Farewell+to+Manzanar

media type="custom" key="12737620" =**Farewell to Manzanar**=

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[|Davis Lesson Guides Great Source]

Describe the life of the Wakatsukis before, during, and after internment. For instance, you might include: where they lived, what they did with their time, how they were treated by non-Asians, how they related to each other, and how they felt about their station in life. As you describe each family member's personality, note any changes that took place in his or her belief system. Explain the concepts of shame and honor in Japanese culture. How did the imprisonment in internment camps destroy honor and create shame for some of the family members? Person-against-self - an internal conflict of feelings. Person-against-person - the typical protagonist vs. antagonist scenario. Person-against-society - the protagonist battles against the larger organizations of society
 * Describe the Characters**
 * Japanese Shame & Honor**
 * Conflict**

(or a system of beliefs held by society). Person-against-nature - the protagonist is threatened by a component of nature. Discuss the racism towards Asians in the early to mid 20th Century America as depicted in the book. Give specific references to events that occurred in the lives of the Wakatsukis. Search the WWW for historical/factual events. Include a search on the Manzanar Internment Camp. Discuss some of the difficulties Jeanne (and other teenagers) experienced trying to live as Japanese Americans. Describe some of the conflicts Jeanne felt as she tried to be accepted by both her traditional family and the American caucasian society. How was she "torn" between two cultures? Describe the purpose of Section Three. Why is it important for Jeanne to return to Manzanar to say a final farewell? Explain in detail the significance of the book's title. [] [] [] Farewell to Manzanar Study Questions
 * Theme of Racism**
 * Jeanne's Teenage Years**
 * Section Three - Farewell to Manzanar**

Chpt. 1 1. Why did Papa burn the flag from Hiroshima and papers after Pearl Harbor?

Papa burned the papers and the flag from Hiroshima because he didn’t want to have any connection to Japan. **~** ** Yoshi **

2. What was Papa accused of when taken into custody?

“Papa” was accused of delivering oil to Japanese submarines offshore. This was “because” of the barrels of chum he had on his boat in a photograph, which he said was outdated. -Choji

pg 6, that night papa burned the flag he had brought with him from hiroshma thirty-five years earlier. it was such a beautifull peice of meterial, i couldnt beleive he was doing that. He burned a lot of papers to, documents enything that might suggest he still had some connection with japan. shylee

The F.B.I thought that he was supplying the Japanese submarines with oil. ~Casey 3. Why did Papa refer to himself as Skipper? 4.What was wrong about the way the FBI treated the Japanese? 5. What happened at Pearl Harbor and what did it mean to the Japanese and Japanese Americans?

Pearl Harbor was an incident that took place on December 7th, 1941 on the largest Hawaiian island, Honolulu. There, a U.S naval base was attacked by the Japanese, instantly forcing America to join World War II. This event scared many Japanese and Japanese Americans because they knew that America would win the war, and possibly destroy Japan. The Japanese Americans knew that they would be looked at as a naturally evil, mean, and horrible race. Thus they were forced to go to Manzanar. ~ Ian

Chpt. 2 6. Why was Jeanne terrified moving to Terminal Island?

Jeanne was terrified of moving to Terminal Island because of the Oriental people that populated it. When Papa had been around, he would tell her that, " If you don't behave I'll sell you to the china man." When she saw the Oriental kids in her class, she wigged out. ~ Ian

7. Why did Mama throw the expensive plates on the ground?

Mama threw the china plates on the ground because of the humiliating, frustrating, and incompetent price that the dealer tried to buy them for. She knew that they were worth so much more than the proffered price, that she might as well vent her anger and break them. ~ Ian

The plates were worth a lot, and “Mama” would rather smash them than sell them for an insulting price to the dealer. It was also a way for her to channel her rage of being forced to leave her home.

Mama would rather have her best plates broken and gone, than in the hands of a stranger. ~Casey 8. What does Shikata ga nai mean?

Shikata ga nai means: it can’t be helped, or it must be done. **~** ** Yoshi **

9. Why was she so excited to move to a different place other than Los Angeles County? 10. What was the atmosphere when she arrived at the camp?

pg 16, (it cannot be helped) (it must be done) shylee Chpt. 3 11. What problems did Jeanne’s family face in their living quarters?

