Produce a text / visual analysis of the last page of Miné Okubo's Citizen 13660. I will give individual written feedback to all attempts posted until the 19th Feb at noon.
No que toca a finais, na minha opinião Miné Okubo consegue um que conjuga de forma muito bela a imagem e o texto, fazendo-o de uma forma que creio ser representativa de reação existente entre escrita e ilustração ao longo do livro. Citizen 13660 está povoado de personagens e figuras que parecem ter medo de encarar o futuro. Por ser um futuro incerto e quase definitivamente difícil e atribulado, ou talvez até por medo de olhar e não encontrar nada, pois que futuro pode esperar aguem submetido ás condições sofridas pelos prisioneiros japoneses-americanos nos campos de internamento – despojados de vidas, costumes, conforto, liberdade e humanidade. As ilustrações de Okubo representam portanto, na vasta maioria das vezes, pessoas que olham para trás, para o passado, para uma outra vida perdida perante o medo, desconforto e preconceito que a guerra veio descobrir. Apesar disso Okubo termina o livro com uma frase que parece indicar a esperança de uma reconstrução do tempo e liberdade perdidos: “My thoughts shifted from the past to the future.” A ideia de um futuro não lhe parece tão distante, agora que sai do campo. Campo este que, numa espécie de inversão da situação anterior passa a ser ele mesmo o passado, em vez de se apresentar ameaçadoramente como um presente opressivo e futuro certo. Por outro lado, a liberdade passa de algo irrecuperável a uma novidade que se oferece a quem deixa o campo para trás. Esta frase fina parece, no entanto, ir contra a ilustração que acompanha, em que Miné continua a não encarar o futuro. O próprio transporte que a espera, o seu instrumento de escape, aponta para a esquerda da ilustração. Segundo MIné, os seus pensamentos podem-se ter virado para o que a espera no exterior, mas os seus olhos ainda estão virados para o campo e para aqueles que ficam – os demasiado velhos e os demasiado novos: aqueles cujas chances de sobreviver num mundo para eles hostil e, depois de anos em cativeiro, desconhecido, eram fracas. É com um nó na garganta que os deixa e ela própria estende a sua estadia no campo devido ao medo do “lá fora”. O campo marcou-a tanto quanto aos que se recusam a partir (uma espécie de síndrome de Estocolmo talvez?), e apesar de se conseguir separar do lugar físico, as marcas que deixou nela tornam impossível não olhar para trás. Numa última nota, e racionando com o “eixo” discutido em aula, houve uma leitura que me ocorreu relacionada com esta imagem, e possivelmente aplicável a outras, e que embora me pareça um pouco forçada acho pertinente partilhar. De acordo com o “eixo” o topo da folha representa o ideal ou psicológico, e a base o visível e terreno. Pareceu-me então interessante que os textos que acompanham as imagens, sempre num tom muito “matter of fact” estejam sempre por debaixo da imagem. Dizem os factos, aquilo que é necessário para tornar a ação compreensível para o leitor. A ilustração, por outro ado, fala-nos do que os factos deixam por dizer, as partes mais confusas e contraditórias da vida de Miné no campo. Nesta página final, o texto diz-nos termina da forma que nos parece natural: depois de anos em cativeiro, Okubo pensa no futuro que promete liberdade. Mas a ilustração mostra-nos alguém ainda de olhos postos no que já foi, alguém que parece prestes a embarcar num transporte que a leva de volta para o sítio de onde saiu (apercebo-me agora da minha visão excessivamente negativa; a direção do autocarro pode também indicar um regresso ao estado de coisas de antes do campo. Mas isso pediria outra análise).
The last page of Mine Okubo's Citizen 13660 is one full of deep feelings which are shown both in the text and drawing. The two initial sentences, which are connected to each other, describe to us through adjectives that the only people left at the camp are the old and the young; this may be seen on the left of the drawing where we see children holding on to the fence. In the next sentences of this first paragraph, we see a psychological display from Okubo's point of view as she says she is alone and that fear had chained her to the camp. It is clear that for her, leaving the camp was difficult as it had been her home for years, even though she was heading now to freedom. As said in this paragraph we see psychological display as she expresses emotions of loneliness, fear and also has pity towards the remaining people at camp. Moving on to the second paragraph, we see here how she relives her bad and good memories at camp. This paragraph gives us a sense of what she felt when leaving behind everything (camp) and going to the unknown future. This is best seen in the last sentence: "My thoughts shifted from the past to the future.". In the image, we can see the moment just before she gets in the bus and one may say that Okubo's face shows us different emotions as it may seem as a serious, thinking face or somewhat happy/emotional face as she is finally leaving. For me, her face in this picture is very ambiguous and may be interpreted in many ways. Regarding the tone of the page, I feel as this ending is written in a very sentimental way and full of sadness, remorse and on the other hand, hope.
