Discussion Questions Under the Black Umbrella- Voices from Colonial Korea, 1910-1945 What did you learn about life in colonial Korea from this book? What stories surprised you? Which stories left you feeling unsettled or uneasy? What terms/words did you find confusing? What does the author mean by the title "Under The Black Umbrella?" How did this book compare to your expectations of relationships between Koreans and Japanese during the occupation? Confucianism as an ethic has the main tenets of proper respect (ruler/subject, father/son, husband/wife, elder/younger brother, and friend/friend), loyalty, education, and (unofficially) male superiority. Confucianism is said to have waned in Asia, but perhaps it is so ingrained that it is not easily noticeable. In what ways did Confucianism show up in the book? In what ways did the gender of the speaker affect how they were treated/their experiences? Koreans working for Japanese employers/bosses were in a difficult position. Do you believe they could be comfortable in such situations? How did they handle the relationships? What strategies did they use to cope? How do you distinguish collaboration from survival techniques? Which people, if any, did you consider to be collaborators? What form did their collaboration take: active, passive, or reluctant? Two Colorful phrases are "sat and swatted flies," page 131, and "even Buddha would run out of patience," page 70. Did these strike you as Korean language idioms or just personal expressions? Are there any modern-day circumstances that reflect these sayings? In 1940, Koreans were told to change their names from Korean to Japanese. What effect might the name-changes have had on families if the country had remained Japanese? Most Koreans believe the Japanese days to be completely disastrous, yet many people did live somewhat "normal" lives. What factors may have influenced a person's awareness of, or treatment by the Japanese officials? Why do you think so many people resorted to passive resistance against the Japanese colonial rule? Most of the elders in San Francisco area spent their entire working lives in Korea and emigrated after retirement. In what ways, if any, might this have influenced their memories of the Japanese experience? What characteristics did these people share that enabled them to survive? What questions did this book raise and then not answer? Download these questions in Microsoft Word format.