In the novel Obasan, by Joy Kogawa, the narrator recounts her experience of being transferred to the internment camps during World War II. At that time, Japanese Canadians were considered the enemies of all. As a result, they were treated unfairly, and sometimes even brutally. Kogawa sets his excerpt in 1940s British Columbia to emphasize the relationship between Japanese Canadians and society. The society, in Kogawa's excerpt, represents a place where Japanese Canadians are hated because of their country's actions. More precisely, this action refers to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, which took place just before the filming of the extract. This context creates conflict because society does not allow Japanese Canadians to express themselves as individuals: human beings who are not associated with a collective group. Instead, Japanese Canadians are oppressed or treated unfairly because they are seen as enemies by society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Kogawa uses first-person plural narration to give the reader a first-hand insight into the thoughts and feelings of a Japanese Canadian living in this country. period of time. Thus, the reader is able to see and feel everything as if it were happening right now. This view allows the reader not to sympathize, but rather to understand the struggles of Japanese Canadians. Through the use of various literary elements such as point of view, structure, selection of details, and figurative language, Kogawa suggests that the narrator's complex attitude toward the past stems from her inability to assimilate to a society in which she is considered an enemy. . For the narrator to transcend this feeling of rejection, Kogawa indicates that she must draw on the love and support of others, which in turn will give the narrator a sense of belonging and independence. Kogawa begins his excerpt by establishing the time period in order to emphasize to the reader that there is a conflict; through this conflict, Kogawa suggests that the narrator views the past with disdain because she is considered an enemy by society. Kogawa says “1942” (Kogawa line 1) to emphasize the importance of the period: the Japanese recently bombed Pearl Harbor and we are in the middle of World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, all Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps for fear of further attacks by the Japanese. During their time in internment camps, Japanese Canadians were isolated from society, resulting in the loss of their identity or the characteristics that made them unique. This lack of identity among Japanese Canadians has caused society to stereotype them as enemies; thus, all Japanese Canadians were viewed with contempt. The imprisonment of Japanese Canadians at the hands of the Canadian government indicates that those in power, in this case the Canadian government, have the power to determine morality. Kogawa continues by saying that "[we] descend into the middle of the Earth with pickaxe eyes, tunneling inward by train, carried by the momentum of expulsion into the waiting desert" (lines 5- 8) to highlight a feeling of desolation among Canadians of Japanese origin because they recognize the seriousness of their situation. Kogawa alludes to the Bible, speaking specifically of the exile of the Israelis. THE ""Waiting Desert" that the narrator refers to can be seen as an extended metaphor, as it represents the internment camps to which Japanese Canadians would be transferred. They don't know what to expect when they arrive at the internment camps. The narrator views this “desert” with a sense of inevitability because she knows she is powerless to refuse to go to the internment camps. This quote also presents an irony because although Japanese Canadians understand the seriousness of their predicament and know there is nothing they can do about it. Through this irony, Kogawa presents Japanese Canadians as tolerant or accepting of their dilemma because they are not trying to change a desperate situation. Kogawa indicates that the narrator's quiet tolerance of her situation largely constitutes her grudges against the past, as she is now finally able to reflect on such atrocities. Through the use of figurative language, Kogawa is able to convey his message that events from the past shape how Japanese Canadians view themselves in the present moment, which highlights the fact that 'Due to the past, Japanese Canadians struggle to find a sense of identity. This paradox has a negative effect on Japanese Canadians because it implies that due to the past, Japanese Canadians are in an unstable state of mind because they are seen as the enemies of everyone. Therefore, Japanese Canadians are unable to develop a sense of individuality or uniqueness because their environment prevents them from doing so by isolating them in internment camps. The anaphora “we are,” which is repeated eleven times throughout the excerpt, returns to remind the reader of the struggles Japanese Canadians endure as a group. By beginning each paragraph with "we are" in the first part of the