When My Name Was Keoko

Chapters 1-9

Reading Check

1. “[B]e quiet and ask questions.” (Chapter 1)

2. “By order of the Emperor, all Koreans are to be graciously allowed to take Japanese names.” (Chapter 2)

3. The Korean flag (Chapter 4)

4. The Japanese form of writing that consists only of picture-characters (Chapter 5)

5. She keeps a small stem of the tree, repots it, and hides for the future. (Chapter 7)

6. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in the US. (Chapter 9)

Short Answer

1. Sun-hee says that the Japanese introduced new laws, as well as a new curriculum at school that requires studying “Japanese language, culture, and history.” As a result, Korean culture and language are forbidden to be shared or spoken publicly. (Chapter 1)

2. In Chapter 3, Sun-hee remembers when her family was listening to the Olympics broadcast on their radio. Uncle became angry when a Korean runner was referred to by his Japanese name and was carrying the Japanese flag instead of the Korean flag. Uncle leaves the house and returns with Abuji hours later with bruises from an assault as a result of changing newspapers from Japanese to Korean. (Chapters 3-4)

3. Sun-hee accidentally calls a classmate by her Korean name instead of her Japanese name in front of the military attaché of the school. As a result, she is beaten by her teacher in front of the other students in the room. (Chapter 5)

4. Sun-hee excels at learning the Japanese language, particularly the Kanji form of writing. Tae-yul, on the other hand, finds it boring; he enjoys working in mechanics and prefers to help with his family’s print shop. (Chapters 5-8)

5. As a result of the war in Manchuria, basic commodities are becoming scarce and more expensive. Sun-hee notes how her family adds barley and millet into rice to make it last longer. (Chapter 7)

6. Uncle decides to entice more Japanese customers into the print shop with better deals and customer service. Although they usually agree on matters, this situation has made the relationship between Abuji and Uncle more tense, and they often fight. (Chapter 8)

Chapters 10-20

Reading Check

1. She is determined to give the Japanese occupiers only “[f]ive fingers of thought [...]. Not one finger more." (Chapter 11)

2. “[L]ittle rubber balls” (Chapter 12)

3. “[A] warning” about her uncle’s safety (Chapter 13)

4. Because they want families to gather their metal and give it to the Japanese government as part of the wartime effort (Chapter 14)

5. To work on building the new airstrip outside of their town (Chapter 16)

6. Kamikaze (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. Mrs. Ahn is a neighbor that Sun-hee meets after the Japanese occupiers establish the neighborhood association’s law. Omoni and Sun-hee feel sorry for her since she is divorced and alone in the world. During the first “accounting” session, Mrs. Ahn accidentally speaks Korean instead of Japanese, and is hit by the guard. (Chapter 11)

2. Two Japanese soldiers take Tae-yul’s bicycle as part of the war effort. Abuji intervenes before Tae-yul becomes too angry, but he still allows the soldiers to take the bicycle away. As a result, Tae-yul is angry with Abuji. (Chapter 12)

3. After Tomo gives her a coded warning, Sun-hee rushes to tell Uncle that he is in danger. He leaves immediately, and Sun-hee returns home confused. Tae-yul explains that Uncle works for the independence resistance movement, which is why he pretends to be friendly with Japanese customers so as not to create suspicion. (Chapters 13-14)

4. After the “accounting” session was called for metal retrieval and not for Uncle’s resistance activities, Tae-yul is furious with Sun-hee for making a mistake regarding the warning. She realizes that Tomo’s message was about saving metal wires and not about saving Uncle. As a result, she is distraught and cries herself to sleep. (Chapter 15)

5. Sun-hee is concerned that the Americans might not see the physical differences between Japanese and Koreans. One day at school, an American plane drops leaflets written in Korean promising that the US will not bomb Korea since they were not enemies. (Chapter 17)

6. Sun-hee begins keeping a diary, written in Japanese Kanji since she does not know how to read and write in Korean Hangul. After Japanese soldiers destroy her diary in a raid, Abuji reminds her that “they burn the paper, not the words,” and she is inspired to start a new diary. (Chapters 17-19)

Chapters 21-32

Reading Check

1. “[T]o uncover [the] true meaning” in Tae-yul’s letters (Chapter 23)

2. Rice and a rose of Sharon blossom (Chapter 24)

3. A kamikaze pilot (Chapter 27)

4. “[T]he battle in the air is Japan's last hope.” (Chapter 28)

5. That Japan has surrendered and the war is over (Chapter 29)

Short Answer

1. He tells Sun-hee that Uncle was still alive and working for the resistance. He also admits to her the real reason that he enlists. (Chapters 21-23)

2. They want Tae-yul to bring Uncle to the station to talk to the Japanese police; however, in order to get out of this mission, Tae-yul tells them that he has enlisted in the army. (Chapter 22)

3. After reading Tae-yul’s letter, Omoni and the family gather Tae-yul’s favorite food along with a scarf and letters, assuming that since he is a soldier, he will receive the entirety of the care package; however, when Tae-yul opens his package, all of the delicacies are gone. (Chapter 26)

4. Tae-yul and the other recruits on the special assignment prepare for their kamikaze mission by memorizing lessons and practicing flying, first with gliders and then with planes. On his last night, Tae-yul is served a special meal with meat, and then he returns to the barracks to leave some mementos for his family and write a final letter. (Chapter 28)

5. Ms. Lim sends information to Sun-hee and her family that Uncle has been working for the resistance in Manchuria; after the war ended, he traveled through the north of Korea to return home, but she believes he is still stuck there. The letter also reveals that Mrs. Ahn helped shelter him for two nights before he was able to leave Korea. (Chapter 30)

6. Tae-yul surprises the family by turning up at the door, explaining that poor weather deterred his kamikaze mission, and he was eventually sent home after the war ended. At first struggling with the idea that Abuji did not resist Japanese occupation, Tae-yul learns that Abuji was secretly writing articles for Uncle’s resistance newspaper. (Chapters 30-31)