Did they lose their divinity?

In the novel, "When The Emperor was Divine," there is little reference to the relevance of the title. As discussed in class and from prior knowledge of Japanese culture, the Japanese believe their Emperor's or leader's to actually be divine deities, in a metaphoric manner. I believe Otsuka uses the title to make reference to a period before the novel takes place, a time in which the Japanese people in America were still proud of their heritage. The boy has an episode in a California street where he claims to be a "chink" rather than a "jap" to avoid being mistreated due to his ethnicity. I believe this is one of Otsuka's references to a time before when the Japanese people (characterized by aforementioned Emperor) were "divine" or at least not considered lesser class citizens on their way to detainment camps. The loss of  "divinity" is personified by the father and especially his questionable confession at the end of the novel where he admits the wrongdoings he did because was indeed, Japanese.

The question soon arises of did the Japanese really lose their pride and can another group of people take someone's pride? Otsuka ends the novel in an ambiguous tone, perhaps leaving us to think about the answer. More than 50 years later, the Japanese have restored status and the detainment camps are (unfortunately) rarely mentioned, as if they were never thought less of. The roller-coaster like ride the Japanese took with their status has certainly strengthened as a people and should not be forgotten. I believe Otsuka wishes to tackle that issue with her novel and especially resonates in her title personifying the Japanese as a whole.

Cultural Tradition vs. Assimilation

In Otsuku's novel, "When The Emperor was Divine," there is an evident struggle of identity for the young boy character. Like his ancestors, he wishes to remain small framed so that he may jockey a horse someday. His peers advise him to "become a big American" however, because that would lead to "success." The boy from here on internalizes the issue of conflict between the cultures of his Japanese heritage and his new home.

 Otsuku helps to illuminate this as the boy dreams in the stable and dreams of riding a white horse. The color of the horse is especially significant, as one would unfortunately think of the white male as the typical and average American. The boy has mixed symbols of both worlds in his dream, further uncovering the extent to how indecisive the boy is.

Assimilation has been a hardship that has always walked hand-in-hand with immigration. I recall my great-grandfather, Damiano Anthony Fabrizi telling me of his travel to Ellis Island and the "new" name he was given when his ship landed, Anthony Damiano Fabrizi, because it was more American. Unlike the boy, my great grandfather had no struggle and accepted his new future, much as the peers of the boy do. For the boy however, he has the depth to put more thought into the battle and hopes for an outcome he can comfortably live with.

When The Emperor Was Divine

During the early 1940s, history's most gruesome acts against humanity were committed during the Holocaust as the Nazi's occupied western Europe. But right here in America, as we were fighting for the rights of humanity, we were condemning our own Japanese-American citizens.

Julie Otsuka's novel When The Emperor was Divine describes the journey one Japanese family undergoes as this very event occurs in Berkeley, California. Otsuka uses one of my favorite literary devices, borrowed from Existentialism, a stoic form of writing devoid of much emotion. This subtle tool is so essential to the core theme of the novel. As the Japanese were being dehumanized and their human rights and emotions were being stripped and ignored, Otsuka uses the stoic styling of writing to illuminate this thought. The same idea is employed in the nameless nature of the characters. Each member of the family is addressed by their role in the family : the boy, the girl, the father, etc.

As historical fiction does, Otsuka is creating her own scenario in an event that actually happened to enlighten readers more thoroughly of a crime against humanity that occurred and went mostly unnoticed.

"Preshuz -- Da Importints of Literasy"

Precious tells her story to the reader is a third person point of view, capturing her own thoughts in her own styling; an illiterate, sometimes incoherent manner.

It is clear Sapphire takes many different institutions of the United States head on, such as public education and health, the lack of community of modern day, and social workers, but through something as subtle as spelling mother as "muver," for example,  Sapphire also takes on the issue of illiteracy, especially in higher aged children and teens. The frustration felt by the reader as we try to piece together the phonetic scribbles that Precious must've felt as she wrote them, helps embody the frustration Sapphire believes we should feel for the issue, wholly.

Push is such a powerful, canonical, piece of literature because it not only finds its way into the reader's core emotions and psyche, but illuminates the problems of modern society and stimulates the desire for correction.

Am I Precious? An Ironic Name

The name Precious' mother gives her (as a middle name, her first name is Claireece) easily stirs up questions as the abuse from her mother occurs and grows more traumatic. Precious is subjected to physical and mental abuse, and eventually sexual abuse as not only her father impregnates her at age 12, but eventually is forced to orally please her own mother. Any one of these events is enough to give a child the impression there is something wrong with them and they are unloved, much as Precious feels. However, why was she named Precious then; a name given to beloved and desirable people or things. In fact, The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines precious as highly esteemed or cherished, which of course is the opposite of how she is treated at home and in her community. Precious is almost used in an oxymoronic manner, rather.

I feel this is one of the more subtle ways Precious is subject to cruelty and abuse and probably has a strong hand in her poor self-esteem. To know what precious means and believe she is anything but is a constant abuse from her parents, without them ever having to actively do a thing more to her. In the beginning of the novel, this is certainly true as she has a terrible perception of herself and belief of what others perceive her as. "Me an' my muver — my whole family, we more than dumb, we invisible." But towards the conclusion of the novel, Precious almost seems to find the motivation and desire to live up to her name, "I'm gonna break through or somebody gonna break through to me - I'm gonna learn, catch up, be normal, change my seat to the front of the class."

A Sexual Orientation Crisis in Fun Home

In class Friday, we debated if one could "turn" another gay, and brought up the nature vs. nurture idea with sexual orientation. Many felt one way, as others felt passionately about another. Personally, I realized I believe it isn't a black or white situation; some may certainly be born with a certain orientation as we've learned from genetic anomalies and others may have situations in life bring about unexpected preferences or desires.

In the case of Alison Bechdel, author of "Fun Home," I think her story is so interesting, because essences of both arguments find themselves to be true in Bechdel's life. Bechdel was born much like a "tomboy" as she naturally dislikes dresses and even recollects finding a woman alluring at the tender age of 3. However, her father's hidden sexual orientation, and the repression he tries to outlet through making Alison more feminine (although femininity does not always mean a girl is straight and vice versa), would certainly affect a developing child who is unsure of how the world works.

Millions of people have had the hardship of coming to the realization that they like what most of global society will frown upon: the same sex. So why did Alison Bechdel believe her hardship was interesting enough to become a graphic novel? It's impossible to pinpoint where exactly Bechdel "became" gay, but there are so many opposing forces coming to light in Bechdel throughout her "funhouse" like childhood, that it certainly made for a graphic novel of merit to be written.