Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was a pivotal moment in World War II. What do you know about this historical event? Why is it historically important?

Teaching Suggestion: It might benefit students to know that the plot of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is shaped by the events that occur in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. Understanding the who/what/where/why of this historical incident will help them appreciate the story more deeply.

• Britannica’s article “Pearl Harbor Attack” describes the key facts (date, location, participants) and puts those events into the larger context of World War II.
• The Imperial War Museums explain why Japan initiated this attack in the 14-minute video “ The Reason Japan Attacked Pearl Harbor.”

2. Through President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 on December 7, 1941, the American government created internment camps as a reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor. What was the purpose of these internment camps? What is the legacy of the camps today?

Teaching Suggestion: A cultural byproduct of the attack on Pearl Harbor is the persistence of anti-Asian American sentiment and racist legislation. Understanding the origins of prejudice against Asian Americans in the United States and placing Pearl Harbor and the internment camps in that context, is crucial to students’ analysis of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

• History.com gives an overview of key facts regarding the internment camps in this article.
• The Washington Post’s 2021 article “The Long Ugly, History of Anti-Asian Racism and Violence in the US” examines the origins of racism toward Americans of Asian descent, starting with Asian immigrants in the 19th century. (Subscription may be needed to view.)

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

For many Americans, their citizenship is just one facet of their identity. In addition to being US citizens, they might identify with certain racial, gender, sexuality, religious, cultural, or other kinds of identity markers. What are the various components of your identity, and how would you rank them in terms of which ones define you most?

Teaching Suggestion: The protagonists, Henry and Keiko, are forced by historical and cultural circumstances to assert their Americanness over their Asian heritage. This question will get students thinking about what Being an American means, and how that part of their identity interacts with other aspects.

• In the journal Daedalus, Sarah Song writes about “What Does It Mean to Be an American?”
• WNYC explores the question “What Does It Mean to Be American?” in a series of interviews with New York City-based Baruch College students. The video is three minutes long.

Differentiation Suggestion: For ELL and different learners, this prompt could be approached by using a visual aid that maps out the various components of students’ identities. Following the instructions from the nonprofit Facing History & Ourselves, have students complete “Identity Charts” and then return to this discussion of what it means to be an American. When students look at “American” alongside the many other parts of their identity, would they say that it defines them more or less than the other facets?