ESSAY 2

Densho/Interview/Prisoners Without Trial

 

This essay may be a collaborative effort.  If you and your partner(s) write one paper, you all get the same grade.

 

This essay requires two prewriting steps: 

 

1)       Listen to several interviews of the incarcerated on the Densho website.  Write down the names and take notes. 

2)       Interview a non-Japanese American who was living on the West Coast during the incarceration of the Japanese Americans during World War II and who was old enough at that time to remember events about his or her perceptions and actions regarding the Japanese Americans. 

 

If you do not know anyone in your family to interview, go to your neighbors or ask a friend or classmate for help in finding someone.  If you do not know a neighbor who would be appropriate, go to an seniors home.  There are people there who would love to talk about their lives and feel like they have something of value to impart to a younger person.

 

Tape this interview.

 

Be sure to prepare some questions before going into the interview.  However, do not stay glued to your questions; listen carefully and be prepared to reformulate your questions depending on the direction your interview is taking.  In your preparation, you may want to consider some questions that come up for you when you listen to the Densho interviews or read Prisoners or Emperor.  Stay open-minded and compassionate.  Try to understand the reality being expressed, but also focus on what you really want to know about back then.  Be prepared for possible resistance or anger.

 

For your essay, draw conclusions from and respond to the above research.  Incorporate ideas and information from When the Emperor Was Divine and Roger Daniels’ book to focus your interview and your essay.  Make a point (your thesis) with these conclusions.

 

Refer to specific names and quotes from both the Densho interviewees and your non-Japanese American interviewee.  The strength of this essay will lie in the details to substantiate your conclusions.

 

Due Dates

First Draft          Thurs., May 26              Bring 3 copies for workshop group.

                                                            Hand one copy in to Nancy for feedback.

                        May 26 - 27                   Workshops and short conferences.

Revised Draft     Tues., May 31               Editing Workshop.  Bring Handbook.  No grammar

feedback from Nancy.

Edited Draft       Thurs., June 2                Hand in for preliminary grading.  Turn in interview tape.

 

General Requirements

MLA label includes—Essay 2, Edited Draft—Densho/Interview

Title centered—see Essay 1 directions regarding MLA format

Type and double space; use Arial or another clear font; size 12 print

Length:  minimum 3 pages

 

To Use the Densho Website

Your user name:  BCC-library

Your password:  BCC-library

Steps to use the Densho Archive:

·         Install the RealMedia Player.

(You will need the RealMedia Player to play the video or audio streams.  You can get a free RealMedia player at www.real.com.)

·         Optimize screen resolution for the Archive (optional).

The archive application works best in 1024 by 768 resolution (or higher).

To change your resolution in Microsoft Windows:

1.       Right-click on the desktop

2.       Click properties

3.       Click the settings tab

4.       Move the slider bar in Screen area to 1024 by 768.

5.       Click OK, click OK, click Yes

 

To change your resolution on a Macintosh:

1. Click on the Apple logo in the top menu bar.

                                    2. Click on "Control Panel"

                                    3. Click on "Monitor"

                                    4. Click on "1024 X 768"

5. Click OK

·         Enter the Archive

Enter the archive by going to the Densho website (www.densho.org).  Go to the "Archive" section of the site, and click on "Enter the Archive" in either the left- or right-hand navigation panels.

 

·         Navigating to the Densho Content

Click on "Topics in the Selection Navigator (left-hand portion of the screen)

 

Read the terms and conditions for using the archive in the Content Frame (to the right of the Selection Navigator). You agree to the terms and conditions by entering:

      -Your user name

      -Your password

      -Clicking on "I Agree to Densho's Terms and Conditions"

      -Clicking "Immigration" in the Selection Navigator.

                  A table will appear in the List Frame (lower right corner of the screen).  Click on

one of the titles and an image will appear in the content frame.

·         Tips for Using the Archive

Maximizing Window Size

            The Archive works best if you maximize the window size.

Resizing Frames

            To resize frames, place the curser between frames until you see a double-headed arrow. 

Click and drag to resize.

Playing Video

            For the interview clips, the default setting is to play RealMedia Audio.  To play video, click

on the up/down arrows under the picture of the narrator until it says RealMedia Video. 

For both RealMedia Audio and Video, it should take 20-30 seconds before the media

begins to stream.

     

 

 

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