OUR LADY OF TRIUMPH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Purok Tugas, Balangasan Dist., Pagadian City, Philippines

Document Title:
ISO 9001:2015
HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SELF-LEARNING MODULE
ABM, HUMSS, STEM 11
ALL TRACKS 12

21st Century Literature from the

Philippines & the World
Quarter 1
SELF LEARNING MODULE 2
Week 2
F2 ROYLAN HOPE C. PETILUNA.
Subject Teacher
09663557331
F2roylanhopecpetiluna@gmail.com

Name: _______________________________________________________________ Year/Strand ________________________

Subject: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Student’s Contact Number: ____________________________________ E-mail Address:____________________________

Date Submitted: ______________________________________

Most Essential Learning Competencies:

1. Write a close analysis and critical interpretation of literary texts and doing an adaptation of these require from the
learner the ability to identify:
a. the geographic, linguistic, and ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary history from pre-colonial to the
contemporary
b. representative texts and authors from each region (e.g. engage in oral history research with focus on key
personalities from the students’ region/province/town)
 OUR LADY OF TRIUMPH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Purok Tugas, Balangasan Dist., Pagadian City, Philippines
Document Title:
ISO 9001:2015
HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SELF-LEARNING MODULE

Philippine Literature during the American,

Japanese, and Contemporary Period
Introduction:

Philippine Setting during the American Occupation

 The US established a civil government in 1901. Free public education was introduced.
Also, English was the medium of instruction.
 In 1934, President Roosevelt signed a bill making the Philippines a commonwealth. On
May 14, 1935 Manuel L. Quezon was elected president.
Literary Works Produced
The production of literary works in English is the direct result of the American
colonization of the Philippines. The first collection of poetry in English is Filipino Poetry (1924),
edited by Rodolfo Dato. The short story “Dead Stars” (1925) by Paz Marquez Benitez is
considered as the first Filipino modern short story in English. A Child of Sorrow (1921) by Zoilo
M. Galang is the first Filipino novel in English. The novel His Native Soil (1940) by Juan C. Laya
won first prize in the First Commonwealth Literary Awards in 1940.
Filipino writers in English during the apprenticeship period (1900–1930) imitated
American writing. The poet Fernando Maramag writes in the Romantic tradition in his sonnet
“Moonlight on Manila Bay” (1912). Filipino fictionists copied Sherwood Anderson, William
Saroyan, and Ernest Hemingway. Jose Garcia Villa used the Anderson pattern. Manuel Arguilla
and N. V. M. Gonzalez were influenced by Anderson and Hemingway. Francisco Arcellana was
influenced by Saroyan.

Philippine Setting during the Japanese Regime

 On December 8, 1941, the Japanese attacked Manila.
 On January 2, 1942, Japanese occupied Manila. They set up a Council of State in the
country and started propaganda to remold the Filipinos.
 In October 1943 the Japanese declared the Philippines “independent.” On September 20,
Jose P. Laurel was elected president.
 MacArthur and his Allied forces returned to the country in 1944. They landed on Leyte on
October 20, and the biggest naval battle in history ensued.
 The Japanese surrendered formally on September 2, 1945.
Literary Works Produced
During the occupation, publications were censored by the military. Also, Tagalog was
declared an official language (together with Nihonggo). In effect, Philippine literature in English
came to a halt. Some Filipino writers then turned to writing in Filipino.
The Tagalog short story reached its maturity during the period. The best works were
compiled by the Liwayway magazine editors in Ang Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino ng
1943, which came out in 1944. It is a collection of stories that won a contest sponsored by the
Japanese. The top four stories were “Lupang Tinubuan” by Narciso G. Reyes, “Uhaw ang Tigang
na Lupa” by Liwayway Arceo, “Nayon at Dagat-dagatan” by N. V. M. Gonzalez, and “Suyuan sa
Tubigan” by Macario Pineda.

