Question

what does art spiegelmans choice in portraying the jews as mice and the nazis as cats in maus reveal about his point of view?
○ he sees the jews as the innocent prey and the nazis as the cunning predators.
○ he feels that people with similar nationalities can be depicted by the same animal species.
○ he thinks that animal characters will lessen the emotional charge of the narrative.
○ he hopes to gain empathy for the jews who were forced to turn on each other to survive.

Explanation:

In Maus, the portrayal of Jews as mice and Nazis as cats draws on the predator - prey dynamic. Mice are typically seen as innocent and vulnerable prey, while cats are cunning predators. Option 2 is incorrect as the animal depiction is about the power - dynamic and victim - perpetrator relationship, not just nationalities. Option 3 is wrong because using animal characters in this context actually intensifies the emotional impact by highlighting the dehumanizing nature of the Holocaust. Option 4 is not supported as the animal symbolism is more about the Nazi - Jewish relationship than Jews turning on each other. So the correct option is the one that interprets the mouse - cat portrayal as Jews (prey) and Nazis (predators).

Answer:

A. He sees the Jews as the innocent prey and the Nazis as the cunning predators.