AAPI Women Voices Untold Stories Through Poetry LESSON

AAPI Women Voices: Untold Stories Through Poetry LESSON 4 Connotation and Denotation Advancing. Justice-LA. org 1 AASC. UCLA. edu

Definitions A. Denotation • The literal, dictionary definition of a word • Example: Hollywood denotes a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. B. Connotation • The emotional, social, or cultural implications of a word that go beyond its dictionary definition. Connotations are on a spectrum of positive or negative. • Example: Hollywood connotes materialist, glamorous, and superficial lifestyles or beliefs. Advancing. Justice-LA. org 2 AASC. UCLA. edu

“I live in a house, but I want to feel like I live in a home. ” Denotation Home Connotation The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family A neighborhood in the central region of Hollywood Los Angeles, California. Family, love, stability “Home is where the heart is. ” Materialist, glamorous, superficial lifestyles “A typical Hollywood plot” Dove Gentle A small wild bird that is related to pigeons “The new policy contains a dovish increase in spending. ” Shark Ruthless A large and often dangerous sea fish with “This loan shark charges 10% very sharp teeth interest per week. ” Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 3 3

Negative Connotation & Positive Connotation Words have varying degrees of negative (unfavorable) connotation or positive (favorable) Negative Connotation General Denotation Intrusive, Nosy Interested Stubborn, Inflexible Persistent Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu Positive Connotation Curious, Inquisitive Strong Willed, Determined 4

Negative Connotation or Positive Connotation 1. thrifty, stingy, penny-pinching, cheap, economical, resourceful 2. uncommon, off-the-wall, bizarre, weird, exceptional, extraordinary Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 5

Negative Connotation or Positive Connotation Negative Connotation Stingy, Pennypinching, Cheap General Denotation Positive Connotation Thrifty Economical, Resourceful Off-the-wall, Uncommon Bizarre, Weird Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu Exceptional, Extraordinary 6

Negative Connotation or Positive Connotation Same situation What impression of each sentence? 1. The activist spoke passionately of his platform at the demonstration. 2. The vigilante fanatically preached his ideology at the riot. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 7 7

Negative Connotation or Positive Connotation Positive impression 1. The activist spoke passionately of his platform at the demonstration. Impression: This person cares about changing the world. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 8 8

Negative Connotation or Positive Connotation Negative Impression 2. The vigilante fanatically preached his ideology at the riot. • Impression: This person is crazy and sticks to his beliefs even if they are wrong. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 9 9

“Guantanamo” by Shadab Zeest Hashmi Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 10 10

Shadab Zeest Hashmi • Born in Pakistan and moved to the US at 18 to attend college. • Writes about the affect of British colonialism on Pakistani identity, relations between the United States and the Middle East, and Arab American issues • Works as an editor for Mah. Mag World Literature (magazine) and a columnist for 3 Quarks Daily (blog and magazine) Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 11

“Guantanamo”- Background • Short for Guantanomo Bay Detention center in the US Cuban Naval Base • Imprisons suspected members of al-Qaeda (Islamic militant group) and the Taliban (Islamic fundamentalist group), as part of the larger “War on Terror” • Infamous for its many human rights abuses, use of torture tactics on prisoners and lack of due process. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 12 12

“Guantanamo” by Shadab Zeest Hashmi Scream A guard forces you to urinate on yourself Killed Another barks out louder than his dog the names of your sisters Comfortable Home who live in the delicate nest of a ruby-throated hummingbird Each will be a skeleton he says Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 13

“Guantanamo” by Shadab Zeest Hashmi Was there someone who gave you seven almonds for memory, a teaspoon of honey every morning? Cardamom tea before bed? Someone who starched your shirts in rice water, then ironed them? Held your chin To say the send-off prayer before school? Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 14

“Guantanamo” by Shadab Zeest Hashmi You’re tied to a metal coil And memory is a burnt wire. Destroyed. Not functioning, worthless, beyond repair Pay attention to how the poet conveys her message with the concluding line. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 15

“Desert Flowers II” by Janice Mirikitani Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 16

“Desert Flowers II”- Background • WWII, 1944: Executive Order 9066 issued by President Roosevelt incarcerated 120, 000 Americans of Japanese descent in 10 rural concentration camps around the U. S. • An injustice born out of racism, wartime hysteria, and plain greed, the internment resulted in lost livelihoods and broken communities. • Janice Mirikitani and her family were incarcerated in Rohwer, Arkansas. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 17

Write your own “I Am” poem • Mirikitani uses “I” in the poem to refer to the community of incarcerated Japanese Americans. • You will be writing your own poem using “I” to refer to a community. • Pay attention to how Mirikitani uses it. • Pay attention to the concluding line. • Learn how poets write the concluding line of their poems. This will help you to write your own. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 18

Negative or positive connotation? Put circles around negative connotations boxes around positive connotations in story handout Bamboo, mimosa, eucalyptus seed. Resilience, strength, courage. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 19

Positive Connotations Put circles around negative connotations boxes around positive connotations in story handout Bamboo, mimosa, eucalyptus seed. Resilience, strength, courage. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 20

“Desert Flowers II” by Janice Mirikitani Janice was born in the U. S. incarcerated because of her race, and got asked: What are you Where are you really from? Go back to where you belong What are you? Why is it ignorant to ask U. S. - born people of color these questions? Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 21

Negative or positive connotation? Put circles around negative connotations boxes around positive connotations in story handout I am the wind that shaves mountains, twisted barbed wire of Amache Gate, Poston, Manzanar, Rohwer, Tule Lake Amache Gate, Poston, Manzanar, Rohwer, Tule Lake are Japanese American Concentration Camps Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 22

Negative & positive connotations I am the wind that shaves mountains, twisted barbed wire of Amache Gate, Poston, Manzanar, Rohwer, Tule Lake wind is a positive connotation for being strong. twisted barbed wire is a negative connotation of the abuses in the camps. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 23

Negative or positive connotation? I am the fist of sand that pushed my mother against a wall of silence. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 24

Negative connotation I am the fist of sand that pushed my mother against a wall of silence. There were frequent sand storms in the camp. Her mother had to keep her feelings inside amid abuses. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 25

Fold-It Poem in your handout 1. Each student enters his/her name at the top line. Each student starts his/her Fold-It Poem. 2. Writer 1 will write one line except the last word of poetry in the first box. Writer 1 will write the last word of their line in second box. Before passing it on, Writer 1 will fold the paper so that Writer 2 can only see the last word of line A. 3. Pass it on to Writer 2. 4. Writer 2 will write line B using the last word of Writer 1’s last word as the first word of his/her line. 5. Repeat the process until every writer has gone once. 6. Pass the poem back to the student with the name at the top. The student unfolds it and read it back to the team. Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 26 26

Connotation Homework section of your handout • Practice writing connotations • Finish reading “Desert Flowers II” • Identify at least 5 additional positive or negative connotations in the rest of the “Desert Flowers II”. • Complete discussion questions Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 27 27

Connotation Homework 2 • Read Sahra Vang Nguyen’s biography in the “AAPI Women Voices” story • Analyze the connotations in Sahra Vang Nguyen’s “Idolize” poem Advancing. Justice-LA. org AASC. UCLA. edu 28 28

AAPI Women Voices: Untold Stories Through Poetry Curriculum Developer: Megan Roberto Curriculum Contributors: Prabhneek Heer, Kristy Phan Advancing. Justice-LA. org 29 AASC. UCLA. edu