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11/12
21st Century Literature from the
Philippines and the World

QUARTER 1
WEEK 7

Capsulized Self-Learning Empowerment Toolkit

Schools Division Office of Zamboanga City

Region IX – Zamboanga Peninsula
Zamboanga City

“Unido, Junto avanza con el EduKalidad Cree, junto junto puede!”

Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School
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CapSLET
Capsulized Self-Learning Empowerment Toolkit

21st Century
Literature
from the
SUBJECT & Philippines
QUARTER 1 WEEK 7 DAY ----------------------
GRADE/LEVEL and the dd/mm/yyyy

World

Grade 11/12
TOPIC Filipino Society and Culture in Literature
Explain the literary, biographical, linguistic, and sociocultural
contexts and discuss how they enhance the text’s meaning and
enrich the reader’s understanding.
Objectives:
LEARNING Code:
• List common socio-cultural themes in Philippine
COMPETENCY EN12Lit-Ie-28
literature;
• situate a text based on its socio-cultural context; and
• express awareness of socio-cultural movements that
shaped literary identities.
IMPORTANT: Do not write anything on this material.

UNDERSTAND
Filipino Society and Culture in Literature

Common socio-cultural Representative Text based on

themes in Philippine Socio-Cultural Context Socio-Cultural Movements
Literature
The stories of ancient time Hinilawod (Sulod epic from One apparent socio-cultural
were not written, but rather Central Panay Island) movement in prehistoric prose
passed on from generation to • supernatural elements are narratives of the Philippines
generation through word of introduced to show the was consisted largely of myths,
mouth. strength of the hero and his hero tales, fables and legends.
capabilities Their function was to explain
natural phenomena, past
events, and contemporary
beliefs in order to make the
environment less fearsome by
making it more comprehensible
and, in more instances, to make
idle hours less tedious by
filling them with humor and
fantasy.
The literature of early Comedia de Capa y Espada Propaganda Movement of the
Filipinos became acquainted (moro-moro) Spanish occupation, the
with literature of Spanish • melodrama depicting the ilustrados and katipuneros
authors due to the influence conflict of Christians and wrote essays that were
of the Spaniards on us. Muslims designed to awaken their
fellow countrymen in the
newspaper La Solidaridad.
Their essays were written in

Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School
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either Spanish or Filipino,

depending on their target
audience. These essays were
revolutionary in nature and
were frequently formal ones.
Filipino writers, artists and El Nuevo Dia (The New Day). The movement in this period
journalists are trying to • Established by Sergio manifested the transitions,
correct this inequity by Osmeña in 1900. Filipino overlaps and confluences of
recognizing the country's writers went into all forms Spanish and American colonial
wealth of ethnic traditions of literature like news, power in Filipino writings.
and disseminating them in reporting, poetry, stories, Writers of this period were still
schools through mass media. plays, essays, and novels. adjusting to the newfound
Their writings clearly freedom, idea of democracy,
depicted their love of use of the English language.
country and their longings They had to discard
for independence. sentimentality and floridity of
language for the more direct
and precise English language.
The rise of nationalistic pride People Power The “Filipino identity” was
helped bring about this • was produced under a grant connected to the country’s
change of attitude among a by the PCI Bank Human political setting such as
new breed of Filipinos Resources Development massive street revolt from radio
concerned about the Foundation, edited by drove former President Marcos
"Filipino identity.” Monina Allarey Mercado away, the television coverage
and published by the James for the impeachment
B. Reuter, S.J. Foundation proceedings which ousted
former President Estrada and
Bayan Ko the use of internet to expose
• was published by Project disgraceful behavior of former
28 Days LTD. in June, President Arroyo in 2005.
1986 in Kowloon, Hong
Kong and co-published in
the Philippines by Veritas
Publications and
Communications
Foundation
Philippine literature is Ang Kagilagilalas na Philippine literature has
written in English, Tagalog, Pagkikipagsapalaran ni branched out to other forms of
and/or other native ZsaZsa Zaturnah by Carlos media, such as theater or
Philippine languages. Vergara movies. Young writers
• self-published in 2002 and nowadays are willing to voice
won National Book Award their opinions about Filipino
in 2003 society through writing.
• became a stage play where
it ran for 91 shows, making
it the longest-running stage
musical
• in 2006, the comic book
was adapted into a movie
and won several awards
from the Gawad Tanglaw.

