Breaking Silence is a poem by Japanese American poet Janice Miri
Kitani, who known for her works that draws the gruesome effect of war, relocation, imprisonment. It is talks about the experiences of Japanese Americans when they were put in to interment camps during World War II. “Breaking Silence,” focuses on her mother’s experience testifying to the
Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Japanese American Civilians in 1981.
The poem reflects on the knowledge of silence of the generation of Japanese - American’s and also expresses her mother's experience of feeling dehumanizined and isolated from the world. They didn't have any voice to express their true feelings. Japanese Americans were brutally treated by the US.
The poet shows admiration towards her mother as she testifies against wartime injustice. Actually they wanted to break the silence. But silence was the only way they could express their ideas and thoughts. Their silence shows sorrows and frustration faced by the Japanese Americans in various concentration camps.
In “Breaking Silence,” Mirikitani creates the image of a hopeful, blossoming garden that represents her mother’s faith in creating a prosperous life in the United States; however, her aspirations become suffocated: “The land she built / like
hope / grew quietly / irises, roses, sweet peas / opening, opening. / And then / all was hushed . . .
/ . . . / silenced” (lines 66-76).
They consider their silence as
integral parts of their identity as Asian Americans. some are shameful silences that need to be “broken,” as Mirikitani observes, but the healthy silences are inherently part of the Asian American identity.
Japanese Americans are recognized easily with their pale yellow golden colour. In this poem Miri Kitani vividly portrays racial discrimination faced by Asian people in America.
Japanese Americans made believe that their faces betrayed them. So she brings out the pain racism.
"My youth is buried in Rohwer'' /
Which shows they were in different concentration camps like Rohwer, Amache gate, Tule lake... etc.
The poem ends with an optimistic tone. At last they are breaking their silence and unite for their freedom and raise their voice against the injustice they had been facing. They declare that:
"We here everything
We are unafraid
Our language is beautiful"
The poet ends by saying that after breaking the silence they are not afraid and feel that their language is beautiful. By using that language they will share the pain and suffering they had in.
No comments:
Post a Comment