SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL: 21st Century Literature Teaching from the Philippines and

the World
Student’s Name: Grade/Section:

Teacher: Date Submitted:

I. LEARNING SKILLS

A. Most Essential Learning Competency: Writing a close analysis and critical interpretation of
literary texts, applying a reading approach, and doing an adaptation of these, require from the learner
the ability to identify; representative texts and authors from Asia, North America, Europe, Latin
America, and Africa EN12Lit-IIa-22
B. Objectives:
1. Define and explain Marxist criticism and its key concepts
2. Analyze a narrative of class struggle in a given text
3. Write a critical analysis of the reading text using the Marxist literary criticism

II. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

Marxist Criticism or Marxism is a type of literary criticism based on the writings of a German
philosopher Karl Marx. It is a critical approach to literature which shows the relationship between
literature and the social—mainly economic—conditions under which it was produced. Originally,
Marxist critics focused on literary representations of workers and working classes. For later Marxists,
however, literature became a document of a kind of knowledge and a record of the historical conditions
that produced that knowledge. Like cultural criticism, Marxist literary criticism offers critiques of the
“canon” and focuses on the ways in which culture and power intersect; for a Marxist critic, literature
both reproduces existing power relations and offers a space where they can be contested and redefined.
Important 20th-century Marxist literary critics include Georg Lucáks, Antonio Gramsci, Louis
Althusser,Terry Eagleton, Raymond Williams, and Frederic Jameson. Some of the key concepts of
Marxism include worker's uprising, materialism, class struggle, effect of capitalism, classless society,
ideology, and working class.
Marxist criticism is concerned with differences between economic classes & implications of the
capitalist system, such as the continuing conflicts between the working class and the elite. Hence, it
attempts to reveal that the ultimate source of people’s experience is the socio economic system. The
common aspects looked into when using Marxist criticism are as follows:
● Social class as represented in the work
● Social class of the writer /creator
● Social class of the characters
● Conflicts and interactions between economic classes

How to use Marxism in Analyzing Literary text?

There is no prescribed structure in writing Marxist analysis of literature, but the
following parts are almost always present:

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INTRODUCTION:
a. Title of the book/article/work
b. Writer’s Name
c. Thesis statement
BODY:
a. Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages
b. You may address the following questions:
● Whom does it benefit if the work or effort is accepted/successful/believed, etc.?
● What is the social class of the author?
● Which class does the work claim to represent?
● What values does it reinforce?
● What values does it subvert?
● What conflict can be seen between the values the work champions and those it portrays?
● What social classes do the characters represent?
● How do characters from different classes interact or conflict?
CONCLUSION:
a. overall impression of the work
b. Scholarly or literary value of the reading text

III. ACTIVITIES
A. Practice Task 1
Practice Task 1: Read each item carefully. Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. It considers material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.
a. Ideology c. Marxist
b. Materialism d. Class struggle
2. It teaches that literature must be understood in relation to historical and social reality as
interpreted from a Marxist standpoint.
a. Class struggle c. Ideology
b. Equality d. Marxist Criticism
3. It refers to worker’s uprising
a. Worker’s Revolt c. Classless Society
b. Capitalism d. Materialism
4. A hierarchical society in which social classes have been abolished
a. Classless Society c. Marxist
b. Equality d. Working Class
5. The struggle for political and economic power carried on between capitalists and workers
a. Worker’s Revolt c. Classless Society
b. Class Struggle d. Materialism
6. An economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation
for profit.
a. Marxism c. Capitalism
b. Equality d. Ideology
7. A socioeconomic term used to describe persons in a social class marked by jobs that provide low
pay, require limited skill, or physical labor.
a. Working Class c. Class Struggle
b. Capitalism d. Materialism
8. A system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory
and policy
a. Ideology c. Equality
b. Materialism d. Worker’s Revolt

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9. The major struggle of Marxism
a. Materialism c. Equality
b. Capitalism d. Classless Society
10. The study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature.
a. Literary Critic c. Literary Criticism
b. Literary Theory d. Literary History

Practice Task 2. Read and study the sample short Marxist criticism of “Dead Stars” below, a classic
Filipino short story by Paz Marquez Benitez and answer the following questions in your worksheet.

