1. Obasan by Joy Kogawa
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. The poem is heavily laden with historical Japanese imagery, culture and tradition. The author makes several references to ethnic fixtures such as origami, traditional cuisine and Japanese dress. The main theme of the poem is the contrast between these preceding images and customs, the world we are living in today, and the dramatic passage between the two. .
Joy Kogawa is known not only for her writing but also for her involvement with Japanese-Canadian activism groups. She was born in Vancouver in 1935. Joy and her family were sent to an internment camp by the Canadian government in 1941, where they spent several years of manual labor. In the late 1940's she began her secondary education, which included study several universities. 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. .
"The day of the Bride dawns- (1) directly into references to traditional Japanese customs. The first few lines act as the dressing room; the bride emerges prepared for her day. The line "Through layers of white plaster skin- (2) refers to one of the customary practices of the Japanese wedding ceremony. The bride-to-be often would have been painted white from head to toe at the very beginning of her day as a visual representation of her pure status. Already the author has begun to suggest the role of presentation and fazade in the formal procedure of marriage. Prepared for her would be several formal kimonos and dresses. Her wedding attire, to be changed several times throughout the ceremony, includes a stark white kimono in which she presents herself metaphorically "White and tight as a folded paper message.
... go about her business unbothered, trusting everything her mother told, as all children trust a parent. "If I speak I will split open and spill out" (Kogawa, 63). From the words of Naomi, silence is even thrown into play during such devious acts as molestation. When the neighbor Mr. Gower was molesting five- ... Uncle have been the mainstay of Naomi's traumatic childhood- (Goettliev, 36). This story is so well written it is evident that it was heavily researched. Joy Kogawa not only wrote this book, but also researched it and lived it as well. She puts herself as Naomi whom turns out to be...
Silence and voice can be expressed in diverse ways. Joy Kogawa portrays different aspects of Issei and Nisei towards the meaning of silence and voice. Naomi and Stephen are growing up under the ... Obasan's) grief is silence. She has learned it well, its idioms, and its nuances. Over the years, silence within her small body has grown large and powerful." (Kogawa 14) Naomi never gets access to Obasan's minds and thoughts. Much of her speech is evasive, evading the questions. In fact, Naomi realizes Obasan's evasion is a ... "The memories were drowned in a whirlpool of protective silence. Every...
... aims at providing conditions for the psychological and intellectual development of children. 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. Despite the prominence and influence of these works, little attention has been paid to the messages to eradicate ... withstand the test of time of its intended understanding about the intersecting areas of children's literature and education. Naomi's Road discusses the Japanese's-Canadian c...
... to take a bath with your family when you were younger. I also learned that the government took away the vehicles of the Japanese and auctioned them off, which really shocked me. 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 ... ...