This week, we were given a required topic to blog about in regards to our past discussions of Obasan by Joy Kogawa. The topic was to respond to our experiences at the Kogawa Fonds. Although we were given one topic to talk about, students in our class chose to approach the topic in various ways. Many decided to focus on the plethora of documents and drafts, and how these allowed them to confirm the stories in Obasan, and how it helped further their understanding of memory. Amanda states that “these documents helped [her] to comprehend how Kogawa’s perception of memory is by collecting materials”. She also adds that “these materials would not only contribute to public memory but they also help support Kogawa’s book and help her narrate a story with the influence from her personal experiences”. In further regards to the substantiating of these memories, Kate states that these fonds “give tangible evidence of truth. Memory becomes graspable in documents, letters and drafts”. Agreeing, Brenna discusses how “seeing the amount of research and effort Kogawa had put into this novel made [her] respect her much more”. She continues on with the the credibility conversation, saying that “having the opportunity to see the historical documents [Joy] used to write the novel gave [her] a higher sense of credibility to the experiences that the characters in the book experienced”.

Others focused on the difficulties and struggles that Joy Kogawa faced during the publishing process; particularly touching on the subject of silence. Anna brings up how many were uncomfortable with the story of re-telling, especially with the character of Aunt Emily. While looking through publisher’s criticisms, she notes that “one reviewer is especially critical of the character of Aunt Emily. At one point he says, ‘[Emily] is for me the least real & convincing character in the story. Even her name bothers me’”. Anthony adds on to this, saying “publishers seemed to be hesitant to be at the forefront of a notion of reconciliation for those affected by the internment”. Even the Prime Minister had “the belief that the book [was] light reading. This speaks to how the Japanese internment had not been addressed or given much serious thought”. Alexa also builds on this idea, stating that “the fonds shine light on victim silencing at an institutional level, and Kogawa took extra measures to ensure that her story could be heard across the nation”. She also comments on the fan letters Kogawa receives, and how by “[writing] about the impact Kogawa’s writings had on them, it is clear that there are citizens who are curious to hear her melodic stories and experiences of trauma”.

Many people in our class come from countries other than Canada and had no knowledge of the Japanese Internment, like Silvana. She explains how she knew nothing about the Japanese-Canadian’s suffering prior to reading Obasan, but “after visiting the RBSC and exploring through some of Joy Kogawa’s archives [she] felt connected to her writer persona at an angle much different than the novel provided”. She also explains how this allowed her to also appreciator Kogawa’s “role not only as a writer but as a literary activist”–a term I found especially interesting as I had never heard Kogawa being referred to as that, but is a perfect title for her with the impact Obasan has had.

Through there being a set topic, as class blogger for this week I was allowed to see the many approaches my peers took and the many patterns that came as a result. Many chose to focus on how the Fonds allowed them to better understand the Japanese-Canadian’s stories of suffering. However, majority decided to discuss the publishers criticism letters, and rejection letters, furthering the conversation on the theme of silence. Overall, it seemed like the visit to the Kogawa Fonds was beneficial to everyone, allowing us all to see the hard work and intricacy that went into publishing the book we had been discussing for many classes, and also the importance of publishing it. By writing Obasan, Joy Kogawa allows us to read about the (mostly silent) sufferings of the Japanese-Canadians and better understand the unfamiliar history of Canada.

Works Cited:

Amanda Baker https://blogs.ubc.ca/amandasblog/
Alexa Fordy https://blogs.ubc.ca/alexafordyblog/
Anna Giesting https://blogs.ubc.ca/annagiestingastublog/
Anthony Maag https://blogs.ubc.ca/anthonym/
Brenna Williams https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/
Kate Pasula https://blogs.ubc.ca/katepasula/
Silvana Martinez Zapata https://blogs.ubc.ca/silvanamastu/on-obasan/