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PREFACE

Reading is magic. It is that particular moment when we temporarily slip into a differ-
ent world, almost involuntarily and often helplessly, and in the process, we get into
another’s skin, voice, and soul. This magical moment was best captured by E. M Foster
in his quote:

“What is wonderful about great literature is that it transforms the man who reads it towards the condition of the
man who wrote, and brings to birth in us also the creative impulse.”

Welcome to Great Books!

This is a 54-hour, three-unit course that seeks to develop students’ ability to appreciate, analyze, and
critique literary works. It is a survey of the selected greatest masterpieces of literature from all over the
world, in different literary forms or genres, with representative pieces from various places, cultures,
and periods that produced them.

Specifically, this module has the following learning outcomes:

analyze texts critically;
demonstrate proficient and effective communication (writing, speaking, and
use of new technologies);
show critical, analytical, and creative thinking in digesting various literary piec-
es;
apply tools to process information effectively; and
reflect on the complexity of the human condition and the various themes re-
flected in literature.

To heighten the student’s literary experience, the team crafted this learning material which contain a
range of selected literary pieces classified according to the period of their existence: Ancient, Medieval,
and Modern Literature. Also incorporated are varied activities that will enable students to gain critical
skills through literary analysis and interpretation.

We earnestly hope that this learning material would enrich your literary background and more so,
serve as a gateway to polish and cultivate your taste towards literature. So, what are you waiting for?
Find your favorite reading spot and dig in!

Love,

Ma’am Janet and Ma’am Sassy

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Unit 1 - Literature 101

1.0 LEARNING OUTCOMES:
A. Define and discuss the meaning, nature, elements and types of literature;
B. Write a reflection essay on any topic relating to literature; and
C. Justify the role of literature in the society

1.1 Introduction
Amidst the turbulent climate of politics, media bias, and misinformation, the tornadic winds of
modern educational theories, and the volcanic eruption of screens and technology, a pertinent
set of questions exists: What is literature? Of what value is literature? Let us explore.

ACTIVITY 1 (15 pts)

List down those which you consider as “literature” from the list below.

Posters advertisements rap

Movie reviews card greetings love letter

FB posts diary entry news articles

Songs campaign jingle company taglines

Questions:

1. What was your bases in your choices?

2. What are the commonalities of those you’ve encircled above?

1.2 Lesson Proper

1.2.1 What is literature?

Sialongo (2013) provided different definitions to this word.

• It comes from the Latin word “LITERA” which literally means an acquaintance with letters,
the root definition of literature. It is a body of literary productions, either oral, written or
visual, containing imaginative language that realistically portrays thoughts, emotions, and
experiences of the human condition.

• It is language in use that provides insights and intellectual stimulation to the reader. As one
explores literature, he likewise discovers the beauty of language.

• It is a product of a particular culture that concretizes man’s array of values, emotions, ac-
tions and ideas. It is therefore a creation of human experience that tells about people and
their world.

• It is an art that reflects the works of imagination, aesthetics, and creative writing which are
distinguished for the beauty of style or expression as in fiction, poetry, essay, or drama, in
distinction from scientific treatises and works which contain positive knowledge
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ACTIVITY 2 (10 pts)

Write your answer on a clean sheet of paper together with your answers for ACTIVITY 1
Based on your answer to Activity 1 and the definitions provided above, come up
with your own definition of literature.
Provide a brief explanation for your definition.

1.2.2 LITERARY STANDARDS

Bascara (2003) enumerated seven literary standards, namely:
1. Universality
Literature appeals to everyone, regardless of culture, race, sex and time which are all con-
sidered significant.
2. Artistry
Literature has an aesthetic appeal and thus possesses a sense of beauty.
3. Intellectual Value
Literature stimulates critical thinking that enriches mental processes of abstract and reason-
ing, making man realize the fundamentals truths of life and its nature.
4. Suggestiveness
Literature unravels and conjures man’s emotional power to define symbolisms, nuances,
implied meanings, images and messages, giving and evoking visions above and beyond the
plane ordinary life and experience.
5. Spiritual Value
Literature elevates the spirit and the soul and thus has the power to motivate and inspire,
drawn from the suggested morals or lessons of the different literary genres.
6. Permanence
Literature endures across time and draws out the time factor: timeliness, occurring at a par-
ticular time, and timelessness, remaining invariable throughout time.
7. Style
Literature presents peculiar way/s on how man sees life as evidenced by the formation of
his ideas, forms, structures and expressions which are marked by their memorable sub-
stance.

