EM 16: CONTEMPORARY AND POPULAR LITERATURE

WEEK 13: CONTEMPORARY FILIPINO AUTHORS

Literary Devices
 A literary device is an element or technique that authors use to produce a particular effect in their
writing. Literary devices add color and depth to a work and bring attention to important dialog or
action.
 Literary devices are either a literary element or a literary technique. What’s the difference?
Well, a literary element is something that is used to develop a narrative, and a writer cannot craft a story
without them. Literary elements include plot, setting, character, dialog, and conflict.
 A literary device is something the writer uses to bring greater understanding or depth to his work, such
as aphorism, metaphor, or personification. A writer can write a story without using a literary device
— but when they improve your work, why wouldn’t you use them?
Understanding literary devices gives the reader a better understanding of what the author really thinks or
intends to say. Once you have a good grasp on technique, you can change the way you read… for the
better.

Frequently-used Literary Devices

1. Alliteration is when the first sound of a word is repeated several times in succession. Children respond well to
literary devices like alliteration, and you’ll find that many children’s stories, poems, and tongue twisters feature
it heavily.
When to use this literary device -to slow down the reader or draw attention to dialogue, or to a character.
e,g, “He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws. And terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.”

2. Anaphora - a type of repetition that uses a repeated phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences
to provoke an emotional response from the reader or the audience.
When to use this literary device - when you want to give a memorable speech that rouses feelings and spurs a
call to action.
Martin Luther King Jr. used anaphora throughout his famous speech, I Have a Dream, most notably in the
refrain, “I have a dream…” but he also used it throughout.
“And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops
of New Hampshire.
3. Flashback - to build suspense towards something that’s going to happen.
When to use this literary device - to show the past and explain why something is currently happening, or why a
character is behaving the way they do.

e.g. We see excellent use of flashback in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, where she demonstrates the
emptiness of the main character after her friend’s death by sharing flashbacks of the two.

4. Foreshadowing - is where the author subtly lets the reader know the ending or an upcoming event. He or she
may foreshadow the future by using phrases, imagery, or events. This effect allows the reader to feel more
intelligent than the characters.
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When to use this literary device - often effectively used in horror films to build tension but can be used to equal
effect in comedy as a joke set up.

e.g. Take The Office — that cringy feeling you get because you know that Michael Scott is going to do
something completely idiotic? That’s foreshadowing. One great example of that is the first episode of The
Office where Dwight hums Little Drummer Boy, Angela’s favorite song, only to end up dating her. It’s very
subtle, but details like this build clues to where the writers are going.

5. Hyperbole - an exaggeration of an action or idea for emphasis. You might be more familiar with the term “a
figure of speech.” The effect a hyperbole creates is often larger than life.
When to use this literary device - in speech or song writing to evoke strong feelings in an audience, to leave an
impression on the reader, or for comic effect.

e.g. “If teardrops could be bottled

There’d be swimming pools filled by models.”
I don’t wanna be you anymore, Billie Eillish.

6. Irony - where a writer uses words deliberately to say the opposite to what they mean. There are three types of
irony; verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony.

Verbal irony is where what we say is the complete opposite of what we mean. It’s sarcasm when it’s used. In a
witty manner — dramatic irony, where we know as a reader what’s going to happen before the characters. And
situational irony is when we expect a particular outcome, but we are surprised by what happens.

When to use this literary device -to make an artistic statement, or to make people laugh.
e.g. In Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, we know that the witch has poisoned the apple and disguised
herself as an old lady, but Snow White doesn’t. BAM! Snow becomes a victim of dramatic irony.

In the first act of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo only wants to go to the ball to see Rosaline, but he goes there
and falls in love with Juliet instead. BAM! That’s situational irony.

7. Imagery – a literary element that creates a visual representation of an action, idea, or thing to appeal to the
reader’s senses.

