ANALYZE LITERATURE AS

A MIRROR TO A SHARED
HERITAGE OF PEOPLE
WITH DIVERSE
BACKGROUNDS
Can you guess what continent is it?
Africa
Farming is a big part of Africa’s culture. Some of their most
common crops are potato, corn, cotton, and sweet
potatoes. These crops require less water and more
sunlight which is abundant in the continent. Africa is also
known for its Safari where tourists and nature lovers can
take a tour and close encounter with wild animals.
Furthermore, one of its countries, Nigeria is the 4th largest
oil exporter in the world.
There are so many interesting things about Africa. Let us
go ahead and learn.
 You may have crossed over different cultures from your previous years of study and
experience. Let’s look back at those cultures from different nations.
Directions: Match Column A to Column B. Write the letter of your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.

1.
A. ) Philippines
B. ) Singapore
C. ) Nigeria
2 D. ) Brunei
.
E. California
F. Vietnam
3
.
A. ) Philippines
B. ) Singapore
4.
C. ) Nigeria
D. ) Brunei
E. California
5. F. Vietnam
Correct Answrs:
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. F
LET US STUDY
Peoples’ cultures across the world have similarities and differences.
One way of learning about other’s cultures is through their literature.

Do you know that there are cultures where having more than one wife
is an acceptable custom? Such tradition is even protected by their
national laws; hence, they are considered sacred and binding. It is
likewise acceptable for the groom to give dowry to the parents of the
bride. Others may find this very offensive, but for Africans, this tradition
symbolizes how much a man loves a woman.
In the Philippines, this same culture is common to Muslim people.
The men can have more than one wife, and before they can marry any
woman, they need to pay a dowry to her family.
Directions: Read the selection below and answer the activity that
follows. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

On The Woman Who Melted

A Nigerian Folktale

1. There was once a very fat woman who was made of oil. She
was very beautiful, and many young men applied to the parents for
permission to marry their daughter, and offered dowry, but the
mother always refused, as she said it was impossible for her daughter
to work on a farm, as she would melt in the sun. At last, a stranger
came from a far-distant country and fell in love with the fat woman,
and he promised if her mother would hand her to him that he would
keep her in the shade. At last, the mother agreed, and he took his
wife away.
2. When he arrived at his house, his other wife immediately became
very jealous, because when there was worked to be done, firewood to
be collected, or water to be carried, the fat woman stayed at home and
never helped, as she was frightened of the heat.

