No-No Boy: Afterlives by Jennifer Cho https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u Fall 2021 || EN177: Introduction to Asian American Literature en-us 2021-10-05 01:55:17 UTC 2021-10-08 20:11:20 UTC hello@padlet.com visual rhetorics of the internment Prof_JCho https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1791527513 This article cues us into the ways that photographs (from three different photographers-one commissioned by the US government, one a volunteer to document the camps, and one from the interior) offer their own narrative framings of the Japanese internment. Images can reflect nationalist biases, feeding into ideas of what constitutes a “good” subject and the American nation and/or counter this agenda by “humanizing” Japanese internees whose names were otherwise replaced by a family number. While No-No Boy doesn’t take us into the camps, I thought about how Okada’s omission could parallel the government’s censorship of those photos conflicting with the official narrative (Lange’s photos, for example). Sidenote: who knew Ansel Adams (you know him! beautiful b&w landscape photos of the west/frontier) was buddies with the director of the Manzanar camp? ]]> 2021-10-05 02:46:45 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1791527513 art based on no no boy https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1794200685 This piece is called “Yellow Menace” and is by Isabel Reyes, a student in the No-No Boy spring 2018 course at Brown University. Whenever I think of something that is connected to a lot of history, I love looking for art that was inspired by it. That brought me to this artwork.

I found it fascinating that the piece is called "Yellow Menace," perhaps an indication of the movement away from the phrase "Yellow Peril." Also, the dragon is emerging from the shadow of the child and could be interpreted as protecting the child but could also be seen as threatening the child.

The child is dressed in white, the color usually used to symbolize innocence. The dragon looms over the child, representing the Asian identity that may one day force the child to make a choice they don't want to make.

- Yashi]]> 2021-10-05 19:17:47 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1794200685 Preserving History https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1794406070 This opinion piece by Carlene Tanigoshi Tinker encourages readers to dig up the past of the Japanese American internment camps both literally and figuratively. As a survivor of the Amache incarceration camp in Colorado, Tinker witnessed the dismal and dehumanizing conditions of these prisons firsthand. At 82-years-old, Tinker is still fighting to keep the memory of Amache alive by physically digging up people's belongings so that these fragments of a muted history can be memorialized. This act of preserving and protecting the history of Japanese internees is more pertinent than ever as education systems across the country attempt to shrink the already narrow lens of American history taught in classrooms today. I also thought about how Okada’s book could also be interpreted as an attempt to preserve the emotional effects of the internment camps on the Japanese American psyche. Just like Tinker, Okada manages to dig up these deep, painful memories so that readers in future generations can understand a fuller picture of Japanese American history. 

- Emma]]> 2021-10-05 20:50:59 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1794406070 The Ghosts of No-No Boy https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1794466152 Musician Julian Saporiti created a musical project that centers around Asian-American refugee camps, as well as the Japanese incarceration camps. He calls his project "No-No Boy" to honor John Okada's novel. He was inspired after Trump was elected, feeling that his years studying oppression and incarceration was being repeated because of Trump's ideology and rhetoric. He met a real no-no boy named Hideo and visited the Crystal City Internment Camp in Texas, where Hideo was held. I thought his journey was inspiring, yet I was disappointed that we were repeating history with holding facilities and separating families. I also remember how Okada's novel was a commercial failure and he died before his novel ever gained any real traction. Now, his work is celebrated in so many ways, and people look back on the Japanese-American detainment in a new light. Now, no-no boys are respected and revered for what they went through, in contrast to the spite and hatred Ichiro faced. It's sad that it takes the passage of time in order for us to reflect on past events in a new perspective, but I am glad that Okada's work is now being honored in a myriad of ways, such as being the namesake of Saporiti's music.
-Yuri]]> 2021-10-05 21:22:52 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1794466152 Japanese Internment Camp Footage https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797341569 When I am studying a historical event from the past hundred and fifty years, I try to find video footage of it. I believe that it gives me a greater understanding of the effects of policies and the state on regular human people. I think that there is a relatability that you don't get with written word, pictures, or just audio, and your brain makes an unconscious connection between the people you see in the video and people you know in real life. In clips like these, I am always shocked by how many people I recognize, who look like people I have met and seen in my past. When I saw the forced smiles of the Japanese Americans sent to these camps, I got a better idea of the personal feeling of those afflicted by the racist policies of the United States, and a more complete understanding of the themes in No-No-Boy.