Dusty, dirty, small living quarters that are very inhospitable. ~Casey

12. What task did Woody ask Ray and Kiyo to perform?

Woody asks the two boys to patch up the holes in the walls with lids from tin cans to keep the sand from getting in.

13. What character traits does Woody show in this section? 14. Who did Woody try to act like? Why?

Woody tried to act like his father during the duration of their internment that did not include Papa. He did this to try to hold together the family, hopefully until ,"Papa", came home. ~ Ian

15. How did Mama say they were living like?

Mama said, “Woody, we can’t live like this. Animals live like this.” (pg. 26) ~ ** Yoshi **

Chpt. 4 16. Who is in charge of all of the camps?

The War Department, which in 1947 split into the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force, which in turn joined the Department of the Navy in the creation of the National Military Establishment, which was renamed The Department of Defense in 1949.

17. How was Woody’s promise to Mama fullfilled?

Woody's promise to "make it better", is fulfilled not only by fixing the original block they had lived in, which they did using tin lids and a hammer plus some nails to seal the cracks in the walls. But also by moving to a better block later in the book. ~ Ian

18 What did the War department provide? 19. Describe Mama’s personality.

Mama is a very strong character, with an untamed, defiant spirit. ~Casey 20. What were the conditions of getting shots and what happened because of it?

The shots were for typhoid. Which Jeanne got diarrhea and stomach cramps from. **~** ** Yoshi ** Chpt. 5 21.What was Granny unable to do in chapter 5? 22.Who made a game out of seeing how many mess halls he could hit in one meal period?

Kids like Ray, would eat in as many mess halls as they could during each meal period. They did this as a sort of game, to entertain themselves, pass the time. ~Ian

pg 36 granny was unable to walk back and forth especially in bad weather. shylee younger boys would see how many mess halls they could eat from in one period. Jeanne’s brother Ray took part in this activity.

23.What job did Woody take when he got to the camp? 24.How many people were at the camp? 25.What kind of hat was Papa wearing when he stepped of the bus?

Papa was wearing a fedora hat and a white shirt. **~** ** Yoshi **

When he got off the bus, he was wearing a Fedora hat. ~Casey 26. How did Jeanne react to seeing him and why was her behavior abnormal? pg 40, 10,000 peaple where located in the camp. shylee pg 46, when papa steped out, wearing a fedora hat and a wilted white shirt. shylee Chpt.6 27. Describe the many careers that Papa tried? 28. How does Jeanne characterize her father?

Jeanne said, “He was not a great man. He wasn’t even a very successful man. He was a poser, a braggart, and a tyrant.” (pg. 58) ~ ** Yoshi **

29. What do the many jobs that Papa had say about him?

The many jobs that Jeanne's father, known as "Papa", say much about his boisterous personality. He wanted to do something important and sophisticated, and he wanted to do it well. He tried hard at every job he ever had, and did astoundingly well at each. This says, that he wants to be different, special, and important. ~Ian

Papa was discontent with any job he took up, no matter what it was. ~Casey

30. According to Jeanne what snipped off the climax of their life in Ocean Park? Why? 31. Describe the episode in this chapter that tells us Papa loved having an audience. pg 51, in idaho he worked as a valet, a cook, a chauffeur, a mechanic, a general handyman. shylee. At their silver wedding anniversary, when Papa announced it was time to carve the pig, he went about it in a melodramatic fashion. He took a “huge butcher’s cleaver” and cut off the pig’s head, and then chopped it into quarters. At the end he told his sons: “Cut it up. You girls, bring the platters here. Everybody wants to eat.

Chpt. 7 32. Why did Wakatsuki Ko leave the Japanese military?

He left the military school because he “got tired of the marching.”

He left the army because “I was tired of the marching.” ~Casey 33. Where was he held and for what reason was he detained? 34. Why does Mr.Wakatsuki think it is bad to have military leaders?

Ko says, “As long as military men control the country you are always going to have a war.” (pg.62) **~** ** Yoshi **

35. What analogy does Mr. Wakatsuki use to describe the difficulty he has in siding with either America or Japan?

The wonderful analogy Mr. Wakatsuki uses to describe the difficulty in his choosing of a either America or Japan as the country he wants to win the war was a highlight of the book for me. He said, in response to the question, "When your mother and your father are having a fight, do you want them to kill each other? Or do you just want them to stop fighting?" ~ Ian

Chpt. 8 36. What did the Japanese mean when they used the term “Inu”?

