“Freedom means not being part of a pecking order. Freedom means being your own boss.”(34)

The conversation between Tubby and Mr. Snook in this book really got my attention. Tubby represent the traditional Japanese character who believe in traditional Japanese thoughts like pecking order and filial duty is important in the society, where as Mr. Snook represent a character form new world who believe in western enlightenment of individual development and removing social misbelieves like pecking order.

Japanese people and people from different part of Asia and Europe came to Hawaii in 1930s started migrate to work on the sugar cane plantation. Traditional Japanese believed in the pecking order which is the social hierarchy within the people of certain group. Due to this reason they did not support the Filipino workers of the Frontier Mill Plantation during strike for the proper pay rate. When the plantations are unable to pay them new rates, other people will be able to get their jobs. Here, we can see the total selfishness among the people and contend to earn money in expense of others. People are accustomed to humiliation from top and to humiliate less fortunate. Mr. Snook wants his students to see these immoral practices of the society and improve them.

Mr. Snook believed that the big bosses of the plantation are like the feudal lords who divide the workers and make them work for less. They forbid the process of bargaining for pay. Since there are more people than job, people are willing to work for less. This is the point when these feudal lords like bosses exploits them and keep them underpaid. He just wants his students to become active and point out where things are wrong. Not just sit around and become happy with the minimum pay they get. He wants them to fight for then rate of bay they were suppose to get, not by pulling each other’s leg but by helping each other by disregarding the pecking order.

Why does Kiyoshi believed Obaban is a substitute for his mom?

Kiyoshi’s mother had always been frail and was always sick. This time it was different, her illness was so bad that Kiyoshi thought she was about to die. Besides being sick she was also too superstitious and pessimistic towards her life. On one occasion she said to Kiyoshi “A bad wife is fifty years of bad crops (16),” by which she meant to say that even though she was not a bad wife she had always had a bad luck in her life. She also believed that they are suffering for the sin they had not committed. She thought that if someone does wrong deed, they will suffer; in other word she believed in Karma. However, the karma they were suffering form was not their own, it was someone else’s sin they are being punished for. “We can get punished as the substitute (17),” in this conversation, Kiyoshi’s mother told him that it was someone close to them who had done something bad and instead of them, her family is being punished.   

Obaban, Kiyoshi’s grandfather’s elder sister was very close with his family. She had helped Kiyoshi’s mother in many occasions. When his mother got sick, she was the first person Kiyoshi want to bring home. Obaban was spiritual but also quite superstitious like Kiyoshi’s mother. When Kiyoshi and Obaban was talking about bachi (punishment for wrong deeds which could also affect someone close to you instead), Obaban said “If she can find another substitute, then she’d be freed (20).” However, who knew that she was the one who was about to become the substitute for Kiyoshi’s mother. Few days after Obaban’s visit, Kiyoshi heard the news about her stroke. At that point Kiyoshi thought that Obaban has become the substitute for his mother and she has put an end to the cycle of bad luck in the family. The relief Kiyoshi felt when he heard it was Obaban who is dying of stroke not his mother was little inappropriate in the sense that Obaban was the closest one in his family. Instead of feeling sorrow, he felt joy at first. One ugly truth about our life is, we don’t even hesitate to sacrifice other for your loved one no matter how generous they had been to you. Kiyoshi became quite selfish at this moment and believed that Obaban was the perfect substitute for his mother as she was too old and there are not much people who are going to miss her. He also remarked that a family will be happy only if death takes place chronologically form elder to younger members of the family. Here, Obaban was the elder one, so Kiyoshi did not lament much for her. Instead of lamentation he said “I’d assumed Obaban was dead, I’d wanted her dead, just to be mother’s substitute (24).”

Who is Makot? Do you feel sorry for him? What are your thoughts about him and the way he copes with his parents?

Makot is a seventh grade kid who lives in Filipino Camp with his parents even though they are Japanese. He used to play with the guys younger than him for which he was made fun of by his fellow friends.  He always had money to spend due to which the young kids like author, himself was fond of him. As being the biggest member of the group, he always wants to become the leader and he feels that everyone in his group should follow him. He makes the young kids do risky jobs like following him across the breakers, climb the coconut trees etc. He always chooses the safe side and makes other younger kids do all the unsafe works. He believes that he is the brain of their little gang. Even though he always makes the kids do all the work he also spend money for them and feeds them.

The mischievous ideas which he always had were not the place to feel sorry for him. But when it comes to his parents, it seems that his parents care less about him. They just give them money to spend, but they do not give him any guidance which a parent gives to their children. His father does not work and all he does was riding his brand new Ford Model T around. Even though he had luxurious house and plenty of food to eat than other Japanese children, he lack the love of parents.

The way he tells his mother to shut up and shove her in the house, clearly shows that he was rude towards his mother. As author said that he would had never treated her mother like the way Makot treated also shows that Japanese people have a great respect for their parents. However, as presented in the movie, Makot’s parents also do not seem to be decent Japanese people.

Punctuation: The Comma

To prevent the collision of the sentence and to prevent misreading we have to use comma. There are various rules to use comma, they are as follows:

·         Put comma before a coordinating conjunction like and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet. Coordinating conjunction helps to join the independent clauses. Comma directs the reader about the end of independent clause and the beginning of new clause.

·         A comma should be used after an introductory clause or phrase.  Here comma tells reader that introduction is over and the main part of the sentence is beginning. These introductory clauses usually answer the question when, where, how, why, or under what condition.

·         When three or more items are presented in series, those items should be separated using comma. We usually avoid comma for the last two items but it is better to use comma between last two items to avoid misreading.

·         While using two or more coordinate adjective in a sentence, we are suppose to use commas instead of and. However, while using cumulative adjective we are not suppose to use comma.

·         Comma should also be used to set off nonrestrictive elements, but for restrictive elements like adjective clauses, adjective phrases, and appositives comma should be avoided.

·         Comma is used to set off transitional and parenthetical expressions, absolute phrases and elements expressing contrast.

·         Comma is used to set off nouns of direct address, the words “yes and no,” interrogative tags, and mild interjections.

·         Comma is also used with expressions such as he said to set off direct quotations.

·         Comma is used with dates, addresses, titles, and numbers. Only if the date is inverted or the month and year are given, comma is not necessary.

·         To prevent confusion comma is used.

Before reading this chapter I use to think comma is use in only certain places to prevent long sentences. But now I have realized that use of comma is also a vast subject. Using comma between coordinating adjective is completely new thing to me. I have also learnt that we are supposed to use commas before coordinating conjunction.

Writing about Film:

It is not always easy to write a film paper. Different perspective and analysis come in to play when a writer writes paper. Especially when one has to study by breaking down a movie in to small pieces or by know its history. Like all movies are not made same, its study and papers differs too. Ideological papers explain beliefs and purpose of a film. And cultural studies reflect local values and cultures of a place/country where film was made. Writes has to watch a film very carefully before he starts writing about it. If one can watch movie or its certain parts again and again then possibility of better paper increases. A film takes a big team of people to be completed and everyone has a major contribution too. It’s not only actors who appear on screen but also whole bunch of crew members who work behind screen play major parts in making of a movie. There are also large amount of terminology that a writer has to be familiar with to write a good paper. And last but not least, It’s very important to include key components like who the director is, what other movies has he directed. What kind of condition and period the film was made, and of course what did critics say about it.