When to use this literary device -when you want to add color to your writing and bring your reader into the
story. (Think Wizard of Oz where the film suddenly switches from black and white to color).

e.g. “He woke just after two and heard the wind in the chimney. Not the storm and bluster of a sou’ westerly
gale, bringing the but east wind, cold and dry. It sounded hollow in the chimney, and a loose slate rattled on the
roof.”
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8. Litotes – using a negative phrase to say the opposite
When to use this literary device -when you want to make an ironic statement that grabs the reader’s attraction.
Also, when you’re insulting someone, but trying not to look too much of a jerk.

e.g. “He’s not the sharpest knife in the box.” i.e., he’s stupid.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” i.e., she’s similar.

9. Metaphor – a literary device that says an object is something else, which brings new meaning to the original
object. It’s similar to a simile, but instead of using the phrases ‘like’ or ‘as,’ the writer says the object is
something.

When to use this literary device - when you want to give the reader a fresh way of looking at something.

e.g. Shakespeare loved a bit of metaphor; he used them all over the place. Here are a couple of his best-known
examples:
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.”

10. Metonymy - like symbolism exaggerated. An object might not just symbolize something else; it could be
used as a synonym for that thing or idea. The object and the thing symbolized are always closely linked.
Sometimes a writer will use a single object to stand in for a whole institution.

When to use this literary device - when a sentence can be shortened with a symbol,
characteristic or idea
e.g. “The pen is mightier than the sword”

11. Paradox – something beyond belief. It’s basically where the writer asks people to think differently. Not to be
confused with oxymoron, or juxtaposition, a paradox is a phrase that seems larger than life but is actually true.
When to use this literary device - when you want the reader to think about illogical or true ideas.
e.g. “Someday, you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

12. Personification - when the writer gives inanimate objects or ideas human traits, like the weather, or a
feeling.

Personification is not to be confused with anthropomorphism, where human characteristics are given to an
animal. Personification is much more abstract.

When to use this literary device -in poetry or narrative writing to catch the reader’s attention. It can have a
significant impact by bringing a non-living thing to life and making a story more visual or relatable.
e.g. “Time and tide wait for no man.”
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13. Simile - a comparison of two different things. You can easily spot a simile because the writer will use the
words ‘like’ or ‘as.’ This differentiates it from a metaphor, where the writer says a thing IS something else.

When to use this literary device -in poetry or literature to call attention to two similar things.
e.g. “O my Love is like a red, red rose, that’s newly sprung in June;
O my Love is like the melody, that’s sweetly played in tune.”

“The World is an Apple” by Alberto S. Florentino (from the net)

Setting
In the small and poor home behind a portion of the Intramuros walls, there are two wooden boxes on either side
of the doorway. At left is an Acacia tree with a wooden bench under it. It is where the poor family lived, and
where the story starts on how life was going on and end in the complexity of life in which the main character
lived with no choice but to return to his old ways of life.

Character Analysis
Mario- He is the father in the story, the husband of Gloria. He is known to be bad before but he strives hard to
change his life for her daughter and for her wife. Life becomes unfair that forced him with no choice but to go
back to the old way of his life.
Gloria- She is the wife of Mario, the very good and lovable woman who just wants a simple life yet decent life.
She is the reason why Mario changed with her unconditional love for him.
Pablo- The evil man in the story, he is the old friend of Mario. He wants easy and dishonest money, the life that
Mario lived before.

Plot
This is a story of how wrong decisions become greater burdens to a family. Mario’s family happens to be in the
lower bracket of society. When Mario got home one day, Gloria saw him and asked for some money to feed
their children. Mario said that he had no money because he did something.

Gloria didn’t believe Mario and asked him to tell the truth. Gloria was shocked to know that Mario lost his job
because of an apple.
Gloria wondered how can he lose his job by just taking one and not a dozen nor a crate but one apple. Mario
answered that he just saw it rolling and he found himself putting it in his bag because Tita would love to have it,
and Mario told Gloria that there was no need to worry because he found a new job.
Suddenly, Pablo appeared and asked them how their daughter was doing and he would lend a few pesos to help
their daughter. Gloria refused because Mario stopped depending on Pablo. Pablo said that Mario’s new job was
with Pablo. When Gloria heard it, she told Mario that it was risky.
Mario didn’t listen and walked away with Pablo and told Gloria not to worry because he would come back early
the next morning and not to wait for him. Gloria cried while shouting at Mario.

