We Are Not Free

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. “Many Voices, One Story: A Multi-Perspective Reading List” begins with a brief discussion of storytelling by several voices and perspective-switching in novels.

To begin with a more general discussion on point of view in literature, this resource article includes descriptions of viewpoints and examples from fiction.

2. Many factors affect the ways in which people endure conflict, such as age, lived experiences, gender, family and upbringing, and cultural background. List additional factors you think of. How might people maintain personal strength in the face of tragedy, injustice, or hardship? Why might people have responses on these topics that vary greatly?

Teaching Suggestion: This question is designed to introduce the theme of Gaman: Dignity and Endurance. Consider having students share their own definitions of terms like honor, endurance, strength, and dignity in pairs or small groups before discussing the wide variety of human responses under difficult situations.

• This calendar lists 30 ways to promote dignity and respect between people and cultures.
• This brief opinion article discusses the cultural importance of Gaman and how it contrasts to American culture in many ways.
• In “The Art of Gaman,” the writer details the ways in which her parents and other prisoners of “internment camps” used arts and crafts to help bear injustice. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing without additional context. Students might return to this article once they have had a chance to complete the Short Activity.)

Short Activity

During World War II, as a result of Executive Order 9066, US military troops conducted the forced removal of Japanese Americans from their homes and incarcerated them in concentration camps in several locations in the western United States. Under this order, many Japanese Americans were forced to leave possessions, property, and jobs behind and were required to live as prisoners within the confines of these camps, which were often called “internment camps” or “relocation centers.” (Note that these are terms discouraged.)

Work in small groups or independently to create a 1-page research brief on this topic. Include a summary paragraph, bulleted information, a list of 5-6 camps by name, 2-3 photographic images, and 2-3 quotations from individuals involved. Use these guiding questions to complete your research brief.

• How did Executive Order 9066 allow for the forced imprisonment of Japanese American citizens? What was the order’s purpose?
• At whose order were the camps established? How was imprisonment carried out?
• Where were the camps established, generally? Name several and locate them on a map.
• How and when did the forced imprisonment end for these Japanese Americans?

Teaching Suggestion: Members of small groups might divide the questions and share individual investigation results before designing and completing the brief. Depending on the number of students or groups, readers might present their learned information aloud or post their brief for reactions and comments. These and similar resources might serve as starting points in student research.

• This website from the National Archives contains detailed information as well as primary sources regarding the concentration camps.
• This 5-minute video from Ted-Ed uses a character named Aki to explain the process of incarceration following Pearl Harbor.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

What defines “home” for you? Is it a location, things, people, or a feeling? Explain your definition.

Teaching Suggestion: This question is designed to prepare students for the theme of The Mutability of Home. For some students, this question may be personal or challenging; consider allowing students to share their answer by choice or in writing instead of requiring responses to the whole class.