excerpt, Kogawa signifies that Japanese Canadians view themselves as a collective group rather than as distinct individuals, which in turn reveals that Japanese Canadians he Japanese origin all share the common difficulty of assimilating into society as individuals. Additionally, Kogawa uses the simile “[we] disappear into the future as undemanding as dew” (lines 27 and 28) to compare Japanese Canadians to dew. This comparison evokes a sense of hopelessness for the future, as the Japanese are helpless in the face of being transferred to an internment camp. This comparison can also be seen as an extended metaphor, as it symbolizes the plight of all Japanese Canadians during this time period. They are all powerless to prevent their inevitable relocation to internment camps. Additionally, Kogawa does not use dialogue during the Japanese Canadians' train journey to the internment camps. This makes the train ride seem completely silent, emphasizing Japanese Canadians' quiet tolerance of their situation. Rather than using dialogue to describe the situation, Kogawa chooses to use imagery. She describes the train by saying: “The train smells of oil, soot and orange peels and lurches groggily as we head inland. Along the windowsill the black soot leaps and settles like insects” (lines 46-48). The narrator gives the reader a detailed description of the train in order to emphasize what it was like to be on the train heading to the internment camp. She uses personification to compare "black soot" to "insects", which again shows how the use of figurative languageallows the reader to see for themselves what it means to be a Japanese Canadian living in this era. During the train ride to the internment camps, the narrator reveals one of the many difficulties Japanese Canadians faced upon resettlement in the internment camps. By using figurative language, Kogawa is able to express the despair of Japanese Canadians by indicating that they are aware of their grim situation, but know that they are powerless to change it. Midway through the excerpt, Kogawa switches from a first person plural to a first person singular point of view to allow the reader to see the situation through the perspective of the narrator as an individual rather than as as a collective group; through this shift in perspective, the reader is able to understand the hardships that Japanese Canadians endured firsthand. The narrator first describes a child noticing concrete details in order to emphasize the change in point of view.see. She says: “A pile of luggage in a large hall. Missionaries at the station handing out packages of toys” (lines 29-31). The child only notices concrete images because he is young; his mind has not developed to the level of an adult. This change in perspective contrasts with the different perspectives of Japanese Canadians on their resettlement. The fact that the child ignores the movement and only notices the obvious highlights the importance of perception. Even if the child sees nothing important in being transferred to internment camps, an adult's point of view completely contradicts this idea. Obasan, for example, fully understands the gravity of the situation. By changing his point of view, Kogawa suggests that one's perception plays a major role in one's overall outlook on life. The narrator does not look back fondly on the past because, from her point of view, there is nothing interesting to remember. Additionally, Kogawa uses the literary technique of flashback, which not only highlights the change in point of view, but also gives the reader direct insight into the conflict. “It was thirty years ago and I am a little child resting my head on Obasan’s lap” (lines 33-34). The narrator flashes back to when she was a child and went to the internment camps. This flashback allows the reader to see the events unfold through the eyes of the narrator. The reader can thus feel everything as if it were happening right now. Through the use of the literary technique of flashback, Kogawa is able to emphasize the change in point of view from the first person plural to the first person singular, which allows the reader to see the action unfold through the narrator's eyes. Kogawa implies that conditions in the internment camps were so bad that many Japanese Canadians did not make it out alive and those who did suffered the negative consequences of their experience there forever; Through this indication, Kogawa suggests that the main reason for the narrator's complicated attitude towards the past comes from the fact that her harrowing experiences at the internment camp will always be with her. The narrator reflects, “Not an uncle or an aunt, a grandfather or a grandmother, a brother or a sister, none of us on this journey comes home” (lines 43-45). This quote can be interpreted in two ways. First, from a physical point of view, because it is possible that the narrator's entire family dies while they are in the internment camp. Secondly, this can be seen from a mental perspective, as the narrator suggests that the experience of being in an internment camp for so long affects 95-99)..