Theme:
The one-word prevailing message in the story is the word “Apple” that symbolizes temptation and the dishonest
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life lived by Mario before. The theme of the story is it is man’s basic instinct that drives him to do anything for
his survival.

Tone
The mood of the story is serious. It tackles many aspects of human flaws and what is wrong in the culture. The
story sometimes evokes sadness though towards the end there is a glimpse of hopefulness.

Literary Devices
The author used the Imagery and symbolic type of narration:
Mario: Why? Did God create apple trees to bear fruit for the rich alone? Didn’t He create the whole world for
everyone? That’s why I tried to bring the apple home for Tita. When we brought her into this world, we
promised her everything. She has the right to have everything in life.
Gloria: So, for just an apple, you lost a job you need so much?

WEEK 14: AFRICAN LITERATURE

African Literature
African literature consists of a body of works in different languages and various genres, ranging from oral
literature to literature written in colonial languages - French, Portuguese, and English.
Oral literature, including stories, dramas, riddles, histories, myths, songs, proverbs, and other expressions, is
frequently employed to educate and entertain children. Oral histories, myths, and proverbs additionally serve to
remind whole communities of their ancestors' heroic deeds, their past, and the precedents for their customs and
traditions. Essential to oral literature is a concern for presentation and oratory. Folktale tellers use call-response
techniques. A griot (praise singer) will accompany a narrative with music.
Some of the first African writings to gain attention in the West were the poignant slave narratives, such as The
Interesting Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African (1789),
which described vividly the horrors of slavery and the slave trade. As Africans became literate in their own
languages, they often reacted against colonial repression in their writings. Others looked to their own past for
subjects. Thomas Mofolo, for example, wrote Chaka (tr. 1931), about the famous Zulu military leader, in
Susuto.
Since the early 19th century, writers from western Africa have used newspapers to air their views. Several
founded newspapers that served as vehicles for expressing nascent nationalist feelings. French-speaking
Africans in France, led by Léopold Senghor, were active in the négritude movement from the 1930s, along with
Léon Damas and Aimé Césaire, French speakers from French Guiana and Martinique. Their poetry not only
denounced colonialism, it proudly asserted the validity of the cultures that the colonials had tried to crush.
After World War II, as Africans began demanding their independence, more African writers were published.
Such writers as, in western Africa, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Ousmane Sembene, Kofi Awooner,
Agostinho Neto, Tchicaya u tam'si, Camera Laye, Mongo Beti, Ben Okri, and Ferdinand Oyono and, in eastern
Africa, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Okot p'Bitek, and Jacques Rabémananjara produced poetry, short stories, novels,
essays, and plays. All were writing in European languages, and often they shared the same themes: the clash
between indigenous and colonial cultures, condemnation of European subjugation, pride in the African past, and
hope for the continent's independent future.
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In South Africa, the horrors of apartheid have, until the present, dominated the literature. Es'kia Mphahlele,
Nadine Gordimer, Bessie Head, Dennis Brutus, J. M. Coetzee, and Miriam Tlali all reflect in varying degrees in
their writings the experience of living in a racially segregated society.
Much of contemporary African literature reveals disillusionment and dissent with current events. For example,
V. Y. Mudimbe in Before the Birth of the Moon (1989) explores a doomed love affair played out within a
society riddled by deceit and corruption. The Zimbabwean novelist and poet Chenjerai Hove (1956–2015),
wrote vividly in English and his native Shona of the hardships experienced during the struggle against British
colonial rule, and later of the hopes and disappointments of life under the rule of Robert Mugabe. In Kenya
Ngugi wa Thiong'o was jailed shortly after he produced a play, in Kikuyu, which was perceived as highly
critical of the country's government. Apparently, what seemed most offensive about the drama was the use of
songs to emphasize its messages.
The weaving of music into the Kenyan's play points out another characteristic of African literature. Many
writers incorporate other arts into their work and often weave oral conventions into their writing. p'Bitek
structured Song of Iowino (1966) as an Acholi poem; Achebe's characters pepper their speech with proverbs
in Things Fall Apart (1958). Others, such as Senegalese novelist Ousmane Sembene, have moved into films to
take their message to people who cannot read.

