21st Century Literature, Assignments of English

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SHORT STORY: THE REGION IN THE NATION

Promdi@Manila by Genevieve L. Asenjo

OVERVIEW

This lesson underlines how the concept of the region figures in the discussion of nation and identity in Philippine literature. OBJECTIVES

1. Situate the text in the context of the region and the nation
2. Recognize how characterization and setting contribute to the elucidation of the idea of the region and the nation.
3. Respond critically to the short story and articulate this response through a presentation of an interview-narrative on people who left the region for want of a better life in the city.

GENEVIEVE L. ASENJO

 Fictionist in HILAGAYNON and FILIPINO.  She is an associate professor of Literature and creative writing at De La Salle University in Manila.  Hailing from Dao, Antique, she also writes in Kinaray-a, and often translates her own works to Filipino.  Her collection of works include;  PULA ANG KULAY NG TEXT MESSAGE, AND TWO COLLECTIONS OF SHORT STORIES,  KOMPOSO NI DANDANSOY AND;  TAGAUMA@MANILA KANG IBA PA NGA PAKIKIPAGSAPALARAN.  She also has a picture book titled  SA AKING PAG-UWI. CHARACTER is the composition of a person in a work of fiction. A FOIL is a character who stands in contrast to another character, usually emphasizing a particular attribute of a more prominently characterized figure. A ROUND CHARACTER usually dynamically changes or transforms by the end of the story. A FLAT CHARACTER stays the same at the end of the story and is considered as static.

Promdi@Manila

I. View There are two types of living in the Philippines: life in the city or a life in the province. Living in the province is relaxing and peaceful; there are no hustle sounds from cars and buses or noise from people. There is no polluted air like in the city and people wake up in the morning with fresh air. There is a friendly neighborhood wherein everybody knows everybody and respects each other. In the province, you have a chance to have backyard wherein you can take good care of animals like chicken, pigs and dogs. You also have a chance to have a nice garden wherein you can plant ornamental plants and vegetables also for your daily needs. You can also eat daily fresh fruits, vegetables and fish from the nearby market.Another way of living in the Philippines is life in the city. Life is busy in the city. People wake up in the morning with warm and polluted air. It seems you can’t stay in your room without opening your electric fan or using an air-conditioner. Streets are noisy and full of traffics. Busses and cars are rushing in the streets, they cause accidents. It is in the city also where lots of crimes are being committed.

Thieves and robbers are everywhere. However, this is the place where you can find malls, museums, theatre, Opera, and other attractions. It is the place where you can earn more money, for a better living compared to the lace where you can earn more money, for a better living compared to the province. Jeepneys are the most popular mode of public transportation in the Philippines, they have also become a ubiquitous symbol of the Philippine culture. Another popular mode of public transportation in the country is the motorized tricycle; they are especially common in rural areas. Trains are also becoming a popular mode of public transportation in the country especially in the bustling metropolis of Manila. The Philippines has three main railway networks: the Manila Light Rail Transit System composed of the LRT-1 and LRT-2 and Manila Metro Rail Transit System composed of the MRT-3 which only serves Metro Manila and the Philippine National Railways which also serves the metropolis and some parts of Luzon. There are also steam engines found in Visayas which operate sugar mills such as Central Azucarera. Taxis and buses are also important modes of public transport in urban areas. Starbucks Corporation is an American coffee company and coffeehouse chain. As of November 2016, it operates 23,768 locations worldwide including the Philippines. Starbucks locations serve hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, microground instant coffee known as VIA, espresso, caffe latte, full- and loose-leaf teas including Teavana tea products, Evolution Fresh juices, Frappuccino beverages, La Boulange pastries, and snacks including items such as chips and crackers; some offerings are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store.Jollibee is a Filipino- style fast food restaurant with American-influenced dishes specializing in burgers, spaghetti, chicken and some local Filipino dishes. In the Philippines, Jollibee serves Coca-Cola products for its beverages; in overseas markets, the chain serves Pepsi products. Jollibee’s core product is its fried chicken, which is branded as Chickenjoy. II. Condense The story started when Julia, a 25-year-old Assistant Creative Director, was on her rented room one night listening to music and drinking cappuccino from Starbucks. She read her sister’s email about her mother who wanted to be included in the pictures of anti-Erap rallies; her deceased father was also an activist. She later on received a text message from Teray who was her manicurist and neighbor asking her how she was doing. She then remembered the cheapness of manicure and the songs they sang when she was still in Antique. Teray was at Fort Bonifacio asking Julia if she could be fetched to go to Caloocan. She then remembered that she idolized everyone that came home from Manila; the whole barangay was always waiting for the 76 Liner to get their pasalubong. When Julia first went to the University of the Philippines (UP) to study, she was wondering where the thousands of people commuting came from. She was shocked about the expensive price of fruits and vegetables and the way a young beggar reacted when given just a peso. She was always visiting her relatives on her first month in college and she found out through chatting that factory workers work strenuously to give her the food she needed. Julia was thinking whether there was someone else in her barangay who could go with Teray but she could not contact the people she knew. Julia was annoyed because she could not say no but she was also afraid that something bad might happen to Teray. Julia changed her music then she remembered her father. She remembered how her father put on his shoes; she also remembered how his father avoided bad practices like drinking and smoking. Her mother’s salary made their life and education possible. Before, they also experienced financial problems which made Julia always hungry. When her father died, she worked harder to earn money so there would be justice.