Literally translated, “inu” means “dog.” But in this situation it “meant collaborator or informer.”

37. What did Papa threaten to do? 38. What did Kiyo do at the end of the chapter and why?

Kiyo punched papa in the face to stop him from hurting or killing mama. **~** ** Yoshi **

When Papa got drunk in chapter 8, Kiyo punched him in the face and yelled “stop it Papa! Stop it!” Kiyo didn’t want Papa yelling at his mom. ~Casey 39. Why did the women at the bathroom call Papa an inu?

The women in the bathroom called Papa an Inu because he had been interrogated by the FBI and they believed that he had revealed some sort of info to them that might cause America to win the war. ~Ian 40. What did Papa do for most of the day?

Chpt. 9 41. What were the reasons the bells rang?

There were many reasons why the bells at the mess hall rang: “They rang for higher wages, they rang for better food, they rang for open revolt, for patriotism, for common sense, and for wholesale return to Japan.

42. Why was Fred Tayama badly beaten by six men and taken to the camp hospital for treatment? 43. Why didn’t the men who came from Fort Lincoln ever discuss the issues that occured there?

They never said much because, “the charge of disloyalty.” (pg. 72) **~** ** Yoshi **

44. Why did the riot about sugar and the chefs begin? 45. Why did pride matter so much to Papa?

Pride mattered so much to Papa because he had lost so much of it in his own country, apparently due to his own family's failings. He wanted, needed to hold on to every scrap of it he could muster.

Because he was trying to honor his ancient ancestry. ~Casey Chpt. 10 46. Why did the MPs invade the reservoir shack? 47. What were the pickax handles used for?

The pickax handles given to the reservoir maintenance crew were to protect themselves from rioters accusing them of “cooperating.”

The pickax handles were for defending the workers from the mob. ~Casey 48. What is Kaz’s job?

Kaz’s job is, “foreman of a reservoir maintenance detail” (pg. 78) **~** ** Yoshi **

49. When the MPs came to invade the shack, why didn’t the reservoir crew stick up for themselves or fight back?

The reservoir crew didn't stick up for themselves or fight back because they did not want the Americans to think that they were evil, as the common misconception was back then. ~ Ian

Chpt. 11 50. What did the Japanese 17 years old and up have to fill out in the prison camps?

The “Loyalty Oath:” questions asking if you would be willing to serve in the Armed Forces and if you “swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America.”

51. What did Woody do that defies his fathers wishes?

Woody defied his fathers wishes by writing "YES YES" on the "Loyalty Oath." ~ Ian

52. Why did his father disagree? Explain. 53. If the Japanese answered “no no” on the oath test, where could they be sent?

If you say NO NO you will be shipped back to Japan with all those other bakatare!” (Papa pg. 84) **~** ** Yoshi **

They would be sent back to Japan in disgrace, if they answered “no no.” ~Casey 54. Why was there a meeting in the mess hall? 55. Why did Papa go to the meeting? 56. Explain the December Riot.

Chpt. 12 57. IN SPANISH, WHAT DOES MANZANAR MEAN? Why is this ironic given the geography of the camp?

In Spanish, Manzanar means "apple orchard." This is ironic given the geography of the camp is barren and sandy, with a few apple and pear trees. ~ Ian 58 WHEN THE WAKATSUKI FAMILY MOVED TO BLOCK 28, WHAT DID PAPA DO TO KEEP BUSY? 59. WHY HAD MAMA CHOSEN TO MOVE TO BLOCK 28?

It doubled their living space, and was close to the hospital so it was easier for mama to get to her job of a dietician. **~** ** Yoshi **

She wanted to be close to the hospital because as she was a dietician. ~Casey 60. WHAT WAS THE COMPROMISE THAT WOODY AND PAPA HAD AFTER THEIR ARGUMENT OVER JOINING THE ARMY?

“Papa talked him out of volunteering, Woody waited for the army to induct him.”

61. THE JIVE BOMBERs WOULD SING ANY SONG FROM IN THE MOOD TO STRING OF PEARLS, BUT THEY WOULDN’T SING ONE SONG. WHAT WAS THIS SONG? Why?

