21st Century Literature from the

Philippines and the World

Contextual Reading Approaches vis-à-vis World

Literature
DAY 1
Directions: Read the statements carefully, then write the letter of your chosen answer on your answer sheet
(15 points).
1. Reading approaches are defined as _________________.
A. ways of analyzing a text C. skills in extracting information
B. methods of writing a story D. tools in defining a concept
2. Reading approaches are useful because they serve as a guide in __________________.
A. promoting literary trends C. communicating with the author
B. understanding works of literature. D. creating sources of entertainment
3. This term indicates the literary writings of a particular author, which are considered by scholars and critics
in general to be his/her genuine creations.
A. Essay B. Canon C. Novel D. Diary
4. This reading approach suggests that there is no single correct interpretation of a literary work. Instead, it is
based on the personal impressions made by the critic.
A. sociological B. Formalism C. feminism D. reader-response
5. This reading approach explores the relationships between the text and society.
A. sociological B. formalism C. feminism D. reader-response
6. What reading approach is used in the analysis below?
'Buyayang, buyayang', a folk song from Butuan, a city in Mindanao, illustrates the impact of violent conflict on
Mindanao communities, in particular, the lumad communities.
A. sociological B. Formalism C. Feminism D. reader-response
7. "What is your overall reaction to the text?" This question will most likely be asked in which reading
approach?
A. sociological approach C. formalist approach
B. feminist approach D. reader-response approach
8. What literary approach is used in the analysis below?
In Dead Stars, I like how the author, Paz Marquez Benitez wrote the flow of the story giving the readers’
questions on what will happen next, making them interesting and inspiring at the same time.
A. sociological B. formalism C. feminism D. reader-response
9. In which reading approach will you most likely answer this question?
"How are these characters affected by the society?"
A. sociological B. formalism C. feminism D. reader-response
10. This element of literature includes the place and time of the actions that transpire in a story.
A. character B. setting C. symbols D. plot
11. All of the following authors are considered Philippine representative authors EXCEPT,
A. Nick Joaquin C. N.V.M. Gonzalez
B. Shirley Siaton D. Fedirico Garcia Lorca
12. In reading the parable of the prodigal son in the New Testament, different readers are likely to have different
responses. What kind of critical approach is used?
A. Feminism B. Formalist C. Sociological D. Reader-Response
13. This is an element of fiction that tells a significant truth about which a story attempts to communicate to its
readers.
A. Conflict B. point-of-view C. theme D. genre
14. It is an approach in reading that distinguishes the social stratification between the capitalist and the working
class, the ruler and its members, the rich and poor.
A. Feminism B. Formalism C. Sociological D. Reader-Response
15. This is an element in fiction which refers to the opposition of forces that may set forth the problems, issues, and
challenges of various forms and sources that the main character needs to face and to deal with.
A. Conflict B. point-of-view C. theme D. genre
LESSON 1
Sociological
Approach vis-à-vis
Asian Literature
Describe Me!
Directions: Write a one-sentence description for each picture below on your answer sheet. Relate the
picture on the left to Philippine literature and the picture on the right to world literature (5 points
each=10 points).

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE WORLD LITERATURE

DAY 2
Reading literature exercises the imagination. It transports
us out of our current context and into other ages and
places. It enables us to see the world through the eyes of
others. It fosters reflection and improves our facility with
language and vocabulary. There are times, however, that
we interpret and study literature differently. Some readers
interpret literature through their own experiences, some
through the society’s point of view, and even some in
connection with the author. In interpreting literature, we
may use different reading approaches.
 WHAT ARE READING
Reading approaches (or literary APPROACHES?
criticisms, critical reading
lenses, critical approaches, critical theories, or literary theories) are
ways to analyze, interpret, or evaluate works of literature. A reading
approach or literary criticism is essentially an opinion, supported by
evidence, relating to theme, style, setting or historical or political
context. It usually includes discussion of the work’s content and
integrates your ideas with other insights gained from research.
Literary criticism may have a positive or a negative bias and may be
a study of an individual piece of literature or an author’s body of
work. Although criticism may include some of the following
elements in order to support an idea, literary criticism is NOT a plot
summary, a biography of the author, or simply finding fault with the
literature. Researching, reading, and writing works of literary
criticism will help you to make better sense of the work, form
judgments about literature, study ideas from different points of view,
and determine on an individual level whether a literary work is worth
reading.
HOW WILL READING
APPROACHES HELP
YOU?
Reading approaches or literary
criticisms will serve as your
guide in understanding and
analyzing works of literature.
You may analyze any work of
literature depending on the
approach (sociological, reader-
response, feminist, or formalist)
you have chosen or asked of
you.
SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH

Sociological approach examines literature in the cultural,

economic, and political context in which it is written or
received, exploring the relationships between the text and
society. It examines the artist's society to better understand
the author's literary works. One influential type of
sociological criticism is Marxist criticism, founded by Karl
Marx with Friedrich Engels, which focuses on the economic
and political elements of literature. Sociological or Marxist
readings often focus on exposing how the works depict the
class struggle of the societies in which they were written.
EXAMPLE OF
SOCIOLOGICAL
APPROACH IN
READING
LITERATURE
Below is a sample format for writing an analysis using the sociological approach.

I. Introduction
A. What is the title of the literary work?
B. What is it about? (in 1-2 sentences only)
C. Who is the author?
D. What is your main thesis statement or the main idea of your
analysis?

II. Body A. What is the setting of the story? What is the

kind of society where the story was set? B. Who are the characters
and what are their characteristics? C. How are these characters
affected by the society? Use lines from the story to support your
answer. D. What societal issue/s is/are evident in the story? Give
examples to elaborate these issues.
E. Are there class struggles and power struggles in the story? Use
quotes from the story to illustrate.
III. Conclusion
A. How do you restate your main thesis
statement?
B. What is the possible solution to the
societal issue/s presented?
C. What is your challenge to the readers
in relation to the issue/s?
As you can see from the format above,
sociological or Marxist critics are concerned
with examining the literary work as a
product of its time and place, and are not
easily tricked into ignoring that context in
exchange for the one depicted in the work.
Study the given
analysis of Dead Stars
by Paz Marquez-
Benitez which uses the
sociological approach,
then reflect on the
questions that follow.
 Dead Stars by Paz Marquez-Benitez shows the complicated circumstances that Alfredo Salazar has to go
through in life as he was engaged to Esperanza when he fell for another woman named Julia. This situation led to
Alfredo committing infidelity but, in the end, realizing that his love for Julia was just infatuation. Indeed, love
should be a commitment, not an obligation.
Written in 1925 during the American Period in the Philippines, Dead Stars was set during a time when
education was considered very important as seen in Alfredo being a lawyer. With education, Alfredo was
regarded as superior to those without education and even to women. This is evident in Alfredo’s infidelity to
Esperanza. However, Dead Stars was not only a story about love and affection but also a reflection of the
customs and practices of the people during the American Period. We understand how courtship, marriage, and
fidelity were considered by those in the upper class. Love was not regarded as commitment but as part of one’s
obligation to the family. With this, we can see that women were regarded lesser than their true worth. There is
tension between men and women during the American Period as women did not have the voice yet to stand up
for themselves.
As seen in the society during Alfredo’s time, love should have been regarded as a commitment rather than a
duty to fulfill. Two people in love should devote themselves to each other for life instead of being influenced by
the society. Love deeply and love truthfully. No pretensions.
Reflect on these questions in writing an analysis using the
sociological approach (No need to answer these questions
on paper).
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS:
1. How did the introduction begin?
2. How did the body develop?
3. How was the setting introduced in the body?
4. How were the characters presented in the body?
5. What content/s comprised the body?
6. How did the analysis end?
 Thumbs Up or Down!
Part 1. Directions: Identify whether the statements are true or false. Draw a thumbs up( )
if the statement is true; if false, draw a thumbs down ( ) on your answer sheet (10 points).

