1

Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region IV MIMAROPA
Division of Puerto Princesa City
PALAWAN NATIONAL SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

SECOND SEMESTER / FOURTH QUARTER
S.Y. 2018-2019
Basic Textual and Contextual Reading Approaches Explanation:
The persona in the poem compares his love to a
Figures of Speech red rose that blooms in springtime.

Objective  Metaphor
A metaphor is a comparison that is done by
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify the +stating that one thing is another in order to
different figures of speech. suggest their similarity or shared qualities.

What are figures of speech? Example:

Why do literary writers use figures of speech? Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky.
–Khalil Gibran
Figures of Speech
Explanation:
Figures of speech, also referred to as figurative In the given quote, trees are likened to poems,
language, are words or phrases that express meanings in and the comparison does not use words such as
a nonliteral way. These expressions are often used for like or as.
comparison and for conveying emotion.
 Metonymy
Literary writers use figures of speech to enhance the Metonymy refers to using a thing or idea that is
artistic quality of their works. Figures of speech bring not referred to by its own name but by a different
vividness and liveliness to the work, and they also one, a name of something with which it is closely
emphasize the message that the writer wants to convey. associated.
The use of these expressions also allows readers to feel a
connection with the literary work by sparking their Example:
imagination and arousing their emotions. I’m mighty glad Georgia waited till after Christmas
before it seceded or it would have ruined the
There are numerous figures of speech, and these can be Christmas parties.
classified into different categories. Among these categories –from Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
are the following:
Explanation:
 Figures of relationship In the given line, Georgia is not used to refer to
 Figures of emphasis the place or state but rather the people making up
 Figures of sound the state: its citizens and government officials.

Figures of Relationship  Synecdoche

A synecdoche uses a part of something to
Figures of relationship include simile, metaphor, represent the whole or the whole to represent a
metonymy, and synecdoche. part.

 Simile Example:
A simile compares two unlike things with a His eye met hers as she sat there paler and whiter
common quality. The comparison is done than anyone in the vast ocean of anxious faces
using words such as like or as. about her.
–from "The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton
Example:
O my Luve's like a red, red rose, Explanation:
That's newly sprung in June; The word faces is used to refer to people.
–from "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns

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Figures of Emphasis Example:

Among the common figures of emphasis are hyperbole, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared
oxymoron, and paradox. to dream before
–from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
 Hyperbole
Hyperbole uses intentional exaggeration to Explanation:
achieve emphasis or produce a comic effect.
The neighboring words doubting, dreaming,
Example: dreams, dared, and dream begin with the d sound,
I had to wait in the station for ten days–an giving the line a musical quality.
eternity.
–from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad  Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitate
Explanation: the sound of what they are referring to.
The use of the word eternity to describe a wait of
ten days is an exaggeration. It simply emphasizes Example:
that the persona feels that he waited for so long.
ARIEL:
 Oxymoron Hark, hark!
An oxymoron is a word or a combination of words Bow-wow.
with contradictory meanings, as in bittersweet and The watch-dogs bark!
open secret. Bow-wow.
Hark, hark! I hear
Example: The strain of strutting chanticleers
Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! Cry, ‘cock-a-diddle-dow!’
O anything, of nothing first create! –from The Tempest by William Shakespeare
–from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Explanation:
Explanation:
The phrase loving hate is an oxymoron, as it The words bow-wow and cock-a-diddle-dow are
makes use of two contradictory terms. examples of onomatopoeia, as they are animal
sounds.
 Paradox
Key Points
A paradox is a statement that appears to hold
contradictory ideas but may actually be true.  Figures of speech, also referred to as figurative
language, are words or phrases that express
Example: meanings in a nonliteral way.
 Figures of relationship include simile,
The Child is father of the Man. metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche.
–from "My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold" by  Some figures of emphasis are hyperbole,
William Wordsworth oxymoron, and paradox.
 Among the figures of sound are alliteration and
onomatopoeia.
Explanation:
Literary Techniques
The given statement may appear silly at first, but
what it conveys is that the experiences of the child
Objective
shape who he/she becomes and how he/she acts
as an adult.
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify
different literary techniques.
Figures of Sound
What are literary techniques?
Among the figures of sound are alliteration and
Why do writers use literary techniques?
onomatopoeia.
Literary Techniques
 Alliteration
 Literary techniques or devices refer to specific
Alliteration refers to the use of closely spaced
methods writers employ in their works to convey
words that have the same initial sounds.
messages. Readers, on the other hand, look for
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several literary techniques when examining or  Explanation:

analyzing a text or simply evaluating a text’s The passage above shows that Don Quixote,
artistic value. despite considering himself as a knight-errant, is a
 Keep in mind that literary techniques or devices coward. Instead of helping his squire Sancho from
are different from literary elements. Literary the mob, he fled to save himself.
elements are essential to a narrative as writers
make use of these components to serve as the
structure of and to develop a story. These  Cliff-hanger is a literary technique used by the
elements refer to the plot, setting, characters, author to arouse curiosity among readers by
point of view, and theme, among others. ending a chapter or story abruptly. Most of the
 Here are some literary techniques that writers time, the characters are confronted with a difficult
make use of in their works. or an unsettling situation. Instead of providing a
resolution, the author would end it. Furthermore,
 Anaphora, sometimes called epanaphora, refers this technique is often found in serialized works.
to the repetition of a word or phrase at the Writers utilize cliff-hangers in their works to keep
beginning of a sentence to create an artistic or the readers focused and interested as to what will
heightened effect. It adds rhythm to a particular happen next.
line or paragraph, making it easier to memorize or
remember. Anaphora is also used for emphasis or  Example:
to stir emotions among the audience.  Divergent (An Excerpt)
 Example: By Veronica Roth
 Hamlet (An Excerpt)  I turn the gun in my hands and press it into
By William Shakespeare Tobias’s palm.
 'Tis a fault to heaven,  He pushes the barrel into my forehead. My tears
A fault against the dead, a fault to nature have stopped and the air feels cold as it touches
To reason most absurd. . . . my cheeks. I reach out and rest my hand on his
 (Hamlet by Shakespeare, Act 1 Scene 2) chest so I can feel his heartbeat. At least his
 Explanation: heartbeat is still him.
 The line above was delivered by Claudius while  The bullet clicks into the chamber. Maybe it will be
talking to Hamlet. Claudius was trying to convince as easy to let him shoot me as it was in the fear
his nephew to end his mourning for his father, landscape, as it is in my dreams. Maybe it will be
emphasizing that it is “a fault” against heaven, the just a bang, and the lights will lift, and I will find
dead, and nature to do so since death is myself in another world. I stand still and wait.
inevitable.  (Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: Katherine
Tegen Books, 2011)
 Antihero
 An antihero is a fictional character who does not Explanation:
possess the traits, such as pride and valor,
expected of a hero. Often, antiheroes are  The main character Tris Prior was in an intense
portrayed as foolish and usually find themselves in situation as Tobias, under a simulation, was about
mischief. to shoot her. However, the author did not divulge
 Example: whether Tobias did it or not until the next chapter.
 Don Quixote (An Excerpt)
By Miguel Cervantes Juxtaposition is a technique authors use in their
 One of those, however, that stood near him, works to compare two different things, or two
fancying he was mocking them, lifted up a long contrasting ideas to be able to emphasize their
staff he had in his hand and smote him such a differences, such as good and evil, life and death,
blow with it that Sancho dropped helpless to the truth and lies, among others. This technique is
ground. Don Quixote, seeing him so roughly also used to develop a character, resolve a
handled, attacked the man who had struck him conflict, or clarify various concepts.
lance in hand, but so many thrust themselves
between them that he could not avenge him. Far  Example:
from it, finding a shower of stones rained upon  The Cask of Amontillado (An Excerpt)
him, and crossbows and muskets unnumbered By Edgar Allan Poe
levelled at him, he wheeled Rocinante round and,  It was about dusk, one evening during the
as fast as his best gallop could take him, fled from supreme madness of the carnival season, that I
the midst of them, commending himself to God [Montresor] encountered my friend [Fortunato]. He
with all his heart to deliver him out of this peril, in accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had
dread every step of some ball coming in at his been drinking much. The man wore motley. He
back and coming out at his breast, and every had on a tightfitting parti-striped dress, and his
minute drawing his breath to see whether it had head was surmounted by the conical cap and
gone from him.