Chpt. 13 62. WHAT DID JEANNE, KIYO, AND ALL THE OTHER CHILDREN FINALLY HAVE WHEN THE MOVED TO BLOCK 28?

They had a school. They had been lacking an official one, having classes scattered around the camp.

63. WHAT DID REIKO TELL JEANNE TO DO IN ORDER TO HAVE GOOD SKIN?

Reiko told Jeanne to, “rub Rose Brilliantine Hair Tonic on your face and rub cold cream in your hair.” (pg. 110) **~** ** Yoshi **

64. WHAT DId MITSUE TELL JEANNE NEVER TO WHERE AND TO DO WHAT TO HER STOCKINGS? 65. What was ther girls’ intention in telling Jeanne to do these things? 66. WHY DID JEANNE NEVER CHOOSE TO DO BALLET AGAIN? 67 WHY DIDN’T PAPA WANT JEANNE TO BE BAPTIZED?

Papa didn't want Jeanne to be baptized because then he knew she would have to marry a Catholic and there was no such thing as a Catholic Japanese boy. Later, Jeanne was thankful for Papa's interference and she knew he was right about it. ~ Ian

Papa didn’t want Jeanne to be baptized because when she grew up, she would have to marry a Catholic and she wouldn’t be able to marry a Japanese man. ~Casey Chpt. 14

68. Why did Jeanne say that “Her father was right,” in making the decison to not get baptized?

Because she was not yet old enough to think for herself, and she was rushing into things she would later regret.

69. Why did Jeanne not want Woody to get drafted?

Jeanne did not want Woody to get drafted because she was worried he would get hurt or killed while in action. ~ Ian

She felt secure around him. “When I needed reassurance I would get it from Woody.” ~Casey 70. Why did Eleanor come back to Manzanar when she was pregant, and how long did it take her to give birth?

Eleanor’s husband had to join the army and she couldn’t get enough money to have a baby so she went back to Manzanar, where it took two days to have the baby. **~** ** Yoshi **

71. Why did the family separate? 72. What is the out come of the birth with Eleanor and her baby? She went back to Reno, Nevada where she was living before. **~** ** Yoshi ** Chapter 15 73. After Eleanor had her baby in Manzanar, where did she live?

After she had her baby, Eleanor moved to Reno. ~Casey 74. What combat regiment did Woody enter into the war? What was it famous for?

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team: an all-Nisei unit that was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service, in the entire history of the U.S. Military.

75. What did the departure of Woody into the war do to Jeannie’s family? 76. When did Woody get drafted, and how did Jeannie handle this? 77. How did Woody feel about getting drafted and going to the war?

Woody was accepting of his getting drafted and going to the war. He wanted to help. ~Ian

Chpt 16 78. Do you believe that it was fair that only the Japanese-Americans were evacuated and not the German-Americans or the Americans of Italian descent, when these countries were also our enemies?

I believe that this subject is a complicated one, since Germany had not done anything as devastating to the U.S as Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Nor had the Italians. However, they were descendants of America's enemy factions. It is possible that there were less enough Japanese, that the American Government could do something about to appease the public. I still think it was entirely wrong what they did to the Japanese Americans. ~ Ian

79. Why did the Japanese not want to leave the camp?

Because some of them were afraid of the racism that was still present, even though the evacuation order was rescinded.

80. Why did Jeanne’s brothers and their wives move to the east coast instead of staying in California?

They were afraid of all the anti Japanese movements in California. **~** ** Yoshi **

81. Why did Jeanne’s papa not want to go to New Jersey?

Jeanne’s father said that even if it was better in New Jersey, California was home and he didn’t want to go anywhere else. ~Casey 82. Why did Jeanne’s faith in God and in the Catholic church slip?

Chapter 17 83. Why were so many Japanese homeless after they were let out of the internment camps?

After being stuck in internment camps for years with no source of income, they have no money. Also, there are housing shortages due to “wartime population growth.”

After the Japanese were released, they were broke without any money whatsoever for houses and food. ~Casey 84. What did many Japanese - Americans compare the internment camps to? 85. What did Jeanne’s Papa always look at whenever he needed sustenance? 86. What was Papa’s plan to help the Japanese who were leaving the internment camps?

