Themes
This feeling of being treated unfairly simply because of their heritage was a constant experience for Japanese Americans during the internment.
What is injustice?
George's father pursued this kind of business.
What is dry cleaning?
At the end of the book, this symbol reminds us that home is more than where we grew up or where we live, it is a feeling of connection, of stability, and of acceptance.
What is the Sewing Machine?
The Takeis viewed this place as home, and decided to move there after they left the relocation camp.
What is Los Angeles, CA?
George studied Theater at this college.
What is UCLA?
Despite the harsh conditions and loss, the Takei family and other internees demonstrated this admirable quality in their efforts to build community and maintain hope.
What is resilience?
This person offered George the best opportunity he ever had.
Who is Gene Roddenberry?
As the story's plot began to reach the climax we saw the Takeis' mostly face this type of conflict.
There were ______ of Japanese Americans at the second relocation camp that gave up their American Citizenship.
What is 1000s?
Mama's family were located where at the time of the bombings in Japan?
What is Nagasaki?
The forced removal and confinement deeply impacted the bonds within the Takei family, highlighting the importance of this fundamental unit in times of crisis.
What is family?
George credits his accomplishments to whom
Who is his dad?
What part of the plot is the following, when the war ends and the Takeis are left with an uncertain Future?
What is the climax?
Before they left the camp, this person determined the course of George's destiny and that of many other Japanese Americans.
Who is Wayne Collins?
These four additional elements made Tule Lake a different experience from the start.
What are three layers of barbed-wire fencing guarded by battle-ready troops, machine-gun towers, and tanks?
The theme of loyalty is prominent throughout the book; however, in Section 4, it becomes a symbol with this document being presented to Japanese Americans.
What is the Loyalty Questionnaire?
Who is The Hunchback of Notre Dame?
As George began to have unsettling feelings, we are shown the children in school reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, while they are in camp. This is an example of what Literary device?
What are Situational and Verbal Irony?
This place was named the most notorious, the cruelest, and by far the largest of the ten camps.
What is Tule Lake?
The people who answered no to questions 27 and 28 were given this nickname.
What are the "No-Nos"?
George Takei's journey of understanding who he is, shaped by his experiences in the camps and his later activism, explores this central concept of self.
What is identity?
Mr. Takei's secretary_________got to meet George after a performance one night.
Who is Florence Kubota?
What are the main conflicts in the book?
What is person vs. society and person vs. self?
To have a two-room cabin located____________ there had to be some "trade-off" as Mr. Takei said, which was a noisy (and sometimes smelly space) that was farther from the toilets.
What is by the Mess Hall?
At this place and during this time is where George discussed Democracy with his father.
What is at the dinning table and after dinner?
As a teenager, I had many after-dinner discussions with my father... discussing everything from the government’s forced incarcerations of Japanese Americans... to politics. He taught me the power of American democracy—the people’s democracy.
“People can do great things, George. They can come up with noble, shining ideals. But people are also fallible human beings, and we know they made a terrible mistake."
What is patriotism and democracy?
Who is the 442nd Regiment?
On this date, it was decreed that the Japanese Americans could serve in the U.S. Army
What is February 3, 1943?
The 1st Battalion, 141st Regiment of the 36th "Texas" division, were surrounded and cut off from supplies while patrolling this location in France.
What are the Vosges Mountains?
This object becomes a symbol for coping, allowing George to think that it keeps him safe while protecting him from reality.
What is barbed-wire fencing?
The following statement represents what major funtion in the novel:
"When people purposefully remain silent about the past, it can profoundly damage future generations."
What is the ultimate message/ theme/ lesson?
George shared his life's journey in this way.
What is an exhibit at the JANM or Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA?
"...that my liberty depends on you being free, too...but (it) must be a manual for how to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past."
The book ends with words by______.
Who is Barack Obama?
The last full scene image in the book.
What is the Memorial Cemetary Rohwer relocation Center Monument?
The graphic novel explores how the act of sharing personal stories and historical accounts can be a powerful tool for education, understanding, and preventing future wrongs.
What is the power of narrative (or storytelling)?