Discrimination has plagued the world since the beginning of time and continues to happen today. People can be discriminated against simply for looking different or following different customs. It has been implemented by governments throughout history, but it has also been practiced individually. “In Response to Executive Order 9066” and “Legal alien” are two poems that discuss the topic of discrimination. “In Response to Executive Order 9066,” by Dwight Okita is a poem that describes the possible interment of a Japanese-American during World War 2. The poem takes the perspective of a confused fourteen year old girl in school,who is saying goodbye to her best friend. Without a reason the speaker's best friend turns on her because of the recent …show more content…
It can be carried out legally against an entire group of people or simply against someone for their looks. These poems describe different ways in which discrimination is carried out. One of the poems demonstrates discrimination carried out systematically, while the other represents it being carried out at an individual level. Okita states, “Dear Sirs: Of course I'll come” (650). The fourteen year old girl describes the people who came to relocate her as “sirs,” meaning they were some type of authority figure (65). The authority figures must have been part of the federal government and are enforcing the executive order that allows the relocation of anyone from Japanese origin. This type of intolerance was carried out and held constitutional by the government. Mora states, “. . . an American to Mexicans a Mexican to Americans. . .” (65). The speaker describes being prejudged on a more individual level, unlike the other poem. This type of discrimination was carried out by individuals belonging to a certain group, not the group overall. The similarities between the poems are that both speakers try to show themselves as typical Americans. The author of “In Response to Executive Order 9066” states, “If it helps any, I will tell you I have always felt funny using chopsticks and my favorite food is hot dogs” (650). The speaker seems to distance herself from her Asian culture and integrates into the American way of life. The
Subsections (3) and (4) focus on discrimination really show how the Japanese were targeted because of their race. Not only did the government control where the Japanese were going to reside, but also the discrimination that they had to
The narrative begins with the first two chapters focusing on assessing Roosevelt’s evolving attitude toward Japan and Japanese-Americans, during his pre-presidential years and his first two terms in office. Continuing, Robinson changes directions and focuses on the origin and implementation of the internment policy, beginning with Roosevelt’s decision to issue Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, the authorization of relocating Japanese-Americans from the West Coast into internment camps, the subsequent controversy over with Japanese-Americans deemed “loyal” to the United States, and the decision to finally close the camps in 1946. The final chapter concludes with Robinson attempting to understand how Roosevelt, whom historians have celebrated for his strong commitment to individual rights, could have supported such an unjust policy. Robinson argues Roosevelt’s “past feelings toward the Japanese-Americans must be considered to have significantly shaped his momentous decision to evacuate Japanese-Americans from their homes … whether citizens or longtime resident aliens, [Japanese-Americans] were still Japanese at the core and should be regarded as presumptuously disloyal and dangerous on racial grounds” (p. 118 -
Written prompt of Citizen 13660 by Mine Okubo Summary Citizen 13660 is an illustrated picture book representing the internment of people who were of Japanese descent. More than 110,000 Japanese people were evacuated simply because of their racial background. This has been no reasonable justification as to why the order of 9066 was even made. Fear swept over the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This caused a mass spread of propaganda which degraded anyone of Japanese ancestry.
The young girl is prevented from entering the church where her grandmother has prayers. As a person from the old world, the young girl is not allowed to play with boys from the new world. On the other hand, “in response to executive order” by Dwight Okita is about Americans of Japanese origins that were supposed to report to relocation
Equality is a great idea that we should strive for and achieve; however, being made equal physically and mentally by the government could be very unfair. People should still have characteristics that make us different. One can be diverse but still equal to his neighbor. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s use of point of view, conflict, and imagery in his short story “Harrison Bergeron,” illustrates how difficult living in a world where everyone is the same would be.
