Philippine Literature Reviewer 2
 Literature and its relation to History
-The relationship between history and
literature will always be pervasive because one
is the collection of happenings and the other is
the reflection of human nature in its ever shifting
form. Together, they make up the portrait of our
humanity, but still leave enough space for more
questions
-The study of Literature lends to an
understanding of our history, our society and
sometimes ourselves. With Literature, we see the
Countries and People as they were. We
experience the different climates,language and
tone. Literature also gives us glimpses of much
earlier ages.
-History and literature have been intertwined
since the very beginning. Literature gives
importance to the information brought about by
our heritage and culture. History gives
information about the past and it allows a hard
evidence and primary source before they give.
Literature leads for the next generation to retell
stories just as how history works.
-The differences between literature and
history is that historians produce records to
validate as strong evidences in the events that
produce significant changes in the lives of
people living in a community, a nation or the
whole world. To support their claims, they
collect evidence of milestones as well as
everyday life. While literature writers also
record events. However, even when they
truthfully describe historical events, literature
writer is more intellectual and emotional
interpretation of these events to the reader not
facts and lack of evidences. History intends to
record events as accurately as possible, while
literature interprets historical or everyday
events in an imaginative way.
 Poem Analysis
Alliteration- is a repetition of the same
consonant sounds in a sequence of words,
usually at the
beginning of a word or stressed syllable:
Assonance is the repetition of similar internal
vowel sounds in a sentence or a line of poetry, as
Figurative language is a form of language use
in which the writers and speakers mean
something other than the literal meaning of their
words.
Two figures of speech that are
particularly important for poetry are simile and
metaphor.
A simile -involves a comparison
between unlike things using like or as. For
instance, “My love is like a red, red rose.” A
Metaphor- is a comparison between essentially
unlike things without a word such as like or as.
For example, “My love is a red, red rose.”
Imagery- is the concrete representation of a
sense impression, feeling, or idea that triggers
our
imaginative ere-enactment of a sensory
experience. Images may be visual (something
seen),
aural (something heard), tactile (something felt),
olfactory (something smelled), or gustatory
(something tasted). Imagery may also refer to a
pattern of related details in a poem.
Rhyme- is the repetition of identical or similar
concluding syllables in different words, most
often at the ends of lines
Rhyme scheme- of a poem, describes the
pattern of end rhymes.
Rhythm- is the term used to refer to the
recurrence of stressed and unstressed sounds in
poetry.
Stanza- is a grouping of lines, set off by a space,
which usually has a set pattern of meter and
rhyme.
Tone- conveys the speaker’s implied attitude
toward the poem’s subject.
*Character Analysis ( We Filipino are Mild
Drinkers)
EXPOSITION: List the characters and time
period.
(ANSWER)
There are two main characters in the story.
CHARACTERS:
1. American Soldier (All American in the
story they called their name `Joe`)
2. Filipino farmer whom invites the American
soldier
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:
-Farmer`s mother whom the soldier thought
was his kimono girl.
-The people living in the barrio or the
neighbors in the village.
-The Joe`s friends, the people who invited to
the farmer to drink with them.
TIME PERIOD:
-The location of the story is in the Philippines
during year in 1945 one late afternoon in a
barrio on farmer`s nipa hut.
INCITING INCIDENT: Identify the first
problem in the story.
(ANSWER)
When the Filipino farmer was busy
plowing their rice field with his carabao, there
was an American soldier who was walking on
the highway, and looking for some drinks.
Then suddenly the soldier passed through the
rice field and came nearly to the farmer and
asked him if they have a bar in the barrio and
where he can buy some whiskey. Then, when
the American soldier offered him to drink he
refused.
RISING ACTION: List the events (scenes)
that lead up to the climax.
(ANSWER)
Since there were no bars available in the
barrio, the farmer tried to invite the American
soldier to be with him to and stay inside his
nipa hut and offered some liquor to drink like
“lambanog”. But, he could not assured if the
soldier will like the drinks.
When the moment Joe began to act in a
very accountable manner, he felt delusions
because he got drunk already, and he was out
of control of himself. especially what he was
talking about, and the mother of the farmer
was desperately impatient for his words.
CLIMAX: Identify the turning point in the
story.
(ANSWER)
Because the soldier was already drunk,
Joe thought that the farmer was a Japanese
soldier and the farmer's mom as a Japanese
kimono girl. After hallucinating things, the
soldier passed out and fell asleep.
FALLING ACTION: List events that unfold
after the climax.
(ANSWER)
-The mother of the farmer walked out in the
house.
-The mother was running and started
screaming.
-When the mother was located few minutes
later she run again and screamed that cause
alarmed in the entire barrio.
-Then Joe, narrowly escaped being
erroneously shot for a straggler after that he
collapsed on the ground.
DENOUEMENT (RESULOTION): Explain
how the story ends.
