This week, we explored letters from people who were put in internment camps during world war II.
Something that I noticed in the letter from Katherine Tasaki to Miss Clara Breed was that Tasaki did not seem to be upset. Despite the harsh conditions of being in an internment camp, her tone seems light and positive. This indicates that she is either trying to stay positive or it could mean that she is trying not to worry Miss Breed with the more difficult aspects of her situation.
I found it confusing that Tasaki mentions her life at the internment camp in a rather casual manner without dwelling on the hardships she had to face. For example, she mentions missing school due to illness but doesn’t mention the conditions at the camp that are affecting her health.
Something that I found particularly interesting was her tone that she used in the letter. For example, her humor when she talks about her overdue library books. Its fascinating how she can bring lightheartedness to such a difficult situation.
Two questions that I had while analyzing the letter were how was Katherine Tasaki actually feeling? The letter doesn’t show how she really felt about being in the camp which made me wish I could know more about her life and how she was actually doing.
My second question regarding the letter was did she ever get better? She mentions in the letter that she can not attend school because she has fallen ill. This makes me wonder if she recovered from her illness or not.
One AHA moment was when I reached the end of the letter and noticed that Katherine asks Miss Breed to remind her friends to write. This request could indicate her deep longing for connection and support from outside the camp. I was heartbroken to think about how alone she must have felt in the camp.