LITERATURE

21ST CENTURY LITERATURE

OF THE PHILIPPINES AND
THE WORLD
SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 1 DAY 1 - 4
LESSON 1: History of Philippine Literature
PART I LESSON COVERAGE: Periods of Philippine Literature
The divisions of Philippine Literature History are as follows: Prehistoric Period, Spanish Period, American
Period, Japanese Period, Philippine Republic, Martial Law Period, Post-Martial Law Period, and Contemporary
Period.
At the end of this lesson, the student is expected to:
➢ Have a firm grasp of what transpired in each of the periods enumerated above
➢ Be able to distinguish what types of literature emerged in each period in history
PART II TERMINOLOGIES:

• Thomasites – the first English teachers during the American occupation

• Pen names – otherwise known as pseudonyms, these are names used to hide the real identity of the
author
• Propagandists – group of writers during the Spanish occupation who worked for assimilation with the
objective of making the Philippines a province of Spain
• Revolutionists – group of writers during the Spanish occupation who worked for separation and
independence to free the Philippines from the colonizers
• Transpired – on occurrence of something; what happened
• Emerged – came out; came into existence
PART III DISCUSSION:
History of Philippine Literature
Prehistoric Period – Oral Literature was prevalent in this period since no system of writing was yet invented.
Most of the works were concise poetic forms like: RIDDLES (bugtong), PROVERBS (salawikain), SAYINGS or
MAXIMS (kasabihan), and FOLK SONGS (kantahing bayan). Kantahing Bayan is further subdivided into 10 sub-
categories: LULLABY (oyayi), BOAT SONG (soliranin), WAR SONG (kumintang), WEDDING SONG (diona),
RELIGIOUS SONG (dalit), LOVE SONG (kundiman), DRINKING SONG (dapayanin), TRAVEL SONG (hibais),
FUNERAL SONG (bung-aw) and COURTING SONG (bansal).
With the passage of time, oral literature became lengthy and it is known as EPIC. Each ethnolinguistic group
boasts of its own epic. Some of the famous epics are the following: BIAG NI LAM-ANG of the Ilocanos, ALIM
AND HUDHUD of the Ifugaos, KUMINTANG of the Tagalogs, IBALON of the Bicolanos, MARAGTAS and
HINILAWOD of the Visayans, HARI SA BUKID of the Hiligaynons, DAGOY and SUDSUD of the Tagbanuas,

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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

BANTUGAN of the Muslims, INDARAPATRA AND SULAYMAN of the Maguindanaos, TATUAANG of the Bagobos
and ULANGINGEN AND SALEB of the Manobos.
Other prose works that flourished before the colonizers came are the following: LEGENDS (alamat), MYTHS
(mito), FOLK TALES (kuwentong-bayan), FABLES (pabula), PARABLES (parabola), and other narratives.
Despite their length, our ancestors were able to hand down this ORAL LITERATURE through sharing of stories
during their free time. Youngsters were attentive and as a result when a formal system of writing finally came
into being, they were able to translate these oral works into written form. They made use of a syllabary known
as ALIBATA. It was through these writings that some prehistoric writings were preserved.
Spanish Period – the types of literature prevalent during this period are mostly religious in nature since the
objective of the Spanish friars was to spread Christianity. The latter part of the Spanish period was the more
productive part of the period because this part saw the rise of the propagandists led by Dr, Jose P. Rizal and
the revolutionists headed by the Katipunan Supremo, Gat Andres Bonifacio.
It is the period in Philippine Literary History where the first colonizers, Spaniards, burned all earliest forms of
writings, leaving no trace of Philippine literary ingenuity. The Spanish friars did everything to convert the
natives (they considered as INDIOS or illiterates) to become Christians. The colonizers made it a point to
propagate their religion by printing lots of religious materials, the first of which is known as Doctrina Cristiana
(Catholic book of prayers and doctrines). Other books were books of PASYON (depicting the sufferings and
death of Jesus Christ) written by authors Gaspar Aquino de Belen and Mariano Pilapil.
A writer who became famous through his writings during this period is Francisco Baltazar otherwise known as
Balagtas. His Florante at Laura is a literary work considered as an AWIT, composed of dodecasyllabic
monoriming quatrains. This is different from a KORIDO, octosyllabic monoriming quatrains.
Balagtasan is a poetic joust named after Francisco Balagtas. Crisotan of the Pampangos is a poetic joust named
after Crisostomo Sotto, Father of Pampango Literature and Bukanegan of the Ilocanos is a joust named after
the Father of Ilocano Literature, Fr. Pedro Bukaneg.
The latter part of this period had an overflow of writers with the likes of Dr. Jose P. Rizal (Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo), Marcelo H. Del Pilar (Dasalan and Tocsohan), Graciano Lopez Jaena (Fray Botod). These
writers used pen names to avoid being caught. Rizal used Dimas Alang and Laong Laan, Del Pilar used Plaridel,
Jaena used Diego Laura and Jose Ma. Panganiban used Jomapa.
There were two groups of writers, the propagandists (aimed for reforms and assimilation – with the objective
of making the Philippines a province of Spain) wrote in Spanish and published their articles in La Solidaridad
while the other group of writers, the revolutionists (aimed for independence and separation from Spain)
wrote in Tagalog. These revolutionists headed by Gat Andres Bonifacio, formed the Kataas-taasang Kagalang-
galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK). Their concise writings had patriotic themes and they
wanted an armed conflict with the colonizers.
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

American Period – the types of literature in the earliest part of the Americans’ stay in the Philippines were
writings that made use of Tagalog and Spanish. The Thomasites, the first English teachers, made sure that the
Filipinos learn the language and use it in their writings. Consequently, Philippine literature in English was
born. The Period of American Occupation was the most productive period in Philippine Literature in English.
It is the period that officially ended Spanish oppression in the Philippines. With the coming of the Thomasites,
the first English teachers, Filipinos learned the language and used it in the writings. Thus, Philippine Literature
in English was born.
Writers increased in number because they felt at ease since the freedom of the press and freedom of
expression which were absent during the Spanish colonization prevailed during this period. Writers’ guilds
and organizations like Poets, Essayists and Novelists (PEN), the giving of incentives in the form of awards and
recognition, the honor and praises they received for their well-written works are just some of the reasons why
a lot of writers emerged during the American occupation. Ergo, it was the period considered as the most
productive in the history of Philippine Literature.
Two clashing schools of thought emerged during this period: the art for art’s sake dictum (treats literary pieces
as art objects subject to aesthetic appreciation) with Jose Garcia Villa as the leading proponent and the art for
society’s sake dictum (treats literary pieces as instruments to effect social change) with Salvador Lopez as
proponent.
Japanese Period – the types of literature during the time of the Japanese occupation were very few since the
freedom they once enjoyed during the previous years were curtailed. The writing activities of the Filipino
artists came to a halt with the coming of the Japanese. The writers stopped wielding pens and started
wielding guns.
It is the period where the writing activities of the Filipino writers came to a halt (stop). Japanese invaders
limited the movement of the people and they attacked both soldiers and civilians alike.
The Japanese introduced the following: NIHONGO or NIPPONGO (Japanese language), IKEBANA (Japanese art
of flower arrangement), ORIGAMI (art of folding papers), TEMPURA & SUSHI (cuisine), and HAIKU, TANKA &
SENRYU (poetic forms).
Haiku is a short descriptive poem about nature consisting of 17 syllables: 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables
in the 2nd line and 5 syllables in the 3rd line.
Senryu is similar to haiku in structure but different in rhyme (Senryu is unrhymed), subject (human nature),
and tone (usually satirical and ironical).
Tanka is longer, it has 5 lines and 31 syllables (5-7-5-7-7).
Philippine Republic – the types of literature during this period were meaningful and memorable works
comparable to the works of foreign nationals. The Philippine writers were producing works in English, the
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

vernacular (Tagalog), and Filipino (one of the official languages of the country and the tagalong-based national
language as promulgated by President Manuel L. Quezon during the Commonwealth Period, as opposed to the
Tagalog, the language spoken by majority of the dwellers in Luzon)*
The end of the war triggered the once dormant writers to wake up from their long lethargy and start writing
creatively again.
Majority of the writings were written in English, the vernacular (Tagalog) and Filipino.
*The Difference between Tagalog and Filipino:
According to lingualinx.com and quoted verbatim,” People often want to know the difference between Tagalog
and Filipino. However, asking that question is a bit of a misnomer because Tagalog is actually the basis for the
Philippine national language.
Tagalog had primarily been spoken in Manila and the surrounding provinces in the 1930s when the
Commonwealth Constitution was originally drawn up. This constitution had stipulations in it that provided for
an official national language, but it did not specifically name Tagalog as that language. When the constitution
was drawn up, Tagalog was only spoken by about 25% of the population.
Tagalog was the lingua franca (common language) of the people who lived in or near the government capital,
and by the 1970s, more than half of the Philippine population was using Tagalog to communicate with one
another. Then, during the Aquino presidency in the latter half of the 1980s, the national language was officially
labelled as Filipino.”
Publishing companies, writers’ unions and various award giving bodies gave the men of letters impetus
(momentum) to write again. One prestigious award giving body that emerged that time is the Carlos Palanca
Memorial Award comparable to the world-renowned Pulitzer Prize. The following became bywords in the
Philippine Literary scene because of their distinguishable contributions in the field of Literature and they are:
Lazaro Francisco, Amado V. Hernandez, Jose Garcia Villa, Alejandro G. Abadilla, Genoveva Edroza-Matute,
Claro M. Recto, Virgilio Almario (aka Rio Alma) just to name a few.
Martial Law Period – the types of literature during this period were purely government publications
authorized by the Marcos regime. Anti-government and anti-Marcos writings were proliferated in the form of
underground publications led by Malaya.
On September 21, 1972, writers’ freedoms (freedom of the press and freedom of expression) and other
freedoms (freedom of speech, freedom of assembly etc.) were curtailed or suppressed. The lives of
oppositionist writers were controlled by the state. Subversive and seditious writings were traced and the
writers thereof were silenced by means of summary execution, others were illegally detained and tortured.
Post-Martial Law Period – is the period prior to the lifting of Martial Law that transpired on January 1, 1981.
The themes / forms of literature circulating in the latter part of the Marcos regime can be categorized into 4
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

kinds: Protest Literature, Proletarian Literature, Prison Literature and Circumvention Literature.
(slideshare.net, literature during martial law by ryan jay)
During this period, pro-government propaganda materials in the form of songs and short write-ups were
circulated. Nevertheless, these items did not prevent oppositionist writers to voice out their sentiments in the
form of poems, short stories, essays and plays. Prominent satirists (writers of satires) are: Francisco Sionil Jose,
Ricardo Lee, and Rolando Tinio.
Contemporary Period – the type of literature in this period after the Edsa revolution of 1986 were writings of
feminist writers and their supporters (members of Gabriela). It is a period of restoration of lost freedoms, one
of which is the freedom to express one’s ideas and emotions in writing.
In this period the Filipino writers enjoyed the benefits of press freedom. Their voices were heard through their
revealing writings about discrimination, same-sex marriage, homosexual & bisexual relationships and violation
of their rights.
To further inspire Filipino artists in their respective fields, National Artist Awards were given to deserving
individuals. In the field of literature the following are recipients of the aforesaid award: Jose Garcia Villa
(1973), Amado V. Hernandez (1973), Nick Joaquin aka Quijano de Manila(1976), Carlos P. Romulo (1982),
Francisco Arcellana (1990), N.V.M. Gonzales (1990), Rolando Tinio (1992), Edith Tiempo (1999), Francisco
Sionil Jose (2001), Alejandro Roces (2003), Virgilio S. Almario (2003), Bienvenido Lumbera (2006), and Lazaro
Francisco (2009).
PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION
Activity 1: Using the pattern of the Japanese poetic forms discussed in the lesson, write a haiku, tanka or
senryu (choose only 1).
Activity 2: Think of a pen name that you most likely would use if you are to become a writer. Write it
down and give a brief explanation as to why you have chosen that particular pseudonym. Write your
explanation in not less than three paragraphs with 5 sentences each paragraph.
PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION
Complete the table by filling in the blanks with the required items
WRITER PEN NAME LITERARY PERIOD OUTSTANDING WORK
1
2
3
4
5

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART VI CONCLUSION/SUMMARY

With the advent of technology, writing nowadays has become accessible to everybody. The use of gadgets like
computer and cellular phones have given rise to the birth of new literary forms which include but not limited
to blogs, text tula and various forms of flash fictions.

Whatever the circumstances maybe, we are all responsible to everything that we write about. Ergo, we all
should be careful in everything that we post online. Your words can make or break you.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Introduction to Philippine Literature

https://21stcenturylitph.wordpress.com/introduction-to-philippine-literature/

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 2 DAY 1 - 4

LESSON 2: Major Genres of the 21st Century Philippine National Literature

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction and Drama

There are various genres prevalent in the 21st Century which will be tackled in this discussion. Genre refers to
the art used by literary authors to categorize a certain literary composition (Crossing Horizons Through the
21st Century Literature by: M. Caballero)

At the end of the lesson the student is expected to:

➢ Be able to identify the different major genres of Philippine Literature in the 21 st Century
➢ Analyze the figures of speech and other literary techniques presented in different selections

PART II TERMINOLOGIES:

• Poetry – it is a literary type written in verses that make up stanzas consisting of a language with a
strong musical quality in which words are highly charged with meaning
• Fiction – it refers to any imaginative fact and idea of life wherein the characters and settings are purely
from the author’s imagination and may not happen in real life
• Creative Nonfiction – it is a literary genre that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually
accurate narrative
• Drama – is a story written which is intended to be performed and presented on stage

PART III DICSCUSSION:

Poetry

It is a literary type normally written in lines which are grouped into stanzas. It contains measures, rhyming or
sound pattern and tone.

Elements of Poetry:
1. SENSE- it is revealed through words, elements and symbols
a. Diction. This refers to the denotative and connotative meanings of the lines in poetry.
b. Images and Sense Impressions. These refer to the choice of words used to create sensory
images which appeals to the reader’s sense.
2. SOUND – it refers to the creative use of words by the poets to imitate sounds
a. Rhythm. This is the order alteration of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound and
silence.
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b. Meter. This refers to the duration, stress, or number of syllables per line.
c. Rhyme Scheme. This is the formal arrangement of rhymes in a stanza of the whole poem.
3. STRUCTURE – it refers to the arrangement of words and lines to fit together and the organization of
the parts from the whole
a. Word Order. This is the natural arrangement of words in each verse.
b. Punctuation. This is the use of punctuation marks, to clearly indicate emotions.
c. Shape. This refers to the poet’s choice of contextual and visual design, omission of spaces,
capitalization and lower case.
d. Tone. It refers to the poet’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject, toward the reader, or
toward himself.
e. Voice. It refers to the speaking persona in poetry where specific characters are not indicated as
the speaker.

Classes of Poetry:
1. LYRIC POETRY – a kind of poetry which expresses emotions, mood and reflection of the musical
language of the poet. It’s simple and easy to understand
a. Ode. This is a majestic type of lyric poetry with expression of enthusiasm and dignity to
someone loved.
b. Elegy. The lyric poem with the subject matter of death. It represents a tone of a deep feeling of
personal grief for someone who passed away.
c. Song. This is a short lyric poem which is intended primarily to be sung and has the particu;ar
melodious quality required by the singing voice.
2. NARRATIVE POETRY – this is a long descriptive poem that narrates a story in a sequential order about
life and events that may be real or imaginary
a. Epic. This is a long narrative poem that tells stories about life, quests and adventures of a
supernatural hero.
b. Ballad. This is a form of narrative poetry that is considered to be the simplest and shortest
form. Its verses suggest significant events meant to be sung.

Fiction

This refers to any imaginative fact and idea of life. Themes and conflicts raised in some stories are similar in
real life context. These make the reader’s view and put themselves into the shoe of the characters.

Types of Fiction:
1. Chick lit – a type of fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and light-
heartedly. The genre became popular in the late 1990s. It sometimes includes romantic elements but is
not generally considered a direct subcategory of the romance novel, because the heroine’s relationship
with her family and friends is often just as important as her romantic relationships.
2. Flash Fiction – it is a style of fictional literature of extreme brevity. There is no widely accepted
definition of the length of the category. Some self-described markets for flash fiction impose caps as
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low as three hundred words, while others consider stories as long as a thousand words to be flash
fiction.
3. Speculative Fiction – is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically
science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and
dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post apocalyptic fiction and alternate history in literature as well as
related static, motion and visual arts.
4. Novel – this is a lengthy narrative story separated into series of chapters. It possesses complexity of
plot and has the capacity to introduce numerous characters in different parts of the story. It also
contains more elaborate settings.
5. Short Story – this is a short narrative story which focuses on a single plot and characterized by its
different elements.

The Elements of a Short Story:

1. Setting – this refers to the time, place and condition in which the story takes place
2. Characters – these are the persons, animals or things moving around the plot of the story

2 Major Types of Characters:

a. Protagonist – this refers to the main character in the story. He/she is the hero/heroine of the
story
b. Antagonist – He/she is the villain who opposes the main character in the story.

3. Plot – this refers to the series of actions and events that happened in the story

5 Parts of the Plot:

a. Exposition – this is the part that sets the mood of the story wherein characters, setting and
background are being introduced
b. Rising Action – it is the part of the plot that marks the onset of the major conflict in the story
c. Climax – This is the part that builds the highest tension and considered to be the story’s highest
point of interest
d. Falling Action - this marks the revelation and realization of the characters leading to the
resolution of the story’s main conflict
e. Denouement – it is the final resolution and outcome of the story

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4. Conflict – this refers to the struggle of complication involving the characters of the story

Types of Conflict:
a. Man vs. Man
b. Man vs. Himself
c. Man vs. Nature
d. Man vs. Society
e. Man vs. Technology

5. Point of View – this pertains to the voice used by the writer as a narrator of the story and how it was
seen or told

Three Points of View:

a. Omniscient – the author allows the inner thoughts and feeling of the main characters to be
presented in the text
b. First Person Point of View - the author is the one observing and speaking in the story. He can be
one of the characters or the one portraying his own identity
c. Third Person or Limited Point of View – the author chooses a character as a narrator who will
be the central observer and detects action inside the story

6. Mood – this refers to the atmosphere and tone of the story

7. Theme – This pertains to the central idea which conveys truths and values according to the author’s
purpose and perspective on the human’s experience

8. Symbols – These are the images and objects used in the story to stand for something other than
themselves

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Creative Nonfiction

It is expository in nature that deals with facts and reality which aims to explain a theory, idea and a point of
view.

Examples:

1. Autobiography – is a story of a person’s life written by himself from his own point of view according to
his personal style. In its pure form, it is written from a person’s memory of his past.
2. Biography – This is a story of life of a real person written by someone else.
3. Essay – is a piece of writing which is often written from an author’s personal point of view.

Literary Devices in Literature – are also known as literary techniques pertaining to the conventions and
structures employed in different literary writings.

1. Aphorism – this is a concise statement that contains subjective truth or observation. For example, “A
bad penny always turns up” is an aphorism for the fact that bad people or things are bound to turn up
in life. We just have to deal with them when they do.
2. Chekhov’s gun – this refers to the insertion of an apparently irrelevant object early in a selection to
which the purpose is revealed later. In a way it’s like foreshadowing. Best example is in the work of
Anton Chekhov himself in Act 1 of his play “The Seagull, the main character carries a rifle out onto the
stage. By the end of the play, he has used the rifle to commit suicide.
3. Cliffhanger – this literary device creates an open ending in the story by leaving the conflict unresolved.
The purpose of cliffhanger is to encourage the reader to keep turning pages or viewer to anticipate and
never fail to watch the next episode. Examples would be some Kdramas we have watched like The
King: Eternal Monarch and The World of Married Couple where every episode ending makes you wish
you have access to the next episode.
4. Epiphany – it creates a sudden revelation or insight --- usually with a symbolic role in the narrative. For
example: In the middle of a typical argument with his wife, a man realizes he has been the one causing
every single argument, and that in order to keep his marriage, he must stop being such an aggressive
person.
5. Figures of Speech – these are creative group of words used beyond its literal meaning to enhance
sense of impression and intensify ideas.
Kinds:
a. Alliteration – the repetition of the consonant sound. Ex. Ralph’s reindeer rose rapidly and ran
round the room.
b. Allusion – it refers to any scientific, historical, mythological and biblical event or figure. Ex. “I am
not Lazarus nor Prince Hamlet.”
c. Assonance – it is the repetition of the similar vowel sound in between of the neighboring words.
Ex. I found the arrow, still unbroken.