1.2.3 LITERARY GENRES

Lacia and Gonong (2003) listed down the different literary genres. They came up with the fol-
lowing.
1.2.3.1 POETRY
1. Narrative Poetry
Tells a story in richly imaginative and rhythmical language
A. Epic
A long, narrative poem divided into distinct parts and episodes bound together by a
common relationship to some great hero, action, and time. Epics are essentially single po-
ems of exceeding dignity and power. There are two kinds: (1) folk or popular epics do not
have a known author but evolved gradually, (2) literary epics have distinct authorship.
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B. Metrical
A long, rambling love story in verse. Ideals of chivalry, romantic love, and religious
elements predominate this type of literature.
C. Ballad
A short narrative poem intended to be sung. Types can either be folk or literary.
D. Metrical tale
It deals with any emotion or phrase of life and its story is told in a simple, straightfor-
ward, and realistic manner.
2. Lyric Poetry— Expresses personal thoughts and feelings
A. Ode— An extended poem usually complicated in meter and stanza forms, and al
ways deals with a serious theme such as immortality.
B. Elegy—A poem of subjective and meditative nature. Strictly, it is a poem that can be
distinguished by its subject—death. It contains the author’s personal grief for a loved
one or a loss affecting the public as a whole.
C. Song— A short lyric poem intended to be sung: It has that particularly melodious
quality required by the singing voice.
1. Secular songs—Have nonreligious themes
2. Sacred songs— Songs in praise of God
D. Simple lyric— Any short poem where the verse is especially musical or where there
is a marked subjective or emotional tone.
E. Sonnet—Lyric poem distinguished by its exact form—fourteen iambic pentameter
lines It produces a single emotional effect. The lines are arranged in two waves of
thought.
1. Italian sonnet—contains an octave where the theme, problem, hope, or desire is
presented and sestet where a resolution or conclusion is reached.
2. Shakespearian (English) sonnet—its typical form, the sonnet presents and devel-
ops its them in the first three quatrains and states a conclusion in the couplet, or
the last two line. However, there are some variants of these.
F. Vers de societe
This is light verse or occasional and complimentary verse which deals in a witty and
polished fashion with subjects that, on the surface at least, are not very serious.
3. Dramatic poetry
Portrays life and character through action in powerful, emotion-packed lines such as
those in Shakespeare’s plays.
A. Poetic plays
1. Comedy— Type of drama that aims to amuse and which ends happily. This pre-
sents incongruous aspects of human speech, character, and conduct as they are dis-
played in social life
2. Tragedy— Type of drama in which the chief character undergoes a morally signifi-
cant struggle which ends disastrously. The tragedy assumes that humanity has a sense
of its own dignity and free will, a sense of a moral law, and forces which lie outside of
and are bigger than an individual.
3. Farce—an exaggerated comedy based broadly on humorous situations
4. Historical play—drama whose materials are taken form the lives of outstanding fig-
ures in hstory.
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` 5. Melodrama—A play with sensational actions, sentimental love story, extravagant

emotions, and, generally, a happy ending
B. Masque— A form of court pageantry that flourished in England in the 16th century. It had a
prolog7ue serving to introduce a group of actors who came in a sort of decorative float. Later,
the literary elements became very important like settings, costumes, music and scenery.
C. Dramatic monologue—A poem in which one character speaks throughout, but the presence,
actions , and even the word of the character are implied.