Julia decided to see Teray. She rode the crowded train while embracing her shoulder bag for safety. When she went down from the station, she was wearing Armani shades and covering her nose and mouth with a napkin. She was annoyed by the noises of jeeps and vendor. She was uncomfortable because of the hotness and swarming people. She regretted that she did not ride the taxi. She finally saw Teray and asked if she wanted to have lunch. Teray said that she wanted to eat at Jolibee so she could have a story to tell that she ate the fried chicken shown in commercials. They started chatting and then Teray started to tear because of her accumulated debts and problems. They changed their topic to Teray’s experiences with her job. She described her lonely life there that there was no television or radio and she could not talk with others. She left her job. Teray later on specified the things she wanted to buy especially her family’s pasalubong. Julia got watery eyes imagining Teray’s great amount of expenses. She went to the restroom and she saw her father in herself on the mirror. She then get a hold of her ATM and HSBC card. On their way to SM Manila, they were holding hands while singing a song from The Carpenters. III. Culture Reflected One culture that can be observed in the story is rallying of the citizens. The story showed rallies against Former President Erap because of reasons like high exchange rate of dollar and peso, cost-cutting, and pulling-out electricity. Up to the present, people still rally against the government to voice out their concerns. Some countries do not allow rallying unlike here in the Philippines which is a democratic country. The cultures that can be reflected from the story are mostly grouped into two, urban and rural. The first culture that can be perceived in the story is living in apartments and condominiumswhich is under urban areas. Most people there also listen to music and drink Starbucks Coffee. This culture can be recognized in the first paragraph. In addition, people in rural areas have a distinct way of sending messages which can be noticed in Teray’s messages to Julia. Another divergence that can be distinguished is the expensive price of commodities like fruits and vegetables in urban areas. Lastly, the transportation also varies; urban areas have jeeps, buses, and trains that are always crowded, whereas rural areas have jeeps and buses only. There are some cultures in rural areas that are included in the story. One of these is how they look on people coming from cities especially Manila. As mentioned in the story, people in Antique were so excited for the pasalubong. They liked receiving biscuits, clothes, toys, etc. Moreover, another culture of people in rural areas is their migration to Manila to either study or work. Most students from provinces study in city universities like UP. Those who want to work in Manila can find jobs and resettle easily, but some jobs do not make them comfortable. In the story, Teray was not comfortable with her job because there was no television or radio and she could not talk to anybody. Most bosses do not treat their employees appropriately. Lastly, another culture that can be reflected is the lack of some famous stores in rural areas. In the story, Julia and Teray ate fried chicken in Jolibee because Teray said that she had seen it in the commercial. This implies that people in rural areas rarely eat in famous stores and eating places like Jolibee. IV. Literary Technique The story started by showing the culture of people living in urban areas. The culture in rural areas, specifically Antique is then observed in the story for the readers to know their similarities and differences. This caused the readers to relate so they would continue reading the story; thus, this is an effective technique. Another technique used is flashbacking. The author used flashbacking when he stated the things that happened to Julia and Teray when they were still in Antique. Flashback is an effective technique because it gives the readers an idea about the characters’ past which includes their traits, attitude, culture, or experiences in life. Another techinique used is using descriptive words. The author included descriptive words in describing the setting around the characters. Knowing the environment around the characters enables the readers to know the characters’ culture and real-time experiences. This technique helps readers imagine the story easier

WORKSHEET 1: On Processing Instructions: Respond critically to the following questions.

1. The third-person narrator followed the consciousness of Juls in a very intimate manner. Describe the way the narrator told the story through the mind of Juls by providing your observations on: (a) Knowledge of Juls’s state of mind during the moment of the story (b) Knowledge of Juls’s motivations for her actions (c)Knowledge of Juls’s attitude towards the past (d) Knowledge of Juls’s feelings about meeting Teray (e) Knowledge of Juls’s way of considering her hometown Supply your answers in the space below: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
2. It is mentioned in the text that “(y)akap-yakap ang throw pillow, naalal niyang noong bata siya, idol niya ang lahat ng galing Manila.” What does this say about the attitude of Juls and the rest of her hometown towards the Manila- center? How does this seeming “love” for Manila define her life in the present day of the story?

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3. The story’s thirs person point of view delineates Jul’s life in the city as compared to her old life as a “promdi”. Give examples of characterization from the text that show she became a city-dweller. Write them in the space provided below: 

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4. As we can observe in the story, Juls’s encounter with Teray points to a complicated mix of reasons why she deliberately avoided talking about or engaging with her hometown. What does her father and his soujourn into politics have to do with it?

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5. In relation to the previous question, how does the picture of her family life provide a picture of life in Antique as Juls saw it? In relation to this, how does her father’s death define the province’s political landscape?

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6. How does her family experience, and her father’s death by ambush, affect the way she looks at involvement in public issues? How is her city life dhaping her attitude towards social involvement?
7. What were the things that Juls discovered about Teray’s circumstances? List them in the space provided: About Teray’s husband and children About the economic situation of Teray’s family About Teray’s resolve to solve her family’s financial woes About Teray’s faliure in the city WORKSHEET 2:ON CHARACTER TYPES Instructions: On Venn diagram, compare the two characters including their similarities and differences.