This reader's guide is a collaborative document created by students in Asian American Experience, an English composition course at Tufts University. For questions, please contact Grace.Talusan@tufts.edu
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
1968 by Dan
1968: Eye Hotel
General Questions
1. Do you like or dislike Yamashita’s writing style, and why?
2. How does Yamashita’s writing style convey her message?
3. What is Yamashita’s message thus far in the book?
4. Which section of 1968 was your favorite and why?
Chapter 1. Year of the Monkey
Summary:
Paul Lin’s father passes away during Lunar New Year festivities. Paul’s aunt comes to support him and help him handle the obligations concerning his father’s funeral. There is a procession through Chinatown, during which Paul meets Chen, a friend of his father’s, who teaches a Chinese literature class at San Francisco State. One day, Paul decides to clean his father’s house from top to bottom, and then go to SFSC to attend Chen’s classes, part of his journey to find out more about his own identity and his own niche now that he is on his own. He meets Edmund Lee, a full-time student but also works full time to support his family. Edmund is very intelligent and one of Chen’s brightest students. Later, there is a student-run protest against the administration of the school.
Memorable Quotes:
“Could have given her his dad’s entire library plus his paintings, burn it all up to heaven” (7).
“Got to see Chen to find the real keys to get back in” (13).
“Suddenly he sees himself multiplied, monkey orphans let loose, raising havoc” (17).
Interpretation:
Paul’s passivity during the funeral proceedings show that he is not sure how to approach his father’s death. As an Asian American, he doesn’t seem to fully understand the meaning of the proceedings and their symbolism, and it is taken care of by his aunt. He gradually comes to the realization that he can learn from Chen, and attends his classes, not knowing what he will find. During the protests, he almost actively participates, but is restrained by Chen. He sees that the students protesting around him are just like him, and that this is an environment where he can discover more about who he is.
Questions:
1. What are your feelings towards Paul?
2. Can you relate to him, or is it difficult?
Chapter 2. Language in Reaction
Summary:
Chen was fired from the university, but continued to teach in a café. He taught about the teachings of Mao and how Mao believed that there two types of armies needed for social liberation: a military, and also a cultural army armed with the pen. Later, there is Japanese American Citizen’s League meeting, during which Edmund works the banquet and Paul is protesting outside. The acting president speaks during the meeting and expresses his belief that the elder generation of Japanese must communicate all the hardships they have experienced so that the younger generation can continue the tradition.
Memorable Quotes:
“He really believed in the cultural army, in liberation by means of the pen” (25).
“The winning civilization will be the one that keeps its history going” (34).
Interpretation:
Chen shows how much faith he has in writing as a form of expression. Paul and Edmund are still learning about their roles in the Asian American community.
Questions:
1. Why does Yamashita attribute such significance to the act of writing?
Chapter 3. Analects
Summary:
Professor Chen applied for his sabbatical and travels to France, while Paul and Edmund remain stateside to take care of Chen’s finances and his properties. Paul and Edmund continue to immerse themselves in their environment. Edmund proactively researches about and contributes to the Asian American community through his writing. Edmund receives funding for a Chinatown Youth Service Center, which is established to better the community through employment support. When rejected by the Holiday Inn hotel for positions for Asian Americans on the staff, Edmund creates the group Chinese for Affirmative Action to protest. Paul continues to write and read poetry that demonstrates his struggle with his identity. Chen returns from France to find that the protest/strike agreements were never enacted, and that students and faculty were punished for their dissent.
Memorable Quotes:
“On which side of the bay does the father live? On which side of the bay does the worthy son?” (45-46)
Interpretation:
Paul and Edmund continue to grow and become active voices in the community, even without the help of Professor Chen. They are gradually being groomed to carry on the work Chen has done throughout his life.
Questions:
1. Do Paul and Edmund struggle with the same issues? How are their issues different?
Chapter 4. My Special Island
Summary:
There are protests over the islands called the Tiao Yu Tai Islands. These islands have belonged to the Chinese and have been populated by Chinese fishermen through much of China’s history, but through an agreement between the US and Japan, the US have relinquished control of the islands to Japan without the consent or consultation of China or the residents of the island. The Tiao Yu Tai islands are also known to have significant oil reserves. There is a show of solidarity in support of the Chinese interests in those islands, and against the Japanese and American “imperialists.”
Memorable Quotes:
“This isn’t about supporting one government or another...this is about the sovereignty of the Chinese people...” (57).
Interpretation:
Paul and Edmund’s journey towards discovering more about their heritage materializes during this conflict, and they see what it means to take a stand for their people, even if they have lost touch with that part of their background.
Questions:
1. What is the significance to Paul saying “I cried, and I’m not really Chinese?”
Chapter 5. We
Summary:
Chen and Paul meet on a ferry to Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the Pacific, where many Asian immigrants were detained for long periods of time. Paul and Chen make plans to publicize and publish material from Angel Island.
Memorable Quotes:
“Leaving behind my writing brush and removing my sword, I came to America” (62).
Interpretation:
Chen and Paul’s collegiality is shown. They continue to work together to put Asian American struggles, past and present, on the map for others to see.
Questions:
1. Who is the “we” that is constantly referred to?
Chapter 6. Tofu Tigers
Summary:
Chen and Edmund travel to China as returning overseas citizens, to experience all that has changed since they’ve since they were last there. They are greeted by representatives of the Chinese Communist Party and are shown perspectives of a socialist society. They visit the village of Tachai, and Chen reconnects with his old professor, who no longer participates in writing or the activism he used to, to the disappointment of Chen. Edmund gets himself into trouble with the local authorities when a friend starts taking pictures.
