Lesson No.

& Title Lesson 2: Literary Background

Learning Outcomes At the end of the term students must have:

1. read and interpret myths that left significant marks in the

respective cultures they belong;

2. formulated logical conclusions about life from the selected

literary pieces read;

3. appreciated similarities, differences in the beliefs, ideas,

attitudes and values of people from the oral and written
literary pieces taken; and

4. expressed relevant and sound opinions about literary pieces in

relation to national and international problems and issues.
Time Frame 3 days
Introduction Literature is a term used to describe written and sometimes spoken
material. Derived from the Latin word literature meaning "writing formed
with letters," literature most commonly refers to works of the creative
imagination, including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and in some
instances, journalism, and song.
Activity What is your favorite form of literature? Craft your own.
Analysis What is the relevance of the activity to our topic? Explain in 100 words.
EPIC
An epic is a long narrative poem, which is usually related to heroic
deeds of a person of an unusual courage and unparalleled bravery. In
order to depict this bravery and courage, the epic uses grandiose style.
Iliad is another example of an epic. It was written by the popular
Greek poet, Homer. It relates the story of the Trojan wars, involving
themes of courage, boldness, love for one’s country and nostalgia of
family. However, it describes many legends related to the siege of Troy,
the events took place before the siege, the gathering of the warriors prior
to the siege and the causes of the war. Later, the epic foretold the
looming death of Achilles and the destruction of Troy. The style of
narration is grand, and suits an epic poem — the reason that it is still one
the most celebrated work of antiquity.

FOLKTALES AND LEGENDS

Folktales are stories with people as main characters that

sometimes include feats of strength. Myths are stories told to
explain the world around us, from the origin of the world, to why
there are seasons. Finally, legends are grounded in reality, but
aren't necessarily true.

Folktales also stem from an oral tradition, passed down by the

'folk' who told them. The term 'folktale' is often used
interchangeably with fable, since folktales can have a lesson at the
end. Folktales are different from fables because they feature people
as their main characters, but often with a twist. For example,
stories like 'Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox' and the American
cowboy Pecos Bill lassoing a tornado, show people and animals
performing amazing feats of strength. Just as there are folk in every
country, every country has its own folktales. Sometimes, countries
as far apart as China and France can have very similar traditional
tales. The story of 'Stone Soup', for example, is one told all over
the world.
A common version of 'Stone Soup' begins with three soldiers,
hungry and tired, entering a village. The villagers are greedy, not
looking to share their food, but the strangers are smart. They put
large stones in a pot to boil in the town square, and the villagers
stop by one-by-one to ask what they are making.
Soon, each villager is convinced to add an onion or some carrots
or a handful of beans to the 'stone soup'. At the story's end, a
delicious feast is enjoyed by the entire village, brought together by
strangers. Found in different countries across the world, the folktale
of 'Stone Soup' serves as a reminder to people to work together,
share their resources and show hospitality to the needy among
them.

PROVERBS AND SAYING

A Proverb is a simple and short saying, widely known, often

metaphorical, which expresses a basic truth or practical precept, based on
the practical experience of humankind, and the idiosyncrasies of a people
and their culture in time and history.

А Sаying is a shоrt wеll-knоwn еxprеssiоn — а rеmаrk оf wisdоm

аnd truth оr а gеnеrаl аdvicе.

А grеаt wаy tо imprоvе yоur undеrstаnding оf thе Еnglish culturе,

pеоplе аnd histоry is tо study Еnglish prоvеrbs аnd sаyings. By
mеmоrizing thеm, yоu will nоt оnly lеаrn sоmе cоmmоn Еnglish
sаyings; yоu will аlsо hеlp yоur brаin tо bеcоmе bеttеr аt fоrming gооd
Еnglish sеntеncеs.
SONGS

A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by

the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed
pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain
various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of
sections.

Written words created specifically for music or for which music is

specifically created, are called lyrics. If a pre-existing poem is set to
composed music in classical music it is an art song. Songs that are sung on
repeated pitches without distinct contours and patterns that rise and fall
are called chants. Songs composed in a simple style that are learned
informally "by ear" are often referred to as folk songs. Songs that are
composed for professional singers who sell their recordings or live shows
to the mass market are called popular songs.

MARIA MAKILING

Long ago,in Mount Makiling,there lived a beautiful goddess name

Mariang Makiling. She is beautiful,kindhearted and loving. She had a long
shiny black hair and she often wear black pearls and gold jewelry. She
often shows off herself to people living at the foot of the mountain as a
human. Many times,people would climb up to the mountain and pick
some fruits but when they came down,fruits changed into gold. People
thanked her for it.