The imbalanced societal power play is evident in the short story in the form of treatment
of the characters based on their class. This is most easily evident in the conversation between
Alfredo and his fiancée, Esperanza, about Calixta, their note-carrier who grew up in the latter’s
family. The scene depicts a parallelism in the circumstance of Alfredo and his new love, Julia,
and Calixta and her live-in partner. However, while no one blatantly frowns upon the budding
relationship between Alfredo and Julia, except for some whispered rumors that reach
Esperanza, Calixta is dubbed “ungrateful” to her master for doing such an act. Alfredo does not
have to answer to anyone for his unfaithfulness, but Calixta is responsible not only for what her
family might think, but also for the members of her master’s family. Despite the same
circumstances, the two people are regarded differently based on their positions in life.

1. What is Marxist criticism?

2. Where did Marxism come from?
3. What are the key concepts of Marxism?
4. Who are the important 20th century Marxist literary critics?
5. What is the relationship between Marxism & literature?
6. What is the significance of Marxism to literary criticism?
7. How are the key concepts of Marxism correlated with literature?
8. What are the basic parts of Marxist critical analysis?

Practice Task 3. Read and understand the story below, then write a short Marxist critical analysis of
the story by following the questions below as your guide. Write your answer on a separate sheet of
paper.

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

Mathilde Loisel is a charming and pretty woman who has always believed herself destined for
greater things than her life has brought her. The feeling that she deserves the luxuries of life and is yet
unable to afford those “delicacies” causes her to suffer continuous feelings of jealousy and longing.
After marrying a clerk who works at the Ministry of Public Instruction, Mathilde settles into a life of
mediocrity, longing for women to envy her and men to pursue her. Finding these desires unfulfilled,
Mathilde even begins avoiding her wealthy friend Madame Forestier, a former schoolmate, because
returning from her friend’s house of opulence causes Mathilde to suffer even more deeply when she
returns to her own modest abode.
One evening, Mathilde’s husband arrives home with what he believes will be joyous news for
his wife. The couple has been invited to a grand ball and celebration at the palace of the Ministry, and
the invitation has been difficult for Monsieur Loisel to procure. Yet instead of the delight he expects
the invitation to elicit, his wife responds with scorn, telling him that she cannot possibly attend without
a proper dress. Trying to comfort her, Monsieur Loisel asks how much a simple dress might cost, and
Mathilde estimates that such a dress would cost around four hundred francs. Monsieur Loisel has saved
just that amount of money to treat himself to a gun and a getaway with friends the next summer, but he
gives his wife his savings so that she can buy the dress she desires.