Memorable Quotes:
“I applied [to college], but it’s my country’s wish that I work here” (67).
Interpretation:
Both Chen and Edmund discover that their homeland was nothing like how it was when they left. The people are different (Chen’s old professor) and the customs have changed (that led to Edmunds encounter with local authorities). They no longer feel as strong of a bond to their homeland, and it is apparent their special niche is in the Asian American community in America.
Questions:
1. Are the realizations Chen and Edmund come to positive ones?
Chapter 7. Chinatown Verité
Summary:
The writing style of this section is in the form of a script of a film. The section details the hardships Asian Americans must endure, such as the dissociation of identity, and employment and living conditions. Edmund is mortally wounded during apparent gang activity.
Memorable Quotes:
“Chinese are greatest actors. We play double roles. We got our real names and then we got our paper names” (83).
Interpretation:
The structure of this section is appropriate because Yamashita wants to portray the “acting” of the Chinatown residents. This is one of the most concrete passages of the novella and clearly and coldly presents life as it was.
Questions:
1. Why was the death of Edmund included in the novella? What does it represent?
Chapter 8. This Moment
Summary:
Paul, Chen, and Judy, who is a friend of Edmund’s, support each other in the aftermath of Edmund’s death. Paul turned to writing and invested himself more in the Poetry Boys Club that he was a part of, while Chen became disillusioned with the loss of his closest and brightest pupil. Chen functioned poorly and stopped writing, and became involved in a traffic accident. Chen resumed Edmund’s work, and it was clear that he and Edmund had a special connection that transcended their generational gap. Paul knew that they were the closer of the three of them and he was the odd one out. He later found out Chen had a relationship with his mother before introducing her to Paul’s father.
Memorable Quotes:
“Of this new generation, only Edmund had read Chen’s poetry and knew its flavor and value, but Edmund was no longer” (100).
Interpretation:
Chen is dealing with what he believed the loss of value/appraisal for his work, with Edmund’s death. Without Edmund, he felt the younger generation i.e. Paul could not fully understand what it was that he, the older generation, have experienced and accomplished.
Questions:
1. How was Paul and Chen affected differently with Edmund’s passing?
Chapter 9. Authentic Chinese Food
Summary:
There is a Chinese story about two lovers that were only intimate twice a year, and after these passionate encounters, they would cook for each other and create extravagant cuisines. Chen and Jack discuss specific dishes for their cookbook.
Memorable Quotes:
“Taste travels to you from eight centuries” (109).
Interpretation:
The cookbook represents a link to the past for Chen, and the past is consuming him and his thoughts and priorities.
Questions:
1. What are Yamashita’s intentions in introducing this section on food?
Chapter 10. All the Things You Are
Summary:
Paul and Chen reconcile and reconnect, under pressing conditions because Chen’s house is condemned during a storm and he is forced to relocate. Chen reassures Paul that he is not his father. They escape the storm together with what belongings they could take.
Memorable Quotes:
“I don’t need my stuff. I haven’t needed it all year” (111).
Interpretation:
They take their unfinished manuscripts, and will likely resume the writing that has always kept them close.
Questions:
1. Is this a satisfactory ending? What does Yamashita want you to think will happen?
General Questions
1. Do you like or dislike Yamashita’s writing style, and why?
2. How does Yamashita’s writing style convey her message?
3. What is Yamashita’s message thus far in the book?
4. Which section of 1968 was your favorite and why?
Chapter 1. Year of the Monkey
Summary:
Paul Lin’s father passes away during Lunar New Year festivities. Paul’s aunt comes to support him and help him handle the obligations concerning his father’s funeral. There is a procession through Chinatown, during which Paul meets Chen, a friend of his father’s, who teaches a Chinese literature class at San Francisco State. One day, Paul decides to clean his father’s house from top to bottom, and then go to SFSC to attend Chen’s classes, part of his journey to find out more about his own identity and his own niche now that he is on his own. He meets Edmund Lee, a full-time student but also works full time to support his family. Edmund is very intelligent and one of Chen’s brightest students. Later, there is a student-run protest against the administration of the school.
Memorable Quotes:
“Could have given her his dad’s entire library plus his paintings, burn it all up to heaven” (7).
“Got to see Chen to find the real keys to get back in” (13).
“Suddenly he sees himself multiplied, monkey orphans let loose, raising havoc” (17).
Interpretation:
Paul’s passivity during the funeral proceedings show that he is not sure how to approach his father’s death. As an Asian American, he doesn’t seem to fully understand the meaning of the proceedings and their symbolism, and it is taken care of by his aunt. He gradually comes to the realization that he can learn from Chen, and attends his classes, not knowing what he will find. During the protests, he almost actively participates, but is restrained by Chen. He sees that the students protesting around him are just like him, and that this is an environment where he can discover more about who he is.
Questions:
1. What are your feelings towards Paul?
2. Can you relate to him, or is it difficult?
Chapter 2. Language in Reaction
Summary:
Chen was fired from the university, but continued to teach in a café. He taught about the teachings of Mao and how Mao believed that there two types of armies needed for social liberation: a military, and also a cultural army armed with the pen. Later, there is Japanese American Citizen’s League meeting, during which Edmund works the banquet and Paul is protesting outside. The acting president speaks during the meeting and expresses his belief that the elder generation of Japanese must communicate all the hardships they have experienced so that the younger generation can continue the tradition.
