Miné Okubo's Narrative Analysis

Words: 1627
Pages: 7

After the tragic event of Pearl Harbor, Miné Okubo was forced to leave her home in San Francisco and was transferred to Tanforan Assembly Center, the first relocation center her and her brother experienced. As many Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps, many struggled to adapt to the harsh conditions they were facing. While Miné and her brother faced adversity for about a year, they were then moved to more permanent living quarters at the Central Utah Project in Topaz. Through both relocation centers Miné was able to document her experiences by drawing illustrations that represented the life of Japanese Americans within both Tanforan and Topaz. Each image, along with the underlying short text, portrayed a powerful message allowing …show more content…
The text expresses the community gathering together and creating entertainment for themselves by creating homemade sailboats out of telephone poles (100). The image depicts a deeper meaning of community and belongingness as the Japanese Americans are seen interacting with those around them, gathered together as a society. Miné seems at ease as she is watching children and families work together to put their sailboats in the water. This sense of community shows how the Japanese Americans were more than just citizens trapped or hidden within confined spaces. These activities made them forget how they were seen as inferior to the Caucasians, and allowed them to enjoy the times they could by relating to those around them. The images Miné displays as “happy” or “peaceful” throughout Citizen 13660 helps the audience understand that through a place of such hardship and despair, the Japanese Americans were able to make the best of their situation and enjoy beauty and the possibility of hope where it was slightly