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?