaty position with particular emphasis on significant case-laws that have shaped the supremacy debate. Furthermore, I will observe the Constitutionalisation of the Treaty system, looking at the interplay of the doctrine of direct effect and doctrine of supremacy; under what conditions Member States might be provoked to challenge the authority of the ECJ; the expanding competence of the ECJ which now includes a political and judicial interplay of decision-making; and conclude with a look at what the Constitutional Treaty would have signified in terms of legalizing the doctrine of supremacy and how the rejection has started questioning whether the Community law should be considered above and beyond national laws and if it has gone too far already. The role of the European Court of Justice in developing the legal means for the integration process and constructing a constitution from the Treaty of Rome