In the poem “ What Do You Remember Of The Evacuation?” by Joy Kogawa, the author portrayed herself as her 6 year old self and explained how she coped with the evacuation of Japanese Canadians during WWII. Her family, along with other Japanese Canadians were forced to move from their homes, but the character managed to use her imagination and help from others to survive the evacuation. In the poem, the author writes, “I remember Miss Foster and Miss Tucker… A puzzle to play with on the train,” (line 20, 24). The white teachers assisted and reassured Joy by giving her a puzzle to play with on the train to help her overcome the long journey. Even though she was a Japanese Canadian, the fact that the white teachers supported her showed that the teachers weren’t engaged in the racism. Since she was only 6 years old, she saw the white Canadians as “Gulliver of Gulliver’s Travels scanning the horizon/ And when I told my mother she believed it too” (line 27-28). Her imagination of a soldier being Gulliver and her mother “believing” it was a huge benefit. It shows how an adult’s love can represent security to a child when dealing with strong emotions and experiences. The parents tried to maintain Joy’s innocence by approving everything she believed it to be, so it wouldn’t raise suspicions about the evacuation. The poem shows that even during hardships or tragedies, young children are able to cope through hardships by support from adults and using their own imagination.  

                

Image Citations: 

Sandra. “Russell Lee.” Pinterest, 26 Apr. 2013, www.pinterest.ca/pin/78390849736623304/?lp=true./.latest_citation_text

“European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.” FRA for Children | European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, fra.europa.eu/en/theme/rights-child/fra-for-children.

I did great on using quotes that were relevant and strong in my writing.

Next time I will improve by having images that are more relevant to the message and for my content to be more detailed.