The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan is a fictional novel that is closely based on recorded history. It is a depiction of the brutality that Australian soldiers endured in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Siam, Thailand during World War II. At this time Japan was in dire need to find a more efficient route to use to resupply its army fighting in Thailand. Using water routes in the Pacific Ocean was too risky, putting supplies in danger of being destroyed by the enemy. The emperor of Japan ordered that a railroad be constructed through the jungle between Thailand and Burma to become the route used to supply his army. The idea of building a railroad through the jungle was thought to be impossible by many engineers; however, …show more content…
Flanagan’s style of continually jumping back and forth to different time periods was hard to follow. He did, however, do an excellent job in presenting a vivid picture of the inhumane conditions of the Japanese prison camps. Not being familiar with the events of World War II, this story gave me a very clear understanding of the atrocities these men endured serving in the military, fighting to protect the freedom of others. It also reminded me to be thankful for today’s veterans who are still fighting in Afghanistan and to appreciate the struggles our veteran’s face coming home and coping with terribly debilitating injuries and memories. Works Citied Flanagan, Richard. The Narrow Road to the Deep North. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014. Print. Mayo Clinic Staff. “ Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).” Mayoclinic.org. Mayo Clinic, 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2015. Robson, D., E. Welch, N.J. Beeching, and G.V. Gill. “Consequences of Captivity: Health Effects of Far East Imprisonment in World War II.” Oxfordjournals.org. Oxford University Press, 14 Oct. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2015. Reply, Reply All or Forward |
As Inada points out with his analogy to a constellation, the United States government had constructed many camps and scattered them all over the country. In other words, the internment of Japanese-Americans was not merely a blip in American history; it was instead a catastrophic and appalling forced remov...
Beginning in March of 1942, in the midst of World War II, over 100,000 Japanese-Americans were forcefully removed from their homes and ordered to relocate to several of what the United States has euphemistically labeled “internment camps.” In Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston describes in frightening detail her family’s experience of confinement for three and a half years during the war. In efforts to cope with the mortification and dehumanization and the boredom they were facing, the Wakatsukis and other Japanese-Americans participated in a wide range of activities. The children, before a structured school system was organized, generally played sports or made trouble; some adults worked for extremely meager wages, while others refused and had hobbies, and others involved themselves in more self-destructive activities.
...Concentration Camps USA: Japanese Americans and World War II. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970. Print.
During World War II, countless Japanese Canadians, and Americans, were relocated to internment camps out of fear of where their loyalties would lie. Because of this, those people were stricken from their homes and had their lives altered forever. Joy Kogawa’s Obasan highlights this traumatic event. In this excerpt, Kogawa uses shifts in point of view and style to depict her complex attitude and perception of the past.
Baseball Saved Us exposes children to the grim aspects of the internment camps. It does not hesitate to point out the overcrowded living quarters in the desolate conditions of the desert camps or that Japanese Americans had to discard most of their belongings before leaving their homes. Yet, it is through these realistically dark details that this book teaches one of its most valuable lessons to children. Children need to know that Japanese Americans were unfairly persecuted and interned. Oftentimes history textbooks gloss over the Japanese American internment camps. Baseball Saved Us attempts to elucidate this overlooked subject and teaches children about the wrongful treatment of Japanese Americans during and following WWII. In describing the horrible conditions of the camps, this book serves as a positive ethical influence on children because it shows them how unfair it was for people to be forced to experience these hard...
In mid-1943, four Chinese-men who were apart of Matthew’s organisation were tortured until they admitted to supplying radio parts. The Japanese arrested men who helped Matthews, Taylor, Wells and the men themselves. They were interrogated, tortured, beaten and deprived of nutrition before being moved to Kuching.
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." - Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
It can be said that the poor conditions and living styles of Japanese-Canadians were unsafe and unadaptable. A 22-year-old named Tom Tamagi proclaims, “I was a 22 year old Japanese Canadian, a prisoner of my own country of birth. We were confined inside a high wire fence of Hastings park just like caged animals”. Specifically, it is shown that many internees were just thrown into livestock buildings and expected to farm and produce resources, where they were also treated like animals as they were not given any attention and any assistance. This lack of personal care for Japanese-Canadians eventually led them to develop countless diseases, including pneumonia and skin infections, which impacted numerous families as many died. This atrocity of living through poor conditions had a worsening effect on Japanese-Canadians internees physical state. June Fujiyama, an ex-internee, recalled, “[w]hat a shock [it was] to arrive and find the Park surrounded by a high barbed-wire fence and guarded by soldiers who were dressed in khaki and carrying guns. I was incredulous. ‘Those guns are for us?’” To illustrate, Jane is subjected to a view of confinement as she is surprised that such protection and safety precautions are needed for her people, which demonstrates that her race is that much of a potential risk to others, and have to be under control and looked after at all times. Also, the
Friedman, Mathew J., MD, PhD. "PTSD History and Overview." PTSD: National Center for PTSD. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 31 Jan. 2007. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
In The New York Times article “At Internment Camp Exploring Choices of the Past,” Norimitsu Onishi discusses Japanese-Americans who were incarcerated in Tule Lake, an internment camp during World War II that held Japanese-Americans who were particularly insubordinate. Now decades after the events that took place in Tule Lake, the children of detainees who have been there begin to ask questions that were never answered by their parents otherwise.
Finally, in the short passage “Japanese-American Internment Was an Unnecessary and a Racist Act.” it says, “Japanese-American 442nd combat team inflicted more casualties and received more decoration than any other comparable army unit.” This proves that the japanese american soldiers were obviously doing something right, in order to receive those decorations. Yet again another reason why the japanese americans should have not been considered a threat.
World War II is an area of history researched by many scholars and amateurs in a variety ways and perspectives. Unfortunately, some aspects of this international event have been widely ignored. Thus, many books on unknown aspects of history have a harder time balancing both informing about the event and creating an argument within its history. The correct balance between these two tasks is something not all history books can accomplish, however, Nebraska POW Camps accomplished this task with only a small error. Using personal accounts, Melissa Amateis Marsh’s book, Nebraska POW Camps: A History of World War II Prisoners in the Heartland, was a refreshing read on a forgotten event close to home for Nebraskans, with a strong argument that only faltered in the organization of her defense of why POWs had positive experiences in the camps.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common health problem in individuals who encounter a severe trauma or life threatening event. It can occur from war, natural disaster, rape, and many other life-threatening events. However, how do health care professionals know how to diagnose and treat someone with PTSD? It is difficult to diagnose someone with PTSD, but once diagnosed, nurses are extremely involved in the care of these individuals. Post-traumatic stress disorder is especially common in military veterans who experienced a traumatic event in combat. It is important for nurses and other health care members to recognize and understand how to treat a military member with PTSD.
"PTSD: National Center for PTSD Home." National Center for PTSD. VA Health Care, 1 Jan.
Ozer, Emily, and Daniel Weiss. "Who Develops Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?." Current Directions in Psychological Science. 13.4 (2004): 169-172. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.