<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 14px;">His plan for the lack of housing and money getting out of the camps was, “We will design a housing project, and all the men looking for work will build houses.” (pg. 138) **~** ** Yoshi **

87. The bombing of Hiroshima extinguished everyones last hope of what? The bombing of Hiroshima extinguished everyone at Manzanar's last hope of something postponing their return to the outside world. ~ Ian

Chpt. 18 88. Who is Toyo?

<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 14px;">Toyo is Ko’s aunt. Who explains things to Woody. **~** ** Yoshi **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #0000ff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Toyo is Woody’s fathers eighty year old Aunt. ~Casey 89. How does the family in Japan feel about Woody’s father?

The Wakatsuki family in Japan are overjoyed with the news that Ko is alive and well, as they had thought him dead, and placed a gravestone for him.

90. What was the gift that Woody brought to the family in Japan and why did he bring it? Woody brought 50 pounds of sugar to his family in Japan because he was afraid they would hate or shun him for being Ko's son. ~ Ian 91. How does the family in Japan treat him and why? 92. When does Woody realize that he has a very strong resemblance to his father?

Chpt. 19 93. Since the family had to leave the camp, Papa decided that they would do what? 94. Papa came back from the Lone Pine with a Nash Sedan. How many days did it take the family to arrive to Long Beach? Why did it take so long?

<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 14px;">It took them four days because the car broke down about every hundred miles. **~** ** Yoshi **

It took 4 days because Papa bought a faulty car that broke down every hundred miles. ~Casey 95. When the family arrived in Los Angeles what did they expect to find. What did they really find? When the family arrived at Los Angeles they expected to find total, obvious, racism towards them, "Japs." What they really found was that the people there where mainly just curious and strangely fascinated by them. There were people who hated them, but not near so many as they thought there would be. ~ Ian

The family was ready for hate, but they just found emptiness. In their “isolated world” they had “overprepared for shows of abuse.”

96. Who helped the family find a nice place to live? 97. The American Friends Society helped Mama get a job. What was Mama’s job?

Chpt. 20 98. What grade was the main character in at the beginning of the chapter? 99. What is the name of the girl she met at school?

<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 14px;">Her name was Radine, who ends up being Jeanne’s best friend. **~** ** Yoshi **

The girl she met at school was named Radine. ~Casey 100. Was Radine a Girl Scout? Radine was a Girl Scout, in fact, her mother was her trooop's leader. ~ Ian 101. Did Jeanne become a baton twirler for the Girl Scouts? 102. What did her dad do when her name was called at the PTA meeting?

When her name was called, her father stood up and gave a grave, ceremonial seeming bow, that even further separated their family from the Caucasians.

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If I was told my family was going to be taken away in two days or would be hurt or killed, I would be terrified. I would try to pack everything I could and try to get my family together so at least we could be in the same camp. I wouldn’t resist it because they will hurt my family and me. We’re being taken to camp in the mountains of northern Idaho. =====

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I see the camp for the first time. From a distance, it looks like a bunch of badly made huts, all lined up. Getting off the bus, we were met with a gust of icy wind. We limp in a line, following the soldier toward the gate of our internment camp. At the gate, another soldier gives us numbered tags to wear on our cloths, and then we follow the other man into the camp. The thermometer at the gate read 16 degrees. We’re shown to our hut at the far end of our imprisonment. All we have the energy for is to set down our few belongings and go to sleep. =====

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In the morning we wake up ravenous. After putting on warm cloths, we go out to get food. Outside, we are met with a crowd of people trudging past out hovel. We go out and follow the line towards the front of the camp. Near the gate, there is a large building I hadn’t noticed before. Inside, it is very warm. There are three long tables running parallel to the walls and at the end of the hall, there is a foul smelling pot, full of our “breakfast.” We choke down the evil tasting food, then leave as fast as we can. Back at our hut, there's nothing to do except sit around. Won't write more today. =====

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The three best words to describe the camp are cold, hungry and terrifying. We live all those words every day. Today, at least we got to do something different. Under close supervision, we were allowed to walk to the nearest town and buy more warm cloths and a little food. Most of the towns residence that are in the streets stare, a few jeer at us as we pass by. =====

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 * The shops are worse. We are given five minutes in each one and soldiers stand in front and back entrances to ensure we don’t escape. The clerk’s refuse to talk to us and the customers won’t be in the same isle at the same time we are in it. After an hour, we are marched back along the two mile trek back to the internment camp. **=====