Memorable Quotes:
“He really believed in the cultural army, in liberation by means of the pen” (25).
“The winning civilization will be the one that keeps its history going” (34).
Interpretation:
Chen shows how much faith he has in writing as a form of expression. Paul and Edmund are still learning about their roles in the Asian American community.
Questions:
1. Why does Yamashita attribute such significance to the act of writing?
Chapter 3. Analects
Summary:
Professor Chen applied for his sabbatical and travels to France, while Paul and Edmund remain stateside to take care of Chen’s finances and his properties. Paul and Edmund continue to immerse themselves in their environment. Edmund proactively researches about and contributes to the Asian American community through his writing. Edmund receives funding for a Chinatown Youth Service Center, which is established to better the community through employment support. When rejected by the Holiday Inn hotel for positions for Asian Americans on the staff, Edmund creates the group Chinese for Affirmative Action to protest. Paul continues to write and read poetry that demonstrates his struggle with his identity. Chen returns from France to find that the protest/strike agreements were never enacted, and that students and faculty were punished for their dissent.
Memorable Quotes:
“On which side of the bay does the father live? On which side of the bay does the worthy son?” (45-46)
Interpretation:
Paul and Edmund continue to grow and become active voices in the community, even without the help of Professor Chen. They are gradually being groomed to carry on the work Chen has done throughout his life.
Questions:
1. Do Paul and Edmund struggle with the same issues? How are their issues different?
Chapter 4. My Special Island
Summary:
There are protests over the islands called the Tiao Yu Tai Islands. These islands have belonged to the Chinese and have been populated by Chinese fishermen through much of China’s history, but through an agreement between the US and Japan, the US have relinquished control of the islands to Japan without the consent or consultation of China or the residents of the island. The Tiao Yu Tai islands are also known to have significant oil reserves. There is a show of solidarity in support of the Chinese interests in those islands, and against the Japanese and American “imperialists.”
Memorable Quotes:
“This isn’t about supporting one government or another...this is about the sovereignty of the Chinese people...” (57).
Interpretation:
Paul and Edmund’s journey towards discovering more about their heritage materializes during this conflict, and they see what it means to take a stand for their people, even if they have lost touch with that part of their background.
Questions:
1. What is the significance to Paul saying “I cried, and I’m not really Chinese?”
Chapter 5. We
Summary:
Chen and Paul meet on a ferry to Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the Pacific, where many Asian immigrants were detained for long periods of time. Paul and Chen make plans to publicize and publish material from Angel Island.
Memorable Quotes:
“Leaving behind my writing brush and removing my sword, I came to America” (62).
Interpretation:
Chen and Paul’s collegiality is shown. They continue to work together to put Asian American struggles, past and present, on the map for others to see.
Questions:
1. Who is the “we” that is constantly referred to?
Chapter 6. Tofu Tigers
Summary:
Chen and Edmund travel to China as returning overseas citizens, to experience all that has changed since they’ve since they were last there. They are greeted by representatives of the Chinese Communist Party and are shown perspectives of a socialist society. They visit the village of Tachai, and Chen reconnects with his old professor, who no longer participates in writing or the activism he used to, to the disappointment of Chen. Edmund gets himself into trouble with the local authorities when a friend starts taking pictures.
Memorable Quotes:
“I applied [to college], but it’s my country’s wish that I work here” (67).
Interpretation:
Both Chen and Edmund discover that their homeland was nothing like how it was when they left. The people are different (Chen’s old professor) and the customs have changed (that led to Edmunds encounter with local authorities). They no longer feel as strong of a bond to their homeland, and it is apparent their special niche is in the Asian American community in America.
Questions:
1. Are the realizations Chen and Edmund come to positive ones?
Chapter 7. Chinatown Verité
Summary:
The writing style of this section is in the form of a script of a film. The section details the hardships Asian Americans must endure, such as the dissociation of identity, and employment and living conditions. Edmund is mortally wounded during apparent gang activity.
Memorable Quotes:
“Chinese are greatest actors. We play double roles. We got our real names and then we got our paper names” (83).
Interpretation:
The structure of this section is appropriate because Yamashita wants to portray the “acting” of the Chinatown residents. This is one of the most concrete passages of the novella and clearly and coldly presents life as it was.
Questions:
1. Why was the death of Edmund included in the novella? What does it represent?
Chapter 8. This Moment
Summary:
Paul, Chen, and Judy, who is a friend of Edmund’s, support each other in the aftermath of Edmund’s death. Paul turned to writing and invested himself more in the Poetry Boys Club that he was a part of, while Chen became disillusioned with the loss of his closest and brightest pupil. Chen functioned poorly and stopped writing, and became involved in a traffic accident. Chen resumed Edmund’s work, and it was clear that he and Edmund had a special connection that transcended their generational gap. Paul knew that they were the closer of the three of them and he was the odd one out. He later found out Chen had a relationship with his mother before introducing her to Paul’s father.
Memorable Quotes:
“Of this new generation, only Edmund had read Chen’s poetry and knew its flavor and value, but Edmund was no longer” (100).
Interpretation:
Chen is dealing with what he believed the loss of value/appraisal for his work, with Edmund’s death. Without Edmund, he felt the younger generation i.e. Paul could not fully understand what it was that he, the older generation, have experienced and accomplished.
Questions:
1. How was Paul and Chen affected differently with Edmund’s passing?
Chapter 9. Authentic Chinese Food
Summary:
There is a Chinese story about two lovers that were only intimate twice a year, and after these passionate encounters, they would cook for each other and create extravagant cuisines. Chen and Jack discuss specific dishes for their cookbook.
