21st CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD

Ateneo de Davao University

Senior High School
Grade 11
Lesson 10: POETRY
Focus Text: Salt by Anamika (Afro-Asian Literature)

Names of Group Members: Calora, Mamalapat, Mori

Section: 11-MIKI
Teacher: Ms. Erika Navaja
Date: September 27, 2020
Group Number: 4

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: This worksheet will be done by triad. Each triad will discuss the
guide questions below as a group. Only one group member will have to upload the worksheet in
Hurtado.

ACTIVITY: MOTIVATION
Part 1: Love Like Salt
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the folktale below and answer the question that follows.
Love Like Salt
An English Folk Tale

A king had three daughters. He wanted to test their love for him. He called them and asked them, “Tell me how much do
you love me.”
The eldest daughter said, “Father, I love you like jewellery.” The king was pleased with her as he was very fond of gold
and jewels and had a large collection of exquisite jewellery in his palace. The second daughter said, “Father, I love you like the
bestwine!” The king was happy to hear this as he was addicted to wines and other alcoholic drinks.
Then the youngest daughter replied, “Dear Father, I love you like salt”. The king became furious on hearing this reply.
Angrily, he shouted, “What do you mean, you mean creature? Salt is a useless, cheap, and ordinary object which you can find
even in the poor slums of my kingdom. I know you don’t love me. I don’t want to see you again. Go away.”
But the youngest daughter met the palace chef and requested him to avoid salt in all the dishes to be served during the
royal feast on the next day. The old chef had a special affection to the youngest princess as she was simple, humble and
innocent. He agreed to do as she wished.
During the feast, the king tasted his favourite dishes and cried aloud, “What is this? It has not taste at all! He summoned
the chef and questioned him. The wise chef answered, “Oh, Sir, I was afraid to include salt in the royal dishes because
yesterday you declared in the court that salt was a useless and ordinary article. I avoided it.”
The king learned a lesson. He realized the importance of salt and asked the youngest daughter to forgive him for his harsh
remarks and rash behavior. He understood the extent of her love towards him and embraced her.

Why did the King change his mind?

The King changed his mind because he learned a lesson about how vital salt is. The youngest
daughter expresses her love to his father(the King), so that she loved her for her father is like
salt. It brings flavors or brings joy and meaning to her life.

Part 2: A Brief History of Salt

INSTRUCTIONS: Watch the video linked in Hurtado and answer the question:

Why is salt important for civilization?

Civilization is an advanced state of human society, in which it reached a high level of culture,
science, industry, and government. One of the symbols of being civilized right now is having
advanced technology, and a refrigerator can be one. Although we are civilized for we fit in its
definition, however, we are still growing, and it is undeniable how refrigerators help us as we
revolutionize our culture and industry.

Back in the olden days, people had no technology, that's why one of their agricultural
society's significant problems is how they would preserve things, most specifically their food.
Thankfully, due to the discovery of salt's power, they found an answer to their problem, and
salt indeed became their refrigerator; it helped our ancestors preserve their food, like meat,
fish, and vegetables, which was an excellent step towards civilization. Because of this
discovery, preservation of food became less of our ancestors' problems, and they were able
to focus on their development and revolutionize the efficiency of progressivism. Salt also
helped our ancestors innovate the food industry and utilize it, not only for preservation but
also for seasoning, which we still use until now. It got used in tanning, coloring, fading, and
creating ceramics, cleanser, and chlorine, which contributed to how our society became
civilized.

Due to how vital salt was to our ancestors, they got paid using it. Even right now, salt holds a
significant impact on our lives; its' utilization was evident in the chemical business. It is used
in our everyday lives, helping us, as we continue to innovate our community, to make it more
civilized. And that is why salt played and continues to play an essential role in civilization.

References:
1. Indian Country Today. “How Salt Built Civilization.” I ndianCountryToday.com , Indian
Country Today, 27 Apr. 2018,
indiancountrytoday.com/archive/how-salt-built-civilization-pIXjDiMmi0mWoi1CAXoiFQ.
2. “Civilization.” D ictionary.com , Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/civilization.

Part 3: Mahatma Gandhi and The Salt March

INSTRUCTIONS: Watch the video linked in Hurtado and answer the question:

How can this video help me understand the poem Salt by Anamika?