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bells. I was so pleased to see him, that I thought I Example:

should never have done wringing his hand. . . .
 At the most remote end of the crypt there Oedipus the King (An Excerpt)
appeared another less spacious. Its walls had By Sophocles
been lined with human remains, piled to the vault
overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Second Messenger:
Paris. Three sides of this interior crypt were still
ornamented in this manner. From the fourth the
(. . . .) Guided his footsteps; with a terrible shriek,
bones had been thrown down, and lay
As though one beckoned him, he crashed against
promiscuously upon the earth, forming at one
The folding doors, and from their staples forced
point a mound of some size. Within the wall thus
The wrenched bolts and hurled himself within.
exposed by the displacing of the bones, we
Then we beheld the woman hanging there,
perceived a still interior recess, in depth about four
feet, in width three, in height six or seven. . . .
A running noose entwined about her neck.
 Explanation:
But when he saw her, with a maddened roar
 Edgar Allan Poe used juxtaposition in “The Cask
He loosed the cord; and when her wretched corpse
of Amontillado.” In the first paragraph, the carnival
Lay stretched on earth, what followed—O 'twas dread!
season, including Fortunato’s motley, symbolizes
He tore the golden brooches that upheld
life and merrymaking. Meanwhile, the catacombs
Her queenly robes, upraised them high and smote
and bones symbolize what would become of
Full on his eye-balls, uttering words like these:
Fortunato.
"No more shall ye behold such sights of woe,
Deeds I have suffered and myself have wrought;
Foreshadowing Henceforward quenched in darkness shall ye see
Those ye should ne'er have seen; now blind to those
Foreshadowing refers to lines or dialogues in a story Whom, when I saw, I vainly yearned to know."
which give the reader an idea of what is about to happen
without spoiling or explicitly stating the plot’s entirety. When Explanation:
writers use this technique, especially in mystery or thriller
novels, they provide “red herrings” (misleading or false
clues) to divert the readers’ expectations. The excerpt above pertains to the scene where it was
revealed that Oedipus married his mother Jocasta and
killed his father Laius. Upon learning of the truth, Jocasta
Example:
committed suicide while Oedipus thrust his mother’s golden
brooches into his eyes, thus causing him to become blind.
The Iliad (An Excerpt)
By Homer Stream of Consciousness
Then Thetis spake unto him, shedding tears the while: Stream of consciousness, sometimes referred to as
“Doomed then to a speedy death, my child, shalt thou be, interior monologue, is a literary technique that is usually
that thou spakest thus; for straightway after Hector is thine associated with Modern writers. The plot is developed
own death ready at hand." based on the characters’ reminiscence or recollection of
events and thought fragments. Instead of using dialogues
Explanation: to show the characters’ reaction or emotion, writers make
use of stream of consciousness to show each character’s
Achilles was devastated upon learning about Patroclus’ complex nature. More so, readers are taken into the depths
death in the hands of Hector. He wished to avenge his of the characters’ mind and witness how these characters
fallen comrade, but his mother, Thetis, warned him of his process their thoughts when faced with a particular
impending death should he kill Hector in battle. situation or emotion.

Catharsis Example:

Catharsis is derived from the Greek word katharsis, which Mrs. Dalloway (An Excerpt)
means “purification” or “purgation.” It refers to the By Virginia Woolf
emotional release or cleansing of the characters, or
audience or readers, from strong emotions usually brought Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. . . .
by learning of the truth or when confronted with difficult
situations. This technique is commonly found in tragedies, For Lucy had her work cut out for her. The doors would be
such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Sophocles’ taken off their hinges; Rumpelmayer's men were coming.
Oedipus the King. And then, thought Clarissa Dalloway, what a morning--
fresh as if issued to children on a beach.

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What a lark! What a plunge! For so it had always seemed Writers make use of literary techniques or devices to
to her, when, with a little squeak of the hinges, which she convey messages or to simply add an artistic value to a
could hear now, she had burst open the French windows text. Readers look for these techniques to help them
and plunged at Bourton into the open air. How fresh, how analyze or interpret a specific body of work.
calm, stiller than this of course, the air was in the early
morning; like the flap of a wave; the kiss of a wave; chill Some of the literary techniques are anaphora, antihero,
and sharp and yet (for a girl of eighteen as she then was) cliff-hanger, juxtaposition, foreshadowing, stream of
solemn, feeling as she did, standing there at the open consciousness, catharsis, and hamartia.
window, that something awful was about to happen;
looking at the flowers, at the trees with the smoke winding ____________________________________________
off them and the rooks rising, falling; standing and looking
until Peter Walsh said, "Musing among the vegetables?"-- Literary Reading through a Biographical Context
was that it?--"I prefer men to cauliflowers"--was that it? . . .
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to analyze a
Explanation: literary text through a biographical context.