Memorable Quotes:
“Taste travels to you from eight centuries” (109).
Interpretation:
The cookbook represents a link to the past for Chen, and the past is consuming him and his thoughts and priorities.
Questions:
1. What are Yamashita’s intentions in introducing this section on food?
Chapter 10. All the Things You Are
Summary:
Paul and Chen reconcile and reconnect, under pressing conditions because Chen’s house is condemned during a storm and he is forced to relocate. Chen reassures Paul that he is not his father. They escape the storm together with what belongings they could take.
Memorable Quotes:
“I don’t need my stuff. I haven’t needed it all year” (111).
Interpretation:
They take their unfinished manuscripts, and will likely resume the writing that has always kept them close.
Questions:
1. Is this a satisfactory ending? What does Yamashita want you to think will happen?
Edited by Ji-Sun Ham
1969 by Jack
1969: I Spy Hotel
Edited by Dan Zhen
Chapter 1. Dossier #9066
Summary:
In this section, Yamashita brings the reader into the mindset of analyzing a folder or document about Professor Tom Takabayashi. Within the document we learn that Takabayashi was born in Seattle in 1926. At 16 he is placed in internment camps with his family. We learn about Takabayashi’s education and the doctorate degree he receives on parole systems in America. The chapter includes his early career and his initial involvement with “radical protests.” In 1974, Berkeley School of Criminology is closed and the faculty blames Takabayashi and his protestors. Throughout the chapter, Takabayashi is portrayed as an instigator and a suspect of criminal activity. Eventually, Takabayashi’s wife leaves him after suspicious activity not highlighted by the report. Conspicuously, Yamashita chooses to blacken out names of popular stars and other professors to add to the mystique of the reading experience. This limited knowledge reflects postmodern literature, where authors seek to address realities of life and wish to reflect on individuals’ ignorance about specific events.
Memorable Quotes:
“I took actual parole cases and crossed out the names and decisions, sent them to justices around the state , and had them retry the cases…the decisions were ultimately preferential, personal, and ideological” (120).
“Students saw three choices: go to school, go to prison, go to war. We challenged the idea that society, and therefore education, should be controlled by the threat of punishment and the history of race” (127).
Questions:
1. How does chapter 1's title (Dossier #9066) pertain to civil rights struggles in the book thus far?
2. What is your interpretation about the black-out names on pages 119, 121 etc?
Chapter 2. Recorded Live in Your Face
Summary:
In this chapter, Yamashita displays this section as if it were a movie script. Each scene is detailed beforehand. Here, the chapter first follows the Asian American Experience class (Professor Takabayashi’s class) at Berkeley as it prepares a protest. Coincidentally, Takabayashi is portrayed as having almost nothing to do with the protests, simply offering a classroom for the students to meet. After the quick meeting, the students confront Takabayashi’s guest, Professor Haas and call him a racist for his book. Only one student is named by his actual name, James Baba, an important character later on. The scenes describe the hectic violence of the protests and demonstrate the extremism of both the students and of the police, nicknamed “the pigs.” Mo Akagi breaks in threatening to kill Baba. At the same time, though not related (at this point), a Minister of Defense meets with revolutionaries and teaches them to fire weapons. The chapter moves on to a JTC meeting (J-Town Collective) where members are screening a movie on police crackdowns in other neighborhoods. We learn that the JTC is trying to protect the Nihonmachi neighborhood from eviction. James Baba is an important organizer and talks strategy with other members, notably Aiko Masaoka. The chapter ends with James Baba packing up with many questions still remaining about the JTC’s mission in Nihonmachi. Significantly, James Baba is referenced by many members of the JTC as their James Brown, a popular voice of the civil rights movement.
Memorable Quotes:
“Check out what it says about mace and tear gas” (129).
“(Policeman 2) It’s not him…(Policeman 1)…Book him anyway. Resisting arrest. Assaulting a policeman. Obstructing entrance to a public space” (136).
“Molotov cocktails and stones are called criminal weapons, but how else can we defend ourselves?” (149).
“It is a conglomerate of well-to-do property owners and business interests…Their aims are selfish and do not account for the lives of longtime renters who have lived and operated their businesses in Nihonmachi for generations” (158-159).
Questions:
1. In chapter 2, how does the reader's viewpoint of Professor Takabayashi change from chapter 1? What significance does this have with Yamashita's writing style?
2. What is interesting to you about Yamashita's view of the "pigs"?
3. What is the significance of the scene with Mo Akagi or the Minister of Defense?
4. Why does Yamashita reference James Brown at the end to many sections? What does this have to do with James?
Chapter 3. A Need to Know Basis
Summary:
This chapter focuses on the relationship between the characters Nelson and Aiko. As their short relationship plays out, Yamashita interludes with a voice-over that talks about infiltrating an organization. First, Nelson is caught trying to steal Aiko’s car. James Baba shows up and recognizing Nelson, who plays it off as a joke, which was highly unlikely. James places Nelson under Aiko’s reluctant care and slowly, Nelson begins to develop a new identity within the community. As the voice-overs become more sinister and intense, Nelson reveals a stranger has been visiting the JTC’s offices looking for James. Unfortunately, Nelson nearly blows his cover with a character named Jay and mysteriously leaves. It is important to note that this story is given no timeline, so the reader must make their own assumptions about its chronology. Aiko’s feelings for Nelson were extremely strong, yet Nelson’s quick exit once again leaves the reader with many questions about Nelson’s true purposes within the JTC.
