When My Name Was Keoko

Here are key moments throughout Linda Sue Park's novel where students can make meaningful predictions that enhance comprehension and engagement:

Early Story Predictions

When the family must choose Japanese names: Students can predict how each family member will react to losing their Korean names and what this change might mean for their sense of identity. They might also predict whether the family will find ways to secretly maintain their Korean culture despite the restrictions.

When Sun-hee's uncle begins acting mysteriously: Readers can predict what Uncle's secretive behavior might involve, whether he's involved in resistance activities, and how this might affect the family's safety. This creates suspense while introducing the concept of underground resistance movements.

Mid-Story Prediction Opportunities

When Tae-yul shows interest in airplanes: Students can predict whether he'll be forced to join the Japanese military, how his aviation interests might be used by the occupying forces, and what internal conflicts he might face between survival and loyalty to Korea.

When food becomes increasingly scarce: Readers can predict how the family will adapt to rationing, what sacrifices they might make, and whether they'll find creative ways to supplement their diet while maintaining their dignity.

Writing Style

Linda Sue Park employs a masterful dual narrative structure in "When My Name Was Keoko," alternating between the perspectives of Sun-hee and Tae-yul to create a rich, multi-layered storytelling experience.  This technique allows Park to explore the same historical events through different lenses, showing how age, gender, and personality shape individual responses to trauma and oppression.  Her prose style is deceptively simple yet emotionally powerful, using clear, accessible language that never talks down to her middle-grade audience while tackling complex themes of cultural identity and political resistance.  Park skillfully weaves Korean words and cultural references throughout the text, allowing readers to experience the gradual erosion of Korean culture alongside the characters without overwhelming them with unfamiliar terminology.  Her dialogue feels authentic and age-appropriate, capturing the distinct voices of children and adolescents while revealing the subtle ways families communicate love, fear, and hope during times of crisis.

Park's approach to historical fiction demonstrates exceptional restraint and sensitivity, presenting the harsh realities of occupation without gratuitous violence or overwhelming despair.  She builds tension through everyday moments, a hidden Korean book, a whispered conversation, the fear in a parent's eyes, rather than relying on dramatic action sequences, making the oppression feel immediate and personal.  Her character development is particularly strong, showing how ordinary people adapt, resist, and survive under extraordinary circumstances while maintaining their essential humanity.  The author's background as a Korean-American writer brings authenticity to cultural details and emotional truths, while her experience in children's literature ensures that complex historical concepts remain accessible and engaging for young readers.  This combination of cultural authenticity, historical accuracy, and age-appropriate storytelling makes Park's writing style both educational and deeply moving, creating a work that honors the experiences of those who lived through this difficult period while helping contemporary readers understand the lasting impact of cultural oppression.

Lesson Sketch

Objective:

After reading "When My Name Was Keoko" and participating in guided discussions students will analyze and compare the different perspectives of Sun-hee and Tae-yul by writing a well-supported paragraph that identifies at least three specific examples of how the same historical events affected each character differently, using textual evidence to support their analysis.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do Sun-hee and Tae-yul respond differently to being forced to change their names, and what do their reactions reveal about their personalities and ages?  Use specific examples from the text to support your analysis.

2. Throughout the novel, both characters witness acts of resistance against Japanese occupation. Compare how each sibling views these acts of defiance, do they see them as heroic, dangerous, necessary, or foolish? How do their perspectives change as the story progresses?

3. The author chose to tell this story through alternating perspectives rather than from just one character's point of view. How does this dual narrative help readers better understand the impact of historical events on families and individuals? What might we have missed if the story was told only from Sun-hee's or only from Tae-yul's perspective?

Standards-Based Activity

Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6 -Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

Activity: Perspective Comparison Chart

Students will create a detailed comparison chart analyzing how Sun-hee and Tae-yul experience the same key events throughout the novel. The chart will include four major events (name change, food rationing, uncle's resistance activities, and Tae-yul's potential conscription) with columns for each character's emotional response, actions taken, and internal thoughts as revealed through Park's writing. Students will then write a reflection paragraph explaining how Linda Sue Park uses specific literary techniques (dialogue, internal monologue, descriptive details) to develop each character's distinct perspective, citing textual evidence to support their analysis.