Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES

LABORATORY HIGH SCHOOL
University Town, Catarman, Northern Samar

MODULE 2:
21st Century Literary Pieces from the Philippines

PATRICK MAC B. DELA PEÑA

Subject Teacher
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Module 2: 21st Century Literary Pieces from the Philippines

Introduction to Philippine Literature in the 21st Century 2

Lesson 1: 21st Century Literary Piece from Luzon 3

Debate 3

11/16/12 – Allan Popa 4

Lesson 2: 21st Century Literary Piece from Visayas 5

Prose 5

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction 5

Kay Nano Diri Mamingaw sa Among

Baryo Yana Nga Gab-I – Jeremy Evardone 6

Responding to Fiction 9

Lesson 3: 21st Century Literary Piece from Mindanao 13

Poetry 13

Elegy vs. Epitaph, Ode, and Eulogy 14

Elegy for a Tortoise – Christine Godinez Ortega 15

Responding to Poetry 15

INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE LITERATURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

This module explores 21st Century Philippine Literature covering literary
pieces written from 2000 until the present day and yet, what it reveals is both timeless
and timely. It includes 21st century concerns particularly the realities of the modern
society. And although literature is often thought of as ephemeral and transient, it can
also remind us of the horrors of the past, and bring with it sensory experiences
through rhyme, rhythm, and image. It is more tactile, evocative medium than
newspaper articles or history books, and keeps the past alive for the present readers.
Hence, it does not only reveal events that have had a significant impact on our nation
but also it is a reflection of our identity, soul, and memory.

Module 2: 21st Century Literary Pieces from Philippines (21st Century Literature from the Philippines & the World) Page 2
 LESSON 1:
DEBATE
A debate is a discussion or structured context about an issue or a resolution.

STRUCTURE FOR DEBATE:

A formal debate usually involves three groups: one supporting a resolution
(affirmative team), one opposing the resolution (opposing team), and those who are
judging the quality of the evidence and arguments and the performance in the debate
(remaining members of affirmative and opposing team aside from the six speakers).

21st Century Literary Piece from Luzon

11/12/16
– Allan Popa (NCR)

AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND
Allan Popa
He is the author of ten collections of
poetry, including Drone (Ateneo de Manila
University Press, 2013) and Laan (De La Salle
University Publishing House, 2013). He has
received the Philippines Free Press Literary
Award and the Manila Critics Circle National
Book Award. He teaches at the Filipino
Department of Ateneo de Manila University
and is currently the director of Ateneo Institute
of Literary Arts and Practices (AILAP).

TRANSLATOR’S BACKGROUND
Bernard Capinpin is a poet and
translator. His translations have appeared or are
forthcoming in such journals as The Arkansas
International, The Washington Square Review,
AGNI, and The Massachusetts Review, as well
as in the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-
Day series and the anthology ULIRÁT: Best
Contemporary Stories in Translation from the
Philippines. He is one of the winners of the
2020 Words Without Borders Poems in
Translation Contest.

Module 2: 21st Century Literary Pieces from Philippines (21st Century Literature from the Philippines & the World) Page 3
 11/12/16
- Allan Popa (NCR)
What will be buried there will not be corpse
What will be buried there will not rot
What will be buried there will be the truth.

11/12/16
- Allan Popa (Translated by Bernard Capinpin)
Ang ililibing doon ay hindi bangkay
Ang ililibing doon ay hindi naaagnas
Ang ililibing doon ay ang katotohanan.

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE:
Allan Popa dilates time and history as much as he condenses them. A month
can pass by too quickly, but the wait for a fateful day to arrive can seem like a lifetime,
with the past feeling uncannily like the present. The poem above is taken from
Popa’s chapbook, What Is a Day? a kind of daybook written during the height of
President Duterte’s violent drug war between 2016 and 2017.
11/12/16 – On November 8, 2016, the Supreme Court of the Philippines
ruled in favor of letting Marcos’ remains be buried in Libingan ng mga Bayani
(Cemetery of Heroes), where Philippine presidents were traditionally buried. His
preserved remains were formerly interred in his home province, Ilocos Norte. His
burial eventually took place on November 18 despite the massive protests that
ensued. How could a former dictator be buried in a site designated for “heroes”?
Here, Popa plays with the notion of burial as a form of paying respect to a deceased
body and an act of concealment.
================================================

LESSON-END TASK 1:
Debate
Resolution: Burial of Late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Affirmative Team Opposing Team
Act of Paying Respect to the Dead Act of Concealment of the Truth
1st Speaker 1st Speaker
2nd Speaker 2nd Speaker
3rd Speaker 3rd Speaker
Remaining Members: Observers/Judges Remaining Members: Observers/Judges

