When My Name Was Keoko

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. Consider what you know about Japan and Korea. On which continent are they located? Is Korea a unified country still, or has it become two nations? What economic systems exist in each place? What religions are practiced? Do you know anything about these nations’ histories?

Teaching Suggestion: This question provides a basic introduction to Japan and Korea. Although they are neighbors on the Asian continent, these countries have developed different cultures, use different languages with their own alphabet systems, and practice different religions (a large number of Japanese people are either Buddhist or Shinto, while the majority of Koreans are Christian or Buddhist). After two brief Japanese invasions of Korea in the latter half of the 16th century, Japan annexed Korea in 1910. It is under this Japanese occupation that the novel is set, as Koreans were subject to harsh laws that sought to erase their unique culture and way of life. Based on the level of the class, as well as prior knowledge of the subject, this question can be changed to an in-class discussion in which students are provided the links below before answering the question.

• This article discusses Japan’s colonization of Korea in the 20th century.
• This site offers information about Japan’s history in a visual timeline.
• This encyclopedia entry offers information about Korea.

2. Consider what you know about Japan’s role in World War II (WWII). On which side did the country fight? What were some of its major battles? How did the war end for Japan?

Teaching Suggestion: This question contextualizes Japan during WWII, the setting of the novel.. During the war, Japan was one of the Axis Powers, along with Mussolini’s Fascist Italy and Hitler’s Nazi Germany, who fought against the Allied Powers of France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the US. Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 led to the US formally joining the Allied effort. As a result, Japan fought many of its battles against the US Army in the Pacific Ocean, a fact the novel alludes to in the sections regarding kamikaze pilots. Japan formally surrendered in August 1945 after the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As with the first question, students who are unfamiliar with WWII may review the links below before writing their responses.

• The UK’s Imperial War Museum website summarizes Japan’s role in WWII.
• The Atomic Heritage Foundation website provides a brief overview of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Personal Connection Prompt

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

What does the word “culture” mean to you? Does your family or community have a specific culture? Describe how this culture affects your daily life, for example, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the languages you speak, and the ideas you believe.

Teaching Suggestion: This question broadly introduces students to the concept of “culture,” encouraging them to consider the traditions and customs they practice in their communities. In the novel, Sun-hee and her family are concerned about losing their Korean culture (e.g. language, food, identity, daily way of life, etc.) under the Japanese occupation. This concern ultimately causes many of the characters to adopt differing forms of resistance, which relates to the theme of Resistance and Liberation Occurs Differently for Every Individual.

Differentiation Suggestion: For more advanced students, the prompt can be amended to include the following question: Imagine you were asked to stop practicing your culture overnight. How would you feel? How would you respond?