Culture 5: Asian Pacific American Literature – Yangsook Choi

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA:

Choi, Yangsook. 2001. THE NAME JAR. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0375906134

PLOT SUMMARY:

When Unhei moves from Korea to America with her family, she is both nervous and excited about being in a new country. Unhei quickly becomes worried and embarrassed about her Korean name, though, as some children on the school bus have a hard time pronouncing her name and tease her about it. Unhei decides that she wants to have her own American name, despite some adults in her life reminding her of the special meaning and uniqueness of her name. The children in Unhei’s class give her a glass jar with a variety of names in it in an attempt to help her choose an American name. One student in Unhei’s class, Joey, makes a special effort to befriend Unhei, and she ends up showing him what her name is using a special name stamp that was given to her by her grandmother before she left Korea. Joey quickly learns to pronounce Unhei’s name perfectly, and he secretly takes the name jar off her desk in the hopes that she will keep her own Korean name. Joey’s plan works, and Unhei introduces herself to the class and explains the meaning behind her Korean name. In the end, Joey reveals his reasons for taking the name jar, and he even shows Unhei the name stamp he had made with his own Korean nickname, which means “friend.”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Unhei’s character is endearing and easily likeable, and her character also serves as an important cultural marker for the story. Unhei embodies the nervousness and excitement that a young child might feel as an immigrant to a new country. Like many immigrants, she is conflicted about wanting to fit in with the new country’s culture while still maintaining the culture she was born into. Young readers will sympathize with Unhei, and hopefully, this story will help all children see that being different can be a good thing.

Names are clearly a central theme to the story, and they serve as cultural markers as well. Unhei’s Korean name is unique, but it is a source of embarrassment to her at first as she adjusts to life in America. Although Unhei’s classmates give her a variety of American names to choose from, Unhei eventually embraces her own name as she learns to balance Korean culture with American culture. The story addresses the fact that many Korean names have meanings, and Unhei means “grace.” The custom of going to a “name master” to select a name is also mentioned, giving students insight into this tradition.

Unhei’s name stamp is also significant to the story, highlighting another cultural custom and introducing young readers to the unique nature of written Korean characters and language. Young readers will love looking at the beautiful imprints made by Unhei’s and Joey’s name stamps, and this name step ultimately helps Unhei become comfortable with her Korean name.

Though Choi does not specify any particular American city for the setting, Unhei’s new American neighborhood is still critical to the story as she adjusts to life away from Korea. In the beginning, Unhei sees “strange buildings and houses” in her neighborhood, but she quickly finds Kim’s Market where she is reminded of her old neighborhood in Korea. It is in Kim’s Market where Unhei’s mother finds Korean foods her family is used to eating, such as “kimchi” (Korean-style spicy pickled cabbage) and seaweed for soup. Kim’s Market is also where Unhei meets Mr. Kim, who welcomes Unhei to the neighborhood and reminds of her what a beautiful and meaningful name she has.

Choi’s warm and lively illustrations will catch young readers’ attention, and they add to the cultural authenticity of the story. This story makes an excellent read aloud, and the beautiful illustrations will certainly engage listeners as the story unfolds. Choi skillfully depicts accurate skin tones and hair colors throughout the story to enhance the book’s cultural accuracy. This story carefully balances important cultural details with the universal theme of children wanting to fit in, making it an excellent selection for story time.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (2001):
“The round, red imprint of the Korean character for Unhei's name provides the graphic manifestation of the story's theme. Attractive golden endpapers feature random repetitions of the stamp imprint interspersed with her classmates' handwritten suggestions on scraps of torn paper. The bold, bright paintings that illustrate the story are realistic, warm, and appealing.”

From BOOKLIST (2001):
“Unhei has just come with her family from Korea and is starting school. Her name is pronounced Yoon-hye, which means grace, but she feels awkward about it after some teasing on the school bus. She decides to choose an American name, and her classmates oblige her by filling a glass jar with their suggestions. Her mother reminds her that she and her grandmother went to a name master for Unhei's name, and Unhei practices stamping her name with the beautiful name stamp her grandmother gave her. Finally, Unhei decides to keep her own name, and one of her classmates even has a stamp made for himself with the Korean characters for friend. The paintings are mostly in gold and earth tones, and the figures have both stature and simplicity--as does the story.”

CONNECTIONS:

On the back jacket flap of the book, it says, “Yangsook Choi chose the name Rachel when she left her native Korea to come to the United States in 1991 and will happily answer to either name.” Share this fact with students and ask them why they think the author chose the name Rachel when she came to America.

In this story, a young boy, Joey, makes a special effort to befriend Unhei and helps her become comfortable with her name by getting his own Korean name stamp. Discuss with students the importance of welcoming new students and helping people from other countries feel welcome. Brainstorm ways to befriend new students as well as ways to befriend children from other countries.

Yangsook Choi has an interesting website that can be shared with students: http://www.yangsookchoi.com/. Students may be particularly interested in reading about her other books in the “Books” section and viewing her spectacular drawings and paintings in the “Portfolio” section of the website.