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d. Apostrophe – it addresses inanimate objects as real objects. Ex. Flowers, make me beautiful
tonight.
e. Euphemism – it is the substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit.
Ex. My friend passed away.
f. Hyperbole – these are statements used to exaggerate terms and ideas. Ex. I can love you for a
thousand years.
g. Metaphor – this is a direct comparison of two unlike things without using words such as like,
resemble and similar to, Ex. Your fist is a hammer.
h. Metonymy – it refers to a word or phrase substituted for another to which is identifiable and
associated with the idea referred to. Ex. The pen is mightier than the sword.
i. Onomatopoeia – is the use of words to imitate sounds. Ex. Woosh!, Bang!, Ding-dong!
j. Oxymoron – the use of the contradictory words that appear on both sides of the sentence. Ex.
The student teacher knows her subject matter very well.
k. Paradox – this refers to a phrase or statement used to convey emotional sense. Ex. You have to
die in order to live.
l. Personification – these are expressions that give human qualities to objects, animals and ideas.
Ex. The scissors are running on your hair.
m. Simile – this is a comparison of two unlike things with the use of words such as: like, as like as,
resemble and similar to. Ex. You are like a star that shines brightly in the velvet sky.
n. Synecdoche – it is a part used to represent as a whole. Ex. He drove his new wheels.
o. Flashback – it is a general term for altering sequences of events in the story, taking characters
back to the beginning of the tale for instance.
p. Flashforward – otherwise known as prolepsis, it is an interjected scene that temporarily jumps
the narrative forward in time.
q. Foreshadowing – it pertains to hinting at events to occur later.
r. Juxtaposition – it involves using two themes, characters, phrases, words or situations together
for comparison, contrast or rhetoric.
s. Rhetorical Question – it is posing a question without expecting an answer or reply. It is intended
to create persuasive effects to its readers.

Drama

It is an art of imitating human characters and actions. Early drama was usually written in poetic form, while the modern
and contemporary drama is usually written in prose.

Genres of Drama:

1. Tragedy – is a type of drama in which the main character is struggling against dynamic forces. It shows the
downfall or destruction of the hero or noble who is caught up in a sequence of events such as death and difficult
circumstances which inevitably results in disaster. Ex. Romeo and Juliet by: Shakespeare
2. Comedy – is a type of drama intended to capture the interest and entertain the audience through interjecting
wit, humor and delicate ideas. Ex. Dante Alighiere’s “ Inferno” (Divine Comedy)
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STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

3. Tragicomedy –is a type of drama which does not adhere strictly to the structure of tragedy. It blends both aspect
of tragedy and comedy. The story suggests a happy ending despite of the unfortunate events which happened in
the plot. Examples: The Merchant of Venice by: Shakespeare and Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”
4. Farce – is a type of drama with exaggerated characters and swift movements. Its plot consists of humorous
events and ridiculous situations. Ex. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
5. Melodrama – is a type of drama which shows events that follow each other rapidly, but seems to be governed
by chance. It possesses a sensational dramatic piece which appeals strongly to the senses. Ex. Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte

Elements of Drama:

1. Plot – it refers to a series and arrangement of events in a drama. It consists of 5 parts: exposition, rising action,
climax, falling action and denouement.
2. Characters – they are the actors who create the entire shape of actions in the drama through creating
opportunities and conflicts in the story.
3. Setting – it is the time, place and condition where the story takes place. It also refers to the physical
arrangement of the stage to vivify stage directions.
4. Dialogue – it pertains to the lines delivered by the actors and used to advance the action and narrate the story.
a. Aside – this is a short speech delivered by the actor to the audience in which the other characters do not
hear
b. Soliloquy – this is a short speech delivered by the actor by uttering his inner thoughts to the audience in
order to reveal personal feelings
c. Gestures – it refers to the physical movements of the character on stage
d. Music – it is used to add color and dramatic effect in the play
e. Theme – it is the central idea or message that explains what the play is all about

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Choose one theme from the following. Create a one stanza poem consisting of five lines using the different figures of
speech listed below as guide.

a. Friendship
b. Family
c. Love
d. Culture
e. Dream

1st line – Apostrophe

________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

2nd line – Hyperbole

________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

3rd line – Personification

________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

4th line – Simile

________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

5th line - Onomatopoeia

________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

Write on the blank the figures of speech used in the following.

___________________ 1. Your fist is a hammer.
___________________ 2. She is a freelance writer.
___________________ 3. I can walk a thousand miles just to be with you tonight.
___________________ 4. Bang! Bang! Into the room.
___________________ 5. My best friend passed away.
___________________ 6. The moon smiled back at me.
___________________ 7. I have died every day waiting for you.
___________________ 8. She sells sea shells in the sea shore.
___________________ 9. You are the sunshine of my life.
___________________ 10. You are as beautiful as a rainbow.
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART VI CONCLUSION/SUMMARY

Knowledge of the topics discussed in this lesson will equip one to better understand a literary piece when they read
them. Each work one will be encountering in the coming lessons has different forms and respective messages the author
wishes to convey.

If one aspires to be a good speaker in the future one should be a voracious reader.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Introduction to Philippine Literature

https://21stcenturylitph.wordpress.com/introduction-to-philippine-literature/

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 3 DAY 1 - 4
LESSON 3: Canonized Works and a selection from Philippine Literature

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: Canonical Authors in Philippine Literature and Chick Lit selection

This lesson will cover a brief discussion on Canonical Authors in Philippine Literature and a reading on a
selection entitled, “Chimera” by Khatrina Bonagua

At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:

➢ Be able to infer literary meaning from literal language based on usage

PART II TERMINOLOGIES:

• Literary Canon – is defined as a group of literary works that are considered the most important of a
particular time, period or place.
• Chick Literature – derived from the words chick (the American slang for young woman) and lit (the
clipped form of literature); chick lit is a genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood,
often humorously or light-heartedly.
• Significance – meaning or importance

PART III DISCUSSION:

Literary Canon

What is the significance when a particular literary work is canonized?

When a work is entered into the canon, thus canonized, it gains status and an official inclusion into a group of
literary works that are widely studied and respected.

Who decides to canonize a particular work?

Those who decide whether a work will be canonized include influential literary critics, scholars, teachers, and
anyone whose opinions and judgements regarding a literary work are also widely respected.

Some examples of canonized works are the following:

Essay of Salvador P. Lopez, “Literature and Society”

Short Story of Manuel Arguilla, “How my Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife”
Poem of R. Zulueta da Costa, “Like the Molave”
Novel of Juan C. Laya, “His Native Soil”
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Chimera by: Khatrina Bonagua

“Most, if not all of us, have probably “fallen in love” with someone in a dream, waking up wishing that we
were back in the dream, when later, we wonder at our infatuation. Some of us have been dreaming about the
same person. And some of us have been lucidly fallen in love. Besides being an interesting experience (or
strange) there are times where waking up is a literal nightmare, a paradise lost.”

*****

I’ve always been fond of history. I don’t know why, but the thought of discovering something from the past
thrills me.

Maybe that’s the reason why I collect antiques. From accessories to furnitures, big or small, I find them all
magical. It was as if, I’m transported back in time.

Speaking of time, my recent antique purchase was a wristwatch. The moment I laid my eyes on it, I just knew, I
got to have it.

I’ve never seen a watch like this one before. Instead of the usual numbers, it has years on it --- from 1970 to
2010, and it was pointing at the year 1989, my birth year. Cool.

I bought it without thinking twice.

If I only knew.
*****
I woke up the next morning feeling more unusual than before. I yawned and opened my eyes. To my surprise, I
was not in my room.

I stood up and scanned the room. My yellow wall paper was replaced with a pink one with flowers and
lollipops on it. My closet’s gone, my gadgets were missing, and even my antique collection was nowhere to be
found! This is definitely not my room.
I wonder where I am.

And then I noticed the watch that I bought yesterday. It looked...new. It was still pointing at my birth year, but
it didn’t look the same.

I fastened it on my wrist. Then I tried to remove it, unfortunately, I couldn’t.

It was getting weird.

I went out of the room and slammed the door behind me.

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Oh my.

I was absolutely not in my house. Everything’s not the same.

I heard a laugh across the room. I turned around and saw my dad --- my younger looking dad excitedly talking
to someone on the phone.

I trooped down the stairs to approach my dad.

My dad was surprised. I asked him what was happening. But he didn’t seem to get it. He even asked me who I
was.

What?!
I told him that I was his daughter, and all he answered was that he didn’t know me at all. He even threw me
out of the house.
I cried. I knocked at the door but he didn’t mind.

What’s happening?!

Everything around me was different, yet it all seemed to look familiar.

Wait.

This was my village 18 years ago. Our house, it was not yet fully furnished. The old playground that was
removed five years ago was there, too. The trees and almost everything was like the pictures plastered on my
parent’s old scrapbook.

Those figures, I was having a dream.

“The wristwatch, yes this one, this must be the culprit.”

“Am I like back in time? Wow.” I held my watch to get a closer look. Was this like being in a time machine?

Where would I go? Year 1989, my watch read. My birth year. So that was why my dad was so excited over the
phone, maybe he got the news that my mom was giving birth.

I walked on the street and observed my surroundings. People were eyeing at me suspiciously. Yeah, I knew I
looked weird wearing pajamas outside. Stop rubbing it in.

Familiar faces began to show up. My parents, my friends, my godparents, even the manong who guarded the
gate --- yet, they all looked 18 years younger.
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

But there was this guy who caught my attention. He was wearing a white shirt, sitting all alone at a swing.

I decided to approach him. I didn’t know why I did it, but it was as if, someone’s pushing me to greet him.

And then, it all started.

*****
We talked for hours. I didn’t mention that I was from the future. He might think that I was crazy or something.
And oh, his name was Red.

Red and I instantly clicked together. It was as if, we knew each other before.

We walked around our village. We laughed; we talked; we were like the best of friends already.

My problems and confusions drifted away. I didn’t care where I was. Actually, I began to like it here.

Red decided to buy something at a nearby food stand. I waited for him and checked my watch.

He arrived with two cones of ice cream. He suddenly stopped and took my arm. He asked me where I got the
watch, I told him I bought it from an antique shop.

Suddenly, he insisted that we should go home.

What about that?!

He brought me home and told me that we should see each other again soon.

He kissed me goodbye and left. I wasn’t able to say anything.

I sneaked out at our house and climbed up at the window. Good, they were all gone. Maybe, they went to the
hospital or something. I went into my room, opened the door and was surprised to see that the crib was there.
Aww. So this was my crib. My parents were really expecting me.

I yawned. My eyes were shutting down all by themselves. I sat down on the sofa, and fell asleep.

*****

I heard someone calling my name. I hurried down silently and went out.

It was Red. I asked him what was wrong. It’s the middle of the night!

He said that he was going to help me.

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Help me to do what?!

Finally, he explained that the moment he saw the watch, he knew that I was from the future. And he knew
how to bring me back.

“Wait. I don’t want to go back. I just want to stay here. With you.”

I asked him, “How did you figure it all out?”

Red said, “I had this dream --- a dream about the future. From the swing, the watch, and even me.” At first, he
didn’t believe it, but his feelings told him that he should try. Luckily he did. He went to the park, and saw me.

But I didn’t want to go. Before I knew it, I was hugging him and crying at his shirt.

He comforted me and said, “I feel responsible for you.” I told him it was all my fault that I was way back in
time.

He said maybe it was fate.

I hugged him more tightly.

*****
I woke up and realized I fell asleep on Red’s lap. He was nice not to wake me up.

He said that it was already time. That I should be back in between sunrise and sunset. This afternoon.

I asked him how.

He said that he could unlock the watch from my wrist. He showed the key to me. Then, after that, I should
throw the watch.

I borrowed the key from him. He said that it was a gift from an old lady who talked to him weeks ago. After
that day, he started dreaming about me.

I asked Red if I could just stay here. I told him that I wanted to be with him, even though I barely knew him.

But then, he said that I didn’t belong in this time. Even if he liked it as much as I did --- there was no use. I was
from the future, he’s from the past.

I cried again.

He held my hand and took the key from it. Then he unlocked the watch. It worked.

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

I cried harder.

He said that I should not worry. After this day, everything would be back to normal.

He pulled a string from his pocket and put the key on it, it served as a pendant. He put it around my neck.

He said that it was a remembrance. I gave it back to him, saying that memories of him were enough for me to
remember him.
I told him that I would miss him so much.

I couldn’t believe it. I found the perfect love at the wrong time. Cliché, but true.

I hugged him again. He kissed me back.

It seemed like hours. After that, he whispered something about being with someone who would walk into my
life and make me realize why it could never work out with him.

I said that I would still wait for him.

*****
I was blinded by the light that was coming from my window. I opened my eyes and realized that I was back.
“Am I dreaming? Was that only a dream?”

Crying, I went out of my room. I knocked on my parents’ room; they were still asleep. I decided to go back to
the antique shop.

Outside, I discovered that everything was back to normal.

I kept on walking, wiping my tears, looking for any sign of a white-shirted guy.

I arrived at the shop. It was closed. The sign said that it was under renovation.
I couldn’t believe it.

It was all a dream.

*****

Year 2010.

I still remember that dream. It was a very wonderful, weird one.

I have no regrets. I was just happy that I had experienced being in a time machine. And meeting someone ---
someone really special from the past. Though I still don’t know if it really happened…if I was just dreaming or
not.
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

My family went to the States a year after that dream. I finished my studies there. After three years, I decided
to visit our country, to go back to our village again.

It has been years since I last visited the antique shop where I bought the watch. I went to visit it first. I was not
expecting anything. I really just wanted to check things out.

Ding!

I entered the shop and a new face greeted me.

It was a guy, just about my age. He had his back on me.

I approached him, then he smiled back.

I was shocked to see his necklace.

The key necklace.

I was about to walk away when he suddenly grabbed my arm.

I looked back.

He removed the necklace from his neck and handed it to me.

He said that his father who passed away five years ago gave it to him. His father said that someday, he would
find out what it was for.
I cried. I couldn’t believe it.

He hugged me, saying that his father was right that I was worth the wait.

I said, “I am stupid.”

He retorted, “Maybe, it is FATE.”

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Activity 1: Draw a picture of a CHIMERA.

Activity 2: Briefly explain why the selection you read is titled “Chimera”? Write your explanation in not less
than three paragraphs with 5 sentences each paragraph.

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

Number the following sentences based on the chronological arrangement of scenes in the selection you have
just read. Write your answer on the space provided.

____ I opened my eyes and realized I was back.

____ I entered the shop and a new face greeted me.
____ I woke up and realized that I fell asleep on Red’s lap.
____ We talked for hours. I didn’t mention that I was from the future.
____ I trooped down the stairs and approached my dad.
____ I went out of the room and slammed the door behind me.
____ He removed the necklace from his neck and handed it to me.
____ My family went to the States a year after that dream.
____ I bought it without thinking twice.
____ He held my hand and took the key from it.

PART VI SUMMARY/CONCLUSION

There are instances where what seems to be right and perfect is all but an illusion. Life will lead us to places
and choices. Learn to discern between reality and fantasy. Hold on to what is true. Truth lasts, but phantasm
which is but a figment of the imagination, fades.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Chimera Short film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYBllJGnwvA

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 4 DAY 1 -4

LESSON 4: Selected Reading from Philippine Literature

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: Speech by Patricia Evangelista

Scrutinize the speech made by Patricia Evangelista that won in the International Public speaking competition
in London, May 2004.

At the end of the lesson the student is expected to:

➢ Be able to write a speech similar to the one written by the author

PART II TERMINOLOGIES:

• Borderless – used to describe a situation in which the border between countries is not important,
usually in relation to the movement of goods, people, etc.
• Diaspora – the dispersion of people from their original homeland
• Preclude – prevent from happening; make impossible
• Unwind – to go some place to relax

PART III DISCUSSION:

Borderless World by Patricia Evangelista

When I was little, I wanted what many Filipino children all over the country wanted. I wanted to be blond,
blue-eyed and white.

I thought --- if I just wished hard enough and was good enough, I’d wake up on Christmas morning with snow
outside my window and freckles across my nose!

More than four centuries under the western domination can do that to you. I have 16 cousins. In a couple of
years, there will just be five of us left in the Philippines, the rest will have gone abroad in search of “greener
pastures.” It’s not an anomaly; it’s a trend; the Filipino diaspora. Today, about eight million Filipinos are
scattered around the world.

There are those who disapprove of Filipinos who choose to leave. I used to. Maybe this is a natural reaction of
someone who was left behind, smiling for family pictures that get emptier with each succeeding year.
Desertion, I called it. My country is a land that has perpetually fought for the freedom to be itself. Our heroes

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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

offered their lives in the struggle against the Spanish, the Japanese and the Americans. To pack up and deny
that identity is tantamount to spitting on that sacrifice.

Or is it? I don’t think so. Not anymore.

True, there is no denying this phenomenon, aided by the fact that what was once on the other side of the
world is now a 12-hour plane ride away. But this is a borderless world, where no individual can claim to be
purely from where he is now. My mother is of Chinese descent, my father is a quarter Spanish, and I call
myself a pure Filipino --- a hybrid of sorts resulting from a combination of cultures.

Each square mile anywhere in the world is made up of people of different ethnicities, with national identities
and individual personalities. Because of this, each square mile is already a microcosm of the world. In as much
as this blessed spot that is England is the world, so is my neighbourhood back home.

Seen this way, the Filipino Diaspora, or any sort of dispersal of populations, is not as ominous as so many
claim. It must be understood. I come from a Third World country, one that is still trying mightily to get back on
its feet after many years of dictatorship. But we shall make it, given more time. Especially now, when we have
thousands of eager young minds who graduate from college every year. They have skills. They need jobs. We
cannot absorb them all.

A borderless world presents a bigger opportunity, yet one that is not so much abandonment but an extension
of identity. Even as we take, we give back. We are the 40,000 skilled nurses who support the United Kingdom’s
National Health Service. We are the quarter-of-a-million seafarers manning most of the world’s commercial
ships. We are your software engineers in Ireland, your construction workers in the Middle East, your doctors
and caregivers in North America, and, your musical artists in London’s West End.

Nationalism isn’t bound by time or place. People from other nations migrate to create new nations, yet still
remain essentially who they are. British society is itself an example of a multicultural nation, a melting pot of
races, religions, arts and cultures. We are, indeed, in a borderless world!
Leaving sometimes isn’t a matter of choice. It’s coming back that is. The Hobbits of the shire travelled all over
Middle Earth, but they chose to come home, richer in every sense of the word. We call people like these
balikbayans or the “returnees” --- those who followed their dream, yet chose to return and share their mature
talents and good fortune.

In a few years, I may take advantage of whatever opportunities that come my way. But I will come home. A
borderless world doesn’t preclude the idea of a home. I’m a Filipino, and I’ll always be one. It isn’t about
geography; it isn’t about boundaries. It’s about giving back to the country that shaped me.

And that’s going to be more important to me than seeing snow outside my window on a bright Christmas
morning.
Mabuhay and thank you.
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Read the speech out load and feel the emotion of the writer. On the space provided, write your own speech
mimicking the emotion you felt from reading Ms. Patricia Evangelista’s work.

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

Write 30 words with the suffix “less” meaning “without” or “no” (for example, “borderless”)

PART VI SUMMARY/CONCLUSION

There are countless reasons as to why a person leaves his birth country: to study, get married, business, go
shopping or to unwind. But the most common reason is economic: to seek for greener pasture.

Whatever the reason maybe, the real challenge and test lies not with leaving the country but returning to it.
Time away from one’s native land makes one forget how good life is, here in our own country. Most of the
time, the goodness is overshadowed by the lure of wealth being offered in the foreign land where one works.

Will leaving one’s birthplace make you less nationalistic?

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Borderless World
http://pinoy-tabularasa.blogspot.com/2010/10/borderless-world-by-patricia.html?m=1

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 5 DAY NO. 1

LESSON 5: Selected Readings from Philippine Literature

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: My Rubaiyat for you, Ma’am by Jesus Z. Menoy

Various literary genres come about with the passage of time alongside the advent of technology. One example
would be the one below.

At the end of the lesson the student is expected to:

➢ Have an appreciation of a new literary genre

➢ Be inclined to write his own version of a textula

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Textula – is a blend of the English word “text” and the Filipino word “tula.” Its literal meaning is text
poem. A poem written in the form of a text message usually consisting of one or two stanzas

PART III DISCUSSION

My Rubaiyat for you, Ma’am by: Jesus Z. Menoy

For me, you are a mentor filled with enthusiasm,

Education is your occupation and vocation and passion;
Like a torch, you are a bringer of light, Ma’am,
You, to your students, serve as a real inspiration.

Close to your heart are music and the arts,

A delight to you the showcase of our talents ---
Singing, dancing, acting, and other program parts;
Thanks to you, we enjoy as every semester ends.

I do know how taxing your responsibilities are;

Love of duty and industry make you truly excel,
Labor of love to us students you selflessly offer,
Outstanding teacher you are one, I must tell.

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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Write your own textula dedicated to the person close you. Follow as guide the poem above.

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

Write the words that compose the following blends. The first two is done for you.

Textula Text tula Wifi

Romcom Romantic Comedy Hifi
Sitcom Hitech
Comsci Techvoc
Scifi Internet

PART VI SUMMARY/CONCLUSION

Writing is one of our outlets when we undergo a series of emotions. We write when we are happy, sad, angry
and afraid. It is a wonderful outlet to mirror the type of emotions we go through at every stage of our life.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Textula
https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/rye07/textula

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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 5 DAY 2-4
LESSON 6: Selected Reading from Philippine Literature

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: The Woman in the Box by Jose Dalisay, Jr.