The video helps me understand the poem Salt by Anamika, so it gives essence to salt. The
video takes place in the year 1835, where people of India suffer under British rule, which
imposes collecting, producing, and the British government's law prohibits the selling of salt.
From this, Mahatma Gandhi leads the people of India to march, to gain justice and freedom
from under ruling of the British government. Moreover, the video also can help me
understand the poem since the meaning of the Salt poem by Anamika also relates to the
showed video of the Salt March.

Activity: UNDERSTANDING THE FOCUS TEXT

Pre-Reading Guide Questions
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer the Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle by writing your answers on the
blanks provided.
 Across Answer Key
1. slightly salty
3. container used to shape Across
something into a particular shape
5. well known as a food preservation, 1. brackish
seasoning, flavoring, and nutrient
6. a quality belongs to a person who 3. mould
appears to be experienced with
worldly knowledge 5. salt

6. sophistication
Down
2. a person who either participates
or advocates radical change in a
particular society Down
4. leader of India’s non-violent
movement against British rule 2. revolutionaries
7. a water that contains salt
4. Gandhi

7. saline

While Reading Guide Questions

INSTRUCTIONS: Fill the table to help you make sense of the poem.
Lines What figure of speech was used? What do you think it means?
Line 1  Metaphor  Salt has two sides, both good and
bad. Sorrow refers to its bad sides,
while on the other hand, when
something fits your taste, it means
you like it, and it is good.
Lines 2-3  Personification  ”Earth’s three-fourths is brackish
water, and men’s heart a salt
mountain,” I think it means that
men also feel mentally hurt fast.
That is why the poem also states
that men also represent salt
because they quickly melt fast. Like
when a person is hurt, they
emotionally rapidly breakdown.
Lines 4-8  Personification  The stanza gave out human-like
characteristics to a salt. Salt doesn't
have a heart, but since in the
poem, it meant that we are all salt,
that's why salt had a heart. And like
salt, we, regardless of what gender
has a weak heart, and there will
always be a time when we feel
ashamed and want to sink in
shame, for we are fragile and
delicate.
Lines 9-12  Simile  Line 9-12: “There stands- a
government building - like a salt
shaker with much sophistication,
sprinkles salt my wound.” It means
 that a government ruled them in
such a way they cannot feel being
free. It is also like from the video of
Salt March, in 1835, they were
under the British government’s rule
where they are not allowed to
produce, collect, and sell their salt.
Line 14  Literary Metaphor  Women embody the earth's salt
because they are most likely to
show their feelings of wanting to
disperse, melt, and sink, like a salt.
Line 15 Metaphor line 15: “ they have all the salt in
the mould of their face.” From this
line, it represents to all women on
Earth that women’s emotions can
be easily reflected on their faces
which they can be easily broken
Lines 19-22 Metaphor In the stanza, the words "seven
seas" and "revolutionaries" were
there. Seven seas meant the whole
ocean, in which it contains salt in it.
If there is something that
revolutionaries want, it would be
"change." As the world normalizes
equality because of the feminist
revolutionaries, change becomes
evident, especially at this time. We
are all salt because we dominate
the world just as the seven seas do;
that's why, like salt, our price to
pay is our emotions and inevitability
to sink in them. However, some
cease to disregard it to save their
masculinity, in which everyone
ceases to break that mindset, for it
is a sign of sexism among men,
which many do not tolerate
because it wastes the efforts of the
revolutionaries who fought for
equality
Lines 23-24 Simile lines 23-24: “Gandhi knew the salt’s
worth as the girl-guava-sellers.”
From this line, it reflects the Salt
March video, which is the people of
India fight for the value of salt and
freedom since the British
Government ruled them. It is like it
is portraying the worth of salt. It
 may be small but can make a
difference as usual.
Lines 28-30 Literary Metaphor "God's tears and man's sweat"
means hardships and sorrow, and
these things are what salt feels,
which signifies us humans, and our
sufferings and hardship balance the
earth because happiness isn't the
only one a person should feel, the
feeling of sadness is also valid.

Post Reading Guide Questions

INSTRUCTIONS: Read each question and answer it in the space provided. Prepare to share
your answers in class.
1. What/Who is represented in the poem Salt?

