The Truth Behind Internment Camps
By: Mae Garland
Fun Leisure Time!
All the women in the picture are relaxing, completing leisurely activities with many surplus suplies. This picture was likely broadcasted throughout many articles, illustrating to America that these camps are well furnished and sanitary. The families were placed into these camps without their permission and this picture attempts to hide this fact. In reality, these women all wanted to be back at their homes, going about their daily rituals as they once had, but that oppruninity had vanished the second they were forced out of their homes.
The reality
This was a hectic scene in the bedroom of one of the many internment camps. Compared to the picture above, the sheets and bedding are worn out, and dirty. Many people sit cramped, with not much room in between the beds to maneuver around. Nobody is smiling or is relaxed, even the guitar player looks stressed. The exact reason for these people's stress is unsure, but one thing is forsure is the internment camp was not a pretty relaxing place it was said to be.
Play Time!
The boys and girls in the internment camp are running around, playing with one another in the warm sun. No fences were shown, with the boundaries of the camp limitless to other Americans who were viewing this picture. The image was supposed to show the Americans how fairly treated the Japenese were, even though they were considered the enemy. This creates a better image for the government, boosting the moral for the harsh conditions many were forced to live in.
The Reality, Being Fenced In
The boys are fenced in, unable to roam freely like they once were able to. The watch tower in the backround is in place to make sure the Japenese obey all of the rules. The fact that the watch tower was needed displays the lack of trust the government invested in the Japenese. America is a country that was started due to a yearning for freedom, which the Japenese were initially granted, before the internment camps. Once these camps began, all United State's morals were thrown out the window.