Lesson 29: Seen and Unseen, Compare and Contrast Writing, Part 1

Display the Essential Question: How can readers evaluate words and images for accuracy, perspective, and ethical use? Students will use the Turn-and-Talk routine to consider perspective.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Take a moment to think about the following question. Then use the Turn and Talk routine to discuss your answer with a partner.

• Ask: How does perspective influence a source’s point of view?

  • Two people might see the event from physically different places and thus simply observe different physical details. Or they may play a different role in the event and thus have different beliefs and priorities about what is important to remember. For example, a guard at Manzanar would likely describe the camp very differently from a prisoner. They may also have different goals in documenting the event if they are consciously doing so in words or images.

In preparation for the next activity, work with students to generate a list of ways that perspectives can differ, ranging from the physical to the ideological. For example, sources might differ in terms of:

• their physical vantage point

• the time and duration they experienced the event

• their beliefs about the event

• the attention they pay to specific details

• their expertise or training in evaluating certain details

• their access to resources or technology

• their formal or informal role in the event

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In today’s reflection, you will be thinking about the perspectives of different sources. You’ll consider specifically how those perspectives overlap and how they differ. Before we get to writing, however, let’s drill down into the different meanings of the word perspective.

Students will work together to define and expand their understanding and use of the target word. Have students report their findings by responding to a partner, writing, or in a whole-group discussion. Encourage multiple responses to show the range of contexts where the word can apply.

Generating Situations, Context, and Examples

Say these Directions: The most basic meaning of the word, perspective, is a physical point of view, like that from which a picture is taken. We also use this word to describe the way that some paintings and drawings make it seem like we are “in the world” of the artwork, looking out from a specific place. Write one-to-two sentence responses to the following questions that expand understanding of the target word.

Target word: perspective

• Ask: What are some things that could limit a person’s physical perspective in photographing Manzanar? Why might two people describing the same event express very different perspectives?

  • obstacles in the way of what they want to photograph, height from which they can take pictures, ability or inability to leave the camp

• Ask: We often use perspective to mean a person’s mental viewpoint or attitude. In that sense, what are some different perspectives that sources in the 1940s expressed about Japanese American incarceration?

  • that it was wrong and harmful; that it was illegal under the Constitution; that it was necessary for national security; that it removed inconvenient competition for land and jobs

• Ask: Now, think about Ansel Adams’s Manzanar photos and those of Dorothea Lange. What is one way that the two photographers differ in their physical perspective?

  • Ansel Adams took close-up portraits and big landscape pictures. He was able to photograph large areas of the camp from atop the guard towers. Dorothea Lange took candid shots that were often at a middle distance from the subject. Her photos of the camp environment were taken at ground level.

• Ask: What is one way they differ in their mental perspective, or attitude toward the subject they were photographing?

  • Adams originally supported the WRA’s work and wanted to portray prisoners in an uplifting way that, he believed, would help them reintegrate into society. Lange opposed the WRA’s work from the start and wanted to show the unvarnished truth about living conditions in the camps.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: As you write your paragraphs, remember that perspectives can differ in many ways. People might have seen different aspects of the camps because of where they lived, what jobs they had, or how old they were. Some who wrote about the camps (in newspapers and reports, for instance) may never have physically visited them at all. Meanwhile, survivors and outside observers had a range of attitudes toward Japanese American incarceration and different opinions about how Japanese Americans should react to being forcibly removed and incarcerated.

Remind students of the topics that their annotations in previous lessons have focused on:

• Craft Lens analysis (text, illustration, photography)

• Survivor testimony and omissions/hidden details

• Responsible witnessing (accuracy, credibility, ethics)

Model the creation of a Point of View Contrast Chart based on the comparison of a selection from Seen and Unseen alongside another source, such as a government memo or contemporary newspaper that addresses similar topics. Display the sources side-by-side.

Part A: Model Reflective Writing (RI.7.6, RI.7.7) (10 minutes)

Say these Directions: Today, you will use a 3-Column Chart graphic organizer to create a Point of View Contrast chart. Use the following labels to organize your chart:

• Column 1: Survivor Perspective

• Column 2: Photographer/Journalist Perspective

• Column 3: Government/Official Perspective

Fill in your chart with the information that answers the following questions:

• Ask: What is emphasized?