Basic Characteristics of African English Literature

- Written in both African and European languages. The predominant African languages used are Amharic, Zulu,
Hausa, and Swahili.
- Encapsulates different periods in African history, from ancient Africa to the period of Imperialist domination
(15th-19th centuries), and from the post-colonialist and reconstruction period (19th-mid-twentieth century) to
the post-independent/contemporary period (mid-twentieth century-present).
- Includes oral and written literature from more than 3,000 ethnic African groups.
- May be regionally-based, such as West African Literature, North African Literature, South African Literature,
or East African Literature.
- Oral literature comes in varied forms such as myths, folk tales, proverbs, dramas, songs, and folk tales. They
often involve stories about the creation of the world and legends about how various powerful dynasties
originated in African regions.
- During the colonization period, written slave narratives documented European atrocities and the horrors of
slavery. Nationalist newspapers as well as resistance/liberation poetry critiqued European colonizers and their
practices. In the 19th century, various African authors produced works in English criticizing colonialist
ambitions and advocating for independence. These authors include Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Ngugi
wa Thiong'o.
- During the post-colonialist era, various authors denounced the practice of apartheid. These authors include
Nadine Gordimer, Bessie Head, and J.M. Coetzee.
- Last, but not least, contemporary African literature often documents how corrupt, modern African
governments perpetuate the suffering of the African people.
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Selected African English Literature
“Chief Sakoto Holds Court” by B. Head
"Chief Sekoto Holds Court" is a short story where a case is brought to Chief Sekoto. In the case, a village
accuses an old woman of witchcraft, due to deaths of several town children and a woman who died in front her.
Chief Sekoto eventually rules that each member or Bodibeng pay a fine for being deranged with hate and the
old woman to live in a house of the Chief's. The ruling in my opinion was very fair, because the people of the
town were being irresponsible. The moral of the punishment was to show that one shouldn't place the blame on
others to overlook their own failures.
The ruling that the villagers be punished, and not the old woman, was a very correct thing for Chief Sekoto
to do. Though the woman did die in her house, there were no witnesses to say that the old woman had done
anything to cause it. The town people also had no proof at all that the old woman was causing the deaths of their
children. Chief Sekoto was able to use his intellect and realize that it was the peoples' doing, not the old
woman's.
The punishment that Chief Sekoto placed upon the villagers of Bodibeng was a fine of one beast. After the
beasts were sold, the money was to be used to buy warm clothes to prevent the children from getting pneumonia
and dying. The punishment was a perfectly selected one, as it aimed to teach the villagers a lesson. That lesson
was that you must take care of your own problems instead of blaming others for them.
The African short story of "Chief Sekoto Holds Court" teaches the moral lesson of taking responsibility.
The Chief, in the end, rules to punish the villagers instead of the old woman. In my opinion, that ruling is very
fair.
“Telephone Conversation” by W. Soyinka
It seemed like a good price and the location was fine. The landlady promised that she didn’t live in the
building. The only thing left was to confess something important about myself.
“Ma’am,” I warned the landlady, “I don’t want to waste a trip over there. Just so you know, I’m black.”
There was silence on the phone. In that silence, I could hear the tension between the landlady's prejudice and
her manners. When she finally spoke, she sounded like the kind of person who'd be wearing a thick smear of
lipstick and have a long, gold-coated cigarette holder in her mouth. Now I was stuck in a terrible position.
“How dark are you?” she asked bluntly. It took me a second to realize that I hadn't misheard her. She repeated,
“Are you light skinned or very dark skinned?” It was like she was asking me something as simple as choosing
between Button A and Button B on the phone booth: to make a call or to return my coins. I could smell her
rancid breath hiding beneath her polite speech.
I took stock of my surroundings: a red phone booth, a red mailbox, a red double-decker bus, its tires I took stock
of my surroundings: a red phone booth, a red mailbox, a red double-decker bus, its tires squelching through the
hot asphalt. So this kind of thing actually happens! Feeling ashamed at my rude silence, I gave in and asked,
utterly confused and shocked, for clarification.
She was nice enough to swap around the order of the words in the question: “Are you dark-skinned,” she asked,
“Or very light?
” Finally, it made sense.
I replied: “Are you asking if my skin is the color of regular chocolate or milk chocolate?”
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Her confirmation was detached and formal, devastating in how thoughtless and impersonal she sounded. I
quickly changed my tactic and chose an answer: “My skin color is West African sepia.”
And then, as an afterthought, I added, “at least, it is in my passport.”
Then there was silence again, as she imagined all the possible colors I might be referring to. But then her true
feelings took over and she spoke harshly into the phone.
“What is that?” she asked, admitting, “I don’t know what that is.”
“It’s a brunette color," I told her.
“That’s pretty dark, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Not entirely,” I replied.
“My face is brunette, but you should see the rest of my body, ma’am. My palms and the soles of my feet are the
color of bleached blond hair. Unfortunately, ma’am, all the friction from sitting down has made my butt as black
as a raven. Wait, hang on for a moment ma’am!” I said, sensing that she was about to slam down the phone.
“Ma’am,” I begged, “don’t you want to see for yourself?”

