The book ‘The Bracelet’ by Yoshiko Uchida is about a Japanese girl named Ruri who is moving to a concentration camp with her family in the midst of WWII in 1942 after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. From that, the Americans assumed all of the Japanese people were dangerous and sent them away. Just before leaving, Ruri’s best friend, Laurie, comes and gives her a bracelet, and Ruri promises not to take it off. Upon arriving at the camp, the family moved into a small apartment, and they were just setting up when Ruri realized her bracelet was missing. She searched everywhere but eventually gave up, and her mother told her that she didn’t need the bracelet or anything to remember her friend - the memory stays.
Racism doesn’t only apply to African Americans, but racism can describe how other races are being treated as well, like Japanese Americans. Most times, when one thinks about racism, one usually thinks about African Americans, but racism can also apply to other people. In the story, Ruri and her family were sent to the internment camp because they were Japanese. During WWII, after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and caused America to join the war, they were seen by many as dangerous and trouble-makers. So, before long, the Americans are sending all of the Japanese in the US to camps. They assumed everyone of Japanese descent was dangerous, even though they were innocent. Racism can apply to all races, and they were simply viewed the wrong way by others, who could have assumed that they were dangerous or that they were born to be violent. Some were only viewed from one perspective. Racism can apply to everyone, and there are usually more sides to how someone behaves, so it doesn’t always make sense to judge someone by one perspective or by how others from that race behave.
One doesn’t need a physical object to be reminded of someone, rather, they carry the memories of them mentally. The mind is usually stronger than physical things when it comes to something very important to one. In the story, Ruri is presented with the bracelet by her friend Laurie. She promised not to lose it and keep it on forever. But, when she gets to the concentration camp, she loses the bracelet. At first, Ruri thinks that all her memories are gone, but then she realizes that she doesn’t need the bracelet to be reminded of Laurie. The same applies when Ruri thinks about her father, who was sent away to an internment camp, and she also didn’t need anything he left behind to remember him. Since she is very close with both her father and Laurie, she carries their memories by heart. The events from the story tell us that we don’t necessarily need to have something that represents someone we know or are very close with, and we can simply carry their memories wherever we are. One doesn’t need a physical object or something left behind to be reminded of someone they feel close to.
Staying positive and optimistic helps one overcome obstacles during hard times. Staying positive and not stressing too much will help one have a cool mind and be able to continue on. In the story, the hard times come when Ruri and her family are forced to leave her home and move to the concentration camp. Even when Ruri felt distressed, she coped with her sorrow and tried to think positively. Also, after Ruri loses her bracelet, she becomes very mad at herself. After searching for a long time and giving up, Ruri was told by her mother that she didn’t need the bracelet to think of her friend. She took the advice and tried to remain calm. The story clearly tells us that it is essential to stay calm and not stress too much in hard times. Nothing comes easy, and everyone will experience a time when it is hard for them, so being mentally strong and staying positive helps one continue on. Staying optimistic and being positive helps one overcome obstacles and worries.
Staying positive during hard times helps one be able to succeed and continue on with life. In the story, Ruri experienced hard times when she and her family were sent to a concentration camp for Japanese people. Even though she was very scared and distressed, she managed to be optimistic and positive. One doesn’t need a physical object to be reminded of someone - they carry the memories. In the story, when Ruri loses the bracelet her friend gave her, she realizes that she doesn’t need the bracelet to be reminded of her, but she carries on her memory in her mind. Racism can also apply to everyone, including Japanese Americans. Ruri and her family were Japanese, and even though they weren’t the ones attacking or causing harm to anyone, they were still sent away.
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