Comfort Women

Why were the Korean Comfort Women “silent” so long? To answer this question, one thing you will need to think about is how much women’s “worth” is tied to their status as virgins or “sexually pure” and how women who are not “pure” are shamed in societies. You also need to reflect on how rape has been characterized as simply an “unfortunate consequence” of war—this is not true, of course; rape does not “just happen.”
Why could the words and actions of Japanese officials and government be interpreted as attempts to further silence them?

During World War II, there were women who were taken and made into sex slaves. They were forced to have sex with soldiers. They were treated horribly and went through so much. This was going on all over Japan at the time. However, there are hardly any records about this horrible time in Japanese history. This subject is not studied in Japan. It is not written about in Japanese history books. Japan is ashamed that this went on. The women who were victims of vulgar crime do not speak up and tell their story. The movement went on for so long because women did not speak up for themselves. The reason they did not speak up was because they felt ashamed. It was not their fault that they were treated like this. They chose to not speak about what happened to them because they were so ashamed. The reason for their shame was because they felt that they were worthless and disgusting for not being “pure” virgins anymore. Even though their virginity was stripped away from them, they still did not feel that anyone should know.

The men felt that what they did was not wrong or rape because the women were getting paid for their “services”. The soldiers felt like this was the women’s purpose during the times of war. Schools convinced their students that going to the war was something that would make them happy and better their lives. Sex education was not taught in schools so not a lot of people knew who to feel or react to situations involving sex. The officers threatened women’s lives if they did not follow their orders. Women were beaten and made to promise that they would keep quiet. All documents about these incidences were burned and women’s stories were not believed unless there was proof.

Since women were looked at as shameful, no one wanted to marry them. They were forced to live the rest of their lives alone with just themselves and their painful memories of the past. Many of them were stripped of their youth. They have lived their whole life feeling ashamed and never were able to have a life of their dreams.

FDR's Four Freedoms

Of FDR's four freedoms, the goal of freedom from want and freedom from fear especially reflect American and European experiences during the 1930s and 1940s. Briefly explain what FDR meant by "freedom from want" and "freedom from fear" and explain how the desire for these freedoms was the result of American and European experiences during the 1930s and 1940s.

FDR's freedom from want getting rid of international trade barriers and making sure that people had good economics in times of war. People did not want to depend on other nations for their trade. America was entering war and people did not want to trust people who could easily turn against them. They did not want to have any barriers when it came to international war because they felt it made things more complicated. FDR made this speech right after America came out of the Great Depression. He was offering hope to people about their economics situation. He was telling them that they would be able to acheive more than they had received in the past for their efforts.

FDR's freedom from fear was reducing arms so that a nation could not go against another nation. Citizens were in constant fear that a country would go against them. During the 1930s and 1940s, there was constant fear that at any moment another nation would be America's enemy. FDR was also speaking to Europe in his speech. At this time, Europe had people coming at them in all directions.

Alain Locke

Alain Locke says "The days of 'aunties.' 'uncles,' and mammies' is equally gone." because he is trying to say that the stereotypes of the negro in the past are gone. He is trying to live up to what the New Negro should be. He wanted to get rid of what the people of his past went through and how they acted. He does not want to live the same life his aunties, uncles and mammies lived. He wanted to reinvent the African American culture. Alain Locke's "The New Negro" is all about what an African American should be from now on. He is saying that the old negro would be put down by society and wouldn't stand up for himself. He is encouraging new negros to take a stand for their rights. He was trying to instill a new philosophy in them. He wanted African Americans to realize they were equal to the whites and they did not deserve the way they had been treated in the past.