1. A reading approach is also known as literary criticism.

2. Reading approaches are methods of interpreting a text.
3. To better understand a story, you can use a reading approach.
4. Literary criticism means finding faults from a work of literature.
5. Literary criticisms are purely based on opinion.
6. Reading approaches are plot summaries.
7. Sociological approach to reading examines the relationship between the text and the author’s life.
8. To better understand a story using the sociological approach, relate the text to the time
when it was written.
9. Marxist criticism shows the class struggles of the period of a certain work of literature.
10. Sociological approach believes that a literary work is a product of its time.
DAY 3
Complete Me!
Part 2. Directions: Read the literary text The
Taximan’s Story and the notes in the boxes.
Analyze it using the sociological approach by
filling out the table with the needed information.
Copy the table and write your answers on your
answer sheet (5 points each=60 points).
 The Taximan’s Story
A short story by Catherine Lim (Singapore)
Very good, Madam. Sure, will take you there in plenty
good time for your meeting, Madam. This way better, less
traffic, less car jams. Half hour should make it, Madam, so not
to worry. What is it you say, Madam? Yes, yes, ha, ha, been
taximan for twenty years now, Madam. Long time ago,
Singapore not like this–so crowded so busy. Last time more
peaceful, not so much taximen, or so much cars and buses.
Yes, Madam, can make a living. So so. What to do. Must work
hard if wants to success in Singapore. People like us, no
education, no capital for business, we must sweat to earn
money for wife and children. Yes. Madam, quite big family–
eight children, six sons, two daughters. Big family! Ha! ha! No
good, Madam. In those days, where got Family Planning in
Singapore? People born many, many children, every year, one
childs. Is no good at all. Today is much better. Two children,
three children, enough, stop. Our government say stop.
 Lucky for me, all my children big now. Four of my sons working–
one a businessman, two clerks, one a teacher in Primary school, one in
National Service, one still schooling, in Secondary Two. My eldest
daughter, she is twenty plus, stay at home, help the mother. No, not
married yet–very shy, and her health not so good, but a good, obedient
girl. My other girl–Oh, Madam! very hard for father when daughter is
no good and go against her parents. Very sad, like punishment from
God. Today, young people not like us when we are young. We obey.
Our parents say don’t do this, we never do. Otherwise, the cane. My
father cane me, I was big enough to be married, and still, got caning.
My father he was very strict, and that is good thing for parents to be
strict. If not, young boys and girls become very useless. Do not want to
study, but run away, and go to night clubs and take drugs and make
love. You agree with me. Madam? Today, young people they are very
trouble to their parents. Madam, you see this young people over there,
outside the coffee-house? See what I mean, Madam? They are only
schoolboys and schoolgirls, but they act like big shots, spending
money, smoking, wearing latest fashion, and making love.
 Ah Madam, I know, I know! As taximan, I know them
and their habits. Madam, you are a teacher, you say? You
know or not that young schoolgirls, fifteen, sixteen years
old, they go to school in the morning in their uniforms
and then after school, they don’t go home, they have
clothes in their schoolbag, and they go to public lavatory
or hotel and change into these clothes, and they put make-
up on their face. Their parents never know. They tell their
Mum got school meeting, got sports and games, this, that,
but they really come out and play the fool. Ah, Madam, I
see you surprise, but I know, I know all their tricks. I take
them about in my taxi. They usual is wait in bowling alley
or coffee house or hotel, and they walk up, and friend,
friend, the European and American tourists, and this is
how they make fun and also
extra money. Madam, you believe or not when I tell you how much
money they got? I say! Last night, Madam, this young girl, very pretty
and made-up, and wear sexy dress, she told me take her to Orchid
Mansions–this place famous, Madam, fourth floor flat–and she open her
purse to pay me, and I say! all American notes–ten dollar notes all, and
she pull one out and say keep change! As she has no time already.
Madam, I tell you this, every month, I got more money from these young
girls and their American and European boyfriends in my taxi, more than I
get from other people who bargain and say don’t want go by meter and
wait even for ten cents change. Phui!! Some of them really make me mad.
But these young girls and their boyfriends don’t bargain, they just pay,
pay, and they make love in taxi so much they don’t know if you go round
and round and charge them by meter! I tell you, Madam, some of them
don’t care how much they spend on taxi. It is like this: after 1p.m. taxi
fare double, and I prefer working this time, because naturally, much more
money. I go and wait outside Elroy Hotel or Tung Court or Orchid
Mansions, and such enough, Madam, will have plenty business. Last
Saturday, Madam, no joking, on one day alone I make nearly one hundred
and fifty dollars! Some of it for services. Some of tourists don’t know
where, so I tell them and take them there, and that’s extra money.
 Ah Madam, if I tell you all, no end to the story. But I will tell
you this, Madam. If you have young daughter and she say
Mummy I got meeting today in school and will not come home,
you must not say, Yes, yes, but you must go and ask her where
and why and who, and you find out. Today young people not to
trust, like young people in many years ago.Oh, Madam, I tell you
because I myself have a daughter–oh, Madam, a daughter I love
very much, and she is so good and study hard. And I see her
report cards and her teacher write ‘Good work’ and ‘Excellent’
so on, so on. Oh, Madam, she my favourite child, and I ask her
what she want to be after left school, and she says go to
University. None of my other children could go to University,
but this one, she is very smart and intelligent–no boasting,
Madam–her teachers write ‘Good ‘and ‘Excellent’, and so on, so
on, in her report cards. She study at home, and help the mother,
but sometimes a little lazy, and she say teacher want her to go
back to school to do extra work, extra coaching, in her weak
subject, which is maths, Madam.
 So I let her stay back in school and day after day she come
home in evening, then she do her studies and go to sleep. Then
one day, oh Madam, it make me so angry even now–one day, I in
my taxi driving, driving along and hey! I see a girl looking like
my Lay Choo, with other girls and some Europeans outside a
coffee-house but I think, it cannot be Lay Choo, how can, Lay
Choo is in school, and this girl is all dressed up and make-up,
and very bold in her behaviour, and this is not like my daughter
at all. Then they go inside the coffee-house, and my heart is very,
very–how you describe it, Madam, My heart is very ‘susah hati’
and I say to myself, I will watch that Lay Choo and see her
monkey tricks. The very next day she is there again I stop my
taxi, Madam, and I am so angry. I rush up to this wicked
daughter and I catch her by the shoulders and neck, and slap her
and she scream, but I don’t care. Then I drag her to my taxi and
drive all the way home, and at home I thrash the stupid food and
I beat her and slap her till like hell. My wife and some
neighbours they pull me away,
 and I think if they not pull me away, I sure to kill that
girl. I lock her up in her room for three days, and I ashamed
to tell her teacher, so I just tell the teacher that Lay Choo is
sick, so please to excuse her. Oh, Madam, how you feel in
my place? Make herself so cheap, when her father drive taxi
all day to save money for her University. What is it,
Madam? Yes, yes, everything okay now, thank you. She
cannot leave the house except to go to school, and I tell her
mother always check, check in everything she do, and her
friends–what sort of people they are…
What, Madam? Oh, so sorry, Madam, cannot wait for
you to finish your meeting. Must go off, please to excuse
me. In a hurry, Madam. Must go off to Hotel Elroy–there
plenty people to pick up. So very sorry, Madam, and thank
you very much.
 About the Story
The Taximan’s Story was published in "Little Ironies: Stories of Singapore" in 1978. It is a first-
person narrative written in the form of a monologue centered on the taxi driver as the main character
and the story is told from his perspective.
Singapore emerged as a nation after 1965. For nearly one hundred fifty years, it had been a British
colony that was intimately linked to the whole Malay peninsula. From 1945 until the early 1970s, the
island had severe housing shortages and a poor infrastructure, high criminality and unemployment,
racial riots, and communist uprisings. The "survival policy" was based on the attraction of foreign
investment through low taxes, the development of an efficient infrastructure, a disciplined workforce,
and strict political control. In thirty years, Singapore changed from a rough trading port to a rich,
orderly, industrialized society. The remembrance of social and economic difficulties influenced the
development of a national culture with a focus on wealth and stability and the idea of multiculturalism.
There are wide income and wealth differences, but the country is more differentiated by ethnicity than
by class. All the ethnic groups have experienced upward occupational mobility. There is an intense
focus on education. Good marks are a sure path to good positions with good wages. In this respect,
Singapore is a meritocracy.
Generally, children are expected to be quiet and obedient and may be physically punished for
misbehaving.
 Rearrange to Reflect!
Directions: Reflect on the use of the sociological approach to reading a text by
rearranging the words in the box to form a sentence. Write your answer on your
answer sheet (10 points).