From the passage above, we see how Mrs. Dalloway’s What is a biographical context?
thoughts wandered from present to past. All these came How do we analyze a literary text through its biographical
into her head while she was on her way to buy flowers. context?

Hamartia Biographical Context

Hamartia, or tragic flaw, is a technique commonly found  A biographical context refers to the author’s life
in Greek tragedies. It refers to the tragic hero’s error in and the factors that influenced and shaped it,
judgment, which leads to his or her downfall. Most of the such as social, political, and economic conditions
time, this error is committed unknowingly, such in the case during his or her time. This also includes his or her
of Oedipus when he killed his father Laius and married his educational background, religion, ethnicity, among
mother Jocasta. Hamartia is used to have the audience others. When you read based on a biographical
identify themselves with the protagonist (that he or she has context, you employ a biographical criticism.
weaknesses too) and to provoke pity because of the  In analyzing a text based on its biographical
miserable turn of events he or she went through. context, you should consider not only how the
Additionally, it is used to impart a moral objective among factors mentioned earlier have caused an impact
readers or audience to improve or change for the better so to the author, but also how these factors were
as to avoid the tragedy that has befallen the protagonist. reflected in, and have helped shape, his or her
work(s).
Example:  It is important to take into consideration the literary
background of the author. You must research
Medea (An Excerpt) about who and which the author reads as these
By Euripides may have also influenced him or her and his or
her work(s).
An easy answer had I to this swell
Of speech, but Zeus our father knoweth well, However, one should not mistake a biographical analysis
All I for thee have wrought, and thou for me. from a biography. Remember that when you analyze a text
So let it rest. This thing was not to be, based on the biographical context, you gather information
That thou shouldst live a merry life, my bed about the author’s life as it can help you understand some
Forgotten and my heart uncomforted, difficult concepts or extract profound meanings in an
Thou nor thy princess: nor the king that planned author’s work. Moreover, a biographical analysis helps you
Thy marriage drive Medea from his land, understand the relationship of the author and his or her
And suffer not. Call me what thing thou please, work(s), not produce a detailed account of his or her life–
Tigress or Skylla from the Tuscan seas: thus, a biography. Literature, aside from being form of
My claws have gripped thine heart, and all things shine. expression, can be based on real or orchestrated events.
These events included by the author in his or her work(s)
Explanation: are sometimes different from what really transpired in real
life. Sometimes these events are a reimagination,
exaggeration, or wishful thinking.
Medea’s hamartia or tragic flaw was her excessive love for
Jason, who left her and their children to marry Creon’s
Example:
daughter, Glauce. This led Medea to cast her revenge to
Glauce, poisoning her, and to kill their children as she
knew how greatly it would hurt Jason. Manuel E. Arguilla’s “How My Brother Leon Brought Home
a Wife” is a story told through Baldo’s, Leon’s brother, point
Summary of view. He narrated how Leon brought his soon-to-be wife,
Maria, in their hometown (Nagrebcan, La Union) to meet
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his family. To analyze this story, let us first consider some The English Language Situation during the American
facts about Arguilla: Colonial Period (1898–1945)

 Arguilla was born on June 17, 1911 in Bauang, La In 1901, the Americans established public education in the
Union to Crisanto Arguilla and Margarita Estabillo. Philippines with English as the medium of instruction. This
 He was the fourth child and his family owned a exposed Filipino writers to Anglo-American literature,
small piece of land in their town. culture, and ways of looking at the world. Hence, a period
 He was married to Lydia Villanueva, who was of apprenticeship in the development of a new body of
from Ermita, Manila. literature took place. The period of apprenticeship (1910–
1935) was characterized by writers imitating Western
Explanation: writers. The succeeding “period of emergence” (1935–
1945) saw writers gaining full command of English and
Based on the facts presented above, we can infer that finally giving shape to what is now the Philippine Literature
Arguilla’s “How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” in English.
was a creative retelling of how his then girlfriend Lydia
Villanueva met his folks in La Union. Moreover, Maria Example 1:
fondly calls Leon “Noel,” which also reads as Leon in a
reverse manner or simply referring to the author since his Dead Stars (An Excerpt)
first name was “Manuel.” By Paz Marquez-Benitez

