An Essay on "Farewell to Manzanar" - 3/29/04
             The year was 1942, and Pearl Harbor had recently been attacked by the Japanese military. The American society quickly changed from being peaceful and easy going, to courageously and violently patriotic, scared, confused, and potentially irrational. Not only was the U.S. in turmoil and war, but so was the rest of the world. World War II was raging on viciously, daily increasing death rates on both sides. Unfortunately though, World War II was not the only thing viciously raging on at that time; the hearts and emotions of the American people were turning against a minority within themselves, who they quickly began to hate. These people were the Japanese-Americans and the Japanese aliens, who had been dwelling in the U.S. long before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Jeanne Wakatsuki was one of the unfortunate victims and "prisoners" of the internment camps. She was seven years old when her life dramatically changed forever. Her father was suddenly arrested for no apparent reason, her house was vandalized, the family's boats and business was abducted by the government, people on the streets seemed to hate any person of Japanese dissent, and her family was forced to sell their beautiful, Ocean Park home and move into a run-down, Japanese ghetto for safety. After living, for a few months, in poor conditions and constant discomfort or fear, conditions became even worse. They were evacuated out of their homes by the military, and were sent on trucks or buses to one of the ten Japanese internment camps across the U.S. The Wakatsuki family was sent to Manzanar, a new and hurriedly built concentration camp in the middle of the barren deserts of southern California. With frequent dust storms, burning hot days, freezing cold nights, no vegetation or shrubbery whatsoever, and tiny, cramped, unhomely, and flimsy living quarters, Manzanar was depressing just to look at. Th...