society affected be literature may by

DAY 4
 Madam Says!
Taximan’s Story was written in the perspective of the taximan while talking
to his passenger, a teacher, who was constantly referred to as Madam in the
story. Suppose Madam’s responses were heard in the story, what would
they be?

Directions: Write a one- sentence response to complete the dialogue

between the taximan and Madam on your answer sheet. Consider the
situation of Madam as a teacher in making the responses (2 points each=20
points).
1) Madam: ________________________________________________________________
Taximan: Very good, Madam. Sure, will take you there in plenty good time for your meeting,
Madam.
2) Madam: ________________________________________________________________
Taximan: Yes, yes, ha, ha, been taximan for twenty years now, Madam.
3) Madam: ________________________________________________________________
Taximan: Yes. Madam, quite big family–eight children, six sons, two daughters. Big family! Ha!
Ha!
4) Madam: ________________________________________________________________
Taximan: Oh, Madam! very hard for father when daughter is no good and go against her parents.
5) Madam: ________________________________________________________________
Taximan: Ah Madam, I know, I know! As taximan, I know them and their habits.
Taximan: Ah, Madam, I see you surprise, but I know, I know all their tricks. I take them about in my taxi.
6) Madam: ________________________________________________________________
Taximan: But I will tell you this, Madam. If you have young daughter and she say Mummy I got meeting today in
school and will not come home, you must not say, Yes, yes, but you must go and ask her where and why and who,
and you find out.
7) Madam: ________________________________________________________________
Taximan: Then one day, oh Madam, it make me so angry even now–one day, I in my taxi driving, driving
along and hey! I see a girl looking like my Lay Choo, with other girls and some Europeans outside a coffee-
house but I think, it cannot be Lay Choo, how can, Lay Choo is in school, and this girl is all dressed up and
make-up, and very bold in her behaviour, and this is not like my daughter at all.
8) Madam: ________________________________________________________________
Taximan: Oh, Madam, how you feel in my place? Make herself so cheap, when her father drive taxi all day
to save money for her University.
9) Madam: ________________________________________________________________
Taximan: What, Madam? Oh, so sorry, Madam, cannot wait for you to finish your meeting.
10) Madam: _______________________________________________________________
LESSON 2
Feminism Approach vis-à-vis African Literature
 MyHashTag
Directions: Recall what you learned about Asian Literature and the Sociological Approach in analyzing
a sample literary text. Create a # Hashtag to express what you know and in three sentences explain your
hashtag. Write your answer on your answer sheet. (5 points)

Hashtag: _________________________________
Explanation:
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
 Task 2
Getting to Know Africa!
Directions: Write T if the statement is True and F if it’s False. Write the answers on
your answer sheet. (5 points)
1. Nadine Gordimer helped Nelson Mandela edit his famous speech “I Am Prepared
to Die” during Mandela’s trial for treason in 1962.
2. J.M. Cooetzee has not won a Nobel Prize for Literature.
3. Feminism works towards equality, not female superiority.
4. The goal of structuralism is to challenge the systemic inequalities women face on a
daily basis.
5. Out of Africa is a well-known book on Africa that was written by an African author.
What’s New
DAY 2
In Lesson One, you were introduced to the ways or
approaches in analyzing literary texts. These various
approaches offer a range of perspective which can be
utilized to engage in critical analysis of numerous texts.
Aside from the Sociological Approach, Feminist criticism
or feminism, can also be used to analyze a text.
I. FEMINISM
APPROACH IN
READING
 Feminist criticism or feminism, examines the role of women in literature. It
looks into how the female character may be empowered or discriminated against.
Feminist criticism has, in many ways, followed what some theorists call the waves
of feminism: 1. The first comprised women's suffrage movements of the 19th and
early-20th centuries, promoting women's right to vote. Notable women in this
period include writer Mary Wollstonecraft (A Vindication of the Rights of Women,
1792), activists like Susan B. Anthony and Victoria Woodhull. 2. The second
wave, the women's liberation movement, began in the 1960s and campaigned for
legal and social equality for women. Writers like Simone de Beauvoir (Le
Deuxième Sexe, 1949) and Elaine Showalter established the groundwork for the
dissemination of feminist theories dove-tailed with the American Civil Rights
movement. 3. In or around 1992, a third wave was identified, characterized by a
focus on individuality and diversity. The term third wave is credited to Rebecca
Walker. 4. The fourth wave, from around 2012, used social media to combat
sexual harassment, violence against women and rape culture; it is best known for
the Me Too Movement.
Feminism literary criticism
may use any of the following
methods:
• interpreting the way that women characters are described in novels,
stories, plays, biographies, and histories, especially if the author is
male
• decoding how the readers own gender influences the reading and
interpretation of a text.
• unravelling how women autobiographers and biographers of women
treat their subjects, and how women are treated as secondary to the
main subject
• describing relationships between the literary text and ideas about
power, sexuality, and gender
• critiquing of patriarchal or woman-marginalizing language, such as
a "universal" use of the masculine pronouns "he" and "him“
• noticing and unpacking differences in how men and women write: a
style, for instance, where women use more reflexive language and men
use more direct language (example: "she let herself in" versus "he
opened the door")
• reclaiming women writers who are little known or have been marginalized or
undervalued, sometimes referred to as expanding or criticizing the canon—the usual
list of "important" authors and works (e.g. include raising up the contributions of
early playwright AphraBehn and showing how she was treated differently than male
writers from her own time forward, and the retrieval of Zora Neale Hurston's writing
by Alice Walker.)
• reclaiming the "female voice" as a valuable contribution to literature, even if
formerly marginalized or ignored
• analyzing multiple works in a genre as an overview of a feminist approach to that
genre: for example, science fiction or detective fiction
• analyzing multiple works by a single author (often female)
• examining how relationships between men and women and those assuming male
and female roles are depicted in the text, including power relations
• examining the text to find ways in which patriarchy is resisted or could have been
resisted
II. TIPS IN
USING
FEMINISM
CRITICISM
IN READING
Here are some tips in analyzing some of the
feminism issues which are represented in a
given literary sample, with attention on the
female characters and the roles they played.
The following aspects should be given
attention when examining and analyzing the
work. They are as follows:
• Get to know the characters. The characters background, work, sexuality,
childhood, and outlook on life should be taken into consideration in order
for you to draw conclusion.

• Get to know their roles in the literary text. Determine the specific role the
main female character in the text.

• Determine their relationship with each other. Explore the relationship of

the lead female character with other characters, particularly with the male
counterpart in the text.

• Evaluate their characters. Assess the characters’ attitudes and determine

their strengths and weaknesses.

• Time to write. Organize all the information you gathered and use them as
the basis in writing your analysis.
EXAMPLE OF
FEMINISM
APPROACH IN
LITERATURE
 Below is a sample format in writing an analysis using the feminism approach.

