Free Essays on Farewell To Manzanar

In the novel, Farewell to Manzanar, an autobiography by Jeanne Wakatuski Houston, her stubborn father demonstrates his pride. To begin, Papa’s pride shines on all of his possessions. Papa is an accomplished fisherman. His boat, The Nereid, is very valuable. When Papa takes The Nereid out to sea, his pride for his boat and fishing business becomes bluntly obvious: â€Å"It was worth about $25,000 before the war, and the way he stood in the cabin steering towards open water you would think the whole fleet was under his command† (14). Papa enjoys having a boat that makes others envy him. When he stands in the cabin he feels superior to everyone else. His boat stands for all of his hard work. The Nereid reflects to him and others that Papa is successful. The Nereid represents Papa’s success, and for that reason and many more, Papa is proud of The Nereid. In addition, Papa demonstrates his pride whenever he interacts with others. When the deputies arrive at the Wakatuski resi! dence to take Papa away from his family, he chooses to lead them out the door: â€Å"Ten children and a lot of hard luck had worn away most of the arrogance he came to this country with. But he still had dignity, and would not let those deputies push him out the door. He led them† (17). Papa knows there is nothing to gain by trying to run or escape from the deputies. His logic tells him that he will leave his home with the deputies regardless of the manner in which he chooses to do so. Setting an example for his family, he proudly and courageously leads the deputies out the door. Lastly, Papa takes pride in his family. When the Wakatuski family is released from Manzanar, Papa wants to leave in style. He goes out and buys a car. When he arrives back, he drives the family around the camp. When passing the people waiting for the bus to arrive Papa shouts, â€Å"No bus for us! No bus for us!† (173). Papa wants the best for his family. He wants his fa... Free Essays on Farewell To Manzanar Free Essays on Farewell To Manzanar Houston and James D. Houston's novel, Farewell to Manzanar (1973), discusses the internment of Japanese-American people in a relocation camp from 1943-1945. The autobiographical work reveals, through the eyes of a Japanese American teenage girl, her inner struggle with her identity as a person of the Japanese race living in California during World War II. The novel explores the issues of gender culture, and race as important ideas that help Jeanne Wakatsuki to construct her own sense of identity and self-hood. Specifically, Farewell to Manzanar attempts to raise some significant questions: What is the role of a Japanese woman in the tradtional Japanese society? How does this role shift for a second generation (Nissei) Japanese girl growing up in American? What are the differences between the home culture and school culture? How are these differenceS revealed within the novel through values, customs, and the parent-child relationship? What does it mean for Jeanne to be both biLterate and biculture in American during the 1940's? 1970's? How does Farewell to Manzanar compare to The Diary of Anne Frank? We will focus on such concerns in the framework of the social, historical, and cultural contexts of the times.... Free Essays on Farewell To Manzanar Farewell to Manzanar is Jeanne Wakatsuki’s memories of her experiences at Manzanar during WWII. As a child, seven years of age, Jeanne was normal in every way, cheerful, intelligent and innocent. On March 25, 1942, she and her entire family were moved to Manzanar â€Å"relocation camp† the new home for Japanese-Americans. Jeanne tries to adjust and fit in, being so young, she does not know how to hate, so she does not resist the discrimination she and her family face at Manzanar. Manzanar is a dusty, dirty, windy desert setting with extreme weather conditions. As their bus pulled in, â€Å"The bus was being pelted by what sounded like splattering rain.†, but in fact, it was blowing sand driven by the March winds. I cannot imagine the emotions that must have been going through the people’s minds as they were driven through the gates, past the barbed-wire fencing, so many people, worried and fearful. Thankfully, a child’s naivety and innocence takes over and as they come to a stop Jeanne yells out â€Å"Hey! This whole bus is full of Wakatsukis!† the tension is broken by the following laughter. Even that first day at Manzanar it was obvious there would be problems, fruit over rice? What an outrage, yet fear and pride kept them from saying anything, â€Å"†¦ no one dared protest.† I wonder, did anyone actually eat the concoction? Next they were led to their new homes, badly built wooden barracks. Barracks full of knotholes, and cracks that let the blowing wind carry sand in through every opening, leaving a layer of grit over everyone and everything, a bare floor and only a single thickness of wood covered with tarpaper to keep out the elements. The space they were given was divided up, rooms separated by blankets, and though privacy did not exist and solitude was rare, the family’s feeling was â€Å"Our two rooms were crowded, but at least it was all in the family† Things were very bad, they had so much to adjust... Free Essays on Farewell to Manzanar In the novel, Farewell to Manzanar, an autobiography by Jeanne Wakatuski Houston, her stubborn father demonstrates his pride. To begin, Papa’s pride shines on all of his possessions. Papa is an accomplished fisherman. His boat, The Nereid, is very valuable. When Papa takes The Nereid out to sea, his pride for his boat and fishing business becomes bluntly obvious: â€Å"It was worth about $25,000 before the war, and the way he stood in the cabin steering towards open water you would think the whole fleet was under his command† (14). Papa enjoys having a boat that makes others envy him. When he stands in the cabin he feels superior to everyone else. His boat stands for all of his hard work. The Nereid reflects to him and others that Papa is successful. The Nereid represents Papa’s success, and for that reason and many more, Papa is proud of The Nereid. In addition, Papa demonstrates his pride whenever he interacts with others. When the deputies arrive at the Wakatuski resi! dence to take Papa away from his family, he chooses to lead them out the door: â€Å"Ten children and a lot of hard luck had worn away most of the arrogance he came to this country with. But he still had dignity, and would not let those deputies push him out the door. He led them† (17). Papa knows there is nothing to gain by trying to run or escape from the deputies. His logic tells him that he will leave his home with the deputies regardless of the manner in which he chooses to do so. Setting an example for his family, he proudly and courageously leads the deputies out the door. Lastly, Papa takes pride in his family. When the Wakatuski family is released from Manzanar, Papa wants to leave in style. He goes out and buys a car. When he arrives back, he drives the family around the camp. When passing the people waiting for the bus to arrive Papa shouts, â€Å"No bus for us! No bus for us!† (173). Papa wants the best for his family. He wants his fa...