SAQ-1: How are Filipino writers inspired in contributing to Philippine literature?

SAQ-2: Why do we need to study Philippine literature?

Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School
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Let’s Practice! (Write your answer on a separate sheet.)

Direction: Fill in the missing blocks in the table by identifying the period, socio-cultural themes and
sample text.

PERIOD SOCIO-CULTURAL SAMPLE TEXT SOCIO-CULTURAL

THEMES MOVEMENTS
The stories of ancient One of the socio-
(1) time were not written, (2) cultural movements in
(Provide answer but rather passed on (Provide answer prehistoric prose
here.) from generation to here.) narratives in the
generation through Philippines consisted
word of mouth. largely of myths, hero
tales, fables and
legends.
The ilustrados and
katipuneros wrote
(3) (4) essays that were
Spanish Colonial (Provide answer (Provide answer designed to awaken
Period here.) here.) their fellow
countrymen in
patriotic fervor. Their
essays were written in
either Spanish or
Filipino, depending on
their target audience.
El Nuevo Dia (The Writers of this period
New Day) were still adjusting to
the newfound freedom,
(5) (6) idea of democracy, use
(Provide answer (Provide answer of the English
here.) here.) language. They had to
discard sentimentality
and floridity of
language for the more
direct and precise
English language.
The rise of
nationalistic pride (7) (8)
helped bring about this (Provide answer (Provide answer
Postcolonial Period change of attitude here.) here.)
among a new breed of
Filipinos concerned
about the "Filipino
identity.”
Philippine literature
has branched out to
(9) (10) other forms of media,
Contemporary Period (Provide answer (Provide answer such as theater or
here.) here.) movies. Young writers
nowadays are willing
to voice their opinions
about Filipino society
through writing.

Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School
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REMEMBER
Key Points

• The common socio-cultural themes in Philippine literature are based on the period’s
influences and societal status such as in Precolonial Period, Spanish Colonial Period,
American Period, Postcolonial Period and Contemporary Period.
• The socio-cultural movement on each period or era is directly and indirectly affected by the
people’s social situation, cultural practices and political views.
• Filipino writers are inspired to write based on the societal, cultural and political setting they
are in. They tend to write about the issues and opinions they wanted to voice out based on
how we culturally perceive a phenomenon like love for country, modern-day heroes or social
media misinformation.

TRY
Let’s see how much have you learned today!

Direction: Match the socio-cultural context in Column A with the given text in Column B. Write
only the letters. (Answer on a separate sheet.)

Column A Column B
_____1. Oral literature as a means to
share stories, riddles, and folk tales. A. Bayan Ko
_____2. Spanish influences were evident in B. El Nuevo Dia
writing and usually based on C. Ang Kagilagilalas na
introduction of Catholicism. Pakikipagsapalaran ni ZsaZsa
_____3. Use of English language as a Zaturnah
medium of instruction and writing D. The Hinilawod
depicted love of country. E. Comedia de Capa y Espada
_____4. Writers were concerned about the
“Filipino identity” and its
connection to country’s political
setting.
_____5. Philippine literature has branched
out to other forms of media, such as
theater or movies.

TOPIC
Analysis of a Literary Text
Write a close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary
text.
Objectives:
∗ Define close analysis as a means of appreciating a
LEARNING Code:
literary text;
COMPETENCY EN12Lit-Ia-21
∗ ideate the aims of a close analysis of a literary text; and
∗ utilize critical interpretation in understanding the theme
of a literary text.

UNDERSTAND
Analysis of a Literary Text

Close reading is a way for you to analyze a text or a poem by carefully reading and rereading a text
until you have found its interpretation. The process of close reading leads to understanding the
organic unity of a literary text. The concept of organic unity indicates that all the interdependent
parts of a literary selection must add up to create one whole.

Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School
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A literary critical analysis explains a work of fiction, poetry or drama by means of

interpretations. The goal of a literary analysis is to deepen an understanding of a literary work.

An interpretation is an individual response that addresses meaning. This is done by finding a

pattern of examples in the literature that support your idea. This pattern is found in the literary
elements, such as plot, point of view, character, setting, symbols, tone, and style. In poetry, the uses
of language (rime, meter and metaphors) are also patterns that can support an interpretation.

As you re-read the work, make sure you can answer these questions. Then ask yourself the
following questions, which may help you to discover deeper meanings that will lead you to an
interpretation.

Can you summarize the author's meaning in one paragraph?

Can you state a theme of the work in one sentence?
Can you identify any symbols or metaphors? What do they mean?

Ian Rosales Casocot (1975- ) studied in the International

Christian University in Tokyo, Japan, and in Silliman
University. He has won several Don Carlos Palanca Awards
and an NVM Gonzalez Prize for his fiction. In 2002, he
edited FutureShock Prose: An Anthology of Young Writers
and New Literatures. “Rosario and the Stories” garnered him
an Honorable Mention from the 2006 PBBY-Salanga
Writer’s Prize. He is a correspondent of the Philippine Daily
Inquirer, and writes two weekly columns, for StarLife
Magazine of the Visayan Daily Star, and MetroPost. He also
maintains A Critical Survey of Philippine Literature –website
resource on Filipino writings and literary criticism.

SAQ-1: Why is close reading important in understanding or appreciating meaning?

SAQ-2: Why do we need to do close reading when dealing with a literary text?

Let’s Practice! (Write your answer on a separate sheet.)

The Last Days of Magic by Ian Rosales Casocot won Third Prize for Short Story for Children in the
2007 Don Carlos Palanca Awards.

Directions: Read the following excerpt from Ian Rosales Casocot’s The Last Days of Magic and
supply the needed information in the table below. Write in complete sentences.

Perhaps it could have even begun the moment when Pedrito, Kulas’ older brother,
whispered carelessly to a stray wind, “I do not believe in magic anymore.”

Just like that, the wind whispered it back to the quicksilver spread of air.

You must understand, this was not a solitary, uncommon wish. There were already many
people in Daguet—conscious of the practical changes sweeping the nearby villages and islands—
who thought of magic as a relic from the old days, the gift of ancient babaylans who were no more
than shadows of primordial tales. Perhaps they thought that they could do something more than
magic.

“Something more useful,” Mang Andoy said. “More useful than common magic.”

“I could be a nurse,” said Maria. “I don’t want to sing anymore.”

“I could be a call center agent,” said Pedrito. “I don’t want to play games anymore.

Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School
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“I could be a lawyer,” said Rosario. “I don’t want to bake sweet pies anymore.”

“I could be an accountant,” said Aling Pening. “I don’t want to write poems anymore.”

Magic, they said, had no more place in Daguet. With each quiet pronouncement, the
fireflies died off one by one, and soon only traces of the magical remained. And so the magic
slowly faded away. No one in the village knew.

No one in town noticed that Mang Andoy had stopped plucking out colors from the thin air
with his magic brush. That very day, the grass lost its sheen of green, and for a brief moment the
sky stopped being blue.

No one noticed that Maria had gone mute, her magic songs suddenly turning to silence.
That very day, it was enough to stop the flowers from blooming too much, or the birds from
chirping from tree to tree.

No one noticed that Pedrito had tossed away the luck of his magic dice, or the speed of his
magic ball. That very day, people began forgetting the games they knew, and the play that made
them remember childhood.

No one noticed when Rosario laid aside her magic cloth strainer that used to extract the
sweetest juice from fruits, enough to quench the hardest thirst.

No one noticed that Aling Pening had let her pen go dry, its magic ink crusted into a
hardened blot on a piece of forgotten paper. Soon there were no more lovers waking up in the
middle of the night in Daguet, knowing only a driving passion for a kiss.

