FtM Ch. 1-5
In Chapter 1, what is the reason revealed that Papa gets arrested for?
For supposedly delivering oil to Japanese submarines offshore.
What are some ways you can prepare for writing an objective summary about a text you read?
- Using the annotation guide to annotate pages
- Writing brief gist statements at the end of each chapter
- Rereading chapters if you're lost
- Following along during the reading
When providing textual evidence for Farewell to Manzanar, how should it be formatted?
Define what a patriarch is.
A patriarch is the male head of a family, often the father being in charge. In Farewell to Manzanar, the patriarch is Papa.
What were the places Jeanne and her family lived in throughout the story so far? There are a total of 5.
Ocean Park near Santa Monica, Long Beach, Terminal Island, Boyle Heights, Manzanar
Provide an objective summary of Farewell to Manzanar, chapter 1.
In December 1941, the narrator (Jeanne) was seven years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Jeanne’s father (Papa) is a fisherman who leaves on long trips to catch fish. The narrator’s brothers, Bill and Woody, are the crew on Papa’s boat, The Nereid. The night after Pearl Harbor is bombed, Papa burns a Japanese flag he brought with him from Japan to the United States thirty-five years earlier due to growing suspicions of Japanese people. After the bombing, the FBI begins questioning Japanese Americans because they are afraid they might help the enemy (Japan). Papa is arrested by the FBI and taken away for a year. This is very upsetting for Jeanne and her family, especially Jeanne’s mother (Mama).
Find textual evidence on pages 32-33 that shows how the camp’s communal structure affected the Wakatsuki family's interactions. Then, explain how your chosen textual evidence connects to the prompt above.
"Now, in the mess halls, after a few weeks had passed, we stopped eating as a family. Mama tried to hold us together for a while, but it was hopeless. Granny was too feeble to walk across the block three times a day, especially during heavy weather, so May brought food to her in the barracks. My older brothers and sisters, meanwhile, began eating with their friends, or eating somewhere blocks away, in the hope of finding better food" (Houston 32). In other words, the camp's communal structure affected the Wakatsuki family's interactions by causing the family to separate little by little, since everyone was occupied doing their own things apart from each other.
Issei - first generation, born in Japan, migrated to the U.S
Nisei - second generation, children of the Issei born in the U.S
Sansei - third generation, children of the Nisei, most born during or after WWII
Describe how Jeanne’s family’s living conditions in the camp differ from their life before internment.
Before the internment camps, Jeanne was part of the only Asian family living in Ocean Park near Santa Monica. Their family also lived modestly and did not struggle with living as they made enough money to get by easily. However, during internment, Jeanne's family found themselves in terrible living conditions, with various holes in their barracks, poor insulation, poor hygiene conditions, and mediocre food.
Provide an objective summary of Farewell to Manzanar, chapter 2.
Jeanne reflects growing up near Santa Monica, California, and being one of the only Asians in her neighborhood and school. Jeanne and her family move to Terminal Island after her father’s arrest. Their new home is a shack. The kids at Jeanne’s school on Terminal Island are unkind to her and make fun of her. In February 1942, Jeanne and her family are relocated by the government to a minority ghetto in Los Angeles called Boyle Heights. Mama receives her first letter from Papa and learns that he is being held at an enemy prison camp in North Dakota. Jeanne feels hostility from her Caucasian teacher. This is the first time she has been aware of being treated differently by someone for being Japanese. She begins to realize that the public generally has a negative attitude toward Japanese Americans. The government moves Jeanne and her family to Manzanar. When the family arrives, they are given a dinner of fruit and rice and assigned to a crowded, cold barracks with cots to sleep on.
During her time at the internment camp, Jeanne matures. Find textual evidence in Chapter 5, pages 36-37, that highlights this growth in maturity. Then, explain how your chosen evidence connects to the prompt above.
"On Terminal Island I first saw Asians, those demon-children who had terrorized me. At Manzanar, past the fear of slanted eyes and high cheekbones, I watched with fresh amazement the variety of faces and bodies and costumes all around me. This may have resulted, in part, from the life Manzanar had forced upon us all" (Houston 36). In other words, as Jeanne became accustomed to seeing many Japanese people walking around, her fear of Asian people lessened and she was able to see people for who they were for the first time.
