MODULE 1

POVERTY

Lesson Objectives:

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. identify allegorical meanings of the text;

2. answer text-based questions to process understanding of a text read; and

3. produce a creative representation of a literary text by applying multimedia skills.

PRE-READING
Show and Tell
Have you ever eaten Lengua? Why or why not? If you were to describe who usually eats lengua, who
would you be describing? Is the dish something alien to you? Find a photograph and a recipe of the dish on the
Internet. Place these on a piece of a paper, along with your commentary on the dish. You can answer the following
questions:
 Who usually eats Lengua?
 What does Lengua taste like? How does it look like?
 Is it a common dish in the Philippines? What makes you say that?
 Have you ever eaten Lengua? Would you like to try it or eat it again? Why or why not?

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
Fill out the chart below with figures taken from the internet.
How many people go hungry in the How many people are unemployed in How many people are wealthy in the
Philippines? the Philippines? Philippines?
(Hunger or Malnutrition) (Unemployment Rate)
% % %
Actual Number: Actual Number: Actual Number:
Date Taken: Date Taken: Date Taken:
Source: Source: Source:

How do you feel about these numbers? Why do you feel that way?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

The story that you are about to read concerns a father, and he no longer feels like he has power over his
family and society. It shows you how unemployment can affect people and their family members.
Literary Focus
As a literary device, an allegory is a metaphor whose vehicle may be a character, place or event, representing real-
world issues and occurrences. Allegory has been used widely throughout history in all forms of art, largely because
it can readily illustrate complex ideas and concepts in ways that are comprehensible or striking to its viewers,
readers, or listeners.

Lengua Para Diablo (The Devil Ate My Words)

 (Excerpt from Banana Heart Summer)
by Merlinda Bobis

I suspected that my father sold his tongue to the devil. He had little to say in our house. Whenever he felt like
disagreeing with my mother, he murmured. “The devil ate my words”. This meant he forgot what was about to say
and mother was often appeased. There was more need for appeasement after he has lost his job.
The devil ate his words, the devil ate his capacity for words, the devil ate his tongue. But perhaps only after
prior negotiation with its owner, what with mother always complaining, ‘I’m ready taking a peek at hell!’ when it
got too hot and stuffy in our tiny house. She seemed to sweat more that summer, and miserably. She made it sound
like father’s fault, so he cajoled her with kisses and promises of an electric fan, bigger windows, and a bigger house,
and she pushed him away, saying, “Get off me, I’m hot, ay, this hellish life!” again he was ready to pledge relief, but
something in my mother’s eyes made him mutter only the usual excuse, ‘The devil ate my words,’ before he shut his
mouth. Then he ran to the tap to get more water.
Lengua para diablo: tongue for the devil. Surely he sold his tongue in exchange for those promises to my
mother: comfort, a full stomach, life without our wretched want… but the devil never deliver his side of the bargain.
The devil was alien to want. He lived in a Spanish huse and owned several stores in the city. This Spanish mestizo
was my father’s employer, but only for a very short while. He sacked him and our neighbour Tiyo Anding, also a
mason, after he found a cheaper hand for the extension of his house.
We never knew the devil’s name. Father was incapable of speaking it, more so when he came home and sat
in the darkest corner of the house, and stared at his hands. It took him two days of silent staring before he told my
mother about his fate.
I wonder how the devil ate my father’s tongue. Perhaps he cooked in mushroom sauce, in that special
Spanish way that they do on ox tongue. First, it was scrupulously cleaned, rubbed with salt and vinegar, blanched in
boiling water, then scrapped of its white coating – now, imagine words scrapped off the tongue, and even taste, our
capacity for pleasure. In all those two days of silent staring, father hardly ate. He said he had lost his taste for food,
he was not hungry. Junior and Nilo were more than happy to demolish his share of gruel with fish sauce.
Now, after the thorough clean, the tongue was pricked with a fork to allow the flavors of all the spices and
condiments to penetrate the flesh. Then it was browned in olive oil. How I wish we could prick my father’s tongue
bask to speech and even hunger, but of course we couldn’t, because it had disappeared. It has been served in the
devil’s platter with garlic, onion, tomatoes, bay leaf, clove, peppercorns, soy sauce, even sherry, butter, and grated
edam cheese, with that aroma of something rich and foreign. His silent tongue was already luxuriating in a multitude
of essences, pampered into piquant delight.
Perhaps, next he should sell his esophagus, then his stomach. I would if I had the chance to be pampered. To
know for once what I would never taste. I would be soaked, steamed, sautéed, basted, baked, boiled, fried and feted
with only the perfect seasonings. I would become an epicure. On a rich man’s plate, I would be initiated to flavors of
only the finest quality. In his stomach, I would be inducted to secrets. I would be the ‘inside girl,’ and I could tell
you the true nature of sated affluence.

GUIDE QUESTIONS
1. What does Lengua symbolize?
2. What did the father mean by “The devil ate my words”? What happened to him that made him say that?
3. What does this tell us about Philippine society? Do you think this is still true today? Explain.
4. Does the little girl understand what her father means? Why do you say so?
5. How does the girl misinterpret her father’s words?
6. In the end, when she is describing the Lengua, how do you think she feels? Why does she feel that way?
7. Why is it necessary to talk about Spaniards, when this is a story that takes place in the Philippines? What is their
significance in the story?
8. What does the girl wish for in the end? Why does she wish for it?
9. What do you feel toward the little girl? What do you feel toward the father?
10. What do you think the story is trying to say?

AFTER READING
Class Fiesta
In a small group, decide to bring one small Filipino dish to share with your classmates. Write a short
description of the significance of this food to Philippine society and the importance of this dish to your family. Since
everyone will be doing this, you can try and sample (and read about) everyone else’s contributions, and have a mini-
fiesta in class.

EVALUATION
Culinary Analysis
Read the essays by Doreen Fernandez on food on the internet, or you can read her books in the library or
bookstore. She often describes where the food came from, giving a culinary history, and the different ways people
can prepare the dish. Pick a food you would like to write about that is significant in your region or province, and
interview someone you know about its cultural significance. Describe the different ways to cook it, and why it has
evolved into the dish it is now. Afterward, write a short essay, a one-page culinary analysis of the food. The rubric
for this is as follows:

Rubric for the Culinary Analysis

Content 30 points
Research and Documentation 20 points
Language 20 points
Organization 20 points
Mechanics 10 points

ENRICHMENT
Group Project
In a small group, compile your essays and create a food blog that would include the following:
 Your essays with illustrations and photographs
 Recipes of food
 Photos of how to cook the dishes
 The people you interviewed