Category: they called us enemy

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We Cannot Keep the Shades Pulled Down and Claim Ignorance at Atrocities Surrounding Us

As a result of Executive Order 9066, the United States government abducted George Takei and his family, taking them to a concentration camp in Rohwer, Arkansas. They took a train to Arkansas, and during the trip, whenever they entered a town, the soldiers guarding them on board the train would tell them to shut shades so that no one outside the train, walking through the … Read More We Cannot Keep the Shades Pulled Down and Claim Ignorance at Atrocities Surrounding Us

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Immortality and Memory

“Memory,” as George Takei puts it in They Called Us Enemy, “is a wily keeper of the past.” It shifts and moves, changing over time. Memory, as well, is the keeper of the past and the means of immortality. It’s the act of remembering that connects us to those whom we have never personally met, not just with people that we tangibly interacted with … Read More Immortality and Memory

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Multicultural American Literature Syllabus 2022

Over the past few years, I have taught numerous multicultural American literature courses, at various levels from sophomore to graduate. This semester, the texts center around the question, “Who is American?” Unlike previous semesters, I have read or taught these texts before, so none are really new to me. However, the overarching theme and the focus of the texts has provided me with ways … Read More Multicultural American Literature Syllabus 2022

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The Unproportional Distribution of Shame: Part I

Guilt and the acknowledgment of wrongdoing constitute one’s feeling of shame. It arises when someone recognizes their culpability in an event or events and feel regret and sadness at their part in the action. On a recent episode of This American Life, Mohamadou Slahi, a man incarcerated at Guantanamo for years before his release, speaks with some of the individuals who interrogated and tortured … Read More The Unproportional Distribution of Shame: Part I

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Home in George Takei’s “They Called Us Enemy” & John Okada’s “No-No Boy”

Over the course of George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy, home plays an important thematic role. For Takei and his family, what does home actually mean? They live in an incarceration camp for years, and Takei, the oldest of three children, is only about five or six when they enter they camp. His siblings are younger. So, when the order comes from the camps … Read More Home in George Takei’s “They Called Us Enemy” & John Okada’s “No-No Boy”