I. Introduction
A. What is the title of the literary work?
B. What is it about? (1-2 sentences only)
C. Who is the author?
D. What is your main thesis statement or the main idea of your analysis?
II. Body
A. Who is the lead female character? Describe her background, childhood, sexuality, work, and outlook on the
world?
B. What is the setting of the sample literary piece? How is the relationship between men and women portrayed?
Is it typical for that time or not? Why or Why not?
C. How do the men interact with women? Women with men?
D. What roles/work/responsibilities do characters of either gender have?
E. What is considered socially acceptable behavior for each gender?
F. Is there evidence of characters being fundamentally shaped by gender expectations?
G. Do the men and women use language differently?
III. Conclusion
A. How do you restate your main thesis statement?
B. What is the possible solution to the women issue/s presented?
C. What is your challenge to the readers in relation to the issue/s?
As you can see from the format
above, feminism critics are focused
on the efforts to change that
include fighting against gender
stereotypes and establishing
educational, professional, and
interpersonal opportunities and
outcomes for women that are equal
to those for men
Study the given analysis of
The Story of an Hour by Kate
Chopin which uses the
feminism approach, and then
reflect on the questions that
follow.
 In "The Story of an Hour" we are told that the protagonist suffers
from a heart condition and she was carefully informed of her husband
Brently's death. In the course of an hour we see the protagonist named
Louise as a weak person become into a stronger woman. She
contemplates her newly found independence and is delighted over
thought of being free. This surprising reaction reflects the feeling
women had in the late 19th century had towards marriage. Through
this, Chopin voices that marriage meant men had total control over
women. The women were not allowed to have their own identity,
thoughts or purpose. In Louise's case, her husband’s death frees her
from the restraint of marriage. Her once forbidden pleasure of
independence will no longer hold her back. For just an hour, Louise
experiences and praises her freedom that is no longer chained to her
husband's control. As she looks out the window we realize how
marriage made her into someone who did not have an identity.
 She has lived a life that has given her limitations that she was only her
husband's wife and nothing more. She believed for a brief moment that she no
longer have a man that will "[bend her] in that blind persistence with which
men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a
fellow-creature." This demonstrates that patriarchal ideology that was the
norm in the late 19th century. Louise was an example of an average
housewife who was not allowed her own identity and freedom. I believe Kate
had connection with the story and the main character. When Louise felt a
brief moment of sadness of her husband’s death and then have it replaced
with happiness, this reveals how truly Kate felt when she heard the news of
her husband’s death. Kate felt restrained in her marriage, even though she
truly loved her husband, she was not happy. Even though, "The Story of an
Hour" is a fiction story, it speaks loud about the life of women in the late 19th
century.
Reflect on these questions in writing an analysis using the feminism
approach (No need to answer these questions on paper).
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS: 1. How did the introduction begin?
2. How did the body develop?
3. How was the setting introduced in the body?
4. How were the characters presented in the body?
5. What content/s comprised the body?
6. How did the analysis end?
Part I. Directions: Answer the following items based on
what you learned about Feminism Criticism. Write the
answers on your answer sheet. (10 points)
1. Explain the feminism criticism as a reading approach.
2. Give three methods/ways in using this reading approach.
3. Present the significance of using feminism criticism in
analyzing a sample 21st Century literary work.
DAY 3
Part II. Directions: Read the
autobiography Desert Flower: The
Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad
by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller from
Somalia. Read the notes in the boxes as
well.
Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad
By Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller

Waris Dirie (the name means desert flower) lives a

double life – by day she is a famous model and UN
spokeswoman on women’s rights in Africa, at night she
dreams of her native Somalia. Waris, one of the 12
children, was born into a traditional family of desert
nomads in East Africa. She remembers her early
childhood as carefree-racing camels and moving on
with her family to the next grazing spot – until it came
her turn to meet the old woman who administered the
ancient custom imposed on most Somalian girls:
circumcision (Female Genital Mutilation). Waris
suffered this torture when she was just five years old.
 Then, aged 12, when her father attempted
to arrange a marriage with a 60 year old
stranger in exchange for five camels – she
took flight. After an extraordinary escape
through the dangerous desert she made her
way to London and worked as a maid for the
Somalian ambassador until that family
returned home, Penniless and speaking little
English, she became a janitor in McDonalds
where she was famously discovered by a
fashion photographer, Terence Donovan.
Her story is a truly inspirational and
extraordinary self-portrait of a remarkable
woman whose spirit is as breathtaking as her
beauty.
 Africa and its Literature
Africa is considered as the second largest continent in the
world and also having the oldest civilization. It boasts of
products like gold and diamond, yet up to now, there are
still many underdeveloped countries that suffer from
poverty and diseases.
Most African literature riot against discrimination,
injustice, and poverty while at the same time scream of their
pride and celebrate being a nation that is the land of the
oldest, the wisest, and the strongest people in the world.
African literature produces writers who have made an
impact in the literary world. These writers created a body of
literature that reflects the reality of these countries from a
narrative, rather than a Western or colonial perspective. By
articulating their own experience of oppression and
liberation, they were able to decolonize the African past,
and place to the fore the Africa that they themselves have
imagined and mapped onto the world.
About the Author Waris Dirie (Somali: Waris
Diiriye) (born 1965) is a Somali model, author,
actress and human rights activist in the fight
against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). From
1997 to 2003, she was a UN special ambassador
against female genital mutilation. In 2002 she
founded her own organization in Vienna, the
Desert Flower Foundation.
About the Story Desert Flower: The
Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad
is an autobiographical book written by
Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller, published
in 1998 about the life of Somali model,
Waris Dirie. In 2009, the book was
adapted into a film of the same name.
Produced by Peter Herrmann and
Benjamin Herrmann, the Ethiopian
supermodel Liya Kebede plays Waris in
the title role.
 Check It Out!
Directions: After reading the text, answer the following questions. Write the
answers on your answer sheet. (20 points)
1. Describe the qualities/attributes of the female lead character in the story.
2. What was the conflict shown? How does the conflict affect the transformation
of the lead character in the story?
3. What aspect of African culture towards women does the story show?
4. What do you think motivated the author to share her life story? How did you
respond to the authors’ “voice”?
5. Generate a new title for the story. Explain your new title.
 Represent Me!
Directions: Complete the statement below by choosing one
object found in your home that represents a strong and an
empowered woman. Relate this object to the lesson learned in
this topic. Write the answers on your answer sheet. (5 points)
I chose _________ (object) to relate my
learning on ________ because_____.
DAY 4
 Character in Focus!
Directions: Answer the questions in the boxes below based
on the sample literary text Desert Flower: The
Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad. Write at least 5
sentences to answer each question. Write the answers on the
answer sheet. (5 points each)
 FEMALE LEAD CHARACTER
How does the author describe the How will you describe the character
character? based on her words/dialogue?

