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Lesson of the Day: ‘Keeping Love Close’

What does love look like in a time of hate? In this lesson, students will analyze an essay and photographs that respond to that question, then respond to a similar prompt themselves.

Credit...Ricardo Nagaoka for The New York Times

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

Featured Article: “Keeping Love Close” by Celeste Ng

The New York Times Culture desk invited 28 photographers, all Asian and Asian-American, to photograph what love looked like in their world. The images are interwoven with an essay by Celeste Ng and invite artists to respond to a climate of fear and racism with images and reflections from the heart.

In this lesson you will look closely at the essay, photographs and artists’ statements. Then, you will take your own photograph and write an accompanying artist’s statement about what love — whether in your family or larger community — looks like to you.

The featured article, “Keeping Love Close,” opens with six photographs. Choose one of the photographs to study closely. As you look, ask yourself:

  • What do you notice about the photograph? What do you wonder?

  • What story, or stories, does it tell?

  • How does the photograph make you feel?

  • In what ways does it make you think of your own life or experiences?

The featured article is from Surfacing, a visual Times series on the intersection of art and life. An essay by Celeste Ng is interspersed with photographs and accompanying artist statements submitted by 28 Asian and Asian-American photographers responding to the question: What does love look like in a time of hate?

Read the article, look closely at the images, and then answer the following questions:

1. Read part one of Celeste Ng’s essay that begins with “IN CHINESE FAMILIES…” How does she hook the reader and draw them into her story?

2. How does Ms. Ng illustrate “love expressed as concern”? Can you think of an example of this form of love from your own life?

Using Ms. Ng’s writing style as inspiration, write a short paragraph about how someone in your life shows love through expressing concern.

3. The next section features photographs and artist statements from Sandy Kim, Christelle de Castro, Jingyu Lin, Ricardo Nagaoka, Brendan George Ko, Kanghee Kim, Chloe Pang and Heather Sten.

Choose one photograph and statement from this section to view more closely. How does each image and statement respond to the question “What does love look like in a time of hate?”

4. Read part two of Ms. Ng’s essay that begins with, “FOR MANY OF ASIAN DESCENT…” How has she felt in the wake of recent attacks on Asians and Asian-Americans? What does she do to remain connected with family and friends? Do any of these things feel similar to how you have cared for your family during the pandemic or at other times?

5. Ms. Ng’s essay is followed by more photographs and essays by Haruka Sakaguchi, Leonard Suryajaya, Kathy Lo, Ryan Jenq, An Rong Xu, Tess Ayano, Hiroko Masuike, Elizabeth Wirija, Rozette Rago, Stephanie Mei-Ling and Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet.

Choose another person’s images and statement from this section. Study one of their photographs closely: What is happening in the picture? What more can you find? How does the photograph illustrate love? If you had to give the photograph a title, what would it be?

6. Read the third part of Ms. Ng’s essay, which begins with, “WHEN YOUR FACE MAKES YOU VULNERABLE…” How does Ms. Ng explore Americanness alongside Asian identity?

She writes, “Here I am, this is me.” What does that look like to you? What parts of your identity — nationality, race, religion, gender or anything else — do you choose to celebrate and center? How do you “choose how to be seen” and “select the face you show the world”?

7. Continue to read the final set of photographs and essays by Valerie Chiang, Justin J Wee, Chang W. Lee, Alex Lau, Yunghi Kim, Mary Kang, Jade Thiraswas, Tracy Nguyen and Peter Ash Lee.

Choose one last photograph and statement to study more closely. How does their work relate to the theme “Here I am, this is me,” which Ms. Ng introduced in the previous section of her essay?

8. Read the final piece of Ms. Ng’s essay that begins with, “IN THE MEANTIME, WE SURVIVE…” Why do you think Ms. Ng chooses to conclude her essay in this way? What are you left thinking about or feeling as you finish the piece?

Celeste Ng, the essayist, asked Asian and Asian-American photographers to respond to the prompt: “What does love look like in a time of hate?” If you are Asian, Asian-American or part of another community that is experiencing “a time of hate” right now, you might respond to that same prompt. If not, or if you do not feel a connection to that question, you can respond to this prompt: “What does love look like in your community?”

You can use these questions to start brainstorming: How do your friends and family show love? What has changed about what love looks like in your family, or among your friends or community during the pandemic?

Is there an object in your home that encapsulates love? Is there a special meal that a family member cooks that feels like love to you?

How have you felt love from your family or community in difficult or painful moments? When has love looked different than the norm? How has love appeared in unexpected ways?

After brainstorming, capture what love looks like to you by using a camera or camera phone or by drawing. You can use the photographs from the featured article as inspiration.

Now, write a short artist statement, fewer than 200 words, that expresses something important about your photo or your process. Your artist statement can add detail, context or additional meaning to your photograph.

You can use the examples from the article as a guide, or you could start by completing the sentence, “In my family/community, love looks like …”

Then, you can do a virtual or in-person gallery walk to see the work of your classmates. As you look, you might think about or discuss:

  • Where do you see connections between the images and statements?

  • Where are there differences?

  • What is something that surprised you in someone’s photograph or artist statement?

  • What is something that you found moving or powerful in someone else’s work?


About Lesson of the Day

Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column.
Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.

Nicole Daniels joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2019 after working in museum education, curriculum writing and bilingual education. More about Nicole Daniels

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