21st Century Partial Reviewer for Final Exam

Topic 1: A Rediscovery of Literary World

➢ Literature of the World the distinct language and inventiveness of certain literature coming
from different continents showcase the lives and emotions of their people, while offering the
world a view of what happens in their society.
➢ Ethnic Chinese and Native Filipinos have interacted with each other since the 9th Century,
when the Chinese sailed toward the Philippines to barter and trade items.
➢ Filipino-Chinese (or also commonly known as chinoy) Literature is an important part of
Philippine Literature for it is a melting pot of two cultures and the unique experiences that
being a part of this melting pot brings
➢ Charlson Ong is a Filipino-Chinese writer who has penned award-winning works in the
Philippine Literature. He is also a well-known fictionist who has published collections of his
short stories. He is best known, however, for his novels Embarrassment of Riches (2002),
Banyaga: A Song of War (2006), and Blue Angel, White Shadow (2010).
➢ Moral of “An excerpt from Banyaga: A Song of War” by Charlson Ong
a. Treat people fairly
b. Blood is thicker than water
c. Family is very important in our life
d. Don’t undergo in an illegal process for work
➢ Read the summary of the story

Topic 2: Charting Our Own Path in Southeast Asia

➢ Southeast Asia (SEA), is rich with its own unique culture and history. It consists of 11
countries, and because of its expansive geography, the countries within SEA may be
archipelagos, islands, or land masses. The countries that make up SEA are Burma, Thailand,
Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, and the new
nation of East Timor (which was recently separated from Indonesia).
➢ One of the most interesting things about Southeast Asia is its cultural diversity.
➢ Formalism - It is partly based on Ferdinand de Saussure’s idea of semiotics and how signs and
symbols may bring about a new meaning in a literary text. Formalism aims to look at the
medium in which literature is written. The idea is to focus on the form and technique used in
literature rather than its conten
➢ Audrey Chin is a Singaporean writer who also has a doctorate in Public Policy. Her story
collection Nine Cuts was shortlisted for the 2016 Singapore Literature Prize, while her novel
As the Heart Bones Break was a finalist in the Singapore Book Awards. She worked in
investment bankingland is also the organizer of the Singapore Ladies Asian Literary
Book Group, which promotes Asian literature.
 ➢ Moral of the story titled “The Dragon Fish” by Audrey Chin
a. Don’t worship the money
b. Don’t act rush, your conscience might follow
c. The true luck is your perseverance, dedication and positivity’s in life
d. Illegal never give positive results
➢ Read the summary of “The Dragon Fish”

Topic 3: The Root of East Asia

➢ The history behind the East Asia goes back than civilization itself. It is said that the first Homo
Erectus or “upright man” live and in the both East and Southeast Asia almost two million
years ago
➢ The Xia dynasty - is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to
tradition, the Xia dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great, after Shun, the last
of the Five Emperors, gave the throne to him. Contributions - produce cast bronze, and build
a strong army and invented by a wheeled vehicle Xi Zhong.
➢ Shang dynasty - also known as the Yin dynasty a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of
Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley, this is the second dynasty.
Contributions-they were known for their advances in math, astronomy, artwork and
military technology.
➢ Zhou Dynasty – the old Chinese of a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty.
Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history.
Contribution - was the introduction of the ideas of a Chinese philosopher, Confucius which
was more of a guide to morality than a religion since it did not have a god or a perspective on
a life after death.
➢ Decolonization is the intellectual process of returning to the former independents that colonies
have enjoyed before the colonizers came.
➢ What is post colonialism? It is an era or theory that is developed after a certain colony gains
independents from its mother country.
➢ Post colonialism looks at these colonial countries and sees how being colonies has affected
their political, economical, and social climate.
➢ Read the summary of the “Fat” story by Krys Lee

Topic 4: Delving Deep into the Anglo-American Frontier

➢ Anglo-Saxon literature – all so known as Old English literature written during the 600-year
Anglo-Saxon period of Britain, from the mid-5th century to the Norman Conquest of 1066.
Some of the most important works from this period include the poem Beowulf, which has
achieved national epic status in Britain. Almost all of the literature of this period was orally
transmitted, and almost all poems were intended for oral performance.
 TWO MAIN TYPES OF LITERATURE
1. OLD ENGLISH PRE-CHRISTIAN POETRY -It is a form of poems and epics.
2. OLD ENGLISH CHRISTIAN POETRY - Encompasses Christianity belief.
There are two names that are prominent during this period:
a . Cædmon - one of the earliest known English poets whose story was told by the
Venerable Bede and who is known to have rewritten Biblical stories in poetic form.
b . Cynewulf - a later poet. “The Dream of the Rood,” which is the first known example of
using the visions of a dream in poetry, is suggested to have been written by either Cædmon or
Cynewulf.

➢ New Criticism is a literary concept that places the emphasis on “close reading” of the work or
text itself.
➢ Read the summary of “The Tale Heart” story by Edgar Allan Poe

Topic 5: Traversing Europe and Its Intricacies

➢ European Literature has been known for its significant contribution to the world literature. A
lot of the standards and techniques that the world is using or innovating right now first
started or developed in Europe.
➢ Contribution PERIOD OF EUROPEAN LITERATURE
o Ancient period (750 BC - 450) - Old Testament of the Bible which was composed of
39 books written in Hebrew language - realization of timeless epics and the Iliad and
the odyssey.
o Classical period (450 - 1066) - Greek drama flourished during the 5th and 4th
centuries BCE Playwright of comedy and tragedy became popular in this time *
o Medieval period (1066 - 1500) - Geoffrey Chaucer earned the title “father of English
literature “with his crowning achievement “the canterbury tales”
o Renaissance period (1485 - 1680) - In 1440 Johannes Gutenberg invented the
printing press which Allowed for mass production of pamphlets and novels this event
give people more opportunities to read publications of authors like Petrarch and
Boccaccio.
o Period of enlightenment (1650 - 1800) - Major characteristics of the period rests in
the philosophical and political writings.
o Romantic period (1798 - 1870) - A movement that responded against the
disillusionment of the enlightenment values of reason after French revolution of
1789 which talk about emotions and imaginations.
o Modernism (1870 – 1965) - Modernism is an umbrella term that refers to early 20th
century literary movements like symbolism expressionism and futurism.
 o present - Postmodernism is characterized by reinventing or re-framing of past works
and displaying of sympathy towards minorities colonized people and the feminist
movement.
o Read the summary of “The Little Red Cap” story.