A última página do livro Citizen 13660 apresenta o momento em que Okubo abandona o campo após dois anos de clausura, finalmente com o futuro nas mãos e o mundo à sua espera. No entanto, as imagens e o texto mostram-nos que este momento foi marcado por emoções mais complexas que apenas felicidade e alívio. Primeiramente, considero importante observar como Okubo está no lado direito do desenho, bastante próxima do espectador, sendo o primeiro elemento em que reparamos e o ponto central da imagem. Atrás dela, a uma distância significativa, vemos as pessoas que permaneceriam no campo e que se despediam dos que abandonavam o local, vigiadas pelos guardas e separadas por grades. Como a autora afirma, estes seriam "only the very old or the very young" e não apresentam expressões definidas, representando todos aqueles que vivem oprimidos e sem individualidade no campo. É essencial referir como estes se encontram no lado esquerdo da imagem, enquanto Mine Okubo está no lado direito, a olhar para eles. Ao iniciar a sua nova vida, o seu futuro, Mine ainda mantém a sua atenção no passado e naquilo que está a abandonar, motivando-nos, leitores, a seguir o seu olhar. Apesar de estar a entrar no autocarro e de escrever sobre o momento em que se afasta do campo, o último desenho que nos apresenta ainda representa o campo, o que pode realçar a importância e centralidade deste elemento para toda a obra e vida da autora. Considero a expressão facial de Okubo nesta página particularmente complexa e difícil de decifrar, podendo mostrar várias emoções. Por um lado, não parece mostrar alegria e, devido à posição da sobrancelha, parece algo pensativa e até reticente. No entanto, não parece desconfortável nem particularmente triste. Também é interessante que, apesar de levar o casaco no braço (casaco que é o único elemento da imagem que está pintado fortemente a preto além do cabelo), a roupa que veste e que está mais exposta é a roupa dos residentes do campo. Assim, apesar do espaço central do desenho que separa as duas situações, Okubo ainda não se sentia uma cidadã comum. Apesar da recém adquirida liberdade, a autora afirma: "fear had chained me to the camp.". O receio do futuro e a ideia de agora ter de viver sozinha no exterior mantinham-na ligada ao local que fora obrigada a considerar "home". Com um nó na garganta, Okubo despede-se do local, ainda a reviver "the sorrows and the joys" da experiência. Relativamente ao texto, considero que, à semelhança com o resto da obra, não há grande complexidade linguística nem frásica. As frases são simples, afirmativas e quase informativas, apesar de apresentarem uma maior carga emocional que a maioria, permitindo-nos aceder às emoções, medos e pensamentos da personagem. As poucas frases com conjunções ("and", "as", "until") parecem salientar a diferença entre o passado e o presente, o afastamento da personagem do campo. Existem dois deíticos de lugar: "here" e "there". O primeiro refere-se ao momento da despedida e do estado mental de Okubo, enquanto o segundo retrata o futuro, o início da viagem para a vida no exterior. Assim, Okubo parte para um momento posterior ao fim da narrativa e que desconhecemos. No entanto, apenas na última frase podemos notar a mudança interior da personagem em que finalmente os seus pensamentos "shifted from the past to the future". Parece, deste modo, que os laços que a conectaram durante anos a um estilo de vida desumano apenas se quebraram no último momento.
Através do humor, da ironia e da sátira, Okubo criou um registo visual e histórico bastante importante que transmitiu a experiência do seu encarceramento de uma forma única. A sua escrita acompanhada de ilustrações tornam a leitura muito mais interessante pois podemos compreender melhor como foi a sua experiência num campo de horrores. A última página do seu livro Citizen 13660, mostra-nos o momento em abandonou o campo. O desenho e o texto remetem-nos para um cenário triste, repleto de pensamentos. Como podemos observar na imagem, Okubo apresenta-se do lado direito perto de um carro, segurando um casaco preto, enquanto olha para trás e observa à distância as restantes pessoas que ficaram no campo e se iam despedindo daqueles que partiam. A expressão facial que apresenta no desenho não é muito clara mas aparenta estar a sentir um misto de emoções: tristeza, felicidade, medo, pena, alivio. O seu olhar continua virado para o lado esquerdo, para o lado do campo, onde permanecem enclausurados os restantes prisioneiros que foram deixados para trás, os mais velhos e os mais novos como afirma no início do texto. Apesar de estar finalmente livre e aliviada por ter deixado um sítio tão cruel, Okubo sente perdida e está com bastante dificuldade em enfrentar o futuro e aquilo que se segue.” I thought: My god! How do they expect those poor people to leave the one place they can call home”- Era evidente que para ela era complicado deixar o sítio que foi a sua casa durante 2 anos e ter de recomeçar tudo de novo. Ter que recomeçar a vida. Era difícil para alguém que tinha sido enclausurado durante bastante tempo no campo, sujeito a condições miseráveis, sem liberdade, sem ter uma vida. Muitos dos prisioneiros já se tinham ”habituado” e mentalizado que provavelmente nunca iriam sair daquele sítio, e agora estarem sozinhos de novo no mundo, depois de tanto tempo fechados, assustava-os. Tinham medo do futuro, medo de estarem sozinhos, medo de terem uma vida de novo. Como iriam recomeçar ? A liberdade torna-se uma dádiva que outrora lhes havia sido retirada. Miné pensa no futuro, na liberdade, mas os seus olhos continuam voltados para o campo. Sentia-se presa e acorrentada àquele inferno, temendo o futuro e aquilo que estaria por vir. Não tinha casa, nem família. Como é iria ser o seu futuro? Quando entra no autocarro Miné afirma: " I relived momentarily the sorrows and the joys of my whole evacuation experience, until the barracks faded away into the distance. There was only the desert now.” A referência ao deserto pode também ser uma referência ao seu futuro. “ havia apenas o deserto agora “ Havia apenas o futuro. Talvez vazio, solitário. Havia o medo apenas. O final desta página remete-nos para a ideia que a autora finalmente quebra a ligação que tinha com com o campo “ My thoughts shifted from the past to the future” - consegue finalmente e definitivamente deixar aquele local medonho para trás, e começar a pensar no futuro. Na vida.
