In the novel Obasan, written by Joy Kogawa, an important event occurred that changed the lives of many Japanese Canadians during World War II. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor the racism towards the Japanese Canadians became more intense. The Canadian government believed that their intentions were favorable towards everyone by capturing and moving the Japanese Canadians from their homes, in British Columbia, to internment camps. The treatment of Japanese Canadians during the war was an unjustified act on the part of the Canadian government and due to the Charter of Rights and Freedom the act committed by the government would not be tolerated by anyone in today's modern society.
Prior to the war, about 22,000 Japanese Canadians lived in British Columbia, with more than half of them being born there. It is believed that the internment camps came to be because of a sense of racism towards the Japanese Canadians from the government and other Canadian citizens. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the racism became more intense. According to many Canadians, the Japanese were "causing a threat to Canada"1 and were punished for a crime they did not commit. The excuse Canada had for this action was that "Japanese people were not white and could be Japanese 'spies'".2 In the novel Obasan, one of the letters from Aunt Emily says "we're a 'lower order of people'. In one breath we are damned for being 'inassimilable' and the next there's fear that we'll 'assimilate'."3 In other words, this means that the Japanese were the lower class. It also means they were condemned for not being capable to be utilized. On the other hand, there was a fear that they would incorporate the customs of Canada into their own lives. Lastly, in 1914, when the War Measures Act came into place, the federal government was given power when "a war, invasion or uprising, real or suspected"4 was detected.
Joy Kogawa portrays different aspects of Issei and Nisei towards the meaning of silence and voice. ... (Kogawa 14) Naomi never gets access to Obasan's minds and thoughts. ... (Kogawa 22) Under Obasan's guidance, Naomi is extremely quiet in her childhood. ... (Kogawa 253) Stephen does not like to talk. ... (Kogawa 54) At first, Naomi agrees with Obasan's avoidance of the tribulation. ...
The poem "Day of the Bride- was written by Joy Kogawa, who is an award-winning Japanese Canadian author who often integrates ideas of culture and identity into her writing. ... Joy Kogawa is known not only for her writing but also for her involvement with Japanese-Canadian activism groups. ... Much of Joy's material centers on her heritage and life history, individual identity and cultural diversity. Joy has now written a number of novels, poems and essays - one of which, titled Obasan, won multiple prestigious awards. ... Joy Kogawa has taken us from the present to the past and...
Paper- Obasan This is a story of silence. ... Naomi is always stuck between the two aunts of Obasan and Emily. ... Naomi does agree however with certain aspects of Obasan's being. ... Joy Kogawa not only wrote this book, but also researched it and lived it as well. ... Joy Kogawa not only wrote about it, but also lived this devastating part of Canadian history. ...
When Naomi returns home to console her Aunt Obasan, she begins to relive the difficulties of her life. ... Obasan also taught me a lot about the Japanese culture and background. ... Joy Kogawa also brought in a good insight about what the Japanese Canadians were really feeling and going through during these tough times. On the flip side there were also many weaknesses in the book Obasan. ... Obasan was a good novel to help better understand our Canadian history....
The education value in children's literature is widespread, and there is an opportunity to read such novels as Joy Kogawa's Naomi's Road, Gary Paulsen's The Hatchet, and L.M Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. ... Joy Kowaga's depicts is the story of Naomi, whose Japanese Canadian family is uprooted from Vancouver during the Second World War. ... --Obasan The educational value through this novel is not necessarily what the characters perceptions or even if school is mentioned in the story, but the significance is that the readers can relate to this novel through...
