Theme Of Growing Up Nisei By David Yoo

In Growing Up Nisei, David K. Yoo argues that Japanese Americans “contended with such themes within a crucible of time marked by racial subordination,economic depression, a world war, and mass incarceration.” A key theme of the book is emphasises on the mass incarceration that the Japanese people faced during the time before and during World War II. David Yoo introduces the idea of racism that has been passed down from the Chinese to the Japanese. Like the Chinese, Japanese were upheld to the same if not worse treatment the chinese received. But when the bombing of Pearl Harbour transpired Japanese were deemed terrorist whether being born in their homeland or U.S.. Thus introducing a series of challenges that split Japanese population perceived …show more content…
First of all, the cultural difference between the Issei and Nisei stemmed from the idea that young Nisei during the 1920s entering American public schools were losing their sense of heritage. Nisei students that attended public schools often faced bullying, racial hostility from peers and administrators. In doing so caused a feeling of social acceptance. With the pressure building up, the Nisei often mickmick the U.S. cultural approach to draw less attention to themselves for being different, assimilating with them. Some Nisei went as far as changing their last names, changing religious views, and many lost their native tongue. In a way the Nisei felt as if the Japanese cultural was in some way inferior to the Western culture and grew accustomed to the American system which was deemed socially acceptable, in the process shunned away from their own. This caused a temporal rift between the Issei and Nisei during the 1940s since values, perception of life, and generational differences. Some Nisei who provided information to WRA intelligence agencies during war times were considered an inu-literally, dog or traitors to their own people. Those Nisei who tried being the change were often stuck in the middle, since the American and Japanese culture weighed them both down. On one hand the Issei wanted them to become the bridge and on the American side no matter …show more content…
Furthermore, what led the Issei to this philosophy? The philosophy of the United States being the home of the Japanese Americans. The idea came too, during the early 1900s through the Japanese Newspaper Press. Through the 19th century there has been many Japanese Newspaper publisher from the likes of Rafu Shimpo, North America Post, and Pacific Citizen. Newspapers at the time were mainly focused around racial responsibility, racial solidarity, and racial victimization. The most influential and most popular newspapers was known as the Nichi Bei Times founded by Kyutaro Abiko in 1899. The Nichi Bei was originally known for the embrace of Americanism. Being one of the first Japanese Newspapers at the time the Nichi Bei and other Japanese newspaper companies had a big impact on the Issei and Nisei. Impacting both groups in a different way during their reign. For the Issei, the press at the time focused on fostering the idea of an ethic of hard work and loyalty that would eventually lead to the acceptance of Japanese Americans into the mainstream of American life. This in a sense was to help insure that their was no place/home to go back too and that America was their new homeland. Also remind the japanese men who came to the U.S. to escape that war recruitment was still amidst. Many institutions, not only the newspapers but also the Japanese Association and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco provided support and a means of reproduction since it was illegal for