Question

Beside each date were the ugly facts of the treatment given to Japanese Canadians. “Seizure and government sale of fishing boats. Suspension of fishing licenses. Relocation camps. Liquidation of property. Letter to General MacArthur. Bill 15. Deportation. Revocation of nationality.”

Wherever the words “Japanese race” appeared, Aunt Emily had crossed them out and written “Canadian citizen.”

“What this country did to us, it did to itself,” she said.

–Obasan,
Joy Kogawa

Read the excerpt. How does the author’s use of repetition help develop the mood?

Aunt Emily repeats herself to stress that denying rights to one group is not good for anyone.
Aunt Emily repeats herself because she wants to show a reason for people to have some hope.
The repetition helps readers know that Aunt Emily thinks only one group is treated unfairly.
The repetition helps readers understand that Aunt Emily’s point of view will not be accepted.

Answer 1

Aunt Emily repeats herself to stress that denying rights to one group is not good for anyone.

She repeatedly replaces “Japanese race” with “Canadian citizen,” emphasizing that the injustice harmed not just one group but the whole country—summed up in her line “What this country did to us, it did to itself.”