Critical Review

Introduction:

Central to racial identity comes one of the most discussed issues risen today, with racism. Harry Kitano primarily focuses on this issue throughout his narrative in Names We Call Home. Kitano is a psychologist and social activist that gives his story from an autobiographical standpoint, as he explains the difficulty growing up as a Japanese American and how it was a constant search for an Identity (Kitano111). You can imagine what one could face growing up part of a minority group, and especially during the time of attack on Pearl Harbor. Throughout this segment, Kitano’s use of facts, figures and authentic information make for a truly inspirational story labeled, “A Hyphenated Identity.”

Summary:

Kitano starts from the beginning, informing his audience that growing up a Japanese American in the 1930s and 40s wasn’t exactly a “piece of cake” (112). He shares a childhood memory of him and his friends going to a swimming spa across town one day. Upon arrival to this spa, the cashier evidently told the friend that “Japs weren’t allowed,” and with embarrassment, the friend never repeated what was said, but just muttered something about no longer wanting to swim anyways (112). If matters weren’t bad enough at this point, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 certainly did not help. All Japanese ancestry, were ordered to close their homes, pack what they could carry, and assemble at designated sites (113). The first destination was a concentration camp held in Santa Anita, but was later moved to Topaz, a more permanent camp located in the middle of the Utah desert. Kitano was able to finish high school before the closing of the camp in 1946. Upon release from camp, Kitano had the intent to travel to Milwaukee, while he was young, ignorant and still believed in America (115). Being unsure what to do in life, Kitano decided to try his luck at being a professional musician with an old trombone he picked up as a kid. Kitano finishes his narrative talking about his return to California to attend the University of California where he went on to receive his B.A., M.S.W. and Ph. D. In the end, Kitano concludes by mentioning how past experiences has showed him that through prejudice and discriminatory actions causes avoidance and places a competitive disadvantage on shaping factors of our society.

Critique:

In “A Hyphenated Identity,” Harry Kitano discusses how the racial differences are not what made it difficult, but those of nationality. Growing up as a Japanese American in the time of Pearl Harbor wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, as you can imagine. He writes this from an autobiographical standpoint, which makes Kitano’s views creditable, compelling, and most importantly, well worth reading.

Dividing seven pages into six different sections may seem a little overwhelming, but Kitano utilizes a great sense of structure in making it readable and easy to follow along. Starting with childhood all the way to elderhood, he lists the significant events that took place in life that made who he is today. Kitano presents these events with concrete examples that drew a picture in my head as if I were they’re in the time it occurred. Describing the trip to the pool as a “long streetcar ride across the city” and his friend “looking embarrassed as he muttered something,” those are some of the examples used that give the narrative such credibility.

Throughout the entire segment, Kitano arranges the sections under subheadings and places them in chronological order as they happened throughout his life. This organizational pattern displays excellent clarity making it easy to follow along from beginning to end. It also illustrates a sense of logic on why Kitano started with his childhood. It constructs an understanding for some of the more important events he touched base on, which made for such a compelling piece.

Now, when conducting a critique on another writer’s work, you also want to point out some of the weaknesses you find throughout the piece. But for me, I didn’t really see anything wrong with Kitano’s narrative. He is a professor at the University of California with his Ph.D. so I’m not sure if someone with that intelligence is going to have too much to critique on. I thought it was a well-organized and meaningful piece that was definitely well-worth reading.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, driving an audience towards the perception different from their own can often be a difficult task. I believe Kitano accomplished just what he objected to do by establishing that credibility and coherence throughout his narrative by structuring it in an effective manner. Primarily what he ended up doing is developed a meaningful explanation of our ethical relations with one another by relating it to one of his own. Kitano deserves two thumbs up in my book!