Obasan by Joy Kogawa
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Obasan by Joy Kogawa is a novel based on her experiences as a third-generation Japanese-Canadian child growing up in Canada during World War II and witness to the racism directed towards those of Japanese descent by the Canadian government. The story is told partly in real time and partly in flashbacks as the now- grown Naomi, a school teacher in Cecil, Alberta returns to Granton for her uncleÆs funeral. She stays with her Obasan (aunt), his widow, and while there, she delves into her past through boxes of paperwork sent to her by her Aunt Emily (her motherÆs sister), who has steadfastly campaigned over the years for the rights of Japanese-Canadians (Kogawa 37-51). Naomi is reluctant to dig into the past, which she believes is better left alone since nothing can be done to change it, but becomes more engrossed as she learns of the outright persecution of the first, second and third-generation Japanese living in Canada at the time of World War II. This stirs memories from her childhood of their life in Vancouver, of her mother who mysteriously disappeared with her grandmother after returning to Japan to look after an elderly relative who was close to death when she was five years old. She recalls being molested by a neighbor, Mr. Gower, and wonders if this was the reason her mother left (Kogawa 74-77). She recalls the beginnings of racism when she and her brother were at school in Vancouver - how her brother was beaten up one day by boys from his school and his glas
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1087
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page)
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