“Kissing in Vietnamese”




by 



Ocean Vuong


By the end of the lesson, students will be
able to:


1. Explain how the poet Ocean Vuong uses

literary techniques to express love and loss
in his poem, “Kissing in Vietnamese”.


2. Write a paragraph in a group to express
their analysis of the poem, selecting
appropriate evidence from the poem to
justify their points.
Pre-Activity: Poet’s Profile
 Watch the video and answer the
Pre-Activity: Poet’s Profile following questions:

1. How did the Vietnam War

affect Ocean’s Family?


2. How would you describe

Ocean’s relationship with his
grandmother?


3. Why is poetry important to

Ocean? How does his
relationship with his
grandmother affect his
poetry?

 My grandmother kisses
as if bombs are bursting in the backyard,
Kissing in Vietnamese
where mint and jasmine lace their perfumes
by through the kitchen window,
as if somewhere, a body is falling apart
Ocean Vuong and flames are making their way back
through the intricacies of a young boy’s thigh,
as if to walk out the door, your torso
would dance from exit wounds.
When my grandmother kisses, there would be
no flashy smooching, no western music
of pursed lips, she kisses as if to breathe
you inside her, nose pressed to cheek
so that your scent is relearned
and your sweat pearls into drops of gold
inside her lungs, as if while she holds you
death also, is clutching your wrist.
My grandmother kisses as if history
never ended, as if somewhere
a body is still
falling apart.
 My grandmother kisses
as if bombs are bursting in the backyard,
Kissing in Vietnamese
where mint and jasmine lace their perfumes
by through the kitchen window,
as if somewhere, a body is falling apart
Ocean Vuong
and flames are making their way back
through the intricacies of a young boy’s thigh,
as if to walk out the door, your torso
would dance from exit wounds.
When my grandmother kisses, there would be
no flashy smooching, no western music
of pursed lips, she kisses as if to breathe
you inside her, nose pressed to cheek
so that your scent is relearned
and your sweat pearls into drops of gold
inside her lungs, as if while she holds you
death also, is clutching your wrist.
My grandmother kisses as if history
never ended, as if somewhere
a body is still
falling apart.
 My grandmother kisses
as if bombs are bursting in the backyard,
Kissing in Vietnamese
where mint and jasmine lace their perfumes
by through the kitchen window,
as if somewhere, a body is falling apart
Ocean Vuong
and flames are making their way back
through the intricacies of a young boy’s thigh,
as if to walk out the door, your torso
would dance from exit wounds.
When my grandmother kisses, there would be
no flashy smooching, no western music
of pursed lips, she kisses as if to breathe
you inside her, nose pressed to cheek
so that your scent is relearned
and your sweat pearls into drops of gold
inside her lungs, as if while she holds you
death also, is clutching your wrist.
My grandmother kisses as if history
never ended, as if somewhere
a body is still
falling apart.
Questions


1. What do you think is significant about the

title “Kissing in Vietnamese”?



2. What is Ocean Vuong trying to achieve
through the repetition of “kisses” in the
poem?


3. In the poem, images of violence
intermingle with images of comfort. What
do you think is the poet’s intended effect?



4. The line “a body is falling apart” appears
in line 5, and is repeated at the end of the
poem. What are some of the effect of the
repetition and alternate line break on the
reader?
On your own, craft four distinct topic sentences responding
to the following question by the end of the lesson:

With close attention to his use of poetic

language, in what ways are Ocean
Vuong’s portrayal of love striking?
 REMINDER: 



TOPIC SENTENCES MUST BE FRAMED AROUND

ARGUMENTS/TOPICS/CONCERNS NOT LITERARY

DEVICES!
END