In Salt's poem, Anamika, both men, women, and the Earth, are represented in the
poem. Because as you read along the lines of the poem itself expresses sadness felt
here on Earth, which also balances the Earth, which means the Salt represents good
and bad essence. Like from the story of "Love like a Salt," salt was defined by her
Father( the King) as an ordinary object, but later on, he sensed the salt's value.

2. How was it/How were they represented?

The poem represented the salt as the one that balances the earth, which we perceive
are men and women. Brackish water contains salt, and it dominates over the planet,
just as we humans are looming over the world. The representation of salt was both
sorrow and a taste, meaning it has two sides, both good and bad. It is undeniable that
we, the salt of the earth, contribute bad and good things. We are salt for salt
preserves, and in the bible, God made us so we could preserve his creation on earth.
We are all humans, regardless of gender, we are bound to feel emotions inevitably,
just like salt, our heart's weak, it quickly melts and sinks in shame, and the poem
represented how we, the salt, can be mountains or mould of our faces, which shows
how we choose to show our emotions.

The representation of women was the salt with the mould in their faces; for women
are expressive with their feelings, you can see how it reflects in their faces. Women
got viewed as vulnerable and delicate. While on the other hand, the representation of
men's heart was salt mountains; men tend to hide their emotions more than women,
they act all tough and strong outside, and they try to hide what's inside of them as
much as possible, like a mountain but deep inside, all our hearts are salt. We balance
and dominate the earth, and the hardships that we go through are what make us salt,
 which balances the world, and that's how the salt got represented in Anamika's Salt.

3. What were the literary devices used in the representation?

The literary devices are used in the representation, first the use of simile. Second, the
use of metaphors. Thirdly, the use of personification. The use of simile defines the
lines in the poem as which the people of India fight for the value of salt and freedom
since the British Government ruled them. It is like it is portraying the worth of salt. It
may be small but can make a difference as usual. On the other hand, the use
metaphors defines the lines from the poem as line 15: “ they have all the salt in the
mould of their face.” From this line, it represents to all women on Earth that women’s
emotions can be easily reflected on their faces which they can be easily broken.
Lastly, ”Earth’s three-fourths is brackish water, and men’s heart a salt mountain,” I
think it means that men also feel mentally hurt fast. That is why the poem also states
that men also represent salt because they quickly melt fast. Like when a person is
hurt, they emotionally rapidly breakdown.

4. What is the power or effect of the poem on you, the reader?

As we read the poem, it wasn't apparent because the words were profound, and we
had to re-read it again, but we realized it's the essence of the poem. It depends on
how we interpret and perceive it without being far from the author's main point. We
realized that we all have different lives and different perspectives, in which that
perspective reflects on how we view the poem. The poem was indeed compelling, for
we started searching for what the author meant, and we realized that we encountered
a moment of serendipity while searching.

The poem was indeed powerful, for many interpretations could be viewed from it, and
our understanding alone affected our lives and the way we think, especially about
masculinity. We are feminists, which means we demand gender equality; that's why
we want to normalize how men could freely show their emotions without being
viewed as "weak" by society. Nobody should feel like a mountain hurdling and keeping
all of their feelings deep inside, and at the same time, women shouldn't be
generalized as weak just because they would most likely show their emotions rather
than man. Nobody is weak for expressing what they feel because all of us indeed feels
emotions, some don't show it, but that doesn't mean it's not there.
The poem's power made us realize all these things because we realized it is time to
change. It is time to avoid stereotyping. We preserve and keep the world balanced;
we should have fair judgment and treatment to everyone regardless of gender.
ACTIVITY: DEEPENING OF THE FOCUS TEXT
Reader’s Response Approach
AS A GROUP, you are going to look at the essay by discussing your interpretations and
reactions to the text. As a reader, your reading experience makes the story come alive. Without
you and your reactions, literature cannot connect with real life.

1. Do you like the poem? Why or why not?

We like the poem entitled Salt by Anamika because from what we have understood in the
poem. It incorporates both women and men should be treated fairly by any people. Same
as what is shown in the Salt March video that helps us understand the story behind the
poem, since a long time ago, India's people were mistreated by the British government
like they forbid the Indians to produce, collect and sell their salt. Moreover, we like the
poem because it shows how we can value salt in many ways. Since salt may be small but
has many values, we can appreciate it.
2.