Module 2: 21st Century Literary Pieces from Philippines (21st Century Literature from the Philippines & the World) Page 4
 LESSON 2:
PROSE

One of the two divisions of literature. It is the form of literature that the
composition is without metrical form. Its structure usually described in terms of
sentences and paragraphs.
FICTION VS. NON-FICTION

1. Fiction (imaginative literature) – it interprets human experiences through the

presentation of fictitious persons and incident or situations not actual truths
about particular events or abstract relations between ideas and reality. It
represents nature in concrete way by means of lifelike images of people and
events – which embody truths about human condition. Much fiction is based
on actual personal experience, but it almost always involves invented
characters, or invented actions or settings, or other details, which are made
up for the sake of the story itself. Fiction includes short story, novel,
novelette, myth, legend, fable, parable, anecdote, etc.

2. Non-Fiction (literature of knowledge) – includes non-imaginative world based on

truths, facts, and observations. In non-fiction, the characters, settings, and
actions must conform to what is true; they cannot be manipulated by the
imagination of the writer. Under which falls, essays, biographies, letters,
diaries, journals, speeches, historical prose, scientific prose, publication, book
reviews, and others.

21st Century Literary Piece from Visayas

Kay nano Diri Mamingaw sa Among Baryo Yana Nga Gab-I
– Jeremy Evardone (Eastern Visayas)

AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND
Jeremy Alexander O. Evardone
He is a resident of Palapag, Northern
Samar and who is now a Municipal Disaster Risk
Reduction Management officer of his hometown.
He graduated Bachelor of Science in Community
Development at University of Eastern
Philippines, Catarman, Northern Samar.

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 Kay nano Diri Mamingaw sa Among Baryo Yana Nga Gab-I
– Jeremy Evardone (Eastern Visayas)
Mamingaw an amon baryo kun gab-i. Nahiaabtan ngani kami ni Tatay o ni
Ingko san sirum sa pag-uli tikang saam ditoy nga umhanan, samtang adi pa kami sa
gawas nakasakay sa kangga nga gindadanas san karabaw ni Tatay, kaurugan wara ak
nababatian tikang sa baryo.
Kun diri ka taga-didi, ngan pananglitan napiyong ka o kun di man
nangungulaw ka sa iba nga direksyon agud diri mo makulwan an mga lampara san
mga bablay, masugad ka nga adto ka la sin haluag nga padang, sa butnga sin hagluag
nga pasakay nga napuputos san kasisidman. An mababatian mo la mao an hururingay
san mga lanyog nga humay, o kun di man an mga huni san iba-iba nga mananap ngan
tamsi, o kun di man an kalugaringon mo nga pagginhawa.
Pero nano kay yana may nababatian ak nga panlagapok san martilyo sa amon
baryo? Bagaw san kaarugan, ngan segun liwat sa eksperyensya san mga baryohanon,
waray panday nga nagtatrabaho sa gab-i, labot la kun nag-aapura paghimo sin lungon.
Nagkuriot an ak agtang ngan nagruha-duha ak kun lalaksihon o hihinayon an
paglakaw tipauli. Nanggirabo ak ngan nahipatulon sin laway samtang nagrurumba sa
huna-huna kun sin-o nga arug an posible sinurender na sa kinabuhi. An manaram
nga si Mana Badang? Si Mano Guti nga paraghubog? Si Tay Gunyong nga hugador?
An tibihon nga si Nay Simang? Si Mano Manding nga paragturi? Purya gadman sira
Nanay ngan Tatay, Diyos ko.
Tigda ak tinuko paglakaw san nahinumdum ak sito nabatian ko nga mga putok
san pusil kanina nga aga. Ginsugo ni Kapitan kami ni Ingko pagdul-ong sin selyado
nga sobre sa kapitan san luyo nga baryo. Pakahaw-as namon sa salog, tigda may
nagpuruptok nga mga pusil ngan wara na ak hinumdum san mga sunod nga
nahinabo.
May na liwat ada engkwentro? Sin-o daw la an patay ngan nano kay sa amon
baryo ginhihimuan sin lungon? Di man poyde nga — ... Diyos ko, purya gad man si
Ingko, nakikimaluoy ak! Sa ngatanan ko nga kabugtoan, siya la an nagdedepensa sa
ak kontra sito mga ulitawohay nga bugoy nga wara iba nga nakakarawan kun diri an
mga maghugos nga totoy pareho sa ak.
Tigda nga nagrumba an ak mga siki tipa-baryo. Pero an nababatian ko diri
mga piktaw sa mamara nga dalan, kundi panlagabong san kalugaringon ko nga
dughan ngan paghangos-hangos san ak hiwa; nakikidurungan sa nagtitikadako nga
panlagapok san martilyo.
Wara ak nasasabtan sa nalalain nga kulba nga yana ko la gin-abat. Mala ito an
mga raysang ngaginmamartilyo, sa ak dughan nagtitigdulot.
Sa kasisidman san dalan nga nagtatabas sa haluag nga pasakay, diri maihap nga
mga hinumduman ni Ingko an mala ito iginkakatapo ko yana nga mala an palabas sa