How will you describe the character How will you describe the character
based on her actions? based on the perceptions of other
people?
LESSON 3
Reader-Response
Approach vis-à-vis
European Literature
DAY 1
In Lesson Two, we learned about the Feminist Approach vis-à-vis African Literature.
This lesson will help us understand another reading approach, the Reader-Response
Approach vis-à-vis European Literature.
Directions: Suppose you were to update your Facebook status and share what you
learned about the Feminist Approach and what you know about the Reader-Response
Approach, what would you share? Write one sentence for Feminist Approach and one
sentence for Reader-Response Approach on your answer sheet (5 points each=10
points).
READER-RESPONSE
APPROACH
The reader-response approach believes that literature does
not exist as an artifact upon a printed page but as a
transaction between the physical text and the mind of a
reader. It attempts to describe what happens in the reader's
mind while interpreting a text and reflects that reading, like
writing, is a creative process. Reader-response approach
suggests that the role of the reader is essential to the meaning
of a text, for only in the reading experience does the literary
work come alive. According to reader-response critics,
literary texts do not contain a meaning; meanings derive only
from the act of individual readings. Hence, two different
readers may derive completely different interpretations of the
same literary text; likewise, a reader who re-reads a work
years later may find the work different. There is no single
"correct" interpretation for a literary work.
HOW DO YOU DO THE
READER-RESPONSE
APPROACH?
The purpose of a reader-response approach is examining,
explaining, and defending your personal reaction to a text. Your
critical reading of a text asks you to explore:
• why you like or dislike the text;
• explain whether you agree or disagree with the author;
• identify the text’s purpose; and
• critique the text. There is no right or wrong answer to a
reading response. Nevertheless, it is important that you
demonstrate an understanding of the reading and clearly explain
and support your reactions. Do not use the standard approach of
just writing: “I liked this text because it is so cool and the ending
made me feel happy,” or “I hated it because it was stupid, and
had nothing at all to do with my life, and was too negative and
boring.”
In writing a response, you
may assume the reader has
already read the text. Thus,
do not summarize the
contents of the text at
length. Instead, take a
systematic, analytical
approach to the text and
give examples.
If you did not like a text, that is fine, but criticize it either from:
• principle, for example:
o Is the text racist?
o Does the text unreasonably puts down things, such as religion, or groups of people,
such as women or adolescents, conservatives or democrats, etc?
o Does the text include factual errors or outright lies? It is too dark and despairing? Is
it falsely positive?
• form, for example:
o Is the text poorly written?
o Does it contain too much verbal “fat”?
o Is it too emotional or too childish?
o Does it have too many facts and figures?
o Are there typos or other errors in the text?
o Do the ideas wander around without making a point?
EXAMPLE OF
READER-
RESPONSE
APPROACH IN
LITERATURE
Below is a sample format for writing an
analysis using the reader-response
approach.
I. Introduction
A. What is the title of the literary work
you are responding?
B. What is it about? (in 1-2 sentences
only)
C. Who is the author?
II. Body
A. What does the text have to do with you, personally, and with your life (past, present or future)?
B. How much does the text agree or clash with your view of the world, and what you consider right and
wrong? Use several quotes as examples of how it agrees with and supports what you think about the
world, about right and wrong, and about what you think it is to be human.
C. What did you learn, and how much were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this
text, if at all? Did the text communicate with you? Why or why not? Give examples of how your views
might have changed or been strengthened (or perhaps, of why the text failed to convince you, the way
it is).
D. How well does the text address things that you personally care about and consider important to the
world? How does it address things that are important to your family, your community, to people of your
economic or social class or background, or your faith tradition? Use quotes from the text to illustrate.
E. What can you praise about the text? What problems did you have with it? Include positive things
about the text as well as pointing out problems, disagreements, and shortcomings.
F. How well did you enjoy the text (or not) as entertainment or as a work of art? Use quotes or
examples to illustrate the quality of the text as art or entertainment.
III. Conclusion
A. What is your overall reaction to the text?
B. Would you read something else like this in the
future?
C. Would you read something else by this author?
D. Would you recommend this text to someone
else and why?
Study the given analysis of
Balaki Ko ‘Day Samtang Gasakay
Ta’g Habal-Habal by Adonis
Durado which uses the reader-
response approach, then reflect on
the questions that follow.
 Written by Adonis Durado, Balaki Ko ‘Day Samtang Gasakay Ta’g Habal-
Habal describes a very common situation in the provincial areas – a habal-habal ride
– but the unique thing about this habal-habal ride is that it has a romantic and
somehow sensual feel to it as the driver tells his passenger, a woman who is most
probably his lover, to hold on to him tighter for him to feel her heartbeat more
clearly against his back.
 As a young woman who rides habal-habal for transportation, it seems weird for
me how the woman in the poem is portrayed as someone who is sensual with the
driver. Unless she is his lover, the poem would totally be uncomfortable. The
driver’s want for the woman to cling to him tight can be interpreted as an expression
of love. This craving of physical intimacy between the characters suggests of young
love, as young couples usually act as if they cannot get enough of each other and
has to have their hands on each other constantly. I have nothing against young love;
however, I would rather call it infatuation than young love because love is more
than physical intimacy.
 Love is a commitment whether or not couples are together or
not, love does not change. Despite the conflict of the poem’s
meaning to my preference, I do like its lighthearted emotion as
seen in the lines “Dayon samtang nagakatulin kining atong
dagan,mamiyong tag maghangad ngadto sa kawanangan aron
sugaton ang taligsik sa uwan, dahon, ug bulak.” It was somewhat
refreshing while reading the poem. Somehow, I enjoyed it.
The poem was a good read because it was not the usual poem. I
am interested to read other works of Adonis Durado to explore
more creative ways of writing literary pieces. My friends would
probably like this poem because most of them have very creative
sides as well. They will definitely enjoy this poem.
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS:
1. How did the introduction begin?
2. How did the body develop?
3. How was the reader’s personal experience introduced in the
body?
4. How were the reader’s personal views and opinions presented
in the body?
5. What content/s comprised the body?
6. How did the analysis end?
Truth or Change?

Part 1. Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is true; if NOT, change the
underlined word/phrase to make the statement true. Write the most appropriate answer
on your answer sheet (5 points).
1. In reader-response approach, two readers may have different interpretations.
2. According to reader-response critics, meanings come from group sharing.
3. If you do not like a text, you may criticize the text using reader-response approach
through principle and biography. 4. Reader-response approach suggests that the role of
the writer is essential to the meaning of a text. 5. The reading experience makes the
literary work come alive.
DAY 2
Part 2. Directions: Read
the summary of Me
Before You by Jojo
Moyes from United
Kingdom. Read the notes
in the boxes as well.
 Me Before You
(A Summary)
A novel by Jojo Moyes (United Kingdom)