The English Short Story below won 1st place in the 2000 Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards. It is first published
by Anvil Publishing in 2008. It forms part of Jose Dalisay’s novel Soledad’s Sister.

At the end of the lesson the student is expected to:

➢ Have a clear mind set on how to determine the meaning of the words used contextually

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• In lieu – in place of
• Iqama – temporary identity card given to a foreign worker in the Middle East
• Purview – scope of influence or concerns of something
• Mouldered – slowly decay or disintegrate
• Airwaybill – air consignment note; a receipt issued by an international airline for goods and an
evidence of the contract of carriage
• Contextual – meaning of the word in a written text
• Ergo – Latin term for therefore

PART III DISCUSSION

The Woman in the Box by: Jose Dalisay, Jr.

On a cloud-curtained evening, one Saturday in August, a corpse arrived in a zinc casket in a wooden crate at
Ninoy Aquino International Airport, 237 kilometers west of Paez. The cargo manifest put the dead woman’s
name down as “Cabahug, Aurora V.” At 1834 hours, just as the city’s drivers began switching their headlights
on and a million gas stoves roared to life, Aurora V. Cabahug’s flight rejoined the earth, although the woman
herself did not, just yet; she lay deep in the Gulf Air 747’s cargo bay where it was coldest, a bulkhead away
from the tiger orchids and the apricots. She had left Jeddah earlier that day --- much earlier than the time
itself suggested, because the plane flew ahead of the clock --- 4,053 miles from Jeddah to Bangkok, pausing
there for an hour and 25 minutes to take on the orchids and other precious perishables before hauling them
another 1,368 miles to Manila. She was offloaded within an hour, and the 747 returned to Jeddah, again via
Bangkok, on schedule at 10:20 the next morning, but it took three more days in a refrigerated customs
warehouse before Aurora V. Cabahug’s body re-emerged into her country’s microbe-friendly warmth.

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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

It was a journey that took over 5,000 miles and stretched the daylight with it for most of the way across the
Indian Ocean. The plane was filled to capacity when it left Bangkok, where another Manila-bound Thai Airways
jet, passing through from Frankfurt, had found a problem with its hydraulics and moved 23 of its 86 Filipino
passengers onto the Gulf air flight. The newcomers settled into whatever seats were available, dislodging
duty-free stereos and other carry-on presents, and conjoining dentist with mechanic, pianist with manicurist,
professor with pipefitter. As they were wont to do, the Filipino workers clapped and cheered in their seatsas
the plane’s wheels touched the runway; a few made the Sign of the Cross and shut their eyes in mumbled
prayer. The flight attendants and the Saudi businessmen were inured to these outbursts, but some Filipinos
who had transited in Bangkok from their seminars in Louvain and pilgrimages to Rome felt unnerved and
embarrassed by the applause that swept the cabin, and studiously looked straight ahead or at their watches
and magazines. Their rowdier countrymen pressed their noses to the window as if there was a chance of the
airport lights expiring and the plane veering back into blinding desert.

At Ninoy Aquino, a total of three pilots, eight flight attendants, and 267 passengers walked off the plane into
the funnel of the arrivals area. The crew fled through an express lane past immigrations and customs into a
van that whisked them off to their hotel on the edge of the bay. The rest of the living, prized possessions in
hand, marched into the steamy welcome of passport control, baggage claim, customs, the grinning mob across
the arrivals fence, the purring taxicabs and jeepneys, and a tumultuous downpour that blurred glasses and
windows and drove people to quick and convenient and sometimes disastrous decisions. The next day’s
noontime news would carry a story about two masons and an electrician losing a year’s wages earned at Al-
Khobar to a gang that offered them a cheap lift to Novaliches in their Tamaraw Fx; unreported, a beautician
from Dammam, failing to spot her boyfriend in the rain, spent the night in a Pasay motel with a helpful cop
whose jeep she rode; even the flight crew’s Nissan Vanette lost whatever time they had made at the airport
when its driver took what he thought was a shortcut through the mounting traffic, and wound up stuck in an
alley behind a truck bearing a load of bicycles and mattresses. The shower made tautened drums of galvanized
iron roofs and bounced off hastily summoned tarpaulins, seeking the quickest route back home to open water
but foiled at every turn.

The dead woman faced no such complications, was finally beyond all schedules and sudden changes in the
weather. There was a problem with her body --- no one who should have known had been told that it was
there --- but it was nothing she could do anything about, for now and forever. And there seemed little more
than anyone could do for her and to her, beyond this grudging gesture of a free ride home, the enactment of a
clause in an article in a section of a law governing citizens in her situation: dead but not quite buried.

The death certificate taped in a pouch onto her casket would simply say that she had died by drowning:
“Drowned per forensic Jeddah.” In the last moments of its breathing life --- either shortly before, or shortly
after --- this body met water, and then consumed and was consumed by it. No other papers came with it --- no
police report, no autopsy, just that certificate stamped by airport security at Jeddah’s Abdul Aziz. The
consulate and the local police in Jeddah could not locate her passport --- which was customarily confiscated
from foreign workers by their employers in lieu of an iqama, or a temporary identity card, but even this iqama
was absent from the body when they had recovered it. And thus it had taken the authorities some time to
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

establish her identity; certainly they could not have done this from her bloated face. Once her waterlogged
abaya had dried; it yielded some clues from the poor quality and cut of the fabric, which suggested a woman
of low station. No Saudi woman from Jeddah had been reported missing for the past three days, which
seemed about the time the body had spent in the water, and so inquiries were made about missing or escaped
foreign maids and workers --- a search that came up with no less than 163 names, just over the past six
months, involving everything from Sudanese and Russian prostitutes to Indonesian cooks --- but one report
sounded particularly persuasive, and it had to do with the sudden disappearance from her place of
employment of one Aurora V. Cabahug, 26, from the Philippines. She had been reported missing in the
company of another maid from India named Meenakshi, presumably another runaway. Upon polite
interrogation, Cabahug’s employer, no less than a Saudi prince speaking through a subordinate named Yusuf,
claimed that the two had vanished many days earlier, taking stolen goods with them, including a gold
Montblanc fountain pen Prince Khaled had left on his night table; despite his master’s paternal trust and care,
said Yusuf, they proved thieves and ingrates, the both and the lot of them.
And so the woman’s body was remanded to the care of the embassy authorities, and, through them, to
“OWWO Manila” --- the Overseas Workers Welfare Office. If no one came forward to claim Aurora V. Cabahug
from the NAIA cargo section, it would fall on an OWWO clerk to march down several flight of stairs to a
basement where the plumbing touched knees and elbows with row upon row of steel filing cabinets, and paw
through damp, smelly folders to recover the bare details of her life: date of birth, place of birth, civil status,
height, weight, permanent address.

Nobody had come to meet her; nobody had known she was there, because a Filipino vice-consul in Riyadh had
mixed up his homebound corpses --- there were three of them that week in various stages of paperwork: one
in Jeddah, one in Riyadh, and another in Yanbu --- and had sent this one ahead of a headless man, a convict
punished for stabbing his Saudi employer’s wife in an argument about missing jewelry (and, the court
established, unsavoury glances cast at the eldest daughter).

This vice-consul surnamed Quirante had a very rough week, even rougher than the usual, because another
knot of distressed maid had sought refuge at the embassy, and it was one of his many jobs to apportion the
sleeping-space and provide for their beddings in the temporary quarters they had set up for these runaways.
His only consolation was that, now and then, one of these frightened faces would be uncommonly pretty, and
with much ceremoniousness he would somehow manage to secure the best spot and sweet desserts for her,
then seek what he felt was his just gratuity for the extra service. A few nights before the woman’s body flew
home, his intended victim --- a seamstress from Muntinlupa --- had bitten him on the nose like a cornered dog
, and in his pain and anger, lasting well into the next morning, he had switched the woman’s papers with the
beheaded man’s, causing her immediate release from the embassy’s purview, and her departure soon after.

And so it happened that a family of seven had come all the way in a jeepney from Lingayen to meet and to
claim the two segments of Filemon Catabay, who had been executed three months earlier. They had learned
of his death the way many others did --- after it happened, from a routine news report on DZXL, between an
involved discussion of a movie star’s rumoured abortion and a commercial for a new and more potent
livestock dewormer. The man’s mother was gutting fish when her grandson ran in with the news; the fish she
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

was holding trembled in her hand and then leapt out altogether in a final spasm, as though it had come back
to life.

THERE WAS nothing funny, nothing at all, about this woman’s body and how it mouldered away in that box,
awaiting its anguished claimants. The only one to find humor in the situation was a security guard named Al
Viduya, who thought he had seen everything that could happen between two people in that airport, including
a fast and furious bout of lovemaking between a departing congressman and his chief of staff --- who
answered to the name of Marvin --- in the lavatory.

When the crate arrived, Al had just finished his supper of fish in black bean sauce, two cups of rice, a glass of
watery coffee, and a banana, taken in the outdoor stall just beyond the airport fence. One of the new helpers,
a girl from Ozamis, had blushed when he mentioned something about a Sunday walk at the Luneta, and how
relaxing and cheap it was to spend the night on the grass, like many couples did. I’ll give her a week, he
thought, picking the fish out of his teeth --- or was it the gummy young banana --- as he strode through the
gate toward the cargo warehouse. The downpour had spent itself while he was eating and there were oil-
streaked pools of water all over asphalt. Al had to skip and hop between the puddles to keep his newly
polished shoes clean and dry. He felt badly like a smoke but his shift was starting an hour earlier than usual
because the other fellow was in a hurry to meet his date in Sta. Cruz. It was an easy favour to grant; “You reap
what you sow,” Brother Mike liked to preach in the park, and Al had no doubt that he would make his
kindness back in spades. But maybe not tonight. A snivelling knot had already formed at the door, clutching
dirty little handkerchiefs and one another’s hand. They huddled close to the wall, taking advantage of a small
overhang in the roof to keep out of the rain, though not too successfully. Their clothes and their feet were
soaked, although none of them seemed to mind.

Their presence could only mean the arrival of a new body in cold storage. Whoever it was, it drew the usual
gaggle of squashed brown faces that didn’t quite know where to look or what expression to put on, urging
each other to be brave while going to pieces at the same time, like the young woman, probably a sister, who
kept punching her male companion’s arm; the man paid her no heed and seemed to be more interested in the
goings-on at the arrivals area, where a crowd of autograph-seekers had formed around a big black man in
shades and a shiny green suit. And then, there were the kids, all four of them, from a quiet boy of about 14 to
a little girl who clung to an old woman’s hand; the other boy and girl in between were arguing over something
the girl was holding on to --- a picture or a card, Al couldn’t tell, but it was getting out of hand and their kuya
shushed them; he seemed to be the only one whose eyes bored through the concrete wall and who had
already seen what lay there. He was the wettest of them all, and his spiky hair glistened like a crown.

The woman in the dark brown dress had to be their grandmother; the old ones always looked stunned and out
of place, like they had made a mistake in letting themselves be dragged here when there were no mosquito
nets to be mended or rice cakes to be shaped at home. Al wondered where the wife or the husband was;
usually they stood or sat in a corner, the husband punch-drunk, the wife puffing away at cigarettes chain-lit by
her best friend. No one stood out in this configuration. The grandmother faced the door that said CARGO but
it was shut and there was nothing to see, and even if it opened they still would see nothing if he didn’t let
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

them. Only Al could open the door from this side of the building. They could still wheel cargo in from incoming
flights and another guard minded the larger doors in the rear. It was past office hours and all the clerks had
gone home at midday. From the public and the visible end, only Al had the key, the real key, to everything that
everyone waited for from the far ends of the earth.

“We want to see him,” said the whimpering woman as Al approached the door.
“See who?”

“My brother.”

“My father! My father!” said the girl holding the picture.

“My son...Filemon, oh my son Filemon...” said the old woman, a great cry welling up in her chest.
Al could hear it coming: the keening spiral of emotions that sucked some people into a family and spat others
out. It was strange how, outside of the movies, grief could be so particular. You walked into a funeral parlor
and in every room was a family weeping like mad over the loss of one of its own, but who couldn’t have cared
less if the corpse next door was that of the President, or of a girl who sold sampaguitas to feed her siblings and
who’d be run over by a truck. You grieved for your own. And, Al was convinced, you could grieve only so
much. He had lost his only brother to tuberculosis five years earlier; he shed tears at the hospital for three
minutes, then took a jeepney back to work. Sometimes, at the Luneta, he found himself weeping at Brother
Mike’s sermons, but it wasn’t for grief or anything like that; in fact it felt good, so good that everyone around
him was crying, too. It was almost like family, a very big and happy family. These people before him would get
over it and find better things to do and to pray for.

“Can I see my son?” the mother asked.

“He arrived tonight, on the Jeddah flight,” said the sister.

“Where’s papa?” the young boy asked.

“What’s his name?” Al said despite himself, fumbling with the lock.

“Filemon Catabay,” said the elder son. “Filemon Catabay, Senior.”

The mother and sister rushed behind Al as he stepped inside but he was expecting it and turned with one foot
still out of the door. “You can’t come in, I’m sorry, this area’s restricted.”

“We’ve waited months to see him,” the sister pleaded, and Al wanted to tell her there couldn’t be much left of
the man to see after all that time, and that poor Filemon wasn’t going to mind it if they saw him another day.
But Al thought the better of his remark. Just a year earlier he would have gruffly driven them away, but he was

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

learning that patience and forbearance were the most Christian of virtues, and led to commensurately
generous rewards.
“You’ll have to wait until the office opens tomorrow. There’ll be manifests to check, papers to sign.It isn’t as
simple as you think ---“

“I’m getting wet!” the little boy shouted.

“They cut off his head,” the little girl said to Al bravely, as though she was telling him about how she had lost a
shaky tooth.

“Catabay,” Al said, repeating the man’s name for his own benefit. “I can’t let you in. But I can check if the
body’s here. Wait and I’ll have a look.”

THEY USUALLY whined when he said “the body” but he believed it did them good to come to terms with the
terrible facts, the better to prompt their faith in another life. Al went inside and locked the door behind him.
He could have gone to sleep that very minute and be certain that they would still be there, poised to rush
forward, when he opened the door the next morning. But there was no question of Al himself peeking into the
casket, so soon after his supper. It was boarded up to begin with, and he had neither the authority nor the
inclination to pry it open. The best he could do was to verify the name. Often, that was all these people
needed, to get on with their lives --- and, in many cases, the new mates they had found to keep them
company in the long meanwhile.
He turned up his jacket collar and went through another door to the refrigerated section. The fluorescent light
threw a greenish pallor on the crates and boxes piled high on pallets on the floor. Some special items --- life-
and-death serums and such, imported from places like the US and Switzerland --- went into the freezer chests
and upright cabinets with thermostats. If the building lost power, a standby generator was supposed to kick in
automatically, but Al knew from experience that that didn’t happen; he and whoever else was on duty would
have had to start up the generator manually, because something was wrong with those gauges and dials that
no one seemed to know or to worry about. Once, during a brown out, they discovered that the generator was
out of gas. Eventually they brought the cooling back, losing an hour to the welling heat, and refroze everything
with no one the wiser, but a batch of drugs went bad in the meantime and later killed a retired constabulary
major somewhere in the Visayas. At least that’s what the lawyers said in the inquiry that followed; people got
paid out of the insurance money, and the guards on duty, who didn’t include Al, were sacked. This was why Al
felt doubly responsible for any incidents on his watch. It was his job in all those boxes, his life, his sardines and
Philip Morrises.

The telephone rang somewhere behind him, breaking the tinny thrum of the air-conditioning. Al knew better
than to mind it; almost certainly it was some excitable importer wanting to know if his shipment had come in,
so he could spend the weekend jet-skiing with his girlfriend in Subic while figuring his profits. Let him wait, Al
thought, or let him do like the Catabays did, and plead his case in person at the door. After six or seven rings
the phone fell quiet, and then resumed its clamor. Al went deeper into the room and farther away from the
ringing, until he reached the corner where the crated coffins were usually kept. There was only one of them
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

now --- a fresh arrival, he could tell, yesterday’s two bodies having lain on the left and having been forwarded
that morning to their ultimate destinations. At least one of them turned up on the tarmac and in his
warehouse everyday, sometimes two, sometime more, like the random victims of a fire or a car crash
happening very far away, too far to be seen or heard. He’d read a story in People’s Tonight about how, the
year just past, more than 600 of these bodies had gone through the airport, and even he, who’d sign most of
them out, felt surprised by the figure, which sounded like another media exaggeration designed to embarrass
the government he’d voted for. From where he stood they all looked the same, and it was easy to lose track of
the big figures. Al had asked a cabin steward once how many people a 747 carried. Six hundred bodies: it was
as if two fully loaded jumbo jets had collided in mid-air, killing everyone on board form the captain down to
the tiniest tot --- and you had to face the certainty of one of these disasters happening every year. It wasn’t
the numbers that upset Al so much as the silliness of the people; he’d never been abroad himself yet --- that
was high on his list of prayers, next to winning the lottery and meeting the right girl --- but acts of God aside,
he couldn’t believe how his countrymen could blow their lifetime’s chance at happiness so badly. He
remembered the tabloid story about the two Filipino sailors who died on a Norwegian ship on its way to South
Korea. Well, sailors died at sea all the time, but these two Pinoys had implanted bits of reindeer horn ---
Rudolf was the only reindeer Al knew anything about --- into their penises, bringing on severe tetanus viral
infection, and an excruciating death in mid-ocean. Their widows claimed death benefits and received
something like $13,000 each plus back wages, so it wasn’t all a waste as sailors’ lives went, but --- frothed the
wags, over their beer --- what a waste of penis, not to speak of reindeer horn.

Al dropped to one knee beside the crate to look for some identification; sometimes an agent or a handler
scrawled the name across the pinewood crate in chalk or with a sign pen, especially if they came in groups. He
wondered at the same time if it was better for all those people to die at once and have it done with, or for this
steady trickle of Catabays, Pamintuans and del Rosarios to continue. Before he could make up his mind, he
found the plastic pouch --- a kind of airwaybill --- taped onto the crate, in which he could make out (rubbing
the beaded moisture off the surface of the pouch, and squinting mightily in the unhelpful light) the
typewritten name of the deceased: CABAHUG, AURORA V. He looked again, to make sure that there was no
mistake, chuckled at his discovery, and then got up to comfort the bereaved, who had all been crying for the
wrong person.

“HE’S NOT here. There’s a coffin here but it’s someone else’s.” Al kept the door half-open but stayed inside,
wanting to keep the exchange as brief as necessary, so he could go to the toilet and light up a cigarette.

For a few seconds no one could speak. Were they supposed to feel joy, relief, anger, indignation? Were they
supposed to take his word, this gatekeeper who knew nothing about the kind of man Filemon was like, and
even how he had looked in life?

Finally, the brother-in-law, who had driven his jeepney all the way from Ligayen, to bring the body back, came
to his senses. “What do you mean ‘He’s not there’?” he demanded. “Look again. The office told us to expect
him today. There must be some mistake. You must be mistaken.”

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Al stopped himself from grinning at what the man was saying. “You’re right, there’s been a mistake --- but I
didn’t make it. Aurora --- you know a woman named Aurora? She’s the woman in the box.”
“What woman?” The mother sounded even more lost than ever. “Where’s my son?”

“Maybe back in Dubai or Kuwait or wherever he was supposed to come from. I’m sorry but there’s only one
body in there. It came on the Jeddah flight, and it’s not your son’s.”

“Please let us have a look ---“

“You can’t do that. Those boxes are sealed. This area’s restricted.”

“Where’s papa?” said the older girl.

“They cut off his head,” said her small cousin.

“What can we do?” said her uncle.

“Call the office again. But call them or come back on Monday, no one will be in tomorrow.”

“We came from Lingayen. We came on my jeepney.”

“Then sleep in it, people do it all the time. You can use the public toilets --- not for bathing, of course, or you’ll
use up all the water in the drums.”

Filemon’s sister and her husband looked at each other and at the children. The eldest boy was sobbing, his
face turned away from the rest of them, although what he was crying for was no longer so clear. Al remained
at the half-open door, desperately wanting to go back in and relieve himself. He knew that he --- or whoever
took the morning shift on Monday --- would see these people again.

“Damn,” the man was saying. “We came all the way here for nothing. I drove for six hours. All for nothing!”

“We can wait here till Monday, I have some money, we can buy food,” his wife proposed.

“I promised to help Dodong with those GI sheets he needs to pick up from Calasiao tomorrow ---“

“Dodong can wait, someone else can drive for him. Please, Mar, it will only be a day, I’m sure the children
won’t mind.” The littlest girl was theirs, and she was wrapped around her grandmother’s knees, sucking on
her thumb.

“Let’s go to the park!” the young boy said. “I want to ride a bicycle in the park!” Two years earlier, just before
leaving, Filemon himself had taken the children to the big city and it’s bayside greens.
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

“Shut up,” his kuya said, remembering their father even more sharply.
“Are you sure we can get him on Monday?” the brother-in-law asked Al, who was becoming exasperated.

