Professional Documents
Culture Documents
English
Quarter 2–Module 3: Week 3
Analyzing Literature as a Means of Valuing Other People and
their Various Circumstances in Life
Some culturally diverse countries in the world have traditions and beliefs that
carry special meanings to their citizens and are vital parts of their identity. While
considered important elements of their identity, traditions are not all good for people,
especially for children and women. This lesson will introduce you to harmful traditions
depicted in literature and make you realize that rising to these social rules stuck in the
past can help human race survive the ever-changing world. You will be given activities
that you can answer on your own after reading and going through the different parts of
this module. Please remember not to make markings on this module and write your
answers on your notebook.
What I Know
For each of the following questions, determine the literary element from among the
choices given. On a separate sheet of paper, write the letter of the correct answer.
1. What element of narrative is thought of as the sequence of events?
A. character C. plot
B. conflict D. point of view
2. Which element answers where and when the story is set?
A. conflict C. point of view
B. plot D. setting
3. What is referred to as the problem or challenge around which the plot is based?
A. conflict C. point of view
B. plot D. setting
4. What literary element refers to the central idea, lesson or insight that the author is
trying to make the reader understand?
A. plot C. symbolism
B. setting D. theme
5. What is a literary technique that adds meaning to a short story by using an event or
object as a symbol to represent something else?
A. symbolism C. theme
B. style D. tone
6. What conflict is it when the protagonist has a strong belief against the community?
A. man vs nature C. man vs supernatural
B. man vs society D. man vs himself
Match the symbolism in Column A with what they represent or suggest in Column
B. Write the letter on your answer sheet.
Column A Column B
Read the following excerpt from When I was a Girl in China and answer the
questions that follow.
As a little girl I remember my mother telling me that foot binding was a tradition,
and if we didn’t do it we’d be very unattractive. I didn’t ask why, and I don’t know what
the purpose of it was other than to be beautiful. I guess it began a few dynasties ago …
we followed it without question.
When I first started binding it was very painful … so much so that I couldn’t sleep
at night. I was still able to walk, though. Many girls suffered much more than I did. When
I couldn’t stand the pain any longer I would secretly loosen the bindings; when my
mother found out she wouldn’t get angry or scold me. She had bound feet, too, and
understood how much it hurt. She would let me keep the bindings loose for a while, but I
always had to wrap them up tightly again. I would wash and rebind my feet every day –
it had to be done that often because the binding cloth gets caked with blood and pus.
12. What tradition did the narrator observe when she was a little girl?
13. Why do you think the Chinese women did not give up this kind of tradition?
What’s In
Decide whether to embrace the following beliefs and practices or take a back seat.
On a separate sheet of paper,copy this table and color the circle GREEN to give a go-
ahead, RED to stop, and YELLOW to continue observe with caution. Give reasons for
your answers.
TRADITION/ BELIEF DECISION WHY?
1. Late-night karaoke
What’s New
Read the summary of the short story The Lottery and answer the questions that follow.
The Lottery
by Shirley Jackson
Comprehension Questions:
Answer the following questions which
make reference to the elements of the short
story you read. Write your answers in your Yours answers here:
answer sheet
1. Where did the story take place? 1.________________________
2. When did the story happen? 2.________________________
3. Who almost missed and then ―won‖
the lottery? 3. ________________________
4. What paraphernalia were used in the
lottery? 4.________________________
5. What superstitions did Old Man 5.________________________
Warner say which were his reasons for
keeping the lottery? 6.________________________
6. Why is the main conflict in the story
man vs. society?
(Note: You can read the full story of the Lottery on pages 149-157 of your Learner’s Module
or watch the short film version in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQQoMCaUz5Y)
What Is It
Discussion of Activity 1
When you read The Lottery, you looked at the elements of a short story and at
how they combine to create theme. These elements include setting, symbolism,
characters, conflict, and plot.
Study the following elements of a short story:
1. Plot refers to the series of events that comprise the whole story. It has five parts.
A. Exposition introduces the characters and the setting of the story.
B. Rising Action consists of complications and discoveries that create conflict.
C. Climax is the highest or most intense point in the development of the story.
D. Falling action refers to the part of the story’s plot line in which the problem of
the story is resolved.
E. Resolution is the conclusion of the story’s plot which notifies the reader of
exactly how it ends.
