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1. Theme: Identity

This excerpt reveals how the forced internment impacts the characters' sense of identity as both Americans and Japanese.

"I am American. I have always been American. But when they look at me, they don’t see someone who belongs here. They see an enemy. I didn’t even know what 'Japanese' meant until they made me understand with their slurs, their hateful stares, and their barbed wire."
— (Page 24)

Analyze how this quote reflects the internal conflict between the characters’ American identity and how others perceive them during WWII. You can also compare this with modern-day examples of prejudice based on ethnicity or nationality.

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2. Theme: Resilience

This excerpt highlights the resilience of the characters as they face harsh conditions and adversity during their time in internment camps.

"We survive. That’s all we can do. We pull together our scraps of dignity and we go on. Maybe that’s what makes us strong—not the struggle, but the getting through it."
— (Page 154)

Reflect on how resilience is portrayed in the book. You can write a response on how the characters "pull together" during difficult times and how this idea of resilience is relevant to their own lives or current events.

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3. Theme: Social Injustice

This passage reflects the injustice faced by Japanese Americans, forced into internment camps despite being U.S. citizens.

"We are not free. We are not free, even though we are supposed to be. We are not free, even though we are Americans. We are trapped behind barbed wire, treated like criminals for something we didn’t do, for a war we didn’t start, for the fear of what we might do."
— (Page 213)

Discuss the concept of social injustice. You can create a a slide presentation or video reflecting how the U.S. government's treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII was a violation of their rights, and connect it to other historical or contemporary examples of injustice.