War and Conflict

Part 1

Remembering the Wars

World War II

Partially caused by the outcome of WWI

More than 78 million casualties worldwide (more civilians than soldiers)

Nazis came to power in 1933Jews became targets of the Third Reich

• The Holocaust

• Bernard Malamud “Armistice” and The Natural

U.S. Involvement

December 7, 1941—Pearl HarborJapan attacked Navy Base

2,000 sailors killed

Japanese Americans forced into relocation camps in 1942 (Farewell to Manzanar)

Citizen-soldier experience

John Steinbeck

Battle of the Bulge quote on 1073

War in the Pacific quote on 1074 and Holocaust quote

Traditions across time

Viet Nam

Over 58,000 U.S. soldiers killed

Enormous domestic conflict at home

Farewell to Manzanar

By Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston

and

James Houston

Critic’s Corner

By Elaine H. KimSee handout from sourcebook, page 9.

Setting

Key factors:Historical period

West coast location

Socio-political situation

Using setting to convey mood

Irony

Verbal

SituationalChapter 2—Jeanne is afraid of own race.

Dramatic

Conflicts

InternalJeanne’s struggle to be true to herself.

“ “ feelings of shame at being imprisoned.

Resentment v. patriotism

ExternalJeanne v. dad

Dad v. prejudice

Family trying to maintain family and self-respect.

Packing List

In 2-3 minutes, make a list of everything that you would currently take with you from your home if you didn’t know where you were going, and how long you would be gone. Everything would have to fit into 1 standard-sized suitcase.Share your list with a partner.Report out to the class with rationale.

Chapters 1-ll Discussion Starters

Which character from this section of the book can you see most clearly in your mind?

Which changes from Ocean Park are especially damaging to the Wakatsuki family? Explain.

Chapters 1-11, cont.

How would you describe the mood created by descriptions of the setting during Jeanne’s first 24 hours at Manzanar?

What reasons might the writers have for providing details about the earlier years of Mr. And Mrs. Wakatsuki’s lives?

1-11, cont.

In what ways do American laws, fears, and suspicions place Mr. Wakatsuki in a double bind?

Do you think that a forced internment, like that experienced by the Wakatsuki family, could happen in America today? Why or why not?

Writing Prompt

Imagine you are one of Mr. Wakatsuki’s friends and fellow fishermen in Ocean Park. You have just learned that he has been arrested and the family is being sent to Manzanar. Write a short persuasive speech that you could deliver at the next city council meeting.

Discussion Starters 12-22

Which scene from this section of the book remains most memorable for you? Describe and respond.

How does the move to Block 28, near the pear orchard, change life for the Wakatsuki family?

12-22

Jeanne begins to come of age during her years at Manzanar. In your opinion, which of her experiences there especially influence this? Explain.

As the time nears to leave Manzanar Jeanne and her parents experience internal conflicts. Which of these is the most understandable, and why?

12-22

How would you sum up the factors that combine to cause Jeanne’s increasing sense of isolation after leaving Manzanar?In your view, what does Woody gain from his visit with Great-Aunt Toyo? Explain.What does Jeanne lose as a result of her experiences at Manzanar?What does the title mean?

Writing Prompt

Jeanne samples everything from baton twirling to religious instruction in her search for “that special thing I could do or be by myself.” Write a journal entry about your own search for something special. Compare your search to Jeanne’s.

Related Readings discussion starters: “I Remember Pearl…”

With what new facts, thoughts or questions does this essay leave you?

Inouye calls the Tolan hearings a travesty. How would you explain his assessment?

“The evacuation did not disgrace those who went,” writes Inouye, “but those who sent them.” Do you think that Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston would agree with this statement? Why or why not?

I Remember Pearl Harbor

Why do you think surviving internees consider the U.S. government apology more important than the money promised them?

Inouye compares Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki museums with the U.S. apology to Japanese Americans. What can be learned from this comparison?

Would the Wakatsuki family agree with Inouye?

Writing Prompt

How might other American citizens have prevented the damage done by the order to move Japanese Americans to internment camps? Imagine yourself as the editor-in-chief of a nationally distributed newspaper in 1942. Write a memo to your employees, giving instructions for the topics and placement of a series of articles that might do the trick. In creating your plan, draw on facts from the book and from Inouye’s essay.

Wilshire Bus

What do you think of Esther after reading this story?What do Esther’s thoughts and memories reveal to you about her experiences during World War II?Why do you think the couple on the bus barely seems to react to the drunken man’s comments?

Wilshire Bus, cont.

Why do you think Esther responds to the situation on the bus as she does?

How do you think Jeanne Wakatusuki Houston would react to this story? Give reasons for your response.

Writing Prompt

Imagine yourself as Esther. Write a letter to an advice column about the incident on the bus. Outline the problem as you see it and ask what would have been the best way to handle the situation. Then write the columnist’s reply.

Trains at Night

After reading this story, what is your most vivid image of Mr. Lee?

The story touches on the townspeople’s views not only of the Chinese but also of the German man, the Yaquis, and the gypsies. On the basis of these views, what conclusions can be made about the townspeople?

Trains at Night, cont.

The narrator mentions several reasons for the Mexican governments “rounding up” of Mexicans of Chinese ancestry. How would you compare these reasons with the reasons behind the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII?

Why do you think discrimination against various peoples has occurred so frequently throughout history?

From Unto the Sons

At what point in this memoir did you most strongly identify with Gay Talese? Explain.Houw would you describe the author’s attitude toward his Italian heritage?Think of the strategies Mr. Talese uses to make a living in America with his European training as a master tailor. What character traits do his strategies reveal?

Unto the Sons, cont.

Compare the experiences and character traits of Gay Talese’s father with those of Mr. Wakatsuki in Manzanar.

Writing Prompt

Write a letter that Mr. Talese might have written to one of his brothers fighting in the Italian army. As you write, remember his conflicting feelings about the war.

Lectures on How you Never Loved Back Home

Compare the narrator’s coming-of-age with Jeanne Wakatsuki’s in Manzanar.