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.
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Society's standards may have also played a role in why they were silent for so long, but I like your answer too. I agree with especially the last paragraph, I don't think I even included that in mine. Good job.
ReplyDeleteThat's good that you mentioned that sex was something somewhat "unknown" to children during that time. Young women who experienced such trauma may not have understood that it was not their fault.
ReplyDeleteWow... powerful last paragraph. We often think of only the immediate effects of rape... but don't think how long the pain can go on for a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteYou choose great/powerful words in your response. It's a shame that their lives were so ruined by those soldiers.
ReplyDeleteI like it. But be careful in saying the Japanese were ashamed. Because I don't think I read anywhere where the Japanese were ashamed. When Dr. Gray was explaining it, I took it more as the Japanese government not even acknowledging the Comfort Women situation. Why was this? I was thinking because they had too much pride to admit their immoral mistakes. Idk. Just some extra food for thought. I enjoyed it though!!:)
ReplyDeleteThe ending was so powerful, and the way you addressed how this horrible event took away even their dreams was really tragic. I thought this was very well done.
ReplyDeleteAshley's right! I was just about to say this. It's not that they are ashamed and silent--they (largely) refuse to even admit that it was wrong!
ReplyDeleteThe last paragraph might be true for the women who told what happened to them or who lived in areas where people knew, but so many of them hid it that many of them did go on to get married/have families. But the lingering shame and the loss of youth you mention are true.
And you also touch on something powerful--the fact that women are not believed when they tell their stories of rape. That's reflected in our own society, as well.