1.2.3.2 PROSE
1. Essay—this is a short literary composition in prose dealing with a single matter usually from
a personal point of view.
A. Reflective essays— are serious and dignified and usually employs aphorisms
B. Narrative or story essay—makes use of an incident to illustrate an idea or a theme.
C. Descriptive sassy—has some narrative elements as well as color, vividness and realis-
tic portrayals.
D. Biographical essay—sketches life or presents character analysis
E. Nature essay—attempts to picture the world of God’s creation and may do so in a
graphic, pictorial vein or a more thoughtful, philosophical manner
F. Critical essay—includes biographical criticism, literary criticism, and book reviews. It
is a record of an analytical weighing the virtues and faults of a literary piece.
G. Periodical essay—generally published in periodicals
H. Didactic essays—enforce a moral and, therefore, the tone is serious and didactic.
2. Fiction—the literary production of man’s imagination finding shape in sories of people or
events.
A. Prose allegory—prose form in which the characters, ideas, and actions stand for some-
thing else of for a system of ideas with meanings implied. Concrete characters are per-
sonifications of abstract ideas.
1. Fable—a short allegorical tale conveying moral or principle of behavior. The characters
are usually animals talking like human beings but keeping their animal traits. Often, the
moral is appended in the form of a proverb.
2. Myth—traditional tales common to the members of a taribe, race, or nation usually in-
volving the supernatural and serving to explain natural phenomena or suggest a religious
or moral truth.
3. Legends—stories of some wonderful events popularly believed to have some hstorcal ba-
sis and passed down through the ages.
B. Prose romances— types of stories in which some supernatural or magical events, fantastic,
and unrealistic, occur.
1. Fairy tales—make use of folklore motifs, commonplace expressions, and typical
themes are those which develop from stock characters.
2. Folk tales—a story which consists of one or a combination of many folklore themes.
These are easily passed from language to language and spread all over the world;
hence, they are sometimes called “migratory tales”
3. Myths and Legends
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C. Prose satires—stories which human vices and follies are held up to ridicule
1. Fabliau—short, amusing tale often bawdy or obscene, cynically and slyly satirical
directed against women, the clergy, and marriage.
D. Novels—prose narrative that can be divided into three types, fantasy, love and adven-
ture novels.
E. Short story—prose narrative of limited length which must have characterization, unity,
cumulative interest, climax , and a resolution
F. Novelettes—prose narratives that are intermediate between short story and the novels
3. Prose drama—a literary work written in dialogue and intended for presentation by actors.
The essence of drama is the make-believe by which an actor impersonates a character of a
play.
4. Non-fiction
A. biography and autobiography
B. Letters, diaries and journals
C. Book review
D. Literary criticism
E. Scientific publications

1.2.4 ELEMENTS
POETRY
This may be summarized into the mnemonic 3S. This stands for sense, sound and structure.
Let us look at these elements in detail. (Sialongo, 2013)

STRUCTURE OF THE POEM

This is the manner in which words are arranged and parts are organized to form a whole po-
em. This also refers to the way the poem is organized.

SOUND OF THE POEM

This is achieved through repetition. A poet is given many tools in order to develop this as-
pect of a poem.

RHYTHM – the pattern of beats created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed sylla-
bles, which gives musical quality and adds emphasis to certain words and thus helps convey
the meaning of the poem. The effect is derived from the sounds employed, the varying pitch-
es, stresses, volumes, and durations.
METER – is a regular recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables that give a line of poet-
ry a more or less predictable rhythm. Its unit of measure is termed as “foot” which usually
contains an accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables.
There are many different figures of speech. Let us review some common figurative language.

SENSE OF THE POEM

DENOTATION is the dictionary meaning of the word while CONNOTATION is the sug-
gested or implied meaning associated with the word beyond its dictionary definition.
IMAGERY. This is the use of sensory details or descriptions that appeal to one or more of the
five senses
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FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Language used for descriptive effect in order to convey ideas or emotions which are not literally
true but express some truth beyond the literal level.

