Fear and Disappointment

1941 was a difficult time in the United States. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese surprised America with an aerial attack on the battleships stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Japanese launched this attack to keep the American Navy from interfering with the Japanese fleet. The attack led to the official announcement of the United States entering World War II. Because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, many Japanese-Americans were targeted as being responsible. During the war, over one hundred and twenty thousand Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps. Fear caused President Franklin D. Roosevelt to sign an executive order allowing the containment of “any or all persons.”

 

Yoshiko Uchida was born in 1921 in Alameda, California. Uchida’s parents had moved to California from Japan to pursue different business opportunities. During her childhood, Yoshiko was influenced to read and write by her parents. Because of her intelligence, she was able to graduate high school within two years and attend the University of Berkley. She was a senior in college when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After the attack, her father was sent to an internment camp under the suspicion that he was involved with the attacks. A few months later, Yoshiko was also sent to the camp. “Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family” is a recollection of the events that occurred while Yoshiko and her family were in the internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Uchinda also writes books about various aspects of Japanese culture so that events like the internment camps will never happen again.

 

Analysis

In “Desert Exile,” the narrator discusses her experiences as a Japanese-American forced into internment camps.  Because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, there was distrust of any Japanese-American during this time period.  Experiencing her father being arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and being uprooted from her home creates fear of the unknown.  While she and her family are in the internment camp, they are disappointed by how they are treated - their living conditions, their food, and the prejudice they face. “Desert Exile” uses descriptive language and imagery so that all readers realize how horrible the internment camps were. The purpose of the writing is to inform all readers about the horrific experience so that no human ever has to experience anything like it again. Evidence of this is seen in the following quote;

"I wrote [the book] for the young Japanese Americans who seek a sense of continuity with their past. But I wrote it as well for all Americans, with the hope that through knowledge of the past, they will never allow another group of people in America to be sent into a desert exile ever again" -Yoshiko Uchida

 

Courage

Yoshiko Uchida and her family displayed a lot of courage when they were evacuated and forced to live in the internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The hundreds of thousands of other Japanese-Americans also relied on courage to get through a difficult time. The young men and women who fought in the Pacific and European theatres of World War II also displayed various levels of courage. How have you used courage in your life? Poet Ann Sexton did not use courage to fight in any physical battles. The battles she fought were of a different sort; they were emotional and mental.

Figurative Language

In order to fully understand "Courage," you must first understand the figurative language used in the poem. In this interactivity, you will lean about the figuartive language used in "Courage". Click the player button to get started.

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An Analysis of "Courage"

Now that you have learned about the figurative language used in "Courage," it is time to analyze the entire poem. In this interactivity, you will analyze Ann Sexton's poem "Courage." Click the player button to get started.

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Fear and Disappointment Review

After reading and analyzing both "Desert Exile" and "Courage," it is time to check your knowledge about the figurative language and imagery used in both works. In this non-graded interactivity, read the quote, then select the appropriate type of figurative language or imagery and click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.