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 As the date of the ball approaches, Monsieur Loisel senses his wife’s anxieties growing. He
asks why she’s been behaving so oddly, and she tells him that she cannot go to the ball without having
a single jewel to wear with the dress. He tries to convince her that “natural flowers [are] very stylish at
this time of the year,” but Mathilde cannot be convinced. Instead, she worries that she will be
humiliated, looking “poor among other women who are rich.” Her husband gives Mathilde an idea that
overjoys her: she should simply ask to borrow some jewelry for the event from Madame Forestier.
Madame Forestier shows Mathilde many pieces in her collection, from a pearl necklace to
pieces with precious stones and “admirable workmanship,” but nothing seems stunning enough to
capture Mathilde’s interest. She asks her friend if she has any more jewelry, and Madame Forestier
produces “a superb necklace of diamonds.” Mathilde places it around her neck with trembling hands,
“lost in ecstasy at the sight of herself.” She kisses her friend and flees with her treasure. When the ball
arrives, Mathilde Loisel is as radiant as she’s ever dreamed. She is “elegant, gracious, smiling, and
crazy with joy.” Men desire to know her and beg to be introduced to her. The attachés of the Cabinet
desire to waltz with her, and the minister himself makes comments about her. Mathilde dances until
four in the morning, made “drunk” by the pleasure of captivating the attention of a room, just as she’s
always desired. Finally, it is time to return home, and Mathilde finds her husband asleep in an anteroom.
When Monsieur Loisel wraps his wife in the “modest wraps of common life” before they enter the cold,
Mathilde again feels the pains of her relative poverty in comparison to the women who wrap up in
“costly furs” as they prepare to leave. Desperate to escape scrutiny, Mathilde flees the room, running
outside and down the street. The couple cannot find a carriage, and it takes a while to arrive home. As
Mathilde stands before her mirror to appreciate her beauty one final time, she realizes that the diamond
necklace she has borrowed is missing. Panicked, she tells her husband, who begins a frenzied series of
questions about where she could have lost it. Monsieur Loisel leaves to retrace their steps but returns at
seven o’clock empty-handed. He visits the police and newspaper offices and offers a reward, but there
is no lead. Finally, he tells his wife to write to Madame Forestier and claim that the clasp of the necklace
has been broken and that they will have it fixed before returning it. Mathilde does as instructed, and the
Loisels attempt to find an exact replica of the necklace. After much searching, they locate what they
believe is an exact match; it will cost them thirty-six thousand francs.
After borrowing money from everyone they can and adding to this total the eighteen thousand francs
left to Monsieur Loisel by his father, they are able to purchase the necklace and present it to Madame
Forestier. Mathilde then turns to repaying the debt she and her husband have incurred. She dismisses
her servant, changes her address, and takes in a boarder. Mathilde settles into the “horrible existence of
the needy” as she submits to heavy housework, scrubbing floors and scraping pots with her nails. She
carries the weight of both slop and water and learns to bargain with the grocer and butcher. Finally,
after ten years of her life have passed this way, Mathilde Loisel succeeds in paying off the debt of thirty-
six thousand francs. She goes for a walk in the Champs Elysees one Sunday and encounters Madame
Forestier there. Since she has now paid off the debt, she decides to speak to her former friend, whom
she hasn’t seen in all these years, and tell her the truth about the necklace. Madame Forestier initially
has no idea who Mathilde is. When she realizes the identity of Mathilde, Madame Forestier “utter[s] a
cry.” Mathilde explains that she’s had to work ten years of strenuous labor to pay back loans she
incurred for the loss of Madame Forestier’s original diamond necklace but that she is relieved that “at
last it is ended.”
It is at this point that the painful blow is delivered: Madame Forestier takes Mathilde’s hands
and explains that the necklace was “paste,” worth at most five hundred francs.

1. Who are the characters in the story? Describe each one of them.
2. What is the social status of the characters?
3. Which class do the characters represent?
4. What values does it reinforce?
5. What values does it weaken or disrupt?
6. How do characters from different classes interact or conflict?
7. What social classes do the characters represent?

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 B. ASSESSMENT: Write a critical analysis of the story “The Necklace” using Marxist Criticism.
Use the structure and rubric below as your guide.

INTRODUCTION:
● Basic details about the story, such as its title, background of the story, author, and author’s
background
PLOT SUMMARY/ DESCRIPTION
● Gist of the plot
● Simple description of the story
ANALYSIS/ INTERPRETATION
● Discussion and analysis of the work ( Use Marxist Criticism approach )
● It is the best to ask the following questions during this part
⮚ What aspects of the work make you think that it is a success or failure
⮚ Were there unanswered questions or plot lines? If yes, how did they affect the story?
⮚ Does the work remind you of other things you have experienced, watched or read
before?
CONCLUSION/ EVALUATION
● Reinforcement of main assessment
● Comparison to a similar work
● Recommendation of the story ( if you like it)
https://owl.purdue.edu./owl/subject-specific-writing