3. One day when the husband was absent, the jealous wife abused the
fat woman so much that she finally agreed to go and work on the farm,
although her little sister, whom she had brought from home with her,
implored her not to go, reminding her that their mother had always told
them ever since they were born that she would melt away if she went
into the sun. All the way to the farm the fat woman managed to keep in
the shade, and when they arrived at the farm the sun was very hot, so
the fat woman remained in the shade of a big tree.
4.When the jealous wife saw this, she again began abusing
her, and asked her why she did not do her share of the work.
At last, she could stand the nagging no longer, and although
her little sister tried very hard to prevent her, the fat woman
went out into the sun to work, and immediately began to
melt away.
5.There was very soon nothing left of her but one big toe,
which had been covered by a leaf. This her little sister
observed, and with tears in her eyes she picked up the toe,
which was all that remained of the fat woman, and having
covered it carefully with leaves, placed it in the bottom of
her basket. When she arrived at the house the little sister
placed the toe in an earthen pot, filled it with water, and
covered the top up with clay.
6. When the husband returned, he said, "Where is my fat
wife?" and the little sister, crying bitterly, told him that the
jealous woman had made her go out into the sun, and that
she had melted away. She then showed him the pot with the
remains of her sister, and told him that her sister would come
to life again in three months' time quite complete, but he
must send away the jealous wife, so that there should be no
more trouble; if he refused to do this, the little girl said she
would take the pot back to their mother, and when her sister
became complete again, they would remain at home.
7. The husband then took the jealous wife back to her parents, who
sold her as a slave and paid the dowry back to the husband, so that he
could get another wife. When he received the money, the husband
took it home and kept it until the three months had elapsed, when the
little sister opened the pot and the fat woman emerged, quite as fat
and beautiful as she had been before. The husband was so delighted
that he gave a feast to all his friends and neighbors and told them the
whole story of the bad behavior of his jealous wife.
8. Ever since that time, whenever a wife behaves very badly the
husband returns her to the parents, who sell the woman as a slave, and
out of the proceeds of the sale reimburse the husband the amount of
dowry which he paid when he married the girl.
Activity: Among the eight paragraphs, choose where we can find the
information in each item. The first one was done for you.
0. The husband is very happy when he sees the love of his life, his fat
wife.
Answer: Paragraph no. 7
1. The men need to ask for the permission of the parents of the
woman who they want to marry. _______
2. The sister supported and helped the fat woman not to melt.
_______
3. The man returned his bad and jealous wife to her parents. _______
4. The mother of the fat woman told her since she was a child that
she will melt if she will stay under the sun. _______
5. The husband and his wives need to collect water and firewood.
_______
LET US REMEMBER
Peoples’ cultures across the world have
similarities and differences. One way of
learning about other’s cultures is through
their literature. We can learn a lot from
reading, watching, and listening to their
literature.
Directions: Write “share” if the said custom is also practiced in the
Philippines and write “like” if it is not practiced in the Philippines. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
1. ___ Men can have more than one (1) wife if he can provide for them
(wives).
2. ___ Men need to ask the blessing and permission of the parents of the
woman that they want to marry.
3. ___ A younger sister of the bride is required to go with her older sister
when she will be married.
4. ___ Husbands can return their wife to her parents if she (wife) is
behaving badly.
5. ___ The wives oversee keeping and arranging the household.
If you want to visit a country or a place but you don’t have money,
you may read their literature and you will learn and imagine their culture and
tradition. Your imagination is the limit.
By looking through the details of a story or poem, we can learn more about
their culture.
Directions: Answer the following questions. Write your answers on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. What makes the woman so fat?
_________________________________________________________________
2. Why does the fat woman’s mother, at first, refuse the young man’s offer
to marry her daughter?
__________________________________________________________________
3. How would you describe the mother of the fat woman?
__________________________________________________________________
4. Does the other wife have reasons to be jealous of the fat woman?
__________________________________________________________________
5. How does the other wife treat the fat woman?
__________________________________________________________________
Directions: Reflect on the following questions. Write your answers on a separate sheet
of paper.
Of all the available objects, why do you think the fat woman was made out of oil?
(Clue: Think of some abundant products in Nigeria.)
1. Answer:
______________________________
“Many young men applied to the parents for permission to marry their daughter.”
In what way are the parents involved in the marriage of their children?
2.Answer:
_______________________________
Do we, Filipinos, also seek permission form our parents in terms of marriage? Yes or
no.
3.Answer:__________
“fire wood to be collected, or water to be carried” Do some Filipinos also need to
collect water and firewood? Yes or no.
4.Answer: ________________
Is it possible to learn others’ culture through reading the stories written in their
country?
5. Answer: ____________
Directions: Fill out the following Venn diagram with the things about marriage that you read
in the selection, and the things about marriage here in the Philippines. In the middle, write
their similarities. Copy the diagram and answer it on a separate sheet of paper.

Things about marriage Their Things about marriage

from the selection: similarities: in the Philippines:
Directions: Answer the following questions. Write your answers
on a separate sheet of paper.
1. What happens if a wife behaves badly according to the story?
__________________________________________________________
___________
2-4 List down three African customs that are evident in the story. You
may also write the evidence.
5-7 List down three situations that show how the women are treated in
Africa.
8-10 List down three examples on how you treated a woman in your
life.
You may write about your mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, friend, or
anyone who is a female.