(ANSWER)
The farmer had to bring back Joe in their
barracks. He slunged on the carabao by
helping of their neighbors and everyone was
wondering what happened to the American
soldier. After two hours, he arrived at the
airfield. He found out which barracks he
belonged and took him there. His friends
helped to take him to his cot. Then, they were
glad to see him back. Everybody thanked the
farmer for taking Joe home. One of them tried
to invite him for drinks but this time he
refused and said:
“WE FILIPINOS ARE MILD
DRINKERS”
THEME: Identify the theme of the story
(ANSWER)
“How Hospitable the Filipinos are to his
own land”
I. Character Analysis.
“We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers” by
Alejandro Roces.
Name: Lawrence Jim B. Bayubay Section:
BPA2-SET 1 Room A
Title of the story: We Filipinos Are Mild
drinkers Author: Alejandro R. Roces 
How and why character changes: When
they got some drinks both, the American
Soldier become dynamic and the Filipino
farmer stick flat to character the when Soldier
was drunk and starts hallucination then he
can`t control his mind because of too much
drinking and he created some actions but the
Filipino farmer was flat and stay in calm
despite of happening.
Characters name:
Farmer: the humble Filipino who invited the
American soldier for a drink.
Joe: the American soldier.
At the beginning:
One late afternoon in the barrio, the farmer saw
the American Soldier brought whiskey bottle
headed passed to the rice field and the soldier
starts asking the farmer if they have an available
bar in a barrio to buy some liquor drinks. At first
met between the two characters the Filipino
farmer invites to drink some whiskey but he
refused and said ”Filipino are mild drinkers”
then the farmer tried to invite the soldier to be
with his Nipa hut and drink some “lambanog” so
later on after they talk too much about it then
they went to the farmers hat.
at the end:
When American soldier got drunk because of
the lambanog offered by the farmer. He
decided to brought Joe back at the barracks
then he slunged on the carabao because he
was so drunk already. After he arrive at their
field, he thanked them for making Joe back
to them and safely. then one of Joe’s friends
asked the farmer if he wanted to join them
and have a can of beer, then he replied, "No
thanks “We Filipinos are mild drinkers."
 How the character change:
American soldier is become dynamic when he
got drunk then act weirdly the farmer`s
mother thought was his kimono girl it shows
no manner and then the American soldier
was fall down to the mud all of these because
of too much drinking “lambanog” liquors.
While the Filipino farmer was stay flat and he
is calm, simply, and humble all through out.
Why the character changes?
Because of too much drinking, while Joe drank
the lambanog, he felt a mind-blowing sensation
and started to feel dizzy. However, the farmer
was feeling normal and stay calm.
Pre Spanish Literacy Period.
Historical Background
Long before the Spaniards and other foreigners
landed or set foot on Philippine shores, our
forefathers already had their own literature
stamped in the history of our race.
Our ancient literature shows our customs and
traditions in everyday life as traced in our folk
stories, old plays and short stories.
Our ancestors also had their own alphabet which
was different from that brought by the
Spaniards. The first alphabet used by our
ancestor was similar to that of the Malayo-
Polynesian alphabet.
Pre-Spanish Literature is characterized by:
A. LEGENDS
– Its aim is to entertain.
B. Folk tales
– a tale or legend originating and traditional
among a people or folk, especially one forming
part of the oral tradition of the common people.
C. Epics
– noting or pertaining to a long poetic
composition, usually centered upon a hero, in
which a series of great achievements or events is
narrated in elevated style
D. Folk songs
– a song originating among the people of a
country or area, passed by oral tradition from
one singer or generation to the next, often
existing in several versions, and marked
generally by simple, modal melody and stanzaic,
narrative verse.
E. Epigrams
– a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely
with a single subject and usually ending with a
witty or ingenious turn of thought.
F. Riddles
– a question or statement so framed as to
exercise one’s ingenuity in answering it or
discovering its meaning; conundrum.
G. Chants
– a short, simple melody, especially one
characterized by single notes to which an
indefinite number of syllables are intoned, used
in singing psalms, canticles, etc., in church
services.
H. Proverbs and Sayings
– A saying is a short, clever expression that
usually contains advice or expresses some
obvious truth.
– proverb: a piece of common-sense wisdom
expressed in practical, homely terms (“A stitch
in time saves nine”).
Spanish literacy Period
The existing literature of the Philippine
ethnic groups at the time of conquest and
conversion into Christianity was mainly oral,
consisting of epics, legends, songs, riddles, and
proverbs. The conquistador, especially its
ecclesiastical arm, destroyed whatever written
literature he could find, and hence rendered the
system of writing inoperable. Among the only
native systems of writing that have survived
The Spanish colonial strategy was to
undermine the native oral tradition by
substituting for it the story of the Passion of
Christ. Although Christ was by no means war-
like or sexually attractive as many of the heroes
of the oral epic tradition, the appeal of the Jesus
myth inhered in the protagonist’s superior
magic: by promising eternal life for everyone, he
democratized the power to rise above death. It is
to be emphasized, however, that the native
tradition survived and even flourished in areas
inaccessible to the colonial power. Moreover,
the tardiness and the lack of assiduity of the
colonial administration in making a public
educational system work meant the survival of
oral tradition, or what was left of it, among the
conquered tribes.