- Lukas ]]> 2021-10-06 17:41:17 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797341569 No-No Boy Cover Art https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797470396 This article discusses the creative process behind the cover art of the 2014 paperback edition of No-No Boy. One of the first things I was drawn to first when I saw this on the shelf at the BU Bookstore was the cover. The 2014 cover was designed by Thomas Eykemans and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. It's so interesting to read about how everything from the font (modified Futura) to the illustration and colors used have a deeper importance and connection to the novel itself. They chose this specific font because it was a common and popular font of the 1950s when the book was first published. Additionally, they chose to use both red and blue colors on the cover to subtly reference the flags for Japan and the United States. Overall, I think this short article was helpful in my understanding of how the physical book itself relates to the experiences of Japanese Americans and the effort that designers and illustrators put into making covers that accurately reflect the themes and content of the text itself.

- Abby]]> 2021-10-06 18:28:49 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797470396 https://www.npr.org/2021/05/05/993829995/no-no-boy-weaves-family-and-other-immigrant-stories-into-catchy-folk-songs https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797528337 I thought this was rather interesting that Saporiti used his own family's experience to inspire his music. I also found it interesting that his family is Vietnamese. This mean's the "no-no boy mentality" if you will, extended beyond WWII into the Vietnam war.
- Greg]]> 2021-10-06 18:52:38 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797528337 Reflective Art on Japanese Internment https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797568248 I was drawn to this piece because I think that art allows people to express feelings that can't really be put into words. Along with the art that they created, the artists discuss what happened to their family members and how it's continued to affect them almost a century later. I also didn't realize that other countries (Peru, as mentioned in the article) deported people of Japanese descent to the U.S. to be sent to internment camps, so it's really valuable to get that perspective.

-Kate]]> 2021-10-06 19:10:45 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797568248 Honouliuli: The Lost & Forgotten Internment Camp https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797667146 The piece I chose was former President Obama's statement on declaring the Honouliuli Internment Camp, known as Jigokudani (地獄谷), or "Death Valley,"  a national monument in 2015. I grew up 30 minutes away from this internment camp. It is the house that my great-grandparents built after the war in the 50s, but they had no idea that Honouliuli was so close to them. It wasn't until 1998 when information about Honouliuli came to light. The exact location of this camp was not discovered until 2002. In Hawaii, those who were interned were hand-picked. Because Japanese people made up around a third of the entire population that lived in Hawaii, interning everyone, as they did on the West Coast, would cause the economy to collapse and the capitalistic US would not allow this to happen.  Honouliuli was secluded both physically and in oral history. The camp itself was completely demolished, except for two buildings, in the years after the war was over. But the stories of Honouliuli as told by those who were interned were not well vocalized. The same shame that is felt by those in Okada's book is why these stories were not passed down. The selective nature of who was interned in Hawaii created a divide within the Japanese community in Hawaii, which further suppressed the oral histories of Honouliuli, as the US government and military tried to hide the atrocities of their actions, and those interned tried to reassimilate with society. It was not something people spoke about, as many people were ashamed of their experience and humiliated that they were hand-picked to be interned. Uncovering the trauma and realities that happened while Hawaii was under Marshall Law is becoming more known and there is a greater understanding of wartime conditions in Hawaii and the stories that many Japanese people have been keeping in for 75 years. 

-Kylie]]> 2021-10-06 20:00:03 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797667146 Connections of Japanese internment to ICE detention https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797784675 To me, Japanese internment feels so distant from our present time and it is easy to believe that internment was so draconian that something similar would not happen again. What I found the most interesting about this piece is that it is a great reminder that the themes and ideas that originally drove Japanese internment are not as archaic as they might seem. The article describes Tsuaru For Solidarity, a Japanese American-based advocacy group that fights against detention against immigrants and refugees. The group wishes to be the "allies that the Japanese Americans didn't have."
-Darren]]> 2021-10-06 21:04:27 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797784675 The ‘No-Nos’ of Tule Lake https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797976015 I was drawn to this story because I wanted to learn more about the real experiences of people who were “No-Nos.” I found this article captivating because of the combination of historical context, narrative explanation, and resources (the actual questionnaire document, photographs, surveys). The quotes were particularly intriguing because they included both people who responded and people reminiscing on their parents’ experiences. I also thought it was interesting to see people going back to Tule Lake to learn more and validate their history, who turn around and organize social justice efforts to fight against immigrant detention and help others who have similar experiences. 

