21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF

THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD

ACTIVITY SHEET
QUARTER 2- MELC 1
WRITING A CLOSE ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL INTERPRETATION OF
LITERARY TEXTS
NAME: MESJIE KRISTELLE P. DAVILA GRADE & SECTION: 11-ABM ARTEMIS

ACTIVITY PROPER
Exercise 1

In the poem “I Do” by Eileen R.

Tabios provides us the perspective
of a female worker that
knows how to speak English but is
being treated as inferior. The
narrator of the poem is a
female OFW that tells of her life
being treated inferior by her
employer. The poem is about the
life of foreign workers being
treated poorly.
The poem tells the life of a woman
that knows how to speak English
that is being treated
poorly by other English speakers.
Woman is working abroad as a
maid that is constantly being
harassed by her boss. The woman
accepts the harassment so that she
can get food to feed
herself or her family back home.
The woman wants to be treated
equally by other English
speakers but just only gets
discriminated against because she
is different from others.
The poem has a lot of hidden
meanings on each of its lines. Like
in this line, I do know
English and, therefore, when
hungry, can ask for more than
minimum wage, pointing
repeatedly
at my mouth and yours. In this line
we know she knows English and
wants to ask some when
she gets hungry but on the part she
indicates she is willing to get
money in exchange for a kiss.
This could mean that some OFW
are being paid but not enough to
sustain themselves so they
result in selling their purity for
food or money.
While on this line, I shall call you
“Master” with a lack of irony; lift
my cotton blouse; cup
my breasts to offer them to your
eyes, your lips, your tongue; keen
at the moon hiding at 11
a.m. to surface left tendon on my
neck. For your teeth. And so on.
No need to decipher your
response—and if you wish, go
ahead: spank me. This line
indicates that the woman is willing
to
sacrifice her own purity and
accepts that she is inferior. This
could mean that foreign workers
like OFW are always stereotyped
as inferior to their own boss.
The poem I do is very sad and
realistic approach about
discrimination on foreign people
or women. It’s theme is likely
inspired by the tragic experience of
some OFW or foreign people.
In the poem “I Do” by Eileen R.
Tabios provides us the perspective
of a female worker that
knows how to speak English but is
being treated as inferior. The
narrator of the poem is a
female OFW that tells of her life
being treated inferior by her
employer. The poem is about the
life of foreign workers being
treated poorly.
The poem tells the life of a woman
that knows how to speak English
that is being treated
poorly by other English speakers.
Woman is working abroad as a
maid that is constantly being
harassed by her boss. The woman
accepts the harassment so that she
can get food to feed
herself or her family back home.
The woman wants to be treated
equally by other English
speakers but just only gets
discriminated against because she
is different from others.
The poem has a lot of hidden
meanings on each of its lines. Like
in this line, I do know
English and, therefore, when
hungry, can ask for more than
minimum wage, pointing
repeatedly
at my mouth and yours. In this line
we know she knows English and
wants to ask some when
she gets hungry but on the part she
indicates she is willing to get
money in exchange for a kiss.
This could mean that some OFW
are being paid but not enough to
sustain themselves so they
result in selling their purity for
food or money.
While on this line, I shall call you
“Master” with a lack of irony; lift
my cotton blouse; cup
my breasts to offer them to your
eyes, your lips, your tongue; keen
at the moon hiding at 11
a.m. to surface left tendon on my
neck. For your teeth. And so on.
No need to decipher your
response—and if you wish, go
ahead: spank me. This line
indicates that the woman is willing
to
sacrifice her own purity and
accepts that she is inferior. This
could mean that foreign workers
like OFW are always stereotyped
as inferior to their own boss.
The poem I do is very sad and
realistic approach about
discrimination on foreign people
or women. It’s theme is likely
inspired by the tragic experience of
some OFW or foreign people.
In the poem “I Do” by Eileen R.
Tabios provides us the perspective
of a female worker that
knows how to speak English but is
being treated as inferior. The
narrator of the poem is a
female OFW that tells of her life
being treated inferior by her
employer. The poem is about the
life of foreign workers being
treated poorly
Reflection
1. What significant insights have you learned from the exercise above?

2. How will you apply these insights in your reading habit?