In “What’s the Difference Between History and The Past,” Idea Channel host Mike Rugetta highlights how history is a narrative and that the line between a historian and artist is quite blurry, especially since both groups of people are making decisions about the kind of stories they will tell. Please use what you learn from Rugetta and the theorists he cites to think critically about the fictional world created by director Kayo Hatta in Picture Bride.

Write a 400 to 500 essay, comparing and contrasting the cinematic depiction of Hawaii with the history provided by Shelley Sang Hee-Lee. What aspects of life in Hawaii for Asian male and female workers do you think Kayo Hatta did well? What aspects of life in Hawaii for Asian male and female workers do you think Hatta possibly romanticized?

Your comparison should examine broader differences, rather than small details. For example, focusing on the difference between the film depicting Japanese workers as making 2 dollars a day, and Shelley Sang Hee-Lee, explaining that they made $2.50 would NOT be a strong point to make. Instead, focus on more substantial differences. You could use details from Shelley Sang-Hee Lee to argue that director KayoHatta romanticized the picture bride system by emphasizing scenes where Matsuji romances Riyo. You would have plenty of evidence from the film in order to support your point.