Analysis Of Obasan By Joy Kogawa

On the way, he picked up two books with settings based in japan. He gave me my first copy of Memoirs of a Geisha. As I read the story, I was very confused with some of the words used and concepts, which intrigued me since that had never happened to me before. I did not know where I put the book after that. Now, when I had to choose a book to write about, I saw the same novel in my IB1 Literature classroom. At once, I remembered how the story had intrigued me and how the meaning had been lost to me. I chose this book because it is challenging and intriguing. My favorite source for this essay is the book itself, with the articles coming at a close second.

Even when her husband passes away, she does not break down into hysteria; she grieves quietly: “The language of her grief is silence... Over the years, silence within her small body has grown large and powerful” (Kogawa, 14). Despite her lack of words, Obasan is a source of love and steadfast support for her niece Naomi and her nephew Stephen. When their parents disappear, Obasan steps in, never hesitating to bear the weight of caring for the abandoned children. She feeds them, clothes them, and ensures their well-being under impossible circumstances. Her commitment to them never falters, even when they neglect her. Stephen repeatedly treats Obasan with impatience and rudeness. Regardless, Obasan constantly puts the needs of others before her own. Her actions are aimed at making the people around her happy. Obasan does everything in her power to ensure that her niece and nephew find a place for themselves in the world and Naomi takes comfort in her gentleness and dependability. Despite her silence, Obasan is a focal point of the narrative and at the center of the main character Naomi’s life.

A man from Goodreads proclaims, “Kogawa documents a dark part of our history that every person should be aware of.” By him declaring those words, it is inferred that children would not be able to comprehend the darkness of the book; however, adults would be able to think precisely about the message the book conveys and relate to the hard battles Naomi faced. Kogawa displays the depth of adults’ mind and thoughts with the use of figurative language through

The Children of Julie Otsuka, took place from the fields of Japan to the wide open range of North America. Japanese mothers wanted a better life for their offspring so they took their belongings and left their spouse. Mothers not only packed their personal items, but their cultural traditions as well. As time

Obasan by Joy Kogawa presents a poignant and unforgettable story that reveals Naomi’s childhood to be one that consist of mistreatment as well as the hardships she faced. Readers witnessed the distraught and painful events Naomi faces. Naomi childhood has taught her to make peace with the past and “ reopen the floodgates one by one” (238) and to let go because what's done is done. Naomi has been able to defeat suffering and bring closure to her life.

Joy Kogawa’s novel, ‘Obasan’, starts with Naomi Nakane’s diary, which is about her favourite memory with her uncle, who she seems to have a special relationship with, however her uncle suddenly faces death. Naomi continues the book with her and her uncle’s wife, Obasan’s response to his death, and memories of the rest of her family. Within Naomi’s calm narrative, there are numerous emotions that are not necessarily positive; it contains subtle sense of darkness, loneliness, nostalgia, and anger. From the beginning to the end of chapter five, Naomi is surrounded by questions, that she’s been seeking throughout her whole life, but convinced that she will never find the answers to.

The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker, is a story written about the struggles of a colored woman in the 1930’s. The central character, Celie, experienced more abuse in her life than love and struggled to understand the world around her. In the novel the author is able to captivate her audience and through a series of letters written to GOD, create a relationship between Celie and her readers. Reading the novel you immediately began to sympathize with this young girl (Celie) as you watch her father tare her life to shreds. Celie is raped and impregnated by her father only to be torn from her children after she gave birth. Celie is later given away in marriage to a man that only wanted to marry her to raise his kids, keep a good home and work in his fields as his personal slave. Her marriage also tore her away from the only person who ever loved her, Nettie, who is her little sister. Mr. Albert, who is Celie’s new husband, ended up being just as abusive if not more abusive than her father. In this paper, I want to bring to focus one of the themes in this novel: Violence against Women. I want the reader to understand the affects that abuse has on the victim as well as society.

The Round House dives deep into the elements and distinctions of justice and non-justice. This book provides readers with an in-depth story surrounding the rape of a Native Indian woman, and the struggles herself and her family face when coming to terms with the horrible reality. Questions of what justice means and how to go about attaining that justice arise. Unfortunately, for Geraldine and her family court mandated justice may never be served, due to issues of jurisdiction that surround Indian reservations. Post Geraldine’s attack her husband and son, Bazil and Joe, are left feeling that they must take action to attain justice for Geraldine. Both Bazil and Joe want to protect Geraldine, for she is left feeling weak and isolated after her attack. It proves difficult for the men in Geraldine’s life to be able to understand what she has gone through, but they try. Geraldine not only runs into issues of jurisdiction when reaching for justice but also issues of gender bias. Due to the nature of Geraldine’s case, it is not always viewed as a pressing issue by law enforcement. The Round House depicts many different instances of women being mistreated by both Native and non-Native men. In a way all the women in The Round House are searching for their own justice, and that justice is brought to life in complicated and unusual ways.

their dead relatives. A glimpse of an old quilt makes her return to the old question of why her mother never came back. As a child, Naomi asked Obasan about her mother, but Obasan provided no information. Now, Obasan can’t find what she is looking for, and Naomi helps her back to bed.