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Jan 12
 * I have not had the time to write in a couple of days because I have been working and at night I am too tired to write anything. The army has had me working on the washrooms they’re putting up. In my spare time, I am trying to build a fireplace in a corner of our living space. It is coming along pretty well. There is a dump at the back of the camp where I am finding pieces of scrap metal, piping and pieces of wood. **=====

I have not had the time to write in a couple of days because I have been working and at night I am too tired to write anything. The army has had me working on the washrooms they’re putting up. In my spare time, I am trying to build a fireplace in a corner of our living space. It is coming along pretty well. There is a dump at the back of the camp where I am finding pieces of scrap metal, piping and pieces of wood.

Jan 13

I am nearly finished with the fireplace. It is stood up on four legs and has a chimney. I am glad that soon we will not be cold all the time and will actually be able to do things without fumbling. Just writing this takes a lot of effort as it’s very hard to hold a pencil in 10 degree weather. I will stop writing now and perfect my fireplace.

Jan 14

It is incredibly cold today. The thermometer reads -19. I finished the stove last night. What a gift it is to be warm and able to write for a while when it is this cold. My family is sitting around the fire play cards, the only game available. They are smiling for the first time since we were moved here. Somebody knocks on our makeshift door. “Come in,” I say. It is a soldier. He says “be ready for work at nine tomorrow. We have some jobs for you.”

Mar 4

I have not been able to write for nearly two months. I haven’t even been near the house in that time, save twice. When they took me away the next morning, nobody talked. I didn’t have any idea where I was going. The soldiers took me and a lot of other younger people to the bus where we were taken to a quarry in a valley 20 miles away. We worked there until sundown, gathering rocks for a wall back at camp designed to block wind. Then we saw soldiers setting up tents and asked what they were about. One man told me that this was where we were staying until we had gathered enough stones to complete the 15 foot wall.

Mar 5

Its finally starting to get warmer.

<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“FBI Agent Carter, your family has two days to pack up and board a bus to go to an internment camp.” <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">My father came in just as the FBI Agent left. He was holding a paper in his hand, and he looked angry. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, now we have two days to get all the stuff we need packed.” He said <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">I’m used to packing for vacations, since we go two or three times a year to visit our Grandma in San Jose. But packing for something that could last five years? That’s different. Usually I pack three different outfits for a weeklong trip. But for five years, I’ll have to pack outfits for all weather conditions. Two days was all I had. Then I’m gone for years. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">I had to bring something to entertain myself. I could bring a deck of cards, maybe a board game, my glove and a baseball. I also had to say goodbyes to all my friends. I won’t see them for a few years. But the worst was our mom. She was not Japanese. I’m half but that still counts. Goodbye mom. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Two days had passed and we board a bus going to the internment camp. I don’t know what to do. I’m pretty much starting my life over. Most of my friends are gone. Hopefully making new ones will be easy. I’m going to Manzanar. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">We got off the bus and we moved our bags in to our barracks. We were in block 8. Our mattresses were a sheet around Straw. I went back outside for the food. Most of the cooks were volunteers with no experience. We were lucky with a decent one. The food was rice with soy sauce. I had a few Japanese friends from Bellingham, Josh, and Rylee. My brother Choji went inside when I asked if he wanted to come with me. I hung out with them until it was time for bed. They said they had some really weird thing for dinner. I felt lucky. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">I went back to block 8, brushed my teeth and went to bed. We got a sheet and a small blanket. It was cold and it was definitely not the best sleep that I had. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The next day I woke up and there was sand everywhere, including me. I asked dad what to do about the sand and he said we needed to block the holes. When breakfast was ready we went to get it. It was some cereal. I met a couple kids while we were eating I met a few kids, Willie, Johnny, and Satchel, who all liked sports just like me. We played catch and we all brought bats and balls so we played a little game of baseball. The teams were Satchel and I (Team Pwn) vs. Willie and Johnny (Team Own). Satchel and I were home team so Team Own batted first. Satchel insisted on pitching first and through some protest he got to. He struck out the side. No doubt he was pitching next inning, but now it was our turn to bat. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Satchel said he wasn’t a great hitter so I was up first. Johnny was pitching and I hit a double off of him. Satchel was up and he hit a fly ball way to the left of Willie. There was no way Willie was going to catch the ball so I ran. When I was halfway to third I saw the ball go directly in to Willie’s glove. I turned around and saw Johnny at second. I sprinted for second base but Willie had an amazing arm and threw me out. Everyone was amazed, except Willie, who looked like it was a routine play. I was up again and hit a fly ball to Willie and he easily caught it. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Satchel pitched again and struck out Johnny, but Willie just hit a screaming line drive to right for a triple. Then Johnny came up and hit a RBI single. Then Satchel struck them out twice so we were up. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Satchel was up and he hit a line drive over Johnny’s head for a single. I was up and hit a line drive down the right field line for a double and Satchel scored. We had to stop the game after that for dinner, which was PB&J. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The next day I got up and ate breakfast, then met Satchel, Johnny, and Willie. We played baseball again but this time Team Pwn was Willie and I against Team Own who was Johnny and Satchel. Team Pwn was batting first and I led off. I hit a line drive to left for a single. Then Willie crushed one to right field for a two-run home run. Then Satchel struck his way out of the inning. <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Team Own was now up and I was pitching. Johnny hit a single to left and then I struck out Satchel. Then I struck out Johnny, but Satchel hit a single to keep it alive. Johnny then hit a fly ball to right which Willie caught while diving. We decided to finish the game then. ~Yoshi
 * __ I __**<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">t was a normal day for me. I woke up ate breakfast and then started school. So normal until someone knocked on our door. I answered it and it was a guy in a suit. I called my mom and she came. She asked them what was wrong.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB Demi','sans-serif'; font-size: 29.3333px;">The Internment of Myself

