After discussing theme in class, provide the theme that your group developed through close analysis of the text and your plot map. Then, defend your theme. Why does this theme make sense for the novel? How does this theme relate to the contemporary American lifestyle?
The theme that I developed is the search for acceptance/happiness. The reason that I chose this theme for the novel is because when Ichiro comes back from prison he feels like american people and japanese people that fought in WW2 are not accepting because of his decision to not fight in the war, on the same note he feels disconnected from his mother and does not share the same feelings toward veterans and the war that she does.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. It shall also be noted that Ichiro does find acceptance when he meets Freddie. Another Japanese man who also refused to serve in the U.S. Army.
DeleteI feel like this also could be another theme because Ichiro seems to always looking for acceptance among people and only gt it from his friends Freddie and Kenji.
DeleteFor the theme, how would you apply it to Ichiro's mother? Is the mother happy in her own world?
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ReplyDeleteThe theme I think is being shown in the book is feeling like an outsider. Mainly because in America today, we have people in California and Texas who want their states to be independent from the Union because one of their reasons is that they don’t feel American. This is almost similar to the book. Because Ichiro feels like he’s in a place he doesn't belong. Along with his friend Freddie who feels the same because they both refused to serve in the U.S. Army. “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.” Page 1.
I agree because Ichiro doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere in his society and feels like he has no claim. One person that helped him through this was Kenji but now that he's gone I wonder how it will affect Ichiro.
DeleteI think a theme in the story is Identity. I think that this theme goes will in this book because Ichiro is always trying to figure out who he is. He struggles between being Japanese like his parents are and want to be and American like he believes he should be but he is stuck in the middle.
ReplyDeleteI agree because Ichiro is outed for not serving in the U.S. Army and his parents are Japanese and they would not have been happy if Ichiro fought for America. And he says it himself he does not know if he is American or Japanese.
DeleteDo you think Ichiro will ever pick a side? Or will he forever be stuck in this constant struggle? I feel that Ichiro would lean toward America.
DeleteOne major theme of the story is self discovery. Ichiro is confused of who he is. Since his parents are 100% Japanese and he was born in the United States so it makes him think that he is nothing. Throughout the book he has his friend Kenji who is a Japanese-American just like Ichiro. Kenji fought in WW2 for the Americans against his own nationality. So this helps Ichiro figure out who he is as a person by viewing Kenji and what he goes through with one good leg.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement because he is confused throughout the whole story and struggles to find where he is in life
DeleteThe theme of this story is about finding yourself/self discovery. This is should throughout the whole book because at first Ichiro is confused and can't seem t find himself, he struggles on finding what his true nationality is because he was born in America and love this country but his parents are both from Japan so he is Japanese. As the book goes on and when he starts to meet people good and bad, it seems like he always leans to finding himself being an American. Also how he wants to get out of his parents house and move to a different place in America (Portland), it looks like here that he is finding himself and what he wants to do with his life. He probably realized all this when other Japanese Americans were insulting him because of who he is (a no no boy), also how his father started to become an alcoholic.
ReplyDeleteI agree because through the whole story Ichiro does not do anything with his life, also he gets addicted to smoking and what is that going to make him look like.
DeleteI also agree because it seemed like he couldn't find his place in life and as time when on he starting to find his place.
DeleteI like what you have to say. One thing that I find different is when you state that Ichiro is Japanese. Ichiro has the culture of Japan, but he is Japanese-American. I do like how this book is a journey of self-discovery for Ichiro.
DeleteA common theme throughout ¨No-No Boy¨ is identity and the importance of self identity. Throughout the book Ichiro struggles to identify with a nationality. This issue affects him for the rest of the book and affects his emotional well being. Ichiro eventually starts to meet the right people, who give him advice and tell him that it doesn't matter which nationality he identifies with. Ichiro starts to then develop his own image and doesn't care as much about being japanese or american.
ReplyDeleteI agree of how he struggles because of his nationality and how it will affect him in the long run but towards the end of the book the people that mean most to him die and there is no more time to mess around for Ichiro but instead needs to make a living.
DeleteI agree, he finds himself being an American (mostly) even though he has a hard time deciding on what he is.
DeleteThe theme that are group came up with was Self-Discovery because Despite his Japanese heritage, Ichiro knows in his heart that he is American. He knows also that when he answered no to the two questions in the internment camp he was not being true to who he really is. He makes his feelings plain early in the novel when he first returns home.He faces some problems. Not only does he have to convince white Americans that he is a true American, he also faces hostility from other Japanese Americans who despise him for being a "no-no" boy.
ReplyDeleteI agree, he faces many problems but in the end he finds himself
DeleteEveryone is intolerant of each other, no one takes time to look at the other, more complex, side. Throughout the story, the book plays on this theme of prejudice in many ways. At the start of the book Eto, a friend and veteran, come to Ichiro and was insulted that he never join the military and became a “No-no boy” (Okada 3). Eto never looked at the reason why Ichiro never joined. Eto no longer sees a human, he sees a filthy Jap that needs to be ridden. On page 32 Ichiro talks about how the preceding go when one denies entry into the military. The judge never takes the time to look at a case, and sentences long prison time to make the country safe, never thinking about the misery he made the Japanese go through. Kenji makes the perfect statement "the world is full of hate" (Okada 136). This hate comes from our prejudice and bigotry.
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