WEEK 15: AFRICAN LITERATURE

IV. LESSON PROPER
4.1 African Poetry
A functional art, African poetry in its oral and written forms has addressed a variety of themes, including
worldview, mysticism, values, religion, nature, negritude, personal relationships, anticolonialism, pan-
Africanism, neocolonialism, urbanism, migration, exile, the African diaspora, and patriarchy, as well as such
universals as valor, birth, death, betrayal, and love. Religious poetry is exemplified by Islamic influences in
such languages as Arabic, Hausa, and Swahili and in Ifa oral verses. A primary motif is the spiritual world, often
reflected in a praise or evocation of ancestors.
Imagery in African poetry frequently evokes the natural environment, as in Brutus’s “Robben Island Sequence,”
in which the poet alludes to “the blood on the light sand by the sea,” ironically blending imprisonment and
seascape. Neto implies the hardships of colonization in “The African Train” through the image of “the rigorous
African hill,” and another lusophone writer, Sousa, suggests pan-Africanism in “Let My People Go,” with
references to “Negro spirituals,” Paul Robeson, and Marian Anderson. Negritude is observable in U Tam’si’s
“Brush Fire” (1957): “my race/ it flows here and there a river.”
Furthermore, the problematic experience of westernization is echoed in Macgoye’s “Mathenge” (1984), which
juxtaposes cultural memory and Western modernity: “the neon light, the photo flash.” Similarly, Zimunya
contrasts the urban and rural in “Kisimiso,” which describes a son “boastful of his experiences in the city of
knives and crooks.” African poets have also mined their experiences outside the continent, suggested in
Anyidoho’s “The Taino in 1992” (1993), which remembers “a hurricane of Arawak sounds” in the Caribbean.
Gender themes appear in a line from a Zulu woman’s oral self-praise poem, “I am she who cuts across the game
reserve,” and in the straightforward poem “Abortion,” and more to look forward to discovering these.
4.2. Contemporary African Poetry
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Contemporary poetry in Africa can be described, by various sources, as having a distinct influence from African
current events and recent history, including such themes as post-imperialism, cultural upheaval and violence.
These are topics present in previous centuries, of course, but many argue that the themes are still very much
relevant in modern-day African nations, and the poetry published by the resident authors reflects this.
One columnist from Ghana's poetry foundation writes that modern African poets see the poet's voice in his or
her society as the medium that expresses the pains, desires and thoughts of the people who commonly go
voiceless in history. One poet, Wole Soyinka, has commented explicitly on this view.
African poetry also shows many characteristics of being a form of protest. This is because much of Africa's
modern history has been influenced by neocolonialism, cultural change and clashes between political parties
and religious ideologies. Theorists commonly describe modern African poetry as having a postcolonial
viewpoint, referring to the period after European nations tried to govern African nations.
Modern African poets often look away from the internal, individual struggle and instead shift the focus to the
struggles of African nations still trying to develop after gaining independence from European imperialism. The
poets write about the economic struggles of the people, the divisions of classes and the various other conflicts
that modern day African nations face.
4.3 Selected African Poetry and Proverbs
Nightsong: City (English)
By Dennis Brutus