- Naomi]]> 2021-10-06 23:12:47 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1797976015 Darren Barnet Was “Overjoyed” to See Fans’ Reaction to Paxton’s Japanese American History Project in Never Have I Ever https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798037253 When we began discussing Japanese internment in class, it reminded me of this scene from the Netflix show Never Have I Ever. I couldn't find the clip, but this article goes into the significance the character researching his family history had for the actor and many fans.]]> 2021-10-06 23:52:23 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798037253 The Amache National Historic Site Act https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798200128 The Amache National Historic Site Act interests me greatly—I think it is really important for the United States to acknowledge its history rather than just pretend these injustices never happened. The article mentioned that the Amache Historical Site is “an unparalleled opportunity for Coloradans and Americans to learn about the horrors of Japanese internment, and ensure that our collective memory of these atrocities does not diminish with time.” Exposure to the history is important because I know for myself, the Japanese internment aspect of WWII was not really discussed much in the classroom in high school—it was not really until this class that I truly learned about the subject more in depth. - Olivia]]> 2021-10-07 01:06:19 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798200128 Interview with a Japanese-American Internment Camp Survivor https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798466705 In this video, Shokichi "Shokes" Tokita narrates his experience in a Japanese internment camp to kids of various ages. I chose to share this video because it showcases the real life story of someone who lived through what Ichiro experienced. Although Shokes isn't a "No-No Boy", his story reflects Ichiro's in many ways because of how he felt shunned from society and abandoned by America - his home. I was especially shocked to learn that he and his family (total of 8 people) had to live in the poor conditions of their internment camp for 3 years, losing their business, house, and more in the process. I also wanted to share this video because I thought it contrasts the linear sense of identity we saw perpetuated in No-No Boy. There was a sense of pressure from Mrs. Yamada and many of those around Ichiro to "choose" one identity. I think this video is a reflection of the progress we, as a society, have made to slowly change that narrative. Now, we're having more open conversations on having mixed identities and the dark history of the US. Exposing these kids to these kind of conversations reflect a step in the right direction for shaping and educating the future generations. 
- Anica]]> 2021-10-07 02:52:33 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798466705 No-No Boy Live Performance https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798566486 As I was looking for contemporary pieces to relate to No-No Boy, I came across this group called the "No-no Boy." I was immediately captivated by the folklore style music and the intro lyrics of the first song called "St. Denis or Bangkok, From a Hotel Balcony"- "Soft language barriers, child of an immigrant, before the banh mi trucks were cool, lunch table embarassment..." The song is about Julian's (the lead singer) grandmother. Julian takes inspiration for his music, through his family's experience of living through the Vietnam war and he expresses his feelings of being a "No-no boy" through his art. 
-Selena]]> 2021-10-07 03:35:30 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798566486 Story from a Japanese Internment survivor cach325 https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798650761 https://lompocrecord.com/news/local/the-story-needs-to-be-told-survivor-remembers-life-in-japanese-internment-camps-during-wwii/article_e1b2cfe6-a3d5-541d-827f-efe6d358fcff.html


In this article, it highlights a women name Margaret. She speaks about her time in Japanese internment camps and life before this event. She was a regular child playing in Northern California and was suddenly uprooted to a camp in Wyoming. She states that she views herself as two people- one before World War 2 and another person after World War 2. The experience has forever scarred her. 
 
I found this article interesting because she is willing to talk about her story and how it changed her. She said that America was her country, and she never spent a moment in Japan. Yet, the government believed Japanese were “dangerous”, even the ones born here. In addition, her father came from Japan and joined the U.S. Armed forces to fight in World War 1. It this ironic and confusing image that her dad was willing to sacrifice for a country but instead of respecting his patriotism they place him in an internment camp as a “pre-caution.” 
 
This relates to a part of No-No boy where a friend named Mike served in the U.S. army but was going to be placed an internment camp. He said that if the government was going to treat him like a Japanese, then he would act like one. I think this relates to this story because even though these people have sacrificed and displayed their allegiance to the country they are treated as foreigners. 
 
This thought of being foreign and not accepted is still a theme in America. But I hope that these articles and educating others allows for a better understanding that Asian/Americans can respect and take parts from each culture. It is not this all or nothing image. 

