The Hidden Concentration Camps According to the government, it was a “War Relocation Center” and was used to “evacuate” and help the Japanese Americans. According to those unjustly incarcerated, it was a concentration camp; its purpose was to keep watch over the aliens and citizens. In one photo from Manzanar, three Japanese girls are huddled in front of a poorly made barrack with tar paper and wood starting to chip and tear away. Although two girls are facing towards the camera and smiling, one girl is looking away and has a stern look. Her arms are held in front of her, showing some resentment towards the photo and her condition at the camp. Even with the other two girls, they have an empty gaze into nowhere, portraying the vainness and
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This “Relocation Camp” ignored many rights and liberties in order to remove all of the Japanese Americans from their homes and imprison them; it continued to do so after relocating the Japanese population. One of the most symbolic items in this photo portraying the lack of rights is the small padlock hanging by the girl’s head. Although the padlock itself is usually used as a tool for protection, in this photo, it exhibits a strange sense of confinement and restraint. In the camps, the housing section was “surrounded by a barbed-wire fence, eight guard towers manned by soldiers with machine guns and huge searchlights” (Cook 22). After being sent to these camps with no proper trial or evaluation, those in the camps were kept under guard, just like a prison. The usurpation of rights was recognized by American citizens, yet was allowed to continue, because of the unsubstantiated fear and skepticism of Japanese Americans and their loyalty to America. Moreover, basic rights were not the only element seized from the Japanese …show more content…
However, those emotions lead to assumptions based solely on race, causing the unconstitutional and illegal relocation of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans. Although the U.S. government claimed that the relocation was to protect the Japanese Americans, the barbed wire, the guard towers, and the searchlights were all used to keep the evacuees inside. Furthermore, the conditions in the camps were horrible, being compared to prisons in many aspects; the barracks were poorly made with tar paper covering the wood, and people were crammed into the small living quarters. Finally, with the use of three innocent looking children in the photo, Ansel Adams was able to portray the detestable emotions in society and how the racist views are passed on through generations. Throughout the whole photo, the concept of race and racism is displayed, and today, with issues concerning race still debated and argued about, this photo still depicts our society. The photo questions our society today, after over 70 years from Manzanar, whether or not we have learned to accept and respect others for their differences, and whether or not a generation can finally decide that racism must never be
This “Relocation Camp” ignored many rights and liberties in order to remove all of the Japanese Americans from their homes and imprison them; it continued to do so after relocating the Japanese population. One of the most symbolic items in this photo portraying the lack of rights is the small padlock hanging by the girl’s head. Although the padlock itself is usually used as a tool for protection, in this photo, it exhibits a strange sense of confinement and restraint. In the camps, the housing section was “surrounded by a barbed-wire fence, eight guard towers manned by soldiers with machine guns and huge searchlights” (Cook 22). After being sent to these camps with no proper trial or evaluation, those in the camps were kept under guard, just like a prison. The usurpation of rights was recognized by American citizens, yet was allowed to continue, because of the unsubstantiated fear and skepticism of Japanese Americans and their loyalty to America. Moreover, basic rights were not the only element seized from the Japanese …show more content…
However, those emotions lead to assumptions based solely on race, causing the unconstitutional and illegal relocation of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans. Although the U.S. government claimed that the relocation was to protect the Japanese Americans, the barbed wire, the guard towers, and the searchlights were all used to keep the evacuees inside. Furthermore, the conditions in the camps were horrible, being compared to prisons in many aspects; the barracks were poorly made with tar paper covering the wood, and people were crammed into the small living quarters. Finally, with the use of three innocent looking children in the photo, Ansel Adams was able to portray the detestable emotions in society and how the racist views are passed on through generations. Throughout the whole photo, the concept of race and racism is displayed, and today, with issues concerning race still debated and argued about, this photo still depicts our society. The photo questions our society today, after over 70 years from Manzanar, whether or not we have learned to accept and respect others for their differences, and whether or not a generation can finally decide that racism must never be