The movie, Go for Broke, centers around the Japanese American men who served in the 442nd regimental combat unit during World War II. Though unjustly imprisoned in internment camps, these men proved their loyalty to America and bravely fought against the Italian, German, and Japanese enemies, to become the most decorated unit in United States history. Released in 1951, six years after the end of the war, this movie aimed to change the prejudices against Japanese Americans in the United States. This was one of the first movies in America to portray Asian Americans in a positive light.
To begin, Lieutenant Michael Grayson discovers he is commanding a military unit composed of “Japs,” and immediately requests to be transferred to the 36th Division. …show more content…
One soldier, Chick, talks about his job working in Iowa, determining the sex of chickens and making 500 dollars a month. Iowa is mentioned twice within the movie; it is where Chick is from and where Sam’s brother was sent to. Though subtle, it is a mention that the Japanese were allowed to be free in the Midwest in order to assimilate with whites and also to be removed from their community with other Japanese Americans. Chick also makes fun of another soldier’s architect’s degree and how he couldn’t get a job as an architect and instead became a fruit peddler. This is probably a message from the writer to show that Japanese Americans were forced to take menial jobs in order to survive, even though they were well qualified to do higher paying, educated jobs. This is not unlike many real Asian Americans who have degrees in other countries that aren’t recognized in …show more content…
This battalion was surrounded by the German enemies and were forced to hide out and wait for help. The 442nd unit arrived on the scene, and decided to go for broke, saving over 200 men. Their heroism was greatly celebrated during their return to the United States and earned them numerous medals. They became the most decorated unit in the history of U.S. military. As Takaki writes in A Different Mirror, the U.S significantly benefited from the Japanese Americans who joined the army. With their Japanese language skills, they translated enemy battle plans and secret codes, tapped lines, and overall reduced the war by around two years. The Japanese Americans rightly showed that they could be true Americans and fight for America. Like Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The principle on which this country was founded and by which it has always been governed that Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart: Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or
To begin, Lieutenant Michael Grayson discovers he is commanding a military unit composed of “Japs,” and immediately requests to be transferred to the 36th Division. …show more content…
One soldier, Chick, talks about his job working in Iowa, determining the sex of chickens and making 500 dollars a month. Iowa is mentioned twice within the movie; it is where Chick is from and where Sam’s brother was sent to. Though subtle, it is a mention that the Japanese were allowed to be free in the Midwest in order to assimilate with whites and also to be removed from their community with other Japanese Americans. Chick also makes fun of another soldier’s architect’s degree and how he couldn’t get a job as an architect and instead became a fruit peddler. This is probably a message from the writer to show that Japanese Americans were forced to take menial jobs in order to survive, even though they were well qualified to do higher paying, educated jobs. This is not unlike many real Asian Americans who have degrees in other countries that aren’t recognized in …show more content…
This battalion was surrounded by the German enemies and were forced to hide out and wait for help. The 442nd unit arrived on the scene, and decided to go for broke, saving over 200 men. Their heroism was greatly celebrated during their return to the United States and earned them numerous medals. They became the most decorated unit in the history of U.S. military. As Takaki writes in A Different Mirror, the U.S significantly benefited from the Japanese Americans who joined the army. With their Japanese language skills, they translated enemy battle plans and secret codes, tapped lines, and overall reduced the war by around two years. The Japanese Americans rightly showed that they could be true Americans and fight for America. Like Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The principle on which this country was founded and by which it has always been governed that Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart: Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or