A Different Mirror

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with the content and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is meant by the term “revisionist history”? What, specifically, is being “revised”? In coming up with a working definition, consider examples of “revisionist history” in your own personal life (e.g., one family member remembers a piece of family lore happening one way, another member remembers it another way) alongside larger social and cultural examples (e.g., Columbus Day being changed to Indigenous Peoples’ Day). Why is “revisionist history” important?

Teaching Suggestion: “Revisionist history” is generally defined as a historical narrative that rejects and upends a culture’s dominant one. In this Oxford Reference entry, “revisionism” is defined as “any scholarly practice dedicated to revising an established position.” This conversation should get students thinking about the Struggle for Equality within any given society, but particularly within modern America. This discussion should also encourage students to consider why it’s important for social justice initiatives to rethink and “revise” common patterns of racist ideology embedded within our histories.

• What Is Revisionist History? – This is an article in Contingent Magazine that offers a definition.
• On ‘Revisionist History,’ Malcolm Gladwell Unfiltered – In The New York Times, Malcolm Gladwell talks about how he approaches revising some historical understandings in his eponymous podcast.     

2. The Tempest is a tragicomic play by William Shakespeare that is thought to have been written sometime between 1610 and 1611. Review the plot and setting of The Tempest, and analyze the character of Caliban. Do you think racial tensions existed in Shakespeare’s time? How might they have been different from today? 

Teaching Suggestion: In A Different Mirror, Takaki weaves the theme of Representation of “the Other” around Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Thus, providing students with some background knowledge and discussion of this classic play will give them greater historical depth and context for understanding and interpreting this message.

• “Watching ‘The Tempest’ After a Year of Racial Violence” – an article in the Washington Post (Subscription may be needed to view.)
• “Caliban Never Belonged to Shakespeare” – an essay on Caliban’s “otherness” on LitHub

Differentiation Suggestion: For students with little to no background in the works of Shakespeare, it might be beneficial to have students watch this brief video entitled “Shakespeare in Seven Minutes: The Tempest Summary” to quickly get them up-to-speed on the basic plot and characters of the play.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

From the telephone (invented by Alexander Graham Bell) to the calculator (invented by Michael Bouchet), American immigrants have contributed greatly to innovation in science, the arts, and technology. After reviewing these lists of everyday objects invented by immigrants (here, here, and here), consider your day, from the time you woke up to this moment. What objects and/or substances did you encounter that were created by immigrants? Can you think of any other ways that living in a diverse, multicultural place like the United States enhances your life?

Teaching Suggestion: The concept that Multiculturalism and Diversity in America benefits United States society and culture is one of the primary themes in A Different Mirror. Through this prompt, students will become more engaged and aware of the ways that their day-to-day lives are improved by living in a diverse society. 

• “How Immigrants Have Contributed to American Inventiveness” – an article in The Atlantic
• “Diverse Voices: Immigrant Inventors” – article from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History