The Figure of Speech is departure from the ordinary form of expression, or the ordinary course
of ideas in order to produce a greater effect.

SIMILE: In Simile, a comparison is made between two object of different kinds which have at
least one point in common. The Simile is introduced by the word ‘as…as’.
Examples:
As active as quicksilver As afraid as a grasshopper As ageless as the sun
As agile as a cat As agile as a monkey As alert as a bird

PERSONIFICATION: In Personification, inanimate objects and abstract notions are spoken of as

having life and intelligence.
Examples:
Death lays its icy hands on King.
Pride goes forth on horseback, grand and gay.
Laughter is holding her both sides.

APOSTROPHE: An Apostrophe is a direct address to the dead, to the absent, or to a personified

object or idea. This figure is a special form of Personification.
Examples:
Milton! You should not be living at this hour.
Friend! I know not which way I must look for comfort.
Roll on! Thou deep and dark blue Ocean, roll.
Death! Where is thy sting? O Grave! Where is thy victory?
HYPERBOLE: In Hyperbole, a statement is made emphatic by overstatement.
Examples:
Why, man, if the river is dry, I am able to fill it with tears.
Hamlet! You have not cleft my heart in twain.
EUPHEMISM: Euphemism consists in the description of a disagreeable thing by an agreeable
name.
Examples:
You are telling me a fairy tale. (You are telling me lies)
He is gone to heaven. (He is dead)
ANTITHESIS: In Antithesis, a striking opposition or contrast of words or sentiments is made
in the same sentence. P0p0
It is employed to secure emphasis.
Examples:
Man proposes, but God disposes.
Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more.
Speech is silver, but Silence is Gold.
Many are called, but few are chosen.
To err is human, but to forgive on divine.
OXYMORON: Oxymoron is special type of Antithesis, whereby two contradictory qualities are
predicted at once of the same thing.
Examples:
She accepted it as the kind cruelty of surgeon’s knife.
His honor rooted in dishonor stood.
Faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.
So innocent arch, so cunningly simple.
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ACTIVITY 3 (20 pts)

Please read the poem attached. Describe the poem using the elements that were covered in the
previous page.

Still I Rise
(Maya Angelu)
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you? Leaving behind nights of terror and
Don’t you take it awful hard fear
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines I rise
Diggin’ in my own back yard. Into a daybreak that’s wondrously
clear
You may shoot me with your words, I rise
You may cut me with your eyes, Bringing the gifts that my ancestors
You may kill me with your hateful- gave,
ness, I am the dream and the hope of the
But still, like air, I’ll rise. slave.
I rise
Does my sexiness upset you? I rise
Does it come as a surprise I rise.
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame I
rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I
rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the
tide.

FICTION

According to Sialongo (2013), fiction is a narrative in prose that shows an imaginative recrea-
tion and reconstruction of life and presents human life in two levels – the world of objective
reality made up of human actions an experiences, and the world of subjective reality dealing
with human apprehension and comprehension. Fiction is categorized as either a novel or a
short story.

This is the embodiment of artistic or structural unity of plot, character, setting, point of view,
irony, symbols, theme and style.

The PLOT is the selection of events based on relevance and suggestiveness,, ordering of action
to reveal exposition, complication leading to crisis-turn-reversal, and the resolution, which
leads to the denouement and ending.

KINDS OF PLOT

1. LINEAR PLOT – moves with the natural sequence of events where actions are arranged se-
quentially.
2. CIRCULAR PLOT – is a kind of plot where linear development of the story emerges with an
interruption in the chronological order to show an event that happened in the past.

*EN MEDIAS RES – is a king of plot where the story commences in the middle part of the action.
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SETTING— the time and place in which the events of a story occur. It consists of the use of
evocative portrayal of a region’s distinctive ways of thoughts and behavior or the “local
color” exemplified by the superficial elements of setting, dialect, and customs.

CHARACTERS—are the representations of a human being in a story. They are the com-
plex combination of both inner and outer self.