“I can’t tell you, I don’t run the airlines, I don’t make the rules. Maybe he’ll be here by then, maybe not --- “

“Maybe my son’s alive,” the mother said. “Maybe it was someone else’s head they took. That woman --- that
woman in there --- what did you say her name was?”

“Aurora. Aurora, uh, Sulpicio,” Al said, making up the surname, which he had already forgotten. Anything but
“Catabay” would make the same point. “Look, there’s nothing for you to do here. Take my advice: go around
and get some fresh air. It’s a nice place, in the best parts. Just watch where you keep your money.”

“Oh, we don’t have much --- only what the village managed to put together, to give him a proper funeral---
and a donation from the congressman ---“

Her husband seemed surprised and instantly alert. “Did you bring all that money with you?”
“Can you trust anyone back home?” Her bag was slung over her shoulder and she tucked it in even more
tightly. Deep in the bag, in little rubber-banded wads, was almost twenty thousand pesos. It should have been
more, but unknown to anyone else, she had already deducted the eight thousand that Filemon --- or actually,
his ex-wife Rosalie, before she left him to join a Millenarian cult --- had borrowed from her for the poultry
farm that failed. There was nothing wrong with what she’d done, the sister decided; Filemon would have given
her the money himself if he had the chance, and now he did. Otherwise, it was chargeable as an overhead
expense; it was no joke and certainly no fun managing a highly emotional and complicated operation like this,
which also cut into her working-hours as a department-store cashier in Lingayen. If her brother had just kept
his thieving hands to himself, none of these would have had to happen. Indeed, the more she thought about
it, the longer grew the catalogue of Filemon’s faults and transgressions, from the time he stole the money for
her graduation dress so he could buy a Sony Walkman for the club dancer he was besotted with, to the time
he lied about lending their father’s jeep to a friend who lost it to a hooded gang. I was almost as if justice had
tapped her brother on the shoulder.

“No,” her husband said after some deliberation. He was actually thinking of the new tyres his jeepney needed.
They were on their second retreads, and this weekend’s expedition wasn’t going to help them any.

“I want to see my son. I have so many things to tell him.” The daughter hugged her mother and pulled her
away. “We’ll be back on Monday,” she said to Al, who nodded tiredly and shut the door, praising the Lord.

“We’re going to the park, we’re going to the park!” the little boy began to chant, and this time no one shushed
him, wishing secretly for untimely pleasures like cotton candy and dancing fountains.

“Tomorrow,” his aunt sighed. “We might as well make the most of our time. We can even go to the
Megamall ---“
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

“I’m staying here,” said her nephew, sullenly.

“Don’t be silly and don’t be difficult. You heard what the man said. We’re waiting for nothing here. Come on,
be nice. I’ll get you something at the mall tomorrow.”

The boy stood his ground. The woman took his brother’s and sister’s hands and led them away. Her husband
picked up their daughter and carried her piggybank.

“We’ll be in the jeep,” said the woman to the dead man’s son. “You know where we parked. Don’t stray too
far. I’ll be getting us dinner soon.”

“That poor woman,” the mother said as they sloshed their way back to the parking lot, where the crowd was
beginning to stir anew over the impending arrival of the Northwest flight from San Francisco via Tokyo Narita.
Cars and jeeps were ganged up at the entranceway, eager to grab a slot. The mother paused on the sidewalk’s
edge, taking her daughter’s arm. “What kind of a family do you think she had?”

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION
Watch the film about Flor Contemplacion and write a reflection paper on it. The paper should have at least
five paragraph with five sentences each paragraph. Please see the link below for the film.

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

__________________________________________________________________________________________
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION
Identify what is asked. Write down your answer on the blanks provided.
__________________ The name of the man who was beheaded in the Middle East.
__________________ The item that was supposedly stolen by Aurora V. Cabahug.
__________________ The place in the middle east where Filemon Catabay, Sr. worked.
__________________ From what province did the family waiting outside the cargo area of the airport came
from?
__________________ Upon learning that the body that arrived was not their relative, where did the kids
wanted to go to while they wait for the arrival of the remains of Mr. Catabay?

PART VI SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
One’s life is uncertain. Every decision big or small entails either a reward or consequence. Ergo, let every
decision be done cautiously for it determines your fate.

We make our own destiny. We cannot put the blame on anybody else when something bad happens to us. So
being very careful in every action we do is a must especially if life would permit us to work or live elsewhere
(other place aside from where you are accustomed to).

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Flor Contemplacion
https://youtu.be/f7m-t8Xwv5g

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 6 DAY 1-4

LESSON 7: Jokes and Pick-up Lines

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s Jokes/Pick-up Lines

Filipinos are a group of happy people who seem unaffected by unfortunate events that they cross paths with.
That’s why the famous tourism tag-line, “It’s more fun in the Philippines” came about.

In this lesson we will touch upon some jokes one notable politician, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, made
famous. In speaking in public, is it useful to incorporate jokes in your speech?

At the end of this lesson the student is expected to:

➢ Have an appreciation of the various ways and techniques to effectively hold the attention of the
audience while speaking impromptu

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Impromptu – a speech given minutes before one is supposed to deliver it

• Jokes and pick up lines – something witty thought about with the intention of making the readers (if it
is written) audience (if it is verbally uttered) laugh
• Aspire – something you hope for or wish for

PART III DISCUSSION

Jokes / Pick –up Lines by: Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago

One time I met a politician and I said as a joke...

Me : Balita ko meron ka daw kulasisi na 18 years old.
Politician: Lumang balita na yan. 28 years old na siya ngayon.

_____________________________________________________

Pick up line for bankers: Can you recommend a good bank

Kase I’m planning to save all my love for you.

_____________________________________________________

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Mathematics

Matalinong babae + Matalinong lalaki = Romance

Matalinong lalaki + Bobong babae = Affair
Matalinong babae + Bobong lalaki = Marriage
Bobong lalaki + Bobong babae = Sexually Transmitted Disease

_____________________________________________________

Gusto mo ba ng trabaho?

Meron sa PLDT, 10,000 pesos per day. Ikaw yung dial tone.
Meron sa DPWH, 10,000 pesos per day. Ikaw yung speed bump.
Meron sa Post Office, 10,000 pesos per day. Didilaan mo lahat ng stamps.

_____________________________________________________
Confident vs. Confidential

A young boy asked his dad, “What is the difference between “confident” and “confidential”?”
The father said, “You’re my son. Confident ako doon. Yung best friend mo sa school, anak ko rin yun. Yun ang
confidential.”

_____________________________________________________

Five tips for a happy man’s life

1) Have a girl to help you at work.

2) Have a girl to take care of you and to love you.
3) Have a girl who can make you laugh.
4) Have a girl who spoils you.
5) Siguraduhin na hindi magkakakilala ang apat na babae na yun.

_____________________________________________________

Pick-up lines

Kapag mamamatay na ako, huwag na huwag kang pupunta sa libingan kokasi baka tumibok ulit ang puso ko.
Miss, kutsara ka ba? Kasi papalapit ka pa lang, napapanganga na ako.

Suicide, homicide, insecticide, lahat pamatay. Pero kung gusto mo ng pampabuhay, i-try mo ang, ‘by my side.’

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Malabo na talaga ang mata ko. Puwede ba akong humingi sa iyo ng kahit konting pagtingin?

---Rappler.com

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION
Activity 1: Think of a unique joke or pick up lines. Write them down and try to incorporate that joke in a
speech. The speech should at least have not less than 5 paragraphs consisting of at least 4-5 sentences per
paragraph.

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

__________________________________________________________________________________________
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Activity 2: What do you aspire to be when you graduate? Write a paper consisting of 5 paragraphs with at
least three sentences per paragraph.

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

Punning is a play on words. List down ten puns below. The first two are done for you.

One happy love story – Juan happy love story Home for everyone – home for every Juan

PART VI SUMMARY/CONCLUSION

Everyone can be a writer or a speaker. To be able to do so, one should start by being an interested reader. To
be able to write and speak, one must have tons of ideas and that can only happen when you are a wide
reader.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Pick up lines
http://www.rappler.com/nation/7781-mistresses,-math-and-men-miriam-s-latest-pick-up-lines

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 7 DAY 1-4
LESSON 8: A Short Story about life’s choices

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: Aida Rivera Ford’s Short Story “Love in the Cornhusks”

This is a story where one would be exposed to various aspects of human emotions. It will allow the readers to
think beyond what the words really infer.

At the end of the lesson students are expected to:

➢ Be able to pin point the five parts of the plot in a short story
➢ Be familiar with different words and be at ease in using them enabling them to broaden their
vocabulary

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Mongrel – a dog of no definable type or breed

• Slither – move smoothly over a surface with a twisting or oscillating motion
• Madrina – godmother
• Cornhusk – the outer protective covering of an ear of maize

PART III DISCUSSION

Love in the Cornhusks by: Aida Rivera Ford

Tinang stopped before the Seῆora’s gate and adjusted the baby’s cap. The dogs that came to bark at the gate
were strange dogs, big-mouthed animals with a sense of superiority. They stuck their heads through the hog
fence, lolling their tongues and straining. Suddenly, from the gumamela row, a little black mongrel emerged
and slithered through the fence with ease. It came to her, head down and body quivering.

“Bantay, Ay, Bantay!” she exclaimed as the little dog laid its paws upon her shirt to sniff the baby on her arm.
The baby was afraid and cried. The big animals barked with displeasure.
Tito, the young master, had seen her and was calling to his mother. “Ma, it’s Tinang. Ma, Ma, it’s Tinang.” He
came running down to open the gate.

“Aba, you are so tall now, Tito.”

He smiled as he stood by, warding the dogs off. Tinang passed quickly up the veranda stairs lined with ferns
and many-colored bougainvillea. On landing, she paused to wipe her shoes carefully. About her, the Seῆora’s
white and lavender butterfly orchids fluttered delicately in the sunshine. She noticed though that the purple
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

waling-waling that had once been her task to shade from the hot sun with banana leaves and to water with
mixture of charcoal and eggs and water was not in bloom.

“Is no one covering the waling-waling now?” Tinang asked. “It will die.”

“Oh, the maid will come to cover the orchids later.”

The Seῆora called from the inside. “Tinang, let me see your baby. Is it a boy?”

“Yes, Ma,” Tito shouted from downstairs. “And the ears are huge!”

“What do you expect,” replied his mother; “The father is a Bagobo. Even Tinang looks like a Bagobo now.”

Tinang laughed and felt warmness for her former mistress and the boy Tito. She sat self-consciously on the
black narra sofa, for the first time a visitor. Her eyes clouded. The sight of the Seῆora flaccidly plump figure,
swathed in a loose waist-less housedress that came down to her ankles, and the faint scent of agua de colonia
blended with kitchen spice, seemed to her the essence of the comfortable world, and she sighed thinking of
the long walk home through the mud, the baby’s legs straddled through her waist, and Inggo, her husband,
waiting for her, his body stinking of tuba and sweat, squatting on the floor, clad only in his fould
undergarments.
“Ano Tinang, is it not a good thing to be married?” the Seῆora asked, pitying Tinang because her dress gave
way at the placket and pressed at her swollen breasts. It was, as a matter of fact, a dress she had given Tinang
a long time ago. “It is hard Seῆora, very hard. Better that I were working here again.”

“There!” the Seῆora said. “Didn’t I tell you what it would be like, huh? That you would be a slave to your
husband and that you would work a baby eternally strapped to you. Are you not pregnant again?”

Tinang squirmed at the Seῆora’s directness but admitted she was.

“Hala! You will have a dozen before long.” The Seῆora got up. “Come, I will give you some dresses and an old
blanket that you can cut into things for the baby.”
They went into a cluttered room which looked like a huge closet and as the Seῆora sorted out some clothes,
Tinang asked, “How is Seῆor?”

“Ay, he is always losing his temper over the tractor drivers. It is not the way it was when Amado was here. You
remember what a good driver he was. The tractors were always kept in working condition. But now...I wonder
why he left all of a sudden. He said he would only be gone for two days...”

“I don’t know,” Tinang said. The baby began to cry. Tinang shushed him with irritation.

“Oy, Tinang, come to the kitchen; your Bagobito is hungry.”

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

For the next hour, Tinang sat in the kitchen with an odd feeling; she watched the girl who was now in
possession of the kitchen work around with a handkerchief clutched in one hand. She had lipstick on too,
Tinang noted. The girl looked at her briefly but did not smile. She set down a can of evaporated milk for the
baby and served her coffee and cake. The Seῆora drank coffee with her and lectured about keeping the baby’s
stomach bound and training it to stay by itself so she could work. Finally, Tinang brought up, haltingly, with
phrases like “if it will not offend you” and “if you are not too busy” the purpose of her visit – which was to ask
Seῆora to be a madrina in baptism. The Seῆora readily assented and said she would provide the baptismal
clothes and the fee for the priest. It was time to go.

“When are you coming again, Tinang?” the Seῆora asked as Tinang got the baby ready. “Don’t forget the
bundle of clothes and ...oh, Tinang, you better stop by the drugstore. They asked me once whether you were
still with us. You have a letter there and I was going to open it to see if there was bad news but I thought you
would be coming.”

A letter! Tinang’s heart beat violently. Somebody is dead; I know somebody is dead, she thought. She crossed
herself and after thanking the Seῆora profusely, she hurried down. The dogs came forward and Tito had to
restrain them. “Bring me some young corn next time, Tinang,” he called after her.

Tinang waited a while at the drugstore which was also the post office of the barrio. Finally, the man turned to
her: “Mrs., do you want medicine for your baby or for yourself?”

“No, I came for my letter. I was told I have a letter.”

“And what is your name, Mrs?” He drawled.

“Constancia Tirol.”

The man pulled a box and slowly went through the pile of envelopes most of which were scribbled in pencil,
“Tirol, Tirol, Tirol...” He finally pulled out a letter and handed it to her. She stared at the unfamiliar scrawl. It
was not from her sister and she could think of no one else who could write to her.
Santa Maria, she thought; maybe something has happened to my sister.

“Do you want me to read it for you?”

“No, no.” She hurried from the drugstore, crushed that he could think her illiterate. With the baby on one arm
and the bundle of clothes on the other and the letter clutched in her hand she found herself walking toward
home.

The rains had made a deep slough of the clay road and Tinang followed the prints left by the men and the
carabaos that had gone before her to keep from sinking mud up to her knees. She was deep in the road before
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

she became conscious of her shoes. In horror, she saw that they were coated with thick, black clay. Gingerly,
she pulled off one shoe after the other with the hand still clutching to the letter. When she had tied the shoes
together with the laces and had slung them on an arm, the baby, the bundle and the letter were all smeared
with mud. There must be a place to put the baby down, she thought, desperate now about the letter. She
walked on until she spotted a corner of a field where cornhusks were scattered under a kamansi tree. She
shoved together a pile of husks with her foot and laid the baby down upon it. With a sigh, she drew the letter
from the envelope. She stared at the letter which was written in English.

My dearest Tinang,

Hello, how is life getting along? Are you still in good condition? As for myself, the same as usual. But you’re
far from my side. It is not easy to be far from our lover. Tinay, do you still love me? I hope your kind and
generous heart will never fade. Someday or somehow I’ll be there again to fulfil our promise

Many weeks and months have elapsed. Still I remember our bygone days. Especially when I was suffering
with the heat of the tractor under the heat of the sun. I was always in despair until I imagine your personal
appearance coming forward bearing the sweetest smile that enabled me to view the distant horizon. Tinay, I
could not return because I found out that my mother was very ill. That is why I was not able to take you as a
partner in life. . Please respond to my missive at once so that I know whether you still love me or not. I hope
you did not love anybody except me.

I think I am going beyond the limit of your leisure hours, so I close with best wishes to you, my friends
Gonding, Serafin, Bondio, etc.

Yours forever,

Amado

P.S. My mother died last month.

Address your letter:
Mr. Amado Galauran
Binalunan, Cotobato

It was Tinang’s first love letter. A flush spread over her face and crept into her body. She read the letter again.
“It’s not easy to be far from our lover...I imagine your personal appearance coming forward...Someday,
somehow I’ll be there to fulfil our promise...” Tinang was intoxicated. She pressed herself against the kamansi
tree. My lover is true to me. He never meant to desert me. Amado, she thought. Amado.

And she cried, remembering the young girl she was less than two years ago when she would take food to the
Seῆora in the field and the laborers would eye her furtively. She thought herself above them for she was
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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

always neat and clean in her hometown, before she went away to work, she had gone to school and had
reached sixth grade. Her skin, too, was not as dark as those of the girls who worked in the fields weeding
around the clamps of abaca. Her lower lip jutted out disdainfully when the farm hands spoke to her with many
flattering words. She laughed when a Bagobo with two hectares of land asked her to marry him. It was only
Amado, the tractor driver, who could look at her and make her lower her eyes. He was very dark and wore
filthy and torn clothes on the farm but on Saturdays when he came up to the house for his week’s salary, his
hair was slicked down and he would be dressed as well as Mr. Jacinto, the school teacher. Once he told her he
would study in the city night-schools and take up mechanical engineering someday. He had not said much
more to her but one afternoon when she was bidden to take some bolts and tools to him in the field, a great
excitement came over her. The shadows moved fitfully in the bamboo groves she passed and the cool
November air edged into her nostrils sharply. He stood unmoving beside the tractor with tools and parts
scattered on the ground around him. His eyes were a black glow as he watched her draw near. When she held
out the bolts, he seized her wrists and said:”Come,” pulling her to the screen of trees beyond. She resisted but
his arms were strong. He embraced her roughly and awkwardly, and she trembled and gasped and clung to
him....

A little green snake slithered languidly into the tall grass a few yards from the kamansi tree. Tinang started
violently and remembered her child. It lay motionless on the mat of husk. With a shriek she grabbed it wildly
and hugged it close. The baby awoke from its sleep and cries lustily. Ave Maria Santisima. Do not punish me,
she prayed, searching the baby’s skin for marks. Among the cornhusks, the letter fell unnoticed.

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Activity 1: Create a plot structure using the five elements of plot for the story “Love in the Cornhusks.”

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Activity 2: In a brief essay, relate the famous saying “Destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice”
in the story “Love in the Cornhusks.”

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__________________________________________________________________________________________

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the purpose of Tinang’s visit to Seῆora?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How will you describe Tinang in the story?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How did the relationship of Tinang and Amado end?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What women’s responsibilities were shown in the story?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What did the snake symbolized in the story?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
PART VI SUMMARY/CONCLUSION

We make our destiny. The quality of our life depends on the choices we make. As aptly put by William Ernest
Henley, “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll; I am the master of my
fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Love in the Cornhusks

https://www.google.com.ph/amp/s/ischoolsericsonalieto.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/love-in-the-cornhusks-
by-aida-l-rivera/amp/

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 8 DAY NO. 1-4

LESSON 9: A discussion on Language and Poetry

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: An Essay on Language and Poetry by Gemino H. Abad

This lesson is an essay that gives a discussion on writing. What will motivate and inspire a person to write?

At the end of the lesson the student is expected to:

➢ Find it easy to write his own lyric poem

➢ Be able to broaden one’s vocabulary by being exposed to a number of unfamiliar words
➢ Be able to use aforesaid words on an everyday basis

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Text – refers to any written work

• Poem – a piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always
rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits such formal elements as meter rhyme, and
stanzaic structure
• Transcend – to go beyond a range of limits
• Interrelationship – the way in which each of two or more things is related to the other or others
• Efficient – achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense
• Tenacity – the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly
• Highfalutin – expressed in or marked by the use of language that is elaborated or heightened by
artificial or empty means

PART III DISCUSSION

Language and Poetry by: Gemino H. Abad

Any written work is text. “Text” is from the Latin texere or textus, “to weave.” To write then is to weave
language anew, and all we read and unravel is a word-weave, a text-tale. “Poem” is from Greek poiein, “to
make,” and so, since the literary work is first a verbal construct or artefact, “poem” or “poetry” is its aptest
generic term, and “poet” is the figure of all writers. But any text is not so much written in a given historical
language, like English or Tagalog, as wrought from language. Wrought is the past tense of the verb work: the
writer works the soil of the language as the farmer tills his field to produce his crop. The Latin vertere, “to
turn,” versus, “furrows,” which yields the English “verses,” already signals that work of cultivation.

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SOUTH EAST-ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY
LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

The writer’s job, says Ezra Pound, is to “keep the language efficient.” The writer forges the language that he
has mastered; forge in its triple sense: “to create or fabricate; to represent, mime, or simulate; to forge ahead,
to advance.” To advance, to transcend the inadequacies of language to reality: how transcend except by
language’s own evocative power through such rhetorical resources as those “fictive patterns” or
“arrangements --- of words, sublexical and suprasegmental linguistic sounds, syntactic schemes, and graphic
elements, on the one hand, and twisting and turnings of sense and reference of words and utterances, on the
other [hand].” In every instance of writing, language is re-woven and refreshed, reinvented, so that with
words and words – figures, numbers, symbols, equations – we endow with a particular form our apprehension
of a feature or aspect of our reality. We have no other means.