Page 209 of Miné Okubo's _Citizen 13660_ has both textual and visual elements, as is prevalent in this book. When we look at the image as a whole, we see a crowd of people behind a gate, some of whom are being let out towards a vehicle, where a familiar figure, Miné, stands, looking back. There is nothing noteworthy in the image's centre, so the first element noticed is Miné, to the right and in the foreground. This might be an attempt to emphasise the right side of the image, indicating that the ideal of the future takes centre stage. Yet, there seems to be an attempt to make the internment camp's gate the focal point, as Miné's attention is fixed on it, which appears to be the busiest area in the scene, and everyone else's eyes appear to be unfocused. In the horizontal axis, the left depicts everything we have come to know, the camp, and Miné’s past, and the right illustrates her first step towards a new future. Furthermore, it seems relevant to point out that on the preceding page (page 208), on a vertical axis, we had the outside in the top position, symbolising the ideal, and the evacuees, attempting to make their way up, at the bottom, showcasing the reality of those who would stay there. However, on page 209, Miné and her means of leaving the camp, a bus, are at the bottom, and the camp is at the top, implying that the camp was no longer a reality for Miné but that a spiritual link remained, producing an abstract representation of what had been, which was translated into her drawings. Hence, despite being clearly on a rightward trajectory, Miné still glances back, to the left. This trajectory is aided by the movement lines on the ground leading from the internment camp's gate to the bus, as well as the fact that the picture is mostly formed of diagonal lines. Diagonal lines serve to convey dynamism, momentum, and directionality. This foreground/background tension contributes to the idea that Miné is approaching the observer and, as such, leaving the image, as a final goodbye to both the camp and the reader. Curiously, Miné appears from her waist up in a medium shot, implying a social relationship, that lacks the closeness of the often-represented personal relationship between author and reader. This is underscored by the fact that she is not looking at the reader, but at the evacuees left behind. To the reader, these figures are more distant, suggesting an impersonal connection, although they were intimate friends and acquaintances to Miné. There are two main borders depicted: the internment camp’s gate and barbed wire fence, behind which a crowd of people has gathered; and the bus’ door, whose windows we can see through. Next to the bus, Miné's attention is fixed on the left side of the frame, offering herself to our gaze. Viewing this image as a paused moment in time, we may assume Miné hesitated moments before entering the bus to take one last glance at the camp. (part ½)
Regarding the text, the narrator reclaims an active role in the narrative, as evidenced by the return to the personal deictic "I" (since page 206), appearing frequently in the theme. This is critical from the author's direct point of view as the speaker. Other personal deictics are also employed, such as "they," "them," and "we." Spatial deictics, such as the adverbs "Here" and "There," both in thematic position, and the demonstrative "those," have the important role of pointing to elements only understandable in this particular context and are helped by the accompanying image. Time also has a key role, particularly, the future, as demonstrated by the use of the temporal deictic "soon." Given the morally loaded content, the mood of these two paragraphs is emotional and meditative, especially with the change in the topic of family and Miné now being completely alone. Attention is given to visual imagery, evidenced by the metaphorical use of "chained" (l.2), and the two antitheses, i.e., a balanced contrast of ideas: "the very old and the very young" (l.1) and "the sorrows and the joys" (l.7). Structurally, there is a narrative continuity of the closure to a journey told through a journal, similar to a stream of consciousness ("I thought," l.3). It is also worth noting that the author finally chose to leave the internment camp after her documentary sketches of camp life had been finished, in January of 1944 (page 206), despite having the option to return to regular life earlier, as her brother had done. Lastly, taking into account the interaction between image and text, I believe that Miné Okubo did not break her link with the internment camp, as evidenced by the aforementioned usage of "chained" (l.2), and only truly pondered her future after she could no longer see the camp in the horizon. She formed relationships with people she shared this experience with after being forced out of her home, years before, and into new unknown and decaying places. Although not in the best of conditions, these internment camps had become a home for many, and leaving was not an easy feat. However, Miné was tasked with the critical task of revealing such an incident, and her eventual reintegration into society was necessary. (part 2/2)
Using the Van Leeuwen Kress model, it is clear that the vertical axis is split in half by the use of a barrier, in this case a barbed wire fence and a gate. The aforementioned barrier can be seen as splitting the image into ideal and real – an ostensibly peculiar split considering that this ideal represents the encampment Okubo was confined to for several years – however, the text below the image potentially helps to contextualise this decision. Okubo writes that “fear had chained [her] to the camp” and thus her placement of the camp in the realm of ideal shows how she had grown accustomed to the camp and the anxiety presented by the realm of the real.
On the horizontal axis we have Okubo and the bus in the realm of new/future and the people of the camp towards the realm of the past, the camp therefore exists on a diagonal visual axis in both the realm of past and ideal. Okubo’s gaze serves as the main focal point of the picture, her gaze in the direction of the camp can be seen as an act of reminiscence (for lack of a better word) on the past and her time in the camp. Okubo’s proximity to the bus, an apparatus of change, shows the physical/geographical and spiritual journey she is about to take.
The use of language in the text following the picture affirms the suggestion of ambivalence in the image above. She uses both “chained” and “home” when referring to the camp, “chained” connoting a state of imprisonment, lack of autonomy and discomfort. On the other hand, “home” connotes control, comfort and choice. She subsequently directly comments on this emotional confusion when she relives the “sorrows and joys” of her experience. The text also affirms Okubo’s position on the horizontal axis in the new/future in the final sentence: “My thoughts shifted from the past to the future”.
Okubo makes an interesting allusion to the desert landscape in the penultimate sentence. The desert, typically a desolate image of despair, is seemingly used in juxtaposition to a sentiment of hope, however it can be argued that this very lack of objects, and therefore obstacles, in this image is implying the freedom of possibilities associated with an unknown future.
This is the last page of the novel it depicts the departure of the author from the containment camp she lived on. The entire book showed the pain all of the residents of the camp were going through, the inhumane conditions, the cold, the hunger, the noise, but i think she also showed something incredibly touching: human nature, the drive to find community and beauty in a dire situation, she highlights the attempts of the citizens to create community and art, make that awful place feel somewhat like a home. And this duality is shown in the last panel of her book: she gets her freedom back, she needed not to be cold or sick anymore, but she left behind the people she lived with for two years.
The image transmits this conflicted feelings, in the upper left of the image we have the remaining of the camp-dwellers standing by the border this is the known, throughout the 200 something pages of the book we get to know the inside of the camp, its costumes and its people we know the “inside” world better then the outside, to it there are only a few panels, likewise okubo grew accustomed to her prison, as many people that live in confinement do, so much so that there is literature provided by the camp on how to live outside its bounds. The rheme of this image its the future the uncertainty of freedom, we can’t even see much of the bus that is taking Mine, this shows to the reader how difficult it is to leave such a traumatic place, both physically but later, psychologically, she tells us that she feels “chained” to the camp by her fear in the first few phrases she reflects on those she is leaving behind, the ones that are physically weaker.
Okubo’s figure in the lower right of the image shows a smile on her face, her body is directed to the right of the panel (the future) while her eyes are still fixed on the people left behind on the camp as if to signal that she will not forget the people that lived and died in those camps and that their stories will be passed on. But her smile shows her confident to start her well deserved freedom.
The image is intercepted by a divider in this case a literal wall that separates her from her past two years of enclosure.