Literature during the Philippine Contemporary Period

During the postwar period, Filipino writers got their inspiration from American teachers
and were able to learn their techniques, which also helped in mastering the English language.
Writers wrote fiction that focused on courageous deeds as well as the sacrifices and
suffering in the lives of Filipinos. It was also common for writers to write about the experiences of
the Filipino people under the Spanish and American rule and the Japanese Occupation. Other
subjects and themes include:

 religious faith
 superstitions
 OUR LADY OF TRIUMPH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Purok Tugas, Balangasan Dist., Pagadian City, Philippines
Document Title:
ISO 9001:2015
HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SELF-LEARNING MODULE

 fantasy
 social problems
 poverty
 politics
 nationalism
 morality

Literary Works
Philippine literature flourished even more during the postwar and contemporary period.
Writers were able to produce short stories, novels, essays, and poems that continue to be read by
Filipinos today.

Examples:
Some writers and their works written in the postwar and contemporary period are:

 Nick Joaquin, a National Artist for Literature awardee, wrote articles under the name of
Quijano de Manila. His short story "May Day Eve", published in 1947, is about love in a
patriarchal society. It also made use of magic realism.

 F. Sionil Jose, one of the most widely read Filipino writers in English, wrote the short
story "Waywaya," which is about pre-Hispanic society and the people’s struggle for moral
order.

 Alejandro Roces, a Filipino author, essayist, and dramatist, wrote the short story "We
Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers." This story focuses on the drinking habits and culture of
Filipinos and Americans.

 Edith L. Tiempo's poem "The Return" is a sentimental piece that talks about life in old
age.

 Horacio de la Costa wrote the essay "History and Philippine Culture," which emphasizes
the importance of understanding and presenting a nation’s culture.

 Stevan Javellana wrote the first postwar Filipino novel in English, Without Seeing the
Dawn. This novel narrates what people experienced during World War II under the
Japanese rule in the Philippines.

To sum things up, the American occupation of the Philippines spurred the writing of
Filipinos in English as this was the language taught by the Americans to be able to fully
communicate with the locals. On the other hand, the Japanese regime censored literary works
yet contributed to the maturity of the Tagalog short story in order to develop and appreciate our
local literature instead of always looking up to American and Western literature. Lastly, in the
case of comprehending Philippine literary works, we must be able to fully be aware of the
country’s history, culture, society, and psyche (human spirit).

General Instructions:
Always read and follow the instructions for every exercise carefully. Write your answers in
the blank spaces provided.
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Exercise 1

Directions: Match the following the following literary works/contributions in Column A to their
respective artists/writers in Column B. Write only the letter of your answer in the space provided
before the item number. (1 pt. each)
 OUR LADY OF TRIUMPH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Purok Tugas, Balangasan Dist., Pagadian City, Philippines
Document Title:
ISO 9001:2015
HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SELF-LEARNING MODULE

A B
_____1. Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa A. Juan Laya
_____2. His Native Soil B. Horacio de la Costa
_____3. Dead Stars C. F. Sionil Jose
_____4. Moonlight on Manila Bay D. Nick Joaquin
_____5. We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers E. Liwayway Arceo
_____6. Emphasized the importance of F. Fernando Maramag
understanding one’s culture G. Paz Marquez Benitez
_____7. Waywaya H. Edith L. Tiempo
_____8.Expressed the life of old people I. Alejandro Roces
through writing J. Macario Pineda
_____9.May Day Eve
_____10. Suyuan sa Tubigan

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Exercise 2

Directions: Read the literary text carefully and answer the questions below. Discuss/explain your
answer comprehensively. (2 pts. / item, a total of 20 pts.)

Moonlight on Manila Bay

By Fernando M. Maramag

A light, serene, ethereal glory, rests

Its beam effulgent on each cresting wave;
The silver touches of the moonlight lave
The deep’s bare bosom that the breeze molests;
While lingering whispers deepen as the wavy crests
Roll with weird rhythm, now gay, now gently grave;
And floods of lambent light appear the sea to pave—
All cast a spell that heeds not time’s behests.
Not always such the scene: the din of fight
Has swelled the murmur of the peaceful air;
Here East and West have oft displayed their might;
Dark battle clouds have dimmed this scene so fair;
Here, bold Olympia, one historic night,
Presaging freedom, claimed a people’s care.

