Thesaurus definitions for: * Conflict * Perspective * Formed/shaped * outcome HATSUE AND ISHMAEL’S PERSPECTIVES ON WORLD WAR 2 Throughout our lives we take on certain views on events, situations and people in our lives. These are formed from the positive or negative outcomes of experiences that we encounter. Society’s views on certain issues and the views of those around us influence the outcomes of those experiences. David Guterson’s novel, “Snow Falling on Cedars” and Shaun Tan and John Marsden’s picture book, “The Rabbits” both portray conflicting perspectives that are shaped from past events.
Different experiences of the same event can cause conflicting perspectives. This is the case for Ishmael and Kabou in “SFC”. Gutterson uses this scene as the novel’s core scene where the characters form different views from before and after the war. Tan and Marsden’s “The Rabbits” uses the British Colonization as the core event Events are sometimes the main causes of conflicting perspectives as people are often faced with events in life which molds their view and hence causes their perspectives to clash.
In “SFC” the World War 2 incident act as a vital event in which David employs characters and language techniques to portray the conflicting perspectives through such event. In relation to “SFC”, Shaun Tan and John Marsden’s “The Rabbits” brings out the significance on the ‘British colonization’ in which the audience in introduced to the British and the Indigenous Australians perspectives to this event. Ishmael and Hatsue act as vital character to which David uses to portray the conflicting perspectives from World War 2. In the early stages of the novel they are lovers who believe that love will conquer all things, including war.
When the bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred, Hatsue and her family were forced to set out for an internment camp whilst Ishmael was forced to serve the country. In each of their cases, they both are forced to set into a new environment due to the war. The use of flashbacks employed by Guterson enables the readers to see how and why character’s perspective changed and through this give insight on how their perspectives started to clash. The use of flashbacks allows the reader to experience Ishmael’s experience of the war which is portrayed through the strong use of descriptive and coarse language.
The way David uses a lot descriptive language such as, “brain leaked out… started to bleed to death…dug on his knee with an entrenching tool…” gives the reader a clear vision of how the situation was during his times in the war. This also enables the readers to see the effectiveness of the coarse language such as, “Fucking Japs… Japanese bitch”. This use of coarse language enables the reader to witness the change in his inner perspectives. Linking with Ishmael, Hatsue’s perspectives are also changed through the World War 2 event through which she had to stay in an internment camp.
However, Hatsue’s change in perspective is different to that of Ishmael’s as her experiences and emotions from the internment camp didn’t ultimately give her negative impacts but an experience of self realization and finding ‘true love’. Gutterson’s consistent use of dialogue through chapter 15 enables the reader to experience Hatsue’s self realization. When Hatsue’s mother questions about her future with Ishmael Chambers Hatsue states, “‘we were children together…I always knew, deep inside, it was wrong’ “.
Through this it’s clearly evident that her experiences through the war had enabled her to become someone who realized the real importance of this world. Towards the end of this chapter the use of descriptive language enables the readers to see her emotions towards Kabuo Miyamoto, “She admired his impeccable table manners and the graciousness of his smile…”Through this its clearly evident that her experience through the war had been different to that of Ishmael’s as Hatsue’s perspectives changed to seeing war as a normal event in life whilst Ishmael sees the war as an event which forcefully changes ones view on humanity.
In Tan and Marsden’s “The Rabbits” the audience is introduced to the conflicting perspectives of the rabbits and the possums. These two animals which represent one human race are employed by the composers in relation with the ‘British Colonization’ through which the composer employs various colors and setting of images to portray how the ‘British colonization’ caused a conflicting perspective between the two races.
Throughout the story the rabbits are shown to have been ‘industrialized’, ‘educated’ and ‘well mannered’ as they are seen to have various machines and clothing which make them look more civil. The scene where the golden boat is at shore represents the coming of the British colony, in this scene the audience is introduced to the bright and royal colors of the rabbits leaving the ship. This use of colors enables the audience to feel and realize the extent of the rabbit’s power and dominance.
While the rabbits are seen all high and mighty the possums are peaking in the background not know who or what their purposes are. The confliction between the two races is scene explicitly through the war scene where the composers employ dark colors with the combination of collage placement of images give the audience the dramatic effects of the British Colonization. The use of such colors and placement of images give the audience a clear understanding on their perspectives and physically portrays the conflict between these perspectives.
It is clearly evident that the Rabbits are overtaking the land for their own benefit and see’s Australia as a land to be ‘industrialized’ whilst the possums see this land as their own and hence the need to protect it. Racism is a form of discrimination in which in the past composers have given their own perspectives to it through characters and language. In “SFC” readers are brought to see that racism acts as a major theme of this novel and how racism is what stirs up conflicting perspectives.
David Guterson uses two contradicting characters imply to significance of racism in great dept as he employs various language techniques to portray the conflicting perspectives. Through chapter 9 the reader is introduced to the Etta’s perspectives on Japanese and how this forms becomes a conflicting perspective to that of her husband, Carl Senior. Like many other chapters of “SFC” David Guterson uses flashbacks to give the readers of how their perspectives were formed. Etta’s past consisted of the Miyamoto family who lived in Heine’s farm, producing crops and helping out with the farm work.
Through this chapter the readers are consistently able to see the differing perspectives of Carl senior and Etta. Being husband and wife they live together in which Etta always gives out racist comments such as ‘Indjuns’ and ‘Japs’ whilst Carl states, “… ‘Etta, people is people, comes down to it and these are clean living people… ’ “. The use of dislogue employed by the composer enables the readers to interact and feel the emotions of the statement Carl is saying and hence is open to his perspectives to a greater extent.
However, Etta is seen as to have a very negative perspective towards the Japanese. This is seen in great debt when she refuses to let the Miyamoto’s own land. The use of dialogue in this also acts as the tool for the reader to feel the emotions and hence see her perspectives. In Tan and Marsden’s “The Rabbits” the audience is constantly reveals to the personalities to the power differences between the rabbit and the possums. Through the use of color and placement of images the composers have successfully portrayed the perspectives on both rabbits and possums on ‘power’.
However, the rabbits are seen to be power dominant over the possums as they are drawn to be very big compared to that of the possums. The composer has also included the social distance of the possums which emphasizes their weakness and how little authority they have. The use of color in the scene where the ‘golden boat’ enters the land the audience is introduced to a major contrasting choice of characters as the audience is able to see the small, miniature size of the possums in the corner whilst the rabbits walk with pride and power.
Through David Guterson’s “SFC” and Shaun Tan and John Marsden’s “The Rabbits” the audience is introduced to the conflicting perspectives which are constructed by the combination of techniques with the use of an event or personality. Both texts have successfully portrayed the conflicting perspectives which are formed through the events in human history and the personalities humans face and or faced.