But one day,some people robbed her jewelry. Some hunters climb up
the mountain and hunted for wild animals,cut down trees and left the
forest at the top of the mountain denuded. At that time,one of those
hunters is a mortal which Mariang Makiling fell in love with. She
discovered that that hunter already have a mortal as his wife. After those
things happened,Mariang Makiling was very angry that it thundered and
rained hard that night and her voice was heard by all people leaving at
the foot of the mountain saying "I have provided you food,treasures and
shelter but it wasn't enough for you!I have given you everything you
want but still you aren't contented. I loved you more than myself but still
you searched for mortal love. Now,feel my anger! And wait for my
revenge! From now on,you shall stand on your own feet and you will
never see me again. I swear!" And she laughed so hard that it brought an
earthquake.

After her large voice was heard, she never showed herself again to
those mortals who abused her kindness. Today,it is still believed that
Mariang Makiling is still living there.
 NUNO SA PUNSO

During hot summer afternoons when I was a boy, I used to enjoy hiking
to the stream near our home. Usually there would be a farmer nearby
plowing his little rice field with his big carabao (water bufallo). I noticed
that he would always be careful to avoid plowing the several large
anthills on his rice field, but could not be certain why.

Still on his way to Ilocos Norte, Juan decided he needed to rest under a
balete tree to escape that afternoon's harsh and hot sun. Haphazardly, he
had chanced upon what looked to be like an ant or termite hill, except it
was about four times larger. Out of the corner of his eye, a little old man
with a flowing white beard and a walking cane emerged from one of the
hills, and smiled at him.

Juan quickly recollected what was told to him as a story when he was
but a young boy. In the old days during rice harvest time, barrio farmers
would be careful to pay homage or "rent" to the dwendes (dwarfs) that
were said to own all the land there is. The rent that was taken was
usually boiled white chicken and rice cakes. Usually the food is put in the
fields or under trees after sunset. The food must be free from salt, spices
or any kind of seasoning. The rice must be boiled for the dwendes have
few teeth.

Juan recognized that the shirtless little man before him was what was
called the Nuno sa Punso. Nuno sa Punso was a very old bearded man as
short as a boy of three, but with comparatively large joints, belly, head,
eyes, nose and mouth. He usually lived underground, under caves and
anthills, which is how he got his name; nuno sa punso means "old man
under the anthill." Usually, nuno sa punso napped on the anthill at noon,
and preferred that farmers not plow the ground with tractors, fearing
that the tractors would ruin his anthill home.

Nuno sa punso was a relatively harmless dwende and mostly hid himself
as Juan remembered. That is until its anthill home somehow got plowed
accidentally or unless rent wasn't provided. Sometimes, nuno sa punso
visited people's yards after sunset, so it would also be unwise to
inadvertently blind nuno with the dust that is swept from a yard or floor
then. Otherwise, nuno sa punso would pinch an unlucky traveler's skin,
which subsequently became blue, or pull the toes and make them twice
as long. Nuno could also give scabies, fever or chills, or worse cast an evil
spell.

"Excuse me, sir. I almost did not see you, please let me pass so I don't
step on you accidentally." Juan exclaimed.

Juan still had the white chicken and rice that Enting's folk had provided
 to him. He gathered some wood nearby and created a small fire to cook
the white chicken. He took some water from a nearby stream and
emptied his water tin can to cook the rice. He subsequently offered this
to nuno sa punso.

Nuno sa punso thanked Juan for his offerings, and offered him some on
some dangers ahead on the road. Because of Juan's respect for him, nuno
sa punso also provided Juan with a whole roasted piglet, enough food to
last him for a good week!
Abstraction Remember all the childhood stories you’ve heard. How does they
influence you in the present? Explain in not less than100 words.
Application Choose a Filipino literary piece that you like best, write it on your
notebook and literary piece to the present situation.
Conclusion “Mythology is the realm in which reality and imagination meet, where
future and past make the present, where humankind and god make a
person, where body and spirit make the heartbeat.”— Sergio Cruz Duran
Lesson No. & Title Lesson 3: Ancient Middle East
Time Frame 3 days
Introduction The highlands of the Middle East are the natural habitat of grasses,
such as wild wheat and barley, and it was almost inevitable that
agriculture based on these crops, which would eventually cover so much
of the world, would begin here, around 10,000 years ago. Farming had
spread around the Middle East by c. 6000 BCE, and was gradually
pushing westward into Europe and eastward into India and South Asia.

