Question

Why does mr. wakatsuki ask how old the interrogator is? what point do you think he is trying to make?

Answer 1

In this text, Mr. Wakatsuki is being interviewed in order to establish whether he has any ties or loyalty to the Japanese. This was a common procedure that Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans had to face in the years of WWII.

Mr. Wakatsuki asks the interrogator his age. The interrogator is twenty-nine. Mr. Wakatsuki states that he has lived in the United States nine years longer than the interrogator, yet he is unable to obtain citizenship or own land. Mr. Wakatsuki wants to demonstrate not only that he has very strong ties to the United States, but also that the laws of the country are discriminatory against Japanese people.