One of the last phrases in the book reads “I relived momentarily the sorrows and the joys of my whole evac- uation experience, until the barracks faded away into the distance. There was only the desert now.” The last statement makes us realize how alone they were after all, despite all of the pages describing people, and tradition, life and the serch for normality, they were ultimately left by society all together, they were alone in the desert completely parallel to the “real world” - Artur Medeiros
Na imagem, Miné surge com uma expressão facial que remete para o sentimento de apatia : eventualmente expressa alguma relutância, parece instrospetiva, olhando para trás, para os restantes prisioneiros enquanto abandona o campo de concentração. Vemos uma multidão atrás dos portões, os quais que Miné Okubo deixou já para trás – “ Only the very old or very young were left. “ Miné surge como o elemento que salta primariamente á vista, pois é retratada com maior pormenor e em maior tamanho do que os restantes, e junto ao centro da imagem. O campo de internamento, no background, acaba por ser o ponto de convergência do nosso olhar. É uma imagem dinâmica, pois representa o momento em que Miné está a entrar para o autocarro e eventualmente hesita, olhando para trás, acabando por “ posar “ para nós, leitores. Podemos observar que está a entrar para um veículo, que talvez só depois de ler o texto percebemos ser um autocarro. Naturalmente, como acontece atualmente nas prisões, muitas pessoas se acostumam ao estar “ encarcerado “ e, quando se vêem livres do encarceramento, não sabem mais como é “ viver “ livre. Principalmente neste tipo de contextos de segregação racial em que são criados campos, os encarcerados já não esperam nunca sair mais, pois a sua pena não é expressa em dias, meses ou anos, mas sim, no fim que é a morte, conforme expresso pela seguinte metáfora: “ And yet fear had chained me to the camp. “ O medo criado por não ter conhecimento da atual situação do mundo fora do campo, outrora irrelevante, torna-se agora relevante devido ao facto de a protagonista se deparar de novo com a sua liberdade. De novo, faz sentido a preocupação com o futuro e o estado das coisas, pois uma “ reinserção social “ avizinha-se, e terão que lidar com as vivências dentro do campo, certamente amargurados para o resto das suas vidas – “ My thoughts shifted from the past to the future. “ É transmitido também um sentimento do que poderá ser chamado de anomia social – “ Here I was, alone, with no family responsabilities “ e que carateriza o estado de espírito destas pessoas sujeitas a estes tratamentos desumanos.
On this final page of “Citizen 13660”, a book by the Japanese-American Miné Okubo (1912-2001) we approach the final moment and last page of the book itself. Just as the author does throughout her book, Okubo depicts her departure scene from the Relocation Center in Utah through a multimodal reading of graphics and text, both complementing each other to meet the pretended meaning. Okubo’s drawings are a touching black-and-white view of her own story, reflecting the simplicity of her work. Her minimalist style can be seen on every page, although in short sentences but in witty and candid text.
In terms of textual analysis, we can see several references. Okubo uses an anaphoric fashion at the beginning of most of her sentences, such as: “I looked”, “I thought”, “I entered”, “I swallowed”, “I relived”, showing the reader a true sense of first-person narration. There are some cataphoric references “I was alone” on one hand and “How do they expect...” on the other, this sentence showing a future concern for the people at the gate; Certain references to dietic (of person) can be found “waved goodbye to them”, and dietic (of place) “There was” and “...at the crowd at the gate” being this last one also an alliteration since there is repetition of sound. Other alliterations can be found in the text such as “very old or very young” and “poor people to leave the place”. Okubo uses sound repetition to reinforce the flow but also to show her concern for the people.
Even though Okubo usually doesn’t refer to many metaphors in her writings, we can point out an interesting one on this page that seems to personalize an emotion, “fear had chained me to the camp”, comparing the depth of her fear to someone or something so strong that was holding her back to the camp. So, one can see a strong sense of emotional feelings in the text.
In terms of lexical cohesion, the author uses antonymy when she mentions “very old or very young”; “the sorrows and the joys” and “the past and the future”. So, we find lexical care and cohesion in her writing and way of expression.
The text contains temporal conjunctions such as “Here”, “until” and “now” shedding light on location and moment of when things took place. Okubo also uses an interesting comparative conjunction “...and yet fear had chained her to the camp” she shows this surprising remark by using the word yet. So even though she was one way, she was still another, meaning she was still afraid of leaving the Relocation Camp.
In this page, there can be found two collocations concerning the default expectancy relation when she says “My thoughts shifted” as if a thought was an object and could be, therefore, moved. And “I swallowed a lump” as if a lump could be swallowed. These expressions are used this way precisely to stand out and catch the readers’ attention.
Okubo’s writing is more about feelings and thoughts, about emotional concerns, less than it is closer to a rational text. For example, we can see this when she uses the collocation “My God!”
Towards the end of the page, she mentions the desert which symbolizes her future, it is like an open book to be written but at the moment only represents a complete white page. Just like she can see the immense desert, she is also looking at her immense future.
As regards to the visual analysis, one can say it is a relief to see Miné Okubo look over her left shoulder to get one last look at the people she is leaving behind. This emerging element is the focal point of the image, which immediately captivates the readers’ attention to the final “at last moment,” while realizing Okubo’s glance at the past. The people at the gate are staring in a quiet way at Okubo or even maybe at the reader. The intentionality of the peoples’ stillness and silence let us feel the “should I stay or should I go” indecisiveness of the evacuees. We can also see this perplexing environment in Okubo’s thoughtful expression, feeling sorry for all those people and dear friends not having another home besides the one they have been living in, this is the Relocation Camp, first at the Assembly Center Tanforan, California and afterward at the Relocation Camp in Topaz, Utah. The gate represents a separation used as a partition element, bordering the people and the places in order to become more recognizable. In this case, the “gate” is an access control, a checkpoint where American authorities assess who is to leave the center or who is not. The fact that Okubo has her upper body towards the reader means she is being intimate and wants to pull us, once again, into the image, sharing her thoughts and concerns.
The structural elements in the picture are identical in both vertical and horizontal readings, reinforcing the same idea of departure and leaving behind with concern. Whereas in the vertical axis, we can see the evacuees on the top representing the imprisoned spirit as the vertical down axis shows the realistic event about to happen, with Okubo preparing herself to leave the camp for good. In the same way, the horizontal reading axis indicates a left-to-right reading showing the given moment as about to become the past for Okubo where she is to face the difficult and new future.
Sensory elements are all over the place. The darkest element is Okubo’s belongings which are in her arms. She holds them tight as she leaves, showing us that she is willing to exile and get over her imprisonment experience. Once more, the floor´s characteristics are graveled and lumpy and can also be compared to Okubo’s emotional memory. Fortunately, she was able to overcome the bumpy terrain.