Memorable Quotes:
”We suspect the offices are bugged, so we move our strategy meetings around to other locations” (170).
“Say a white group and a colored group want to align themselves for power purposes. It’s easy. Pull the race card, shit about their ‘national’ position, see what I mean? No way they see eye to eye” (174).
“Anonymous letters…Anonymous phone calls. Someone calls with a tip. Same tip for another guy on the other guy. Could be regarding a woman or money. Either will do. Starts a fuckin’ war” (177).
Questions:
1. In chapter 3, what does the voice-over add to the scene?
2. Was Nelson a spy? If not, who was? How can you be sure?
3. Why does Yamashita contrast the scenes of peace (children playing, lilies in a pond, grandparents) with the dark side of the voice-over? What does this say about society today?
Edited by Dan Zhen
Chapter 1. Dossier #9066
Summary:
In this section, Yamashita brings the reader into the mindset of analyzing a folder or document about Professor Tom Takabayashi. Within the document we learn that Takabayashi was born in Seattle in 1926. At 16 he is placed in internment camps with his family. We learn about Takabayashi’s education and the doctorate degree he receives on parole systems in America. The chapter includes his early career and his initial involvement with “radical protests.” In 1974, Berkeley School of Criminology is closed and the faculty blames Takabayashi and his protestors. Throughout the chapter, Takabayashi is portrayed as an instigator and a suspect of criminal activity. Eventually, Takabayashi’s wife leaves him after suspicious activity not highlighted by the report. Conspicuously, Yamashita chooses to blacken out names of popular stars and other professors to add to the mystique of the reading experience. This limited knowledge reflects postmodern literature, where authors seek to address realities of life and wish to reflect on individuals’ ignorance about specific events.
Memorable Quotes:
“I took actual parole cases and crossed out the names and decisions, sent them to justices around the state , and had them retry the cases…the decisions were ultimately preferential, personal, and ideological” (120).
“Students saw three choices: go to school, go to prison, go to war. We challenged the idea that society, and therefore education, should be controlled by the threat of punishment and the history of race” (127).
Questions:
1. How does chapter 1's title (Dossier #9066) pertain to civil rights struggles in the book thus far?
2. What is your interpretation about the black-out names on pages 119, 121 etc?
Chapter 2. Recorded Live in Your Face
Summary:
In this chapter, Yamashita displays this section as if it were a movie script. Each scene is detailed beforehand. Here, the chapter first follows the Asian American Experience class (Professor Takabayashi’s class) at Berkeley as it prepares a protest. Coincidentally, Takabayashi is portrayed as having almost nothing to do with the protests, simply offering a classroom for the students to meet. After the quick meeting, the students confront Takabayashi’s guest, Professor Haas and call him a racist for his book. Only one student is named by his actual name, James Baba, an important character later on. The scenes describe the hectic violence of the protests and demonstrate the extremism of both the students and of the police, nicknamed “the pigs.” Mo Akagi breaks in threatening to kill Baba. At the same time, though not related (at this point), a Minister of Defense meets with revolutionaries and teaches them to fire weapons. The chapter moves on to a JTC meeting (J-Town Collective) where members are screening a movie on police crackdowns in other neighborhoods. We learn that the JTC is trying to protect the Nihonmachi neighborhood from eviction. James Baba is an important organizer and talks strategy with other members, notably Aiko Masaoka. The chapter ends with James Baba packing up with many questions still remaining about the JTC’s mission in Nihonmachi. Significantly, James Baba is referenced by many members of the JTC as their James Brown, a popular voice of the civil rights movement.
Memorable Quotes:
“Check out what it says about mace and tear gas” (129).
“(Policeman 2) It’s not him…(Policeman 1)…Book him anyway. Resisting arrest. Assaulting a policeman. Obstructing entrance to a public space” (136).
“Molotov cocktails and stones are called criminal weapons, but how else can we defend ourselves?” (149).
“It is a conglomerate of well-to-do property owners and business interests…Their aims are selfish and do not account for the lives of longtime renters who have lived and operated their businesses in Nihonmachi for generations” (158-159).
Questions:
1. In chapter 2, how does the reader's viewpoint of Professor Takabayashi change from chapter 1? What significance does this have with Yamashita's writing style?
2. What is interesting to you about Yamashita's view of the "pigs"?
3. What is the significance of the scene with Mo Akagi or the Minister of Defense?
4. Why does Yamashita reference James Brown at the end to many sections? What does this have to do with James?
Chapter 3. A Need to Know Basis
Summary:
This chapter focuses on the relationship between the characters Nelson and Aiko. As their short relationship plays out, Yamashita interludes with a voice-over that talks about infiltrating an organization. First, Nelson is caught trying to steal Aiko’s car. James Baba shows up and recognizing Nelson, who plays it off as a joke, which was highly unlikely. James places Nelson under Aiko’s reluctant care and slowly, Nelson begins to develop a new identity within the community. As the voice-overs become more sinister and intense, Nelson reveals a stranger has been visiting the JTC’s offices looking for James. Unfortunately, Nelson nearly blows his cover with a character named Jay and mysteriously leaves. It is important to note that this story is given no timeline, so the reader must make their own assumptions about its chronology. Aiko’s feelings for Nelson were extremely strong, yet Nelson’s quick exit once again leaves the reader with many questions about Nelson’s true purposes within the JTC.
Memorable Quotes:
”We suspect the offices are bugged, so we move our strategy meetings around to other locations” (170).