- Cameron


]]> 2021-10-07 04:19:15 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798650761 On Japanese Internment Poetry https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798706432 This is an interview with Professor Josephine Park, who studies poetry written by and related to interned Japanese Americans. There are a lot of poems from the Japanese people interned in these camps, and historians have often paid close attention to those written by children, as well as examining the poetry in general to get a sense of the attitudes and concerns of those affected by internment. I like this interview especially because Park discusses both the work of the Japanese artists as well as how we might view such poetry and resistance nowadays.
-Amy]]> 2021-10-07 04:50:13 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798706432 Interview with Internment Camp survivor https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798801547 https://www.npr.org/2016/12/07/504602293/at-92-a-japanese-american-reflects-on-the-hardships-of-internment-camps

I thought this article was interesting because the novel No-No Boy did not delve into details about the conditions of the internment camps. Seeing her age reminded me that we only have a limited time to talk to survivors and uncover history that has been ignored. 
-Carolina ]]> 2021-10-07 05:46:14 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798801547 Presentation/Lecture on Okada and No-No Boy https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798867207 I found this video about a week ago when I was taking a small break while in the middle of reading No-No Boy. It was incredibly interesting to watch the Japanese American National Museum put on this lecture about Okada, his life, and No-No Boy. The 3 presenters were Frank Abe, a journalist and producer of the PBS documentary Conscience and the Constitution; Greg Robinson, professor of history at Université du Québec a Montréal; and Brian Niiya, Content Director of Densho.org. 

One thing I found quite interesting was the fact was the title of No-No Boy was most likely thought of by Charles Tuttle, Okada's publisher, rather than himself, since he did not title the novel when he first drafted it. Additionally, through his text, the way he used "No-No" could also be thought of as taboo, not just as "no" and "no" on the answers. I also liked hearing about how other Nisei share their first reactions to the book, a few of which were actually negative: not liking the book overall, disliking Ichiro's character, thinking him weak, and hating how the only character in the novel who had thoughts and feelings toward Japan was a crazy woman. Another discussion point brought up was whether or not Ichiro's self rants were self-hate or if it was the author's way to create self reflection and perhaps not such a one dimensioned character. 

- Leo]]> 2021-10-07 06:24:27 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798867207 Japanese Canadian Internment https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798906680 I had previously thought that it was the U.S only that interned its citizens of Japanese ancestry. The Pearl Harbor attack was an attack on U.S soil. I thought that internment was uniquely an American issue. However, this video shows that that was not the case: approximately 22,000 Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry were similarly displaced and interned. Their government had forced them to sell their boats and houses, forcing them to sign a form consenting to the sale. Yukiharu Mizuyabu, son of a fisherman, said: "We were forced to pay for our own imprisonment out of our own pockets, a requirement not even imposed on hardened criminals." Indeed, it appeared better to have been a criminal than to have been Japanese. 

Muriel Kitagawa, a Japanese Canadian, wrote, "We are tightening our belts for the starvation to come. The diseases... the twisting of our souls... death would be the easiest to bear." 

September 22, 1988 -- almost 50 years after the forced exodus -- Prime Minister Brian Mulroney formerly apologized for the internment and seizing of property Japanese Canadians faced during the war. 

Take a look at the amazing photography exhibited in this short documentary. These were families assimilated to Canadian life: men and women in sharp suits and stunning pearls. But their epicanthic folds marked their otherness, their non-Canadian-ness, their non-whiteness -- the greatest blemish that no suits nor pearls could erase. 

-Jenny  ]]> 2021-10-07 06:44:29 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1798906680 Julian Saporiti and his Project No-No Boy https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1800173065 I thought this article was interesting because it shows how No No Boy by John Okada still remains an integral piece of literature in the Asian American community. Julian Saporiti notes that while he himself is not Japanese, he found himself relating to Ichiro. 

Saporiti stepped away from academia and turned towards music. Singing about topics like southeast Asian refugee camps and displaying images from the past. History should not be something that is only taught through literature and academia, but also through art. Saporiti does just that by traveling all over the world sharing stories about Asian Americans.

-Annabel  ]]> 2021-10-07 15:17:50 UTC https://padlet.com/Prof_JCho/bjl3rk2lgt1do22u/wish/1800173065