Literary Analysis Essay on "In Response to Executive Order 9066"

Introduction

"In Response to Executive Order 9066" is a poem by Dwight Okita. The central theme of the poem is discrimination against migrants in America (Cengage Gale Learning, 3). The persona, Dwight Okita, is a Japanese fourteen-year-old girl who lives in America with her parents (Cengage Gale Learning, 3). She writes to express her emotion towards the Executive Order 9066 which was issued by the then president, Roosevelt (Cengage Gale Learning, 3). The policy required all Japanese-American to report back to relocation centres following a terror attack. Importantly, the poet uses different figurative devices to enhance the message. This paper, therefore, analyses some of the literary elements used in the poem to determine their effectiveness in promoting the main idea.

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The critical poetic aspect noticed in "In Response to Executive Order 9066" is the structure. According to Kisak, a poem's structure is boosted by the form which refers to the physical appearance of the piece (87). Importantly, it enables the poet to effectively express meaning as well as expounding on the main subject (Kisak, 87). Moreover, it helps the author to organise ideas according to their relevance and importance to project the executive purpose (Kisak 87). Notably, this arrangement facilitates the writer's best choice of sound techniques that depict the emotions of the poem correctly (Kisak 87).

Chiefly, physical structure in poetry is depicted through stanzas and lines. Okita's arrangement of lines gives the poem a sensation feeling that evoke the reader (Cengage Gale Learning, 5). According to Kisak, a line in poetry is like a sentence, and it controls the order of the words to achieve enticing the audience (88). Notably, in "In Response to Executive Order 9066" the placement of words is chronological (Cengage Gale Learning, 5). The words are written in correct grammar since the poem is a letter; thus, there is no special poetic order of words.

Another aspect of structure formation is Stanza. It refers to the groups of line and can be equated to a paragraph in composition writing (Kisak, 89). It assembles ideas of the same type in one place to boost meaning (Kisak, 89). Okita's work is understandable through the stanza in that each portrays its own message (Cengage Gale Learning, 6). For instance, the first stanza outlines the order that prompted the narrator to write the letter; the second explains the current situation of shifting; the third highlights the persona's culture clash; the fourth and the fifth touches on discrimination and the last expresses the narrator's sorrow and optimistic attitude.

Consequently, Okita also uses tone to enhance the effectiveness of the poem. According to Timpane, tone refers to the attitude and mood that emerges from the tenets of a literary work (100). It enables the poet to express emotions that are in line with the main theme (Timpane, 100). Notably, Okita relies on the choice of words to achieve the tone aspect. Importantly the use of vocabulary such as "Dear Sirs" produces an innocent but complain tone.

In "In Response to Executive Order 9066," the persona expresses a sad but optimistic tone (Cengage Gale Learning, 10). She is unhappy because she and her family are being punished for a crime they did not commit. They are being driven out of their homes to live in immigrants camps for no good reason. For instance, the sad feeling is depicted through the lines, "I didn't know what to say." This part shows the hopeless feeling of being accused falsely despite her innocence (Cengage Gale Learning, 11).

The optimistic part of the poem is shown through the girl's faith that she will return her hometown. More so, she believes that her friend will miss her after she is gone. Importantly, optimism is seen in the last stanza where Okita asks her friend to plant the seeds. The last line, "she'd miss me," vividly depicts Okita's faith that her friend, Denise will surely feel her absence.

Lastly, the poet's use of figurative language is remarkable. The essential benefit of allegorical aspects in poetry in enables the audience to connect objects or situations that happen in reality with the concepts addressed in the poem (Timpane, 200). The figurative language includes the use of imagery, irony, symbolism, metaphors and similes (Timpane, 200). In "In Response to Executive Order 9066," the writer incorporates imagery, irony and symbolism.

Imagery refers to a description that appeals to human senses which include touch, visual auditory, smell and taste (Timpane 200). The composer uses this device when he/she is unable to mention something directly (Timpane, 201). Okita uses both auditory and visual imagery to explain the mistreatment faced by the persona (Cengage Gale Learning, 13). For instance, the second-last stanza where Denise scolds her by saying, "You are trying to start war; sharing secrets with the enemy; why can't you keep your big mouth shut?" is a representation of how Japanese nationals are stereotyped and wrong mouthed by Americans.

Symbolism is the use of objects to represent certain information (Timpane, 204). "Hotdog" and "chopstick" are used to stand for American and Japanese culture respectively (Cengage Gale Learning, 14). Okita attempts to show how immigrants experience confusion regarding cultural decisions. Irony on the other side is the expression of contradicting ideas with the happenings in real life (Timpane, 230). The irony in Okita's poem is the fact that the narrator's best friend is white yet she is still not trusted.

Works Cited

Cengage Gale Learning. A Study Guide for Dwight Okita's "In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centres. Cengage Gale Learning, 2016.

Kisak F. P (Ed.). Poetic Devices: "The Tools of Poetry." CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016).

Timpane J. Poetry for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, 2001.