1. How does the poet describe setting of a Moonlight in Manila Bay?

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 OUR LADY OF TRIUMPH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Purok Tugas, Balangasan Dist., Pagadian City, Philippines
Document Title:
ISO 9001:2015
HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SELF-LEARNING MODULE
2. What do the following lines mean?
Not always such the scene: the din of fight
Has swelled the murmur of the peaceful air;
Here East and West have oft displayed their might;
Dark battle clouds have dimmed this scene so fair;

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3. Which of the following themes do you think is shown in the sonnet above? Explain your
answer
A. Poverty
B. Fantasy
C. Patriotism

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4. What do you think is the reason why F.M Maramag wrote his sonnet in English?

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5. What do you think is the reason why the locals made this folk narrative?

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The Return
By Edith L. Tiempo, National Artist

If the dead years could shake their skinny legs and run
As once he had circled this house in thirty counts,
He would go thru this door among these old friends and they would not shun
Him and the tales he would tell, tales that would bear more than the spare
Testimony of willed wit and his grey hairs
He would enter among them, the fatted meat about his mouth,
As he told of how he had lived on strange boats on strange waters
 OUR LADY OF TRIUMPH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Purok Tugas, Balangasan Dist., Pagadian City, Philippines
Document Title:
ISO 9001:2015
HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SELF-LEARNING MODULE
Of strategems with lean sly winds,
Of the times death went coughing like a sick man on the motors,
Their breaths would rise hot and pungent as the lemon rinds
In their cups and sniff at the odors of his past
Like dogs at dried bones behind a hedge,
And he would live in the whispers and locked heads.
Wheeling around and around and turning back was where he started:

The turn to the pasture, a swift streak under a boy's running;

The swing, up a few times and he had all the earth he wanted;
The tower trees, and not so tall as he had imagined;
The rocking chair on the porch, you pushed it and it started rocking,
Rocking, and abrubtly stopped.
He, too, stopped in the doorway, chagrined.
He would go among them but he would not tell, he could be smart,
He, an old man cracking bones of his embarrassment apart.
1. What is the poem all about?
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2. What do you think is mean by the lines;
“..He, too, stopped in the doorway, chagrined.
He would go among them but he would not tell, he could be smart,
He, an old man cracking bones of his embarrassment apart.”?
Explain your answer.

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3. What do you think is the social problem or issue in their time that made Edith write
this poem about old people?

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4. If you were given a chance to write a message to Edith Tiempo about our old Filipino
people today, what would it be and why? (4 pts.)

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 OUR LADY OF TRIUMPH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Purok Tugas, Balangasan Dist., Pagadian City, Philippines
Document Title:
ISO 9001:2015
HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SELF-LEARNING MODULE
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------Scoring Rubric------

Points
Content
2 Answer(s) are highly
relevant to what is asked
in the corresponding item
1 Most points in the
discussion of the answers
are relevant to what is
asked in the
corresponding item
0 The answer is not related
to what is asked
Criteria
Comprehensiveness
Discussions are highly
specific and connected to
the effect discussed
The connection between the
discussion of answers and
the question is unclear
The connection between the
discussion of answers and
the question is unclear
Clarity
Has very good sentence
construction and does not
provide any vague
statements.
Has a good sentence
construction with little
grammatical mishaps and
vague statements
Poor sentence construction
and no idea can be easily
understood.

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Reflection

What did you learn most from this topic? Discuss your learnings/insights comprehensively.

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Reference(s)

Quipper (Philippines). (2020) 21st century literature in various regions, 21st century

literature from the Philippines and the World. Quipper (Philippines).

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 OUR LADY OF TRIUMPH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Purok Tugas, Balangasan Dist., Pagadian City, Philippines
Document Title:
ISO 9001:2015
HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SELF-LEARNING MODULE