The Ilocano culture of calling an older woman or man Under straight recalcitrant hair, a thin face with a satisfying
manang or manong respectively was also evident. breadth of forehead, slow, dreamer's eyes, and astonishing
Additionally, this story was published during the American freshness of lips--indeed Alfredo Salazar's appearance
occupation in the country. Since the country as a whole betokened little of exuberant masculinity; rather a poet with
was transgressing from its conservative roots, not to wayward humor, a fastidious artist with keen, clear brain.
mention that the English language was widely used then
(which also lacks words to describe an elder sibling such Explanation:
as ate or kuya), perhaps this was Arguilla’s way of
preserving his Ilocano upbringing. “Dead Stars” (1925) by Paz Marquez-Benitez is considered
as the first modern Philippine short story in English for its
Summary maturity in subject and language. The prose is rich, a
characteristic found in Western literature, which is often
Reading through a biographical context entails that readers verbose and elaborate. It uses deep words and figures of
understand the text better upon learning about the author’s speech (e.g., “recalcitrant hair”). The sentence is quite
life. Keep in mind that even when engaging in a long; the author plays with the language, creating a more
biographical criticism, your interpretation must still come vivid characterization of Alfredo.
from how the text made an impact on you. Analyzing a text
based on the biographical context adds substance to that Example 2:
“impact” and does not distort it.
How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife (An
Excerpt)
By Manuel E. Arguilla
Literary Reading through a Linguistic Context
She stepped down from the carretela of Ca Celin with a
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to survey the quick, delicate grace. She was lovely. She was tall. She
English language situation in Philippine Literature in looked up to my brother with a smile, and her forehead was
English during the American Colonial Period of the on a level with his mouth.
Philippines.
"You are Baldo," she said and placed her hand lightly on
How did the Filipino writers in English during the American my shoulder. Her nails were long, but they were not
Colonial Period of the Philippines handle English in their painted. She was fragrant like a morning when papayas
writing? are in bloom. And a small dimple appeared momently high
How successful are the Filipino writers in infusing Filipino on her right cheek. "And this is Labang of whom I have
sensibilities in their works? heard so much." She held the wrist of one hand with the
other and looked at Labang, and Labang never stopped
English is a legacy of the American colonization of the chewing his cud. He swallowed and brought up to his
Philippines. In this lesson, you will see how Filipino writers mouth more cud and the sound of his insides was like a
were able to use English to create a new body of Philippine drum.
literature.

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Explanation: writer-in-residence at Wichita State University. In 1976, he

became a US citizen. He returned to the Philippines for a
In “How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” (1941), visit in 1981.
Arguilla writes in a simple and very fluid language, which is
easy for the readers to follow. He used simple figures of
speech (e.g., “fragrant like a morning when papayas are in
bloom”). He also used borrowed Spanish words to express Learn about it!
meanings more accurately. For example, he used
“carretela of Ca Celin” instead of “Mr. Celine’s carriage.” It Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez (1915–1999), simply
places the story in a rural setting and gives it a distinct known as “N. V. M.,” became a Rockefeller Foundation
native quality. fellow in 1948 and attended Stanford University in
California and Columbia University in New York City. In
Key Points 1950, he returned to the country and began his teaching
career. Then he went back to California in the 1960s to
The American Colonial Period (1898–1945) saw the birth teach and stayed there until 1983. Despite those travels,
of Philippine Literature in English. The "period of though, he never gave up his citizenship. Throughout his
apprenticeship" is characterized by Filipino writers following teaching career, he produced fourteen books, including the
Western writers. Then the short story “Dead Stars” by Paz short story collections Children of the Ash-Covered Loam
Marquez-Benitez, with its maturity in subject and language, (1954) and The Bread of Salt and Other Stories (1993). He
made its mark as the first modern Filipino short story in received many awards for his achievements including the
English. The succeeding “period of emergence” saw writers National Artist of Literature in 1997.
like Manuel Arguilla gain full command of English to
express the Filipino sensibility. Learn about it!