No que toca a finais, na minha opinião Miné Okubo consegue um que conjuga de forma muito bela a imagem e o texto, fazendo-o de uma forma que creio ser representativa de reação existente entre escrita e ilustração ao longo do livro. Citizen 13660 está povoado de personagens e figuras que parecem ter medo de encarar o futuro. Por ser um futuro incerto e quase definitivamente difícil e atribulado, ou talvez até por medo de olhar e não encontrar nada, pois que futuro pode esperar aguem submetido ás condições sofridas pelos prisioneiros japoneses-americanos nos campos de internamento – despojados de vidas, costumes, conforto, liberdade e humanidade. As ilustrações de Okubo representam portanto, na vasta maioria das vezes, pessoas que olham para trás, para o passado, para uma outra vida perdida perante o medo, desconforto e preconceito que a guerra veio descobrir.
ReplyDeleteApesar disso Okubo termina o livro com uma frase que parece indicar a esperança de uma reconstrução do tempo e liberdade perdidos: “My thoughts shifted from the past to the future.” A ideia de um futuro não lhe parece tão distante, agora que sai do campo. Campo este que, numa espécie de inversão da situação anterior passa a ser ele mesmo o passado, em vez de se apresentar ameaçadoramente como um presente opressivo e futuro certo. Por outro lado, a liberdade passa de algo irrecuperável a uma novidade que se oferece a quem deixa o campo para trás.
Esta frase fina parece, no entanto, ir contra a ilustração que acompanha, em que Miné continua a não encarar o futuro. O próprio transporte que a espera, o seu instrumento de escape, aponta para a esquerda da ilustração. Segundo MIné, os seus pensamentos podem-se ter virado para o que a espera no exterior, mas os seus olhos ainda estão virados para o campo e para aqueles que ficam – os demasiado velhos e os demasiado novos: aqueles cujas chances de sobreviver num mundo para eles hostil e, depois de anos em cativeiro, desconhecido, eram fracas. É com um nó na garganta que os deixa e ela própria estende a sua estadia no campo devido ao medo do “lá fora”. O campo marcou-a tanto quanto aos que se recusam a partir (uma espécie de síndrome de Estocolmo talvez?), e apesar de se conseguir separar do lugar físico, as marcas que deixou nela tornam impossível não olhar para trás.
Numa última nota, e racionando com o “eixo” discutido em aula, houve uma leitura que me ocorreu relacionada com esta imagem, e possivelmente aplicável a outras, e que embora me pareça um pouco forçada acho pertinente partilhar. De acordo com o “eixo” o topo da folha representa o ideal ou psicológico, e a base o visível e terreno. Pareceu-me então interessante que os textos que acompanham as imagens, sempre num tom muito “matter of fact” estejam sempre por debaixo da imagem. Dizem os factos, aquilo que é necessário para tornar a ação compreensível para o leitor. A ilustração, por outro ado, fala-nos do que os factos deixam por dizer, as partes mais confusas e contraditórias da vida de Miné no campo. Nesta página final, o texto diz-nos termina da forma que nos parece natural: depois de anos em cativeiro, Okubo pensa no futuro que promete liberdade. Mas a ilustração mostra-nos alguém ainda de olhos postos no que já foi, alguém que parece prestes a embarcar num transporte que a leva de volta para o sítio de onde saiu (apercebo-me agora da minha visão excessivamente negativa; a direção do autocarro pode também indicar um regresso ao estado de coisas de antes do campo. Mas isso pediria outra análise).
The last page of Mine Okubo's Citizen 13660 is one full of deep feelings which are shown both in the text and drawing. The two initial sentences, which are connected to each other, describe to us through adjectives that the only people left at the camp are the old and the young; this may be seen on the left of the drawing where we see children holding on to the fence. In the next sentences of this first paragraph, we see a psychological display from Okubo's point of view as she says she is alone and that fear had chained her to the camp. It is clear that for her, leaving the camp was difficult as it had been her home for years, even though she was heading now to freedom. As said in this paragraph we see psychological display as she expresses emotions of loneliness, fear and also has pity towards the remaining people at camp. Moving on to the second paragraph, we see here how she relives her bad and good memories at camp. This paragraph gives us a sense of what she felt when leaving behind everything (camp) and going to the unknown future. This is best seen in the last sentence: "My thoughts shifted from the past to the future.". In the image, we can see the moment just before she gets in the bus and one may say that Okubo's face shows us different emotions as it may seem as a serious, thinking face or somewhat happy/emotional face as she is finally leaving. For me, her face in this picture is very ambiguous and may be interpreted in many ways. Regarding the tone of the page, I feel as this ending is written in a very sentimental way and full of sadness, remorse and on the other hand, hope.
ReplyDeleteA última página do livro Citizen 13660 apresenta o momento em que Okubo abandona o campo após dois anos de clausura, finalmente com o futuro nas mãos e o mundo à sua espera. No entanto, as imagens e o texto mostram-nos que este momento foi marcado por emoções mais complexas que apenas felicidade e alívio.
ReplyDeletePrimeiramente, considero importante observar como Okubo está no lado direito do desenho, bastante próxima do espectador, sendo o primeiro elemento em que reparamos e o ponto central da imagem. Atrás dela, a uma distância significativa, vemos as pessoas que permaneceriam no campo e que se despediam dos que abandonavam o local, vigiadas pelos guardas e separadas por grades. Como a autora afirma, estes seriam "only the very old or the very young" e não apresentam expressões definidas, representando todos aqueles que vivem oprimidos e sem individualidade no campo. É essencial referir como estes se encontram no lado esquerdo da imagem, enquanto Mine Okubo está no lado direito, a olhar para eles. Ao iniciar a sua nova vida, o seu futuro, Mine ainda mantém a sua atenção no passado e naquilo que está a abandonar, motivando-nos, leitores, a seguir o seu olhar. Apesar de estar a entrar no autocarro e de escrever sobre o momento em que se afasta do campo, o último desenho que nos apresenta ainda representa o campo, o que pode realçar a importância e centralidade deste elemento para toda a obra e vida da autora.
