Which character in your novel do you identify with the closest, or which character do you have the hardest time identifying with? How does this influence your reading? What characterization led you to this conclusion?
One character I have a hard time identifying with is Ichiro. In the story he seems to be bipolar and have anger management issues. He will go from talking to a sudden burst of anger because one small thing makes him mad. I think that this one of the reason why I am not like this character. Unlike Ichiro I don’t act like this. I am usually very calm and it takes a lot to anger me. But I think it's interesting to see how and why he will do the things he does. One case where he has one of these sudden burst of anger is when he was talking to his pa and he gets up to go rinse out a cup. Ichiro says, “Goddamnit, Pa, sit down!” (Okada, 9). I think the author does this to show Ichiro has suffered from his family in his lifetime and it has screwed him up mentally. The author has given us a good sense that Ichiro’s parents aren’t easy to deal with and can be stubborn and I think that is why he acts like this.
i think the term no-no boy is more so used to describe japanese people who would not fight for the united states in world war 2, i think its more so based off of the decisions he has made.
I relate to ichiro the most because like a lot of teenagers he has not found his place in the world and is struggling to find someone like him so he seeks out his old friend freddie who also served time for not joining the army and they both got out around the same time “ You know what I did the first week? I sat here on my fanny for a whole week thinkin and i came to a conclusion” (47) this shows that like us kids a lot of us only really have one close friend that they can relate to. His relationship with his parents is also not great so while reading the book I can understand ichiros viewpoint very well and understand the decisions he makes.
I can see why you said this. In fact someone could feel like they lack a place in the world not only because of their age, but also because of something they did. "Walking down the street that autumn morning with a small, black suitcase, he felt like an intruder in a world to which he had no claim." (1) "The friendliness was gone as he said: 'No-no boy, huh?'" (3)
I like what you brought up about losing your place in the world. Ichiro had it good in college. With his refusal to join the army, he lost that. Finding someone who has gone through the same experience of loss, can be comforting. One thing I do want to talk about is his relationship with his parents. Ichiro and his mother are not on good terms. We can agree on that. But what about the father? The father is on the fence. He is with Ichiro, in that, Japan has lost the war. Ichiro's dad drinks to the fact that "[People from Japan] beg for help, for money and sugar and clothes and rice and tobacco and candy and anything at all... my own people are suffering, and there is nothing I can do." (Okada p. 37). The mother thinks this is propaganda, while the father understands and accepts the truth that Japan has lost. What else connects the father and Ichiro?
I agree with Marc about losing his place int he world and his purpose. Like he said Ichiro used to go to college and had everything going for him. But after his jail time and being disrespected he lost all hope in a sense. He could go back to college but he doesn't feel up to it.
The character that I identified with the most is Ichiro. But not at the level where I did something like not going to war when called upon. But in a way that we both have something that makes people unhappy. This influences my reading because I know how Ichiro feels when he says his thing that makes other people unhappy which is the fact that he is a “No-no boy”. “‘I wasn't in the army, Ken. I was in jail. I’m a no-no boy’” (62) I was lead to this conclusion because my thing is whenever I tell people a certain opinion I have, they question me a lot. And Just like Ichiro not going to the army makes Americans unhappy, my opinion can make Americans unhappy because it’s against something we do as Americans.
Ichiro took the action not to join the army. While you have opinions that are not Western-like. Would you, like Ichiro, take actions that go against American ideals?
I would relate with Ichiro because both he and I deal with the trouble of national identity. Before the war and Pearl Harbor, Ichiro likes America, “To be a student in America studying engineering was a beautiful life.” (Okada p. 53). After the war though, Ichiro faces the struggle of “‘am [I] Japanese?’” (Okada p. 42). Ichiro talks to his nationalist mother and asks “‘What happens when I’m no longer Japanese? [What if I am willing to die for America?]’” (Okada p. 42). Ichiro is conflicted to whether he's still Japanese or a full-hearted American. For me, I was born in Guatemala and brought to the U.S. as an infant. I'm an American citizen and lived here for my whole life. Though I still ask myself, am I a real American or will I forever be seen as a Hispanic. I may be American, but without Guatemala, I would not be here making this post.