Topic 6: The Magic of Latin America

(Latin America and Its History)

➢ Latin American Literature – consists of oral and written literature in several languages and the
oldest kinds of magic in fiction comes from Latin America. Latin America prevailed as an
influential area for culture, history, and creativity. Literature is characterized by mysticism,
magic, uniqueness, raw creativity, and wonder.
➢ Despite being shrouded by political instability and turmoil for much of the 20th century, Latin
America has prevailed as an influential area for culture, history, and creativity.
➢ 1929 – the market collapsed followed by the worldwide economic crisis, this effect rippled
through Central and South America for their colonizers had pulled back to Europe.
➢ World War Il- as a result the colonies in Latin America were given independence or were
integrated into the mother country.
➢ 1960s - another significant shift because there was a military rule over most of the Latin
American countries
➢ 1980s - democracy prevailed even throughout the colonies
➢ Pre-Colombian literature- multiparty states are dominant in 21st Century. Their literature is
characterized by mysticism, magic, uniqueness, raw creativity, and wonder, when the
ancient civilizations of the Aztecs and Mayans spread stories through the oral tradition.
➢ Christopher Columbus and Bernal Diaz del Castillo - the conquistadors wrote extensively of
their experiences in Latin America. These written accounts were also the locus for debates,
because they would detail the often-cruel treatment of the natives, and not everyone in
Europe had agreed with it.
➢ Colonial literature - influenced heavily by both mestizos and natives in Latin America. It was
also during this period that what was written were first surveyed by the church.
➢ Resistance Period - in middle 19th century new generation emerged, Foundational fictions
were novels that were written in either the romantic or the naturalist tradition. Latin
Americans tried to come up with an idea of national identity and often focused on
separating the indigenous from the colonizers.
➢ Modernism Period - In the late 19th century, a new poetic movement called
modernism/modernismo came from Nicaraguan poet Ruben Dario's work entitled Azul.
➢ Azul - is closely related to another movement called indigenous—one which is dedicated to
the fostering of indigenous cultures and the injustices these cultures were suffering from.
➢ Boom Period -This is where most of the most popular literary works have been published
which leads to be recognized and admired.
 ➢ 1920s - experimentation with avant-garde techniques. Mexican Revolution had inspired
realist novels based on their experiences with the war.
➢ 1940s - marvelous realism, it is believed that this technique became the precursor for the
concept of "magic realism” by novelist and musician Alejo Carpentier.
➢ POSTMODERNISM- It is a skeptical interpretation of culture, art, history, architecture, and
literature. This aims to look at the variety rather than the ornamentation or novelty. It
completely rejects its predecessor, modernism, on the basis that it also rejects the idea of
"totality, " "unity, " or being "comprehensive.
➢ Read the Summary of “Nezahualcoyotl Dreams en Mictlan York” By Xavier Villanova

Topic 7: Deep into Africa

Africa and Its History

➢ Scientists and historians - believe that Africa is the birthplace of mankind

➢ Homo Erectus or Upright man – the first upright humans appeared in Africa, and they
learned how to hunt, create tools, and make fire.
➢ Sahara Desert - was actually a fertile area, suitable for farming.
➢ Ghada Al-Absy - is a writer, physician, and singer from Egypt. She has written several short
story volumes, as well as novels in her native language, such as Angelica and Al Fishawi.
➢ Bronze Age – Egyptian is rich their resources, were able to make tools and weapons out of
bronze.
➢ Middle Ages - Arabs came to Egypt and conquered them, they spread Islam to North Africa
and converted everyone there After 800 AD.
o Kingdoms - have organized by Northern Africa.
o Arabs and other countries up north- traded gold and slaves for luxury goods and
salt— those which Africa does not have.
o Ife of Southwest Nigeria - they made terracotta sculptures and bronze statue.
o Benin, Mali - which grew so powerful that, in its prime, its people traded gold, slaves,
horses, and salt.
o Songhai, and Kanem-Bornu - (which traded metal).
➢ 16th century - Europeans colonized parts of Africa, the slave trade began to happen across
the Atlantic.
➢ 18th century - British also took sugar back to their country together with the slaves, this was
called the Triangular Trade.
➢ 19th century - European states banded together to stop the slave trade and its cruel
injustices.
➢ Nelson Mandela or "Mandiba” - was a citizen who fiercely fought for Africa's independence
and eventually became the first black and democratically elected president of South Africa
known to be the "Father of the Nation."
➢ Desmond Tutu - fierce opponent of the apartheid in Africa. He was the first black South
African bishop of Cape Town and because of his exhaustive efforts to promote peace, he has
won several awards, which include the Nobel Peace Prize and the Gandhi Peace Prize.
➢ Charlize Theron - another person more familiar, who has acted in many blockbuster films in
Hollywood and has won countless of awards for her talent.
➢ Read the summary of “The Road” Ghada Al-Absy.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”

by: Benjamin Franklin