Considero a expressão facial de Okubo nesta página particularmente complexa e difícil de decifrar, podendo mostrar várias emoções. Por um lado, não parece mostrar alegria e, devido à posição da sobrancelha, parece algo pensativa e até reticente. No entanto, não parece desconfortável nem particularmente triste. Também é interessante que, apesar de levar o casaco no braço (casaco que é o único elemento da imagem que está pintado fortemente a preto além do cabelo), a roupa que veste e que está mais exposta é a roupa dos residentes do campo. Assim, apesar do espaço central do desenho que separa as duas situações, Okubo ainda não se sentia uma cidadã comum. Apesar da recém adquirida liberdade, a autora afirma: "fear had chained me to the camp.". O receio do futuro e a ideia de agora ter de viver sozinha no exterior mantinham-na ligada ao local que fora obrigada a considerar "home". Com um nó na garganta, Okubo despede-se do local, ainda a reviver "the sorrows and the joys" da experiência.
Relativamente ao texto, considero que, à semelhança com o resto da obra, não há grande complexidade linguística nem frásica. As frases são simples, afirmativas e quase informativas, apesar de apresentarem uma maior carga emocional que a maioria, permitindo-nos aceder às emoções, medos e pensamentos da personagem. As poucas frases com conjunções ("and", "as", "until") parecem salientar a diferença entre o passado e o presente, o afastamento da personagem do campo. Existem dois deíticos de lugar: "here" e "there". O primeiro refere-se ao momento da despedida e do estado mental de Okubo, enquanto o segundo retrata o futuro, o início da viagem para a vida no exterior.
Assim, Okubo parte para um momento posterior ao fim da narrativa e que desconhecemos. No entanto, apenas na última frase podemos notar a mudança interior da personagem em que finalmente os seus pensamentos "shifted from the past to the future". Parece, deste modo, que os laços que a conectaram durante anos a um estilo de vida desumano apenas se quebraram no último momento.
ReplyDeleteAtravés do humor, da ironia e da sátira, Okubo criou um registo visual e histórico bastante importante que transmitiu a experiência do seu encarceramento de uma forma única. A sua escrita acompanhada de ilustrações tornam a leitura muito mais interessante pois podemos compreender melhor como foi a sua experiência num campo de horrores.
A última página do seu livro Citizen 13660, mostra-nos o momento em abandonou o campo. O desenho e o texto remetem-nos para um cenário triste, repleto de pensamentos.
Como podemos observar na imagem, Okubo apresenta-se do lado direito perto de um carro, segurando um casaco preto, enquanto olha para trás e observa à distância as restantes pessoas que ficaram no campo e se iam despedindo daqueles que partiam.
A expressão facial que apresenta no desenho não é muito clara mas aparenta estar a sentir um misto de emoções: tristeza, felicidade, medo, pena, alivio.
O seu olhar continua virado para o lado esquerdo, para o lado do campo, onde permanecem enclausurados os restantes prisioneiros que foram deixados para trás, os mais velhos e os mais novos como afirma no início do texto.
Apesar de estar finalmente livre e aliviada por ter deixado um sítio tão cruel, Okubo sente perdida e
está com bastante dificuldade em enfrentar o futuro e aquilo que se segue.” I thought: My god! How do they expect those poor people to leave the one place they can call home”- Era evidente que para ela era complicado deixar o sítio que foi a sua casa durante 2 anos e ter de recomeçar tudo de novo. Ter que recomeçar a vida. Era difícil para alguém que tinha sido enclausurado durante bastante tempo no campo, sujeito a condições miseráveis, sem liberdade, sem ter uma vida. Muitos dos prisioneiros já se tinham ”habituado” e mentalizado que provavelmente nunca iriam sair daquele sítio, e agora estarem sozinhos de novo no mundo, depois de tanto tempo fechados, assustava-os. Tinham medo do futuro, medo de estarem sozinhos, medo de terem uma vida de novo. Como iriam recomeçar ?
A liberdade torna-se uma dádiva que outrora lhes havia sido retirada.
Miné pensa no futuro, na liberdade, mas os seus olhos continuam voltados para o campo. Sentia-se presa e acorrentada àquele inferno, temendo o futuro e aquilo que estaria por vir. Não tinha casa, nem família. Como é iria ser o seu futuro?
Quando entra no autocarro Miné afirma: " I relived momentarily the sorrows and the joys of my whole evacuation experience, until the barracks faded away into the distance. There was only the desert now.”
A referência ao deserto pode também ser uma referência ao seu futuro. “ havia apenas o deserto agora “ Havia apenas o futuro. Talvez vazio, solitário.
Havia o medo apenas.
O final desta página remete-nos para a ideia que a autora finalmente quebra a ligação que tinha com com o campo “ My thoughts shifted from the past to the future” - consegue finalmente e definitivamente deixar aquele local medonho para trás, e começar a pensar no futuro. Na vida.
Page 209 of Miné Okubo's _Citizen 13660_ has both textual and visual elements, as is prevalent in this book.
ReplyDeleteWhen we look at the image as a whole, we see a crowd of people behind a gate, some of whom are being let out towards a vehicle, where a familiar figure, Miné, stands, looking back. There is nothing noteworthy in the image's centre, so the first element noticed is Miné, to the right and in the foreground. This might be an attempt to emphasise the right side of the image, indicating that the ideal of the future takes centre stage. Yet, there seems to be an attempt to make the internment camp's gate the focal point, as Miné's attention is fixed on it, which appears to be the busiest area in the scene, and everyone else's eyes appear to be unfocused.
In the horizontal axis, the left depicts everything we have come to know, the camp, and Miné’s past, and the right illustrates her first step towards a new future. Furthermore, it seems relevant to point out that on the preceding page (page 208), on a vertical axis, we had the outside in the top position, symbolising the ideal, and the evacuees, attempting to make their way up, at the bottom, showcasing the reality of those who would stay there. However, on page 209, Miné and her means of leaving the camp, a bus, are at the bottom, and the camp is at the top, implying that the camp was no longer a reality for Miné but that a spiritual link remained, producing an abstract representation of what had been, which was translated into her drawings.
Hence, despite being clearly on a rightward trajectory, Miné still glances back, to the left. This trajectory is aided by the movement lines on the ground leading from the internment camp's gate to the bus, as well as the fact that the picture is mostly formed of diagonal lines. Diagonal lines serve to convey dynamism, momentum, and directionality. This foreground/background tension contributes to the idea that Miné is approaching the observer and, as such, leaving the image, as a final goodbye to both the camp and the reader.