Large parts of the Middle East lie within a hot, dry zone, where
rainfall is insufficient to grow crops such as wheat and barley. The
melting snows in the high mountains and the spring rains in the hills carry
fresh water and silt down into the lowlands, flooding the dry river plains
and depositing a rich mud for miles around.
Activity Gather data about Ancient Middle East. Write them on your notebook.
Analysis How did the literature of Ancient Middle East survived the test of time?
Explain in not less than 100 words.

Babylonia - The Enuma Elis

The Enuma Elish (also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation) is the
Mesopotamian creation myth whose title is derived from the opening
lines of the piece, "When on High". All of the tablets containing the myth,
found at Ashur, Kish, Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh, Sultantepe, and
other excavated sites, date to c. 1200 BCE but their colophons indicate
that these are all copies of a much older version of the myth dating from
long before the fall of Sumer in c. 1750 BCE.

As Marduk, the champion of the young gods

intheir war against Tiamat, is of Babylonian origin,
the Sumerian Ea/Enki or Enlil is thought to have played the major role in
the original version of the story. The copy found at Ashur has the god
Ashur in the main role as was the custom of the cities of Mesopotamia.
The god of each city was always considered the best and most powerful.
Marduk, the god of Babylon, only figures as prominently as he does in
the story because most of the copies found are from Babylonian scribes.
Even so, Ea does still play an important part in the Babylonian version of
the Enuma Elish by creating human beings.

Story
The story, one of the oldest, if not the oldest in the world, concerns the
birth of the gods and the creation of the universe and human beings. In
the beginning, there was only undifferentiated water swirling in chaos.
Out of this swirl, the waters divided into sweet, fresh water, known as
the god Apsu, and salty bitter water, the goddess Tiamat. Once
differentiated, the union of these two entities gave birth to the younger
gods.

THE STORY, ONE OF THE OLDEST, IF NOT THE OLDEST IN THE

WORLD, CONCERNS THE BIRTH OF THE GODS & THE CREATION OF
THE UNIVERSE & HUMAN BEINGS.

These young gods, however, were extremely loud, troubling the sleep of
Apsu at night and distracting him from his work by day. Upon the advice
of his Vizier, Mummu, Apsu decides to kill the younger gods. Tiamat,
hearing of their plan, warns her eldest son, Enki (sometimes Ea) and he
puts Apsu to sleep and kills him. From Apsu's remains, Enki creates his
home.

Tiamat, once the supporter of the younger gods, now is enraged that
they have killed her mate. She consults with the god, Quingu, who
advises her to make war on the younger gods. Tiamat rewards Quingu
with the Tablets of Destiny, which legitimize the rule of a god and
control the fates, and he wears them proudly as a breastplate. With
Quingu as her champion, Tiamat summons the forces of chaos and
creates eleven horrible monsters to destroy her children.

Ea, Enki, and the younger gods fight against Tiamat futilely until, from
among them, emerges the champion Marduk who swears he will defeat
Tiamat. Marduk defeats Quingu and kills Tiamat by shooting her with an
arrow which splits her in two; from her eyes flow the waters of the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers. Out of Tiamat's corpse, Marduk creates the
heavens and the earth, he appoints gods to various duties and binds
Tiamat's eleven creatures to his feet as trophies (to much adulation from
the other gods) before setting their images in his new home. He also
takes the Tablets of Destiny from Quingu, thus legitimizing his reign.

After the gods have finished praising him for his great victory and the art
of his creation, Marduk consults with the god Ea (the god of wisdom)
and decides to create human beings from the remains of whichever of the
gods instigated Tiamat to war. Quingu is charged as guilty and killed and,
from his blood, Ea creates Lullu, the first man, to be a helper to the gods
in their eternal task of maintaining order and keeping chaos at bay.
As the poem phrases it, "Ea created mankind/On whom he imposed the
service of the gods, and set the gods free" (Tablet VI.33-34). Following
this, Marduk "arranged the organization of the netherworld" and
distributed the gods to their appointed stations (Tablet VI.43-46). The
poem ends in Tablet VII with long praise of Marduk for his
accomplishments.

Sumer/Babylonia-The Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh is the semi-mythic King of Uruk in Mesopotamia best

known from The Epic of Gilgamesh (written c. 2150 - 1400 BCE) the
great Sumerian/Babylonian poetic work which pre-
dates Homer’s writing by 1500 years and, therefore, stands as the oldest
piece of epic world literature.

