Code Switching

CODE SWITCHING

DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS &
LIVING MULTIPLE IDENTITIES

W. E. B. Du Bois’ coined the term “double
consciousness” in 1903 to describe the experience
of being Black in an American culture that devalues
Blackness.

Double consciousness, therefore, is an internal
conflict of “two-ness” whereBlack identity is split
between the way Black individuals perceive
themselves and the way they know the white world
will view them.

DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS

Open Ended

After WATCHING...

What are the edited versions of yourself? (Two sentences)

Open Ended

After WATCHING...

What is the cost of code-switching? (Two sentences)

Open Ended

After WATCHING...

Have you ever changed yourself to be more “culturally compatible”? (Two sentences)

What is code-switching?

What advice does the writer
give?

WHILE READING...

“For linguists, code-switching describes
the simple act of switching between two
languages in a conversation. But in
today's increasingly multicultural,
multiethnic society, the term's deeper
meaning involves shifting between
different cultures as you move through
life's conversations — choosing your
communication style based on the
people you're dealing with.”

DEFINING

CODE SWITCHING

“I learned early on, thanks to that

‘guys’ nonsense, that expertly

navigating another culture wasn't a

rejection of where I'd come from or a

signal that I was any less authentically

Black. And returning to my roots wasn't

being phony or perpetrating a put-on.

It was being fully who I am.”

NAVIGATING
AUTHENTICITY

“This is a lesson too many other young people from too many other
cultures have to learn the hard way — making their way in an American
culture that too often still demands assimilation or marginalization. As
more cultures join America's melting pot, that's why code-switching
remains so valuable.

It's a reminder to be fully who you are at all times, while making sure you're
understood well enough to be valued, respected and considered.”

AVOIDING ASSIMILATION

Assimilationis the process whereby individuals or groups of differing

ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society.

What does it mean
to code-switch but
remain yourself?

WHILE VIEWING...

Code switching refers to the act of
changing the way one presents oneself
in different surroundings.

Think of an instances from chapter one where Starr and/or her family engage in code switching.
Use evidence from the text to prove
your ideas to be true.

GROUP CHAT

Open Ended

Think of an instances from chapter one where Starr and/or her family engage in code switching. Use evidence from the text to prove your ideas to be true.

Write a paragraph that explores one of the
themes within The Hate U Give:

★

Code-switching

★

Double Consciousness

★

Negotiating Multiple Identities

Remember to include evidence from the
text, topic sentence, transitional phrases
and a concluding sentence in your
paragraph.

WRITING TASK

Open Ended

WRITING TASK

Write a paragraph that explores one of the themes within The Hate U Give:

- Code-switching

- Double Consciousness

- Negotiating Multiple Identities

(Remember to include evidence from the text, topic sentence, transitional phrases and a concluding sentence in your paragraph.)