By Choji Yamamoto

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Yesterday I learned that I had two days two pack up everything, and that I would be taken to an internment camp for an unknown amount of time. On March Fourth, 2012, two FBI agents arrived at my doorstep and told my family that we were going to be relocated. On the sixth of March, (which is tomorrow today), we would have to board a bus that would take us to a camp in the middle of nowhere. We could only take what we could carry, and would be unable to bring our iPods, Xbox, laptops, etc: the governments excuse was that we could use these to contact the terrorists that we were being accused of conspiring with. Or something like that.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">What to bring? Some clothes, to begin with. We were going to be in the middle of the desert, so some shorts, some t-shirts, light long sleeve shirts, and a hat to cover my eyes. A jacket or two for the cold, and some socks. But then what? No computer, no iPod, no Xbox. Some playing cards, a few books, a few games, and that is all that will fit in my bags. And that’s all I’ll have to live with, maybe for years!

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The next day the bus arrived and we got on. The ride lasted for hours, and my friend and I played cards for some of the time. My brother and my father both play the guitar, so they brought one along. I think I might try to learn to play while I’m stuck in this camp.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">When we finally arrived, we were taken to our new “home,” a living room sized space that was where we would live for the rest of our time here. There were six of these rooms in each barracks, and there were fifteen barracks in our block, Block 29. The shack was built of pine planks, and was covered by tarpaper on the outside. There were holes and cracks in the walls, and you could see the ground under the floor. We were given US Army cots and two rough blankets each. We were tired from the long drive and went to bed fairly quickly.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The next day we went down to the mess hall for breakfast. We had oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. When we were done with breakfast, we were done with breakfast, we returned to our “unit” and tried to get everything organized.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">My mom immediately started to get on my dad about getting a hold of some materials to fix up the place, and my dad said that he would get around to it. Some sand had blown in through the cracks, and my mom wanted a broom to sweep it out. She left to try to find a broom, and my dad, my brother, and I played catch in the “street.” Some other kids came out of their units and started playing something with Yoshi (my brother), but I went inside.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Life in camp was basically eating, doing nothing, and sleeping. There was nothing to be done. After a week had gone by I had finished two books, and I only had five left.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">After a few weeks, (and a lot of pushing from my mom), Dad started to look for stuff to fix the holes and cracks in the walls. He found some scrap wood from the dump pile that was left over from building the barracks. He also got a hold of some “Great Stuff,” which is a type of foam filler used on gaps in walls. After a while the place started to look better.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The food they served at the mess hall wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t good. They served things easily made in large batches, like spaghetti, or canned soup. At least the food was better than tasteless sludge.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">I slowly started to make a few friends. The first one I made was named Tanner. He was just a normal kid like me. Then I met Kris, who was Jewish; and then I met Kenneth (Ken), who was from a very white trash family. Finally I met Carter, who was kind of a jerk. He was always making fun of people (especially Kris; he hated Kris), and I don’t know why I hung out with him.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">After a while, we got a “school.” It was a rag-tag affair, staffed with volunteers who felt bad for us. I used to be homeschooled, but without any materials to work with, my parents were forced to send me to school.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">My friends and I used to pretend that we were going to a real school, and every day we would meet at the “bus stop,” from which we would walk to school. The teachers rotated, so on Wednesdays Mrs. Catherine would teach us, on Thursdays Mr. Gary would, and so on. Sometimes, when one of the normal teachers couldn’t make it, we had a random person that had been recruited to help out.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">One day, Carter got this stupid idea in his head. He wanted to jump on to one of the delivery trucks as they came in. He said that if we got onto the bottom of the trucks, we could hold on like in “Indiana Jones,” and then we could get off in the storehouse and eat all the food. Of course, he volunteered Kris first for this insane plan, but after lots of arguing, Ken ended up being chosen for the task.