2. Conflict is the opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic actions.
3. Setting is the place and time where and when the events of the story take place.
4. Characters refer to the persons or entities with specific and distinguishable
attributes.
5. Symbolism is a literary technique that adds meaning to a short story by using an
event or object as a symbol to represent something else.
6. Theme is the underlining idea an author is trying to convey to an audience.
Understanding these elements helps you not only in inferring the theme’s selection
but also in analyzing literature as a means of valuing the characters’ struggles and
circumstances that mirror real-life events in society. To analyze a literary text such as
The Lottery as a means of valuing others and their circumstances in life, remember the
following principles:
Read and re-read the text to get a preview of human experiences. This will allow you
to connect to people’s (or characters’) sources of happiness, aspiration, sadness,
and sufferings. In the story, why did Old Man Warner scold some townsfolk who
wanted to give up the lottery? Why was Tessie anxious about the result of the
lottery?
Identify the characters’ most prominent beliefs. To examine their lives, locate
specific evidence and passages related to the major ideas such as stereotypes,
judgments, and preconceived notions about different people and beliefs. What
evidences of stereotyping and unquestioned traditions of society can you cite from
the story The Lottery?
Empathize with the characters. When you feel empathy, you can feel compassion for
others in response to their sufferings. This will lead you to questioning on some
issues and situations. What did you feel after learning that Tessie’s ultimate prize
from the lottery is death? Did it compel you also to stop the lottery and other harmful
traditions?
What’s More
(Use a separate sheet of paper as you take on your independent activities and
assessment.)
Independent Activity 1
Study each picture in the storyboard of The Lottery and describe the situations
shown which the plot part calls for. The first one is done for you.
Independent Activity 2
Copy the puzzle and fill it in with the symbolism that fits the clue given below.
Independent Assessment 2
Analyze the following lines from The Lottery and identify different social and
political issues that mirror difficult circumstances in life. In your answer sheet, write the
letter of the best answer.
A. gender stereotyping and patriarchy C. blind obedience to traditions
B. pointless violence and inhumanity D. suppression of democracy
1. Old Man Warner: Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in
caves, nobody works anymore…There’s always been a lottery.
2. Tessie: You didn’t give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It
wasn’t fair!
Bill: Shut up, Tessie!
3. The boys… made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it
against the raids of other boys. The girls stood aside, talking among themselves,
looking over their shoulders at the boys…
4. Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one
liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box.
5. Mr. Summers: Wife draws for her husband. Don’t you have a grown boy to do it for
you, Janey?
6. ―Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.‖
7. Tessie: I think we ought to start over. I tell you it wasn’t fair.
8. Soon men began to gather, speaking of planting and rain, tractors, and taxes. The
women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after menfolk.
9. Mr. Summer: Now, I’ll read the names—heads of families first--- and the men come
up and take a paper out of the box.
10. Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual, the still remembered to use stones (in
killing the sole winner of the lottery by stoning him/her to death).
Independent Activity 3
Read the story of a 26-year-old Kurdish woman that experienced a harmful
traditional practice at a very young age. Then, take on the questions that follow.
―I remember distinctly, it was a Tuesday afternoon, my sister and I were
playing in front of my uncle’s house. She was 5 and I was 7. An old lady
approached us with my mother in tow; she was disliked by girls in the village but I
was too young to understand why. She had a merciless face as she walked up
behind my younger sister: ―You two, come with me‖ she said to us. I looked up at
my mother to see her approval: ―Go with this grandma‖. Too naive to imagine
what was happening, my sister and I followed the old lady. However, my mother
didn’t follow…
Suddenly, I felt anxious. Why isn’t mother coming with us, I wondered.
Why did she leave us with this lady that nobody liked? ―Grandma, where are we
going?‖ I questioned. ―Don’t speak so much,‖ she snapped. We tagged along
obediently, like little kids do.
We arrived in a small mud house which smelled of dirt and crushed
leaves. In the corner of the room sat two other women whom I recognized from
the village. They were what the locals described as ―Doctors‖ even though they
held no medical qualifications. Grandma walked up to the two ladies and rapidly
whispered something in their ears, too quiet for me to make out what they
were discussing.
The two ladies made their way to me and my sister each with a piece of
black cloth in their hands. Fear settled over me. Where was my mother? One of
the ladies grabbed my arms and blindfolded me. I kicked and pushed, but she
had much more strength. I could hear my little sister also struggling. She was
screaming and crying for help, but I couldn’t do anything to help her. I was
helpless.
