Esperila, Kimberly Dawn N.

4th Quarter Activity 04/29/2022

11 STEM-C3 BIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT

1. What is the short story all about?

-The narrative explores stereotypes and racial discrimination based on nationality and skin
color. There are numerous encounters of the actions that can be gleaned from the story based on
the experiences of the author, wherein we will undoubtedly encounter again we can still come
across many times.

2. When was it published?

-There is no definite publication date that can be found on the Internet, but the story "Under
My Invisible Umbrella" originally appeared in the Manila Review in 2013, according to the article I
read, therefore I believe it was published in the end months of 2012 or early months of 2013.

3. Whose life is discussed in the text? Why do you say so?

-It was mentioned that the essay was about the author before she was introduced since it
describes the life of Laurel Fantauzzo, the author of the narrative, where she discussed her
experiences as a foreigner and also recounted the rants of her acquaintances who were
complaining about their low earnings.

4. Are there characters and situations in the text that could be representative of or are
similar to the ones in the author’s life? In what aspect?

-As the story is based on the author's real-life experiences, the scenarios presented in the
essay have also been encountered in reality. I've also encountered foreigners in our neighborhood
and have the impression that they are treated differently. I even tried to strike up a conversation
with them because I find them and their accent amusing because they are not like me, concluding
that Filipinos are known for their hospitality. Furthermore, racial discrimination can occur at any
time and in any place and can take various forms, including ethnicity, colorism, sexism, lookism,
and others.
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5. How was the author’s belief system reflected in the excerpt?

-The author shared with the readers her experiences of having the privileges of being white
and witnessing the racial discrimination in the Philippines. With her emotions being felt in the
story, the readers can also perceive that she wanted to be treated equally as a Filipino like her also
has Filipino blood. The author shared her experiences of having the privileges of being white and
observing racial injustice in the Philippines with the readers. The readers can infer from her
sentiments in the essay that she wanted to be regarded equally as a Filipino, despite her having
mixed blood. Moreover, the author's belief system mirrors the tale with her prior experiences,
molding and enhancing her work to a fantastic one since it was a depiction of racial bigotry in the
Philippines, which Filipinos who read the award-winning entry "Under My Invisible Umbrella" may
relate to.