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American Tail

Decent Essays

Steven Spielberg’s An American Tail 1. In what year does the story take place? 1885 2. What country is Fieval Mouskawitz from? What religion is he? Russia / Jewish 3. Who / what do the cats of each European nation represent? Who / what do they represent in America? - Russia: Cossaks / Political Oppression / scapegoats for assassination of Czar - Ireland: British gov’t / Protestant landlords / famine - Italy: local Mafia bosses / political corruption - America: anti-immigrant prejudice / Nativism 4. What did the mice on the boat believe America would be like? What types of problems did they leave behind in their homelands? “There are no cats in America & the streets are paved with cheese”… America is a land of …show more content…

Because he drinks a lot, however, he is an ineffective and weak leader, and this has allowed Warren T. Rat to come in and bully the immigrant enclaves. 11. What group does Gussie Mouseheimer represent? Gussie Mouseheimer represents the wealthy immigrants. Though they may have had money when the arrived in America, they were still discriminated against, and subject to the prejudices of American Nativism. They would usually become important and respected leaders in their ethnic enclaves, and although they would live in nicer houses, they would still often be relegated to the immigrant neighborhoods. Kind of like the “lace curtain” Irish. 12. What does the friendship between Tiger and Fival represent? The friendship between Tiger and Fieval (cat and mouse) represents the acceptance of immigrants by Americans, their seeing immigrants as people rather than as a threat. Celebrating differences, and recognizing similarities. 13. What was the “Giant Mouse of Minsk”? What does it represent? The Giant Mouse of Minsk was a Russian mouse folk tale that Fieval’s father used to always tell him. It represents the immigrants using their own talents, and customs to become successful in America, to gain respect and to fight for their rights as new American citizens. 14. What is ironic about the mice shipping the cats to China? During this time the Chinese Exclusion Act was in place, forbidding the entrance of Chinese immigrants into the United States.

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