Greetings readers! Last week in my ASTU class we took a mini field trip to the Rare Books and Special Collections section of IBLC. While there, we were given an opportunity to look at original artifacts regarding Joy Kogawa’s Canadian-Japanese internment novel, Obasan. I mainly looked at three different folders, all of which contained letters to Joy Kogawa responding and reacting to her acclaimed novel.

The first folder I examined was folder number 58-3 which was composed of multiple letters from adult readers who were greatly impacted by Obasan. While the individual connections to Kogawa’s book were of course unique to the specific reader, I noticed a resounding consensus amongst most respondents; gratitude was the common theme in the letters to Kogawa. Of course most praised Kogawa’s work, but I think a feeling of thankfulness was more present because Obasan in a way broke the almost forty year silence that Japanese-Canadians experienced since the brutal actions committed by their own government. People were able to relate to Obasan and thus seemingly were more open about the trauma they had been through. In my opinion, that was Kogawa’s ultimate goal. She didn’t want people to have to live in silence with their own dark memories, and it is clear to me that her message truly resonated with her readers.

Folder number 28-3 consisted of numerous letters from elementary students writing to Kogawa about her adaptation of Obasan into a children’s book titled Naomi’s Road. Before I can even critically write about the responses, I have to say these letters were so much fun to read. One young student made a point of letting Kogawa know when her birthday was (it was June 21st for those interested), and another student, when describing himself, said he was 10 years old with red hair, blue eyes, and “Canadian skin” (still not exactly sure what that means). While these letter were fun to read, there is also something to say about how simple yet thoughtful they were. Many of the students seemed genuinely worried about whether Naomi’s mother ever came back and what exactly happened to her. Though the kids were fairly young, most understood the seriousness of the situation and the somber attitude that surrounded it. I loved reading that the kids wanted Kogawa to write more books on Naomi because it showed they were truly enthusiastic.

The last folder I looked at, folder number 58-4, held a letter from then Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau addressed on July 24th, 1981. When I first realized Kogawa received a letter from the Prime Minister for her work I was impressed with both Kogawa and Prime Minister Trudeau. However, upon reading the letter I was disappointed to read the disingenuous tone taken by Trudeau. The letter seemed formulaic and plain, and it didn’t even eclipse 50 words. Given the prominence of the book and the fact that the Canadian government had practically ignored Japanese internment for almost forty years, I think Kogawa was owed more than a “good job” and a “looking forward to reading it” from the Prime Minister of Canada. Obviously, the Prime Minister is substantially more busy than the average adult, and of course more than school-children, but when comparing the letter between the three sources, Prime Minister Trudeau, the representative of the Canadian government, came off as uninterested, fake, and frankly, rude. I think it was no coincidence that the Canadian people were enthusiastic, thankful, and thoughtful while the government showed contempt and ignorance to a novel that shined a light on past government mistakes.

Of course, this is all my opinion, let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks for reading!
(hopefully the pictures are clear, I’m not sure what happened)

Ben Ross  

Hello readers! It has been quite a while, but I am excited to be back writing my ASTU blog! This past week in class we read the novel Obasan by Joy Kogawa. The book covers the sensitive subject of Japanese internment in Canada during World War 2, and I must say, it was difficult to read in parts. Kogawa did not shy away from portraying horrific actions committed against completely innocent people. The title character of the novel, Obasan (actually named Ayako but referred to as the Japanese word for “aunt”), is quiet and somber. Almost thirty years after she and her family were interned Obasan is clearly still experiencing trauma. This is a representation of how truly awful these circumstances were. The thing that is most disconcerting to me is that this event in Canada’s history has been mostly unrecognized and unacknowledged.

This all ties into another topic we’ve been talking about in ASTU; cultural memory. In her book Tangled Memories: the Vietnam War, the Aids Epidemic, and the Politics of Remembering Marita Sturken, an expert in memory, explains the idea of cultural memory and how it can be selectively used. When it comes to historical events, it seems that some cultures choose to remember certain aspects of one broad event and forget other aspects of the same event. So for example, when it comes to World War 2, many Canadians remember the War as a tough time for the nation, but ultimately a triumphant moment. However, a whole group of people were being treated as subhuman in our country and, while society is slowly coming around, it is still vastly forgotten.

Obasan was a tough read, but I think it is an essential novel to teach people of all ages about the injustices committed in their own country. Canada is a great nation, and we enjoy many freedoms, but it is important to remember the failures in the past so we don’t let it happen again.

Thanks for tuning in and feel free to comment below!