Context – This is the background of the text which may Example 1:

have been influenced by the author’s life, language,
society, and culture. “Immigration Blues”
by Bienvenido Santos
Figure of Speech – This word or phrase has a different
meaning from its literal meaning. “Immigration Blues” tells the story of Alipio Palma, a
Filipino old-timer and a naturalized American citizen. A
Setting – This refers to the time and place where the widower, he lived alone in an apartment in San Francisco.
events in a story take place. One day during the summertime, two women came to his
home. The women were Antonietta Zafra and her sister
Monica. Antonietta introduced herself to Alipio as the wife
of Carlito. At the mention of the name of his old buddy,
Literary Reading through a Sociocultural Context Alipio became familiar. In their conversation, he talked
about his late wife Seniang. One of his fond memories of
her is when he came home to see her wearing his jacket
and slippers. Also, she went to see him in his apartment
and asked him without hesitation to marry her. She had to
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify and marry an American citizen like Alipio at that time so that
examine the sociocultural context in the works of two major she could stay in the country. In return, she would take
Filipino writers, Bienvenido Santos and N. V. M. Gonzalez. care of him. At first, Alipio was not interested. Eventually,
he agreed to marry her. By doing so, he thought that he
What did Bienvenido Santos and N. V. M. Gonzalez write would become more sensible with his time and money and
about mostly? that he would be happier, and he would live longer.
How did they present the Filipino in their works?
For the same reason as Alipio’s late wife, Antonietta and
Bienvenido Santos (1911–1996) became an exile twice. her sister Monica came to see Alipio. At first, it was only
In 1941, he was studying in the US on government Antonietta who was working on Alipio for Monica. She was
scholarship when the Japanese attacked Manila in dropping hints during their conversation. The most obvious
December; he was cut off from his family. During that time, one was when Alipio was telling the two women how he
he wrote stories that later on appeared in his short story and Carlito had impressed women before with their
collections You, Lovely People (1955), The Day the gallantry and that they were “fools on fire.” Antonietta
Dancers Came (1967), and Scent of Apples (1979). He responded with less subtlety by saying, “I’m sure you still
was only able to return to the country in February 1946. got some of that fire.” From that moment, Monica took her
Then in 1972, he was with his wife Beatriz in San turn to work on Alipio herself. The story ends with
Francisco when President Ferdinand Marcos declared Antonietta leaving Alipio and Monica alone to go to a
martial law. His novel The Praying Man (1982), which is nearby grocery store for their dinner.
about the political corruption of the government, was
banned by the government. From 1973 to 1982, he was a
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 In 1977, the short story won the best fiction award Tip
given by New Letters magazine. In 1980, it was
included in Scent of Apples, published by the Society and culture strongly influence a writer’s work. To
University of Washington Press. The next year, understand the text better then, identify its sociocultural
Santos won the American Book Award for that context.
collection from Before Columbus Foundation.
Key Point
Example 2:
Context is the background of the text which may have been
“The Tomato Game” influenced by the author’s life, language, society, and
by N. V. M. Gonzalez culture.

“The Tomato Game” is written in an epistolary style. The _______________________________________________

narrator, a lecturer at a university called Transpacifica
University in the US, is writing to a man named Greg. In the Critical Reading Strategies in Literature
letter, he tells about a colleague named Sophio
Arimuhanan, whom he refers to as Sopi, and his modus Objective
operandi. Sopi calls himself “Importer-Exporter of Brides,”
that is, he makes arrangements for people who wanted to At the end of this lesson, you should be able to explore and
get married. He is called “Attorney,” but he is not legally apply different reading strategies in literature.
allowed to practice law. One Sunday in the summertime,
the narrator and Sopi went to a tomato farm. At first the What is critical reading?
narrator thought they were going to watch a cockfight, but Why is it important?
he soon found out that they were meeting an old man What are the different critical reading strategies in
whom Sopi referred to as “Lolo.” This old man was literature?
arranged by Sopi to marry a young Filipina named Alice. In
their arrangement, the old man would take Alice as his wife
Critical reading strategies in literature vary in purpose
and some young man named Tony as his nephew. Then
and focus.
the old man would send Tony to school. Hearing about the
arrangement made the narrator angry. Later on, when the
narrator realized his role in Sopi’s scheme, he felt terrible. Critical Reading
As hinted by Sopi, he would need the narrator’s help as he
was a lecturer at Transpacifica. The old man had already Critical reading has an academic or professional purpose.
paid eight hundred dollars for Tony’s tuition in advance. Unlike reading for pleasure, it requires critical thinking skills
Towards the end of the letter, the narrator tells Greg what like doing analysis, developing an argument, and doing an
Sopi said to him when they left the farm. Sopi said, “To evaluation.
think that that old man hasn’t even met the boy.”
Previewing a Text
 In 1972, the short story “The Tomato Game” won
the first prize in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Previewing a text enables a reader to get the sense of what
Awards for Literature. In 1993, the short story was the text is all about and how its parts are organized. A
published along with other works in the collection reader can take a look at the facts about the author and the
The Bread of Salt and Other Stories. work and the title of the work.