For any artist, the medium is the Muse: for the painter, line, color, perspective; for the sculptor, marble or
wood, form, texture; for the composer, sound, silence; so, likewise, for the writer, the wordsmith, language.
The writer’s agon (Greek for “struggle, contest”) is his wrestle with his Muse to wrest his prize – the story or
poem or play he has in mind which, when at last achieved, is his chief reward.

To write is to breathe life into language. For the words of any language are single and bereft in the dead sea of
the language’s lexicon where the words only read one another and echo their provenance. No meaningfulness
arises from that dead sea because the meanings of the words do not arise so much from the words
themselves, from their differential interplay, as from lives lived as imagined.

Words are essentially abstractions; they come to life only when writer or reader lights them up in their
imagination: “When the imagination sleeps,” says Albert Camus, “words are emptied of their meaning.” Thus
language, by way of the imagination, makes real to the mind what the mind perceives or intuits. Only when
the mind, the imagination, is awake are the words brought into interplay in some order by which a thought or
feeling, a human experience, is endowed with definite form. From that form made up wholly of well-chosen
words – a meaningfulness arises, from reader to reader, from critic to critic, each one drawing imaginatively
from his experience of the world in his own community of a shared world-view or ideology.
Language is basically translation of reality into words. The tongue as metaphor for language suggests that,
conscious of our mortality, we want with our words to savor our reality, the joy of being alive. The very act of
writing too is work of translation, from Latin transferre, translatus, “to carry or ferry across.” The writer
ferries across the river of words his own soul’s burden without hurt or injury to his own mind’s import and
aim. Our thoughts and feelings without our words are like brambles – the underbrush of the human psyche,
dream and intuition. Only when the language has been found again within – within the language itself, and
within oneself – does the writer discover his subject. That subject or theme is the writer’s own clearing
language, his own perception of reality as imagined in his own time and place. What is most imagined is most
real.
We might ask: what is our reality here and now? All we know of our reality, what we call “or world”, is only
and ever a human reality, only our individual perceptions, our own experience of ourselves, of human affairs,
of our natural environment. A cat’s perception of reality, the living of it, is different from ours; we have no
access to it, we can only imagine it, as in fantasy and children’s stories, which of course draw from our own
sense of reality, our experience. This is why Carl Jung say (poignantly, because we are mortal), “the individual
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is the only reality”: such the compass and the limit of human experience. The only reality for us is what our
minds grasps with words and words .This is why the poetic sense is a sense for language, which is the most
intimate connection with all of creation; this is why the care of words is the care of light. Without language,
the finest invention of human imagination , we would have no memory, no history, no culture , no civilization.
The real is the poem, and – altogether a different matter – the poem is the real: that is, the sheer attempt to
grasp with words and words an understanding of that we call “our world”, our day-to-day experience of it.
This is why the poem is to live, not to merely read; indeed, as we read, we are also read.

To write the is to get real. Where the mind dissolves our experience of the world into ideas and abstractions,
the poet seeks the light of giving experience itself. The poem once wrought, bears lineaments of a singular
moment, or the singular course of an event, as lived as imagined: say,

A feeling mood or emotional cry:

NVM Gonzalez, “Behold the bountiful land “

Behold the bountiful land,

The young hills and the corn;
In the green river’s womb
Children are born;

[new stanza]
Honey’s in the forest,
Blue fish in the sea;
The ash-gray of clearings
Grows grain for me.

Or a thought or train of reflection:

Horacio de la Costa, S.J., “After Two Months in Prison”

Now I know the bitter tears,

The dull despair the frantic rages,
The sleep-destroying hopes and fears
Of fish in bowls and birds in cages.

Or a scene in nature:
Conrado S. Ramirez, “to Hitomaro”
In Nara still herons fly,
A line of snow across the sky;
The morning-glory drapes the wall;
But though the pool knows not the rain,
The dead frog floods it still with ghosts of song.
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Or a character or event in our day-today world:

Angela C. Manalang-Gloria: “Old Maid Walking on City Street”

She had a way of walking through concupiscence

And past the graces her fingers never twirled:
Because her mind refused the heavy burden,
Her broad feet shovelled up the world.

Or a stance or attitude toward something or other:

Jose F. Lacaba, “Apologia Pro Vita Sua”

Pardon me, madam

That love cannot madden
Me – I have phlegm for blood,
Frenzy I forbid,

Unless in darkness
Where I can probe, dartle
And startle in passing.
A place for passion.

And passion in its place

Is the code of the middle class,
And middle class I am
Even in orgasm.

All these – action, chapter, thought, emotion, a scene in nature – are elements of a human experience as lived
as recalled or imagined. The moment is first lived, and then imagined, before it is written; or, if it is purely
imagined, it is as if it had been lived. In every case, one draws from one’s own experience, whether the
experience is in one ‘s own living or in one’s own life of imagination.
The language of all excellent writing is a language made aware of the sensation, the miracle of living: that is
the fundamental quality of all literary woks when they persuade and move us. The very etymology of that
word “experience”, is quite telling: ot comes from Latin experiri, “to try or attempt”, whence the English
words “experiment” and “trial”; experiri is also associated with Latin periculum, “peril and uncertainty” ;
Greek, empeiria (from peiran, ‘to attempt,’) means “experience”, whence the the English, “empirical”. Thus
the rich import of that singular word, ”experience”, spells the very nature of all our living , all the
meaningfulness of our human condition, for in light of its etymology, to experience is “to try or attempt to fare
or go on a journey; to undergo or to suffer, to endure ; and to pass through that is, to meet with a chance and
danger, for nothing is certain.”

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In all great works of literature, the writer has come to grips with his own sense of reality: that is what
distinguishes great writers from one another – each one has his own distinctive subject or theme, and his own
way with language or style, which Albert Camus defines as “the simultaneous existence of reality and of the
mind that gives reality its from.” All great writer’s works are variations upon his own singular theme, through
all his works his own clearing of light. That is what distinguishes Gabriel Garcia Marquez from Fyodor
Dostoevsky, Nick Joaquin from NVM Gonzalez, Jose Garcia Villa from Edith L. Tiempo. Their works have a
certain dynamis or power to persuade and move their readers by which even a community’s outlook, values ,
and prejudices might be changed or transformed. Camus said, “Every great work makes the human face more
admirable and richer, and this is its whole secret” – ultimately, the source of a literary work’s dynamis. As
Robert Frost says, the humanities are the “the best description of us” or, as Eduardo Galeano wondrously puts
it: “If the grape is made of wine, then perhaps we are the words that tell who we are.”

But interpreting a writer’s work is the crux of critical understanding: the Latin words are illuminating –
interpretari, “ to negotiate”; interpres, “agent.” The literary work is already an interpretation of a human
experience. To interpret it is to be its agent; one negotiates with it to come to a settlement of its import or
significance. However, the literary work – poem or story or play – has already literally come to terms with
itself; the critic then or interpreter must respect the work’s integrity for, as both work of language and work of
imagination, it is autotelic: that is, governed solely by its own end, a purpose in, not apart from, itself. In that
light, it can be said that the medium is the message. This is what we mean by the poem’s autonomy and
“organic unity.” For what artistic end or purpose does a poem have except the precise configuration, the
mimesis, with words and words, of a human experience, be that only a thought or a feeling, that configuration
we call the poem’s or the story’s form or structure. For any artist, for the writer as writer, the only important
thing is the work itself: the poem, the literary work, is what you will, but the final test is “ the achievement of,
the mastery of the thing” – the artistic end achieved, its medium mastered.
To apprehend the poem’s form the critic needs to be, as Marianne Moore says, “a literalist of the
imagination.” We cannot over-stress this. Take Conrado V. Pedroche’s “River Winds”:
In the evening
The river winds take the village
In their arms,
Whispering fragments of old lost songs;
And, pulling a blanket of dreams
Over the sleeping roofs,
Softly, softly move on...
Only by work of imagination, on the reader’s part, is that singular perception of an evening in the riverine
village made real, and it was the poet’s verbal configuration – the poem’s precise from or structure –that
made the realization possible. Or take Carlos A. Angeles’s “Landscape II” (last stanza):
Now, while the dark basins the void of space,
Some sudden crickets, ambushing me near,
Discover vowels of your whispered face
And subtly cry. I touch your absence here
Remembering the speeches of your hair.
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Only by work of the imagination (as it was with the poet) is the experience of a lover’s desolation of yearning
brought to life. Again, it was the poet’s power of expression – those “twisting or turnings of sense and
reference of words and utterances” – that now persuades and moves his reader. To read close and imagine
well is to open the text, the poet’s word-weave raveled, unraveled.

There are of course various teories of the literary work and thence, various critical approaches. Again, their
etymons clarify their import: from Greek krinein, “to divide or discriminate and judge,” comes the English
words, “criticism, crisis, criterion”; and Greek theorein, “to view, inspect, consider” or theoria, “a viewing,
contemplation, speculation,” yields the English word, “theory.” Thus, The criticism of literary works imples
differentiation of kinds or types of verbal constructs or structures. Their classification depends on basic
principles or assumptions by which a specific kind through its history has been (as one might assume) defined.
Experimental or avant-garde writing under whatever label or category we please – language poetry, or
conceptual, or “breaktexts” or “spoken word” – draws from that history or tradition. Thus, also, any theory is
only a way of seeing, a standpoint or perspective. No theory is aphodictic: that s, “of the nature of necessary
truth or absolute certainty”; no theory has monopoly of seeing or making sense. Even in science, a given
theory has a certain life-span.

The imagination has limitless possibilities, which is why there are kinds and kinds of literary work and various
forms or ways of crafting the work. By kind, we mean a thing’s fundamental nature or quality; by form, we
mean the organization of the thing’s component parts or elements. The criteria or excellence are either
renewed or created from poem to poem, whatever its genre or kind. As with any of the arts, those criteria of
excellence have to do with the poet’s mastery of his medium and mastery of a particular way of expression or
style, that craft or cunning of a way with language toward the construction, the forging of his subject or
theme. Each kind of literary work builds its own expectations from discerning readers; those expectations, too,
embody the spirit of their criteria. This is how, over time, literary taste or predilection is formed, or why, over
time, readers get used to, or favour, one or the other kind of literary work. We might add: de gustibus non
disputandum: in matters of taste, dispute is disreputable.

Let us, for illustration, very briefly discuss what we call “lyric poem” which, needless to say, assumes various
forms. It may initially be an affirmation of the poet’s individual self. But the self, you could say, is a linguistic
construct: that, however, doesn’t make it any less real. We create ourselves. As John Keats says, our world is,
“the vale of Soul-making.” The individual self then is, to some extent, if not entirely, one’s own creation.

The lyric poem may also mime an imaginary self in the very voice of the poem’s persona. Whatever kind of
lyric poem, whatever form it assumes, I personally want my text, my word-weave, to be reader-friendly for my
ideal reader. My sole aim is, in Horace’s words, dulce et utile: that is, pleasing and instructive, or as Jonathan
Swift might put it, “ sweetness and light”; I would say, “revel and revelation.” I want my reader to share in the
delight with language: the tongue, as noted earlier, is an apt metaphor for language, for it is as though with
our words we would want to savor a reality that has been apprehended or imagined. The poem is play with
language, the poet’s Muse, because the poet’s state of mind is state of play. I want my reader to share in the
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epiphany, mind’s grasp of a reality perceived or intuited: an inscape, a new clearing, it may be, within
language, for that insight is a luminance of thought that no idea expresses, a radiance of feeling that no
thought apprehends.

But my predilection for a formalist perspective in my own work is only my own poetics. Every poetics is
individual because every writer needs to find his own path through language which, like language itself and
every perception of reality, also changes. Any opinion, in fact, whether critical or otherwise, hovers between
fact and fiction, with more or less of either one.

Conclusion:

For any literary work, whatever its paksa (Tagalog: topic, subject, theme) , there are only three general
criteria: in Tagalog, “saysay” (significance, insight, revelation), “dating” (effect, Greek dynamis: a power to
move and persuade), and diwa, (core substance or spirit, vision, meaningfulness). General criteria, for any
generalization may hold water but not the sea. These criteria vary in their appreciation and application
because (to repeat) every reader or critic draws from his own experience or reality, from his own preferred
“theory” or “way of looking,” from his current advocacy, be that Marxist or feminist, and (consciously or not)
from his community’s history and culture, their world view, values, beliefs, and biases.

But of course, in every literary work, all these elements --- paksa, saysay, dating, diwa ---are wrought from
language and its evocative power by which language overcomes its inadequacy to reality.

“May (that is, “has”) saysay”: not meaning, but meaningfulness (that is, the whole, as it were, of diwa). Not all
our words, after the literary work has been accomplished, can catch that meaningfulness of a human
experience that has been endowed with a definite form, as in Angeles’ “Landscape II” or Amador T. Daguio’s
“Off the Aleutian Islands.” Which is why the poem’s language is its own; any human experience that moves
one is to some extent ineffable. There is no fixed, unambiguous meaning for any individual human experience
precisely because it is individual, having its own living context. This is why the meaningfulness of any
experience, as wrought from language, is what the words of the poem or story can only evoke, reader to
reader: each one needs to enter imaginatively into the human experience that is mimed there or simulated.
We need to be naturalized in the poet’s own language and idiom. In fact, the mimesis of the imaginary human
experience in story or poem is already meaningful, it is the writer’s own apprehension of a reality as imagined,
so that its interpretation is redundant. If the poem is the real as lived as imagined, then, as earlier said, the
poem is to live by way of the imagination.

“Meaningfulness”: I would say, in Pilipino-Tagalog, “diwa” – I mean, the inner substance or soul of the
interpretation that the poem bears across time from reader to reader; ultimately, the very spirit of what it is
to be a human being, its nightshade and its sunrise, both. That is what the reader-critic attempts to apprehend
at the very heart of human experience that is simulated in the literary work. In that light, too, bith the writing
and the learning are a spiritual experience; and for that very reason, likewise, one’s sensitive response to the
literary work varies from individual to individual. That diwa is the literary work’s moral dimension: what raises
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it to a universal plane. But the universal plane isn’t the realm of eternal verities, it is rather the site of
everlasting quest and questioning in our human dimension.

“May dating”: from that meaningfulness of the depicted human experience arises the effect, the dynamis or
intellectual and emotional power of the literary work to interest and persuade us, to make us view and relive
the experience and thereby be moved by it. Every literary text is epideictic: designed primarily for rhetorical
effect; every literary work is cathectic: invested with mental and emotional energy – that ebergy or dynamis is
its ultimate end, and so, its organizing principle.

If we demand from the writer a mastery of his medium, his language, by which he is able to overcome its
limitations, the writer must also exact from his readers the same linguistic mastery. It is the sense for language
that needs to be cultivated. What deteriorates is not language itself but the sense for it among its users.

I would say that a writer’s lifetime vocation is a calling from language. Language, as we said, is the medium of
his art, but he himself is – or becomes – its medium: a “habitation of the Word.” The call comes from the
genius of the language that he chose: that genius, a playful and freedom-loving spirit. The writer wrestles with
that spirit to wrest his prize, often his only reward – the story or poem that he has in mind; when he has
achieved it, a story or poem where no words break.

What is that calling? If language itself could speak, what is it saying?

Language is absolutely literal; it fixes things with their names: a rose is a rose, and proud is proud, and honor is
honor. But language secretly yearns to be free. It is the writer’s calling to free it, to enable it to transcend
itself. As Yves Bonnefoy says: “That is why we write poems. Through them, we try to fix in our consciousness –
it, too, formed by language – those moments that open to the intuition that all language refuses.”
(Undescoring mine; it is well worth quoting Bennefoy more fully.)

The finest poetry then, -- in fact, the profoundest, -- transcends language; it is “an experience of what goes
beyond words”; it gives one a sense, though transient, of ...that Oneness that exists beyond possessions and
dreams – the illusion, understanding itself as such, becoming again a threshold. A beautiful thought, [this,] but
more imagined and desired than truly lived. (From the same interview with Bennefoy: 164)
In “Auguries of Innocence,” William Blake intuited too that “Oneness”:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an Hour.

That oneness of all matter, all life, is in fact what our science affirms. As Pierre Teilhard de Chardin puts it:
“everywhere gonads and everywhere eyes.”

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But how does it happen for poetry to open our consciousness to that intuition “that all language refuses?”
Through that dream-work of imagination, I should think, by which a language – that abstract “system of
representation [which] fragments [the] unity” of all that we perceive as real – is deployed, as best as one can,
to evoke the reality of a human experience; by that energy of imagination, from both writer and reader,
whereby things are brought back alive from their names and labels that would pin them down like mere
laboratory specimens.

That poetic intuition of which Bennefoy speaks is, as it were, Nature’s holy writ. As earlier said, the real, all its
marvel and mystery, is the poem; or, the poem is the real. Precisely, too, in the differences among and
between individuals (human and non-human) the miracle of reality shines forth which the mind intuits and
seeks to capture and enshrine in language.

There is only one requirement in writing: to have a life, to live, to be fully aware of the living of it. “Nothing
ever becomes real,” says John Keats, “till it is experienced.” (Letters: 250) --- and becomes most real when
most imagined. I cannot help stressing: as with any of the arts --- many art as mastery of the artist’s medium –
poetry requires great skill in the management of language’s own evocative power, that language in itself the
imagination’s supreme invention. And there is only one requirement in reading: a sense for language. The
language of poetry --- of all excellent writing --- is, to repeat, language made aware of the sensation, the
miracle of living.

A final note:

While I agree with formalist critics as to formal excellence in the craft of writing, I would yet insist that a purely
formalist perspective would evacuate our poems of the Filipino sense of his world and deprive them of the grit
and grace (and heyday humor, as well) of our people’s day to day living where the poem (yes, the poem as
wrought) has earned its saysay and diwa.

The words of any language are the living flesh of a people’s sense of reality, their thought and feeling about
their world through their history and culture; therefore, our words already spoke to us beforehand, we are
already spoken for, because the ground of the language we have imbibed from childhood, and speak, and
think in, is our people’s history and culture; and yet, with those words also, we may speak our own mind,
make our own clearing within language.

Thus, since (to repeat) the meanings of our words arise mainly from lives lived through a people’s history and
culture, the poem’s inmost seal is the poet’s country. For one’s country is how one imagines her. A country is
what a people’s imagination owes its allegiance to. And thus, their literature, by their writers and scholars, is
what creates their sense of country, which ultimately is forged by their sense for language. Their literature is
their racial memory. A people is only as strong as their memory.

The writer stands upon his own ground, his own native clearing – that is, the way his fellow-countrymen think
and feel about their world, and so live from sun to sun. There, in that clearing, he grasps his own authentic
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self. There, it may be, if one reads close and imagines well, the poet is his own country’s best critic and
interpreter, and thereby, he may refresh or enrich a current vision of his country’s destiny, or renew a lost
heritage or even transform it.

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION
Cinquain Writing and Vocabulary Activity: Based on the two examples given below, compose a cinquain on the
space provided.

1-two syllables English RP -

2-four syllables Universal Land of my birth
3-six syllables Language that binds, Pearl of the Orient Seas
unites
4-eight syllables Used by all nations in the Land of heroes, land of
world the brave
5-two syllables L2 Land, mine.

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION
1. What is the interrelationship between language and poetry?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How does a writer make makes language efficient?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

PART VI SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
Reading complicated, hard to understand and wordy essays will equip the readers the tenacity needed to
brace them for future encounters with the same literary work. There are writers who are fond of using
highfalutin terms or others simply want to play with words.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Gemino H. Abad https://www.fekt.org/gemino-h-abad/

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TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 9 DAY NO. 1-4
LESSON 10: Classic Short Story in Philippine Literature

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: A Short Story by Nick Joaquin (Quijano de Manila)

May Day Eve is considered a classic in Philippine literature and no student of literature should be without it.
Nick Joaquin published this in 1947. The manner as to how it was written was very entertaining. It is one short
story that will not bore the readers.

