Peril Harbor

My students never cease to amaze me. In this case, they made what would seem to qualify as a Freudian slip. While grading my students Reader's Journals (RJs) today I came across two words that two different students substituted to represent a time in our nation's history.

"Conservation camp" for concentration or internment camp

AND

"Peril Harbor" for Pearl Harbor

We recently read "The Bracelet," by Yoshiko Uchida, which tells the story of a young Japanese American whose family is forced to leave their home and go to an internment camp after Pearl Harbor.

I don't know about conservation camp, but Peril Harbor certainly made me stop, think, and smile.

We certainly could rename that location or event, as the following two definitions fit what occurred on that day, and what came afterward...

per·il/ˈperəl/ noun:
1. Serious and immediate danger.
2. The dangers or difficulties that arise from a particular situation or activity.

Quite intuitive, don't you think? Even if he did or did not realize it!