Literary

Contexts which
Surround Texts
Literary Contexts which Surround Texts

Social Ideological
01 Context
03 Context

Historical Cultural
02 Context 04 Context
01 Social Context
It is the way in which the surroundings,
the people, the situation influence on
how people react and interpret things.
How people react may be credited to
their previous experiences. Read the
sample poem below and see how the
social context dominated in the overall
understanding of the piece.
 My Neighbor
By Ricardo Demetillo
My neighbour, being well-to-do
Bought years ago a lot and house
And built high walls as if to say:
What is It
The word “context”
means the
circumstances
forming the set up of
an event, statement,
or idea to make it
understandable and
easy to assess.
“All interlopers here, keep out!”
It’s true thieves jimmy doors and snilch
What usables lie strewn about.
 My Neighbor
By Ricardo Demetillo

So it is right my neighbour blocks

Suspect intrusion to his house.
Now all the urchins shy, the cold tall gate
That guards the ripe fruits from their slings.
Still I can’t keep my curiosity
To trespass slyly with a peek;
So know how each lush flower-bed
Is sprayed by hoses in the sun
And guess when roses scent the air
Or drop their petals on the grass
I know too that my neighbor’s girl
Who strains beneath her yaya’s hand
Looks longingly beyond the gate
Where my boys tumble in the sun.
 Historical Context 02
• This kind of context is being hooked with the
social context when the literary work or era it
was produced. There is no literary piece that
can be fully appreciated without knowing the
historical context.
• For example, the poem written by Telesforo
Sungkit Jr. entitled “I Higaonon”, social and
historical contexts can be derived from the
poem. This poem is about Higaonon tribe, one
of the lumads or indigenous peoples in
Bukidnon Province, Northern Mindanao.
 I you called savage
you say savage is bad people.
You say you is civilized
and civilized is good people.
—I HIGAONON
 I angry you kill my datus,
I angry you burn my house,
I angry you get my honey,
I angry you get my sakop,
but you say I should know democracy.
You say know democracy
but you commanding all
you telling I not speak
you forcing I live near plantations
You making all us sakop
you killing my brothers not liking you.
—I HIGAONON
03 Ideological Context
Ideology is described as the systems of
beliefs and ideas being found in our
attitudes and behavior. This kind of
context is invisible as it is being
normalized as people act according to
their assumptions and social norms.
 Ideological Context
For instance, in the epic of Maranao entitled
“Darangan”, there were two sons of the king: Prince
Madali and Prince Bantugan. Between the two
princes, the younger one, Prince Bantugan was better
in strength and intelligence. When their father died,
the elder brother, Prince Madali was promoted to the
throne. Implicitly, the story valued the role of the
elder brother who was next to his father even though
the younger brother was more capable to rule. This
kind of norm called seniority rule is still applied in
some organizations and group of people nowadays.
 04 Cultural Context
Culture means the way of life including
religion, race, nationality, food, dress code,
manner, art, music, and literature. It is also
linked with social, historical, and ideological
context. This kind of context is dominant
especially when the author is commenting
about an aspect of culture, or conflict of
culture. Through literature, rich cultures are
being manifested in the text.
 Cultural Context
Example is the short story written by Amador Daguio entitled
“Wedding Dance”. The characters Awiyao and Lumnay most
probably belonged to the Igorot people who inhabit the large
areas of Luzon. Since Filipinos were being colonized by Spaniards
in 1500s, Americans in 1898, and Japanese in 1940s, there were
mixed cultures being practiced by our ancestors. Thus the writer,
Amador Daguio being born in Ilocos Province dwelt in the culture
of his ancestors to explore the Filipino traditions. In the short
story, after being married for seven years Awiyao was forced to
marry another girl because Lumnay could not bear a child. The
culture suggested that a measurement of being a family man is to
have a child. In that case, the love of the couple was in a big
trouble leading their true love to unhappy ending. This literary
piece also depicts that culture has a great factor in the decision of
a person.
AREAS INVOLVED
IN THE SOCIO-
POLITICAL
CONTEXTS IN
LITERATURE
 1. Social issues
These are related to the issues concerning
the national aspect of human life. In the
Philippines, examples of social problems
are: corruption, poverty, lack of education,
teenage pregnancy, oppression to the poor,
prostitution, suppression of freedom of the
press, dishonesty, and others.
 2. Politics
This is one of the prolific
themes in literature that has
something to do with the
governance of a country or an
area. 
 3. Religion
This refers to the belief of
humanity that there is far
greater entity who made the
greatness of nature.
-END-