Curiously, Miné appears from her waist up in a medium shot, implying a social relationship, that lacks the closeness of the often-represented personal relationship between author and reader. This is underscored by the fact that she is not looking at the reader, but at the evacuees left behind. To the reader, these figures are more distant, suggesting an impersonal connection, although they were intimate friends and acquaintances to Miné. There are two main borders depicted: the internment camp’s gate and barbed wire fence, behind which a crowd of people has gathered; and the bus’ door, whose windows we can see through. Next to the bus, Miné's attention is fixed on the left side of the frame, offering herself to our gaze. Viewing this image as a paused moment in time, we may assume Miné hesitated moments before entering the bus to take one last glance at the camp. (part ½)
Regarding the text, the narrator reclaims an active role in the narrative, as evidenced by the return to the personal deictic "I" (since page 206), appearing frequently in the theme. This is critical from the author's direct point of view as the speaker. Other personal deictics are also employed, such as "they," "them," and "we." Spatial deictics, such as the adverbs "Here" and "There," both in thematic position, and the demonstrative "those," have the important role of pointing to elements only understandable in this particular context and are helped by the accompanying image. Time also has a key role, particularly, the future, as demonstrated by the use of the temporal deictic "soon." Given the morally loaded content, the mood of these two paragraphs is emotional and meditative, especially with the change in the topic of family and Miné now being completely alone. Attention is given to visual imagery, evidenced by the metaphorical use of "chained" (l.2), and the two antitheses, i.e., a balanced contrast of ideas: "the very old and the very young" (l.1) and "the sorrows and the joys" (l.7). Structurally, there is a narrative continuity of the closure to a journey told through a journal, similar to a stream of consciousness ("I thought," l.3). It is also worth noting that the author finally chose to leave the internment camp after her documentary sketches of camp life had been finished, in January of 1944 (page 206), despite having the option to return to regular life earlier, as her brother had done.
DeleteLastly, taking into account the interaction between image and text, I believe that Miné Okubo did not break her link with the internment camp, as evidenced by the aforementioned usage of "chained" (l.2), and only truly pondered her future after she could no longer see the camp in the horizon. She formed relationships with people she shared this experience with after being forced out of her home, years before, and into new unknown and decaying places. Although not in the best of conditions, these internment camps had become a home for many, and leaving was not an easy feat. However, Miné was tasked with the critical task of revealing such an incident, and her eventual reintegration into society was necessary. (part 2/2)
Using the Van Leeuwen Kress model, it is clear that the vertical axis is split in half by the use of a barrier, in this case a barbed wire fence and a gate. The aforementioned barrier can be seen as splitting the image into ideal and real – an ostensibly peculiar split considering that this ideal represents the encampment Okubo was confined to for several years – however, the text below the image potentially helps to contextualise this decision. Okubo writes that “fear had chained [her] to the camp” and thus her placement of the camp in the realm of ideal shows how she had grown accustomed to the camp and the anxiety presented by the realm of the real.
ReplyDeleteOn the horizontal axis we have Okubo and the bus in the realm of new/future and the people of the camp towards the realm of the past, the camp therefore exists on a diagonal visual axis in both the realm of past and ideal. Okubo’s gaze serves as the main focal point of the picture, her gaze in the direction of the camp can be seen as an act of reminiscence (for lack of a better word) on the past and her time in the camp. Okubo’s proximity to the bus, an apparatus of change, shows the physical/geographical and spiritual journey she is about to take.
The use of language in the text following the picture affirms the suggestion of ambivalence in the image above. She uses both “chained” and “home” when referring to the camp, “chained” connoting a state of imprisonment, lack of autonomy and discomfort. On the other hand, “home” connotes control, comfort and choice. She subsequently directly comments on this emotional confusion when she relives the “sorrows and joys” of her experience. The text also affirms Okubo’s position on the horizontal axis in the new/future in the final sentence: “My thoughts shifted from the past to the future”.
Okubo makes an interesting allusion to the desert landscape in the penultimate sentence. The desert, typically a desolate image of despair, is seemingly used in juxtaposition to a sentiment of hope, however it can be argued that this very lack of objects, and therefore obstacles, in this image is implying the freedom of possibilities associated with an unknown future.
Catherine McKay
This is the last page of the novel it depicts the departure of the author from the containment camp she lived on. The entire book showed the pain all of the residents of the camp were going through, the inhumane conditions, the cold, the hunger, the noise, but i think she also showed something incredibly touching: human nature, the drive to find community and beauty in a dire situation, she highlights the attempts of the citizens to create community and art, make that awful place feel somewhat like a home. And this duality is shown in the last panel of her book: she gets her freedom back, she needed not to be cold or sick anymore, but she left behind the people she lived with for two years.
ReplyDeleteThe image transmits this conflicted feelings, in the upper left of the image we have the remaining of the camp-dwellers standing by the border this is the known, throughout the 200 something pages of the book we get to know the inside of the camp, its costumes and its people we know the “inside” world better then the outside, to it there are only a few panels, likewise okubo grew accustomed to her prison, as many people that live in confinement do, so much so that there is literature provided by the camp on how to live outside its bounds. The rheme of this image its the future the uncertainty of freedom, we can’t even see much of the bus that is taking Mine, this shows to the reader how difficult it is to leave such a traumatic place, both physically but later, psychologically, she tells us that she feels “chained” to the camp by her fear in the first few phrases she reflects on those she is leaving behind, the ones that are physically weaker.
Okubo’s figure in the lower right of the image shows a smile on her face, her body is directed to the right of the panel (the future) while her eyes are still fixed on the people left behind on the camp as if to signal that she will not forget the people that lived and died in those camps and that their stories will be passed on. But her smile shows her confident to start her well deserved freedom.
The image is intercepted by a divider in this case a literal wall that separates her from her past two years of enclosure.
