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Essay / Overview of “When the Emperor Was Divine” by Julie Otsuka
When the Emperor Was Divine by Japanese-American author Julie Otsuka is a fascinating and moving novel. The harrowing story of a Japanese-American family during World War II references the thousands of families who were interned following the attack on Pearl Harbor. This book represents thousands of untold stories of suffering, violation and loss of identity and freedom. Most importantly, they were deprived of their voices, some tortured and unable to share their stories. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay I found the ending to be the most interesting. Besides the powerful meaning of the story, the tone throughout the book is calm and gentle. However, the ending has a more angry and sarcastic tone. Even though the father never had a first person to write, we have seen some fragments of letters he sends to his family and we can also compare this to the family's time spent in the camps which has nothing to see with the experience of the father. This passage represents all of the father's pent-up emotions overflowing and being released. The father's detachment from his own identity is reflected in the language used, for example "lock me up", "take my children", "take my wife", "freeze my property". Seize my crops.” His trust in him to “hand over” (Otsuka 143) his once valuable possessions proves how much the father changed mentally after the internment camp. The language is also very angry, confident, sarcastic, which is a complete change in tone. This passage follows the part on torture because. Memory loss and paranoia are two very insightful indicators of torture. The fathers in the internment camp were not described in the book, but there are many clues throughout the book that can help me conclude that there was torture. When my father had just returned, his reaction to his old house was very intriguing. "At first, he wandered slowly from room to room, picking up objects in bewilderment - (...) he was suspicious of everyone." Finally, the language in this chapter is still not as angry as the previous chapter, but the meaning is just as strong. The father's growing emotions seen in the last chapter symbolize the repressed emotions of Japanese-American families. Even though the father often uses the first person; “I was tired. I was thirsty. I was scared. (Otsuka 140) I think he speaks for the people. The many jobs ranging from “sniper” to “houseboy” to “cook” to “gardener” are a representation of the thousands of people considered inferior because of their race. The powerful consequences of discrimination and injustice presented in the book are still relevant today. The sarcasm of the last chapter is also found in "So plan to meet you", "Jap", and "Nip", terms used in everyday expressions to verbally torture Japanese Americans. Another example of this is when the girl asks, "What's wrong, she asked?" People stared at them” (Otsuka 15) and people judged them and made them feel less concerned about something they couldn’t control, like ethnicity. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. .Get a Custom EssayFinally, this last passage speaks to the whole book, just like how the father speaks for the people. I believe this is the final turning point in the book where the tone and language changes even though..