Discussion of Lost Names September 27, 2006 These on-the-spot notes are presented to help recall the discussion in preparation for your paper, which is due on Tuesday, October 3.

Nate and Laura How do we see the effect of Korean culture on the relationships with his parents and community? When he talks to his parents he is always respectful. He thinks they are perfect. Korean is absent from this book, Myles thinks. Loss of culture—Kristin thought. The whole ritual with the wine was a big deal. Hannah gave the example of pouring cups for each other. Laura talked about the relationship with father and mother. The mother is very much in the kitchen. Very clear here role definition here.

Do you feel the Japanese response to his singing the song was effective in changing attitudes toward the Japanese? Hannah thought it was effective. Do you think it was the best way to show Japanese Power? It was a poor choice to victimize him, thought Cari. If you make a big deal, Mitchell said, the students will rally around him. Myles suggested that if the Japanese teacher hadn’t made a big deal it wouldn’t have stood out so much.

Nate asked about the deaths of the group leader and Pumpkin. They never talked about Pumpkin again, Kiva noted. He was dead, Amy said. With children, dead is dead. There was some discussion about whether or not there was a concentration camp Amy. When you were in the camp you are wishing you were out. It wasn’t camp at the time Pumpkin died. Hannah said the point was to show how alone he was. He connected with the teacher and he was really alone

How aware is he of the events going on around him. How much does he know about death? What kind of relationship does he have to death? How old is he? Kai thought he was sort of removed. It wasn’t like Angela’s Ashes, which was more immediate. A lot of it seemed as if he was writing as if he were looking back. It wasn’t done in a voice. Myles didn’t agree. He was strategizing with the militant leaders at the end and says, “I felt like I was a man.” So by comparison he was younger in the early chapters. Hannah referred to text. He was a second grader at the time of Chapter two. Kristin thought he was in the moment sometimes but at other times was not. Amy I don’t get how a second grader could react that way. Would just his culture be making him always say, “Yes sir!” Myles mentioned nature versus nurture—they are brought up differently. Amy said that a kid is kid. Cari pointed out that they are surrounded by a culture. Myles thought he just had tight-assed parents.

How aware is he of the war? Does he know his teacher was killed? Geoffrey thought that while he didn’t have the direct connections, such as his father had, he eavesdrops. Kiva thought he seems aware. Kai wondered about the distance in his writing. It might be the writing he is doing is so long after the fact. Not all of this is true. Some of that might be glamorized. He is looking back. He is only focusing on the important parts of his childhood. Looking at Chapter Three, Kai noted that no one is called by name. Is this a writing style? What about the word lost. It has been lost. He has lost his name. Cari reminded us of the Subtitle—Scenes from a Korean boyhood. A boyhood is emphasized (not this boyhood) more than one boy went through this. Although he has it better than most because he was richer and his parents were well educated.

Kristin asked the group to discuss the pros and cons of being a class leader. Geoffrey said he gets a lot of respect. However, Hannah noted, “He has to take a lot of crap from the teachers.” Laura said it is a matter of honor because of what his father did. Being the class leader, he is the leader of the Korean kids. Kiva thought they have respect for him not just because of his father. Hannah agreed, saying that it’s a family thing because his sister becomes class leader too.

Myles asked, “Did Richard’s point of view on his father change after the incident at the bookstore? What’s happening to the guy?” When USSR went to war this was a big deal. The teacher was a Japanese supporter and he left crying. He was crying for himself and this was a small beginning. Laura didn’t think so. The son still had a ton of respect. He felt older so he changed his opinion of himself. It wasn’t totally included.

Why was the teacher crying? Myles thought he finally realized he was losing his own culture. He finally realized, “Oh crap! I have a culture already. I don’t want to lose it.” Hannah explained that it was a period were everything is changing. He will have to deal with his. It was a small beginning.

The school required all students to come to a Sunday assembly so they couldn’t go to church. Is this a big deal? Not a lot of the Koreans were Christians. Laura thought that the father had to learn to pick his battles. Making a big deal was not very effective. He was counting his blessings.

Chapter Four Amy, Travis, Kait The rice had to be forfeited to the Japanese. How does this relate to things in recent history? Myles—Native Americans and “giving” their land. Kiva—Irish giving the wheat to the English. Myles—hash browns are good—Travis agrees. In the Vietnam War the north and south had to give up rice. Kait said that his grandmother says living better is having a house and food. His grandmother has all these things but they can’t use them. In our society, what is comparable? Myles recalled the English and the colonies. Kristin mentioned that medicines are not affordable in the US. We have to go to Canada where they are cheaper but this is not allowed. Hannah—it might be hard for us to relate to this because we live pretty well and haven’t been in this position. Kristin—in WW II we did have to ration. This is similar. Kait mentioned our environmental movement—we have stuff but we can’t use it. Big companies are buying up the ideas. We have new things but are prevented from using them.

