Visual texts are put together to persuade a reader with not only their words but also their images.  Words give ideas of what an author is trying to convey and when given an image, depending on the audience, the story or situation can come to different terms.  Authors are articulate when relating pictures to text.  Every detail must line up and lead the reader to a specific point of view.  In Art Spiegelman's, Maus: A Survivors Tale he speaks to a range of audiences through his use of symbolism, color and realism.  

Maus (which is pronounced like the English word "mouse") is a story of the effects of the war on Art's father Vladek.  In Spiegelman's story he replaces the characters of whom would be people with mice.  The story of Hitler's rage and destruction has been passed down through the ages and told in many different forms.  Art Spiegelman's story is a personal one and is told with rodents instead of his human family.  The representation of people as mice is a symbol of how inhumane people were being treated.  The replacement of mice for people also opens up this story to a variety of audiences which makes for a better Comic character and is not as heart aching as people.  The idea of a drawn cartoon could appeal to younger audiences.   

Spiegelman's use of color creates a proper set design for the events discussed.  The events discussed are of the evil and war of the Holocaust and black and white are the only colors used in the story.  This event was to a lot of people, a very dark and light time.  The significance of the story is not lost in the comedic style text or images but the color keeps the story subtle and in the right state for the events discussed.  This creates a setting without any enthusiasm, a dark time.  The characters are pencil drawn figures with slight modifications to show emotion.  The seriousness of the story leaves little room for anything that a typical comic might hold.  This particular story generates an opening for insight with actual children through the children in the story.  Although this story may be one for the ages, it is told through panels as a comic story.  Iconic animalistic characters such as Mickey Mouse are usually portrayed in animated sketches for children.  Through Spiegelman's drawings of the children at the table and the families being separated he makes the Holocaust relatable to a younger audience.   

Maus revolves a lot around its relationship to the past and present.  Art in the first few panels of the story represented in present time is pictured asking Vladek to tell him the story of his family's survival many years ago.  As unrealistic as a mouse can be, in Maus the animated characters hold a much deeper meaning.  The connection between how the Jewish people and the rats known to be undesirables in puts this story in a very real light.  During the Holocaust Jewish people were forced into cramped living situations with extremely poor hygiene.  Spiegelman uses a great deal of realism by representing the people in his story as mice.  Jewish people were trying to be as quiet as mice so they could sneak by the Nazi's and out of Hitler's wrath.  Everyone at some point of another has found himself or herself in a cat and mouse scenario.  In Maus Vladek's family was treated unfairly and as the Nazi's forced Vladek's family away from him.  The Nazi's were drawn as mice but can be interpreted as cats.  Just as mice are undesirables to people the Jews were undesirables to the Nazi's.  The Jewish people were forced into slaughter like animals.  

Images can hold a thousand words.  In Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivors Tale he shows how his use of symbolism, lines and realism can speak to an assortment of audiences.  Spiegelman does a great job of directing all of his audiences to see his story from a specific point of view through his graphic choices.  The Comic style story gave a different approach to the more traditional Holocaust stories of grief and war.  Maus: A Survivors Tale is a very non-fictional story drawn with very fictional characters.  