  • Archie Miyatake emphasizes the discomfort and inconvenience caused by the sandstorms.)

• Ask: What is omitted?

  • We do not learn whether the sandstorms were dangerous or simply a nuisance.)

• Ask: What is conveyed emotion or tone or emotion?

  • The tone is mainly one of annoyance and frustration.

• Ask: What biases may be present?

  • As a young man, Miyatake may have experienced the sandstorms differently from a very young child, a parent, or an elder.)

Model write a short reflection synthesizing these perspectives:

• Say: The survivor emphasizes fear and family separation, while the newspaper describes forced removal as orderly and necessary. Comparing these sources shows us what is hidden when only official perspectives are presented. Responsible evaluation of historical records requires noticing both what is shown and what is omitted.

Part B: Write a Reflection (RI.7.6, RI.7.7, W.7.9) (20 minutes)

Say these Directions: Using the same guiding question as before, complete your own charts using two to three sources from among the options below. Then, you will begin writing your paragraphs based on the evidence you have collected.

• One survivor story or testimony

• One photograph or illustration from Seen and Unseen

• One additional informational or historical source, such as:

  • a government document

  • a contemporary news article

  • the NPR article “3 Very Different Views of Japanese Internment”

Using the notes in this chart, have students draft a two-to-three-paragraph reflection. As they write, remind them to consider:

• Ask: What is emphasized?

  • The official writing this memo emphasizes the “threat” and “danger” posed by potential Japanese spies.

• Ask: What is omitted?

  • We do not know if there has been any credible evidence of spying or sabotage among Japanese Americans.

• Ask: What is the tone or emotion conveyed?

  • The tone is mostly neutral, but there are also moments where the author tries to alarm the reader.

• Ask: What biases may be present?

  • The author may be biased to believe that Japanese Americans are loyal to Japan or that people’s ancestry dictates their loyalties.

• Ask: How do the perspectives differ?

  • When I compare a survivor’s testimony, I have to consider how perspectives differed between people at the time, and how those perspectives inform the viewpoint of the sources. Additionally, I need to investigate what is hidden or omitted from the sources. Seen and Unseen includes multiple perspectives on the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, with photographs, testimony, and articles that reveal a dark time in our nation’s history. Comparing Seen and Unseen with other sources, such as government documents, shows what was visible and hidden based on who is telling the story. The government document focuses mainly on procedures and order, hiding the pain and discrimination faced by the incarcerated. Photographs from Seen and Unseen provide primary evidence of Japanese Americans’actual experiences. The visibility of the day-to-day in the photos, compared with the government document, shows a stark contrast between the language and described intent with the realities of incarceration.

When students finish writing, ask them to exchange their paragraphs with a partner and check each other’s work.

Say these Directions: When you complete your reflection, exchange it with a partner and check each other’s work. Remember, your feedback should be clear and constructive and you should remain open to suggestions from your partner. Use the following criteria to guide your evaluation:

• Clear identification of perspectives

• Use of specific evidence from at least two sources

• An analysis of what is emphasized and omitted

• Connection to the Essential Question

Circulate and provide feedback, emphasizing clarity, evidence, and connection to responsible evaluation of historical records and events.

Lesson 29 Writing Rubric: Compare & Contrast Response — Perspectives on Japanese American Incarceration

Writing prompt: Write a compare and contrast response analyzing the perspectives of survivors, photographers, government officials, and contemporary journalists connected to Japanese American incarceration. Explain how different groups' positions shaped what they saw, recorded, and reported.

Students will write a brief response that completes the sentence starter below. Collect the reflections as formative data.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Write one or two sentences that complete the following statement:

• One perspective I noticed in comparing these sources is ___, and one detail that is still hidden or unclear is ___.

  • One perspective I noticed in comparing these sources is that the newspapers of the day seemed to repeat the government line that Japanese Americans were a “threat.” One detail that is still unclear to me is why they went along with this: Were they pressured by the government to report events in a certain way?

Have students examine the illustrations on pp. 60–61 and write two to three sentences in their Journal in response to the following prompt:

• How does the order of events or images affect what the reader feels or understands?