Propaganda

Propaganda. Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Adolf Hitler and Nazi propagandists played the largest role in bringing the German trademark of anti-Semitism to rise. In every poster, movie, and corner of Germany, Jews were portrayed as violent, manipulative, uncivilized, and parasitic. On top of that, Jews were considered the culprits for every possible problem: they were blamed for the inciting the Russian Revolution. In order to display these “traits and actions of the Jews,” The Eternal Jew was created and aired. Initiated by Nazi Germany’s Minister of Propaganda and directed by Fritz Hippler, The Eternal Jew was a part of molding majority’s opinion about Jews. Not only degrading Jews, the movie emphasized the Nazi agenda. The film, Der Ewige Jude, is one of the main instigators of every problem the Jew’s face.

"The Noose Tightens" is the start of a chapter in which Vladek feels the walls closing on his family and lesser options for escaping. In addition, the image of the chapter depicts Jews being stamped as prisoners symbolized by the star of each uniform. On top of that, to show the uniformity of the “horrible” race, each prisoner wears the same uniform.

With these photos, Spiegelman subverts the idea of the Jew’s oppressing others by showing that in reality the German are oppressing the Jews.  While the Nazi’s represented the Jews as the controlling/evil cats, Art reveals the Jews to actually be innocent mice. Art’s drawings represent the pain of the Jews and reality of the time. Both attempt to reveal the truth of their perspectives. Each play a cause and effect relationship in the sense that the piece of propaganda in Hitler’s reign is the origin of the noose tightening. Together, the pictures have a serious tone, which enhances the message of what should never occur again.