Name: GALAGALA, EWAN MARY ROSE P.

Year & Section: BSCE-2B

Date: November 25, 2020
Instructor: MS. CRISTINE GULFO
Asian Literature

1. Who are the actors/actress in the Drama (describe each shortly)? Give a short overview of the Drama.
 Millie – Grew up in a prestigious and rich family but married a taxi driver – now a truck driver. Has 2 daughters with
Henny Lizza and Rizza. At the end of the story, Millie ended up with Roger.
 Henny – Husband of Millie. He’s a former taxi driver, now a truck driver. He works away from home. At the end of
the story, he ended up with Annie.
 Annie – Twin sister of Millie. Married to Roger but was left after. She hired found her sister by the help of an
invistigator. She ended up with Henny and ended up living in the slums.
 Emily Hancock – Another woman of Annie and Millie’s father.
 Roger – Married Annie but ended up with Millie, the one he truly loves.
 Salud – The poor woman working on Millie’s home. Millie and Annie’s supposed business partner.
 A man – Mistakenly identified by Millie as Salud’s cousin where in fact, he is a detective hired by Annie to find if
Henny has another wife and Family.

The Drama entitled A Life in the Slums by Rolando S. Tinio is about twin sisters – Milie and Annie who
grew up in a rich family but later on got into separate ways because of differences in decision making and more on
family matters. The drama evolved on the separate lives of the two, how they met again, how they looked back on
their lives when they were young and together, how they discovered their parents’ secret affairs and how they
ended up on the end.
2. What is the significance of the author’s mention of certain foreign places, names, and objects? Does it show a
pronounced gap between the rich and poor?
 The author mentioned different foreign places like Switzerland and Italy and it brought a great significance in
differentiating and comparing the lives the characters had back then and up to the time that they are in different
worlds. It also depicts the great difference between social statuses- poor and rich because it tells people how rich
families are able to go visit and stay to different foreign places and how unfortunate families stay and get contented
by what they have and where they are in. Yes, it does show a pronounced gap between rich and poor because the
drama showed some daily activities that people from these foreign lands usually do which shouts money and
elegance and also daily activities of people from slums that show contentment despite of the poor situation.
3. What is the function of the song in Scene 3? Does it convey the feelings of Millie, Henny, and Annie? Is it an accurate
commentary on life in the slums?
 The song on scene 3 played by Millie, Annie and Henny conveyed their feelings about how their life is going
through, thoughts they can never voice out loud about the life they currently have and the life they want to have,
questions they have inside and doubts about the precision of the decisions they’ve made for the past years of their
lives. The song relayed the reality of living in the slums with minimal monetary income and having a family with two
kids. The song also showed the desire of Millie and Henny to have a better version of life.
4. Is the erstwhile disagreement between Millie and Annie regarding life in the slums comic? Or does the reader see it as
more than a disagreement?
  For me, the erstwhile disagreement between the twin sisters is not comic. It is because they have different
perceptions about how a truly happy life should look like. They have different point of views when it comes to where
to live and in what status can someone be truly be happy. Which implies that Millie should have not asked Annie to
live in the slums and leave the prestigious life she has. She should respect what Annie wants to do with her life and
where she wants to live. Every disagreement the twin sisters had in the story is not comic at all. Because these
disagreements show that as different individuals, we have different choices. And when we got to choose, it should
be respected not neglected.
5. Is there a contrast between Millie and Annie?
 When we talk about perceptions in life, like how they see what a happy life is, yes they are in contrast. There are
situations that they oppose each other and even disagree with each other. They have different perspectives in life.
Different ways in making decisions, and different personalities. However, when it comes to preferences especially in
men, they somehow have the same preference since Annie wants every man that Millie likes.
6. It will be noted that there is continuous antithesis between life in the slum and life in an aristocratic place. What words are
used to picture life in the slums? Explain your answer.
 Barung-barong and cab driver are some of the words used in the drama to depict life in the slums. Barung-barong is
a small house with a wall covered with newspapers and magazines. Curtained doorways, tiny bedroom and kitchen,
badly battered chairs and dining table with tattered oilcloth. Cab driver is a way of living of someone who weren’t
able to finish a degree – a low-cost earning way of living. These words are the ones used to picture out how a life in
the slums looks like. It screams poverty, hunger and a need of help. It also shows how people in the slums do
anything that they can just to survive daily basis and how resourceful they get to earn extra income and provide for
their family.