Her mother was the first to vanish from her life, and at the time young Naomi didn’t know what to make of it, only showed a feeling of bewilderment as it says “What matters to my five year old mind is not the reason that she is required to leave, but the stillness is so much with me that it takes a form of a shadow which grows and surrounds me like air.” (78) Naomi is haunted by the sudden loss of her mother, and like the incident with Mr. Gower, Naomi tries to ignore the painful memory throughout her adult life, but revisits it when she returns to Granton for her Uncle’s funeral. She then discovers the truth of what had happened to her mother, which was that she had returned to Japan and was a victim of an air strike, and despite surviving, was severely injured to the point where maggots inhabited her wounds. Naomi finally comes to peace by uncovering her dark past, as she believes she can communicate with her deceased mother, and also comes to the realization of her mental growth from her childhood when she says “I am thinking that for a child there is no presence without flesh. But perhaps it is because I am no longer a child I can know your presence though you are not here.” (292) This realization puts Naomi at peace after years of uncertainty and buried memories.

Naomi’s childhood mirrors that of her author; the Canadian government confiscated the Kogawa family’s home, ordered them inland to an internment camp in Slocan, and after the war ended, forced the family to move to Alberta where they worked as field laborers on a beet farm. The harsh similarity between Kogawa and Naomi’s lives expresses to readers that, while fictional, Obasan is real. A review truthfully states that “hearing the facts recounted by an author who experienced them all … [is] a memorable historical excursion for [readers] who know that the only way to pluck wisdom from the embarrassments of the past is to face their reality squarely” (Graham). The fact that readers are aware of the historical accuracy of Naomi’s story creates a deeper sense of personal connection to the novel, especially for Japanese Canadians and Canadians, as the events depicted are rooted in truth. One review explains this effect of the novel well, saying “Kogawa’s account … is a unique blend of fact, fiction, and personal recall. … Obasan addresses each of us and forces us to look inward. It touches our hearts and our conscience” (Mallory). Davis illustrates that books like Obasan can significantly change a reader’s perspective by saying that

Just as film shapes reality, so too does literature: Cixious writes, “Nearly the entire history of writing is confounded with the history of reason … it has been one with the phallocentric tradition” (879). In the same way that the contributions of black women have been ignored in film, the feminine discourse has been ignored in favor of “the language of men and their grammar” (887). In comparison to the rigid format and linear narrative employed by men, Cixious argues that feminine discourse is more fluid and creative, just like the continuous and flowing nature of the female body. She also likens women to Africa, a “dark continent” that we have been taught to fear. In many ways, Esther and Mignon embody this concept as they are cloaked in shadows and made to feel ashamed of their race.

Author Amy Tan introduces readers to her perspective of the voracious love relationships between mother and daughters. In the story, the protagonist is a young girl called Jing Mei who is also the main character in the story with her Mother being the antagonist. Being first generation Americans set forward multiple expectations and implications for the protagonist to deliver. Young Jing Mei struggled to find the freedom to express her own identity rather then live up to her mothers standards. Both mother and daughter soon fell into conflict because of their complexities and views. Jing Mei’s mother wanted to transform her into a prodigy, as Jing Mei just wanted life and experience life as a normal american girl. As being the product of an immigrant family, as a parent, Mother Woo wanted very open opportunity for her child. Being in this country was a privilege and had much more meaning to Mother Woo than Jing Mei. Multiple barriers were experienced by both charters. Cultural indifferences,the search for identity, and self improvement were key components to the personal interoperation established to readers through out its synopsis.

Every summer, my family and I make a trip to Okoboji. Okoboji is a lot of fun, and we have a very nice time there. We usually spend a week in this cool city because there is so much stuff to do. On the first day, we usually like to go to Ranch Okoboji, which is a cool place to hang out. We have a lot of fun mini-golfing, playing arcade games, and even getting in the water!

One historical figure similar to Oda Nobunaga. He was a powerful Daimyō of Japan in the late 16th century who tried to unify Japan during the late Sengoku period. Though he ultimately was unable to achieve this himself, he is mentioned along with retainers Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu as those who unified all of Japan.