William Alfred Nu’utupu Giles is a contemporary Samoan poet writing from Hawai‘i. His poem, like Trask, create a tight link between identity and land. Consider how Giles’ use of banyans, seeds, and diaspora are used to articulate his position in Hawai‘i. How is that position different from that of Trask? How does that difference get articulated in Trask’s poems, if it is so articulated? Compare his use of the natural world with Trask’s poetry.
Assess Murayama’s portrayals of Filipino masculinity. How does (the caricature of) Filipino masculinity inform Japanese settler sexual relations? Consider details including Sasaki’s demeanor, dress, etc. as compared with that of Kiyoshi’s mother. Does the text encourage misogyny? If so, how? If not, how does the text portray Makoto’s social abjection vis-à-vis his mother’s sex work?
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