Examples Of Racism In Farewell To Manzanar

When I heard the word “racist” for the first time, I didn’t know what it meant. I heard the word in a lot of classes but I never paid attention to it. After reading Farewell to Manzanar, I learned about racism and it’s actual mean. In Farewell to Manzanar written by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Jeanne and her family faced racism after Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was a place where the Japanese bombed. It made the Americans angry with Japanese people. Jeanne who was very young, she faced the racism against her culture, race, and religion after Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor had a great influence on Japanese American life. It produced difficulties and challenges for Jeanne and her family. I don’t think anybody could ever face this kind of situation like

In the article of conspiracy theories in American history, written by Amanda Laugesen, she quoted that “ the belief in a Japanese “conspiracy” was not a new phenomenon—it built on a lengthy history of suspicion and racism toward Japanese Americans since their arrival in the United States in the late nineteenth century”(Langesen 1). When the Japanese arrived for the first time in America, the Americans became racist to them and used them as a labor, trade union, etc. The Americans became more violent toward Japanese after Pearl Harbor. They were being understood as inferior racist. They were not given the equal rights like the other Americans. Japanese were not allowed to live in American society because the Americans started racism toward Japanese. In Farewell to Manzanar, the American government spread Japanese people from society. They got moved to the Internment camps because of their race. Pearl Harbor was not the fault of Japanese American, but the Americans consider it as a fault of all the Japanese

In Farewell to Manzanar, Houston quoted that “That night Papa burned the flag he had brought with him from Hiroshima thirty five years earlier”(6). It was Jeanne’s Papa fear that the Americans can get mad looking at the Japanese flag. He didn’t want anybody to think that they relate to Japan. Papa also burned documents because he doesn’t want to have any connection with Japan. When the Pearl Harbor happened, Papa knew that what could happen with them. Japan didn’t have good relationship with America before Pearl harbor. He never wanted the U.S to fight with Japan. He already knew about Americans people. I understand how Jeanne’s Papa was feeling in this situation. If I will be on Papa’s spot, I will be doing the same thing but I would not burn my countries flag because it would be my identity