Essay on Racial Discrimination in Obasan and Itsuka by Jow...

The world is filled with different kinds of hatred caused by different reasons. For instance, people may hate others because of their gender, or for having different beliefs. Perhaps people hate others based on their cultural representation instead of who they really are as an individual, whether that representation is a religion or a race. This single fact of racial discrimination has caused many terrible and tragic events in history such as the holocaust, slavery, and among them is the evacuation and relocation of Japanese Canadians during World War II. In the novels  ¡Ã‚ ®Obasan ¡Ã‚ ¯ and  ¡Ã‚ ®Itsuka ¡Ã‚ ¯ by Joy Kogawa, the main protagonist Naomi and her family go through the mistreatment and racial discrimination, which occurred to all Japanese†¦show more content†¦That way you offend lessquot; (P.187). This shows that the war has denigrated Japanese Canadians as a something even less then even second-class citizens. The painful experience leaves tormenting remembrance that requires people to take a long time to recover. In  ¡Ã‚ ®Itsuka ¡Ã‚ ¯ which is a continuation of  ¡Ã‚ ®Obasan ¡Ã‚ ¯, the protagonist Naomi is haunted by her memories of her childhood growing up in the World War II period of Japanese Canadian evacuation and internment. Naomi was involved in the movement for reparation from the Canadian government for the forcible relocation and confiscation of property of Japanese Canadians during World War II. As Naomi went through her painful experiences during her childhood, she realizes the importance her cultural identity. Naomi makes a comment to her aunt, Obasan, quot;...today, finally, though we can hardly believe it, to be Canadian means what it hasnt meant before. Reconciliation. Liberation. Belongingness. Homequot; (P.277) and reminiscent the tough past that she had to face during World War II. Japanese Canadians were mistreated because of their racial background, as Japanese Empire was the enemy of Canada during World War II. While Naomi was evacuated and relocated from their own land and her mother, the youth of her life was ruined and memories of her pain are reflected on this quote, quot;There was a silence