Twenty-six-year-old Louisa Clark lives with her working-class

family. Unambitious and with few qualifications, she feels constantly
outshone by her younger sister, Treena, an outgoing single mother.
Louisa, who helps support her family, loses her job at a local café when
the café closes. She goes to the Job Centre and, after several failed
attempts, is offered a unique employment opportunity: help care for Will
Traynor, a successful, wealthy, and once-active young man who
developed quadriplegia, the paralysis of the body from at least the
shoulders down, from a pedestrian-motorcycle accident two years earlier.
Will's mother, Camilla, hires Louisa despite her lack of experience,
believing Louisa can brighten his spirit. Louisa meets Nathan, who cares
for Will's medical needs, and Will's father, Steven, a friendly upper-class
businessman whose marriage to Camilla is strained.
 Louisa and Will's relationship starts out rocky due to his bitterness and
resentment over being disabled. Things worsen after Will's ex-girlfriend,
Alicia, and best friend Rupert reveal that they are getting married. Under
Louisa's care, Will gradually becomes more communicative and open-
minded as they share experiences together. Louisa notices Will's scarred
wrists and later overhears his mother and father discussing how he
attempted suicide shortly after Camilla refused his request to end his life
through Dignitas, a Swiss-based assisted suicide organisation. Horrified by
his attempt, Camilla promised to honour her son's wish, but only if he
agreed to live six more months. Camilla intends to prove that, in time, he
will believe his life's worth living.
 Louisa conceals knowing about Will and
Camilla's agreement. However, she tells
Treena, and together they devise ways that
will help convince Will to abandon his
death wish. Over the next few weeks, Will
loosens up and Louisa begins taking him
on outings and the two grow closer.
 Through their frequent talks, Louisa learns that Will has
travelled extensively; his favourite place is a café in Paris.
Noticing how limited her life is and that she has few
ambitions, Will tries to motivate Louisa to change. Louisa
continues seeing her longtime boyfriend of 7 years, Patrick,
though they eventually break up due to her relationship with
Will. Meanwhile, Louisa's father loses his job, causing more
financial difficulties. Steven Traynor offers Mr. Clark a
position. Louisa realises that Will is trying to help her secure
her freedom from her family. The two attend Alicia and
Rupert's wedding where they dance and flirt. Will tells Louisa
that she is the only reason he wakes in the morning.
Louisa convinces Will to go on a holiday with her, but before they can
leave, Will contracts near-fatal pneumonia. Louisa cancels the plans for
a whirlwind trip. Instead, she takes Will to the island of Mauritius. The
night before returning home, Louisa tells Will that she loves him. Will
says he wants to confide something, but she admits that she already
knows about his plans with Dignitas. Will says their time together has
been special, but he cannot bear to live in a wheelchair. He will be
following through with his plans. Angry and hurt, Louisa storms off
and does not speak to him for the remainder of the trip. When they
return home, Will's parents are pleasantly surprised by his good
physical condition. Louisa, however, resigns as his caretaker, and they
understand that Will intends to end his life.
On the night of Will's flight to Switzerland, Louisa
visits him one last time. They agree that the past six
months have been the best in their lives. He dies
shortly after in the clinic, and it is revealed that he left
Louisa a considerable inheritance, meant to continue
her education and to fully experience life. The novel
ends with Louisa at a café in Paris, reading Will's last
words to her in a letter, that tell her to 'live well'.
Explain Me!
Directions: Read the questions and answer in 2-3 sentences on your answer sheet (5 points
each=60 points).
1. What is the meaning of the novel’s title “Me Before You”? To whom do the “me” and
“you” refer to? Explain.
___________________________________________________________________
2. If you were Camilla, Will’s mom, would you agree with Will’s death wish? Justify
your answer.
__________________________________________________________________
3. If you were Louisa, would you have quit working for the Traynors? Why or not?
__________________________________________________________________
4. What do you like most about the story? Elaborate.
_____________________________________________________________
5. What do you dislike most about the story? Give details.
_____________________________________________________________
6. Would you change the ending of the story? Explain your answer.
_____________________________________________________________
This is What I Need!
Directions: Complete the sentence below with what you learned
about Reader-Response Approach on your answer sheet (5
points).

I have learned that in Reader-Response approach, I need to

_______________________.
DAY 3
Ending!
Directions: If you were to make an alternate ending for Me Before You, how would you end it?
Write your own ending in five sentences (20 points).
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
DAY 4
 Task 2 Unleash your Creative Soul!

Directions: Create your own collage. Cut out photos that you can personally
relate to the story Me Before You from unused magazines, newspapers, or
other resources available that you can recycle. Use these cut outs to form a
shape that would best represent the life of Will Traynor. Then write a one-
sentence explanation of your collage. Refer to the sample collages and
rubric for scoring below (30 points).
 Will’s life is like a crescent moon – the light
may seem dim, but it is bright enough to light
up a dark sky.

The face of a woman

represents Will’s life in his
wonderful moments with
Louisa.
LESSON 4
Formalism Approach vis-à-vis North and South American
Literature
DAY 1
Let’s Recall!
Directions: Write a single- sentence
definition of what you know about
each of the reading approaches in the
boxes below. Write the answers on
your answer sheet. (6 points)
The Formalism Approach in
Analyzing Literature
Formalism regards literature as “a unique form of
human knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms.”
All the elements necessary for understanding the work are
contained within the work itself. Of particular interest to the
formalist critic are the elements of form—style, structure, tone,
imagery, etc.—that are found within the text. A primary goal for
formalist critics is to determine how such elements work together
with the text’s content to shape its effects upon readers.
Formalism critics use individual parts of the text, the characters,
the setting, the tone, the point of view, the diction, and all other
elements of the text to give meaning to the text in a more literal
way.
This reading approach is also called Russian
Formalism, Russian Russky Formalism, innovative
20th-century Russian school of literary criticism. It
began in two groups: OPOYAZ, an acronym for
Russian words meaning Society for the Study of
Poetic Language, founded in 1916 at St. Petersburg
(later Leningrad) and led by Viktor Shklovsky; and
the Moscow Linguistic Circle, founded in 1915.
Other members of the groups included Osip Brik,
Boris Eikhenbaum, Yury Tynianov, and Boris
Tomashevsky.
 The following aspects/elements of the different literary genres are taken into consideration when
using the formalist approach/perspective in analyzing a text:

I. Poetry: Author, title of the poem, persona, addressee, tone, attitude, motifs, conditions,
imagery, symbolisms, genre, structure, theme, and appeal.
II. Fiction: setting, characters (protagonist, antagonist, static/flat, dynamic, round,
antihero, and foil), plot (en medias res, flashback, prolepsis or flash-forward, foreshadowing, and
frame story), point-of-view (participant narrator/first person, second person, and non-participant
narrator/third person), conflict (man vs. himself, man vs. man, man vs. society, man vs. culture,
and man vs. nature), symbols, theme
III. Drama: Setting, characters, plot, dialogue, movements, music, and theme
EXAMPLE OF THE
FORMALISM
APPROACH IN
LITERATURE
Below is a sample format for writing an analysis using the formalism approach.
I. Introduction
A. What is the title of the literary work?
B. What is it about? (1-2 sentences only)
C. Who is the author?
D. What is your main thesis statement or the main idea of your analysis?
II. Body
B. How does the author's choice of point of view affect the reader's understanding and
feelings about the story?
C. What influence does the setting have on the characters or their actions? D. How do the
rhythms and/or rhyme schemes of a poem contribute to the meaning or effect of the
piece?
D. How do the rhythms and/or rhyme schemes of a poem contribute to the
meaning or effect of the piece?
E. Is there a central or focal passage that can be said to sum up the entirety of
the work?
F. How are the various parts of the work interconnected?
III. Conclusion

