Lesson 2

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • “What Is Colonialism? A History of Violence, Control and Exploitation,” Jamila Osman, Teen Vogue, 2017

Materials

Reference Guides

• Tone Reference Guide

Activity 1: Discuss

We will think about what it might mean to live in a country that has been colonized.

Discuss the following questions as a group:

1. Why do you think countries would colonize another country?

2. What do you think those who live in a country that has been colonized would say about colonization?

Activity 2: Read

We will read “What Is Colonialism? A History of Violence, Control and Exploitation” and examine the author’s perspective.

Read and annotate "What Is Colonialism? A History of Violence, Control and Exploitation." Write two questions you have after reading the text.

Respond to the following question:

1. Does the author have a positive, negative, or neutral perspective on colonization? What evidence from the text supports your answer?

Revisit the text to respond to the following question:

1. What is the author’s perspective about colonization?

Activity 3: Discuss – Read

We will determine the tone of “What Is Colonialism? A History of Violence, Control and Exploitation.”

Step 1

Skim your Tone Reference Guide, specifically the section “Identifying and Analyzing Tone.” How do you determine the tone of a text?

Step 2

Consider the following sentences:

[insert]

“gold, because colonizers would exploit resources of other countries to bolster their own economies” (Para. 2)

“Europe’s expansion is remembered as exploration, and the men who helmed ships that landed in foreign countries—and proceeded to commit violence and genocide against native peoples—are remembered as heroes.” (Para. 4)

“These artificial borders split cultural groups, resulting in fierce ethnic tensions that have had devastating ramifications throughout the continent.” (Para. 5)

[insert:end]

Consider the following questions:

1. How would you describe the tone of each excerpt?

2. What specific words or phrases in each excerpt help create the tone?

3. Why do you think the author uses such strong language and stylistic devices, like an aside, in the article?

Step 3

Now, consider the full text. Discuss the following questions with a partner:

1. What is the central idea of "What Is Colonialism? A History of Violence, Control and Exploitation"? How does the author develop the central idea?

2. What is the tone of "What Is Colonialism? A History of Violence, Control and Exploitation"?

3. What specific words help create the tone you identified? Make a list of the words and phrases that help create the tone.

4. Does the tone ever change or shift? If so, where and how?

5. How is the tone related to the central idea of the text?

Activity 4: Discuss

We will determine the author’s perspective of colonialism.

Step 1

Discuss the following questions as a class:

1. Based on the tone and central idea of the text, what do you think is the author’s perspective on colonialism? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

2. How does the author use rhetoric (e.g. language, word choice, structure of main points, facts, data, and historical context) to develop her perspective?

Step 2

The author, Jamila Osman is a Somali poet, essayist, and teacher in Portland, OR. She is a widely published author, and she is currently working on a memoir chronicling her parents’ displacement from Somalia, a country colonized by the British in the 19th century.

Does knowing the author’s background shape or inform what you believe the perspective of her text is?

Revisit the opening question: What do you think those who live in a country that has been colonized would say about colonization? Has your answer changed any? If so, how and why?