Homework Assignment for 3rd Class

I think this book might be a metaphor for her real life ---- lead a difficult life and formed her tough personality. As we know in the class, she was a  Japanese American, was not common in America and American looked down on them because of political reasons. They also boycott Japanese goods, make Japanese  grocery store there has a tough ways to survive ... In the book, we also can found the reasons to be drove away from her hometown are the same in here life. Also, on the website, someone wrote her biography, and it talked about the "floating way" she live: live from one place to another, change a lot of schools ... live just like a vagrant. The author said of the article:"most of her childhood was spent on the road.", "describes herself as the ultimate "road hog." And, ultimately, traveling the country and writing became permanently linked for her. As the author explains on her Website, "I love to travel around this amazing country. The beautiful landscape, the highways—I love it. Traveling, seeing the country, is one of the things from which I derive my 'writing energy.'" So this book was a showing of her real life which was full of changes. Also, as we saw the tittle of the book was "kira-kira", this also showed she was always looking forward to a happy life, a sparking life.

Hi Max,

I agree with you about the book representing pieces of Cynthia Kadohata's life. As a child, she experienced extreme hardships because of her race and family economic status. However, she used writing as a tool to expressed her inner most thoughts to cope with her daily struggles. On the other hand, she wrote Kira-Kira to detail the trails and tribulations of Japanese-Americans during and after World War II. The book doesn't glorify or present an abstract version of Japanese citizens' lives. Kadohata colors Japanese-American life using anecdotes, art forms, and streams of consciousness. She uses Haikus, metaphors and similes to help readers better understand Japanese culture and lived experiences. The book in a certain light is kind of her and Japanese citizens "Redemption Song." I like the fact that you interject what you discovered of Kadohata in your post and your use of vocabulary, keep it up. However, please edit your work, if you have the time, before posting and continue to complicate your thinking to raise new questions to enrich your knowledge. Again good job.