January 29, 2013
Farewell To Manzanar Analysis Essay
December 7th, 1941 was the day most Japanese-Americans lost all freedom and rights. In Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston’s World War II era novel, Farewell To Manzanar, The author emphasizes the bombing on Pearl Harbor and the life in an interment camp. The Pearl Harbor attack was devastating to everyone, not just Americans but the Japanese-American citizens who call this county home too. Was it right to imprison Japanese families for no reason? In my own opinion, no, why should we deny others rights to others when they’ve done nothing?
The Wakatsuki family was one of the many families tore apart by the tragedies brought by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It all begin in Ocean Park, California, a fishing trip had gone bad within a matter of minutes. Papa and Woody had sailed off across the Santa Monica beach, then suddenly them boat seemed to sail back their way, and when back above shore, Papa and Woody shared the news that Pearl Harbor was under attack. When in panic, they knew that the bombing could bring unwanted trouble, so they burned everything that could resemble them being Japanese. Jeanne explains in her story, “That night papa burned the flag he had brought with him from Hiroshima thirty-five years earlier” and “He burned a lot of papers too, documents, anything that might suggest he had some connection with Japan.” The Wakatsuki’s biggest fear had been the thought of being sent to an interment camp, but they were soon to find that their biggest dream of being Americans had soon just became a nightmare.
Judged, imprisoned and accused of crime just because of your race. One requirement was that Japanese citizens were to speak to authorities at an interrogation center and explain you. Papa had gone on the family’s behalf and later...