One of the last phrases in the book reads “I relived momentarily the sorrows and the joys of my whole evac-
uation experience, until the barracks faded away into the distance. There was only the desert now.” The last statement makes us realize how alone they were after all, despite all of the pages describing people, and tradition, life and the serch for normality, they were ultimately left by society all together, they were alone in the desert completely parallel to the “real world”
- Artur Medeiros
Na imagem, Miné surge com uma expressão facial que remete para o sentimento de apatia : eventualmente expressa alguma relutância, parece instrospetiva, olhando para trás, para os restantes prisioneiros enquanto abandona o campo de concentração. Vemos uma multidão atrás dos portões, os quais que Miné Okubo deixou já para trás – “ Only the very old or very young were left. “
ReplyDeleteMiné surge como o elemento que salta primariamente á vista, pois é retratada com maior pormenor e em maior tamanho do que os restantes, e junto ao centro da imagem. O campo de internamento, no background, acaba por ser o ponto de convergência do nosso olhar. É uma imagem dinâmica, pois representa o momento em que Miné está a entrar para o autocarro e eventualmente hesita, olhando para trás, acabando por “ posar “ para nós, leitores. Podemos observar que está a entrar para um veículo, que talvez só depois de ler o texto percebemos ser um autocarro. Naturalmente, como acontece atualmente nas prisões, muitas pessoas se acostumam ao estar “ encarcerado “ e, quando se vêem livres do encarceramento, não sabem mais como é “ viver “ livre. Principalmente neste tipo de contextos de segregação racial em que são criados campos, os encarcerados já não esperam nunca sair mais, pois a sua pena não é expressa em dias, meses ou anos, mas sim, no fim que é a morte, conforme expresso pela seguinte metáfora: “ And yet fear had chained me to the camp. “ O medo criado por não ter conhecimento da atual situação do mundo fora do campo, outrora irrelevante, torna-se agora relevante devido ao facto de a protagonista se deparar de novo com a sua liberdade.
De novo, faz sentido a preocupação com o futuro e o estado das coisas, pois uma “ reinserção social “ avizinha-se, e terão que lidar com as vivências dentro do campo, certamente amargurados para o resto das suas vidas – “ My thoughts shifted from the past to the future. “ É transmitido também um sentimento do que poderá ser chamado de anomia social – “ Here I was, alone, with no family responsabilities “ e que carateriza o estado de espírito destas pessoas sujeitas a estes tratamentos desumanos.
On this final page of “Citizen 13660”, a book by the Japanese-American Miné Okubo (1912-2001) we approach the final moment and last page of the book itself. Just as the author does throughout her book, Okubo depicts her departure scene from the Relocation Center in Utah through a multimodal reading of graphics and text, both complementing each other to meet the pretended meaning. Okubo’s drawings are a touching black-and-white view of her own story, reflecting the simplicity of her work. Her minimalist style can be seen on every page, although in short sentences but in witty and candid text.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of textual analysis, we can see several references. Okubo uses an anaphoric fashion at the beginning of most of her sentences, such as: “I looked”, “I thought”, “I entered”, “I swallowed”, “I relived”, showing the reader a true sense of first-person narration. There are some cataphoric references “I was alone” on one hand and “How do they expect...” on the other, this sentence showing a future concern for the people at the gate; Certain references to dietic (of person) can be found “waved goodbye to them”, and dietic (of place) “There was” and “...at the crowd at the gate” being this last one also an alliteration since there is repetition of sound. Other alliterations can be found in the text such as “very old or very young” and “poor people to leave the place”. Okubo uses sound repetition to reinforce the flow but also to show her concern for the people.
Even though Okubo usually doesn’t refer to many metaphors in her writings, we can point out an interesting one on this page that seems to personalize an emotion, “fear had chained me to the camp”, comparing the depth of her fear to someone or something so strong that was holding her back to the camp. So, one can see a strong sense of emotional feelings in the text.
In terms of lexical cohesion, the author uses antonymy when she mentions “very old or very young”; “the sorrows and the joys” and “the past and the future”. So, we find lexical care and cohesion in her writing and way of expression.
The text contains temporal conjunctions such as “Here”, “until” and “now” shedding light on location and moment of when things took place. Okubo also uses an interesting comparative conjunction “...and yet fear had chained her to the camp” she shows this surprising remark by using the word yet. So even though she was one way, she was still another, meaning she was still afraid of leaving the Relocation Camp.
In this page, there can be found two collocations concerning the default expectancy relation when she says “My thoughts shifted” as if a thought was an object and could be, therefore, moved. And “I swallowed a lump” as if a lump could be swallowed. These expressions are used this way precisely to stand out and catch the readers’ attention.
Okubo’s writing is more about feelings and thoughts, about emotional concerns, less than it is closer to a rational text. For example, we can see this when she uses the collocation “My God!”
Towards the end of the page, she mentions the desert which symbolizes her future, it is like an open book to be written but at the moment only represents a complete white page. Just like she can see the immense desert, she is also looking at her immense future.
As regards to the visual analysis, one can say it is a relief to see Miné Okubo look over her left shoulder to get one last look at the people she is leaving behind. This emerging element is the focal point of the image, which immediately captivates the readers’ attention to the final “at last moment,” while realizing Okubo’s glance at the past. The people at the gate are staring in a quiet way at Okubo or even maybe at the reader. The intentionality of the peoples’ stillness and silence let us feel the “should I stay or should I go” indecisiveness of the evacuees. We can also see this perplexing environment in Okubo’s thoughtful expression, feeling sorry for all those people and dear friends not having another home besides the one they have been living in, this is the Relocation Camp, first at the Assembly Center Tanforan, California and afterward at the Relocation Camp in Topaz, Utah. The gate represents a separation used as a partition element, bordering the people and the places in order to become more recognizable. In this case, the “gate” is an access control, a checkpoint where American authorities assess who is to leave the center or who is not. The fact that Okubo has her upper body towards the reader means she is being intimate and wants to pull us, once again, into the image, sharing her thoughts and concerns.
ReplyDeleteThe structural elements in the picture are identical in both vertical and horizontal readings, reinforcing the same idea of departure and leaving behind with concern. Whereas in the vertical axis, we can see the evacuees on the top representing the imprisoned spirit as the vertical down axis shows the realistic event about to happen, with Okubo preparing herself to leave the camp for good. In the same way, the horizontal reading axis indicates a left-to-right reading showing the given moment as about to become the past for Okubo where she is to face the difficult and new future.
Sensory elements are all over the place. The darkest element is Okubo’s belongings which are in her arms. She holds them tight as she leaves, showing us that she is willing to exile and get over her imprisonment experience. Once more, the floor´s characteristics are graveled and lumpy and can also be compared to Okubo’s emotional memory. Fortunately, she was able to overcome the bumpy terrain.