The Courage of a Bird

1374 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on fear vs courage

As I entered the classroom, I quickly walked over to my desk, quietly sat down, and instantly resumed my observation of the bird’s nest outside. It was a beautiful day and I could hear the bird’s chirping. I had been observing this fellow since he was a chick and knew that one day he would not be in his mother’s nest for me to observe. I came at the perfect time because I could see the mother standing in the nest beside what used to be her hatchling. They are beautiful creatures built to be carried by hot thermals high into the sky. Man can only dream of accomplishing the feats a bird can naturally do. A man might be closer to accomplishing these feats if he were to have the courage of a bird. Imagine standing at the edge and looking down towards the ground at one’s demise. Then being able to look towards the skies and know that this leap of faith will be the beginnings of a new life. As I pondered this thought, I saw the bird suddenly spread his wings and fall to the earth. Just as I thought he was about to hit the ground, he spread his wings and began the new day by soaring into the realm of the skies.

A smile spread across my face just as the bell rang, signifying the start of a new day for me. Mr. Franklin started class with a lecture encompassing the beginnings of the Japanese American incarceration. He began “Following the attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, agents of the FBI swept through Japanese American communities in California, Oregon, and Washington, apprehending leaders who had been identified as potential threat…” He continued, “Singled out by race alone, Japanese Americans became the victims of racial policies that stripped them of their rights as American citizens” (Tateishi). “Nezumi,” Mr. Franklin sta...

... middle of paper ...

...places I lived I was not accepted, but did I ever once do anything about my situation? I did not. Yes, I could be considered one of “them” or perhaps even as the gaijin, but I am more then that. I am a person, and I want people to see me as an individual with my own personality and characteristics. No more will I be forced into a stereotype. I am an individual and should be treated as one. I find it amusing that my courage comes from the courage of a bird.

Works Cited

Dillon, Thomas. "The melting pot of 2008." Japan Times (2008): n. pag. Web. 7 Mar 2011.

“Gaijin.” Webster's New World College Dictionary. Wiley Publishing Inc. 2010. yourdictionary.com

Innerspace, . "Be. Inspired & Inspire." Send Wise Cards. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar 2011.

Tateish, John. "The Japanese American Incarceration: The Journey to Redress - Human Rights." 2000: n. pag. Web. 7 Mar 2011.

Show More
Related

  • Farming the Home Place, by Valerie J. Matsumoto

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Matsumoto studies three generations, Issei, Nisei, and Sansei living in a closely linked ethnic community. She focuses her studies in the Japanese immigration experiences during the time when many Americans were scared with the influx of immigrants from Asia. The book shows a vivid picture of how Cortex Japanese endured violence, discriminations during Anti-Asian legislation and prejudice in 1920s, the Great Depression of 1930s, and the internment of 1940s. It also shows an examination of the adjustment period after the end of World War II and their return to the home place.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Betrayed By America By Kristin Lewis

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was no secret that when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, countless Americans were frightened on what will happen next. The attack transpiring during WW2 only added to the hysteria of American citizens. According to the article “Betrayed by America” it expressed,”After the bombing many members of the public and media began calling for anyone of Japanese ancestry။citizens or not။to be removed from the West Coast.”(7) The corroboration supports the reason why America interned Japanese-Americans because it talks about Americans wanting to remove Japanese-Americans from the West Coast due to Japan bombing America. Japan bombing America led to Americans grow fear and hysteria. Fear due to the recent attack caused internment because Americans were afraid of what people with Japanese ancestry could do. In order to cease the hysteria, America turned to internment. American logic tells us that by getting the Japanese-Americans interned, many

    Read More

  • John Okada’s No-No Boy

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States of America a nation known for allowing freedom, equality, justice, and most of all a chance for immigrants to attain the American dream. However, that “America” was hardly recognizable during the 1940’s when President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, ordering 120,000 Japanese Americans to be relocated to internment camps. As for the aftermath, little is known beyond the historical documents and stories from those affected. Through John Okada’s novel, No-No Boy, a closer picture of the aftermath of the internment is shown through the events of the protagonist, Ichiro. It provides a more human perspective that is filled with emotions and connections that are unattainable from an ordinary historical document. In the novel, Ichiro had a life full of possibilities until he was stripped of his entire identity and had to watch those opportunities diminish before him. The war between Japan and the United States manifested itself into an internal way between his Japanese and American identities. Ichiro’s self-deprecating nature that he developed from this identity clash clearly questions American values, such as freedom and equality which creates a bigger picture of this indistinguishable “America” that has been known for its freedom, equality, and helping the oppressed.

    Read More

  • Kabuo Assumed Guilty Because of Japanese Heritage in Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    The racial conflict with Japanese-Americans began when the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, a military naval base located in the state of Hawaii. “Behind them they left chaos, 2,403 dead, 188 destroyed planes, and a crippled Pacific Fleet that included 8 damaged or destroyed battleships” (“Attack” 1). The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on the Empire of Japan. The fear that resulted from the attack on Pearl Harbor caused many white Americans to hate the Japanese-Americans. Many Japanese were accused of being spies and were arrested without proof. “Rabid anti-Japanese American racism surfaced the first days after Pearl Harbor. The FBI and the military had been compiling lists of "potentially dangerous" Japanese Americans since 1932, but most were merely teachers, businessmen or journalists” (Thistlethwaite 1). In February of 1942, all of the Japanese on the West Coast of the United States were sent to internment camps.