IV. RUBRIC FOR WRITING A CRITIQUE PAPER

16
VGE GE SE LE N
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)
Summary Clearly presents Presents the Presents the Insufficient No explanation of
(25%) author’s thesis author's thesis author's thesis, explanation the author's thesis,
and describes and describes but may not of author’s and/or no
his/ her his/her provide sufficient thesis, and/or description of
strategies for strategies for description of insufficient strategies for
supporting it supporting it. strategies for description of supporting the
supporting it. strategies for thesis.
supporting
thesis
Overall Exhibits clarity, Exhibits Exhibits some Exhibit some Exhibit little or no
Quality of complexity, clarity, and clarity, though faulty logic, evidence of
Analysis perceptiveness, some depth only minimal and/or effective thinking
(30%) originality, and about the depth of thought stereotypical about the topic
depth of thought topic, but lacks about the topic. or superficial (please note that
about the topic the qualities of thinking there may be
complexity, about the effective thinking
perceptiveness, topic in the composition,
and originality but not about the
exhibited in topic).
level
Organization Review is very Review is well Review has Distinction General structure
& Content well organized, organized, separate between of review is
(25%) containing an containing an introduction, introduction, difficult to follow,
introduction, introduction, body paragraphs, body and/or student fails
body body and conclusion, paragraphs, to follow the
paragraphs, and paragraphs, but connections and prescribed format.
conclusion. among these

RO_Senior HS_ 21st Century Literature_Q2-LP 1 5

 and could be conclusion is
conclusion. improved. unclear.

Grammar & Clear, concise Mostly clear, Adequate Poor sentence Very poor sentence
Mechanics sentences concise sentence structure. structure, and/or
(20%) sentences. structure but may Writing may Uses inappropriate
No grammatical require editing be wordy or language or
errors. May have for difficult to language that is too
some minor clarity/wordiness. follow in informal.
grammatical places. Significant
errors. Some Many grammatical errors,
grammatical grammatical and/or Contains
errors, but these errors. errors that are
do not impede identified by MS
understanding Word software but
were not corrected.
TOTAL

V. REFLECTION/COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS
What did you learn from this lesson?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
What part of the lesson did you find difficult to understand?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

VI. REFERENCES
Books
Barrot, J. & Sipacio , P.J.F.(2016) “ Communicate Today English for Academic & Professional
Purposes
Bulawayo, NV (2013) “We Need Names”, Reagan Arthur Books, Little Brown & Company
Website
http://www.eastoftheweb.com
Leftvoice.org, theguardian.com
https://www.britanica.com
www.cs.toronto.edu.<csc290_20191>files>cr_rubric
https://owl.purdue.edu./owl/subject-specific-writing

Prepared by:

MYRA B. DERAMAS, Teacher I

SNHS, Sorsogon City Division
ALDRIN D. DOLAR, Teacher II
SUGOD SENIOR HS, Sorsogon City

Quality Assured by:

CLEOFE D. ARIOLA, EPS
Sorsogon City Division
JANET F. PALLE, Teacher II
Sorsogon NHS
CHEENEE H. BUAL, Teacher III
Cabasan NHS

RO_Senior HS_ 21st Century Literature_Q2-LP 1 6

ANSWER KEY

PRACTICE TASK 1
1. B 2. D 3. A 4. A 5. B 6. C 7. A 8. A
9. C 10. C

PRACTICE TASK 2
1. A type of literary criticism based on the 5. Answers may vary
writings of German philosopher Karl Marx 6. Answers may vary
2. German philosopher Karl Marx 7. Answers may vary
3. Worker’s uprising, materialism, class struggle, 8. Introduction (contains basic
information of the effect of capitalism, author & reading text), body arguments,
classless society, ideology, working class evidences), Conclusion (overall
impression of the work)
4. Georg Lucáks, Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser,
Terry Eagleton, Raymond Williams, Frederic,
Jameson
PRACTICE TASK 3
Student’s answers may vary
ASSESSMENT
Student’s answers may vary

RO_Senior HS_ 21st Century Literature_Q2-LP 1 7