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. Consider what you know about Japan and Korea. On which continent are they located? Is Korea a unified country still, or has it become two nations? What economic systems exist in each place? What religions are practiced? Do you know anything about these nations’ histories?

Teaching Suggestion: This question provides a basic introduction to Japan and Korea. Although they are neighbors on the Asian continent, these countries have developed different cultures, use different languages with their own alphabet systems, and practice different religions (a large number of Japanese people are either Buddhist or Shinto, while the majority of Koreans are Christian or Buddhist). After two brief Japanese invasions of Korea in the latter half of the 16th century, Japan annexed Korea in 1910. It is under this Japanese occupation that the novel is set, as Koreans were subject to harsh laws that sought to erase their unique culture and way of life. Based on the level of the class, as well as prior knowledge of the subject, this question can be changed to an in-class discussion in which students are provided the links below before answering the question.