I think this is a really good connection. I think a lot people struggle with this as well and it defiantly seems t be a major conflict for Ichiro who has to deal with it.
I think this is a great connection, because you have the same issue Ichiro has with identification. It has to be tough to be torn between two nationality's.
I have a hard time identifying with Ichiro because, he switches between moods so quick it is hard to tell why. For example when he is around his friend Eto he can be all nice but then he starts to ignore Eto like he is just a typical person that is standing around him. One of the reasons why I don’t find myself like Ichiro is because, I never ignore a friend of mine especially if they really need me especially since Ichiro was trying to avoid Eto from seeing him out on the street I never would avoid a friend. Another reason I do not find myself to be like Ichiro is when he steps off the bus and walks just a few steps and says,”What the hell have I done? What am I doing back here? Best thing I can do would be to kill some sob and head back to prison” (Okada, 1). As the book is titled “No-No Boy,” Okada is telling us that Ichiro as a Japanese-American feels empty and does not think he is worth anything.
I can easily identify with the main character Ichiro because his parents were born in Japan which makes him a Japanese American. I can identify with him because i have parents that are like his parents. When Ichiro says, “To be a student in America studying engineering was a beautiful life.” (Okada p. 53) it is kind of like my parents who were looking for a better life and more opportunity in America. Also throughout the novel he grapples around the fact his family wants to go back but he wants to stay in America because that is where he was born. He also struggles to find where he stands in the world. Like most people he is confused of what he’s doing.An example of this is when he says, “You know what I did the first week? I sat here on my fanny for a whole week thinking and i came to a conclusion” (Oskada, 47).People that are the most impacted like Ichiro are High Schoolers that are still puzzled about their future because they are worried about the now not later.
I identify with Ichiro because he is half Japanese but was born in America, if relates to me because I’m half German but was also born in America.Although unlike Ichiro’s parents, both my parents were born in America, but both my parents have a high ancestry in Germany and Ireland. Like Ichiro I am always debating on either staying in America or moving to the country where my family is from. Unlike Ichiro where my family is from is a part of Germany called Bavaria, which was a independent country until 1870. This influences my reading because I can somewhat relate to him so it opens my mind up to better thinking about his story. In conclusion Ichiro directly states that he does not want to go to war against Japan because he doesn’t want to feel that guilt if he were to kill a family member “I can’t because my brother is in the Japanese army and if i go in your army and have to shoot at them because they’re shooting at me, how do I know that maybe I won’t kill my own brother?” who was in the Japanese army but also doesn’t want to fight for Japan because he does not want to fight the country he was born in. I would think the same if I was in his shoes if I were alive at that time when America was at war against Germany.
I have the hardest time identifying with Ichiro's mother because I have never felt so strongly about something to the point where I would be in that much denial. She feels as if Japan won the war when they didn't even to the point where she didn't believe letters coming from her sister were propaganda. I cannot relate any part of my life to that amount of denial.
I have a hard time identifying with Ichirio. His thought process is very negative and not productive. He feels torn between being Japanese and American. He is very indecisive and cannot make fluent thoughts.
I have the hardest time identifying with ichiros mother. Ichiros mother is very devoted to her country of japan and still believes that they have won the war. The americans did win the war, and she in a large amount of denial. In page 14, ichiros mother reads him a note sent to her by a friend in south america. To summarize what the note said, the note said that the japanese had ships coming to the united states to take back the japanese people. the letter said that the japanese had won and the japanese government was coming to take all who were stuck in america. This shows why I have a hard time identyfing with his mother, even though there is all the evidence in the world the u.s won, she still denies it and believes the japanese won.
