Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was a pivotal moment in World War II. What do you know about this historical event? Why is it historically important?

Teaching Suggestion: It might benefit students to know that the plot of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is shaped by the events that occur in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. Understanding the who/what/where/why of this historical incident will help them appreciate the story more deeply.

• Britannica’s article “Pearl Harbor Attack” describes the key facts (date, location, participants) and puts those events into the larger context of World War II.
• The Imperial War Museums explain why Japan initiated this attack in the 14-minute video “ The Reason Japan Attacked Pearl Harbor.”

2. Through President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 on December 7, 1941, the American government created internment camps as a reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor. What was the purpose of these internment camps? What is the legacy of the camps today?