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Roy Lazalde October 17, 2013 English 114A Professor Batty Genocide Against Animals Animal cruelty is a widely discussed topic throughout the world between vegetarian activists and companies that raise animals with factory farms. Animal rights are limited to an extent and should be taken in consideration around the world. In the novel Maus, by Art Spiegelman, takes place during the Holocaust and where discrimination against Jewish people is present. Spiegelmans views on the treatment of Jews are visually expressed throughout the novel considering various themes. The issue of animals in factory farms is alarming, animal testing is a major treat to most animals, and all could be seen as genocide to their race. Factory farming is a play a huge role in companies today, but the ideas have been since the past, in this case, the Holocaust in World War II. Jewish mice in WWII were set aside by German Nazis cats and were treated as if they were a different race as shown by Art Spiegelman, And the work really very hard-we had to move mountains (Spiegelman 56). The picture shown demonstrates how the hard work is and the harsh condition that they live as well as animals in factory farms and research labs. The Jewish mice in the novel symbolize how different animals are placed in diverse settings compared to a different superior race. Nazis could be portrayed as the humans that mistreat the animals in the factory farms shown in the video in PETA.org. The differences shown in the book Maus indicates how a race can easily be

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taken into a side and be seen as a whole diverse race. The living conditions in a factory farm are similar to those in a Jew concentration camp, where as Jonathon Safran Foer, from Eating Animals, explains, Imagine 33,000 of these rectangles in a grid (Foer 130). This quote signifies the living conditions of broiler chickens in an undersized circumference space. Jews were treated as they were animals, but yet again animals were treated worse than humans. Foers researches on factory farms prove the living condition of animals being inhumane as well as Jewish concentration camps being merciless. Rejecting the daily lives of animals prohibits them to live a long-life span and establish hierarchy in the wild understood by Foer, At least broiler birds are typically slaughtered on the forty-second day of their lives (Foer 130). Foers explanation relates to the picture on sixth square, And those on the bad side never came anymore home (Spiegelman 91), where as those animals who go to factory farms never come out alive as well as the Jewish mice. Living condition seemed as similar to Jews, recorded by The State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau, More than 700 people were assigned to each barrack, although in practice figure was sometimes higher. These barracks lacked any true heating; nor did they contain sanitary facilities (The State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau). Thus relating the hostile environment Jewish were living amongst. Both animals and Jews were being deprived from their home and replaced with critical conditions. Animal testing has been done with different animals and have been recorded except for mice. Only estimations can be given for the mice that have been experimented throughout science, Estimates exist that 100 million animals are used worldwide (Vivisection Information Network). This only gives a rough estimate not including mice that are not registered as lab rats. This brings out the topic of the Jewish mice in Maus, how the Jews were categorized as rats to keeps as prisoners and experiment with them as well. Jews were also not recorded as they died,

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instead disintegrated from the face of the Earth in the fire. Some reasons for using more mice than other kind of animals is because of the short life span and fast reproduction compared to other animals. Humans put themselves in top of all races and condemn other race to be minor, as it happens with mice that are experimented to find cures for human diseases such as cancer, AIDS, diabetes, obesity, etc Most of the Jews that we taken to concentration camps were seen as defenseless people to be experimented by the Nazis, that is why Spiegelman uses the contrast between animals in his book to point out how people were being classified. The mass killing of a population of animals in a factory farm or of a human race is considered genocide. The demanding of more animals lead to more deaths, In the U.S., more than 42 million cows suffer and die for the meat and dairy industries every year (CollectiveEvolution). The deaths during the Holocaust are countless but around millions the same as animal deaths giving estimates. Animals being slaughtered day by day are leading to an immense genocide without knowing the consequences. Maus describes the Holocaust period being a time to hide and be avoided to live in peace and in their home or the consequences could result in death. Spiegelman visuals the moment Anjas grandparents are taken away, But they went right away to Auschwitz, to the gas (Spiegelman 87). Animals in factory farms do not have the privilege to know how light looks like without being slaughtered or die from disease. Due to over-population in factory farms excrement piles up leading to horrifying smell due to lack of sanitary work and according to Foer, Scientific studies and government records suggest that virtually all (upwards of 95 percent of) chickens become infected with E. coli and between 39 and 75 percent of chickens in retail stores are still infected (Foer 131). During the Holocaust these harsh conditions were happening as well because Nazis treated Jews as if they were another race as depicted in Maus. Positive results were seen differently because they treated one

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another as if they were the same race until the point that they were useless as shown by Spiegelan in Maus, He lost to them big amounts of money, so they would like him (Spiegelman 116). The cartoon demonstrates the gesture when cooperating and agreeing to join the opposing side. Spiegelman uses the imagery on the book to prove the shrug given to the guard when looking eye to eye as well as the emotion shown by Vladek in the background with Anja (Spiegelman 116). From animal testing to factory farming vast arguments can be made to be set on one side. Both leading to discussions not only activists and companies can have but also consumers who give the power to companies that lead to activists to protest about animal cruelty and inhumane actions. Animals do not have the power to speak for themselves but their actions and expression shown throughout multiple videos illustrates the pain and agony they are going through. The leading cause is the deaths of millions of animals due to slaughtering for benefiting the consumers goods but are not seeing then main cause leading up to genocide in millions of animals, the same results that were brought upon the Holocaust.

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Works Cited "Auschwitz-Birkenau: Living Conditions, Labor & Executions." Living Conditions, Labor & Executions at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. "A Worldwide Genocide Is Happening Right Under Your Nose | CollectiveEvolution."CollectiveEvolution RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. Foer, Jonathan Safran. Eating Animals. New York: Little, Brown and, 2009. Print. Spiegelman, Art, and Art Spiegelman. Maus. New York, NY: Pantheon, 1986. Print. Videos." PETA.org. N.p., n.d. http://www.peta.org/tv/videos/vegetarianismgeneral/1836267917001.aspx Web. 16 Oct. 2013 "Vivisection Information Network." UPDATED: How Many Animals Are Used? . N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. "Why Do Medical Researchers Use Mice?" LiveScience.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.