AAPI Women Voices: Identity & Activism in Poetry

LESSON 2

Compare and Contrast

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Image Credits: Asian American Education Project & Pixabay

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Compare and Contrast

Purpose of Compare and Contrast:

• Comparing and contrasting will help identifying the unique aspects and culture in your lives that you can write poetry on.

• Poetry is connected to real life experiences and that it is a vehicle to understand experiences that are different from yours.

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Vandana Khanna

• Vandana Khanna was born in India
• Raised in Falls Church, Virginia
• Her poems spotlight the challenges immigrants face in the United States
• The struggles youths face in having to choose between different parts of their identity
• The difficulties of being ridiculed or bullied for a part of their background

Image from Untold Stories Through Poetry

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“Evening Prayer”�Terms to Know

• Hinduism = a religion, or a way of life, found most notably in India and Nepal
• Hindu = a follower of Hinduism
• Mandir = A Hindu temple
• Ganesh (also spelled Ganesa or Ganesha) = a Hindu god, the Lord of Good Fortune
• Krishna = a major Hindu deity (god or goddess)
• Arti = a Hindu religious ritual of worship

Images Credits: Pixabay (Royalty Free)

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“Evening Prayer”- Religion

“Two Gods: the one in the closet

and the one from school days

and both are not mine.”

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What are the struggles Vandana Khanna has at home and at school?

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Images Credits: Pixabay (Royalty Free)

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“Evening Prayer”- Terms to know

• Mantra = a sound, word, or phrase that is repeated by someone who is praying
• Ram Ram = a chant
• Christianity = a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ
• Alleluia or Hallelujah = In Christianity, translates as "praise the Lord“
• Bhagavān is generally translated as Lord or God
• Om Shanti' means peace for the all human kind, peace for all living and non living beings, peace for the universe, peace for each and every thing in this whole cosmic manifestation.

Image Credit: Pixabay (Royalty Free)

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“Evening Prayer”- 2 cultures

Vandana Khanna’s struggles:

Compare and Contrast two cultures

• Name
• Appearance
• Food

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Image Credit: Pixabay (Royalty Free)

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Compare and Contrast - Homework

• Read Vandana Khanna’s biography in the “AAPI Women Voices” story.
• Read the “Evening Prayer” poem.
• Highlight/annotate the lines that compare and contrast the author’s experience with the experience of others.

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Compare and Contrast - Homework

• Refer to points in our class discussion.
• Write down your own �struggles, which could �be different kinds of �struggles than what �Vandana Khanna has.

Image Credit: Pixabay (Royalty Free)

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Compare and Contrast -Homework 2

1. Read “Blue Madonna” by Vandana Khanna.
2. Complete the Venn Diagram. Compare and contrast the experience of the author and others.
3. After completing the Venn diagrams, answer the discussion questions on the worksheet.
1. What does this chart reveal about these religions – particularly, about the role of girls and women?
2. How does the experience of the author mirror or differ from yours? You may talk about religion, culture, family, gender, immigration or any other topic.

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AAPI Women Voices: Identity & Activism in Poetry

Curriculum Developer:

Megan Roberto

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Curriculum Contributors:

Prabhneek Heer, Kristy Phan

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