A place where government holds people during wartime for security reasons. In this case, internment camps are camps where Japanese people are placed during World War II as they are suspected for working with Japan.
How does camp life affect Jeanne's family dynamic? Be sure to explain how her family was like before and during their time at the internment camps.
Before the internment camps, Jeanne's family was very close with one another, often enjoying each other's company during mealtimes. During their time at Manzanar, however, the family began to split up since everyone was separated for most of the day, especially during mealtime. Jeanne began noticing that her family was beginning to drift apart.
Provide an objective summary of Farewell to Manzanar, chapters 3-4.
In Chapters 3 & 4 of Farewell to Manzanar, the Wakatsuki family experience living at Manzanar. At first, they encountered the issue of being covered in dust that flew in their barracks at night, which Woody resolves by tasking his younger family members to cover up the holes with tin can lids and other scraps he found. Mama is frustrated at their living conditions, to which Woody tries to console her and tell her that things will get better. The next big issue is their constant sickness from the typhoid vaccines, which leads them to the restrooms with no privacy. This embarrasses and frustrates Mama and others. The people in the camp feel insulted at the lack of privacy but feel powerless to do anything about it.
On pages 33-34, find textual evidence that highlights Jeanne’s feelings about the camp’s impact on her family. Then, explain how your chosen evidence connects to the prompt above.
"You might say it would have happened sooner or later anyway, this sliding apart of such a large family, in postwar California. People get married; their interests shift. But there is no escaping the fact that our internment accelerated the process, made it happen so suddenly it was almost tangible. Not only did we stop eating at home, there was no longer a home to eat in" (Houston 34). In other words, due to the internment camps, Jeanne's family eventually grew apart from each other since everyone started to do their own thing within the camps and not spend time with each other, especially during mealtime, which was a Wakatsuki tradition to spend with each other.
Define what Executive Order 9066 was.
A law giving the military authority to define military areas where certain people can be excluded. In this case, Japanese people were only permitted to live in certain areas defined by the military.
How does Papa’s return from Fort Lincoln change the atmosphere of the family dynamic? Be sure to explain the family dynamic before and after his arrival.
Before Papa's return from Fort Lincoln, the Wakatsuki family was getting used to their new life at Manzanar, with the children playing with their friends and the adults settling into a new routine. Once Papa arrived at Manzanar, the family dynamic shifted and became uncertain since they have already adjusted to not seeing Papa. Furthermore, no one knew how to address him after he's been gone for so long.
Provide an objective summary of Farewell to Manzanar, chapters 1-5.
Jeanne Wakatsuki, a Japanese American, tells her story of being present during the Japanese Internment Camps, a moment in U.S history where Japanese people were imprisoned during World War II. At the beginning of the story, Jeanne is 7 years old when she finds out about Pearl Harbor's bombing. Her father immediately burns all their connections with Japan, only to be arrested later for supposedly supplying oil to Japanese submarines offshore. Afterwards, Jeanne and her family move to different places with different levels of discrimination, such as Terminal Island, Boyle Heights, then finally Manzanar. At Manzanar, an internment camp, Jeanne and her family experience poor living conditions, with their barracks being incomplete and letting dust settle in. Furthermore, the food options are very different compared to what Japanese people are used to eating. Mama compares their living conditions as living like animals, with Woody, Jeanne's older brother, reassuring her that it is only temporary. At the end of Chapter 5, it is revealed that Jeanne is interested in studying catechism, or Catholic instruction, after hearing the stories of the saints. Also, it is important to note that Papa joins the family after a year of being apart. When he arrives at Manzanar, no one dares to move or say anything, until Jeanne runs up to her father and hugs him tightly.
Provide textual evidence from Chapter 5, pages 40-41, that shows the effect of Papa’s time at Fort Lincoln on his personality. Then, explain how your chosen evidence connects to the prompt above.
"He had been gone nine months. He had aged ten years. He looked over sixty, gaunt, wilted as his shirt, underweight, leaning on that cane and favoring his right leg. He stood there surveying his clan, and nobody moved, not even Mama..." (Houston 41). This demonstrates Papa's change in personality after spending time at Fort Lincoln because he is more distant from his family than before.
Define what catechism is.
(Hint: Jeanne's experience with religion in Chapter 5)
Catechism is the study of religious teachings. In Farewell to Manzanar, catechism is being referred to as the study of the Catholic teachings.