Summary Of The Color Is Red By Kimo Armitage

1306 Words6 Pages

THE DIFFERENCE IS “RED”: A Dive Into The Kaona of Red Apple. Watermelon meat. Moku o Keawe. Roses. Dodgeballs. Hate. Kamehameha. Happiness. What do all these have in common? They are “red”. But does “red” merely mean that it is “red” or is the color much more than a pigment? Based on the piece “Onelauena”, according to Kimo Armitage red is a feeling, a symbol, and a memory all in one. It is not only a mere pigment on the object at hand, but an idea that can be instilled in the brain. Red is happiness from the memories of kickball at the park. For Armitage, “Red was strawberry shave ice for 10 cents at Dolly’s Sweet Shop in 1978 Haleiwa. Red was one watermelon Jolly Rancher for 2 cents.” (1) Then Armitage gives the audience a deeper understanding of how powerful a color can be. The writer then begins to explain current issues regarding the rights of Native Hawaiians. Issues that more directly involve government policies and …show more content…

Armitage associates the color “red” with a plethora of different feelings and emotions and pairs them with particular happenings or objects. The writer finds extreme joy that he once had a happy connection with the color red. Pairing gleeful childhood memories with the color red. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Armitage pairs the color red with hate, anger, and oppression to the disheartening current events of today; things like land scarcity, removal of sacred lands, and oppression. Although Armitage does not like to experience this kind of “red”, he feels that it is crucial in order to bring about the necessary change for him and Native Hawaiians. One must fight to earn the right. We see this illustrated when Armitage states that “… my Kau Inoa shirt. I loved that shirt. Thats the way I see red now. I see it as protest.” (2), as many people in Hawai’i do. Red is a common symbol for protest and reform, especially in modern Hawaiian society as is it in traditional Hawaiian

Open Document