Concealment, Performance, and Hidden Identity

Students analyze how Two Roses portrays the act of hiding Jewish identity and the emotional and physical risks involved. Through close reading and structured analysis, students examine how visual storytelling communicates tension, performance, and vulnerability.

Guiding Questions

• What does it mean to “perform” an identity for survival?
• How does Two Roses visually represent concealment and fear?
• What emotional costs come with hiding who you are?

Materials

• selected panels from Two Roses showing identity concealment or inspection, either printed or put together in a slide deck
• chart paper
• sticky notes
• exit slip

Preparation

Select 4–6 panels from different parts of Two Roses that depict moments of concealment, inspection, interaction with authorities, or emotional tension related to passing as someone else.

Lesson Activities

Introduction

Begin by writing the word Performance on the board.

Ask students:

• When do people perform a version of themselves? Why?

Allow brief discussion (social settings, job interviews, peer pressure). Then shift the context:

• What happens when performance is necessary for survival?

Explain that today’s lesson examines how Two Roses shows identity as something that must be carefully controlled and constantly performed.

Close Reading – Visual Tension

Distribute selected panels from Two Roses.

Instruct students to annotate individually using these prompts:

• What is she doing outwardly?
• What might she be feeling internally?
• What visual clues show fear, caution, or calculation?
• Where do you see silence doing important work?

Encourage students to pay attention to:

• facial expressions
• hands and posture
• panel size and spacing
• use of shadow or empty space
• eye contact or lack of it

After independent annotation, have students compare notes in pairs.

External vs. Internal Identity Chart

In small groups, have students complete a T-chart:

• Left side: What she must show the world
• Right side: What she likely feels or hides

Optional extension – add a third column:

• How gender shapes this moment

Have students rotate to other groups’ charts and add one insight or question.

Conduct a brief class discussion focusing on:

• the strain of maintaining a hidden identity.
• the constant risk of exposure.
• the idea of identity as both protection and burden.

Ethical Reflection Discussion

Pose the question:

• Is hiding who you are an act of survival, resistance, or both?

Have students form small discussion circles and respond using evidence from the panels.

Encourage students to:

• refer directly to specific images.
• explain how the artwork supports their interpretation.
• consider emotional consequences.

Conclusion

Ask students to respond in writing:

• How does Two Roses help us understand the emotional cost of hiding identity in ways a traditional textbook might not?

Collect responses as formative assessment.