Chapter XII Deeper into the LandPassage #1
“If only you knew how much I have changed about being a Nisei. It wasn’t such a tragedy. I don’t resent my Japanese blood anymore. I’m proud of it, in fact, because of you and the Issei who’ve struggled so much for us. It’s really nice to be born into two cultures, like getting a real bargain in life, two for the price of one. The hardest part, I guess, is the growing up, but after that, it can be interesting and stimulating. I used to feel like a two-headed monstrosity, but now I find that two heads are better than one.” (236) Summary When Monica Sone discovers that she is going to be forced to be put into a camp for people that live along the west Coast, with Japanese decent she is angry. She feels that her American citizenship is useless because even though she is a citizen she is treated as Japanese and that she is not given the respect that American citizenship entitles. She is angry that both her decent and her title given to her are brushed aside because someone was paranoid that people like her would turn against their citizenship and have no respect for the country that houses them. She says that she felt like a “two headed monstrosity” because even though she had a perfectly good American citizen “head” it was the “ugly and unwanted” Japanese head that defined her. However, at the end of her story, she says that two heads are better than one because both her Japanese and American roots helped define her whether it was her manners, traditions, work ethic, or outlook on life, she had two cultures to look for learning and traditions. Analysis This quote is given at the end of the book. After all the things that she has gone through she recognizes that bother Japanese and American roots are beneficial to her because the two different culture she can mix and match to create her ideal personality. Not that Americans are better or that Japanese are better she thinks that the ideals can help define her to something other than Nisei the title that is given to her as a second generation Japanese American. This is important to her. She feels she belongs to both cultures. However much she used to hate being of Japanese descent she learns to embrace her dual cultures. |
Chapter XII Deeper into the Land
Passage #2
2.) “I had discovered a deeper, stronger pulse in the American scene. I was going back into its main stream, still with my Oriental eyes, but with an entirely different outlook, for now I felt more like a whole person instead of a sadly split personality. The Japanese and the American parts of me were now blended into one.” (238)
Summary
This passage is at the very end of the book. It takes place just as Monica is about to go back to college after visiting her parents. All of her life she had struggled with being accepted as Japanese with her Japanese neighbors and having her American right accepted by her fellow American citizens. A sense of discrimination is seen throughout the book ending with Monica and her family, along with every other Japanese along the west coast being sent to camps due to their race. After a few seasons the Japanese were allowed to find jobs or move away from the camp, as long as they didn’t go back to their homes on the west coast. This is when Monica finally learns to embrace her heritage. The story ends with her leaving her parents and reflecting on her mixed heritage of Japanese parents and American citizenry.
Analysis
This passages stresses the importance of heritage to Monica. After visiting with her parents and living with a fully American family she realizes that both of her heritages are equally important. Instead of hating her Japanese decent and the "silly" traditions and the strictly enforced manners that she had to follow she had to realize that the morals she had been taught were beneficial for her. They taught her to be hard working as well polite to elders and others, which helped her into job positions as well as get good standing. Her American citizenship and mastery of the language helped her communicate and understand employers and instructions given to her, so in turn she can complete jobs and help her parents understand others. Overall it is important for her to embrace the "blended" personality as it is beneficial to her.
2.) “I had discovered a deeper, stronger pulse in the American scene. I was going back into its main stream, still with my Oriental eyes, but with an entirely different outlook, for now I felt more like a whole person instead of a sadly split personality. The Japanese and the American parts of me were now blended into one.” (238)
Summary
This passage is at the very end of the book. It takes place just as Monica is about to go back to college after visiting her parents. All of her life she had struggled with being accepted as Japanese with her Japanese neighbors and having her American right accepted by her fellow American citizens. A sense of discrimination is seen throughout the book ending with Monica and her family, along with every other Japanese along the west coast being sent to camps due to their race. After a few seasons the Japanese were allowed to find jobs or move away from the camp, as long as they didn’t go back to their homes on the west coast. This is when Monica finally learns to embrace her heritage. The story ends with her leaving her parents and reflecting on her mixed heritage of Japanese parents and American citizenry.
Analysis
This passages stresses the importance of heritage to Monica. After visiting with her parents and living with a fully American family she realizes that both of her heritages are equally important. Instead of hating her Japanese decent and the "silly" traditions and the strictly enforced manners that she had to follow she had to realize that the morals she had been taught were beneficial for her. They taught her to be hard working as well polite to elders and others, which helped her into job positions as well as get good standing. Her American citizenship and mastery of the language helped her communicate and understand employers and instructions given to her, so in turn she can complete jobs and help her parents understand others. Overall it is important for her to embrace the "blended" personality as it is beneficial to her.