Characterization – the method used by the writer to reveal the personality of the character/s.

POINT OF VIEW—through this the author allows us to see what he wants us to see and is
a device of selectiveness, limitation, verisimilitude, and distancing. There are different
kinds: telling it in the 1st person, either as observer or participant; telling it in the 3rd per-
son, omniscient or panoramic; and as “limited omniscient.”

IRONY shows contrast between what seems, and what is,

SYMBOLISM doubles as the designation of something concrete in the story and something
intangible and valuable

STYLE implies control of material through different devices.

THEME is meaning that surfaces and is communicated with clarity and intensity; should
not be obvious or simply a moral.

ACTIVITY 4 (20 pts)

Please read the short story entitle “ God Sees the Truth but Waits” by Leo Tolstoy. Describe
the literary piece based on its elements.

Leo Tolstoy was a Russian author, a master of realistic fiction and one
of the world’s greatest novelists.
He is best known for his two longest works, War and Peace (1865–69)
and Anna Karenina (1875–77), which are commonly regarded as among
the finest novels ever written.
He wrote on every subject, from autobiographical to spiritual. Tolstoy
got his wish for simplicity – his grace is only a simple mound of earth,
with no tombstone
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God Sees the Truth, But Waits

by Leo Tolstoy

I
n the town of Vladimir lived a young merchant named Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov. He had two shops and a
house of his own.

Aksionov was a handsome, fair-haired, curly-headed fellow, full of fun, and very fond of singing. When quite
a young man he had been given to drink, and was riotous when he had had too much; but after he married he gave
up drinking, except now and then.

One summer Aksionov was going to the Nizhny Fair, and as he bade goodbye to his family, his wife said to him,
"Ivan Dmitrich, do not start today; I have had a bad dream about you."

Aksionov laughed, and said, "You are afraid that when I get to the fair I shall go on a spree."

His wife replied: "I do not know what I am afraid of; all I know is that I had a bad dream. I dreamt you returned
from the town, and when you took off your cap I saw that your hair was quite grey."

Aksionov laughed. "That's a lucky sign," said he. "See if I don't sell out all my goods, and bring you some presents
from the fair."

So he said goodbye to his family, and drove away.

When he had travelled half-way, he met a merchant whom he knew, and they put up at the same inn for the night.
They had some tea together, and then went to bed in adjoining rooms.

It was not Aksionov's habit to sleep late, and, wishing to travel while it was still cool, he aroused his driver before
dawn, and told him to put in the horses.

Then he made his way across to the landlord of the inn (who lived in a cottage at the back), paid his bill, and con-
tinued his journey.

When he had gone about twenty-five miles, he stopped for the horses to be fed. Aksionov rested awhile in the pas-
sage of the inn, then he stepped out into the porch, and, ordering a samovar to be heated, got out his guitar and
began to play.

Suddenly a troika drove up with tinkling bells and an official alighted, followed by two soldiers. He came to
Aksionov and began to question him, asking him who he was and whence he came. Aksionov answered him fully,
and said, "Won't you have some tea with me?" But the official went on cross-questioning him and asking him.
"Where did you spend last night? Were you alone, or with a fellow-merchant? Did you see the other merchant this
morning? Why did you leave the inn before dawn?"

Aksionov wondered why he was asked all these questions, but he described all that had happened, and then add-
ed, "Why do you cross-question me as if I were a thief or a robber? I am travelling on business of my own, and
there is no need to question me."

Then the official, calling the soldiers, said, "I am the police-officer of this district, and I question you because the
merchant with whom you spent last night has been found with his throat cut. We must search your things."
They entered the house. The soldiers and the police-officer unstrapped Aksionov's luggage and searched it. Sud-
denly the officer drew a knife out of a bag, crying, "Whose knife is this?"

Aksionov looked, and seeing a blood-stained knife taken from his bag, he was frightened.

"How is it there is blood on this knife?"

