survey of american literature notes
location they're being held at? term used for the process by which they move there?
broad category: internment camp
another term: relocation center. process by which they got there: evacuation
being told they were being evacuated, told it was a relocation center. intentionally not
descriptive of what it's like. not being moved to safety, they are being taken from safety
made to distract you from what's actually going on
language that would more accurately reflect the reality of the camp
dichotomy/ comparison of language being used and what is actually going on in the camps
benefits of using the medium of memoir: language the public is facing but having the reality of
the pictures, reflective of what people are facing. dulling senses of the public where the reality is
much more brutal
recurrence, doubling(?)
reconstruction.
recurrences pertaining to education and suffrage
page 91. organized self government, slogans and rallies, first time non-citizen members could
have a chance to vote but they are not allowed to
pg 92. education is being done by those in the community with limited resources
goals are similar; wondering why they are similar.
close viewing of the graphic novel
2
pages 78-81
what is happening in the plot
page 78 - sewage system, being poor, smell being really bad
pg 79 - visits from their loved ones being regulated. strictness. only allowed to talk to them
through a wired fence. children under 16 not allowed to visit the center
page 81 - lack of freedom and how close they felt to freedom without actually being free.
surveillance aspect where guards are always watching
the imagery is of a jail
illusion of freedom because they are so close to it– only being separated by a barbed wire. very
near to normalcy but still so far away; dehumanization continues
made to believe it's a normal thing; that it is for their safety. children and pets arent allowed
near– children aren't usually allowed in places that are dangerous
not allowing pets also denies them another piece of comfort
lines being extremely long, taking houses to get people inside. shows that the people in the
camps were loved and it was entirely the government's decision; for the most part they had
family and friends.
guards surveilling day and night; very excessive. calling it a camp when they are being treated
like prisoners is humorous
they (government) doesn't really care to fix the sewage system or other things that need repair
line of visitors gaped at by passing motorists. “oh they cant believe that so many people would
line up to see the prisoners in the camps”
visitors usually get better treatment than the actual residents of the camp
second: describe what you see on the page
visual artifact
close viewing attends to: line, composition, braiding
each character has their own identity through the way they dress, their own styles and
accessories
older man with glasses and there is a woman with flowers
the way they are positioned is like they are squeezing together to be as small as possible
pg 78 - a bunch of barns, sewage is shown through a small drawing of pipes. workers in the
back are second/ not really the focus/ faceless
79 - cars passing by, long line of visitors
text and image relationship is complimentary.
“children under sixteen years of age” shows a lot of children in the image; perhaps a contrasting
image and showing a hypocrisy in the rules
pg 81 - complimentary again as she is overlooking everything, seeing how they are practically
prisoners inside
same flower pattern is seen throughout these pages
they don't have the luxury of having multiple changes of clothes (shown in how they wear the
same clothes in several images)
plots of dirt and soil but no foliage or flowers; flower patterns on shirts show a contrast?
drawings of people look lifeless and anxious
page 81 - trees in distance, no trees in the camp
lines are all scratchy, it's obvious that it is a sketch to jot down what the scene looked like
exactly. limited amount of time to construct everything.
billboard