One character I have a hard time identifying with is Ichiro. In the story he seems to be bipolar and have anger management issues. He will go from talking to a sudden burst of anger because one small thing makes him mad. I think that this one of the reason why I am not like this character. Unlike Ichiro I don’t act like this. I am usually very calm and it takes a lot to anger me. But I think it's interesting to see how and why he will do the things he does. One case where he has one of these sudden burst of anger is when he was talking to his pa and he gets up to go rinse out a cup. Ichiro says, “Goddamnit, Pa, sit down!” (Okada, 9). I think the author does this to show Ichiro has suffered from his family in his lifetime and it has screwed him up mentally. The author has given us a good sense that Ichiro’s parents aren’t easy to deal with and can be stubborn and I think that is why he acts like this.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure? What about the fact he’s a “no-no boy”. Can you relate to that at all?
Deletei think the term no-no boy is more so used to describe japanese people who would not fight for the united states in world war 2, i think its more so based off of the decisions he has made.
DeleteI relate to ichiro the most because like a lot of teenagers he has not found his place in the world and is struggling to find someone like him so he seeks out his old friend freddie who also served time for not joining the army and they both got out around the same time “ You know what I did the first week? I sat here on my fanny for a whole week thinkin and i came to a conclusion” (47) this shows that like us kids a lot of us only really have one close friend that they can relate to. His relationship with his parents is also not great so while reading the book I can understand ichiros viewpoint very well and understand the decisions he makes.
ReplyDeleteI can see why you said this. In fact someone could feel like they lack a place in the world not only because of their age, but also because of something they did. "Walking down the street that autumn morning with a small, black suitcase, he felt like an intruder in a world to which he had no claim." (1) "The friendliness was gone as he said: 'No-no boy, huh?'" (3)
DeleteI like what you brought up about losing your place in the world. Ichiro had it good in college. With his refusal to join the army, he lost that. Finding someone who has gone through the same experience of loss, can be comforting. One thing I do want to talk about is his relationship with his parents. Ichiro and his mother are not on good terms. We can agree on that. But what about the father? The father is on the fence. He is with Ichiro, in that, Japan has lost the war. Ichiro's dad drinks to the fact that "[People from Japan] beg for help, for money and sugar and clothes and rice and tobacco and candy and anything at all... my own people are suffering, and there is nothing I can do." (Okada p. 37). The mother thinks this is propaganda, while the father understands and accepts the truth that Japan has lost. What else connects the father and Ichiro?
DeleteI agree with Marc about losing his place int he world and his purpose. Like he said Ichiro used to go to college and had everything going for him. But after his jail time and being disrespected he lost all hope in a sense. He could go back to college but he doesn't feel up to it.
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ReplyDeleteThe character that I identified with the most is Ichiro. But not at the level where I did something like not going to war when called upon. But in a way that we both have something that makes people unhappy. This influences my reading because I know how Ichiro feels when he says his thing that makes other people unhappy which is the fact that he is a “No-no boy”. “‘I wasn't in the army, Ken. I was in jail. I’m a no-no boy’” (62) I was lead to this conclusion because my thing is whenever I tell people a certain opinion I have, they question me a lot. And Just like Ichiro not going to the army makes Americans unhappy, my opinion can make Americans unhappy because it’s against something we do as Americans.
Ichiro took the action not to join the army. While you have opinions that are not Western-like. Would you, like Ichiro, take actions that go against American ideals?
DeleteI would relate with Ichiro because both he and I deal with the trouble of national identity. Before the war and Pearl Harbor, Ichiro likes America, “To be a student in America studying engineering was a beautiful life.” (Okada p. 53). After the war though, Ichiro faces the struggle of “‘am [I] Japanese?’” (Okada p. 42). Ichiro talks to his nationalist mother and asks “‘What happens when I’m no longer Japanese? [What if I am willing to die for America?]’” (Okada p. 42). Ichiro is conflicted to whether he's still Japanese or a full-hearted American. For me, I was born in Guatemala and brought to the U.S. as an infant. I'm an American citizen and lived here for my whole life. Though I still ask myself, am I a real American or will I forever be seen as a Hispanic. I may be American, but without Guatemala, I would not be here making this post.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really good connection. I think a lot people struggle with this as well and it defiantly seems t be a major conflict for Ichiro who has to deal with it.