Amy recalled that his father wants him to experience the change of names. Why is that? Geoffrey said that his father wants him to come along so he can remember it and it would impact him more. Kristin pointed out that he didn’t have to wait in line like everyone else. How much did his father influence the situation? His father is a powerful guy, Hannah said.

Pim Geoffrey, Becky They sent out the kids to collect rubber balls. Is it right for the government to use the children in this way? Is this ever right? Generally no. Hannah thought that if they were Japanese kids, that would be fine. Ella said that they should not have used children because children don’t have a formed opinion. They are taking advantage of the children who were naïve.

Pim—in chapter five, the children had to bring money to buy planes for the Japanese army. In that same part, when the class needs a new mug or new bucket . . . he doesn’t continue. What does that mean? Kiva—if they don’t bring in money, they don’t have any choice. Hannah said it is making it like a game. “I feel like it seems less important so the kids might not realize whom it is going.”

Becky—when they were collecting the balls they had to pop them all so they would fit better. He was figuring out the real reason for it. He didn’t think it would matter if the balls were blown up or not. What was the situation? Kiva—he was being practical. The teachers don’t want people to know where the balls are going to Hannah thought.

Becky—why did he go to the play at all? When he did begin the Japanese speech he didn’t finish it. He was trying to make a point. Everyone knew he had been beaten up. He made it seem like he didn’t know the speech. He did know it. Kiva—why didn’t he keep going? Amy—because he would get beaten up more. Everyone could see it.

Should Pim juggle for us to fill up time?

Myles is not here and he is controversial. Mitchell—troublemaker—he’s a maverick. Nervous laughter.

Ella, Pratsanee, with Cari’s questions Ella provided background. This chapter is mainly about how they are working in the schools to build an airfield for the Japanese. They are all staying in tents. They are sick but they get fed three times a day. One of his teachers is getting sick. If you have blisters they make you go out and work some more. Visitors are only allowed on Monday. But his mom comes so he could talk with her. He says he wants to leave. He talks with the main teacher. He went home. On his way home, they talk about the war. The teacher thinks they lost the war. Richard just keeps quiet. He doesn’t want him to know he knows so much. They on the way to the town his mom says how they took his father to the detention camp a week ago. She starts to cry.

The main character says he and his friends say they haven’t see one plane. (page 144) Knowing the Japanese are going to lose the war, why did they start the airfield? Mitchell—of course they wouldn’t tell. They are desperate. The want to keep their morale up, Amy thought.

If you were the teacher would you have talked so openly about the war? The teacher assumed Richard knew about all this. Would you have said, Can I stay with you? He could protect me. They were in little tents so the teacher could have gotten in a lot of trouble. Kiva said he is trying to protect himself.

Becky thought they didn’t have a lot of choice. Geoffrey agreed. Why didn’t his mom tell him earlier about his father? Why didn’t she tell him how his father was taken away? Hannah said she wanted to know whether he really wanted to come home without knowing this. He cared more about his family than his friends.

Pratsanee asked, When Richard went back to his town and he saw his teacher working, do you think he could have helped him? Could he leave him—he wouldn’t help him because the teacher had taken over his country for many years. Would he help—Kiva— he said he didn’t, but, Hannah—he said he wouldn’t but he ended up helping. Ella said, I don’t know—maybe –you got what you deserved. Then again he wasn’t the leader. I wouldn’t have hid or not said anything. Kiva—If the guy wasn’t a supporter of the Japanese he would have been killed. The teacher was Japanese.

Hannah spoke: This chapter was about after they found out they were winning the war. His father came home. The emperor made an announcement that someone has taken over some country that was there. They listen to the radio broadcast. They go out to the orchard and pray with their family. This is what they have been waiting form. They cry together. They make plans about how to take over the fire and police station. They will have control. They make the roadblock. Richard is giving ideas to the old people. He has had some military training from the Japanese. There are mobs that burn the shrine and kill the Japanese. They take over the police station. So do you think the Koreans were justified in ransacking all the houses of the Japanese and the shrines. Ella—no violence isn’t justified. Travis wondered if this was like the Iraqi people taking down the giant stature of Sada. Kristin thought ransacking the shrine was justified. Amy—the son protected them. The grandfather and son were there. Will you protect? The grandfather was mad but then decided to leave it up to the son. Why do you think they left it up to the son? Amy —they would make the decision his dad would make. His dad would have made the choice to save the people. They didn’t want to have to feed and care for the people but they didn’t want to initiate the support.