Question

Beside each date were the ugly facts of the treatment given to Japanese Canadians. “Seizure and government sale of fishing boats. Suspension of fishing licenses. Relocation camps. Liquidation of property. Letter to General MacArthur. Bill 15. Deportation. Revocation of nationality.”

Wherever the words “Japanese race” appeared, Aunt Emily had crossed them out and written “Canadian citizen.”

“What this country did to us, it did to itself,” she said.

–Obasan,
Joy Kogawa

Read the excerpt. How does the author’s use of repetition help develop the mood?

A-Aunt Emily repeats herself to stress that denying rights to one group is not good for anyone.
B-Aunt Emily repeats herself because she wants to show a reason for people to have some hope.
C-The repetition helps readers know that Aunt Emily thinks only one group is treated unfairly.
D-The repetition helps readers understand that Aunt Emily’s point of view will not be accept

Answer 1

The author's use of repetition in the excerpt from 'Obasan' by Joy Kogawa emphasizes the citizenship of Japanese Canadians and critiques their unjust treatment, contributing to a mood of sombre reflection on historical discrimination.

Step-by-step explanation:

The use of repetition in Joy Kogawa's Obasan serves to reinforce the severity and the systematic nature of the injustices faced by Japanese Canadians. Aunt Emily's deliberate corrections of 'Japanese race' to 'Canadian citizen' emphasize the citizenship and thus the unjust treatment of her people. Instead of being seen as foreign enemies, they were indeed Canadian citizens who were unjustly treated through the suspension of rights, handling their property, being sent to relocation camps, facing deportation, and the revocation of their nationality.

This repetition, alongside her clear amendments, develops a mood of sombre reflection and criticism of these historical actions. It illustrates that by infringing on the rights of Japanese Canadians, the country also betrayed its own values and harmed itself in the process. The excerpt underscores the systematic discrimination that has historically been enacted against minority groups, in this case encapsulated by the harsh treatment during the period of Japanese internment camps in World War II.