Summary Of Ww2 By Ronald Takaki

Up to this time the position that American soldiers played in World War II has been presented through the views of policy makers, but in this novel Ronald Takaki allows the reader to get the various views of minorities and their position during this time. In the reading, the author gives insight of what was going on in the United States of America while our country’s soldiers were fighting for freedom and inequality of the the Jewish people in Europe.

Battles for equality in our society was on going simultaneously with World War II. Takaki presents the views of different minorities who experience different forms of racism. He tells the story through lives of ethnically diverse citizens such as; the Japanese that was sent to a camp along with his family by his own country, a Navajo code reader which uses his native language to transmit secret messages about the war while his family suffered in poverty on a government reservation, a black solider who was forced to the back of the bus even though he was in uniform, and other different minorities. W.E.B Dubois called this era the war for racial equality. These characters not only struggle with the war but also with racial issues outside of the war.

These various ethnic groups served in the military and still suffered from racial segregation and discrimination, the book states that they had a vision of America as a multicultural democracy.

They fought for the freedom of the Japanese, but this was a contradiction in itself. Americans who are not looked at as equal to White-American fight for the Japanese to be looked at as equal. The novel states that one negreo says to just carve on my tombs tomb here lies a black man killed fighting a yellow man to protect a white man. The negroes of America ask them to prove to them that they are not hypocrites when they say that this war is for freedom. Takaki emphasizes how America believes that these minorities should fight for our country, but still are under white

supremacy.

Takaki does a great job in providing detail about what each minority experienced. He explains even the sound of the bombing. This is a country that looks at different races as unequal and below the white race but still opress minorities to go to war to fight for equality. The equality should start at home before being able to set out to fight for someone else. The book states that they were not only fighting for victory abroad but also for victory over prejudice at home.

The Indians questioned whether they should fight for the white man or not. Which is a reasonable question, first they were forced to come to this country by this country and then not to be seen as equal. So there is no true reasoning of why they should die for this country where they are mistreated and treated unfairly. The navajo people stand proud to serve the white man, they still held there heads high even thought they received lesser pay.

This novel makes a good point when it says that a Jim Crow army cannot fight for a free world. It is a contradiction in itself. This novel shines light on the importance of wartime in America. It also highlights the thoughts and feelings of the minority population and the general population in regards of the treatment of minority groups. Takaki dedicates each chapter to a minority group ensuring to highlight the point of view during this time.