A. How do you restate your main thesis statement?

B. What lesson does the author want me (the reader) to learn about
life?
C. What is your challenge to the readers in relation to the issue/s?
As you can see from the format above, formalism
critics examine the form of the work as a whole, the
form of each individual part of the text (the individual
scenes and chapters), the characters, the settings, the
tone, the point of view, the diction, and all other
elements of the text which join to make it a single
text. After analyzing each part, the critic then
describes how they work together to make give
meaning (theme) to the text.
Study the given
analysis of Tonight I
Can Write the Saddest
Lines by Pablo
Neruda which uses the
formalism approach
on the next page.
 The speaker of the poem recently lost the love of his life. We can tell though that some time passed
since the separation from the first sentence. He says ‘tonight I can write’ implying that till that day he
couldn’t. Maybe the emotions and pain he felt were still too raw to put it down to words. In that case this
line implies that he is slowly healing from the separation. Poets generally describe a broken heart using
metaphors and imagery. Pablo Neruda’s style is simple and concise. But the speaker says he can write
flowery language too in the second paragraph. That is how heart-broken he is. The speaker says that he
loved her and she sometimes loved him back too. This puts us in a state of thinking that the one who was
primarily responsible for the separation was the woman. The night he was sitting under was like the nights
he used to hold her and kissed her. He describes the sky as endless. Maybe he felt his love would be like the
sky too but sadly, it had ended. He says ‘kissed her again and again’. This type of eroticism was shocking to
the general public at the time, especially when the poet was only 18 years old. Sentences like this earned
the poem collection censorship. The speaker continues by putting emphasis on his loss and sadness. He uses
repetition and some imagery to pull at the heart string of the reader.
 One feels sympathy for the speaker as he repeats again that she loved him
sometimes. The night which was described as endless before felt much more so after the
separation. And this makes him feel verse of poetry flow as naturally into his soul as dew
falls onto the pasture. This makes the reader feel that it was indeed true that the most
beautiful poetry flows from a broken heart. ‘The same night whitening the same trees’.
He repeats ‘same’ twice to show that while they both changed the world remained the
same. Now he says that he no longer loved her as he used to. He thinks that soon she will
be another’s. ‘Like my kisses before.’ This line can have either of the two following
meanings. The speaker of the poem is now together with another girl and he kissed her
recently. In this case, he says that like how his kisses belonged to another now, hers will
be too. Or he simply says that she will be kissed by another man like how he used to kiss
her. The meaning is closer to the latter one when the whole poem is considered. The
speaker now contradicts himself saying that he no longer loves her for sure and then
immediately saying that maybe he loves her.
 This shows the conflict within in the speaker. He loved her so deep that he finds it hard not
to. This conflict is spoken of throughout the poem, albeit in allusions. He says love is so short but
forgetting is so long. This is one of the best remembered quotes from the poem. And the nights
aren’t helping his forgetting process. Nights like the one that day particularly remind him of the
time when he held her. And when these thoughts crossed his mind, his soul becomes dissatisfied
with the fact that he lost her. The conflict is shown deeply in these two lines. The speaker ends
the poem saying that this, that particular night would be the last night he suffers pain because of
her and this poem will be the last one he will write for her. This shows that the speaker has now
finally resolved to completely move on.
Reflect on these questions in writing an analysis using the
formalist approach (No need to answer these questions on
paper).
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS: 1. How did the introduction
begin?
2. How did the body develop?
3. How are the literary elements (character, point of view, etc.)
introduced in the body?
4. How are the parts related to one another in the body?
5. How did the analysis conclude/end?
Other Approaches in Analyzing
a Text
Biographical is a form of literary criticism which analyzes a
writer's biography to show the relationship between the author's life and
their works of literature.
Historical is literary criticism in the light of historical evidence
or based on the context in which a work was written, including
facts about the author’s life and the historical and social
circumstances of the time.
Gender is an approach that “examines how
sexual identity influences the creation and
reception of literary works.”
Psychological reflects on the effect that modern psychology has
had upon both literature and literary criticism. Fundamental
figures in psychological criticism include Sigmund Freud, whose
“psychoanalytic theories changed our notions of human behavior
by exploring new or controversial areas like wish-fulfillment,
sexuality, the unconscious, and repression” as well as expanding
our understanding of how “language and symbols operate by
demonstrating their ability to reflect unconscious fears or
desires.”
Mythological emphasizes “the recurrent universal patterns
underlying most literary works.” Combining the insights from
anthropology, psychology, history, and comparative religion,
mythological criticism “explores the artist’s common humanity by
tracing how the individual imagination uses myths and symbols
common to different cultures and epochs.” One key concept in
mythological criticism is the archetype, “a symbol, character, situation,
or image that evokes a deep universal response.”
Deconstructionist is an approach that “rejects the traditional
assumption that language can accurately represent reality.”
Deconstructionist critics regard language as a fundamentally unstable
medium—the words “tree” or “dog,” for instance, undoubtedly conjure
up different mental images for different people—and therefore, because
literature is made up of words, literature possesses no fixed, single
meaning.
The goal of literary criticism is always to help
us understand and appreciate a work more
fully, no matter what approach(es) we use.
Task 1
Connecting Ideas
Directions: Study the illustration below and write
your insights about the formalism approach in
reading. Write your responses inside the boxes. Write
the answers on your answer sheet. (10 points)
DAY 2
Directions: Read the summary of A Hundred
Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
from Colombia. Read the notes in the boxes as
well.
 Latin America and Its Literature
South America is the fourth largest continent in size and the fifth largest when we
consider population. The continent is located in the western hemisphere and mainly in
the southern hemisphere.
South American Literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin
America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous
languages of the Americas as well as literature of the United States written in the
Spanish language. It rose to particular prominence globally during the second half of the
20th century, largely due to the international success of the style known as magical
realism. As such, the region's literature is often associated solely with this style, with the
20th Century literary movement known as Latin American Boom, and with its most
famous exponent, Gabriel García Márquez. Latin American literature has a rich and
complex tradition of literary production that dates back many centuries
A Hundred Years of Solitude
(Summary)
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Colombia

(For the full text, visit https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/solitude/section9/page/2/)

