Blog 5: Pictures

Although reading through these letters was not an easy task, as each letter was unfolding, it was interesting to see how much of the information written, fit with the historic events that were happening at the time. Within the first letters, Amy cheerfully writes to Vi, asking her to send her items to the internment camp she is in. Prior to the interment camps, families were not allowed to bring anything with them. Because of this, Amy writes to Vi asking her to send her a sewing machine and some other items. Similarly,Takaki mentions how those who were evacuated were only allowed to bring "their bedding, toilet articles, extra clothing and utensils" (392). However, within these camps, those in the camps were allowed to work and with the money that they made, they would purchase things. Likewise, Amy worked and some of the money she earned, she sent to Vi so that she could buy her items.

As each families were separated in the internment camps; as Amy's brother John was, there were family tensions it seemed like.The families were often separated from those who were more "Japanese" from those who were more "Japanese-American" as well. Until they were relocated, many Japanese remained in these internment camps. After a few months or so after Roosevelt made the decision to evacuate Japanese based on a "military judgement" (Takaki 391),  he speaks again, now asking Japanese to prove their loyalty to the United States by enrolling into the war. During this time as we read in the letters, Amy meets Tonio who is later asked to enroll in the war. Those who did not enroll in the war were later ashamed and banned from society. This is shown in the poem by Okada, No-No Boy, who is later "walk[ing] quickly, guiltily avoiding a chance recognition of himself by someone who remembered him", after the war ends.

It is interesting to see that throughout the letters, Amy refers to the whites as Americans; disregarding herself as one. This is seen in many Asian Americans. Since they were poorly received and poorly treated while in America, they no longer viewed themselves as Americans. In one of the letters for example, Amy says she gets sick with yellow fever. As she tries to seek medical attention, she is only driven away and told it will go away soon. In addition, she adds that she never gets to see the same doctor, therefore she does not trust their diagnosis. This instance is representative of the many injustices and hardships Asian Americans faced during this time.