"Response to Executive Order 9066" by Dwight Okita and "Mericans" by Sandra Cisneros are two thought-provoking literary works that delve into the common theme of injustice and identity. Through the use of various literary devices and techniques, both authors effectively develop this theme, albeit in distinct ways. While Okita emphasizes the emotional impact of forced relocation and its consequences on Japanese Americans during World War II, Cisneros explores the theme of cultural assimilation and its effect on the protagonist's self-identity. This essay will compare and contrast the development of the theme in each work, highlighting the specific literary devices and techniques employed by the authors.
Racial Discrimination in Dwight Okita’s “In Response to Executive Order 9066” The United States’ declaration of war on Japan preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor introduced a period of fear regarding national security. Okita integrates this historical period into the poem by following the friendship between fourteen-year old speaker Okawa, and her best friend Denise O’Connor amidst the issuing of Executive Order 9066. However, the subject of friendship is merely the surface as Author Dwight Okita delves into a deeper issue and writes “In Response to Executive Order 9066,” to showcase the ignorance and stereotype following the conflicts between Japan and the U.S.
Starting with “White Best Friend” The theme for this essay is racism. The narrator of the poem is a young 14 year old Japanese girl; who has a best friend that is American. It took place in the era of WWII; when the Japanese went and bombed Pearl Harbor. Stating that the Narrator is confused because her white best friend said “that she
Farewell to Manzanar, written by Jeanne Wakatsuki and her husband James D. Houston, brings the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor to life through the the reimaging of the hardships and discrimination that Jeanne and her family endured while stationed at Manzanar. After the events of Pearl Harbor, seven year-old Jeanne is evacuated with family to an internment camp in which the family will be forced to adapt to a life in containment. Through the writings of Jeanne herself, readers are able to see Jeanne’s world through her words and experience the hardships and sacrifices that the Wakatsuki family had to go through. Farewell to Manzanar takes the reader on a journey through the eyes of a young American-Japanese girl struggling to be accepted by society.
Although miscegenation is not a new topic, the effects that this phenomenon has on people’s lives has been the source of inspiration for many literary works. “Miscegenation” by Natasha Trethewey is an autobiographical poem that expresses the difficulty that mixed-race people face in accepting their identity in a society that discriminates people who are different. That is, this poem expresses how racial discrimination can affect the identity of those people who do not identify as white or black. Besides, in this poem, Trethewey narrates her origin, as well as how her parents were victims of a society that did not accept their relationship. Therefore, the speaker starts by saying “In 1965 my parents broke two laws of Mississippi” (Trethewey 1); those two laws that broke the Trethewey’s parents were that they were married and had a daughter.
In the texts, "In Response to Executive Order 9066" by Dwight Okita and "Mericans" by Sandra Cisneros, a topic of American identity and perception of identity is shared. Both texts take a brief look at the lives, characteristics, and feelings of young girls living a bicultural life. In Cisnero's story, the girl seems caught between her two different cultures, and she struggles to connect with her Mexican heritage. In Okita's poem, the girl has a clear sense of her identity and place as an American. Culture is experienced and interpreted differently by each individual and each group of people.
Another group was soon persecuted after the Chinese immigrants were deported: the Japanese, who had come to work in mines and agriculture on the West Coast. Just as Americans today treat Mexican immigrants, the Japanese were seen as threats to security. A “yellow peril” ensued, and governments proposed pieces of legislation to segregate the Japanese from other American citizens (Brown). The unfair treatment of Japanese-Americans parallels with the current decrees of politicians that immigrants are stealing jobs and are a threat to U.S.
In Dwight Okita’s poem the theme is physical appearance does not determine what it means to be American. The title of the poem is “In Response to Executive order 9066…”, and is by Dwight Okita. The government issued executive order 9066. This Order detained Japanese Americans. An excerpt
David Okita, the author of the poem “In Response to Executive Order 9066,” is a published playwright, poet and novelist. He describes himself as Japanese, American, gay, and Buddhist. Okita’s father was a World War II veteran and his mother was held in confinement for four years at a Japanese-American concentration camp. The World War II plays as a significant theme in the poem “In Response to Executive Order 9066”. At first glance, the poem appears to be about an American girl who has an unstable relationship with her friend Denise.