21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

Quarter 1 – Module 7
Contexts

Name: Adell Anne H. Ong

Section: 12-Gauss

PERFORMANCE TASK

A Context Analysis of Orlando Olivero’s “Ang Daga”

A farm rat went to a house where the house's deceased mother was being mourned. Inadvertently, the rat brought joy
and eventually happiness to the father who had died, and it was cared for by the family till it grew and developed
until it came to live and think like a human being.

On the plot, there were a lot of things that transpired. At first glance, I assumed the mother’s spirit resided within the
rat, however the rat is a male, and the mother’s spirit does not reside within him, as mentioned in the climax. The rat
also acknowledged that he is a rat, not a person. Following the incidents, the youngsters do not want to retain the rat,
preferring to kill it or have it taken to an animal sanctuary. It was said unequivocally that the fathers do not want this
to happen and will be devastated if it does. Until the father made the decision. What occurred was that the rat stayed
with them since he didn't want to become far away from them.

Until the rat grows and becomes a human consciousness, the children have taken the guts to accept the rat,
especially if it has already been recognized as a Guinness World Record holder. The rat then began to develop
popularity and gather admirers, to the point where a number of brands and companies approached him to be their
endorser and artist, but he refused.

It has also happened to the point that many people are encouraging him to run for election. He didn't want it at first,
but eventually agreed. The rat and his family gained a lot of benefits as a result of this, but the father remained in
their old residence until they discovered that he was sick. They then made them a visit and chose to stay with the
father till his last breath. This is because they don't want anything in this world, but a love for family.

The story's plot was incredible. There are many events with meaning from which we might learn lessons and come
to realizations.