Aksionov tried to answer, but could hardly utter a word, and only stammered: "I--don't know--not mine." Then the
police-officer said: "This morning the merchant was found in bed with his throat cut. You are the only person who
could have done it. The house was locked from inside, and no one else was there. Here is this blood-stained knife
in your bag and your face and manner betray you! Tell me how you killed him, and how much money you stole?"

Aksionov swore he had not done it; that he had not seen the merchant after they had had tea together; that he had
no money except eight thousand rubles of his own, and that the knife was not his. But his voice was broken, his
face pale, and he trembled with fear as though he went guilty.
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The police-officer ordered the soldiers to bind Aksionov and to put him in the cart. As they tied his feet together
and flung him into the cart, Aksionov crossed himself and wept. His money and goods were taken from him, and
he was sent to the nearest town and imprisoned there. Enquiries as to his character were made in Vladimir. The
merchants and other inhabitants of that town said that in former days he used to drink and waste his time, but that
he was a good man. Then the trial came on: he was charged with murdering a merchant from Ryazan, and robbing
him of twenty thousand rubles.

His wife was in despair, and did not know what to believe. Her children were all quite small; one was a baby at her
breast. Taking them all with her, she went to the town where her husband was in jail. At first she was not allowed
to see him; but after much begging, she obtained permission from the officials, and was taken to him. When she
saw her husband in prison-dress and in chains, shut up with thieves and criminals, she fell down, and did not
come to her senses for a long time. Then she drew her children to her, and sat down near him. She told him of
things at home, and asked about what had happened to him. He told her all, and she asked, "What can we do
now?"

"We must petition the Czar not to let an innocent man perish."

His wife told him that she had sent a petition to the Czar, but it had not been accepted.

Aksionov did not reply, but only looked downcast.

Then his wife said, "It was not for nothing I dreamt your hair had turned grey. You remember? You should not
have started that day." And passing her fingers through his hair, she said: "Vanya dearest, tell your wife the truth;
was it not you who did it?"

"So you, too, suspect me!" said Aksionov, and, hiding his face in his hands, he began to weep. Then a soldier came
to say that the wife and children must go away; and Aksionov said goodbye to his family for the last time.

When they were gone, Aksionov recalled what had been said, and when he remembered that his wife also had sus-
pected him, he said to himself, "It seems that only God can know the truth; it is to Him alone we must appeal, and
from Him alone expect mercy."

And Aksionov wrote no more petitions; gave up all hope, and only prayed to God.

Aksionov was condemned to be flogged and sent to the mines. So he was flogged with a knot, and when the
wounds made by the knot were healed, he was driven to Siberia with other convicts.

For twenty-six years Aksionov lived as a convict in Siberia. His hair turned white as snow, and his beard grew
long, thin, and grey. All his mirth went; he stooped; he walked slowly, spoke little, and never laughed, but he often
prayed.

In prison Aksionov learnt to make boots, and earned a little money, with which he bought The Lives of the Saints.
He read this book when there was light enough in the prison; and on Sundays in the prison-church he read the les-
sons and sang in the choir; for his voice was still good.

The prison authorities liked Aksionov for his meekness, and his fellow-prisoners respected him: they called him
"Grandfather," and "The Saint." When they wanted to petition the prison authorities about anything, they always
made Aksionov their spokesman, and when there were quarrels among the prisoners they came to him to put
things right, and to judge the matter.

No news reached Aksionov from his home, and he did not even know if his wife and children were still alive.

One day a fresh gang of convicts came to the prison. In the evening the old prisoners collected round the new ones
and asked them what towns or villages they came from, and what they were sentenced for. Among the rest
Aksionov sat down near the newcomers, and listened with downcast air to what was said.

One of the new convicts, a tall, strong man of sixty, with a closely-cropped grey beard, was telling the others what
be had been arrested for.

