It's kind of a no-brainer to say that the internment of Japanese-Americans sprang from a nation's racial prejudice against the Japanese (and maybe Asians in general). But Farewell to Manzanar also shows how racial prejudice can come from all corners of life, including the internees themselves. Racism is difficult to navigate, indeed.
Questions About Race
- What's worse—racism from people outside of your race, or racism from people who share your race?
- What does the phrase institutionalized racism mean to you in this book?
- How does the racism against Japanese people affect women and men differently? How is it the same?
- Was the national drive to intern Japanese-American people all about race, or were there other reasons not having to do with racial prejudice?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Internment was all about white racism against Japanese-Americans and nothing more.
Racism against your own people is way worse than racism from racial outsiders.