The motif of the quest for the meaning of life is first fully explored in
Gilgamesh as the hero-king leaves his kingdom following the death of his
best friend, Enkidu, to find the mystical figure Utnapishtim and gain
eternal life. Gilgamesh's fear of death is actually a fear of meaninglessness
and, although he fails to win immortality, the quest itself gives his life
meaning. This theme has been explored by writers and philosophers from
antiquity up to the present day.

Story
Gilgamesh is the Priest-King of the city of Uruk. He is a tyrannical king
who works his people to death and takes what he wants from them. He
kills the young men at will and uses the women as he pleases. The people
of Uruk cry out to the gods for help so that they can have peace.

The gods hear them and instruct Anu, the goddess of creation, to make a
twin for Gilgamesh, someone who is strong enough to stand up to him
and who will ultimately save him. Anu makes Enkidu, a hairy wild man
who lives in the wilderness with the animals.

One day a trapper sees Enkidu by a water hole and is frightened. He tells
his father of the wild man he saw. His father tells the trapper to go to see
Gilgamesh. He tells his son to ask the king for a temple prostitute to bring
back with him to seduce Enkidu. The trapper returns with Shamhat, a
temple prostitute from the temple of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war.
They wait for Enkidu to reappear by the watering hole.
Enkidu returns and Shamhat reveals herself to him. They copulate for six
days and seven nights. When Enkidu is satisfied, he finds that the animals
no longer accept him. Shamhat tells him to come back with her to Uruk.
Upon hearing of Gilgamesh, Enkidu decides he wishes to meet him. The
two set out for Uruk, making a stop at a shepherd's camp. There Enkidu
learns that Gilgamesh will sleep with a newly married bride on her
wedding night, before her husband sleeps with her. He is outraged and
decides he must stop Gilgamesh. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh has several
dreams foretelling the arrival of Enkidu.

The two meet in the streets of Uruk and a great fight breaks out between
them. Gilgamesh is triumphant but his encounter with Enkidu changes
him. They become companions. Enkidu tells Gilgamesh of Humbaba, a
terrible monster who guards the Cedar Forest. Gilgamesh decides the two
of them should journey there and defeat the monster.

They make preparations and head to the Cedar Forest. They encounter
Humbaba and with the help of Shamash, the sun god, defeat him. They
return to Uruk carrying his head. After a celebration, Gilgamesh bathes
himself and catches the eye of Ishtar. She tells him to become her lover,
promising great riches and rewards in return. Gilgamesh rejects Ishtar,
telling her he is aware of her reputation as a scornful lover.

Ishtar is outraged and convinces her father, Anu, to release the Bull of
Heaven to punish Gilgamesh. The Bull of Heaven descends on Uruk,
killing hundreds of men. Enkidu seizes the animal and Gilgamesh kills it
with a sword. Ishtar appears and threatens the heroes. Enkidu tears off
one of the Bull's haunches and throws it at Ishtar. Later that night, Enkidu
has a dream that the gods are meeting in council.

The dream proves true. The gods decide that one of the heroes must die
for their behavior. They choose Enkidu. Enkidu falls ill and suffers for
twelve days before finally dying. Gilgamesh is shattered. He mourns for
days and tears his hair and clothes. He adorns filthy animal skins and
journeys into the forest and mountains. He has witnessed death and is
now terrified of his own mortality. He seeks to escape it.

Gilgamesh decides to seek out Utnapishtim, the one being granted

immortality by the gods. He travels to Mount Mashu, a twin-peaked
mountain that marks an entrance to a world in which mortals cannot
venture. He convinces the guards of the mountain, two Scorpion-man
beings, to allow him to enter a long passage under the mountain. He
endures this terrible darkness for a full day.

When he emerges on the other side, he is in a wondrous paradise. He

sees a tavern by the sea and approaches it, frightening its owner, Siduri,
with his appearance. Siduri allows him to enter the tavern after he
explains his story and his intention to find Utnapishtim. Siduri tells
Gilgamesh of Urshanabi, the boatman, who can ferry Gilgamesh across
the Waters of Death to where Utnapishtim resides.

Gilgamesh finds Urshanabi and the two set out to find Utnapishtim. They
reach a shore and Gilgamesh meets an old man. Gilgamesh explains that
he wishes to attain immortality. The old man is Utnapishtim, who tells
Gilgamesh that immortality is for the gods alone. Mortals must learn to
accept death. He tells Gilgamesh the story of how he was granted
immortality by the gods. He asks Gilgamesh what he has done to deserve
this same gift.

