LITERARY ANALYSIS.

Read the following

questions below and answer them concisely:

Symbolism. Choose five (5) objects in the story and

explain its connotation based on the literary text. (15
points)
Coconut Tree -The coconut tree symbolizes the pride
and humility of every Filipino. Just like a coconut tree,
it stays very high but its leaves sway down to earth
remembering the land that gave it life. Filipinos are
really achievers in life, no matter how many times we
fall down to the ground, we always have the courage
to stand up again and rise high
Lambanog- symbolizes the Filipinos and how
Filipinos is being dependent to their natural
resources.
Whiskey- symbolizes the Americans and their culture.
Jungle juice- symbolizes the Americans perspective
on the Philippines, where they see the Philippines as
a jungle and the people living in it are still not modern
and civilized.

Polished coconut- symbolizes the traditional way of

drinking Lambanog in the Philippines.

Character Analysis.

How did the farmer prepare the chaser?

Answer: The farmer gathered Philippine lemons or

calamansi sliced in halves, took some rough salt and
laid it on the foot high table.

What was the G I’s reaction to his first drink of

lambanog? To the second? To the third?

Answer: First shot, Joe lushed his drink but

reacted in a peculiar way. His eyes popped out
like a frog and his hand clutched his throat. He
looked as if he swallowed a centipede. In the
Second shot, Joe neck stretched out like a
turtle's. And now he was panting like a carabao
gone amok. In the Third, shot Joe began to act
in a very unaccountable manner. He fell into the
delusion that I was a Japanese. Warning me not
to try to escape, he demanded my unconditional
surrender.

Are Filipinos really mild drinkers?

Answer: Filipinos are not mild drinkers. When the

American soldier mentioned that he used to drink
different kinds of liquor and that he was really fond of
drinking such liquids but when he tried to drink the
lambanog, he felt like he swallowed everything he
said to the farmer. The farmer was acting very normal
drinking the lambanog while the soldier already felt
dizzy on the third time. Filipinos are really not mild
drinkers. We drink when there is an occasion, we
drink when we are happy, we drink when we are sad
and especially we drink when it feels like we need to.
Give a scenario from the story to support your
answer. (20points)

Filipino Custom : How can the coconut tree be said

to represent the Philippines? Give a scenario from
the story to support your answers. (10 points)

Answer: I said, "the coconut tree represents the

Philippines. It stands up to the sky, but then its leaves
sway down to earth as if remembering the land that
gave it life." Filipinos are really achievers in life, no
matter how many times we fall down to the ground,
we always have the courage to stand up again and
rise high

Cultural Heritage. Alejandro Roces is fond of using

the rural setting in his stories.

nipa hut-

polished coconut -Joe punctuated this statement with

a knowing look.
I poured some lambanog into two polished coconut
shells and gave one of the shells to Joe. I diluted my
drink with some of Joe's whiskey

Joe sat down on the floor

lambanog’ drinking is an enduring tradition that
people practice for many cultural reasons
The Filipino’s act of offering lambanog drink to the
American visitor and the drinking sessions they had
were ways of showing his fellowmen’s innate value of
hospitability.2
lambanog featured the local farming life of the Filipino
character of in the barrio and how lambanog is locally
produced by the natives. Second, lambanog
presented the value of being hospitable of the
Filipinos shown when there is a foreign visitor; that is,
Filipinos are accommodating, generous, and helpful.
Third, lambanog showed the strong image of the
Filipinos, that though it is a locally produced beer, it
stood out to the taste of an alcohol king.

3.Cultural Heritage. Alejandro Roces is fond of

using the rural setting in his stories.
Give at least five (5) examples based on the story
that reflects our cultural and local heritage. (15
points)

Literary Theories. What literary theories are present

in the story? Cite evidences from the story to support
your answer. (20 points)
The story involved two male imaginary personas,
represented by the Filipino farmer, who was the
narrator, and the American soldier. Roces made use
of male characters to portray the common culture that
drinking beer is usually practiced by men. In fact, the
American mentioned foreign brewed beers that he
had already gulped such as whiskey, rum, brandy,
tequila, gin, champagne, sake, and vodka to show
how strong and ready he was to try the Filipino
lambanog. His way of saying that he drank a lot
anywhere connotes that beer is his companion that
the Filipino offer or need not worry of the lambanog.