Children's Expressions through Photography in Japanese Internment:
Photographs from the Bainbridge
Island Japanese American Community
Izzy Kornman
Children, especially those younger than schooling age, often emote more honestly and openly than adults. Since they have not yet been educated or inducted into society, no one expects them to censor themselves. This sometimes leads to awkward social situations, but also allows an outsider to gauge the reality of a situation by looking to the children. However, children can only react to information they are given; if a child does not know the specifics of their situation, the child cannot react with excitement or despair, only confusion. Throughout the time of the Japanese-American Internment, multiple photographers attempting to capture life within the camps. These conditions varied wildly from 1942 to 1945, as did the photographs. In analyzing the pictures from Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community Collection, a pattern presents itself within those depicting children; before and after internment, the children show the range of emotions expected of children, happiness and sadness especially, but during internment, the pictures of children almost exclusively display confusion. As with most situations, the children provide the best indication of the realities in a situation, showing that the Japanese Americans in internment camps were downgraded from people with emotional ranges to one-dimensional caricatures of confusion and downtroddenness.
Photographs from the Bainbridge
Island Japanese American Community
Izzy Kornman
Children, especially those younger than schooling age, often emote more honestly and openly than adults. Since they have not yet been educated or inducted into society, no one expects them to censor themselves. This sometimes leads to awkward social situations, but also allows an outsider to gauge the reality of a situation by looking to the children. However, children can only react to information they are given; if a child does not know the specifics of their situation, the child cannot react with excitement or despair, only confusion. Throughout the time of the Japanese-American Internment, multiple photographers attempting to capture life within the camps. These conditions varied wildly from 1942 to 1945, as did the photographs. In analyzing the pictures from Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community Collection, a pattern presents itself within those depicting children; before and after internment, the children show the range of emotions expected of children, happiness and sadness especially, but during internment, the pictures of children almost exclusively display confusion. As with most situations, the children provide the best indication of the realities in a situation, showing that the Japanese Americans in internment camps were downgraded from people with emotional ranges to one-dimensional caricatures of confusion and downtroddenness.