At the end of the lesson the student is expected to:

➢ Be able to know the sequence of events that transpired in the story

➢ Be familiar with the characters in the story
➢ Be able to dissect and identify the elements of short story

PART II TERMINOLOGIES
PART III DISCUSSION

May Day Eve by: Nick Joaquin

The old people had ordered that dancing should stop at ten o’clock but it was almost midnight before the
carriages came filing up the departing guests, while the girls who were staying were promptly herded upstairs
to the bedrooms, the young men gathering around to wish them a good night and lamenting their ascent with
mock signs and moaning, proclaiming themselves disconsolate but straightway going off to finish the punch
and the brandy though they were quite drunk already and simply bursting with wild spirits, merriment,
arrogance and audacity, for they were young bucks newly arrived from Europe; the ball had been in their
honor; and they had waltzed and polkaed and bragged and swaggered and flirted all night and were in no
mood to sleep yet – no, caramba, not on this moist tropic eve! Not on this mystic May eve! – with the night
still young and so seductive that it was madness not to go out, not to go forth --- and serenade the
neighbours! Cried one; and swim in the Pasid! Cried another; and gather fireflies! Cried a third --- whereupon
there arose a great clamor for coats and capes, for hats and canes, and they were a couple of street-lamps
flickered and a last carriage rattled away upon the cobbles while the blind black houses muttered hush-hush,
their tile roofs loomimg like sinister chessboards against a wile sky murky with clouds, save where an evil
young moon prowled about in a corner or where a murderous wind whirled, whistling and whining, smelling
now of the sea and now of the summer orchards and wafting unbearable childhood fragrances or ripe guavas
to the young men trooping so uproariously down the street that the girls who were desiring upstairs in the
bedrooms catered screaming to the windows, crowded giggling at the windows, but were soon sighing
amorously over those young men bawling below; over those wicked young men and their handsome apparel,
their proud flashing eyes, and their elegant moustaches so black and vivid in the moonlight that the girls were
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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

quite ravished with love, and began crying to one another how carefree were men but how awful to be a girl
and what horrid, horrid world it was, till old Anastasia plucked them off by the ear or the pigtail and chases
them off to bed---while from up the street came the clackety-clack of the watchman’s boots on the cobble and
the clang-clang of his lantern against his knee, and the mighty roll of his great voice booming through the
night, “Guardia serno-o! A las doce han dado-o-o.”

And it was May again, said the old Anastasia. It was the first day of May and witches were abroad in the night,
she said—for it was a night of divination, and night of lovers, and those who cared might peer into a mirror
and would there behold the face of whoever it was they were fated to marry, said the old Anastasia as she
hobble about picking up the piled crinolines and folding up shawls and raking slippers in corner while the girls
climbing into four great poster-beds that overwhelmed the room began shrieking with terror, scrambling over
each other and imploring the old woman not to frighten them.

“Enough, enough, Anastasia! We want to sleep!”

“Go scare the boys instead, you old witch!”

“She is not a witch, she is a maga. She is a maga. She was born on Christmas Eve!”

“St. Anastasia, virgin and martyr.”

“Huh? Impossible! She has conquered seven husbands! Are you a virgin, Anastasia?”

“No, but I am seven times a martyr because of you girls!”

“Let her prophecy, let her prophecy! Whom will I marry, old gypsy? Come, tell me.”
“You may learn in a mirror if you are not afraid.”

“I am not afraid, I will go,” cried the young cousin Agueda, jumping up in bed.

“Girls, girls ---we are making too much noise! MY mother will hear and will come and pinch us all. Agueda, lie
down! And you Anastasia, I command you to shut your mouth and go away!” “Your mother told me to stay
here all night, my grand lady!”

“And I will not lie down!” cried the rebellious Agueda, leaping to the floor. “Stay, old woman. Tell me what I
have to do.”

“Tell her! Tell her!” chimed the other girls.

The old woman dropped the clothes she had gathered and approached and fixed her eyes on the girl. “You
must take a candle,” she instructed, “and go into a room that is dark and that has a mirror in it and you must
be alone in the room. Go up to the mirror and close your eyes and say: Mirror, mirror, show to me him whose
woman I will be. If all goes right, just above your left shoulder will appear the face of the man you will marry. “
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

A silence. Then:”And what if all does not go right?” asked Agueda. “Ah, then the Lord have mercy on you!”
“Why?” “Because you may see—the Devil!”

The girls screamed and clutched one another, shivering. “But what nonsense!” cried Agueda. “This is the year
1847. There are no devil anymore!” Nevertheless she had turned pale. “But where could I go, huh? Yes, I
know! Down to the sala. It has that big mirror and no one is there now.” “No, Agueda, no! It’s a mortal sin!
You will see the devil!” “I do not care! I am not afraid! I will go!” “Oh, you wicked girl! Oh, you mad girl!” “If
you do not come to bed, Agueda, I will call my mother.” “And if you do I will tell her who came to visit you at
the convent last March. Come old woman---give me that candle. I go.” “Oh girls---give me that candle, I go.”

But Agueda had already slipped outside; was already tiptoeing across the hall; her feet bare and her dark hair
falling down her shoulders and streaming in the wind as she fled down the stairs, the lighted candle sputtering
in one hand while with the other she pulled up her white gown from her ankles. She paused breathless in the
doorway to the sala and her heart failed her. She tried to imagine the room filled again with the lights,
laughter, whirling couples, and the jolly jerky music of the fiddlers. But, oh, it was a dark den, a weird cavern
for the windows had been closed and the furniture stacked up against the walls. She crossed herself and
stepped inside.

The mirror hang on the wall before her; a big antique mirror with a gold frame carved into leaves and flowers
and mysterious curlicues. She saw herself approaching fearfully in it: a small white ghost that the darkness
bodied forth---but not willingly, not completely, for her eyes and hair were so dark that the face approaching
in the mirror seemed only a mask that floated forward; a bright mask with two holes gaping in it, blown
forward by the white cloud of her gown. But when she stood before the mirror she lifted the candle level with
her chin and the dead mask bloomed into her living face.

She closed her eyes and whispered the incantation. When she had finished such a terror took hold of her and
she felt unable to move, unable to open her eyes and thought she would stand there forever, enchanted. But
she heard a step behind her, and a smothered giggle, and instantly opened her eyes.

“And what did you see, Mama? Oh, what was it?” But Doῆa Agueda had forgotten the little girl on her lap: she
was staring pass the curly head nestling at her breast and seeing herself in the big mirror hanging in the room.
It was the same room and the same mirror out the face she now saw in it was an old face---hard, bitter,
vengeful face, framed in graying hair, and so sadly altered, so sadly different from that other face like a white
mask that she had brought before this mirror one wild May Day midnight years and years ago....”But what was
it Mama? Oh please go on! What did you see?” Doῆa Agueda looked down at her daughter but her face did
not soften though her eyes filled with tears. “I saw the devil,” she said bitterly. The child blanched. “The devil,
Mama? Oh... Oh...” “Yes, my love. I opened my eyes and there in the mirror, smiling at me over my left
shoulder, was the face of the devil.” “Oh, my poor little Mama! And were you frightened?” “You can imagine.
And that is why good little girls do not look into mirrors except when their mothers tell them. You must stop
this naughty habit, darling, of admiring yourself in every mirror you pass- or you might see something frightful
some day.” “But the devil, Mama---what did he look like?” “Well, let me see...he has curly hair and a scar on
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

his cheek---“ “Like the scar of papa?” “Well, yes. But this of the devil was a scar of sin, while that of your Papa
is a scar of honor. Or so he says.” “Go on about the devil.” “Well, he had mustaches.” “Like those of Papa?”
“Oh, no. Those of your Papa are dirty and graying and smell horribly of tobacco, while those of the devil were
very black and elegant—oh, how elegant!” “And did he speak to you, Mama?” “Yes...Yes, he spoke to me,”
said Doῆa Agueda. And bowing her graying head; she wept.

“Charms like yours have no need for a candle, fair one,” he had said., smiling at her in the mirror and stepping
back to give her a low mocking bow. She had whirled around and glared at him and he had burst into laughter.
“But I remember you!” he cried. “You are Agueda, whom I left a mere infant and came home to find a
tremendous beauty, and I danced a waltz with you but you would not give me the polka.” “Let me pass,” she
muttered fiercely, for he was barring the way. “But I want to dance the polka with you, fair one,” he said. So
they stood before the mirror; their panting breath the only sound in the dark room; the candle shining
between them and flinging their shadows to the wall. And young Badoy Montiya (who had crept home very
drunk to pass out quietly in bed) suddenly found himself cold sober and very much awake and ready for
anything. His eyes sparkled and the scar on his face gleamed scarlet. “Let me pass!” she cried again, in a voice
of fury, but he grasped her by the wrist. “No,” he smiled. “Not until we have danced.””Go to the devil!” “What
a temper has my serrana!” “I am not your serrana!””Whose, then? Someone I know? Someone I have
offended grievously? Because you treat me, you treat all my friends like your mortal enemies.” “And why
not?” she demanded, jerking her wrist away and flashing her teeth in his face. “Oh, how I detest you, you
pompous young men! You go to Europe and you come back elegant lords and we poor girls are too tame to
please you. We have no grace like the Parisiennes, we have no fire like the Sevillians, and we have no salt, no
salt, no salt! Aie, how you weary me, how you bore me, you fastidious men!” “Come, come---how do you
know about us?”

“I was not admiring myself, sir!” “You were admiring the moon perhaps?” “Oh!” she gasped, and burst into
tears. The candle dropped from her hand and she covered her face and sobbed piteously. The candle had gone
out and they stood in darkness, and young Badoy was conscience-stricken. “Oh, do not cry, little one! Oh,
please forgive me! Please do not cry! But what a brute I am! I was drunk, little one, I was drunk and knew not
what I said.” He groped and found her hand and touched it to his lips. She shuddered in her white gown. “Let
me go,” she moaned, and tugged feebly. “No. Say you forgive me first. Say you forgive me, Agueda.” But
instead she pulled his hand to her mouth and bit it – bit so sharply in the knuckles that he cried with pain and
lashed cut with his other hand—lashed out and hit the air, for she was gone, she had fled, and he heard the
rustling of her skirts up the stairs as he furiously sucked his bleeding fingers. Cruel thoughts raced through his
head: he would go and tell his mother and make her turn the savage girl out of the house—or he would go
himself to the girl’s room and drag her out of bed and slap, slap, slap her silly face! But at the same time he
was thinking that they were all going to Antipolo in the morning and was already planning how he would
maneuver himself into the same boat with her. Oh, he would have his revenge, he would make her pay, that
little harlot! She should suffer for this, he thought greedily, licking his bleeding knuckles. But---Judas! He
remembered her bare shoulders: gold in her candlelight and delicately furred. He saw the mobie insolence of
her neck, her taut breasts stedy inthe fluid gown. Son of a Turk, but she was quite enchanting! How could she
think she had no fire or grace? And no salt? An arroba she had of it!”...No lack of salt in the chrism. At the
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

moment of thy baptism!” He sang aloud in the dark room and suddenly realized that he had fallen madly in
love with her. He ached intensely to see her again---at once!---to touch her hands and her hair; to hear her
harsh voice. He ran to the window and flung open the casements and the beauty of the night struck him back
like a blow. It was May, it was summer, and he was young---young!---and deliriously in love. Such a happiness
welled up within him and the tears spurted from his eyes. But he did not forgive her—no! He would still make
her pay, he would still have his revenge, he thought viciously, and kissed his wounded fingers. But what a night
it had been! “I will never forget this night!” He thought aloud in an awed voice, standing by the window in the
dark room, the tears in his eyes and the wind in his hair and his bleeding knuckles pressed to his mouth.

But, alas, the heart forgets; his heart is distracted; and May time passes; summer ends; the storms break over
the rot-ripe orchards and the heart grows old; while the hours, the days, the months, and the years pile up, till
the mind becomes too crowded, too confused: dust gathers in it; cobwebs multiply; the walls darken and fall
into ruin and decay; the memory perished...and there came a time when Don Badoy Montiya walked home
through a May Day midnight without remembering, without even caring to remember; being merely
concerned in feeling his way across the street with his cane; his eyes having grown quite dim and his legs
uncertain—for he was old; he was over sixty; he was a very stooped and shivered old man with white hair and
mustaches coming home from a secret meeting of conspirators; his mind still resounding with the speeches
and his patriot heart still exultant as he picked his way up the steps to the front door and inside into the
slumbering darkness of the house; wholly unconscious of the May night, till on his way down the hall, chancing
to glance into the sala, he shuddered, he stopped, his blood ran cold—for he had seen a face in the mirror
there---a ghostly candlelight face with the eyes closed and lips moving, a face that he suddenly felt had been
there before though it was a full minutes before the lost memory came flowing, came tiding back, so over
flooding the actual moment and so swiftly washing away the piled hours and days and months and years that
he was left suddenly young again; he was a gay young buck again, lately came from Europe; he had been
dancing all night; he was very drunk; he stepped in the doorway; he saw a face in the dark; he called out...and
the lad standing before the mirror (for it was a lad) jumped with fright and almost dropped his candle, but
looking around and seeing the old man, laughed out with relief and came running.

“Oh Grandpa, how you frightened me.” Don Badoy had turned very pale. “So it was you, you young bandit!
And what is all this, hey? What are you doing down here at this hour?” “Nothing, Grandpa. I was only...I am
only...” “Yes, you are the great Seῆor only and how delighted I am to make your acquaintance, Seῆor Only! But
if I break this cane on your head you maga wish you were someone else, Sir!” “It was just foolishness,
Grandpa. They told me I would see my wife.”

“Wife? What wife?” “Mine. The boys at school said I would see her if I looked in a mirror tonight and said:
Mirror, mirror, show to me her whose lover I will be.”

Don Badoy cackled ruefully. He took the boy by the hair, pulled him into the room, sat down on a chair, and
drew the boy between his knees. “Now, put your cane down the floor, son, and let us talk this over. So you
want your wife already, hey? You want to see her in advance, hey? But so you know that these are wicked
games and that wicked boys who play with them are in danger of seeing horrors?”
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

“Well, the boys did warn me I might see a witch instead.”

“Exactly! A witch so horrible you may die of fright. And she will bewitch you, she will torture you, she will eat
your heart and drink your blood!”

“Oh, come now grandpa. This is 1890. There are no witches anymore.”

“Oh-ho, my young Voltaire! And what if I tell you that I myself have seen a witch.”

“You? Where?”

“Right in this room land right in that mirror,” said the old man, and his playful voice had turned savage.

“When, Grandpa?”

“Not so long ago. When I was a bit older than you. Oh, I was a vain fellow and though I was feeling very sick
that night and merely wanted to lie down somewhere and die I could not pass that doorway of course without
stopping to see in the mirror what I looked like when dying. But when I poked my head in, what shuld I see in
the mirror but...but...”

“The witch?”

“Exactly!”

“And then she bewitched you, Grandpa!”

“She bewitched me and she tortured me! “She ate my heart and drank my blood,” said the old man bitterly.
“Horrible? God, no---she was the most beautiful creature I have ever seen! Her eyes were somewhat like
yours but her hair was like black waters and her golden shoulder were bare. My God, she was enchanting! But
I should have known---I should have known even then---the dark fatal creature she was!”

A silence. Then: “What a horrid mirror this is, Grandpa,” whispered the boy.

“What makes you say that, hey?”

“Well, you saw this witch in it. And Mama once told me that Grandma once told her that she once saw the
devil in this mirror. Was it of the scare that Grandma died?”

Don Badoy started. For a moment he had forgotten that she was dead, that she had perished---the poor
Agueda; that they were at peace at last, the two of them, her tired body at rest; her broken body set free at
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

last from the brutal pranks of the earth---from the trap of a May night; from the snare of summer; from the
terrible silver nets of the moon. She had been a mere heap of white hair and bones in the end: a whimpering
whithered consumptive, lashing out with her cruel tongue; her eyes like live coals; her face like ashes... Now,
nothing... nothing save a name on the stone; save a stone in a graveyard---nothing! Was left of the young girl
who had flamed so vividly in a mirror one wild May Day midnight, long, long ago.

And remembering how she had sobbed so piteously; remembering how she had bitten his hand and fled and
how he had sung aloud in the dark room and surprised his heart in the instant of falling in love: such a grief
tore up his throat and eyes that he felt ashamed before the boy; pushed the boy away; stood up and looked
out---looked out upon the medieval shadows of the foul street where a couple of street-lamps flickered and a
last carriage was rattling away upon the cobbles, while the blind black houses muttered hush-hush, their tiled
roofs looming like sinister chessboards against a wild sky murky with clouds, save where an evil old moon
prowled about in a corner or where a murderous wind whirled, whistling and whining, smelling now of the sea
and now of the summer orchards and wafting unbearable the window; the tears streaming down his cheeks
and the wind in his hair and one hand pressed to his mouth---while from up the street came the clackety-clack
of the watchman’s boots on the cobbles, and the clang-clang of his lantern against his knee, and the mighty
roll of his voice booming through the night: “Guardia sereno-o-o!A las doce han dado-o-o!”

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Activity 1: Unscramble the letters to find the words used in the selection. Look up for the meaning of each
word. Write your answers on the blanks provided.

1. Licerfk ____________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. ioroarylsuup ___________________
__________________________________________________________________________
3. orarchds _____________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. ycheppor ______________________
__________________________________________________________________________
5. derethmos _______________________
__________________________________________________________________________
6. soupmop _______________________
__________________________________________________________________________
7. delcack _______________________
__________________________________________________________________________
8. veitpumsnoc _______________________
__________________________________________________________________________
9. krut ________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

10. divvi ________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2: Using the discussion on Lesson Two of this module write down the 8 elements of short story found
in May Day Eve. Write your answers on the space provided. An example is done for you.

1. _______________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. Characters
Agueda, Badoy Montiya, Anastasia, Voltaire
3. _______________________
_______________________________________________________________________
4. _______________________
_______________________________________________________________________
5. _______________________
_______________________________________________________________________
6. _______________________
_______________________________________________________________________
7. _______________________
_______________________________________________________________________
8. _______________________
_______________________________________________________________________

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION
Under their names, list descriptive phrases from the text that will help in establishing their roles in the short
story.

Badoy Agueda

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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART VI SUMMARY/CONCLUSION

Getting married and promising to spend the rest of your life with someone is a sacred commitment. Choosing
one’s partner should not be based on mere physical appearance alone, because beauty fades with the passing
of time but a good solid character remains intact even when the physical body withers.

Falling in love with someone is like taking care of a plant. A plant should not be exposed to extreme
temperature and should be watered daily so that it will not wither and die. Love like a plant if not nurtured
well will dry up.

Falling out of love makes a person bitter and will push one to detest the other. No relationship is perfect. One
only has to embrace and accept each other’s imperfection.

In falling in love do not ever forget the very reason you fell in love with that person. A lot of things would
happen but that should not erase the feeling that drove you to give and entrust your life to that person.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ May Day Eve https://literaryanalysisphillit.weebly.com/may-day-eve.html

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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 10 DAY NO. 1-4

LESSON 11: A short story on Afro-Asian Literature

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: A Short Story by: Jocelyn Watson

Prior to this story was also a story about relationships. This time the protagonist’s relationship is a far cry from
that of Badoy and Agueda. As one reads on, the student is expected to:
➢ Appreciate the cultural and aesthetic diversity of the literature of the world
➢ Situate the texts in the context of Africa, Asia, the nation and the world

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Kari pattha – curry plant leaves

• Bindi – a decorative mark worn in the middle of the forehead by Indian women
• Kumbh Mela – is a major pilgrimage and festival in Hinduism
• Hostas – plantain lilies and in Japanese these are known as giboshi
• Apparent – obvious, clearly visible or understood

PART III DISCUSSION

The Gardener by: Jocelyn Watson

Never in a sari. On Sundays she’d always change first. Back from mass, she’d unwind the six yards of silk or
chiffon, replacing it with her baggy black cotton tracksuit and her brown pumps. Even in those unflattering
clothes, her black eyes and quiet grace shone through. Her features were as prepossessing and loving as her
physical accomplishments in her garden. She’d look round with a satisfied smile at the fruits of her labour
before coming indoors, where she’d infuse the house with aromas of jeera, haldi, cinnamon and cloves. Then
she’d call out to us.‘Anthony.’ She get’d no response.

‘Angelo.’ Sometimes he would oblige if he wasn’t working on his Meccano set.

‘Maya.’ She was Ma’s best bet if she wasn’t in the shower or on the phone.

When no help was forthcoming she’d call out again.

‘You children. Can’t you hear me calling?

If we were together upstairs, or with Pa in the TV room, we’d mouth her words, and laugh. Then I’d be told to
go.

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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

All Ma wanted was for one of us to go out into the garden to pick – kari pattha – curry leaves which she’d
throw into a saucepan of simmering curry. Actually, thinking about it now, Ma wanted more. She wanted us
to look at her garden and her kari pattha tree. After she had thrown the kari pattha leaves into the pot she’d
head upstairs, and change into a home sari: simple, comfortable and usually unembroidered. After lunch we’d
watch some old black and white Hollywood movie in the TV room. Ma loved Rita Hayworth. Pa’d sit on his
Parker Knoll, Ma in her armchair and the four of us squashed up together on the sofa bed. As the credits
opened with the huge cymbal sounding, or the cock crowing, Pa would break into a gentle snore while Ma
would remind us, for the umpteenth time, that Rita Hayworth was Indian.

When they returned to England, finding a house with a garden had been a priority for Ma. She wanted to
make up for all the years she hadn’t had a garden in Hong Kong. Despite her affection for all that blossomed
in her garden, Ma longed for a small kari pattha tree. She wanted something of India in her garden. Over the
years she would take fresh kari pattha leaves, root them as stem cuttings, willing them to grow but, more
often than not, they would droop and die.

Once when I was about eight, I came into the kitchen and saw Ma looking at her kari pattha with such sadness
in her eyes. I remember rushing up and hugging her and telling her, ‘Don’t cry, Ma. They’re only leaves.’

‘Oh sweetie, but they remind me of home.’

