Example Of How Rights Of Citizens Are Affected By Identity Essay

Rights are fundamental freedom that illustrates what is allowed to individuals. Identity, on the other hand, is belonging to a certain group or society. All citizens regardless of the status have a package of rights that, they are allowed which they need to enjoy. Sometimes these freedoms can mutually exist between two different ethnic groups only to be confused by the occurrence of war. For instance in the novel when the empire was divine, there was a mutual existence between the Japanese and the American people (Otsuka 26). Both groups enjoyed civil rights equally but not until the Second World War broke out. Everything was shattered to the Japanese people in the name of enforcing security while violating their rights indirectly. It is the right of everyone to get food, water, to live a comfortable live, to stay in their homes, and right of security to mention some. From the novel when the empire was divine, the war period, caused some confusion and anguish to the rights and identity of Japanese people. Despite the fact that, the Japanese people were aware of their rights, they were deprived of those rights indirectly in the name of safety from the American government. Hence, the paper analyses the first chapter of the novel and how, the rights and identity of individuals are affected, when it comes to breaking up of war.

Understanding the American studies

In understanding the American studies, the American government tends to fight for the rights of the weak nations (Buff. For instance, what lead to the second world that initiated the writing of the novel was the attempt of the U.S trying to protect China from Japanese people. The relationship between the United States and the Japanese people was not right during the Second World War. The disparities of identity and the bad relationship between the two groups affected the lives of Japanese American people. These leads to the violation of rights like that of freedom of food, water, speech, and movement. People forced to walk long distances in the desert without food and water. They were as well compelled to stay in camps until the time when the war subsided.

Violation of the rights of the Japanese people in the name of providing security

The novel when the empire was divine, talks about a story of a woman who reads a notice on a board and then she immediately starts to pack her belongings and those of her kids. She barely understands what destiny lay ahead of them. They use a train as a mean of transportation and through the direct sun in the desert; they travel to a camp where they would stay for the period as long as the war was still on. From page 52 of the novel where the mother is trying to tell the kids of what they should and what they should not say, clearly indicates that there is no freedom of speech. Regardless of the identity, Japanese people had the right of speech. However, the way the mother was cautioning the children clearly indicates the confusion and anguish of the rights.
The essence of barbed wire is to restrict the movement (Otsuka 52). The mother is trying to tell the kids not to touch the barbed wire fence, as they will end up hurting themselves. This is a clear indication that Japanese people were no longer enjoying the freedom of movement during the wartime. That is why the mother is protecting the innocent kids through cautioning them of what they are not supposed to do. As if not enough, the mother tells her children not to talk to the guards in the towers. She clearly understands the essence of identity. She is aware that the guards in the towers are American guards and not from the same social group. Hence, sometimes personality plays a significant role when it comes to interaction, as people may fear to interact with people of different identity.

The life experience in the desert

The profound characteristic that defines a desert is hot sun. Sometimes kids may not be aware of the impact of staring the sun directly. However, the mother knows that staring the sun directly might affect the sight of her kids that is why she was trying to warn them. They need to save their energy and sight before they are through with walking in the desert. Walking through the wilderness before reaching their destination, which was a camp, is a clear indication of the violation of some right (Otsuka 57). As much as the American government was assuring the Japanese people during the wartime of guaranteed security, their rights were equally violated. People have rights to drinking water and food but exposing them in the desert is a sign of breaking those fundamental rules that they ought to enjoy.
In concluding the paper, it is true that, there exist rights of every citizen that needs protection in all aspects. In addition, different identities might exist mutually under the same rights. However, war incarceration might cause confusion and anguish over the rights and identity of people. In the novel, When the Empire was Divine clearly illustrates how the war causes trouble and pain. The picture is clearly demonstrated in the way the characters in the novel are denied their rights they need to enjoy.

Works Cited

Otsuka, Juliet. When the emperor was divine. London: Fig Tree, 2012.
Otsuka, Juliet. When the emperor was divine. London: Fig Tree, 2007