Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood is a wonderful book about the Japanese invasion and occupation of Korea from the early to mid-20th century. The novel is told from the perspective of a young boy and his family who remain nameless for much of the story. The lack of names, though maybe not evident at first to a reader, and the renaming of many of the citizens from Korean to Japanese names plays a vital role in the novel. As a thematic element and a metaphor for a sense of nationalism, it is of vital importance to the narrator who uses repetitious phrases throughout the novel to mourn the loss of his name.
Homework PRIOR to class:
Students should discuss the following questions with their parents / reflect on the answers to the following questions:
a.) What does your name mean?
b.) What other names were your parents considering when you were born?
c.) Is your name gender or culture specific?
d.) Do you have a nickname? Do you like it? How did you get assigned this nickname?
For this lesson, when entering class, students should:
1.) Answer in journal or notebook the following questions:
a.) If you had to change or your name, what criteria might you consider in choosing a new name? Why?
b.) Do names have an impact on shaping someone's identity? How or how not?
2.) Students should then access this article from the NYTimes: "And if It's a Boy, Will it be Lleh?". Possible discussion questions for article:
a.) What does the title referring to?
b.) Which two ethnic groups is the name "Nevaeh" popular with? Why do you think that is?
c.) What has happened to the "rank" of the name "Nevaeh" since the Christian rocker Sonny Sandoval named his daughter "Nevaeh"?
d.) What other trends do you think could influence the popularity of a name?
e.) What stereotypes might you associate with the name "Nevaeh" after reading this article? How often do you think people associate stereotypes with names? Why?
3.) In the Crucible, Arthur Miller's famed character John Proctor begs: "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without
my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"
In Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood, the author does not name many of his characters explicitly. In the context of this novel please answer one of the following prompt in a well written essay of at least 2-3 pages.
- Names, and the lack thereof, serve as a thematic element of this novel. How does the author achieve this?
- One's name is often tied to their identity; their characterization. How does the author develop the characters in the novel without naming any of his characters? What tools does he use instead to develop characterization?
History based classroom:
Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood is a wonderful book about the Japanese invasion and occupation of Korea from the early to mid-20th century. The novel is told from the perspective of a young boy and his family who remain nameless for much of the story, as the title suggests. The novel employs the theme of geography in a unique manner. For this assignment, please choose ONE of the following themes of geography and analyze the novel through that lens in a thoughtful, well written paper!
Location: Position on Earth's Surface
What are the absolute coordinates of the absolute location of the locations where the boy's family lives (follow their journey chronologically)? How does this shape their life in the various stages of the novel?
What role does the relative location of Korea to Japan play in the narrator's daily life?
How does the importance of one's location change over time?
Place: Physical and Human Characteristics
What are the physical characteristics the author describes in the novel? How does this dictate or shape the narrator & his family's life? How does this compare to the way that physical characteristics of YOUR land shape YOUR life?
Human / Environment interaction
What is the relationship between the humans and the environment in this novel? How did they depend on the environment? How did they modify the environment to meet their needs? How is this similar or different from the ways in which we modify the environment where we live?
Movement: Humans interacting on the Earth
What examples of movement of people, goods, or ideas did you see throughout the novel? How did immigration impact them?
Regions: How they form and Change
In the opening of the novel, the family crosses a major border. They then return over the border back to Korea . How does this journey change their lives? Have you ever crossed a border that defined or changed who you were? How does it compare to the family at the center of this novel?