Chapter 7 of Obasan, written by Joy Kogawa, reveals the bitter and inhumane treatment of the Japanese in Canadian history. Emily’s metaphor for racism reflects her history’s discrimination in comparison with the Germans, “The Nazis are everywhere” (45). During this passage, it shows that Aunt Emily is intelligent, a crusader and a word warrior; she is the opposite of Obasan . She visits Naomi from time to time, giving her fragments of material of what she obtained from her conferences. The latest conference in California of the "Asian Experience in North America" caught Emily's attention towards the discrimination that is forced on Japanese people. Emily explains how the Japanese were treated unfairly, and how Canada was using the war as
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She’s also curious in relation to her past and her suffering “There was so much to learn. I had no idea how much I still hurt.” (39) making her character unique from others. Emily wants to bring equality not because she feels sorrowfulness towards the Japanese but because she has suffered, experienced the isolation and the discrimination. If Emily were to be a non-fiction character, she be known as the voice in silence. Regarding Emily’s description of Japanese discrimination, it establishes foreshadowing towards Naomi's storyline. Naomi’s understanding of Emily’s conference notes, journals and collected newspapers reflects her own life as she states “From my years of teaching I know it’s the children who say nothing who are in trouble more than the ones who complain”(41). The knowledge of the prior discrimination shows the audience Naomi and her family suffered from the isolation, unfair treatment, and silence before and after WWII, which develops characters and the plot. Emily’s experience and research changes her perspective, “The past is the future” there is no benefits from silence ; there is only suffering
She’s also curious in relation to her past and her suffering “There was so much to learn. I had no idea how much I still hurt.” (39) making her character unique from others. Emily wants to bring equality not because she feels sorrowfulness towards the Japanese but because she has suffered, experienced the isolation and the discrimination. If Emily were to be a non-fiction character, she be known as the voice in silence. Regarding Emily’s description of Japanese discrimination, it establishes foreshadowing towards Naomi's storyline. Naomi’s understanding of Emily’s conference notes, journals and collected newspapers reflects her own life as she states “From my years of teaching I know it’s the children who say nothing who are in trouble more than the ones who complain”(41). The knowledge of the prior discrimination shows the audience Naomi and her family suffered from the isolation, unfair treatment, and silence before and after WWII, which develops characters and the plot. Emily’s experience and research changes her perspective, “The past is the future” there is no benefits from silence ; there is only suffering