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

AdvancingJustice-LA.org 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. AdvancingJustice-LA.org AASC.UCLA.edu

AdvancingJustice-LA.org 3 AASC.UCLA.edu “I live in a house, but I want to feel like I live in a home.” Denotation Connotation Home The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family Family, love, stability “Home is where the heart is.” Hollywood A neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Materialist, glamorous, superficial lifestyles “A typical Hollywood plot” Dove A small wild bird that is related to pigeons Gentle “The new policy contains a dovish increase in spending.” Shark A large and often dangerous sea fish with very sharp teeth Ruthless “This loan shark charges 10% interest per week.” Other pairs: Cheap vs. affordable, Intelligent vs. cunning, Determined vs. stubborn, nosy vs curious, chef vs cook Curious and nosy denotation: eager to know or learn something Curious connotation: Curiosity is usually seen as a positive trait; curious people are learning and discovering Nosy connotation: Nosiness is seen as annoying, because it refers to an eagerness to know/learn personal or confidential information AdvancingJustice-LA.org 3 AASC.UCLA.edu

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

Negative Connotation or Positive Connotation thrifty, stingy, penny-pinching, cheap, economical, resourceful uncommon, off-the-wall, bizarre, weird, exceptional, extraordinary Words have varying degrees of negative (unfavorable) connotation or positive (favorable). Decide whether these groups of words with similar denotations have positive or negative connotations. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 5 AASC.UCLA.edu

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

Negative Connotation or Positive Connotation Same situation What impression of each sentence? The activist spoke passionately of his platform at the demonstration. 2. The vigilante fanatically preached his ideology at the riot. Consider these two sentences that describe the same situation, but in different words. How does changing the word choice affect the impression of the sentence? AdvancingJustice-LA.org 7 AASC.UCLA.edu

Negative Connotation or Positive Connotation Positive impression The activist spoke passionately of his platform at the demonstration. Impression: This person cares about changing the world. 1. Impression: this person wants positive change for the world 2. Impression: this person is crazy and sticks too much to his beliefs AdvancingJustice-LA.org 8 AASC.UCLA.edu

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. 1. Impression: this person wants positive change for the world 2. Impression: this person is crazy and sticks too much to his beliefs AdvancingJustice-LA.org 9 AASC.UCLA.edu

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

AdvancingJustice-LA.org 11 AASC.UCLA.edu 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 MahMag World Literature (magazine) and a columnist for 3 Quarks Daily (blog and magazine) AdvancingJustice-LA.org 11 AASC.UCLA.edu

“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. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 12 AASC.UCLA.edu

“Guantanamo” by Shadab Zeest Hashmi Scream A guard forces you to urinate on yourself Another barks out louder than his dog the names of your sisters who live in the delicate nest  of a ruby-throated hummingbird Each will be a skeleton he says Comfortable Home Ask students to put circles around positive connotations boxes around negative connotations. Bark: Negative connotation for animalistic, savage, non-human characteristics. Nest: Positive connotation for beauty, delicateness. Hummingbird: Positive connotation for beauty, delicateness. Skeleton: Negative connotation for to be killed, death Killed AdvancingJustice-LA.org 13 AASC.UCLA.edu

“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? The detainee is remembering what his/her life was like. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 14 AASC.UCLA.edu

“Guantanamo” by Shadab Zeest Hashmi You’re tied to a metal coil And memory  is a burnt wire. Destroyed. Not Not functioning, worthless, beyond repair Burnt: Wire damaged or destroyed by fire. Negative connotation for not functioning, worthless, beyond repair Pay attention to how the poet conveys her message with the concluding line. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 15 AASC.UCLA.edu

“Desert Flowers II” by Janice Mirikitani Manzanar https://publicintelligence.net/japanese-internment-camps-war-relocation-authority-photos/ AdvancingJustice-LA.org 16 AASC.UCLA.edu

“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. Additional information on internment and farming http://www.bowdoin.edu/news/archives/1academicnews/006318.shtml, https://publicintelligence.net/japanese-internment-camps-war-relocation-authority-photos/ Families lost their businesses and all belongings that they could not bring Historically, many Japanese Americans/Japanese immigrants were farmers who played a large role in the agriculture industry. They continued to farm at the camps. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 17 AASC.UCLA.edu

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. Additional information on internment and farming http://www.bowdoin.edu/news/archives/1academicnews/006318.shtml, https://publicintelligence.net/japanese-internment-camps-war-relocation-authority-photos/ Families lost their businesses and all belongings that they could not bring Historically, many Japanese Americans/Japanese immigrants were farmers who played a large role in the agriculture industry. They continued to farm at the camps. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 18 AASC.UCLA.edu

Bamboo, mimosa, eucalyptus seed. Resilience, strength, courage. Negative or positive connotation? Put circles around negative connotations boxes around positive connotations in story handout Bamboo, mimosa, eucalyptus seed. Resilience, strength, courage. Ask students to put circles around positive connotations and boxes around negative connotations. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 19 AASC.UCLA.edu

Positive Connotations Put circles around negative connotations boxes around positive connotations in story handout Bamboo, mimosa, eucalyptus seed. Resilience, strength, courage. Ask students to put circles around positive connotations and boxes around negative connotations. Positive connotation: bamboo means resilience, mimosa means strength, eucalyptus seed means courage AdvancingJustice-LA.org 20 AASC.UCLA.edu

Where are you really from? Go back to where you belong What are you? “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? Ask students if they got asked these questions. Explain to students Asian Americans are perceived as perpetual foreigners even when many of them were born in the U.S. We don’t ask white people these questions. It shows Ignorance and not acknowledging that a non-white can also be American. Why is it ignorant to ask U.S.- born people of color these questions? AdvancingJustice-LA.org 21 AASC.UCLA.edu

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 AdvancingJustice-LA.org 22 AASC.UCLA.edu

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. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 23 AASC.UCLA.edu

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

AdvancingJustice-LA.org 25 AASC.UCLA.edu 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. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 25 AASC.UCLA.edu

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. AdvancingJustice-LA.org 26 AASC.UCLA.edu

AdvancingJustice-LA.org 27 AASC.UCLA.edu Connotation Homework 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 AdvancingJustice-LA.org 27 AASC.UCLA.edu

AdvancingJustice-LA.org 28 AASC.UCLA.edu 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 AdvancingJustice-LA.org 28 AASC.UCLA.edu

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