“Say a white group and a colored group want to align themselves for power purposes. It’s easy. Pull the race card, shit about their ‘national’ position, see what I mean? No way they see eye to eye” (174).
“Anonymous letters…Anonymous phone calls. Someone calls with a tip. Same tip for another guy on the other guy. Could be regarding a woman or money. Either will do. Starts a fuckin’ war” (177).
Questions:
1. In chapter 3, what does the voice-over add to the scene?
2. Was Nelson a spy? If not, who was? How can you be sure?
3. Why does Yamashita contrast the scenes of peace (children playing, lilies in a pond, grandparents) with the dark side of the voice-over? What does this say about society today?
1970 by Bhushan
I Hotel — Book 3
The style of Book 3 was quite different from Books 1 and 2. Instead of being a collection of fairly long stories, Book 3 was broken up into 8 chapters that were all less than 5 pages apiece.
Chapter 1: I Am Hip
Summary
Two people, described as “ministers of information of the Black Panther Party and the Red Guard Party,” are sitting in a Moscow hotel room talking about the past. Their plan is to travel through the Communist countries of Asia and eventually meet Mao Zedong. RG, the Red Guard Party’s Minister of Information, tells a story about his past. He went on tours with Janis Joplin as a stagehand, doing drugs and protesting with hippies to avoid the draft. The chapter ends with RG telling the story of his trip to a military recruitment office while on meth, shouting about how he wanted to be an addict.
Quote at the end of the chapter: “The Black Panther Party hereby offers to the National Liberation Front and Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam an undetermined number of troops to assist you in your fight against American imperialism.” — Huey P. Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party. (196)
Questions
Q1. It is understandable that the Black Panther and Red Guard Parties felt animosity towards the US government. Why do you think they focused on the soldiers and the Vietnam War in particular?
Chapter 2: I Am a Brother
Summary
Chapter 2 continues where Chapter 1 left off, in the Moscow hotel room. During the conversation, Mo Akagi, a Japanese member of the Black Panthers, is brought up, and his story is told.Akagi, as a Japanese American, was interned between the ages of five and nine during World War II. Mo met Huey P. Newton soon after and joined a gang with him. At eighteen, he enrolled in the army during a period of peace, hoping to be like one of the members of the 442nd regiment, but there was no one to fight. Once he got out of the army, he enrolled at UC Berkley. He looked into joining Malcolm X, but decided against it because it would require him to be celibate and to quit smoking and drinking.
Akagi read Marx and other radicals and began designing a curriculum for potential recruits to read. He started smuggling in The Little Red Book via China and using the profits to fund the Black Panther Party.
Chapter 3: I Am a Warrior
Summary
The storytelling continues. The Panther asks how the Asian-Americans of the Red Guard Party met the Black Panthers. Their alliance was the result of Asian-American girls from Chinatown hooking up with African-American guys from Oakland, which led to the two of them creating armed safe houses together. One of these safe houses was surrounded by the police with guns while the Black Panther and a character named Woman Warrior were inside. That is when the chapter ends.
Questions:
Q1. Very little information is given in this chapter about the characters. Why do you think Yamashita does this?
Chapter 4: I Am a Crusader
Summary
The Black Panther from Chapter 3 manages to escape from the safe house. Meanwhile, Akagi is organizing Black Panther chapters across the country. He communicates with Robert F. Williams, author of Negros with Guns and producer of Radio Free Dixie, who is broadcasting from Cuba and is also in China. Williams and Malcolm X inspire the Black Panther movement.
Akagi becomes a weapons trainer for the Panthers. When the Panthers march in Sacramento, they become national news. Even isolated people from places as far away as Reed College (Portland, OR) telegram in saying they want to join and Akagi goes out to accept them.
Questions:
Q1. The chapter ends with a quote by Mao Tse-tung calling for people of all classes and races to rise up and join the revolution. What parallels do you see between Mao’s quote and this chapter?
Chapter 5: I Am a Martial Artist
Summary
This chapter describes daily life for adolescent gangsters in Chinatown. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of adult supervision, and kids are in and out of juvie. Some get jobs at the local pool hall, but police brutality and harassment ruin any chance of keeping their jobs as a stable enterprise. There is significant tension between the Chinatown-born kids, Legitimate Way, and the foreign-born kids, the Wah Ching. Legitimate Way, RG, and a Russian kid decide to organize themselves, preserve order, and defend themselves against both police brutality and the Wah Ching in order to impress visiting Black Panthers.
Meanwhile, RG and Panther, who are still in the Moscow hotel room, decide to start smoking. However, they accidentally light the carpet on fire.
Questions:
Q1. Why is there such tension/aggressiveness between the foreign-born kids and the Chinatown-born kids? Why would the Chinatown-born kids far prefer to associate with the Black Panthers than the foreign-born kids?
Chapter 6: I Am the Third World
Summary
The police begin shutting down Black Panther operations across the United States. Dozens die and hundreds are incarcerated. A number of minority groups rally near the Hall of Justice and the San Francisco Jail. Since RG is missing, Akagi, the Japanese Panther, decides to represent the Asian-American community.
Akagi gives a speech to try to rally the crowd. He talks about how suppression of minority groups (black, Native American, Asian-American) had been practiced ever since the European “invaders” arrived. He relates that to what is happening in the modern day and says that the excuse given of “law and order” is nonsense. He mentions how women have been oppressed to make sure that feminists are represented, but quickly moves past that. He brings up Marxism but quickly brings down the material to the common listener’s understanding so that he can unite the people there under a banner of “Third World solidarity.”