    Read More

  • Mexican Migration Essay

    601 Words  | 2 Pages

    The bombing on Pearl Harbor impaired America, which brought an increase to racial tension. However, this impairment brought all nationalities together. “Thirty-three thousand Japanese Americans enlisted in the United States Armed Forces. They believed participation in the defense of their country was the best way to express their loyalty and fulfill their obligation as citizens” (Takaki 348). Takaki proves to us that the battle for independence was grappled on the ends of enslaved races. The deception of discrimination within the military force didn’t only bewilder Americans that sensed the agony of segregation, but also to the rest of world who honored and idolized America as a beam of freedom for

    Read More

  • Internment of Japanese Canadians

    1973 Words  | 4 Pages

    Marsh, James H. "Japanese Internment: Banished and Beyond Tears." The Canadian Encyclopedia. N.p., 23 Feb. 2012. Web. 7 Jan. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Importance Of Japanese Internment Camps

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Japanese internment camps are an important part of American history. They represented and showed much of the change that happened around World War II. Although many people may say that races other than African-Americans were not that discriminated against, that was not the case. The Japanese-American People lost their homes, livelihood, and were separated from their families. More people should know about this event so as to learn from it and let something similar never to repeat it. Japanese internment camps should be an event all new American’s learn about because of its importance in World War II, the influence racism had on the camps, and for being one of the biggest violations of civil rights in American history

    Read More

  • Japanese Internment After Pearl Harbor

    2439 Words  | 5 Pages

    23 .Roger Daniel, Prisoners Without Trial: Japanese Americans in the World War II 1993, Hill and Yang.

    Read More

  • World War II Prison Camps for Japanese-Americans

    1802 Words  | 4 Pages

    Twenty years after the First World War, humanity was, yet again, plagued with more hostility. September 1st, 1939 marked the start of World War II, this time, with new players on the board. Waves of fear and paranoia rippled throughout the United States, shaking its’ very foundation of liberty and justice for all. The waves powerfully crashed onto a single ethnic group, the Japanese-Americans, who had their rights and respect pulled away from them. They were seen as traitors and enemies in their own country, and were thrown into prison camps because of it. This event marks one of the absolute lowest points in United States history and has changed the course of the country as a whole.

    Read More

  • How Incarceration Impacted Japanese Americans

    2209 Words  | 5 Pages

    The forced eradication of Japanese & Japanese Americans from their homes within California, Washington, & Oregon from 1942 to 1946 brought suffering and personal loss to various communities. After the camps, Japanese were told to resettle within Midwest and East and avoid returning to hostile West Coast. Most communities perished and were never restored. For instance, as people started resettlement, Japanese communities like San Francisco Nihonmachi & Los Angeles Little Tokyo were ripped by urban renewal. The aim of this paper is to discuss the long term impacts like racism, economic loss and generational changes of this regrettable episode of American history upon the Japanese community.

    Read More

  • Japanese American Incarceration

    1893 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Incarceration of Japanese Americans is widely regarded as one of the biggest breaches of civil rights in American History. Incarceration evolved from deep-seated anti-Japanese sentiment in the West Coast of the United States. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, pressure from the military leadership, politicians, media and nativist groups in the West Coast eventually convinced the President Franklin Roosevelt that action had to be taken to deal with the national security “threat” that Japanese Americans posed. In reality, Japanese Americans were no real threat to the United States, but the racist sentiments against them prevailed and greatly influenced United States policy during the war.

    Read More

  • The Internment Of Japanese Americans During WWII

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the process of war the public skipped to the conclusion that all Japanese Americans were out to get them. The suspicion of a government takeover was on everyones mind. Paranoia led people into to thinking every single Japanese American was guilty, no matter if it was a child, a WWI veteran, or if they had ever even been to Japan. The suspicion did not end there, inducing temporary segregation, and the exploitation of japanese american’s human rights. Mass hysteria and racism influenced the government's actions towards the Japanese.

    Read More

  • Essay On Japanese Internment Camps

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was still tension between Japanese-Americans and other United States citizens. Laws like the “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” a way of restricting Japanese immigration, was put into place in 1908 in fear of a “future Japanese ‘takeover’” (Hata and Hata, 7). After the attack on Pearl Harbor, growing hysteria filled the country and Japanese-Americans feared for their future. About a year later, Franklin D. R...

    Read More

  • The Inferior Race

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout America’s history, there have been numerous incidents of unnecessary incrimination of certain races, perhaps most evidently the internment of Japanese-Americans between World War I and World War II. Not only did public opinions shift towards illogical discrimination of the foreigners, degrading propaganda, discriminating laws, and segregation/separation began taking over the nation. Mainly due to the idea of national safety, irrational fear of the Japanese quickly arose and the government saw internment as a reasonable response, which only led to the Americans feeling superior to the so-called “inferior creatures.” During the gap between the World Wars, the American population took drastic measures in order to make it clear that they are superior to the Japanese and the United States truly is their country.

    Read More

  • Japanese American Are A Minority Group

    1534 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout Americas history, there has been prejudice, discrimination, and segregation. The prejudice, discrimination, and segregation of African-Americans and Native Americans are well known and often portrayed in movies. The group that is less exposed in movies is the prejudice, discrimination, and segregation of Asians. Mine is about a minority group that has seen prejudice, discrimination, and segregation that is now recognized universally deplorable the Japanese American. The incarceration of the Japanese by the United States during World War II is now considered unjust. After “Executive Order 9066 the army moved 40,000 long-term immigrants, and 77,000 United States citizens of Japanese descent.” (Miksch and Ghere, 2004 p. 212) Although, at that time “Most people thought internment of enemy aliens was a normal precaution in wartime situations.” (Miksch and Ghere, 2004 p. 211) “The practice of internment of enemy aliens is normal practice in Canada, Australia, United States, and European countries.” (Miksch and...

    Read More

More about The Courage of a Bird

Open Document