Sleep well, my love, sleep well:

the harbour lights glaze over restless docks,
police cars cockroach through the tunnel streets; from the shanties creaking iron-sheets
violence like a bug-infested rag is tossed
and fear is imminent as sound in the wind-swung bell; the long day’s anger pants from sand and rocks; but for
this breathing night at last; my land, my love, sleep well.

Excerpt from “The Magic Pool”

By K. Sondhi

Life breathes in every leaf and drop of rain, Hides in every laugh and twinge of pain,
Courses through all the veins of existence.

Proverbs
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A proverb is a short saying that gives advice or expresses truth. Proverbs aren’t usually literal sayings; proverbs
use figurative language to make a statement about life. Usually a proverb is well-known because of its popular
use in colloquial language.

Five (5) Amazing Moroccan Proverbs That Will make You Wiser
• Ila kan Sahbak 3sal La Tla3koush Kolo. Literally: If you have a friend like honey, don’t eat him. It
means that we should never abuse someone’s help and good heart. If you have a friend that is always there for
you, don’t use him when you don’t need his help.
• Taht Sam3a 3al9o El Hajam. Literally: If the minaret falls, blame the barber.
Used when an innocent person is to blame for something that they haven’t done.
• El fahem yafham. Literally: The smart understood.
Used when we leave something for people to understand without giving them an explanation. We hope the wise
ones will get what we meant.
• Sayad En3amaYal9aha Yal9aha. Literally: The hunter of the ostrich will find it.
Whatever you seek, don’t give up and you will find it. All we need is patience.
• Al Mousawa9 Men Bara Ash Kh Barak Men L Dakhel. Literally: Beautiful outside, but what’s wrong
with inside? earning site, combining the contents of an encyclopedia, a