Chapter 7: I Am a Revolutionary
Summary
We go back to RG and Panther in their Moscow hotel room. They manage to put out the fire and start to consider all the things that have happened in the world recently. They compare themselves to Che, Mao, and Malcolm doing their long journeys. Then they go back to storytelling. After the events of the above chapters, Legitimate Way becomes the Red Guard and tries to improve and safeguard Chinatown. During Waverly, a youth festival in Chinatown, a drunken tourist starts tossing firecrackers into the crowd. An RG member tosses him out, and two policemen come after the RG member, ignoring the hurt Asian-Americans. He fights them off, and the Red Guards put on a show of force that night, constantly exploding fireworks.
Questions:
Q1. Do you think the Red Guards are really that much better than the policemen? Explain.
Chapter 8: I Am the Vanguard
Summary
RG and Panther, still in the hotel room, talk about women. They both dream of a woman who is as into the revolutionary movement as they are. She is totally devoted to the movement and to her man, willing to raise his children, even if he is cheating on the woman.
Akagi found a “righteous woman” to date and live with for a while, but eventually she could not take the stress that came from his frequent nighttime absences to patrol for the Panthers, and she left him. He plans to go live in the I-Hotel with the old Filipino and Chinese bachelors because he is a bachelor too.
Questions
Q1. We finally have reached a point where the I-Hotel is mentioned. Where do you the story will go from here?
Questions for the overall novella:
Q1. Did you feel the way Yamashita told the events of Book 3 made things more confusing or more understandable than Books 1 and 2?
Q2. The chapter titles in this Book are all of the form “I Am…” Why you think Yamashita titled them in this way?
Q3. What exactly was the purpose of this chapter?
Guide by Bhushan
Edited by Abby
1972 by Abby
1972: Inter-national Hotel
Guide by Abby
Edited by Sarah Neville
Structure
Each chapter is structured in a similar way. Each chapter is broken up into sections, with a quote by various famous revolutionaries or political figures at the beginning of each section. Within each section, each paragraph is given its own number, somewhat like a play. Each section within the chapter usually ends with some sort of paragraph that imparts wisdom or a moral value.
Questions to think about:
- Who is the oppressed? Is the oppressed one group of people or many groups? Is everyone oppressed in the same way? How are women oppressed - are they different from other oppressed groups?
- Who is a revolutionary? How are revolutionaries the same and different? What makes someone a revolutionary?
- What is the difference between history and a story? Are we being told a history or a story? How can you tell? How does this influence the way we should interpret the events in this hotel and in the whole book?
1: The Art of War
Synopsis:
The quotes in this chapter are all by a famous revolutionary.
This is an overview of the events that will mostly be described in more detail later. It describes the lives of Olivia “Olie” Wang, the granddaughter of a failed generalissimo (it isn’t clear of what nationality, possibly Chinese), and Bienvenido “Ben” or “Benny” San Pablo, the grandson of a manong (Filipino nationality). Olie and Ben have a son, who they name Malcolm, after Malcolm X. They are both revolutionaries, although their exact roles in any sort of red movement and their ideologies are never made clear. One day, about a year after Malcolm is born, four men try to mug Olivia, but she runs away. The men, who are from the police of the Red Squad, break into Olivia and Ben’s house after finding their address in an address book they steal from another woman they mug. Ben escapes with Malcolm. It is revealed that Olivia has ovarian cancer, and she dies.
Throughout the chapter, Olie and Ben constantly make fun of each other and insult each other.
Quotes:
- “Ben pondered the constant warfare within his mind, the hidden mines that seemed to explode at every venture made through that dark labyrinth. Had not his heroes, Lenin and Marx, already cleared a path to light? Why was it, then, that his vision could only navigate through the clarity of a white opiate?” (297)
- “But she said: I have anticipated the end of the story without first imparting the beginning. Knowing the story’s end does not necessarily imply completion or knowledge, for if many endings are possible, so also are many beginnings… stories may turn and turn again.” (301)
Questions:
- What does the first quote say about the motives and beliefs of a revolutionary?
- Why is the second quote, the ending paragraph of this chapter, about a story rather than a history? What does this say about this book as a representation of history?
2: Malcolm X at Bandung
Synopsis:
The quotes in this chapter are all from the Final Communiqué at Bandung and Malcolm X.
Ben first sees Olivia when she gives a presentation at an event, and Olivia first sees Ben when he presents at a similar event. The events are both some sort of conference about the conditions of the working class. Ben is very interested by Olivia and he tries hard to meet her in person. He has his roommate find out more about her, and he eventually finds himself sitting next to her at a showing of One Fourth of Humanity: The China Story by Edgar Snow. Olivia acts very condescendingly towards him and gives him her copy of the Edgar Snow book to read, which he accepts without revealing that he has already read it – he wants to see her notes. Ben and Olivia keep running into each other. Karl Kang, a character who reappears later in this section, is introduced at a meeting. Ben takes a road trip to Montreal with his friend Macario Amado to attend a conference, and it so happens that Olivia is driving them.
Historical Background:
Bandung was a meeting of non-white governments, at which they issued a Final Communique demanding certain rights.
Quotes:
- “She ignored him, as if he were a mere working peon.” (311)
Questions:
- What do you make of Olivia’s attitude? What does the quote say about the “equality” of a communist revolution?
- How do the quotes add to this chapter?
3: What Is to Be Done?
Synopsis:
This chapter is further broken up into “Study Groups,” each of which poses a question before continuing with the story.