 One Hundred Years of Solitude is the story of seven generations of
the Buendía Family in the town of Macondo. The founding patriarch of
Macondo, José Arcadio Buendía, and Úrsula Iguarán, his wife (and first
cousin), leave Riohacha, Colombia, after José Arcadio kills Prudencio
Aguilar after a cockfight for suggesting José Arcadio was impotent. One
night of their emigration journey, while camping on a riverbank, José
Arcadio dreams of "Macondo", a city of mirrors that reflected the world
in and about it. Upon awakening, he decides to establish Macondo at the
riverside; after days of wandering the jungle, his founding of Macondo is
utopic.
J osé Arcadio Buendía believes Macondo to be surrounded by water, and
from that island, he invents the world according to his perceptions. Soon after
its foundation, Macondo becomes a town frequented by unusual and
extraordinary events that involve the generations of the Buendía family, who are
unable or unwilling to escape their periodic (mostly self-inflicted) misfortunes.
For years the town is solitary and unconnected to the outside world, with the
exception of the annual visit of a band of gypsies, who show the townspeople
technology such as magnets, telescopes, and ice. The leader of the gypsies, a
man named Melquíades, maintains a close friendship with José Arcadio, who
becomes increasingly withdrawn, obsessed with investigating the mysteries of
the universe presented to him by the gypsies. Ultimately he is driven insane,
speaking only in Latin, and is tied to a chestnut tree by his family for many
years until his death.
 Eventually Macondo becomes exposed to the outside world and the
government of newly independent Colombia. A rigged election between the
Conservative and Liberal parties is held in town, inspiring Aureliano
Buendía to join a civil war against the Conservative government. He
becomes an iconic revolutionary leader, fighting for many years and
surviving multiple attempts on his life, but ultimately tires of war and signs
a peace treaty with the Conservatives. Disillusioned, he returns to Macondo
and spends the rest of his life making tiny gold fish in his workshop. The
railroad comes to Macondo, bringing in new technology and many foreign
settlers. An American fruit company establishes a banana plantation outside
the town, and builds its own segregated village across the river. This ushers
in a period of prosperity that ends in tragedy as the Colombian army
massacres thousands of striking plantation workers, an incident based on
the Banana Massacre of 1928. José Arcadio Segundo, the only survivor of the
massacre, finds no evidence of the massacre, and the surviving townspeople
refuse to believe it happened. By the novel's end, Macondo has fallen into a
decrepit and near-abandoned state, with the only remaining Buendías being
Amaranta Úrsula and her nephew Aureliano, whose parentage is hidden by his
grandmother Fernanda, and he and Amaranta Úrsula unknowingly begin an
incestuous relationship. They have a child who bears the tail of a pig, fulfilling
the lifelong fear of the long-dead matriarch Úrsula. Amaranta Úrsula dies in
childbirth and the child is devoured by ants, leaving Aureliano as the last
member of the family. He decodes an encryption Melquíades had left behind in
a manuscript generations ago. The secret message informs the recipient of
every fortune and misfortune that the Buendía family's generations lived
through. As Aureliano reads the manuscript, a wind destroys all traces of
Macondo's existence.
About the Story One Hundred Years of Solitude (Spanish: Cien años de
soledad, American Spanish: [sjen ˈaɲos ðe soleˈðað]) is a landmark 1967 novel
by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez that tells the multi-generational
story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founded
the (fictitious) town of Macondo. The novel is often cited as one of the
supreme achievements in literature. The magical realist style and thematic
substance of One Hundred Years of Solitude established it as an important
representative novel of the literary Latin American Boom of the 1960s and
1970s, which was stylistically influenced by Modernism (European and North
American) and the Cuban Vanguardia (Avant-Garde) literary movement. Since
it was first published in May 1967 in Buenos Aires by Editorial Sudamericana,
One Hundred Years of Solitude has been translated into 46 languages and sold
more than 50 million copies. The novel, considered García Márquez's magnum
opus, remains widely acclaimed and is recognized as one of the most
significant works both in the Hispanic literary canon and in world literature.
 Task 2 Challenge My Mind!
Directions: Answer the following questions based on the text
read. Write your answers in one to two sentences. Support
your answer with instances from the text. Write the answers
on your answer sheet. (15 points) 1. What is the
context/setting of the story? 2. Are the characters believable?
Why or why not? 3. What images does the author present in
the narrative? 4. What is the author’s message? 5. What
lesson does this story teach about life?
Directions: Read the poem of The Road
Not Taken by Robert Frost from United
States of America. Read the notes in the
boxes as well.
 North America and Its Contemporary Literature North America is the third largest continent in size and the
fourth largest when we consider population. The North American continent houses 23 countries. The continent is
located in the Northern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere. North American Literature was shaped by the
history of the country that produced it. For almost a century and a half, America was merely a group of colonies
scattered along the eastern seaboard of the North American continent—colonies from which a few hardy souls
tentatively ventured westward. After a successful rebellion against the motherland, America became the United
States, a nation. By the end of the 19th century this nation extended southward to the Gulf of Mexico, northward to
the 49th parallel, and westward to the Pacific. By the end of the 19th century, too, it had taken its place among the
powers of the world—its fortunes so interrelated with those of other nations that inevitably it became involved in two
world wars and, following these conflicts, with the problems of Europe and East Asia. Meanwhile, the rise of science
and industry, as well as changes in ways of thinking and feeling, wrought many modifications in people’s lives. All
these factors in the development of the United States molded the literature of the country.
 The Road Not Taken BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted
wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about
the same, And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
 About the Poem
"The Road Not Taken" is a narrative poem by Robert Frost, published in
1916 as the first poem in the collection Mountain Interval. Its central
theme is the divergence of paths, both literally and figuratively,
although its interpretation is noted for being complex and potentially
divergent. Frost spent the years 1912 to 1915 in England, where among
his acquaintances was the writer Edward Thomas.[2] Thomas and Frost
became close friends and took many walks together. After Frost
returned to New Hampshire in 1915, he sent Thomas an advance copy
of "The Road Not Taken". Thomas took the poem seriously and
personally, and it may have been significant in Thomas' decision to
enlist in World War I. Thomas was killed two years later in the Battle of
Arras.
 About the Author Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 –
January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially
published in England before it was published in the United
States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his
command of American colloquial speech,[2] Frost frequently
wrote about settings from rural life in New England in the early
twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and
philosophical themes. Frost was honored frequently during his
lifetime and is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for
Poetry. He became one of America's rare "public literary
figures, almost an artistic institution."[3] He was awarded the
Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works. On
July 22, 1961, Frost was named poet laureate of Vermont.
Task 3 Walk the Talk!
Directions: Answer the following questions based on the poem
read. Write your answers in one to two sentences. Support your
answer with instances from the text. Write the answers on your
answer sheet. (25 points) 1. Where is the poem set? 2. Describe
the two paths that the persona encountered. Which path did
he/she take? Was he/she happy about his/her choice? How can
you tell? 3. Compare the first line in stanza 1 and the third line
in stanza 3. Why is this line repeated? What does it mean? 4.
What do you think the speaker means in the last line of the
poem? 5. What are some of the major decisions that a person
makes in his/her life?
DAY 3
 Directions: Fill in the boxes with your learning/insights about the topic. Write the answers
on your answer sheet. (9 points)

PMI MATRIX

PLUS MINUS INTERESTING

What’s best about the What is quite difficult? What struck you most?
topic?
 Write It Up!
Directions: Using another sheet of paper, choose one literary text from the samples
given in Lessons 1- 4 and write a critical analysis of it using an appropriate reading
approach. Follow the suggested structure/format indicated for that specific reading
approach and be guided by the scoring rubric indicated below (35 points).
Note: The template or format for the reading approaches is given in the discussion
part of each lesson (What’s New). You may review this part as your reference
before writing your analysis.
DAY 4
Directions: Using your answer sheet, write
the letter of your chosen answer (15 points).
1. A reading approach we can use to distinguish the roles of marginalized women in the society.
A. Feminism B. Formalist C. Sociological D. Reader-Response
2. The sociological approach to reading is done by analyzing the work in relation to its _________.
A. female characters B. reader C. society D. Structure
3. The following 21st century writers originate from Latin America. Which does not belong to the Latin American Canon
of writers?
A. Isabel Allende C. Mario Vargas Llosa
B. Jorge Volpi D. Albert Camus
4. What is the reader-response approach to reading?
I. It describes the transaction between the text and the reader.
II. It supports one correct analysis from a reader.
III. It provides meaning from individual readings.
A. I only B. I and II only C. I and III only D. I, II, and III
5. What reading approach is used in the text below?
As an only female child with a strong bond to my father, I empathize with the taximanin disciplining Lay Choo in his
desire to give her a brighter future. Fathers may be hard on the outside, but they indeed have a soft spot inside.
A. sociological approach C. feminist approach
B. reader-response approach D. formalist approach
6. In the reader-response approach, responding to the text is
very important because this approach focuses on how the
reader’s ____________
A. response match with other readers C. mind interacts with the
author
B. reaction connects with the audience D. experience affects the
text
7. Which is an example of a sociological approach to reading?
A. If I were Will in Me Before You, I would rather keep my life
and allow God to take it
at His perfect time.
B. If I had a son like Will, I would give him all the love he
needs to live life more
comfortably.
C. Me Before You encourages me to value life and appreciate
the little things in life
because life is a gift.
D. Me Before You shows us the more liberated Western culture
as they support the
granting of a death wish through assisted suicide.
8. What Asian ideology is evident in The Taximan’s Story?
A. nationalism C. family
B. spirituality D. social structure
9. In analyzing Art Spiegelman’s “Prisoner on the Hell Planet,”
you take a more traditional approach and discuss the setting,
conflict, characters, tone, theme, and other elements of the
story. You assert that “Prisoner on the Hell Planet” is not a
legitimate form of literature because it fails to meet our
expectations of what a story should be. What kind of critical
approach are you using?
A. Feminist B. Formalist C. Sociological D.. Reader-Response
10. How is contemporary European literature portrayed in Me
Before You?
A. The ending is unexpected. C. The plot is confusing.
B. The structure is fragmented. D. The characters are
questionable.
11. The following writers originate from North America. Which
does not belong to the North American Canon of writers?
A. Emily Dickinson C. T.S. Eliot
B. Samuel Johnson D. William Faulkner
12. In criticizing Pam Houston’s “How to Talk to a Hunter,” you
discuss the stereotypical views on women, men, and
relationships expressed by the characters, focusing on the
advice of both female and male friends in particular. You assert
that the author is highly critical of these stereotypes. What kind
of critical approach are you using?
A. Feminism B. Formalist C. Sociological D. Reader-Response
13. In discussing T.B. Wood’s “A Loaf of Bread,” you focus on
you focus on symbols, characters, and theme and how these
various elements help to create a unity in the work. You do not
discuss the author, the reader, or any considerations outside the
text itself. What kind of critical approach are you using?
A. Feminist B. Formalist C. Sociological D. Reader-Response
14. Gabriel Garcia Marquez was one of the best- known
contemporary writers of Latin America. Which of the
following works did he author?
A. Wasted in Love C. The Stone Thrower
B. The Beautiful Indifference D. A Very Old Man with
Enormous Wings
15. In the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost,
which of the following road signs tells the motorists to expect
the road to “diverge?

A. B. C. D.