Japanese-American Struggle In The Farewell To Manzanar And Why I Refuse To Register
The Japanese internment of 1942 showed that resistance is provoked in order to maintain identity under threat by ignoring stereotypes and not conforming to the society’s beliefs in forms such as volunteering to help his country as shown by Woody in Chapter 11 of Jeanne Wakatsuki’s memoir ‘Farewell to Manzanar’ and by providing justification against the internment as shown in Gordon K. Hirabayashi statement ‘Why I refuse to register.’
Gordon Hirabayashi tried to convince the American Government into reconsidering the internment order mandated in EO 9066 before he was deported to an internment camp by arguing that, “this order for mass evacuation of all persons of Japanese descent denies then the right to live”(Hirabayashi). The use of his persuasive tone by referencing the fourteenth amendment which gives Americans the right to live helps provide justification against internment and convince the authorities to reconsider the order. Hirabayashi’s attempt to protect his identity by using a persuasive tone failed because of the society’s closed minded thinking. While Hirabayashi argued that the Japanese-Americans shouldn’t be interned, many were already struggling to make decisions in the camp like Jeanne Wakatsuki’s brother, Woody. When he was talking to his dad, Woody Wakatsuki was stumped as he was given the War Relocation Authority application, and he had to choose between answering NO NO, where he “will be shipped back to Japan with all those other bakatare”(Papa) or he argued that “if I answer YES YES I will be drafted [for WW2] anyway, no matter how I feel about it”(Woodrow). The use of the word “Bakatare” for the Japanese, shows that Woody and his father are leaning towards the second option, to maintain their identity as a Japanese-American by fighting for their country and showing patriotism. Gordon K. Hirabayashi’s statement and Jeanne Wakatsuki’s memoir ‘Farewell to Manzanar’ both illustrate the Japanese-American struggle to get out of internment and maintain their identity that has been preserved for many generations to come.
The Japanese internment of 1942 showed that resistance is provoked in order to maintain identity under threat by ignoring stereotypes and not conforming to the society’s beliefs in forms such as volunteering to help his country as shown by Woody in Chapter 11 of Jeanne Wakatsuki’s memoir ‘Farewell to Manzanar’ and by providing justification against the internment as shown in Gordon K. Hirabayashi statement ‘Why I refuse to register.’ Gordon Hirabayashi tried to convince the American Government into reconsidering the internment order mandated in EO 9066 before he was deported to an internment camp by arguing that, “this order for mass evacuation of all persons of Japanese descent denies then the right to live”(Hirabayashi). The use of his persuasive tone by referencing the fourteenth amendment which gives Americans the right to live helps provide justification against internment and convince the authorities to reconsider the order. Hirabayashi’s attempt to protect his identity by using a persuasive tone failed because of the society’s closed minded thinking. While Hirabayashi argued that the Japanese-Americans shouldn’t be interned, many were already struggling to make decisions in the camp like Jeanne Wakatsuki’s brother, Woody. When he was talking to his dad, Woody Wakatsuki was stumped as he was given the War Relocation Authority application, and he had to choose between answering NO NO, where he “will be shipped back to Japan with all those other bakatare”(Papa) or he argued that “if I answer YES YES I will be drafted [for WW2] anyway, no matter how I feel about it”(Woodrow).
The use of the word “Bakatare” for the Japanese, shows that Woody and his father are leaning towards the second option, to maintain their identity as a Japanese-American by fighting for their country and showing patriotism. Gordon K. Hirabayashi’s statement and Jeanne Wakatsuki’s memoir ‘Farewell to Manzanar’ both illustrate the Japanese-American struggle to get out of internment and maintain their identity that has been preserved for many generations to come.