The plot is not quite linear. The sections alternate between recounting the journey to Montreal and showing dialogue between Olivia, Ben, and Karl Kang, where they debate the “Study Group” question, with Karl acting as a mediator. At the conference, Olivia and Ben support the opposition to American intervention in Vietnam, although it does not seem like the conference actually accomplishes much. When it’s time to leave, Macario stays behind to stay with a girl he met. Olivia and Ben drive back to California together. Along the way, they acknowledge their feelings for each other.
Quotes:
- “…Only to discover that the exchange of one’s labor in the form of a coin is at the center of the meaning of our lives.” (323)
Questions:
- What is the purpose of the “Study Group” questions?
- Does the quote give accurate analysis of the meaning of our lives?
4: In Practice
Synopsis:
This chapter has some sections which are entitled “Revolutionary Woman #__ -- Code Name: ______” The code name of the women is always taken from the quote that begins the section. All of the women are mistreated in some way by capitalist society, being fired from their jobs or making very little money. It is stated that several of these women are ethnic, although it is possible that some are white.
It is also revealed that Olivia stole her father’s car and left her (very rich) family after traveling to Mississippi and getting a Negro boyfriend who was not accepted by her family.
Quotes:
- “Women is the nigger of the world. –Yoko Ono” (335)
Questions:
- What does this chapter say about the state of women in America?
- How do the code names add to this chapter?
5: On Colonialism
Synopsis:
Ben’s past and his father’s story are described. Ben’s mother was white, which caused Ben’s father a lot of self-doubt. Ben does not have a close relationship with his father and has little respect for him. Ben’s father fought in the Philippines during the Second World War and then became a drunk. He returned to the Philippines at the end of his life and built a church after hallucinating his dead mother.
Some of Karl Kang’s life is also described. Karl marries a woman named Delia who later leaves him.
Quotes:
- “By his senior year in high school, Ben realized that no manner of assimilation or integration would erase his dark features.” (338)
Questions:
- There seems to be a recurring plot line of revolutionaries’ wives leaving them. Why?
- How does Ben’s father shape Ben’s future?
- How is the identity crisis of someone who is half Asian-American different from the identity crisis of someone who is full Asian-American?
6: A Romance for Humanity
Synopsis:
Each section of this chapter begins with a quote by Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of the Philippines.
There are two story lines. Ben and Olivia get married at the I Hotel. There are also several sections which appear to be taken from one or more speeches given by Ferdinand Marcos, the president of the Philippines, in which he ultimately declares martial law because several protesters have been causing disorder in the Philippines.
Historical Background:
Ferdinand Marcos was elected President in 1965 and declared martial law in 1972 when the Communist opposition to his regime began to grow. Under martial law, civil liberties were suspended and the government had the power to arrest and jail their opposition, as well as the ability to appoint members. Although martial law was lifted in 1981, Marcos remained President and kept his power to jail any opposition. He was eventually forced out of office in 1986.
Imelda Marcos, the wife of Ferdinand Marcos, led a very extravagant lifestyle while her husband was in power. She held several political positions while her husband was in power and remained in politics after her husband was forced out of office.
Quotes:
- “Bakit mayroong mga Pilipino … nag-aanak ng kamatis.” (Imelda Marcos, 351) translates to: “Why are some Filipinos slanderous of the President and First Lady? Don’t they know that we are the father and mother of the Philippines? If the father is a sweet potato and the mother is a sweet potato, then the Filipinos are sweet potatoes! Sweet potatoes are not bred from tomatoes.”
- “Daig ko pa si Cinderella.” (Imelda Marcos, 357) translates to: “I defeated Cinderella.”
Questions:
- How are Olivia and Ben related to the Filipino government – why are these two stories told concurrently?
- What is the significance of the quotes by Imelda Marcos?
7: National Liberation
Synopsis:
Ben travels to Cuba, where he finds a great respect for the love of country that he sees in the Cubans. He admires the Cuban revolution. Olivia, Ben, and Karl are trying to organize the revolutionaries to take some course of action. It seems that Olivia and Ben want to unite the entire working class, regardless of race. Angela Davis, a Communist political activist who was quoted in Chapter 4, is invited to talk. Angela leaves when Olivia and Aiko (who has been in some of the previous books) can’t agree on what sort of meeting to hold. The chapter ends with Olivia giving birth to a son, who is named Malcolm.
Quotes:
- “Even if you mobilize the working class, they don’t give a damn about the Third World or blacks, much less Asians. It may take many years, most likely not in our lifetimes.” (Karl Kang, 362)
Questions:
- How does this chapter show the clashes of the various revolutionary ideals?
8: Death of a Revolutionary
Synopsis:
Ben struggles to compose some sort of document that will help two revolutionary groups merge together. There is a conversation between two people, one of whom is Olivia, and the other of whom is unidentified, but may be Ben. They are talking about a woman who used to be part of the revolutionary group who got purged because she was a “liability” and believed to be a spy. The woman is referred to as “Y,” and she may be Yuri or Yoko from Chapter 4. Olivia believes that it was unfair to purge Y, but the other person says that it was the right thing to do at the time. Olivia dies after injecting herself with something – her death may have been a suicide since she was already dying of cancer. She makes Ben promise to stop using drugs for Malcolm’s sake.
Quotes:
- “When it’s all said and done, they can change the history… They’ll only remember that we purged people, that Y died, that I was a fucking bitch.” (Olivia, 368)
Questions:
- What does the quote say about history in general? About this story as an accurate representation of history?
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