"Well, friends," he said, "I only took a horse that was tied to a sledge, and I was arrested and accused of stealing. I
said I had only taken it to get home quicker, and had then let it go; besides, the driver was a personal friend of
mine.
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So I said, 'It's all right.' 'No,' said they, 'you stole it.' But how or where I stole it they could not say. I once really
did something wrong, and ought by rights to have come here long ago, but that time I was not found out. Now I
have been sent here for nothing at all... Eh, but it's lies I'm telling you; I've been to Siberia before, but I did not
stay long."

"Where are you from?" asked someone.

"From Vladimir. My family are of that town. My name is Makar, and they also call me Semyonich."

Aksionov raised his head and said: "Tell me, Semyonich, do you know anything of the merchants Aksionov of
Vladimir? Are they still alive?"

"Know them? Of course I do. The Aksionovs are rich, though their father is in Siberia: a sinner like ourselves, it
seems! As for you, Gran'dad, how did you come here?"

Aksionov did not like to speak of his misfortune. He only sighed, and said, "For my sins I have been in prison
these twenty-six years."

"What sins?" asked Makar Semyonich.

But Aksionov only said, "Well, well--I must have deserved it!" He would have said no more, but his companions
told the newcomers how Aksionov came to be in Siberia; how some one had killed a merchant, and had put the
knife among Aksionov's things, and Aksionov had been unjustly condemned.

When Makar Semyonich heard this, he looked at Aksionov, slapped his own knee, and exclaimed, "Well, this is
wonderful! Really wonderful! But how old you've grown, Gran'dad!"

The others asked him why he was so surprised, and where he had seen Aksionov before; but Makar Semyonich
did not reply. He only said: "It's wonderful that we should meet here, lads!"

These words made Aksionov wonder whether this man knew who had killed the merchant; so he said, "Perhaps,
Semyonich, you have heard of that affair, or maybe you've seen me before?"

"How could I help hearing? The world's full of rumours. But it's a long time ago, and I've forgotten what I
heard."

"Perhaps you heard who killed the merchant?" asked Aksionov.

Makar Semyonich laughed, and replied: "It must have been him in whose bag the knife was found! If some one
else hid the knife there, 'He's not a thief till he's caught,' as the saying is. How could any one put a knife into
your bag while it was under your head? It would surely have woke you up."

When Aksionov heard these words, he felt sure this was the man who had killed the merchant. He rose and
went away. All that night Aksionov lay awake. He felt terribly unhappy, and all sorts of images rose in his mind.
There was the image of his wife as she was when he parted from her to go to the fair. He saw her as if she were
present; her face and her eyes rose before him; he heard her speak and laugh. Then he saw his children, quite
little, as they were at that time: one with a little cloak on, another at his mother's breast. And then he remem-
bered himself as he used to be-young and merry. He remembered how he sat playing the guitar in the porch of
the inn where he was arrested, and how free from care he had been. He saw, in his mind, the place where he was
flogged, the executioner, and the people standing around; the chains, the convicts, all the twenty-six years of his
prison life, and his premature old age. The thought of it all made him so wretched that he was ready to kill him-
self.
"And it's all that villain's doing!" thought Aksionov. And his anger was so great against Makar Semyonich that
he longed for vengeance, even if he himself should perish for it. He kept repeating prayers all night, but could
get no peace. During the day he did not go near Makar Semyonich, nor even look at him.

A fortnight passed in this way. Aksionov could not sleep at night, and was so miserable that he did not know
what to do.
One night as he was walking about the prison he noticed some earth that came rolling out from under one of the
shelves on which the prisoners slept. He stopped to see what it was. Suddenly Makar Semyonich crept out from
under the shelf, and looked up at Aksionov with frightened face. Aksionov tried to pass without looking at him,
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1 | Great Books 12

but Makar seized his hand and told him that he had dug a hole under the wall, getting rid of the earth by put-
ting it into his high-boots, and emptying it out every day on the road when the prisoners were driven to their
work.
"Just you keep quiet, old man, and you shall get out too. If you blab, they'll flog the life out of me, but I will kill
you first."

Aksionov trembled with anger as he looked at his enemy. He drew his hand away, saying, "I have no wish to
escape, and you have no need to kill me; you killed me long ago! As to telling of you--I may do so or not, as God
shall direct."

