Buckley AP Lit

     The father’s letters in   When the Emperor Was Divine  play a significant role in the novel and serve as a pathway into his thoughts, ideas, and emotions. It is interesting that in all of his letters he tries to stay as positive as possible. Despite the unpleasant conditions he was facing, he never revealed any negativity in his letters. He tried to stay positive for his family and he portrays the camp as a decent place. He is separated from his family at this camp and that is most definitely difficult to cope with. He clearly misses his family and tells them so in his letters, but he wants them to stay optimistic and think that he is doing better than he really is. Being separated from one’s family for an extended period of time is very depressing and difficult to deal with. Despite the harsh conditions at the camp, the letters he writes to his family reveal an attempt at normalcy. He shares details about his life in his letters that seem ordinary, and he ...

     The age difference between the two siblings in   When the Emperor Was Divine  is obvious, the sister clearly has a better understanding of the situation compared to her brother. In the beginning of the book when the family had to pack up to leave, she only packs what is absolutely necessary while her brother packs a baseball glove. The sister comprehends the severity of the situation immediately and is able to grasp what is happening, only packing what she will need. On the contrary, her brother doesn’t seem to understand what is at stake. As the older sibling, his sister takes on a protective almost maternal role watching after her younger brother. On the train, his sister keeps him occupied with the idea of wild horses and they converse about that during the train ride as opposed to what awaited them. Similarly, once they get to the camp, his sister continues to watch after him and she attempts to make his experience at the camp as enjoyable as possible. ...

     In Morrison’s Nobel lecture, she delves into the power of language and how it influences storytelling and other complex relationships. Morrison begins by introducing the power of language and the possibilities along with it. Language can be utilized in many different ways to explain topics, but it is interesting how Morrison describes it as limiting. Language limits knowledge because when compared to physical actions, it seems substantially weaker and meaningless in light of actions. When Morrison states, “Sexist language, racist language, theistic language – all are typical of the policing languages of mastery, and cannot, do not permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas.” These types of discrimination limit the umbrella of language because only so many perspectives can be heard from society and because of this marginalizing language, diverse experiences and perspectives are not as commonly expressed and heard. Language is seen as potentially ha...