America: Vipers and Terrorists

“A viper is nonetheless a viper wherever the egg is hatched — so a Japanese-American, born of Japanese parents — grows up to be Japanese, not an American.”

During World War II Americans were outraged by the Nazi concentrations camps that were created to put an end to the entire Jewish population. While Americans were quick to show their disgust about the Nazis, they were very reluctant to mention that Japanese internment camps located on the West Coast of the United States.

Below is an article that details the work done by Dorothy Lange, one of the greatest photographers in the US, about the Japanese internment camps.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/06/arts/design/06lang.html

The video below was created by the US government in an attempt to justify the need for Japanese Relocation.

Pretend you are a Japanese adolescent living in America during this time period. Write a letter describing what you think life is like in the internment camps. How do you feel about leaving your home? Do you think you are being treated fairly? How do you think you culture is being effected?

Question to Consider: Do you see similarities with the way Muslims and people from the Middle East were treated after the 9/11 attacks?