Senthil1

SmruthiSenthil
CoachSchnell
PreAPEnglish1
5/4/2015

CulturalConnectionsinKubotabyGarrettHongo
Kubotaisashortstorywhichpullsyouinandcreativelyinformsthereaderofthe
discriminationJapaneseAmericansfacedduringthebeginningofWorldWar2.Inthis
nonfictionpiece,Hongotellsthestoryofhisgrandfather,alocalJapaneseAmericanleaderin
thecommunity,whowastakenawayforquestioningforharboringandsupportingJapanese
nationals.Luckily,Kubotacomesbackandtheirfamilyremainsthesame,buttheirsituationwas
aluckyone.Manyotherfamiliesweretakenaway,tornapart,anddisplaced.However
throughouttheentirethirteenpagestoryofGarrettHongosgrandfather,theJapaneseAmerican
cultureplaysanextensiveroleastheauthorreferencesJapanesewords,explainshowtheWorld
War2conflict,anddescribesthelifeofaJapaneseAmerican..ConnectionstotheJapanese
AmericanCultureinKubotaarepresentinthemaincharacterandtheconflict.
TheprimarycharacterinthestoryKubota,thegrandfatheroftheauthor,contains
majorityoftheculturalconnectiontothepiece.Kubota,themaincharacter,isaJapanese
American.Besidesthat,KubotacarriedontraditionalJapanesecustomssuchasfishingusing
Japanesemethods.ButhealsobecameapartoftheAmericanculture,thusproviding
characteristicsandactionsthatthereadercanusetoinferthecharacteristicsoftheJapanese
Americancultureofthattime.Kubotawasthepatriarchinthesmallfamilyandheleadanormal

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JapaneseAmericanlife.HeisaKibei,whichisaJapaneseAmericanborninHawaii.Kubota
livedinhishomeinLaiewhichwaslocatedinasugarplantationvillageonOahusNorth
Shore.There,heworkedonthesugarplantationsuntilheretired.Afterretiringfromworkingon
theplantations,herantheLaiegeneralstoreandthismadehimtobeafamiliarfacearound
town.KubotastartedtobecomeanintegralpartofthecommunityinLaie.Hestartedhis
outreachbyputtingtogetheraJapanesecommunityorganizationthatsupportedaJapanese
languageschoolandalsosponsoredteachersfromJapan.Kubotasrootsintheareacanbe
tracedbacktotheearly1900s.Laieisasugarplantationvillageandthemigrationofthe
JapaneseAmericansbeganinthelate1800s.
HawaiiusedtobeaU.SterritorycontrolledbypowerfulU.Sbasedsugarandfruit
plantations.TheChineseimmigrantswhowerehiredwereleavingtheirworktofindhigher
payingandsaferjobs.Theplantationowners,scaredofadeclineinproduction,sentlettersto
AmericanbusinessmeninJapantoprovidelaborersforthevacantjobs.Inreplytothepleasfor
help,thebusinessmensoughtoutlocalJapanesefarmerswillingtomovetoAmericaandsent
thembacktoHawaii.In1868thefirstJapanesemigrantsweresenttoHawaiitoworkonsugar
plantations(JapaneseAmericans,Easton&Ellington).Inaninterview,GarrettHongotalked
abouthisgrandparentsandtheirlivesinHawaii,ShigemitsuandKubotawhoworkedas
contractlaborersontheNorthShoreofO`ahuinHawaiiduringtheearlypartofthe20th
century,afterarrivingthereasimmigrantsfromSouthernJapan.(AConversationWithGarrett
Hongo,Wendy).
Anotherculturalconnectionpresentintheshortstory,istheconflictwhichKubotafaces.
Hongodescribesitvividly,ItwasMondaynight,thedayafterPearlHarborandtherewasa

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rattlingknockatthefromdoor.TwoFBIagentspresentedthemselves,showedidentification,
andtookmygrandfatherinforquestioninginHonolulu.Nooneknewwhathadhappenedor
whatwaswrong.ButtherewasaroundupgoingonofallthoseintheJapaneseAmerican
communitysuspectedofsympathizingwiththeenemyandworse.TheFBIreachesoutandpulls
hundredsoftheminforquestioningindragnetscastthroughouttheWestCoastandHawaii.
(Hongo,Page3).Inthatparagraph,Hongogoesontodescribethechargesagainsthis
grandfather,thedestructionofhisgrandfathersfavoritefishingsiteswhichwasduetothe
creationofanauxiliaryairstationduetothewar,andtheeradicationofasmallgunbattery
whichkilledthreepeople.Hongobelievedthereasonforthequestioninganddisplacementto
prisoncampswas,Circumstancesandanundertoneofracialresentmenthadcombinedwith
wartimehysteriaintheaftermathofthetragicnavalbattletocastsuspicionontheloyaltiesof
mygrandfatherandallotherJapaneseAmericans.GarrettHongothendescribestheprocess
whichmanyJapaneseAmericansfacedduringWorldWarII.Menwereroundedupafter
questioningandthensenttoprisoncampssuchasFortMissoulainMontanaundertheJustice
Departmentorders.Thesemendidnotseetheirfamiliesagainforfouryears(Hongo,Page4).
InthebeginningofWorldWarII,PearlHarborwasattackedbytheJapanese.This
sparkedracialresentmentandhatredagainstJapaneseAmericans.Twomonthsafterthe
bombingofPearlHarbor,PresidentFranklinD.RooseveltsignedExecutiveOrder9066which
orderedalloftheJapaneseAmericanstoevacuatetheWestCoast.Thisledtotherelocationof
about120,000peopletointernmentcampsforthereasonsofnationalsecurity.(Japanese
AmericanRelocation,History.comStaff).FortheJapaneseAmericansoldiers,thismadethem
provetothegovernmentthattheywereloyal.EightmonthsbeforeJapansurrendered,theact

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wasrepealed.Thegovernmentsetaside1.6billiondollarsforanofficialapologytoallofthe
JapaneseAmericanswhowereputinthewarrelocationcamps(JapaneseAmericanRelocation,
History.comStaff).
Overall,KubotabyGarrettHongotrulyconnectedwiththeJapaneseAmericanculture
inHawaiiandWorldWarII.Hongointegratedhisfamily,historicalhappenings,andwhatthe
culturetaughthiminthisthirteenpagenonfictionshortstory.InKubotatheJapanese
AmericancultureisbroughttolifethroughtheKubotaandthestrugglehefaced.