Only Kulas, in his simple straw hat and white kamison, saw what was happening. And
Kulas was sad.

Everybody in Daguet soon became something else.

Some became doctors, others became lawyers, and still others became engineers and nurses
and call center agents and accountants. Each one soon became lost in the grind of his work, having
already forgotten that there was a once upon a time when everyone had abilities that made the
village soar into the realm of wonders.

And because there were no more magic brushes to paint—in the deepest, truest hue—the
sky, or the trees, or the seas, there was only a dull matte to things, bordering on gray. Because there
were no more magic verses or songs or dances, there was only a quiet, deadening reckoning that
called simply for clicking on a confounded device of a strange picture box, called a television, that
soon dulled the minds of the people of Daguet village.

Only Kulas kept his magic.

When no one watched, he would go to a quiet spot somewhere in a little alley not too far
away from the munisipyo, and there he would let his magic fly into the air to catch what was left of
everybody’s magic. Day after day, he kept to his old ways, and came to know how magic was
intimately part of the soul. In the beginning, he only flew his father’s old enchanted cane that used
to divine the proper path for any journey. Soon, the gravity of his abilities seemed to attract all the
other abandoned relics of people’s forgotten magic. Into his flying orbit came Rosario’s magic
cloth strainer, whipping through the air with its forgotten smells of miraculous concoctions. And
then there came Aling Pening’s magic pen, scrawling on the air invisible words of forgotten
charmed poetry. And then there came Mang Andoy’s magic brush, tinting with a sudden burst of
color any object that it touched. And then there came Pedring’s magic dice and ball, wheezing
through the air with a supernatural speed. On and on, other magical objects flew around Kulas, and
this happened almost every day in his quiet, secret corner, until he would succumb to tiredness and
sleep, and dreamed of old days when charm was the life of Daguet.

Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School
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But as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, life seeped away from the
busy villagers, all of whom have succumbed to the drone of the everyday without the usual magic.

One day, like a freeze from a dead place, Daguet came to a standstill. Nothing, and nobody,
could move. There was a sheer paralysis that sprung from deep within each one’s soul. It was so
that the abundance of everyone’s sadness soon gelled into a kind of smoke which then lifted to the
air, and turned everything gray. The sky was a slate. The earth was parched brown, and cracked in
places where grass used to grow in their wildest green. The mountains looked wasted. And the air
had no cackle of energy.

When the people of Daguet finally came to their senses, they walked about the streets of the
village in the snail gait of weary travelers, and saw how everything looked old and tired and gray.

“I miss my colors,” Mang Andoy said. “I could have painted the sky a bright blue, and the
trees a verdant green.” But Mang Andoy did not have his brush, and so everything remained dull.

“I miss my songs,” said Maria. “I could have breathed life into the absent birds and the
wilting flowers with the quickening magic of melody and harmony.” But Maria no longer had her
singing voice, and so everything remained dull and lifeless.

“I miss my speed and my luck,” said Pedrito. “I could have given energy, and the will to
live, to the parched earth.” But Pedring no longer had his dice or his ball, and so everything
remained dull and lifeless and motionless.

“I miss my words,” said Aling Pening. “I could have written poetry to bring back the glow
of the sun and the moon.” But Aling Pening no longer had her pen, and so everything remained
dull and lifeless and motionless and without glow.

It was the boy Kulas who called them. Into his quiet corner they came, and saw the swirling
objects gravitating in his presence. They were all manners of familiar objects, blurring in the soft
orbits they kept around the boy.

The people of Daguet listened carefully. “I have everything we need to get our lives back,”
Kulas said, “and to make Daguet glow again with our forgotten magic.”

He turned to Mang Andoy, and said, “To paint is important. It gives color to our lives, and
puts to shape our secret dreams.” Then he plucked from the orbit of flying things about him, and
gave Mang Andoy his brush back.

To Maria, he said, “To sing is important. It gives our lives rhythm, which keeps the
universe humming in balance.” Then he plucked from the orbit of flying things about him, and
gave Maria her singing voice back.