‘But Ma this is your home.’

‘Yes, darling.’ She patted me on the cheek. ‘But I have two homes. You have three.’
‘This is my home.’ I straightened my back and stared at Ma.

‘Of course. But your Papa is English, I’m Indian and you were born in Hong Kong. So you have three places in
the world you can call home.’

I remember walking out of the kitchen wondering whether I liked the idea of three homes or not.

***

Pa would make the four of us smile, when he complimented Ma about her garden. He knew how to take care
of the gardener but never did any work himself. Whenever he saw the blossoms on the trees, the flowers in
full bloom, he’d tell Ma her sunflowers were as rich as Van Gogh’s or her roses as red as her bindi and Ma
would smile. When he told her that her jasmine or her oriental lilies, smelt as sweet as she did after a bath,
she’d give him one tight slap. We were clear it was Ma’s garden, though we all enjoyed it in different ways.
Anthony and Angelo played football when they were younger and sometimes if Anthony got into a huff he’d
storm out, walk round, and return in a calmer frame of mind. When we were kids Ma would hide chocolate
eggs for us to find at Easter. In the spring and summer we’d put out folding tables and chairs and friends
would come over for lunch. She even filled the ‘hungry gap’ with leeks and curly kale until her spring
vegetables were ready to harvest.
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LEARNING MODULE FOR 1ST SEMESTER SCHOOL YEAR 2020-2021
GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Ma’d try to cajole the four of us into helping her in the garden, and then when her grandchildren were old
enough, she would try, unsuccessfully, to rope them in. Occasionally, one of us would cut the lawn or weed a
bit, though it never lasted for long. If Maya or I had something we wanted to talk to her about: sleepovers,
trips, parties, we’d wait till she was in the garden, and then we’d follow her round, chatting away before
launching into whatever it was that we wanted. We were such fools; as though Ma didn’t know. She knew,
but she just liked us following her round the garden. Unless it was something crazy like: Maya, at fifteen,
wanting to go to the Kumbh Mela; with a few cautionary words, she’d agree.

Eventually Ma gave up on us all, and through St Xavier’s, the local Catholic Church, she found Malcolm.
Malcolm was a quiet, broad shouldered man who, though originally from Dublin, now lived in Larkden.
Malcolm became Ma’s gardening soulmate. They were always engrossed in discussions about: the soil, the
compost, the frost, the bugs, the weeds, her new plants, Gardeners’ Question Time, or something they’d read
about. When we were young, it was the sixties and though people ate curries they didn’t really know what
went into them, and rarely cooked curries for themselves, so there was nowhere, in the little Hertfordshire
village of Larkden, to buy Indian herbs and spices. Ma was determined to grow her own kari pattha but
Malcolm, though he knew a lot about growing plants and herbs, had never heard of kari pattha.

***
It was one summer Sunday when I could have been no more than nine, so Maya was eleven, Angelo thirteen
and Anthony fifteen. We came home from mass. Though not as stunning as Ma, we all had to wear our best
for church: Maya and I wore dresses with coloured tights and the boys suits with ties. Pa stopped the car
outside the house. Normally one of us had to pull up the garage door but that morning Pa told us not to. We
got out of the car, grabbing the keys from Ma, ready to change into our shorts. As soon as we got through the
door Pa reined us in as though we were cattle on the loose.

‘No dawdling. Change. Put on something comfortable but decent and be quick about it.’

We all stood there staring at him.

‘Why what’s happening?’ Ma asked

‘No questions. Hurry up now.’

We all stood there like statutes. It was so unlike Pa; on a Sunday he read the Observer from cover to cover
before lunch. We each had our routine; Pa’s orders just didn’t make sense.

He pointed us upstairs. Anthony and Angelo put on jeans and a T-shirt, so Maya and I did the same. Ma put
on a green going-into-town sari, not too fancy but nice enough, and Pa bundled us back into his sea blue
zephyr without giving anything away. We whispered in the back, and as though to placate us, Pa put on Radio
One, moving his shoulders about to the rhythm that made us laugh. We kept asking but he wouldn’t tell.
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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

When he’d had enough of Radio 1, he got us playing games. I remember us shouting and giggling in the
backseat as we vied to see who’d win. After two hours Pa finally stopped and parked the car. We looked out
but none of us was any the wiser. Then Ma threw her arms around Pa and we all looked at her in surprise cos
Ma doesn’t do that kind of thing. Anthony and Angelo were more controlled and patted Pa on the back.
Maya and I just smiled at him as we didn’t really know what to expect as we’d never been to KewGardens
before. We understood it was for Ma’s benefit, though by the end of the day we’d all enjoyed ourselves. Our
first stop was the café where Pa said we could have whatever we wanted so we had scones and ice cream,
chocolate and pop much to Ma’s disapproval. Pa coaxed her into having a scone with her tea and we laughed
as she struggled to open her mouth wide enough to bite into it. As we walked past the Pagoda, Ma saw an
Asian gardener and she ran towards him. We were all rather shocked but followed behind and stood watching
her. She told him her worries and he shared all he knew. It made Ma’s day; she was thrilled.

Not far from Larkden are a number of garden centres. The next day Ma went by herself and bought what she
needed, cut the stem cleanly at the node, and pushed the cutting a few centimetres into a mixture of potting
compost and aquarium gravel with three curry leaves above the surface, as he had recommended. She
planted it next to her bay leaf tree having decided they would be good company for each other. Months later
she called Nana in Poona to tell her that her kari pattha was growing well. We were chuffed. From then on, if
it was cold she’d cover it with a blanket, and talk to it regularly, about India, I imagine. The result was she
always had fresh kari pattha. When she retired, the love and energy she had devoted to teaching her primary
school classes, was now focussed on her garden. When Pa passed away it was gardening, the piano and her
grandchildren that gave her life meaning.

***

While we were working through Ma’s things: the boxes in the loft of ornaments, mementos, letters from India,
from Hong Kong, from her travels around the world, her clothes in the cupboards, her saris in the Chinese
camphor wood chests, I realised what would be lovely, would be something from her garden. We had to sell
Ma’s house so I knew it couldn’t be anything that damaged its appearance.

I would have treasured the willow tree that drooped lovingly at the front of the house. Like most Asian
families we had relatives scattered across the globe: India, Pakistan, America, Canada, Australia and Africa and
they’d always want to be photographed by the willow tree. There didn’t seem to be a part of the world where
Ma didn’t have relatives or friends. Once she’d settled whoever in, she’d sit with them in the living room,
looking out onto the garden. If the weather was nippy, she would simply point things out otherwise she
escorted them round, as though giving them a tour of a country estate, not a small back garden.

***

The removal men came and loaded up boxes, a sofa, a bureau and a leather portfolio of Ma’s paintings. She’d
have laughed; her paintings of her flowers and trees that I have since framed, now line my staircase. I point
them out to all my visitors.
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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

‘These are paintings my Mother did.’

When I tell friends, ‘she didn’t start painting until she was eighty, and what she loved painting most of all were
the flowers and trees in her garden,’ they look again with a tenderness that her work deserves.

***

Her eighty-fifth birthday, the last birthday she was able to celebrate, was here in my Tottenham flat. Her
birthday’s in July and we were fortunate that year; it was a bright, sunny day. Her good friend, Ena drove her
over. While we waited for my sister to pick up our Auntie Marie from Eltham, we sat on my little verandah
looking across at the park. She advised me about my hostas, pink geraniums, and the elegant Japanese Acer
she’d brought me three years previously for my birthday. When everyone had arrived, we sat out on the
balcony. Ma pointed out all the new plants in the neighbours’ gardens and in the park ahead and finally when
we’d finished off the birthday champagne, we came in for dinner. The grandchildren helped their
Grandmother blow out her candles on the cake I had ordered from Belle Epoque, that she loved for the
colourful garden design, I’d specially requested, and the others loved for the delicious melee of rich dark
chocolate, cointreau and berries.

Ma loved growth. She didn’t aim for a particular design just a feast of colour, as lavish as the precious stones
of her noratin jewellery set, that I remember Pa buying for her in Bombay when I was six. Ma’s garden had
bright yellow marigold, pale Lords and Ladies, red poppies and blue lilies, tissue paper white peony blooms.
The flowering of her fuchsia rhododendrum bush always brought an outpouring of delight. When we came to
visit we would sit in the living room, admiring the vibrancy and radiance of Ma’s garden and watch the robins,
thrushes, sparrows or the occasional red cap woodpecker helping themselves to the nuts Ma provided for
them in their very own bird house.

***

Before the removal men arrived, I looked in the back and front searching for what I might dig up and replant
on my balcony. Something I could cherish. The others were busy going through drawers and cabinets,
emptying and filling boxes. If I dug up the roses in the front, or the boastful sunflowers, the entrance would
look naked. The clusters of delicate red begonias, purple hyacinth, orange cannas and pink chrysanthemum
were so perfectly positioned. There was nothing I felt I could lift without doing irreparable damage to Ma’s
front garden so I turned to the back, and just kept looking, till Kartini called, ‘Auntie Josephine your removal
men have arrived.’

I took them into the kitchen for a cup of tea before showing them round the house.

‘What a beautiful garden your Mother had.’

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

‘Yes,’ I replied almost tearful.

I identified the stuff I wanted them to take and dashed round to the back garden again. I could’ve happily
taken the white bird house, held up by a solid wooden pole. It could’ve leant against the railing of my balcony
but I didn’t have the heart; Ma had already donated it to the birds.

Before long one of the removal men came out. He was a big, weathered man, with heavy, blunt hands and
tattoos of something Gothic and dark running up both arms. He came and stood beside me.

‘We’ve put everything in. Is there anything else you want us to take?’

I stared at him, distraught. I couldn’t leave without something from Ma’s garden.

‘My ma passed away not long ago. I know it happens to us all, but it was the hardest journey I’ve ever been
on, and I’ve been on a fair few.’

I remained there unable to move.

‘Are you sure there’s nothing else?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘You want something from this garden, don’t you?’

‘Yes. But I don’t have space for that slender silver birch or that dome shaped apple tree.’ .

His eyes travelled round the garden. ‘Where’s it for?’

‘My balcony. That’s all I have.’

‘Well what’s that next to the bay tree? There,’ he said, pointing at the kari pattha tree.

Knowing how Ma had struggled all those years to grow the kari pattha, it seemed sacrilegious to take away
that little part of India that she had planted in English soil.

I shook my head.

‘What about that bay tree next to it? That’d fit in neatly.’

‘Yes,’ I said with relief.

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

‘Did your Mother keep her shovels over there?’ he asked pointing to Ma’s white shed.

I nodded.

‘Well I’ll grab a spade, dig it up then cover over the hole. I’ll wrap up the roots. We can pick up a pot and
some compost on the way back to yours and I’ll replant it on your balcony.’

Tears streamed down my cheeks.

‘Is that not what you want?’ His eyes opened wide as he stared down at me.

‘No, yes. Yes, very much. Thank you.’

‘Well, why don’t you go in and check if you’ve forgotten anything and I’ll sort this out. My mate’s happy
having another cuppa with your sister and brothers and the kids.’

Ma’s bay tree is now replanted in a big wooden tub on my balcony and how it’s grown; the leaves are a deep,
dark, emerald green.

***

A year ago Ma’s house was sold and we returned to Larkden to sign various papers at the solicitor’s office. It
was a relief to have finally settled Ma’s estate and once we finished, we had lunch in the Peking Chef, Ma’s
favourite restaurant. Maya then suggested that we drive past for a last look.

‘What a good idea,’ Anthony said.

We jumped into the car and were off down the road and up the hill. We all smiled at each other as we turned
the corner of Bellingham Lane into Turnstile Way.

‘No.’

Angelo was silent.

‘How could they?’

I just stared. They had ransacked Ma’s front garden. The willow tree, the gladioli, the roses, the clusters of
delicate red begonias, the purple hyacinth, the cannas and the chrysanthemum, even the proud yellow
sunflowers; all gone, destroyed, paved over; a grey mass of concrete and two parked cars.

‘I’m sorry I suggested coming.’

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Anthony put his hand on Maya’s shoulder. ‘It’s not your fault.’

When I returned home, I went to the balcony. Under the dusty orange sky I stared across at the plants and
Ma’s bay tree. I reminded myself that reality isn’t static; nothing’s fixed or permanent, but I was lucky; Ma
had gifted me a garden full of memories.
PART IV Activity / Application:

Look for words with noun-forming suffixes and write them together with their source word on the space
provided. Examples are provided for you.

Gardener Garden
Actor Act

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

Answer the following in not less than three sentences each.

1. Describe the gardener.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Comment on the gardener’s relationship with her husband. With her children.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

3. What does the narrator treasure the most about the garden? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What does the statement “Ma had gifted me a garden full of memories” mean?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

PART VI CONCLUSION

This is a wonderful and heart-warming story about love: love of spouse, love of parents and love towards
nature ---plants, in particular.

The way the story was written was so easy to understand despite some Indian words which were defined in
the terminologies part of this module.

The stark difference between the life of Agueda (in Nick Joaquin’s short story) and the Indian national mother
of Josephine in the story is very apparent.

To live a life of happiness, one must choose to be happy. As one French Philosopher by the name of Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin puts it, “Man should find happiness in himself, not from outside circumstances beyond his
control.”

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ The Gardener by Jocelyn Watson https://theasianwriter.co.uk/2014/01/21/the-gardener-jocelyn-watson/

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 11 DAY NO. 1-4

LESSON 12: A Movie Review Review by Zainab Lakhani

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: Movie Review about an ideal student-teacher relationship

This lesson will tackle the story of how through patience and perseverance the teacher was able to turn life
around for a student who was often misunderstood.

At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:

➢ Be able to write a movie review as extensive and accurate as the one in this lesson
➢ Be able to cite their insights crystal clear through writing

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Urgency – importance requiring swift action

• Routine – sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program or schedule
• Dyslexia – reading disability; a learning disorder that involves difficulty ready due to problems
identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words

PART III DISCUSSION

Like Stars on Earth: A Movie Review by Zainab Lakhani

The movie “Like Stars on Earth” is about an eight year old boy who constantly gets into trouble. He is an
introverted little boy who would much rather play with stray dogs than the kids in his neighbourhood. He
doesn’t have the same urgency about life as the other around him do. Not bound by routine he’d happily miss
the bus for a few more minutes of sleep full of limitless dreams.

Ishaan Avasti (played by Darsheel Safary) is much more different from his peers than his lack of social skills, he
scores way below the average in all subject areas. His teachers and parents alike are frustrated with him and
are at their wits end. They blame bad behaviour, laziness and lack of discipline. Soon he is shipped off to
boarding school in hopes of better discipline (however, its more for his father’s relief than anything else).
Enter substitute art teacher Ram ShankarNikhumb. “Nikhumb Sir,” played by Bollywood super star Aamir
Khan, quickly realizes the boy’s problem and begins to enlighten the others. He is an art teacher at a school
that caters to children with disabilities. And he also has first-hand experience with dyslexia. Realizing that
Ishaan has the same disorder, he works with him a few extra hours outside of school and soon the little guy is
able to read and write with much less difficulty and spelling mistakes. Even Math comes easier.

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

The message behind the movie is clear; do not dismiss a person because they are not performing at the same
level as everyone else. Look for the underlying cause and work with it. Dismissal of Ishaan could have caused
him to become much worse and he might have ended up being a drop-out. However, with a little dedication
and some individual attention, he was able to thrive and his above average intelligence showed. He was also
able to express himself through his paintings which were very mature for his age. Sometimes, what a person
can offer to the world is not mainstream or one of the major interest areas such as science or mathematics.
Encouragement should be given where children excel, though it may be art or another area which isn’t so
lucrative.

Overall, this movie was enjoyable as well as possessing an underlying message without getting too preachy.
Aamir Khan did a great job, though at times his inclination to shed tears at the drop of a hat was a bit much to
take. If he had saved his tears for the emotional ending it would have been much more impactful. However,
the moment the father realized how close he had come to losing his son by alienating him was quite powerful.
Remaining stoic throughout the movie, his tears were very genuine and managed to elicit empathy from
viewers like me.

“Like Stars on Earth” is an original Hindi (Bollywood) movie dubbed in English for the American audience and
has been released here by Disney. The dubbing is done beautifully and there is barely any inconsistency with
lip movements and voice overs as is so common in other dubbed movies from the east (we won’t name
names). Though adults will fully appreciate the moral of the story, kids can enjoy it too. It definitely has
elements of humor that would appeal to a child. The American audience may not be as moved as their Indian
counterparts. This is because this country has seen and understood people with disabilities and disorders and
has already started to give them the support and extra guidance they need. However, the story as a whole will
definitely spark interest and be the feel-good movie that is popped in the DVD player for a quiet night at
home.

Remember: the naughty kid next door may not be bad, just misunderstood.

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Name the national languages spoken in the given places. The first two are done for you.

India - Hindu Japan - Nippongo

China Brazil
Norway Canada
Sweden America
Switzerland Netherlands
Saudi Arabia Thailand

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION
Answer the following questions in at least three sentences each per number.

1. Describe Ishaan as a person and as a student.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Describe Nukhumb as a person and as a teacher.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How did Nukhumb turn Ishaan into an above average student?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Ishaan had a disorder called dyslexia. Was it cured? Prove your answer.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

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PART VI CONCLUSION

There are instances when we prejudge people based on how they look, how they carry themselves and by
their wealth. We tend to be more courteous and reasonable to people who are good-looking, people who are
confident and people who are wealthy.

With the aforesaid standards, people who fall short of the standards are placed at a disadvantage.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Movie Review: Like Stars on Earth

http://twocircles.net/2010jan28/movie_review_stars_earth.html#.VyRm889JnIV

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 12 DAY NO. 1-4

LESSON 13: The Way Home: A Summary by Anonymous

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: A Movie Review of a Korean Film entitled, “A Way Home”

In this lesson, the review is so precise it gives the readers the chance to have glimpse of the movie itself even
by just reading the summary.

At the end of this lesson, the student is expected to:

➢ Be able to come up with his own movie review and write with the same clarity as the two movie
reviews encountered in this module

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Unconditional – not subject to any condition

• Insolence – rude and disrespectful behaviour
• Reminiscent – tending to remind one of something
• Signify – be an indication of
• Exemplify – be a typical example of
• Oblivious – not aware of or concerned about what is happening around one

PART III DISCUSSION

The Way Home: A Summary by: Anonymous

THE WAY HOME is a sweet story of redemption written and directed by award-winning Korean filmmaker Lee
Jeong-hyang. Set in the countryside of Korea, the film addresses the relationship between seven-year old
Sang-Woo and his grandmother, as she struggles to win him over with unconditional love despite his
selfishness. Through an entertaining and heart-wrenching series of events, Sang-Woo tries to run away from
his grandmother’s affection. The little boy finally comes to his senses with an ending that pulls the heartstrings
of the audience.

This movie has a message and heart that transcends any culture. It presents a marked contrast to a Western
culture that flaunts dysfunction as a marketable form of entertainment. Though somewhat slow in the middle,
the scenery and characters are very genuine and draw in the viewer. Writer and director Lee Jeong-hyang
does a tremendous job in telling this beautiful story. Reminiscent of the parables of Jesus, THE WAY HOME is a

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

beautiful story of redemption and the power of love and forgiveness. If you get an opportunity to see this
beautiful story, it will capture your heart and give you a greater appreciation of God’s love for the world.

Content:
(BBB, L, M) Very strong moral worldview that extols the power of unconditional love and redemption,
especially in a family setting and encourages forgiveness and humility while showing that man’s nature is evil
not good; three obscenities spoken by rebellious, spoiled young boy to his grandmother; and, very
disrespectful attitude of boy towards his grandmother, which is rebuked and discouraged, and boy is shown
going to the bathroom twice (in a familial way).

More Detail:
THE WAY HOME is a sweet story of redemption written and directed by award-winning Korean filmmaker Lee
Jeong-hyang. Set in the countryside of Korea, the film addresses the relationship between seven-year old
Sang-Woo (Yoo Seung-Hoo) and his grandmother (Kim Eul-Boon) when his mother leaves him with his
grandmother while she tries to find work.

Raised in Seoul, Sang-Woo is a selfish, spoiled child who does not respect his grandmother’s home, ability (she
is mute) and her care for him. He refuses to eat her food, help her around their home and even makes her life
more difficult. Yet, despite his insolence, she continues to love him and try to take care of him.

Through an entertaining and heart-wrenching series of events, Sang-Woo tries to run away from his
grandmother’s attention. He epitomizes that the heart of man is sinful and selfish, only caring for his own
desires. For example, when he tells his grandmother that he wants Kentucky Fried Chicken, she walks to the
village, buys a chicken, kills and boils it – only to have him cry and scream that it is not the real thing.

This story is reminiscent of one of the parables that Jesus used to teach His followers. Sang-Woo typifies
Mankind, who, due to his sinful nature, rejects God despite God’s continuous overtures of love and kindness.
Ultimately, because His love is unconditional, God’s “kindness leads us to repentance.” This repentant heart
finally comes to Sang-Woo in a touching scene, which captures the audience and the essence of the film.