WEEK 16: REALISTIC FICTION

Realistic Fiction
Short stories and novels that make you feel like you are getting to know real people dealing with believable
situations can be considered realistic fiction.
Realistic fiction is a genre consisting of stories that could have actually occurred to people or animals in a
believable setting. These stories resemble real life, and fictional characters within these stories react similarly to
real people. Stories that are classified as realistic fiction have plots that highlight social or personal events or
issues that mirror contemporary life, such as falling in love, marriage, finding a job, divorce, alcoholism and the
like. They depict our world and our society.
Characteristics of Realistic Fiction
· Realistic fiction stories tend to take place in the present or recent past.
· Characters are involved in events that could happen.
· Characters live in places that could be or are real.
· The characters seem like real people with real issues solved in a realistic way (so say goodbye to stories
containing vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, dragons, zombies, etc.).
· The events portrayed in realistic fiction conjure questions that a reader could face in everyday life.
Synopsis of “God Sees the Truth but Waits” by Tolstoy
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Aksyonov, a well-to-do young merchant from the town of Vladimir, prepares to set off for the commercial Fair
at Nizhny. Aksyonov’s wife urges him to say home, saying that she has had a bad dream in which
his hair turned completely gray. Aksyonov assumes that she is worried he will drink too much (as he has a habit
of binge drinking) and dismisses her concerns. He promises that he will “do some good business” at Nizhny and
bring her back “expensive presents.
Halfway to Nizhny, Aksyonov meets a merchant friend at an inn, where they have tea and spend the night in
adjoining rooms. After leaving the inn and continuing his journey to Nizhny, Aksyonov takes a break to rest,
eat, and play his guitar. Suddenly, a district police inspector arrives with two soldiers, interrogates Aksyonov as
to his whereabouts and actions the previous evening, and then announces that Aksyonov’s merchant friend has
been found murdered at the inn.
The police inspector orders a search of Aksyonov’s belongings and discovers a bloody knife. The inspector
formally accuses Aksyonov of murder, and a terrified Aksyonov stammers and quakes with fear. Aksyonov is
physically restrained and sent to jail.
Aksyonov’s wife comes to visit him in jail. She collapses upon seeing her husband in prison clothes and fetters.
After regaining her senses, she informs Aksyonov that the last of his appeals—a petition to the Tsar—has been
rejected, and she then shocks Aksyonov by asking whether he actually committed the murder for which he was
arrested. As a soldier separates Aksyonov from his wife and children for the last time, Aksyonov reflects upon
his wife’s suspicion of his guilt and concludes that he can rely on God alone to know the truth and to offer
mercy.
Aksyonov is flogged and then sent to a Siberian labor camp. He remains here for 26 years, developing a stoop
and losing his youthful gaiety. While incarcerated, Aksyonov becomes devoutly religious. He prays frequently,
reads religious literature, and sings in the church choir. Aksyonov’s fellow inmates refer to him as “Grandpa”
and “Man of God.”
During Aksyonov’s 26th year at the Siberian prison, a new group of convicts arrives. One of them, Makar
Semyonov, has been imprisoned for allegedly stealing a horse from a sledge. He says he comes from Vladimir,
and Aksyonov asks for news of his family. Makar says that he has heard of Aksyonov’s family as prosperous
merchants whose husband (or father) is locked up in Siberia. Makar asks Aksyonov why he was imprisoned, but
Aksyonov will say only that his 26 years of penal servitude have been payment for his sins.
Other inmates tell Makar about the merchant’s murder and Aksyonov’s wrongful arrest. Makar’s reaction to this
information leads Aksyonov to suspect that it was Makar who framed him for murder. Aksyonov is
overwhelmed with anger at Makar, and he thinks longingly of his family. Aksyonov becomes so depressed that
he considers either attacking Makar or committing suicide.
One night, Aksyonov discovers Makar digging an escape tunnel. The next day, the authorities discover the hole,
and the Governor arrives on the scene to question the prisoners as to who was trying to escape. Reasoning that
he does not wish to see Makar flogged (and that his suspicion of Makar for the merchant’s murder may be
misplaced), Aksyonov tells the Governor that he knows nothing about who dug the tunnel.
The following night, Aksyonov finds Makar sitting at the foot of his bunk. Makar, overwhelmed by Aksyonov’s
goodness in protecting him from the Governor, confesses to having framed Aksyonov for murder 26 years
earlier and begs his forgiveness. Makar offers to admit his guilt to the authorities and thereby exonerate
Aksyonov.
Aksyonov responds to Makar’s confession with indignation, claiming that even if Makar were to help him
secure his release from prison, he would have no home or family to which he could return. However, Makar
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continues to seek Aksyonov’s forgiveness and breaks down sobbing. Aksyonov is moved by Makar’s genuine
guilt and pain, and he too breaks down in tears.
Aksyonov tells Makar that God will forgive him. Aksyonov feels a weight off his shoulders and no longer
“pines” for his freedom or for his family. Instead, Aksyonov thinks only of his “last hour.”
Makar confesses to the authorities that it was he who murdered the merchant, not Aksyonov, and Aksyonov is
officially exonerated. However, by the time permission arrives for him to be released from the labor camp
Aksyonov has passed away.
Summary of “Concerning Cruelty” by Machiavelli (nonfiction)
Summary — Chapter XVII: Concerning Cruelty: Whether It Is Better to Be Loved Than to Be Feared, or the
Reverse
Compassion, like generosity, is usually admired. But a prince must be careful that he does not show When
inducing fear, however, a prince must be careful to avoid inducing hatred. He must make sure that any
executions are properly justified. Above all, a prince should never confiscate the property of his subjects or take
their women, since these actions are most likely to breed hatred. If a prince must confiscate property, he must
make sure he has a convincing reason. With one’s army, however, there is no such thing as too much cruelty.
Keeping an army disciplined and united requires cruelty, even inhuman cruelty and compassion unwisely. If a
prince is too compassionate, and does not adequately punish disloyal subjects, he creates an atmosphere of
disorder, since his subjects take the liberty to do what they please—even to the extremes of murder and theft.
Crime harms the entire community, whereas executions harm only the individuals who commit crimes. Some
measure of cruelty is necessary to maintain order. But a prince should be careful in his exercise of cruelty,
tempering it with humanity and prudence.
Machiavelli then asks whether being feared or loved is preferable. Ideally, a prince should be both loved and
feared, but this state of affairs is difficult to attain. Forced to make a choice, it is much better to be feared than
loved. This is because men, by nature, are “ungrateful, fickle, dissembling, anxious to flee danger, and covetous
of gain.” In times of remote danger, they are willing to take risks for their prince, but if the danger is real, they
turn against their prince. It is easy to break a bond of love when the situation arises, but the fear of punishment
is always effective, regardless of the situation.

