OP #5

1. Well I think that the ending was very unsatisfying because she didn't explain what happened to her dad and also she didn't say how things were when Hideyo came back. I was hoping that she was going to explain more things like how Hideyo reacted when he was told that his mother had died and like their reaction when they saw their dad. She really told us how Hideyo got to the destination and finally got to Ko and Yoko. She also said what had happened to Corporal Matsumara and if they did or did not finish school. 

 I think that Yoko chose to end the book like this because they weren't really worried about their dad just Hideyo and she didn't really talk a lot about her dad throughout the book so the readers were probably more interested in what happened to Hideyo. 

2. I think they do this because even though they've been through so much, they want to take out some time to remember their mom and their family and take part of the celebration so that they can remember their past and have a little bit of fun like they used to. I think that my family would still take part in Christmas it might not be the same, but it would be our time to share our belongings and appreciate that we are even alive.

3. In the novel, I definitely  respect Ko the most. I think that she was strong for everyone and she really held things together for Yoko. I also think that every day she made sure that they had food and cloths and all of the necessities. I think that Ko could have easily only thought about herself and stayed depressed and not do anything but she decided to move on with her life and focus on providing for Yoko.

 I don't think that I would be able to do that if I were in Ko's position especially after my mom had died. Even if i did do it I think I would have had a way worse attitude then Ko and would have always been mean to Yoko. I think that I would have just giving up hope and think that everything was going to go wrong.

4. I learned that in Japan any man can be your guardian even if it is your little brother I found that very interesting because I was really surprised that you could be a guardian even if you're a baby as long as you're male. I also learned about how many people got killed during the war even Korean people were getting killed. I learned how hard and intense it was to travel all the way from Korea to Japan. I also learned that many people would get separated from their families, and that many girls got raped by soldiers.

I wonder how long the war actually went on and I would want to know more about why all of these other countries joined in on the war. I also wonder exactly how long it took Ko and Yoko to get to Japan.

5.   I think that you shouldn't take for granted what you have no matter how bad things get because everyone is always better off then someone else in the world. I think that you should always tell your family how much you love them because you are not guaranteed to see them the next day. I also feel that you should never give up hope even if you are doing bad because if you keep on going something will eventually work out for you.