To Rosario, he said, “To bake and cook is important. It sates our desires, and nourishes our
hopes.” Then he plucked from the orbit of flying things about him, and gave Rosario her cloth
strainer back.

To his brother Pedring, he said, “To play is important. Your ball is all of our memories of
childhood in play, and your dice ensures us the limitless possibilities of choice.” Then he plucked
from the orbit of flying things about him, and gave Pedring his ball and dice back.

He turned to Aling Pening, and said, “To write is important. It is the chance to chronicle our
stories, which is our lifeblood, and the chance to render in words what the moon could only glow,
or the flowers could only bloom. To write is to understand our world.” Then he plucked from the
orbit of flying things about him, and gave Aling Pening her pen back.

Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School
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Kulas gave everyone back their long, lost magical things, and said in a wizened voice, “You
can be everything and anything you want in your life—but it will take our own little magic deep
within ourselves to give all of us a life of color, of energy and motion, of glow. To forget our magic
is to forget what makes us who we are.”

Magic finally returned to Daguet in a rush of song and dance and play and color and food
and poetry. And everything was good.

But you must know by now that this is really a story of a boy, and how that boy grew up to
be a wise man, simply because he knew magic. Most of all, he knew how magic could make
everyone’s lives the stuff of stories with a happy ending.

QUESTIONS ANSWERS
Write a summary of the excerpt of The Last
Days of Magic in three (3) sentences.
What is the theme of The Last Days of Magic?
What is the Meaning of magic in the story?

REMEMBER
Key Points

• Close reading is a manner of analyzing a text or a poem by way of repeated reading of a text
until an interpretation is achieved.
• Organic unity indicates that all the interdependent parts of a literary selection must contribute
to the total presentation of meaning by the text.
• The goal of a literary analysis is to broaden and deepen understanding of a work of literature.
• An interpretation is an individual response that addresses meaning and is proven through
finding a pattern of examples in the literature that support the theme or idea.

TRY
Let’s see how much have you learned today!

Directions: For items 1-5, match the character from The Last Days of Magic and their ‘magic tools.’
Write only the letters of the correct answer. (Answer on a separate sheet.)

_______ 1. Mang Andoy Write T if the statement is true, and write F if the statement is
_______ 2. Maria false.
_______ 3. Pedrito
_______ 4. Rosario _______ 6. Close reading involves knowing the life story of
_______ 5. Aling Pening the author.
_______ 7. Critical analysis utilizes interpretation in arriving
A. magic brush at the meaning of the text.
B. magic ball and dice _______ 8. Textual elements are used as bases for
C. magic voice interpretation.
D. magic pen _______ 9. The Last Days of Magic is an essay about
E. magic cloth strainer globalization and its effect on culture.
_______ 10. Kulas is the narrator in The Last Days of Magic.

Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School
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For further readings:

BOOKS
Source: Cheeno Marlo M. Sayuno, ed., 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and
the World, Makati City: DIWA Learning Systems, Inc., 2019, 1-267

WEBSITES
Source: “Ian Rosales Casocot,” Panitikan: Philippine Literary Portal, 2020, accessed July
17, 2020, [Link]

Source: “Philippine Literature,” About Philippines, September 10, 2009, accessed July 16,
2020, [Link]

Source: “Philippine Literature (Famous Literary Works),” Philippine Literary Works,

REFERENCE/S
September 24, 2012, accessed July 16, 2020, [Link]
[Link]/2012/09/introduction-philippine-literature_24.html

Source: “Summary of Precolonial Period of Philippine Literature,” WordPress, March 8,

2016, accessed July 16, 2020 [Link]
2016/03/08/summary-of-pre-colonial-period-of-philippine-literature/

Source: “The Last Days of Magic,” Ian R. Casocot, 2007, accessed July 17, 2020.
[Link]

PHOTOGRAPH
Source: Panitkan: Philippine Literary Portal, Ian Rosales Casocot, photograph, 2020,
accessed July 17, 2020, [Link]

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Written by: NURIZA J. SALASAIN (SST-II) DPLMHS Stand-Alone Senior High School