DeleteThis is really good identification because people don't really struggle with this problem and i really like how you connected with Ichiro
DeleteI think this is a great connection, because you have the same issue Ichiro has with identification. It has to be tough to be torn between two nationality's.
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ReplyDeleteI have a hard time identifying with Ichiro because, he switches between moods so quick it is hard to tell why. For example when he is around his friend Eto he can be all nice but then he starts to ignore Eto like he is just a typical person that is standing around him. One of the reasons why I don’t find myself like Ichiro is because, I never ignore a friend of mine especially if they really need me especially since Ichiro was trying to avoid Eto from seeing him out on the street I never would avoid a friend. Another reason I do not find myself to be like Ichiro is when he steps off the bus and walks just a few steps and says,”What the hell have I done? What am I doing back here? Best thing I can do would be to kill some sob and head back to prison” (Okada, 1). As the book is titled “No-No Boy,” Okada is telling us that Ichiro as a Japanese-American feels empty and does not think he is worth anything.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this because it shows him leaning from side to side in his mind when he's in different moods.
DeleteI can easily identify with the main character Ichiro because his parents were born in Japan which makes him a Japanese American. I can identify with him because i have parents that are like his parents. When Ichiro says, “To be a student in America studying engineering was a beautiful life.” (Okada p. 53) it is kind of like my parents who were looking for a better life and more opportunity in America. Also throughout the novel he grapples around the fact his family wants to go back but he wants to stay in America because that is where he was born. He also struggles to find where he stands in the world. Like most people he is confused of what he’s doing.An example of this is when he says, “You know what I did the first week? I sat here on my fanny for a whole week thinking and i came to a conclusion” (Oskada, 47).People that are the most impacted like Ichiro are High Schoolers that are still puzzled about their future because they are worried about the now not later.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good point because it goes for a lot of people in america even more today.
DeleteTo add on to your response I too believe there are quite a few Americans that can relate to this.
DeleteThis is true and I can see how this relates to you and many americans.
DeleteI identify with Ichiro because he is half Japanese but was born in America, if relates to me because I’m half German but was also born in America.Although unlike Ichiro’s parents, both my parents were born in America, but both my parents have a high ancestry in Germany and Ireland. Like Ichiro I am always debating on either staying in America or moving to the country where my family is from. Unlike Ichiro where my family is from is a part of Germany called Bavaria, which was a independent country until 1870. This influences my reading because I can somewhat relate to him so it opens my mind up to better thinking about his story. In conclusion Ichiro directly states that he does not want to go to war against Japan because he doesn’t want to feel that guilt if he were to kill a family member “I can’t because my brother is in the Japanese army and if i go in your army and have to shoot at them because they’re shooting at me, how do I know that maybe I won’t kill my own brother?” who was in the Japanese army but also doesn’t want to fight for Japan because he does not want to fight the country he was born in. I would think the same if I was in his shoes if I were alive at that time when America was at war against Germany.
ReplyDeleteI have the hardest time identifying with Ichiro's mother because I have never felt so strongly about something to the point where I would be in that much denial. She feels as if Japan won the war when they didn't even to the point where she didn't believe letters coming from her sister were propaganda. I cannot relate any part of my life to that amount of denial.
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time identifying with Ichirio. His thought process is very negative and not productive. He feels torn between being Japanese and American. He is very indecisive and cannot make fluent thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI have the hardest time identifying with ichiros mother. Ichiros mother is very devoted to her country of japan and still believes that they have won the war. The americans did win the war, and she in a large amount of denial. In page 14, ichiros mother reads him a note sent to her by a friend in south america. To summarize what the note said, the note said that the japanese had ships coming to the united states to take back the japanese people. the letter said that the japanese had won and the japanese government was coming to take all who were stuck in america. This shows why I have a hard time identyfing with his mother, even though there is all the evidence in the world the u.s won, she still denies it and believes the japanese won.
ReplyDelete