WEEK 17: TIMELESSNESS IN LITERATURE

Timelessness in Literature
A timeless piece of literature is one whose motifs or themes and explorations will always be a struggle or
forefront in the human experience. Think of The Scarlet Letter, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Moby Dick, The
Great Gatsby and the like. where characters deal with sexuality, greed, social acceptance, and the pursuit of
contentment. There will never be a human being whose life doesn’t address or contend with any of these things.
Since these books deal with themes that will always be relevant to the majority at any time in the distant past or
future, they are considered timeless.
“The Piece of String” by Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the
short story form, and as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives and destinies and
social forces in disillusioned and often pessimistic terms.
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“The Piece of String" (French: La Ficelle) is an 1883 short story by Guy de Maupassant. It is included in the
short story collection "Miss Harriet”.
Summary
In Goderville, there lived Maitre Hauchecome and his enemy Maitre Malandain. One day, Maitre Hauchecome
saw a piece of string in the road and thought that he could make use of it in the future, and so bent to pick it up.
He noticed, however, his enemy Maitre Malandain was watching, and he knew that he would be embarrassed if
Maitre Malandain saw him picking up an itsy bitsy string, so Maitre Hauchecome acted as if he were searching
for something. That day, news came out that someone lost his wallet. Quickly, Maitre Malandain accused
Maitre Hauchecome of stealing the wallet, and the town believed him, but Maitre Hauchecome did not steal the
wallet. The town of Goderville did not believe Maitre Hauchecome was innocent, even though someone found
the wallet in the street and returned it. Maitre Hauchecome died of a broken heart, despairing of being thought a
liar.
“Man and Woman” by Victor M. Hugo
Born in 1802 in Besancon, Victor Hugo was an extremely prolific poet, novelist and dramatist, the author
of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables. He has been analyzed, praised, described, and criticized
in many, many biographies; one of the first of these was published by his wife Adèle in 1863. He deeply
influenced the Romantic movement and the formulation of its values in France.

Man and Woman

Man is the highest of creatures.
The woman is the most sublime of ideals.
God made for man a throne for the woman an altar.
The throne exalts, the altar sanctifies.
Man is the brain.
The woman's heart.
The brain produces the light, the heart produces the Love
Fruitful Light, Love resurrects.
The man is strong by reason.
The woman is invincible by tears.
The reason convinces, tears moving.
Man is capable of all heroism.
Woman of all martyrdom.
Heroism ennobles; sublimates martyrdom.
Man has supremacy.
The woman's preference.
Supremacy is strength, represents the right preference.
The man is a genius.
The woman an angel.
Genius is immeasurable, the angel indefinable.
The aspiration of man is supreme glory.
The aspiration of woman is extreme virtue.
The glory makes everything great, virtue makes everything divine.
Man is a code.
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A gospel woman.
The code corrects, the gospel perfects.
Man thinks.
She dreams.
To think is to have a larva in the skull; dream is to have a halo on his forehead.
Man is an ocean.
The woman is a lake.
The ocean has the adorning pearl, the lake, dazzling poetry.
Man is the flying eagle.
She is the nightingale that sings.
Flying is dominate space. Sing is to conquer the soul.
The man is a Temple.
The woman is the Tabernacle.
Before the temple we discover ourselves, we kneel before the Tabernacle.
In short: the man is placed where the land ends.
The woman where heaven begins.