And then it happened. The cutting occurred really rapidly. To this day, I
have never experienced a pain as intense as being mutilated. It’s the kind of pain
I wouldn’t wish upon my enemy. They cut us without any use of anesthetics, as a
result I passed out.
I would ask my mother: ―Why did they cut me? How could you let them do
that to me?‖ After a moment of silence, she would reply: ―My daughter, I did it to
protect you. Those who are not cut in our village are looked down upon. They are
seen as impure. Unclean‖.
Source: https://www.youthdoit.org/themes/sexual-and-reproductive-healthand-rights-are-human-
rights/harmful-traditional-practices/stories/
Comprehension Questions:
Arrange the following events accordingly. Write A for the first event, B for the
second, and so on.
____5. At home, the older girl asked her mother why they cut her and her
younger sister.
____6. One Tuesday afternoon, two young girls were playing outside when an unlikable
old woman came to ask them to follow her.
____7. Mother explained that cutting was necessary to make them pure and clean.
____8. The two other ladies quickly mutilated the girls who were blindfolded.
____9. The girls went with Grandma to a small mud house and saw the lady ―doctors.‖
____10. After being cut without any use of anesthetics, the girls passed out due to
intense pain.
Independent Assessment 3
Show that you value the following people and understand their circumstances by
expressing how you feel for them and giving pieces of advice to overcome the difficult
situations they are in.
1. Forced Marriage
I am Dina. I was 16 when mum took me out of school saying we had to travel
to Pakistan to sort out some property issues.
"At first I was happy to get out of school before the holidays and had never
been on a plane before, but that all soon changed...
"I was told we were heading to a family wedding for a cousin I hadn't met.
Mum had packed a bag for me, saying it was because we were staying there for
a few days after the ceremony.
"Once I was there, I was told that it was my wedding. I would be forced to
get marriage. I cried, told mum I was too young, he was too old, I hadn't finished
school, and I was scared and didn't want to do it. It was like she didn't care.
Source: https://www.childline.org.uk/get-involved/real-life-stories/forced-marriage-dinas-story/
What I Can Do
What harmful practices are most common in your community? What can you do
to stop harmful practices in your community?
If you thought about how you could stop harmful practices in your community,
then list them all down on a piece of paper, and decide which of the interventions is
most likely to succeed. Copy this template on a separate sheet of paper.
Source https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/mar/11/the-
tragedy-of-nigerias-child
Answer Key
References
Chandran, Rina. 2020. "In South India, A 20-Year-Old Survivor Of Honor Killing Turns Crusader". Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-women-crime/in-south-india-a-20-year-old-survivor-of-honor-killing-turns-crusader-
idUSKBN1EN0O4. Retrieved June 30, 2020
Clarke, Joe. 2020. "Nigeria: Child Brides Facing Death Sentences A Decade After Child Marriage Prohibited". The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/mar/11/the-tragedy-of-nigerias-child-brides. Retrieved
June 30, 2020.
Clever Prototypes, LLC. 2015. "The Lottery Summary Activity: Create A Plot Diagram". Storyboard That.
https://www.storyboardthat.com/lesson-plans/the-lottery-by-shirley-jackson/plot-diagram. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
Cross, Stephanie. 2011. "The Lottery And Other Stories ―The Lottery‖ Summary And Analysis". Gradesaver.Com.
https://www.gradesaver.com/the-lottery-and-other-stories/study-guide/summary-the-lottery. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
"Elements Of A Story Explained". 2019. Dreamerswriting.Com. https://www.dreamerswriting.com/elements-of-a-story/. Retrieved
June 29, 2020.
"Female Genital Mutilation Is More Common Than You Think". 2020. Newsus.Cgtn.Com. https://newsus.cgtn.com/news/2020-02-
07/Female-genital-mutilation-is-more-common-than-you-think-NSM3CNgoX6/index.html. Retrieved: July 01, 2020.
"Forced Marriage: Dina's Story | Childline". 2020. Childline.Org.Uk. https://www.childline.org.uk/get-involved/real-life-stories/forced-
marriage-dinas-story/.Retrieved June 30, 2020.
"Harmful Traditional Practices". 2020. Youthdoit.Org. Accessed July 1. https://www.youthdoit.org/themes/sexual-and-reproductive-
healthand-rights-are-human-rights/harmful-traditional-practices/stories/. Retrieved June 30, 2020.