Gilgamesh finally leaves with Urshanabi to return to Uruk. Utnapishtim

tells Gilgamesh of a magical plant at the bottom of the sea that can
restore one's youth. Gilgamesh descends into the waters and retrieves the
plant.

On his way back to Uruk, Gilgamesh stops to bathe in a spring, leaving

the plant by the water. A serpent appears and steals the plant, leaving
Gilgamesh weeping by the water's edge. He returns to Uruk with
Urshanabi. Upon seeing the great city, Gilgamesh understands that it is his
legacy, and that if he rules well, it will be his greatest legacy. Gilgamesh
comes to understand that the most important thing in life is to have lived
and loved well.

Egypt- Osiris, Isis and Horus

From Geb, the sky god, and Nut, the earth goddess came four
children: Osiris, Isis, Set and Nepthys. Osiris was the oldest and so
became king of Egypt, and he married his sister Isis. Osiris was a good
king and commanded the respect of all who lived on the earth and the
gods who dwelled in the netherworld. However, Set was always jealous
of Osiris, because he did not command the respect of those on earth or
those in the netherworld. One day, Set transformed himself into a vicious
monster and attacked Osiris, killing him. Set then cut Osiris into pieces
and distributed them throughout the length and breadth of Egypt. With
Osiris dead, Set became king of Egypt, with his sister Nepthys as his wife.
 Nepthys, however, felt sorry for her sister Isis, who wept endlessly over
her lost husband. Isis, who had great magical powers, decided to find her
husband and bring him back to life long enough so that they could have
a child. Together with Nepthys, Isis roamed the country, collecting the
pieces of her husband’s body and reassembling them. Once she
completed this task, she breathed the breath of life into his body and
resurrected him. They were together again, and Isis became pregnant
soon after. Osiris was able to descend into the underworld, where he
became the lord of that domain. The child born to Isis was named Horus,
the hawk-god. When he became an adult, Horus decided to make a case
before the court of gods that he, not Set, was the rightful king of Egypt. A
long period of argument followed, and Set challenged Horus to a
contest. The winner would become king. Set, however, did not play fair.
After several matches in which Set cheated and was the victor, Horus’
mother, Isis, decided to help her son and set a trap for Set. She snared
him, but Set begged for his life, and Isis let him go. When he found out
that she had let his enemy live, Horus became angry with his mother, and
rages against her, earning him the contempt of the other gods. They
decided that there would be one more match, and Set would get to
choose what it would be. Set decided that the final round of the contest
would be a boat race. However, in order to make the contest a
challenge, Set decided that he and Horus should race boats made of
stone. Horus was tricky and built a boat made of wood, covered with
limestone plaster, which looked like stone. As the gods assembled for the
race, Set cut the top off of a mountain to serve as his boat and set it in
the water. His boat sank right away, and all the other gods laughed at
him. Angry, Set transformed himself into a hippopotamus and attacked
Horus’ boat. Horus fought off Set, but the other gods stopped him before
he could kill Set. The other gods decided that the match was a tie. Many
of the gods were sympathetic to Horus, but remembered his anger
toward his mother for being lenient to Set, and were unwilling to
support him completely. The gods who formed the court decided to
write a letter to Osiris and ask for his advice. Osiris responded with a
definite answer: his son is the rightful king, and should be placed upon
the throne. No one, said Osiris, should take the throne of Egypt through
an act of murder, as Set had done. Set had killed Osiris, but Horus did
not killed anyone, and was the better candidate. The sun and the stars,
who were Osiris’ allies, descended into the underworld, leaving the
world in darkness. Finally, the gods agreed that Horus should claim his
birthright as king of Egypt.

Abstraction Remember childhood experiences that best relate to the three literary
 pieces.
Application List down those experiences on your notebook. Does the/se memory/ies
help? Why or why not? Explain in 100 words.
Conclusion “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
 References

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-literature-740531

https://literarydevices.net/epic

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-fable-folktale-myth-legend-differences-and-examples.html

http://sherwoodschool.ru/en/lessons1/english/english_proverbs_and_sayings/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song

http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/userstory20017-mariang-makiling.html

http://fel639.tripod.com/carigaramyhometown/id46.html

https://www.timemaps.com/encyclopedia/history-middle-east/

https://www.ancient.eu/article/225/enuma-elish---the-babylonian-epic-of-creation

https://www.ancient.eu/gilgamesh/

https://www.gradesaver.com/the-epic-of-gilgamesh/study-guide/summary