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">One of the kids on our block had the “Indiana Jones” movie, so we watched that scene over and over until we knew it backwards. We watched the trucks come in for weeks, until we knew exactly which route they would take. We finally decided that we were ready.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Our plan was to hide behind a dumpster, wait for the trucks to pass us, and then Ken would run out and grab the back. He would then proceed to climb under the truck and wait there until he was inside the warehouse. While the workers were distracted, he would get out from under the truck and hide behind the crates. When the workers were gone, he would open the doors from the inside.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The day that we had decided to conduct our plan finally arrived. We woke up early, ran over to the hiding place, and waited for the trucks.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">We didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes after we got in position, we heard the trucks.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“Right on schedule,” Carter said.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“Are you ready, Ken?” asked Tanner.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Ken got ready to run, and as soon as the two trucks passed us, he took off.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">But there was a complication we had not expected. The population in our camp had been steadily growing, and, I found out later, they had been running out of supplies faster than before, so they had decided to send a //third// truck.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">It happened so fast. One second Ken was running, the next second there was a loud “thump!” as the truck hit him.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The doctors said that he was dead in seconds. His spine was fractured badly, and he suffered from circulatory shock. The breaking of his spine disrupted his nerves and caused his heart to stop working right, and so his body didn’t get all the blood it needed.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">In a few days we held his funeral. It was a small, sad affair, consisting of just Ken’s family, my friend’s and my families, and a single priest. Ken was cremated, and the plain black urn was set on a pedestal for the entire funeral.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The next day, when I went to the “bus stop,” I was still mourning Ken. But when I got there, my friends had seemingly completely forgotten him. They just continued to talk to each other like nothing had happened. We started walking to school, and halfway there, I finally got fed up.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“Sucks that Ken is dead,” I said.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">They stopped and all looked at me.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“Yeah, I guess,” Carter said.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">And that was it. They kept on talking about the new episode of some TV show.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">After that I gave up. I thought about Ken a lot for the next week, and after that not as much. I didn’t forget about him, I just didn’t think about it. But the rest of my friends completely ignored the fact that our friend was dead. Kind of because of us, too.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">About a month after Ken died, which was around four months since we had arrived at the camp, I went to the “bus stop” to wait for my friends. When they walked up, they were dressed in suits.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“Um, Choji, we need to talk,” Carter said.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“Okay,” I said. “We’re talking now.”

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“Well you see, Choji,” Tanner said. “After the death of Ken, we feel you’ve…changed.”

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“What do you mean?” I asked.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“You’re just not fun to hang out with anymore. We’re…going to have to let you go.” Kris told me.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">They turned and started to walk away.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“But…why?” I asked their backs.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">They stopped and turned around again.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Carter stepped forward. “Look, kid. You’re just kind of…lame.”

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“What?”

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“Yeah,” Kris agreed. “You’re just…lame.”

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">And with that they went off towards school.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">After that, I didn’t go to the “bus stop” anymore. I just walked directly to school. Carter and the rest just ignored me and completely forgot about me and Ken.