SERQUENA, DIANNE JEAN C.

OCTOBER 19 2022
BALITT 4-2

"RICE"
by: MANUEL ARGUILLA

• MARXISM
- the correspondence between the text and reality
- to reveal a society's hidden occurrences
- concentrates on unresolved issues or tension

• Mimetic approach
The goal of mimetic criticism is to determine how well a work of literature
connects with the real world, and the theory can be broadened to include
approaches that deal with the spiritual and symbolic, images that connect people
of all times and cultures.
They analyze the accuracy of a literary work and its morality. They consider
whether it shows how people act, and whether or not it is correct. The mimetic
critic assesses a literary work through the prism of his or her own time, judging
the text according to his value system.

• CHARACTERS:
1. PABLO- an old farmer
2. SEBIA-Pablo’s wife
3. SEŇORA- watchman
4. ANDRE- Pablo’s co-farmer, much younger than Pablo
5. OSIANG- Andres’ wife

• SYMBOLISMS:
1. Rice- hope for starving people
2. Empty Sled- symbolize their emptiness in foods
3. Carabao- represents people who worked hard every day
4. Broken fence- shows broken dreams
5. Snails- people who can’t go over the mud
6. Multa(fine)- means additional burden for the people
7. Trucks- heavy stealer of their foods

• SETTING:
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Hacienda Consuelo – rice field

• THEME:
"That even the righteous man can do anything just for his family's sake"

• CONFLICTS:
1. Man vs. Society
-society plays an important role in Pablo's life because it serves as the biggest obstacle for him
to live a good life
2. Man vs. Himself
-Pablo’s inner struggle to choose (last part of the story)
3. Man vs. Man
-Pablo vs. the rice exploiter

• POINT OF VIEW:
Omniscient Point of View- The reader knows everything about the story. Everything is
revealed to the reader except to the characters.

The story Rice by Manuel Arguilla is about farmers who live in rural areas and experience
mistreatment. According to Dave Frankin (2011), it is a kind of story in which the landlord
controls poor people and treats them differently from other members of society, leaving
farmers with no choice but to devise survival strategies.

In the narrative, Mang Pablo and his fellow farmers were subjected to unfair treatment by the
Seniora, and they agreed to take the hit for the rice they had borrowed. According to Stephen
Lim Seniora, who is a metaphor for a rich person who can control others because she has the
power to aid the poor but is treated unfairly, rice also represents a lack of food in the farmer
who is going hungry because of the landlord's harsh treatment of him.

Because his neighbor, Andres, incites him to think negatively about stealing rice, the tone of
the narrative is one of Man vs. Society. According to Christopher Cascio, this happens when
the protagonist is put in opposition to a governmental or cultural tradition and societal
standards. At first, Pablo didn't want to steal rice, but after watching his family suffer from
hunger and suffering, he asked for his bolo and joined Andres. Pablo's society is significant
since it presents challenges to leading a fulfilling existence.

The words and actions of the characters tell the tale. When Pablo's neighbor Andres suggests
stealing some rice, he is first uninterested. However, when he saw that his family was starving,
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he quickly agreed to join Andres in his scheme. Because of their poverty, they were able to
take advantage of the farmers and treat them differently from other members of society by
demanding ten caravans of rice in exchange for the five caravans they had borrowed.

In conclusion, people are propelled to act in ways they do not want to by the circumstances
they find themselves in. They have no other alternatives; therefore, they are compelled to live
that way. Class relations in the Philippines are a major theme of the narrative. The
downtrodden and the weakest in society are impoverished. The oppressors who cause the
poor's pain are wealthy.

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REFERENCES:
https://classroom.google.com/u/5/c/NTM4Mzk4NDkzMTUz/a/NTAyODI2NzIyNjg0/details
https://classroom.google.com/u/5/c/NTM4Mzk4NDkzMTUz/a/NTAyODI2NzIyNjg0/details
https://www.slideshare.net/03Nayer/analysis-rice-by-manuel-arguilla

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