Name ____________________________________________________ Period _________ Date _____________________
“The Bracelet” – Yoshiko Uchida page 150 – 154
Before you read / quick write
1. What stories, movies or TV shows can you think of in which painful events are used to teach us
never to repeat mistakes? Give at least two examples, and describe the lessons you learned.
(Discuss what you have written.)
2. Information on point of view: The story is going to let us know, let us into the mind of the of Ruri,
who is also the main character. Ruri uses first-person point of view, speaking as "I." As SHE
tells her story, Ruri reveals the qualities of her character, as well as her thoughts and feelings.
Because Ruri is telling the story herself you won't know for sure what other people are thinking
and feeling. You'll know only what Ruri tells you.
3. Important vocabulary for this story – page 148
word
definition of word in story
picture or icon
evacuated
interned
aliens
forsaken
4. Background information on this story / time period – bottom of page 149
5. Learn more about the author of today’s story through the information on page 153. As you read
through the first paragraph, think about the author’s personal experience during WWII and how
this influenced her to write this story. Write down two things you learned / noticed about the
connection between the author and the story.
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Name ____________________________________________________ Period _________ Date _____________________
As you read the story, stop along the way to answer the questions below.
6. Page 151 - When the doorbell rings, what do you learn about Ruri’s attitude toward the relocation?
What does this tell you about the kind of person she is? (character and point of view)
7. Page 151- first column – Ruri’s friend Laurie is not Japanese American. What does this suggest
about both girls? (character and point of view)
8 Page 151 – top of second column – How does Ruri’s mother react to her leaving home? What does
her statement “Someone will help us” reveal about the type of person she is? (character and
point of view)
9. Page 152 – First Column – Why was each family given a number? (interpret)
10. Page 152 - What do you learn about Ruri’s parents’ relationship from Ruri’s memories of the
irises? (character and point of view)
11. Page 153 - Why are the Japanese Americans being taken from their homes? What effect do you
think this treatment may have on the Japanese Americans? (cause and effect)
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Name ____________________________________________________ Period _________ Date _____________________
12. Page 153 - What effect on readers does Ruri’s comparison between the camp and prisons have?
(simile)
13. Page 154 – top of the first column, first paragraph – What is Ruri’s response to the news that the
family will live in an apartment? Why does she respond this way? What does this tell you
about her personality? (character and point of view)
14. Page 154 –first paragraph- Before you read any further, what do you think the apartment will be
like and why? Base your answer from what you’ve read so far and what you know about this
time period in history. (interpret, infer, predict)
15. Page 154 - What did apartment 40 look like?
16. Page 154 – bottom of the second column – What character traits does Mama exhibit when she
speaks to Ruri about the lost bracelet? (character and point of view)
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Name ____________________________________________________ Period _________ Date _____________________
When you are finished reading – conflict, point of view, theme
17. The plot centers on a conflict, or problem, that goes far beyond the characters in the story. Ruri
and her family are on one side of the conflict. Who or what is on the other side of it? Use
evidence or proof from the story to back up your answer.
18. Why do you think the author chose to tell this story from the first-person point of view? What can
Ruri tell you that no other character can tell? What things does Ruri not know? Support
your thoughts with evidence from the story.
19. Suppose that Ruri’s mother told this story. What might she say about the events that Ruri
describes? How might Laurie tell the story?
20. What lesson does the author succeed in teaching in this story? Use evidence or proof from the
story to back up your answer.
Character traits –
20. List at least three character traits for each character. Give support as to why you chose these traits
based on the story.
Mama
Laurie
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