Reading Hawaii's Story, by Queen Liliuokalani has been quite an empowering, yet unjust adventure. I have come to appreciate the style the queen writes in. She has been able to write in a structured form that comes off as very direct, yet innocent in the same manner. Being a queen obviously is no easy task to take upon, especially being in the situations and circumstances Queen Liliuokalani had to face. Some people may think she is a bit too direct, but it rather important I find in this memoir because as a reader of such history it is important to differentiate truth vs. judgement. When the queen at times describes certain royalty and excursions she is being very descriptive, not in a sense to offend others, but more so I believe to give a distinctiveness into the world she was experiencing.

               The part that struck me the most would have to be when the people that were her "so called" friends betrayed her by plotting certain forms of overthrow against her behind her back. The whole formation of these people befriending her, inviting her to certain events, and treating her to such importance just to gain her trust then betray her was very unjust to say. "Now it was the report of a secret meeting at some house up the Nuuanu Valley to debate upon an overthrow of my government, again the account of an assembling out on the plans for conspiracy" (Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's Story, 208). The fact that these people slowly made their way through into Hawaii and the Queen's heart and putting up a false act of trust in order for them to get what they want in the end just shows their true identity and disloyalty. It is very disappointing to see a on-going trend in terms of the entire "colonialism" project for these group of individuals using religion, faith, and trust, upon these minorities in order for them to betray them for self-profit. People might ponder upon such history being nonrefundable, but it isn't so much the notion of going back and undoing, but improving from the past, which today there is still little being done in the present circumstance. Queen Liliuokalani is a strong force to recognize, not because she was a queen, but more so she stood 100% behind her beliefs and fought for her people in a way that surpasses any violent action. She was able to put herself in a trial of suffering, which by no means did she have to, but by using a force of violence it would have just created more destruction. Her strong mindset of not "consenting" gave her a voice of honor, regardless of what the outcome happened to be. She did stand by her beliefs firmly, which is by far the most commendable trait anyone can possess.



~PUJA PATEL~