21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World

MIDTERM

CONTEXT refers to the background information, circumstances and environment surrounding the production and reception of a text.
You might have heard the phrase 'every text is a product of its time' or 'texts are cultural artefacts'.
This means that texts can tell us a lot about the world in which they were produced. Likewise, understanding that world can allow us, as
readers, to understand and interpret the meaning of texts on a deeper level, as well as further reflecting on the ways in which we
respond to them.

Authorial Context How a text has been influenced by the events of the author’s life, their other work and the circumstances that
surrounded the writing of the text. This might include key aspects of their identity, significant life experiences, values and beliefs and
their personal style and other works.

Historical Context How a text has been shaped by the historical events, timeframe and circumstances of the time the text was produced
or of the chosen setting of the text. This might include major events, economic conditions, technology and relationships between
countries, societies and people.

Social Context How a text reflects the nature of a particular society, including gender roles, social customs and norms and social
divisions. This might include the value and attitudes held by society at the time, dominant and marginalized groups, relationships and
interactions between people or the social hierarchy based on race, class or gender.

Cultural Context How a text has been influenced by the cultural features, traditions, beliefs, customs, and way of life specific to a
particular group of people. This might include factors related to race, nationality, geographical area or religion. It might also include
literature, art, music, media, fashion or the nature of work and occupations.

Personal Context How a reader's response to a text is shaped by the personal circumstances in their life that influence the way they
perceive the world, and ultimately, the way they interpret the text. This might include key parts of reader's identity (e.g. age, gender,
race, occupation, location), their significant life experiences and/or their values, attitudes and beliefs.

Political Context How a text has been shaped by factors relating to the government or public affairs of a country. This might include
political events, authority figures or the type of government in control, how they exercise power and whether the text is created to
further a particular political agenda.

Understanding context can help us delve deeper into our analysis by understanding the world in which the text was produced, set or
received. Texts can act as mirrors, encouraging us to reflect on ourselves and our world. When studying texts in English class,
consider how context has shaped or influenced the text and how our own knowledge of context can affect our responses to texts.

IMAGERY means to use figurative language to represents objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical
senses. Usually, it is thought that imagery makes use of particular words that create visual representation of ideas in our minds. The
word “imagery” is associated with mental pictures. However, this idea is but partially correct. Imagery, to be realistic, turns out to be
more complex than just a picture.

It was dark and dim in the forest. The words “dark” and “dim” are visual images.

The children were screaming and shouting in the fields. “Screaming” and “shouting” appeal to our sense of hearing, or auditory sense.

He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee. “Whiff” and “aroma” evoke our sense of smell or olfactory sense.

The girl ran her hands on a soft satin fabric. The idea of “soft’ in this example appeals to our sense of touch or tactile sense.

The fresh and juicy orange are very cold and sweet. “Juicy” and “sweet” --when associated with oranges -- have an effect on our
sense of taste, or gustatory sense.