Study Guide Desert Exile PDF

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Study Guide: Yoshiko Uchida, Desert Exile Chapter 1 1. Wha be did Uchida fai face i hei e eighbhd? Wh? They felt unwelcome in their neighborhood, which was predominantly white and wealthy. The Santa Fe Improvement Association came by and told them there was a complaint about them and that they needed to leave immediately.

2. How did the Japanese backgrounds of her mother and father compare? How and why did her parents decide to marry? — His father came to California in 1906 at the age of 22 after teaching Japanese language in Hawaii after 3 years. Grew up in poverty. — His mother came to the US at 24. She was the daughter of a samurai and governor, be he died when she was 12. His mother had to work for tuition, room, & board at Doshisha University and got close to her professors. That year that she moved to America, they got married after corresponding over a year from suggestions of professors.

3. How did the lifestyle of young Nisei (2 nd generation Japanese in the U.S.) seem to compare to Issei (1st generation)? Issei - New Year’s is special, great prosperity for taking formal photographs, very frugal, money spent on church not material possessions, a Japanese immigrant that lives in North America, couldn’t drive, close with the dead

Neisei - little amount of grandparents living in the states, person born in the U.S. whose parents came from Japan

Chapter 2 1. How much did the family adapt to American customs? How much did their daily lives revolve around traditional American culture vs. Japanese culture? Her family was not strict traditionalists. However, their primarily language at home was Japanese, but outside of home the mostly conversed in English to communicate with Whites. Their home life more revolved around Japanese culture, but outside of the home, they had to adhere to American culture, especially in work and school environments. Rather than fully adapting, they incorporated both cultures in to one, such as food, language, books, music, dances, customs, dolls, etc.

2. Did her parents ever become American citizens? Why was the decision difficult? They were permanent citizens, but never were naturalized, even when it became possible by law in 1952. Although her mother attended classes and prepared for the test, she couldn’t bring herself to go because “she didn’t want to be a part of anything where human beings were treated like a herd of cattle.” She was a devoted America, but thought the mass-neutralization was dehumanizing and that she would be abandoning her native land.

3. Was Yoshiko more willing than her parents to embrace things typically seen as American? Yes, because she wanted to do anything that would lessen her “differentness.” Because she grew up in America, she felt as her identity aligned more with American culture. She wanted to be “accepted as any other white American.”

4. What examples does the author give of being discriminated against when young? — teachers singling out Japanese-American’s for their high scholastic achievements, but in high school, they were excluded from “white social functions” — having to base decisions on their heritage, (hair, swimming, renting a house) in order to avoid embarrassment and humiliation — in college, she could not join the sororities or fraternities… they had their own dances, picnics, open houses, and special events (separate)

Chapters 3 & 4 1. After news broke of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, how quickly did the FBI move to investigate the family? Why was her father taken into custody? The FBI began to investigate the family by that day, after Pearl Harbor was attacked. The second time they came back after no one answered the first time, they raided the home without a search warrant for suspicion. Her father was taken into custody like many other male Japanese immigrants who were in the U.S..

2. In what ways did the Uchida family see and feel the growing distrust of Japanese in the United States once the country entered WWII? — rumors of a forced “mass evacuation” of the Japanese on the West Coast — Filipino man releasing aggression on her, which filled her with fear — current white friends questioning them about the attack — the radio and the press (ex. “Japs”)

3. What justification did the government give for the mass roundup and detention of those individuals of Japanese descent? They were now seen as “enemy aliens.” Feared that they were not loyal to the U.S. (A Jap is a Jap).

4. What did the family have to do with their possessions prior to their detention? What other preparations did they have to make, and how much time were they given? They were required to register and obtain alien identification cards before departure date. They had to rid any and all contraband, (camera, binoculars, firearms) during the duration on the war. They had ten days to pack up their stuff and leave immediately. NonJapanese church members offered them a place in their home to store their belongings in cartons in their basements. The rest, they each stored in 2 suitcases to bring with them.

Chapters 5 & 6 1. What were living conditions like in the Tanforan camp? How did the lack of privacy affect different groups of individuals living in the camp?

Stall: 10x20 feet, 3 army cots, dusty, dirty, horse manure-covered boards, dead insects, horse-smelling, cold, one light bulb — the camp was crowded with many long lines, nasty small amounts of food, everyone was sad — communal living: hear noises (sound of cards/money), young boys coming home late at night interrupting sleep, banging, shouting, sharing of toilets & showers, no privacy curtains, sharing of hot water (minimal), doing laundry was hard

2. What had happened to her father in detention before he was reunited with his family? He was seen as a “dangerous alien,” and was stripped of all of his possessions. They arrived in Missoula, and housed 30:1, and treated like prisoners of war, and then were assigned jobs. Many died due to the harsh conditions they were living in. Also, they were restricted and limited to how much money they could access from their bank accounts. Then, the temperature dropped to 30 below and the men still had on California clothing, which then caused him to write his family for warm clothing.

3. What organizations formed in society to oppose Japanese Internment? In what types of activities did they engage? — Committee on American Principles and Fair Play… to uphold the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and provide liberty to all Oriental ancestries. Then started a group at Berkley College to dispel false rumors (page 85). — Student Relocation Committee + Fair Play = National Japanese American Student Relocation Council - assisted students to leave the “assembly centers” and supported the Japanese-American’s throughout the war (page 86).

4. Why was schooling for children seen as such an important part of camp life, and what types of efforts had to be put in to make it happen? How much assistance did the government provide? Going to school provided them an education, but also social skills, such as sharing toys and how to cook/set tables at home (page 88). The education system in camp was supported by the government, but very little. Professors from the Japanese college would send supplies to support the students and their need for school supplies.

Chapters 7 & 8 1. How did conditions at Topaz vary from those at Tanforan? How did this affect their health? It was hot and in the desert of Utah, which was very dusty and isolated. This caused a great amount of dust and dirt to collect in their eyes, mouths, noses, and lungs. Also, there was an altitude change, causing weakness and people to become light-headed. Also, the weather fluctuated a lot, causing coldness in the mornings and sunburns in the afternoon.

2. What kinds of rules did internees have to obey, and did following them lead to good results? A lot of times, they would get punished and penalized, even after obeying instructions (page 116). — instructions (page 109): no putting up any shelves until carpenters arrived to install the sheetrock walls

3. Why did the U.S. military decision to recruit from the camps generate such strong debate? Because, at the time, the Issei men were classified by law as “aliens ineligible for citizenship,” thus making them also in ineligible to serve in the Army (page 135-137). Also, it was a way to determine and test their loyalty, and forced them to cooperate with the military, or they could face further segregation and exclusion.

4. Dig he ie a Ta, i ha a did he ieee ae  eicae a a ife like they had led prior to Pearl Harbor? — planting and nurturing a single daffodil bulb in an old tin can — listening to a flock of seagulls that mimicked the sounds of San Francisco Bay, which reminded them of home — paving the roads — block parties, wedding receptions, rock-hunting parties, & community gatherings

Epilogue 1. What challenges did the Uchida family face in transitioning back to normal life outside the camps? — threats from Americans that she “better not be a Jap, or she’ll be thrown off the trains” — felt a lot of pressure and responsibility to represent Japanese-Americans in a positive, good way — her father had a difficult time finding work after leaving (page 149), because he lacked proper skills & he lost nearly all of his retirement benefits — Issei found 3-room apartments to be depressing and the cold climate of the North to be unfavorable — suffered a loss of money by the Federal Reserve and had to file claims for a portion of their money back before they were in camp...