preview

Japanese Internment Camp Analysis

Decent Essays

Over one hundred and ten thousand Japanese individuals were forced into exile in the United States, when Executive Order 9066 was signed. With that, their basic civil liberties were stripped from them. However, in spite of these immense difficulties within the internment camps, the durability and conviction of the human spirit are evident in the former internee Kazuko Itoi and those who had surrounded her. A variety of issues that these people faced ranged from inadequate housing and food, to the inability to keep certain items such as, books written in Japanese which were considered contraband. The Japanese had dealt with living in captivity by means of focusing on religion, creating activities like, calisthenics, and in general attempting to bring a sense of normalcy. For example, building furniture or obtaining jobs like working as a stenographer or hospital help. At their services, their minister Everett Thompson had helped the internees “build the foundation for a new outlook” (Sone, 186), one that was defined by the understanding that their outlook on life had been characterized by bitterness and hostility.

Get Access