Post by Caden Hong on Nov 11, 2015 5:41:41 GMT
When Japan is discussed in the context of WW2, they are always depicted under a negative light. Because the U.S. and other western countries fought against Japan, we are told nothing but glorified accounts of how the Allies won against the Axis powers. Because of this, I appreciated “Barefoot Gen” for providing us with the same WW2 story from a very different angle — something with more logic, background, and emotions attached. When we think of war, we never think about the civilians who suffer especially if their country is an active warground. Poverty, loss, violence, negligence by state, propaganda, and betrayal are few of many struggles that were depicted in “Barefoot Gen.”
A couple of scenes stood out to me while reading this book. First one was when Koji, Gen’s older brother, went off on the train to get to his training academy. Up until that point, his father was very firm with his disapproval of the war and Koji joining the Japanese military. But in the end, the very last person to see Koji off was his father — he swallowed his pride and wished his son health and luck in tears because that could have been their last time seeing each other’s faces (and it turns out to be the case). This scene really highlighted perseverance and the importance of family in the Japanese culture. Despite the fact that his son made a decision he did not agree with, deep down the father understood and appreciated that Koji was joining the military to clear his father’s status as the traitor. The fact that Koji went off to the military, not only to sacrifice his life for the nation but more importantly for his family was very touching but sad at the same time.
The other scene that stood out to me was the ending, when Gen had to leave his older sister, younger brother, and his father to die so that he could save his pregnant mom. This scene made me realize that for the civilians who had to face all of the terrible consequences of the war, their lives were filled with heartbreaking losses and sacrifices — not only materialistically but also with their family members and other close relationships. What a traumatic event that must be for a young boy to have to go through, to see his own father and siblings burn alive. Again, the themes of sacrifice and importance of family comes up for me.
While I was reading this, I thought of two things. The movie “Unbroken” that was directed by Angelina Jolie, and the internment camps during the war. “Unbroken” basically portrays an Italian American soldier who gets captured by the Japanese soldiers as a prisoner of war. Louis Zamperini is described as a troublemaker but ultimately a good guy who survives the violence and abuse from being a POW and returns home as a war hero. The Japanese soldiers and commanders are villains and white Americans are the good guys. The ways in which people are portrayed in such polarizing ways don’t do justice to the actual history of WW2. In this movie, we don’t get to hear both sides of the story — of how similarly devastating it was for the Japanese people to survive (and sometimes don’t survive) violence inflicted upon by American soldiers and military.
Though this takes place in the U.S., the under-recognition of internment camps that forced Japanese Americans to be relocated and basically be downgraded to second class citizens under incarceration during WW2 is also something that’s important for us to remember. They were mistreated just for being Japanese Americans. This isn’t something that is widely known because of the Allies and Axis dynamic of U.S. and Japan, but I think it is important to bring this into the picture when we talk about WW2. It demonstrates how certain experiences get overemphasized while others get filtered out through framing methods to mold the history in a desirable way for the U.S. government.
My questions for this week are pretty simple but I’m curious to know: Which scene stood out to you the most and why? Did this story trigger any emotions or make you reinterpret WW2?
A couple of scenes stood out to me while reading this book. First one was when Koji, Gen’s older brother, went off on the train to get to his training academy. Up until that point, his father was very firm with his disapproval of the war and Koji joining the Japanese military. But in the end, the very last person to see Koji off was his father — he swallowed his pride and wished his son health and luck in tears because that could have been their last time seeing each other’s faces (and it turns out to be the case). This scene really highlighted perseverance and the importance of family in the Japanese culture. Despite the fact that his son made a decision he did not agree with, deep down the father understood and appreciated that Koji was joining the military to clear his father’s status as the traitor. The fact that Koji went off to the military, not only to sacrifice his life for the nation but more importantly for his family was very touching but sad at the same time.
The other scene that stood out to me was the ending, when Gen had to leave his older sister, younger brother, and his father to die so that he could save his pregnant mom. This scene made me realize that for the civilians who had to face all of the terrible consequences of the war, their lives were filled with heartbreaking losses and sacrifices — not only materialistically but also with their family members and other close relationships. What a traumatic event that must be for a young boy to have to go through, to see his own father and siblings burn alive. Again, the themes of sacrifice and importance of family comes up for me.
While I was reading this, I thought of two things. The movie “Unbroken” that was directed by Angelina Jolie, and the internment camps during the war. “Unbroken” basically portrays an Italian American soldier who gets captured by the Japanese soldiers as a prisoner of war. Louis Zamperini is described as a troublemaker but ultimately a good guy who survives the violence and abuse from being a POW and returns home as a war hero. The Japanese soldiers and commanders are villains and white Americans are the good guys. The ways in which people are portrayed in such polarizing ways don’t do justice to the actual history of WW2. In this movie, we don’t get to hear both sides of the story — of how similarly devastating it was for the Japanese people to survive (and sometimes don’t survive) violence inflicted upon by American soldiers and military.
Though this takes place in the U.S., the under-recognition of internment camps that forced Japanese Americans to be relocated and basically be downgraded to second class citizens under incarceration during WW2 is also something that’s important for us to remember. They were mistreated just for being Japanese Americans. This isn’t something that is widely known because of the Allies and Axis dynamic of U.S. and Japan, but I think it is important to bring this into the picture when we talk about WW2. It demonstrates how certain experiences get overemphasized while others get filtered out through framing methods to mold the history in a desirable way for the U.S. government.
My questions for this week are pretty simple but I’m curious to know: Which scene stood out to you the most and why? Did this story trigger any emotions or make you reinterpret WW2?