How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Miss Nah Canny," he says. "Not Nah Canny," I tell him, printing my name on the blackboard: NAKANE. "The a's are short as in "among"—Na Ka Neh—and not as in "apron" or "hat." Some of the children say "Nah Cane." (2.7)
What do we learn about Naomi and about race relations in Canada by starting the novel with this interaction?
Quote #2
"How long have you been in this country?" "I was born here." "Oh," he said, and grinned. "And your parents?" "My mother's a Nisei." "A what?" "NISEI," I spelled, printing the word on the napkin. "Pronounced "knee-say." It means "second generation." Sometimes I think I've been teaching school too long. I explained that my Grandparents, born in Japan, were Issei, or first generation, while the children of the Nisei were called Sansei, or third generation. (2.25)
Canada is not the only place with Issei, Nisei, and Sansei. The global population of the Japanese diaspora is generally referred to as Nikkei. Brazil has the largest population of Nikkei, with the American Nikkei population taking second place. Throughout the world these communities have developed and combined the local culture with traditional Japanese culture.
Quote #3
Obasan is searching through bundles of old letters and papers. She picks up a yellow wallet-size ID card. I shine the flashlight on it and there is Uncle's face, young and unsmiling, in the bottom right-hand corner. Isamu Nakane #00556. Beside the picture is a signature which looks like "McGibbons"—Inspector, RCMP. (5.17)
An ID card is an officially verified version of the person's identity. It is that what matters about someone's identity, or is there something more? Is Uncle Sam just number 00556?
Quote #4
I skimmed over the pages till I came across a statement underlined and circled in red: I am Canadian. The circle was drawn so hard the paper was torn. (7.69)
Naomi finds this phrase in Aunt Emily's journals. We knew that she was serious about this whole Canadian thing, but we didn't realize how emotional she must be about it. Why else would you circle the words so hard that you tore the paper?
Quote #5
"Milk and Momotaro?" I asked. "Culture clash?" "Not at all," she said. "Momotaro is a Canadian story. We're Canadian, aren't we? Everything a Canadian does is Canadian." (10.24)
If everything that a Canadian does is Canadian, is it possible for a Canadian to do something un-Canadian?
Quote #6
The girl with the long ringlets who sits in front of Stephen said to him, "All the Jap kids at school are going to be sent away and they're bad and you're a Jap." And so, Stephen tells me, am I. "Are we?" I ask Father. "No," Father says. "We're Canadian."(12.35)
Which question is Naomi's father answering? No, they are not bad? Or no, they are not Japanese? Does being Canadian mean that they're not bad? Does it mean that they're not Japanese? The way that he answers Naomi's question seems to be very ambiguous. Maybe he's saying that they're Japanese and Canadian, but they're not bad. What do you think?
Quote #7
But worse than my irritation, there's this horrible feeling whenever I turn on the radio, or see a headline with the word "Japs" screaming at us. So long as they designate the enemy by that term and not us, it doesn't matter. But over here, they say "Once a Jap always a Jap", and that means us. We're the enemy. And what about you over there? Have they arrested you because you're a Canadian? If only you'd been able to get out before all this started. Oh, if there were some way of getting news. (14.44)
This scene shows you just how flexible identity is depending on who's defining it. In Canada, Naomi's mother would be considered too Japanese to be Canadian. But since he's in Japan, Aunt Emily is worried that she will be considered too Canadian to be Japanese.
Quote #8
Mark says Nomi thinks she's the same as the neighbours, but Stephen knows the difference. Came crying home the other day because some kid on the block broke his violin. Children can be such savages. (14.45)
Stephen's experience with identity is very different from Naomi's. How does it affect his personality as he grows up?
Quote #9
Where do any of us come from in this cold country? Oh, Canada, whether it is admitted or not, we come from you we come from you. [...] We come from the country that plucks its people out like weeds and flings them into the roadside. [...] We come from Canada, this land that is like every land, filled with the wise, the fearful, the compassionate, the corrupt. (34.52)
Despite everything that has happened to Naomi and her family, she still has not renounced Canada. Wow, that's some serious patriotism.
Quote #10
Obasan, however, does not come from this clamorous climate. She does not dance to the multicultural piper's tune or respond to the racist's slur. She remains in a silent territory, defined by her serving hands. She serves us now, pouring tea into Mr. Barker's cup. She is unable to see and stops halfway before the cup is full. (34.53)
Why do you think Obasan is not worried about multiculturalism or racism? What is her identity? How does she express it?