Trapped Like A Goldfish

The quality of life on the Relief camps were horrible .Majority of the men working on these camps were broke and tired farm boys. These men were treated like salves. They would receive 20 cents a day for manual labor. A few of their tasks would include: widening a trail, putting in a culvert, or cutting and stacking wood. These jobs were very physically demanding and stressful on the body. The camps were run by the Department of National Defence, so the workers were under “army law”. So, the people in charge could say or do whatever they wanted. An 18 year-old who experienced a relief camp said “{We} were treated like dirt”. The only semi-positive thing about these relief camps were that they kept the workers well

As the week progressed and friendships formed between everyone, I realized the importance of the camp to all that were involved. To the counselors it was a learning experience, as well as a time to appreciate all that we would usually take for granted; to the campers it was a time to learn and make new friends, and for most of them, it would also serve as their only form of a summer vacation. So although we were all exhausted by the end of the week, we had a great time.

They start to run low on money and need to leave the camp to find another job.

The camp was a somewhat segregated place. There happened to be five specific “camps” for

The camp became its own world. People seemed to forget the war and only think of the next task that had to be taken care of. They tried to create commonality and keep any anger under control.

,and the huts were absolutely terrible.Usually the camp was at a food shortage and the soldiers

Finally, the conditions of the camp were unsanitary and unsafe. There was a high rate of disease and a lack of proper shelter. Doctor Waldo gave significant insight into life at the camp. “ I can’t endure it! Why are we sent here to starve and freeze?” The condition of the camp was so bad that the soldiers felt completely alone, miserable and as if they had been sent there to die.

They were placed near semi-arid areas where life would have been harsh even under an environment with conditions met with human standards along with its surroundings. In the winter, it was too cold, and during the summer, it was too hot. Although recreational activities were set up in the camps to pass the time, you were still severely limited in the set of actions you could do. Space was crowded, and the only set of locations that you could go to were schools, hospitals, bathrooms, libraries and post offices. Food in the camps were produced army-stye grub. In other words, it did not offer much variety and the quality of the foods didn’t exceed standards as to what a normal American citizen might think of what they eat. Because of how severely limited life was in these camps, 3,600 Japanese-Americans had volunteered to enter Armed forces. In 1945, some camps had allowed people living in them to return back to the West so they could get back home or start a new life, though the last camp closed on March

Camp life for Gruenewald and the others in the interment camps in California was hot, with bad food, and absolutely no privacy. Their showers were in one

Wiesel talks about how as the days go on they continue to work very hard, yet the amount and quality of the food that they are given decreases. He says “We went to work as usual, loading heavy stones into railway wagons. Rations had become even more meager” (Wiesel). The prisoners are doing very strenuous work that surely takes a lot of energy, but the people are not being fed enough to sustain this lifestyle. Later in the passage, Wiesel mentions some other conditions that the prisoners endured during their time at the camp. “We had risen before dawn, as on every day,” he stated, “We had received the black coffee, the ration of bread. We were about to set out for the yard as usual” (Wiesel). This is not a healthy way of living, especially with all the hard work that these people were doing. These horrible conditions that the people lived in while at the camp is an example of dehumanization in its purist. By forcing the people to do strenuous, physical labor against their will shows that the guards do not care about the well being of the people. By not properly nourishing them it shows that they did not care if the people suffered and died, which takes away the prisoner’s sense of personal identity and morality. Many guards did not even think of the prisoners as people. To them, they were just animals that were there to work for them, similar to

Dr. Waldo said the food is poor and the cookery is nasty. The men cry out at night “No meat! No meat!” If I re-enlist, I won’t get good meals, but if I don’t re-enlist, I might get better meals than just flour and water. If I stay in the camp I could die from starvation.

When i was over there I was thinking that i didn't like the city and that i won't get used to it in the week that I was going to be there for. I got my meet my aunt and my cousins and i was a little bit shy when i was over there because I have never met them in person. My family and I were exhausted from that car ride that we slept a little when we got there. I was also grumpy because if I don't get my sleep I get grumpy. But I did sleep enough to have

The majority of families in the camp had chickens, pigs, or other useful animals that help with everyday life. We had a garden in our backyard with fruits, vegetables, and other types of eatable plants. There were banana trees, mangos, jackfruits, peppers, papaya, sugar cane and star fruit trees. Our houses were built with bamboo and the rooftops were covered with hay. A lot of houses were on hills because the camp was not a flat place. We had no electricity or water lines connected to our home. Houses were built

With the lack of nutrition, sanitation, space, and the constant labor, it is amazing that anyone at all could survive this camp for very long.

Competition and conflict between prisoners definitely worsen the life in camp. Shukhov once stated “Who’s the zek’s main enemy? Another zek. If only they weren’t at odds with one another --ah, what a difference that’d make!”. The men did not really form a close relationship with one another because it was difficult to trust in each other. Each new hostage that came into camp took up space, food, and clothing. Fights broke out mainly during meal courses, with an insult from the cook, or a tray to receive food, or even for a set to sit and eat. There was not a lot of harmony in camp. If the men wanted to survive in camp they had to turn upon each other. Because with that one additional ration of food they received could determine whether they