Next day, when the convicts were led out to work, the convoy soldiers noticed that one of the prisoners emptied
some earth out of his boots. The prison was searched and the tunnel found. The Governor came and questioned
all the prisoners to find out who had dug the hole. They all denied any knowledge of it. Those who knew would
not betray Makar Semyonich, knowing he would be flogged almost to death. At last the Governor turned to
Aksionov whom he knew to be a just man, and said:
"You are a truthful old man; tell me, before God, who dug the hole?"

Makar Semyonich stood as if he were quite unconcerned, looking at the Governor and not so much as glancing
at Aksionov. Aksionov's lips and hands trembled, and for a long time he could not utter a word. He thought,
"Why should I screen him who ruined my life? Let him pay for what I have suffered. But if I tell, they will proba-
bly flog the life out of him, and maybe I suspect him wrongly. And, after all, what good would it be to me?"

"Well, old man," repeated the Governor, "tell me the truth: who has been digging under the wall?"

Aksionov glanced at Makar Semyonich, and said, "I cannot say, your honour. It is not God's will that I should
tell! Do what you like with me; I am your hands."

However much the Governor tried, Aksionov would say no more, and so the matter had to be left.

That night, when Aksionov was lying on his bed and just beginning to doze, some one came quietly and sat
down on his bed. He peered through the darkness and recognised Makar.

"What more do you want of me?" asked Aksionov. "Why have you come here?"

Makar Semyonich was silent. So Aksionov sat up and said, "What do you want? Go away, or I will call the
guard!"

Makar Semyonich bent close over Aksionov, and whispered, "Ivan Dmitrich, forgive me!"

"What for?" asked Aksionov.

"It was I who killed the merchant and hid the knife among your things. I meant to kill you too, but I heard a
noise outside, so I hid the knife in your bag and escaped out of the window."

Aksionov was silent, and did not know what to say. Makar Semyonich slid off the bed-shelf and knelt upon the
ground. "Ivan Dmitrich," said he, "forgive me! For the love of God, forgive me! I will confess that it was I who
killed the merchant, and you will be released and can go to your home."

"It is easy for you to talk," said Aksionov, "but I have suffered for you these twenty-six years. Where could I go
to now?... My wife is dead, and my children have forgotten me. I have nowhere to go..."

Makar Semyonich did not rise, but beat his head on the floor. "Ivan Dmitrich, forgive me!" he cried. "When they
flogged me with the knot it was not so hard to bear as it is to see you now ... yet you had pity on me, and did not
tell. For Christ's sake forgive me, wretch that I am!" And he began to sob.

When Aksionov heard him sobbing he, too, began to weep. "God will forgive you!" said he. "Maybe I am a hun-
dred times worse than you." And at these words his heart grew light, and the longing for home left him. He no
longer had any desire to leave the prison, but only hoped for his last hour to come.

In spite of what Aksionov had said, Makar Semyonich confessed, his guilt. But when the order for his release
came, Aksionov was already dead.
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2 | World Literature 13

JOURNAL ENTRY #1 (25 pts)

In Literature classes, we often talk about its importance in the society.
The answer to this question vary depending on the time and place and the partici-
pants of the conversation.
You may watch the video entitled “ What is literature for?” to get more insights.
You are to write a reflective essay that looks into the role of literature not just to the
society but to you, personally.

1.3 References
Bascara, L. (2003) World Literature (A Tertiary Textbook For Literature II Under The New
Curriculum). Rex Book Store Inc.,
Lacia, F.C. and Gonong, G.O. (2003) The Literature of the World. (L. Libunao, Ed.). Rex
Bookstore.
Nem Singh, R. P. (2011) Anthology of World Literature for Colleges. Anvil Publishing.
Sialongo, Erlinda B. (2013) Literatures of the World. Rex Bookstore Inc.,

1.4 Acknowledgment
The images, tables, figures and information contained in this module were taken from
the references cited above.