Learn about it! Example:

Explanation: Consider the book Tales from the Jazz Age by F. Scott
Fitzgerald. You can find out more about the Jazz Age and
Bienvenido Santos and N. V. M. Gonzalez presented F. Scott Fitzgerald. By checking the Table of Contents, you
different facets of the Filipino immigrant experience. In can see how the author classifies the stories and what
“Immigrant Blues,” Santos portrayed a lonely old-timer who inspired him to write each one.
wanted a companion and a woman who chose to marry an
old-timer out to avoid deportation. In “The Tomato Game,” TALES FROM THE JAZZ AGE
Gonzalez portrayed Filipinos trying to make it in the US.
One is a lecturer who regrets to be part of a scheme that BY
deceives an unsuspecting old man, while another, an
unlicensed lawyer, deceives people for a living. F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

1922

A TABLE OF CONTENTS

#21stCenturyLiterature/HandoutNo.5/4thQuarter/CBD’18-‘19!
 9

FANTASIES REFLECTION QUESTIONS

THE DIAMOND AS BIG AS THE RITZ. 1. Have you had experiences similar to that of the
character of the story?
These next stories are written in what, were I of imposing 2. What feelings did you have as you read the story?
stature, I should call my "second manner." "The Diamond 3. Which character do you feel a connection with and
as Big as the Ritz," which appeared last summer in the why?
"Smart Set," was designed utterly for my own amusement. I 4. Is there any part of the story that you find difficult
was in that familiar mood characterized by a perfect to understand?
craving for luxury, and the story began as an attempt to 5. How did the story change your way of thinking?
feed that craving on imaginary foods.
Making an Outline and a Summary
One well-known critic has been pleased to like this
extravaganza better than anything I have written. Making an outline and a summary of a text involves
Personally, I prefer "The Offshore Pirate." But, to tamper identifying its important ideas. An outline is a list of the
slightly with Lincoln: If you like this sort of thing, this, main ideas and supporting ideas of the text, while a
possibly, is the sort of thing you'll like. summary is a brief statement of the most important
information of the text.
Contextualizing
Evaluating the Argument
Contextualizing a text is considering the time and place in
which the text was produced. A reader can read about the Evaluating the argument made in a text involves assessing
writer’s life to see how his or her experiences shape the the validity of its claim and support. A reader examines the
writing. Also, a reader can examine how a text reflects the main idea, opinion, or point of view of the writer if it is well
society or culture. Lastly, a reader can consider the supported by enough credible evidence or proof.
significant events in history that influence the text.
Making a Comparison and Contrast of Related Texts
Example:
Making a comparison and contrast of related texts is the
Again, consider the book Tales from the Jazz Age by F. strategy of identifying the similarities and differences
Scott Fitzgerald. As the title suggests, the stories in the between texts of similar issue or approach.
collection were written during the Jazz Age. A reader may
consider the society or culture in that period of time in Summary
reading the stories.
Critical reading requires different critical thinking skills. In
Learn about it! reading a piece of literature critically, you can preview it,
contextualize it, ask questions about it, reflect on it, make
Asking Questions an outline of its ideas and a summary, evaluate its
argument, or compare and contrast it with another text.
Asking questions about a text allows one to understand
and remember the content of a piece of literature. A reader
asks questions about the main ideas or literary elements;
and such questions are answered in his or her own words.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Who are the main characters in the short story?

2. What is the plot of the short story?
3. What is the conflict?
4. What are the theme, motifs, and symbols used by
the writer?

Reflecting

Reflecting on a text involves examination of the reader’s

personal responses to the text. The reader relates the new
learning to his or her previous learning as well as to his or
her own beliefs.

#21stCenturyLiterature/HandoutNo.5/4thQuarter/CBD’18-‘19!