Overall, this film has a message and heart that transcends any culture and needs to be seen in the midst of an
American culture that flaunts dysfunction as a marketable form of entertainment. Though somewhat slow in
the middle due to the lack of dialogue, the scenery and characters are very genuine and captivate the viewer.
Writer and director Lee Jeong-hyang does a tremendous job in telling this beautiful story, especially since she
used only first-time actors. If you can get an opportunity to see this beautiful story, it will capture your heart
and give you a greater appreciation of God’s love for the world.

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Look for the movie entitled “With Honors” starring Joe Pesci and write your own movie review. The link for the
said movie is the second link below under reference link in this lesson. Write your review in not less than five
paragraphs with five sentences each paragraph.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION
1. What does the title “The Way Home” signify?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. If you were the grandmother, how would you react to the treatment by the boy? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Do you believe that children raised by their grandparents, particularly grandmothers, are more spoiled
than children reared by their own parents?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

PART VI CONCLUSION

The story of this movie is like the Parable of Prodigal Son in the Bible. The grandmother’s unconditional love is
like the love shown by the father in the parable. Both love (of the grandmother and father in the parable)
exemplifies the Agape love of God himself.

At times when one always gets away with whatever he wants, that person tends to be oblivious to the feelings
of others around him. He is unaware that others are having a hard time because of him. Under normal
circumstances, such a person will lose everyone around him, because nobody can exemplify fully the so-called
unconditional love.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ The Way Home https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/the-way-home.html

✓ With Honors https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hZtWidt4lms

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 13 DAY NO. 1-4

LESSON 14: A Summary of a Japanese Animated Film

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: Summary of Spirited Away

This is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film about a 10 year old girl who had to move into a new
neighbourhood but had encountered an adventure while doing so. The summary gave a very vivid description
of the events that happened in the film.

At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:

➢ Come up with the moral lesson the animated film wishes to get across

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Phalanx – a body of troops or police officers standing or moving in close formation

• Soot – a black powdery flaky substance consisting largely of amorphous carbon, produced by the
incomplete burning of organic matter
• Hiro (fromChihiro) – Japanese term which means to ask questions

PART III DISCUSSION

Spirited Away: A Summary

Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl, sulks in the back seat of her parents’ car. The family is on its way to a new home in a new
town, and Chihiro doesn’t want to move. When her father gets lost taking a short cut, they discover the entrance to an
abandoned theme park. The parents investigate and find a deserted stall piled with food. They start eating, and soon,
they’re both pigging out. They try to make Chihiro eat, but she has a bad feeling about it and refuses the food. Chihiro
wanders away by herself. While she explores, a boy appears and warns her to leave before dark. She runs back to the
stall, only to find that her parents have turned into pigs. As night falls, shadowy spirits fill the park, and Chihiro starts
becoming transparent. The boy appears again and coaxes her to eat food from the spirit world, which will keep her from
disappearing. He then leads her to a busy bathhouse, negotiating her safely through a phalanx of spirits who aren’t
happy about having a human among them. After getting her to safety, he gives her detailed instructions on how to get a
job in the spirit world, which he says is the only way to survive. He says his name is Haku, and that he has known her
since she was very small.

Chihiro first goes to the boiler man, Kamaji, for a job. Kamaji tells her that the enchanted soot creatures provide him
with all the help he needs. As they talk, Chihiro rescues one of the soot creatures. A girl named Lin arrives and is shocked
to discover the human everyone is looking for. Impressed with Chihiro’s tenacity and kindness, Kamaji lies and tells Lin
that Chihiro is his granddaughter. He bribes Lin to take Chihiro to Yubaba, the witch who runs the bathhouse, to ask for a

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

job. Yubaba initially refuses, but gives in when Chihiro persists. After Chihiro signs a contract for the job, Yubaba steals
several of the characters that make up Chihiro’s name, renaming her Sen.

XVideo SparkNotes: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein summary

Video SparkNotes: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein summary
The next morning, Haku takes Sen to see her pig-parents, who no longer remember they were once human. Sen tries to
remember her real name, and almost can’t. Haku warns Sen that he no longer remembers who he used to be and that if
she forgets she’ll never be able to get home. Returning to the bathhouse, Sen looks back and sees a white dragon in the
air. She knows the dragon is Haku.

On Sen’s first day of work at the bathhouse, she encounters a silent, white-faced spirit called No-Face, for whom she
kindly leaves a door open. She also cleans a stink spirit, which turns out to be a polluted river spirit. The river spirit
rewards her job well done with a magic herbal cake. No-Face becomes obsessed with getting Sen’s attention. The next
day, Sen awakens to find everyone gone, and No-Face, who has gained a voice by eating a frog worker, is causing an
uproar by creating gold out of thin air.

Outside of the bathhouse, Sen sees the white dragon, Haku, being attacked by birds. She opens a door for him and he
flies through, followed by the birds, which are made of paper. In agony, Haku flies to Yubaba’s rooms on the upper level.
Knowing he’ll bleed to death without help, Sen runs to find him. One of the paper birds hides on her back. As Sen runs
through the bathhouse, No-Face sees her and tries to give her gold. She refuses it and runs away. Angered by her
refusal, No-Face starts swallowing the staff and causing a panic. Arriving at Yubaba’s quarters, Sen finds Haku
unconscious. The paper bird that has been hiding on Sen’s back seems to turn into Yubaba, but actually it’s her twin
sister, Zeniba. Zeniba has followed Haku because he stole her gold seal. Disgusted by Boh, Yubaba’s giant baby, Zeniba
turns him into a small mouse and turns Yubaba’s pet bird into a fly. Thrashing around, Haku smashes the paper bird, and
Zeniba disappears.

Haku and Sen fall down a dark shaft into the boiler room. Kamaji tells Sen that Haku is bleeding from the inside, so Sen
gives Haku part of the herbal cake the river spirit gave her. Haku vomits up the gold seal and a slug, which Sen squashes.
Haku turns back to his boy form, but he is still very ill. Sen decides to go to Zeniba in an attempt to convince her to cure
Haku. Kamaji gives Sen train tickets to get to Zeniba. On her way to the train, Sen confronts No-Face, who is still
terrorizing the bathhouse. She gives him the rest of the herbal cake that she’s been saving for her parents. He begins to
vomit and becomes angry at Sen, chasing her through the bathhouse. As he runs he vomits up all the people and things
he’s eaten, getting smaller and smaller until he’s back to his normal size and meek demeanor. Sen, the Boh-mouse, the
Yubaba-fly, and No-Face leave together for the train. As the group makes its way to Zeniba’s, Haku recovers. He leaves
the group and goes back to Yubaba, promising to return Boh to her if Yubaba will send Sen and her parents back to their
world.

When Sen arrives at Zeniba’s, she asks Zeniba to forgive Haku for stealing the seal and apologizes for killing the slug.
Zeniba explains that Yubaba put the slug in Haku to control him, and that Sen has already healed Haku with her love.
Haku arrives in his dragon form, and Sen climbs on his back so he can fly her, the Boh-mouse, and the Yubaba-fly back to
the bathhouse. Sen remembers that when she was very young she fell in a river. Instead of allowing her to drown, the
river carried her to safety. She had forgotten the river’s name, but now remembers that it was called the Kohaku River.
Sen tells Haku she thinks he was the river. Upon hearing his true name, Kohaku River, Haku’s dragon scales fall away and
he turns back into his boy shape. They arrive at the bathhouse, and Haku reminds Yubaba she promised to free Sen and
her parents. Yubaba says Sen must first identify her parents from a group of pigs. Sen looks over the pigs and declares,
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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

correctly, that none of them are her parents. Her contract dissolves and she again becomes Chihiro. Free at last, Chihiro
finds her parents, and, as they drive away, Chihiro assures her parents that she can probably handle a new home and
school.

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION
Look for adverbs in the preceding selection and list them down together with the words from which they were
derived. The first one is done for you.

1.safely Safe (Adjective) 6.

2. 7.
3 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

1. Is “Spirited Away” an appropriate title for the narrative? Why?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Describe Chihiro, Kamaji, Haku, Yubaba, Zeniba and Lin.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Describe the abandoned theme park. What atmosphere does it evoke?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART VI CONCLUSION

The summary of the movie is fun and so thorough such that by mere reading it, it is as if you have watched the
movie itself.

This movie summary showed a story of a young girl who matured a bit from the adventures she went through.
From being so reliant on others and avoiding effort, to helping others and making effort.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

• Spirited Away https://www.sparknotes.com/film/spiritedaway/summary/

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 14 DAY NO. 1-4

LESSON 15: A study of an allegorical poem by Julia Lithebe

PART I LESSON COVERAGE:

This is a poem that tried to present the issues of racism and basically discussed about the troubles faced by
people during the period of colonialism when people had to live hard lives in colonies under the imperialists.

At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:

➢ Be able to have a firm grasp of what racism is about and be able to verbalize it via writing

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Racism – prejudice, discrimination

• Verbalize – to express (ideas or feelings) in words especially by speaking out loud
• Discernment – the ability to judge well
• Incorporating – from the verb, incorporate – to take in or contain (something) as part of a whole;
include

PART III DISCUSSION

The Sunshine by:Julia Lithebe

The sun rises and shines
Incorporating the happiness of the day
Happiness reflecting in everything
It’s shining in my eyes
It’s shining refulgent every single day

The sun rises gloriously like it’s the first time

Reminiscent of a new baby
Look outside; hark, it’s shining!
Happiness radiates throughout the world
Basking in the glow of the sun

The sun shines all over

Incandescent the world over
Even a candle brings light
Meagre compared with magnificence of the sun
Radiating all over the nation

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

People are looking for the brightness

The radiance of the comely sun
Appreciate the beauty of the flowers
Indeed without the Sun’s glow
There is no life and future

The heat of the sun brings warmth

We living things bask in the light
Cavorting and gay under the light
Things are made Technicolor by the sun
Herein is the beauty of the sunshine!

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

List down compound nouns composed of the word sun, moon, or star and another word. Examples are done
for you.

Sunshine
Moonlight

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

1. What is the message of the poem?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Cite instances in which the message was stated.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

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STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

3. Which is a more pleasing sight to behold ---the rising sun or the setting sun? Justify your answer.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Africans used to be nature-worshippers. Does this have to do with the poem? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

PART VI CONCLUSION

Being so trusting both have positive and negative consequences. But more often than not, the negative
outweighs the positive.

In the poem, the African people (black) were unaware about the disastrous ending that they were about to
face at the hands of the British people (white).

Having strong discernment is important to be able to avoid being led on.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Black African Literature

http://blackafricanliterature.blogspot.com/2008/07/black-african-literature-poems-by-two.html

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 15 DAY NO. 1-4

LESSON 16: A Study of Euro-American Literary Pieces

PART I LESSON COVERAGE:

This is a memoir that traces the early travels of Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara who witnessed
the social injustices of exploited mine workers, persecuted communists, ostracized lepers and tattered
descendants of a once-great Inca civilization.

At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:

➢ Identify representative texts and authors from Europe, North America and South America
➢ Compare and contrast the various 21st-century literary genres and their elements, structures, and
traditions from across the globe

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Memoir – historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources
• Ostracized – exclude someone from a society or group
• Tattered – old or torn; in poor condition
• Exploited – make full use of or derive benefit from

PART III DISCUSSION

The Motorcycle Diaries by: Che Guevarra

The Motorcycle Diaries consist of diary entries written by Ernesto "Che" Guevara as he travelled with his friend Alberto
Granado across Latin America. Che Guevara was born in 1928 on June 14th in Rosario, Argentina. He grew up middle
class, the son of Ernesto Guevara Lynch and Celia de la Serna. Che grew up with asthma, which prevented him from
going to school until he was nine; he grew up in Alta Gracia, a town new Cordoba. Che went to Buenos Aires for medical
school in 1948 and in 1950 took a break to embark on a 4,500 kilometer journey around the north of Argentina. The next
year, in October, Che and his friend Alberto Granado come up with the idea to ride La Poderosa II, Alberto's motorbike,
all the way to North America. Alberto is a biochemist interested in lepers and leprology, whereas Che is a young medical
student with a budding interest in the topic. They begin their journey leaving Cordoba in December 1951 and meet Che's
family for farewells in Buenos Aires. The book consists of notes written on their trip from December well into 1952.

Guevara is most famous for his role in the establishment of the communist dictatorship government of Fidel Castro in
Cuba in 1956-58. He helped Castro to overthrow the authoritarian ruler of Cuba at the time, Batista. They eventually

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

win, with Che as one of the commanders of the revolutionary forces. He then becomes a leader in the government but
believes in spreading communist revolution across Latin America. He becomes well-known across the world for his
advocacy on behalf of the world's poor and tries to start revolution in other countries. He visits to Soviet Union, China
and many other communist countries. After he is killed in 1966 trying to start a communist revolution in Bolivia, Che
becomes the stuff of legend; he is quickly elevated to a symbol of working class revolution, social and economic equality,
and generally as a hero fighting for justice. The Motorcycle Diaries, while only sometimes touching on political topics,
helped to create the romantic mystique that surrounds Che Guevara. He is a young man at the time, twenty-three and
twenty-four, travelling the countryside, often observing the poverty of working class Latin Americans and coming to
believe in a proletarian revolution that would eventually establish a Pan-Latin-American communist state. Here one sees
the budding communist revolutionary in Che, whose ideas only begin to coalesce as he and Alberto travel throughout
Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela before Che finishes his medical degree. The book contains many small
entries arranged chronologically, as a diary is typically organized. It details his and Alberto's travels, their locations,
where they stayed, what they ate, their mode of travel and their health, along with the occasional description of the
countryside and characters they meet and the social implications of their observations.

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Activity 1: Name the English counterparts of the Filipino words of Castilan origin. The first one is done for you.

Kumusta How are you? Pan de sal

Kutsara Pan de leche
Kubyertos Pan de coco
Muwebles Puerto Azul
Bintana Puerto Galera
Puerta Puerto Princesa

Activity 2: Write a diary entry narrating the most important incident/s of the day

Date _________________

Dear Diary,

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STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION
Answer the following questions.

1. Describe Che Guevarra as a person and a revolutionary.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Are his diary entries similar to the entries in your or someone else’s diary? Cite instances.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

PART VI SUMMARY/CONCLUSION

Being able to feel the hardships of others despite being privileged is rare. Guevarra who was born into an
upper middle class family, displaying his willingness to fight and die for the cause of the poor, and his dream of
seeing a united Latin America is noble.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ The Motorcycle Diaries http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-the-motorcycle-diaries/#gsc.tab=0

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 16 DAY NO. 1-4

LESSON 17: Scrutinize the song written by a Peruvian singer and songwriter Gian Marco

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: A Song from Gloria Estefan’s Unwrapped Album

This is one of the songs included in Gloria Estefan’s album entitled Unwrapped.

At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:

➢ Be able to write his own love poem similar to “Wrapped”

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Scrutinize – examine or inspect closely and thoroughly

• Unrequited – a feeling not returned
• Reciprocated – respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one

PART III DISCUSSION

Wrapped by: Gloria Estefan, Zigmago Alcover, and Gian Marco

I keep every tear like an ocean

For everyday that my fortune
Kept me from being with you

I cradle your faith that reveals me

Grows like a flower, then heals me
Fills me with promise anew

I carry you on disillusion

When my pathetic confusion
Kept me from speaking the truth

Simply a coin in your fountain

Lost like the seconds I'm counting
'Til I am closer to you

I cherish every morning that found us

With the night scattered around us
Faded and painting me blue
I carry your joy in my footsteps
Making my way to your harbor
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STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

I don't need to go any further

You are my sun and my moon

Wrapped in your arms where it's peaceful

Back in your arms where I'm happy
I would do anything gladly
Only to see you again

Wrapped in your arms I can wander

Up to the heaven's above me
Hearing you say that you love me
Back in your arms where I'm free

Keep every phrase barely spoken

Left from your lips
They have broken
Free as you give me your love

The yearning is constant and steady

When I'm with you
I'm already
Everything I can become

I cherish every morning that found us

With the night scattered around us
Faded and painting me blue
I carry your joy in my footsteps
Making my way to your harbor
I don't need to go any further
You are my sun and my moon

Wrapped in your arms where it's peaceful

Back in your arms where I'm happy
I would do anything gladly
Only to see you again

Wrapped in your arms I can wander

Up to the heaven's above me
Hearing you say that you love me
Back in your arms where I'm free

Wrapped in your arms where it's peaceful

Back in your arms where I'm happy
I would do anything gladly
Only to see you again
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STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

Wrapped in your arms I can wander

Up to the heaven's above me
Hearing you say that you love me
Back in your arms where I'm free

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Write a three-stanza love poem similar to “Wrapped”

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

1. What is the message of the song?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How does it feel to be wrapped in the arms of somebody whom you love? And somebody who loves
you?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

PART VI CONCLUSION

There is no better love than a love that is reciprocated. It is a wonderful and fulfilling feeling that makes a
person whole...complete.

An unrequited love on the other hand is one that is disastrous and could lead to one’s ruin.

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107859193420/

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

TIME COVERAGE
WEEK NO. 17 DAY NO. 1-4

LESSON 18: A study of a short story by Alice walker

PART I LESSON COVERAGE: Alice Walker’s “The Flowers”

This is a story of a little girl’s childhood ending in a heartbreaking moment of discovery, the loss of innocence.
At the end of the story, the student is expected to:

➢ Be accurate at comparing and contrasting one thing from another

➢ Be apt at verbalizing one’s ideas via the avenue of writing

PART II TERMINOLOGIES

• Apt – appropriate or suitable in the circumstances

• Innocence – purity; lack of guile or corruption
• Cadaver – a corpse

PART III DISCUSSION

The Flowers by: Alice Walker

It seemed to Myop as she skipped lightly from hen house to pigpen to smokehouse that the days had never been as
beautiful as these. The air held a keenness that made her nose twitch. The harvesting of the corn and cotton, peanuts
and squash, made each day a golden surprise that caused excited little tremors to run up her jaws.

Myop carried a short, knobby stick. She struck out at random at chickens she liked, and worked out the beat of a song on
the fence around the pigpen. She felt light and good in the warm sun. She was ten, and nothing existed for her but her
song, the stick clutched in her dark brown hand, and the tat-de-ta-ta-ta of accompaniment,
Turning her back on the rusty boards of her family’s sharecropper cabin, Myop walked along the fence till it ran into the
stream made by the spring. Around the spring, where the family got drinking water, silver ferns and wildflowers grew.
Along the shallow banks pigs rooted. Myop watched the tiny white bubbles disrupt the thin black scale of soil and the
water that silently rose and slid away down the stream.

She had explored the woods behind the house many times. Often, in late autumn, her mother took her to gather nuts
among the fallen leaves. Today she made her own path, bouncing this way and that way, vaguely keeping an eye out for
snakes. She found, in addition to various common but pretty ferns and leaves, an armful of strange blue flowers with
velvety ridges and a sweet suds bush full of the brown, fragrant buds.

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STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

By twelve o’clock, her arms laden with sprigs of her findings, she was a mile or more from home. She had often been as
far before, but the strangeness of the land made it not as pleasant as her usual haunts. It seemed gloomy in the little
cove in which she found herself. The air was damp, the silence close and deep.

Myop began to circle back to the house, back to the peacefulness of the morning. It was then she stepped smack into his
eyes. Her heel became lodged in the broken ridge between brow and nose, and she reached down quickly, unafraid, to
free herself. It was only when she saw his naked grin that she gave a little yelp of surprise.

He had been a tall man. From feet to neck covered a long space. His head lay beside him. When she pushed back the
leaves and layers of earth and debris Myop saw that he’d had large white teeth, all of them cracked or broken, long
fingers, and very big bones. All his clothes had rotted away except some threads of blue denim from his overalls. The
buckles of the overall had turned green.

Myop gazed around the spot with interest. Very near where she’d stepped into the head was a wild pink rose. As she
picked it to add to her bundle she noticed a raised mound, a ring, around the rose’s root. It was the rotted remains of a
noose, a bit of shredding plowline, now blending benignly into the soil. Around an overhanging limb of a great spreading
oak clung another piece. Frayed, rotted, bleached, and frazzled–barely there–but spinning restlessly in the breeze. Myop
laid down her flowers.

And the summer was over.

PART IV ACTIVITY/APPLICATION

Do a Venn diagram showing the similarities and differences between a rose and a sampaguita.

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GRADE 11 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
STUDENT’S NAME: STRAND&SECTION:

PART V QUIZ/EVALUATION

Answer the following questions:

1. Why was the story entitled “The Flowers?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Describe Myop.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Did you show the same characteristics as those of Myop when you were a child?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

PART VI CONCLUSION

Being confronted suddenly with something that shatters your sense of being is something that will be very
unforgettable and will drive one to the edge.

Life would pose a lot of situations that would test how strong our character is. As Forrest Gump had said in the
movie, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you’ll never know what you’re going to get.”

PART VII REFERENCE LINK

✓ Flowers by Alice Walker http://theliterarylink.com/flowers.html

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