Divine Response Question #10

10. Why do you think the author seeks to break the silence surrounding this historical event by telling this story? (Her mother and grandmother lived in an internment camp but the author heard/knew little of their personal experiences.) How might this novel also relate to the historical events of 9/11 (considering the novel was published in 2003)?

I think the author decides to break the silence around this historical event because the Japanese American story needs to be told otherwise it will be forgotten. It is part of their identity and everyone before them were too afraid to even look at other people because they knew they were no longer accepted back in the place they use to call home. Americans are unable to relate to these people without a story that personally connects them and makes them respond to the horrific experiences the Japs faced in the internment camps. The author wrote to uncover the truths that not many people knew because no one talked about it. It may have only been four years in a text book, but it was four years that tore families lives apart. They lived with a fear to admit who they were which brought shame on their people for no reason because they were not the bad people they did nothing wrong. It is unfair that they were judged based on “which inese are you jap or chin” and for their own safety they had to lie. “He replied Chinese” The boy turned and ran shouting “I’m a Jap!” A few guilty people ruin the lives of the rest of their culture. I believe this relates to 9/11 because the same happened with all middle eastern cultures they became feared and thought of as dangerous and unsafe to Americans because America was hurt by their people. Although Americans were only trying to protect themselves and their families they took it to an extreme shunning everyone they took to be a threat because of how they looked.  It is uncalled for to treat Americanized middle eastern families like they have all done something wrong they are good people given a bad rap because of what some of their horrible people did or not even their people, just people that look like them because they are from the middle east. Unfortunately because of us welcoming Americans some people will never be able to live their lives the same way again after 9/11.