They Called Us Enemy
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
They Called Us Enemy Epilogue
Themes
All Themes American Democracy and Civic Engagement Racism and War History and Education Family, Community, and Trauma
Quotes
Characters
All Characters George Takei Daddy/Takekuma Norman Takei Mama Henry Takei Nancy Reiko Takei President Franklin D. Roosevelt Earl Warren Eleanor Roosevelt Wayne Collins Fletcher Bowron Lt. General John L. DeWitt Florence Ford and Chevy Senator Daniel K. Inouye Herbert Nicholson Mrs. Rugen Mr. Gene Roddenberry Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Terms
All Terms Fifth Column Issei Nisei No-no Sansei Yes-yes
Symbols
All Symbols Star Trek (the Starship Enterprise)
Upgrade to LitCharts A+
Instant downloads of all 1913 LitChart PDFs (including They Called Us Enemy).
LitCharts Teacher Editions. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does.
Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts.
The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of every Shakespeare play.
Literature
Guides Poetry
Guides Literary
Terms Shakespeare
Translations
Ask
LitCharts AI
Ask
AI
Literature
Lit
Poetry
Lit Terms
Terms
Shakescleare Ask AI

They Called Us Enemy

by

George Takei
Download this LitChart! (PDF)
Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on They Called Us Enemy makes teaching easy.

Earl Warren Character Analysis

At the time of Pearl Harbor, Earl Warren is the attorney general for the state of California. But he desperately wants to become the state’s governor, and he believes that stoking fear of Japanese Americans will bolster his popularity. In interviews, he denies any responsibility for the harm that Executive Order 9066 causes to Japanese Americans, and he regularly insists (untruthfully) that the state has found evidence of Japanese Americans spying and engaging in sabotage. He also states that Japanese people are “inscrutable,” or that it’s impossible to know what they’re thinking at any given time. The only way to deal with this, he insists, is to incarcerate Japanese Americans before they have the opportunity to do any real harm. His ploy works: he serves three terms as the governor of California and eventually becomes Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Earl Warren Quotes in They Called Us Enemy

The They Called Us Enemy quotes below are all either spoken by Earl Warren or refer to Earl Warren. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
American Democracy and Civic Engagement Theme Icon
).
They Called Us Enemy Quotes

In California at that time, the single most popular political position was “lock up the Japs.” The attorney general of California, Earl Warren, decided to get in front of that issue.

He wanted to run for governor... and would do anything to get that office. He saw the division his rhetoric caused.

He knew that he was talking about a hundred thousand people who had not been charged with any crime. But he made an amazing statement for not just any lawyer... but the top lawyer of the state.

Related Characters: George Takei (speaker), Earl Warren
American Democracy and Civic Engagement Theme Icon
Racism and War Theme Icon
History and Education Theme Icon
Page Number: 20
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire They Called Us Enemy LitChart as a printable PDF.
Download
They Called Us Enemy PDF

Earl Warren Quotes in They Called Us Enemy

The They Called Us Enemy quotes below are all either spoken by Earl Warren or refer to Earl Warren. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
American Democracy and Civic Engagement Theme Icon
).
They Called Us Enemy Quotes

In California at that time, the single most popular political position was “lock up the Japs.” The attorney general of California, Earl Warren, decided to get in front of that issue.

He wanted to run for governor... and would do anything to get that office. He saw the division his rhetoric caused.

He knew that he was talking about a hundred thousand people who had not been charged with any crime. But he made an amazing statement for not just any lawyer... but the top lawyer of the state.

Related Characters: George Takei (speaker), Earl Warren
American Democracy and Civic Engagement Theme Icon
Racism and War Theme Icon
History and Education Theme Icon
Page Number: 20
Explanation and Analysis:
Home About Contact Help
Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved
Terms Privacy Privacy Request
The LitCharts.com logo.
Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account
You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Complete your free account to request a guide
Already have an account? Sign in
The LitCharts.com logo.
Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account.
You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Complete your free account to access notes and highlights
Already have an account? Sign in
The LitCharts.com logo.
Saving guides requires a free LitCharts account
Easily access your saved guides anytime.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Complete your free account to save guides
Already have an account? Sign in