Reference no: EM133254963

Discussion

Questions 1.

1. What does this sentence mean, "I've learned that a moment always comes along to remind you that your race defines you above all else"?

2. In what ways have Asian American people been treated in the U.S. as a result of the coronavirus? Why?

3. What does this sentence mean, "the pandemic is reminding us that our belonging is conditional. One moment we are Americans, the next we are all foreigners, who "brought" the virus here."

4. How can Asian Americans who are U.S. citizens be Americans and yet foreigners?

5. What problems does this associate with the "model minority" myth?

6. Why do you think of an op-ed article?

Questions 2.

1. Aurora Levins Morales, a poet and activist woman of mixed heritages, often writes about race, culture and gender. How many cultures, races and ethnicities do you see in her poem?

2. How does she describe herself? Is there one part of her ancestry that predominates?

3. She writes, "I am new. History made me... I was born at the crossroads and I am whole." What do you think she means by this? What connections can you draw between this statement and the other readings assigned for today. Taken all together, what is an American?

Questions 3.

1. In 1941, during World War II, the Japanese military bombed the U.S. naval base Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. As a result, the U.S. declared war on Japan and became fully engaged in the war. Describes the elevation of "xenophobia into national policy" that was experienced by Japanese heritage people living in the U.S. What does it mean by that statement?

2. How did the federal government treat Japanese Americans? What reasons did the government give for people of all Japanese heritage people, including U.S. citizens in internment camps during World War II? How does it argue about "the elevation of xenophobia into national policy"?

3. What legal mechanisms have the federal government devised with the best interest of the nation's security in mind?

4. How is an enemy constructed?