2. Which stanza/line can you relate with the most? Why?

The stanza that we can relate to the most is the fourth stanza, when the poem goes,
"Women are the salt of the earth; they have all the salt in the mould of their face. Ask
those women how heavy it feels – their saline faces?" We can relate to this the most
because we are an expressive type of people. We would always express what we feel
through words, actions, or even facial expressions because through that; it is easier to
communicate rather than expect everyone will read through you.

The stanza states how women are the salt of the earth, which means they are excellent
or honest. We can relate to excellent because excellent doesn't mean you are the best,
but it merely means you are doing your best. Honesty is like what we've said; we are
very expressive. We express what we feel and are very visible in our faces or how we
handle what's in front of us. For us being expressive is very crucial because not everyone
can easily understand you by giving your bare minimum effort to communicate because if
you do, misunderstanding will eventually happen. You can't also expect people to
continually understand and read you if you won't reflect what you feel, because we
believe that we can get our feelings out by doing so. It will feel like we've plucked out a
thorn from our heavy heart, which would make us feel better, especially when we're
feeling down.

Reference:
1. “BE THE SALT OF THE EARTH: Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” B E
THE SALT OF THE EARTH | Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary ,
dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/be-the-salt-of-the-earth.
3. What did you learn from the poem?
We learned a lot from the poem based on how we understand it. First, we learned how
profound the meaning of a simple salt could go. We learned how we are all salt for many
reasons, 1. because our primary purpose here on earth is to preserve God's creation. 2.
like salt, we are all weak or delicate in a way that we all have emotions, and we quickly
melt and sink into shame, which we learned is normal, and nothing is wrong with it for
you are only expressing and being honest with yourself. 3. Just as salt got perceived in
two different sides, we also both have our good and bad impact on our earth, but
sometimes we need the bad for us to appreciate the good. 4. We may dominate the
world, but through that domination, the balance should be evident, because as salt, we
balance the earthy.

Second, we learned that everyone has emotions, some are expressive, and some are like
mountains, who look strong on the outside, but hurdles a lot inside. That's why it is
essential never to judge someone based on what they show because even the strongest
and happiest person you know can hold the saddest and suicidal thoughts you'd ever
encounter. Everyone has emotions, and everyone has feelings, so never hurt a person
and assume that it was alright b=with them because their face didn't show it because
you genuinely have no idea what goes within a person's head.

RUBRICS FOR GRADING the “DEEPENING FOCUS TEXT”

Criteria Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Improvement

Content The paragraph is very There are some sentences in the Only 1-2 sentence/s is The paragraph is not
(4 comprehensively written paragraph that are very very comprehensively comprehensively written
points)  and well-integrated among comprehensively written and written. Most of the and well-integrated.
each other with well-integrated with textual sentences in the Textual Evidences are
appropriate textual evidences from the literary text.  paragraph lack coherent not observed in the
evidences from the chosen Although few sentences lack explanation and textual paper. 
literary text.  coherent explanation and textual evidences. 
evidence. 

4pts. 3pts. 1 pts

2pts.

Depth of Additional research and Additional research and Additional research and There are no additional
Analysis reflection are provided to reflection are provided to reflection are provided to research and reflection
(6 substantially support the support the analysis’ indicated support the analysis’ provided to support the
points) analysis’ indicated elements. indicated elements, but analysis’ indicated
elements.  It shows enough understanding lacks clear explanation. elements.
It shows an evident of the connection of the form, It shows an It does not show an
understanding of the theme and secondary context. understanding of the understanding of the
connection of the form, The analysis also proves that the connection of the form, connection of the form,
theme and secondary text has a connection to reality theme and secondary theme and secondary
context.  through facts from society’s context.  context. 
The analysis show that the issues. The analysis claims that The analysis does not  
text has a strong the text has a connection connect the text to
connection to reality to reality from society’s reality from society’s
through facts and issues, but it lacks issues.
examples from society’s necessary facts.
issues. 4pts.
3pts. 1pts.

6pts.
TOTAL
(10
points)

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That is the end of the worksheet.

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