Module 2: 21st Century Literary Pieces from Philippines (21st Century Literature from the Philippines & the World) Page 6
 higante nga sinehan sa ak atubangan. Mga hinumduman ini san amon pag-inupod
komo pinakasuok sa ngatanan nga magburugto, tikang san inabat ak tubtob san —
... tubtob kanina, antes ito puruptok sa may salog.
Nagtitigdako an panlagapok san martilyo, samtang an mga eksena sa ak
atubangan tigda kinipat ngadto sin sayo nga masirum nga palamiraw kun diin nahigda
ak ngan may sais pulgadas nga raysang an ginmamaso sa ak dughan sin diri
nakukulwan nga kun sin-o.
Tigda napara an palamiraw sa ak atubangan ngan dinhi ak abat nga
nagsasaralakot na nga nanunuro anak hulas, luha, ngan muhog samtang padayon nga
nagrurumba an akon mga rapa-dapa.
Mga tunga sin kilometro na la ak ada tikang sa baryo, ngan maluru-laksi man
liwat ak dumalagan — kay di ngani sa ak nakakabukod sira Olaling ngan Kortong sa
bisan nano nga dakop-dakopay — pero mala ito diri ak nagliliwat. Tingali tungod ini
sa nagsasaralakot nga kulba, pag-apura, ngan kamingaw.
Nahinumdum lugod ak sito agsub ko ig-inop: masirum-sirum kuno — di ak
maaram kun kaagahon o katsisin-o — dikan nagdidinalagan ak, ambot kun nano an
rason — kun ginbubukod ba ak o ako an ginbubukod — samtang tubtob sa talinga
an ak ngirisi sa akon kalugaringon, ngan sa sobra kuno nga laksi san ak dalagan
iginpapalid an ak buhok tikadi sa luyo, pero diri ak ngay-an nagliliwat sa
gindadalaganan nga dalan tubtob sa mahigimata ak.
Bisan an ginlapay ko nga sapa sa may sikhan san baryo, mamingaw nga
namamati liwat ada sa panlagapok. Wara ak nabatian bisan daw kirisaw-kisaw san
tubig, mala ito bale-wara san sapa an nagpapaphados ko nga piktaw.
Pakasampaw ko sa may welcome san baryo, tinuko ak pagdalagan. Kaurugan
nga nakakaagaw sa atensyon san bisan sin-o nga nasulod didi an maribhong pero
mahuyo nga harampang san kaarugan o kun di man mga ulitawohay sa atubangan
san tindahan ni Tay Gunyong sa burutbotan san baryo. Pero yana nakaagaw san ak
atensyon an kawara san mga ini. Serrado liwat an tindahan — temprano pa sa oras
nga alas-siyete.
Ginhanap ko an gintitikangan san panlagapok san martilyo. Hinay-hinay an
lakaw, gulpi an paghangos-hangos san hiwa ngan panlagabong san dughan. Mala ak
an banog-banog nga nakahigot sa kawara; an panlagapok san martilyo an hangin nga
naghuhuyop sa ak ngan nagdidikta san direksyon.
Liniko ak sa kanto nira Olaling ngan plano ko kunta siya pakianhan kun para
kunay an ginhihimo nga lungon. Pero wara siya ngan serrado liwat an kanra balay.
Wara ko na siya ban-oha.
Diniretso ak sa may kara Kortong pero mao ta, mamingaw ngan wara tawo.
Hain sira? Mamara na ak hiwa sa paghinangos-hangos, pagtinulon laway, ngan
paghinurim-hurim sin mga pag-ampo nga ako la ada an nakakabati.

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 Liningi ak sa may dapit san ditoy nga eskwelahan nga pan-Grade 1. May mga
tawo nga nangangatugbos sa tagliligid pero masirum na ura-ura ngan diri ko na
maaning-ing kun sira sin-o.
Inagi ak sa may barangay hall, bangin man la adi si Kapitan; pero mga
unipormado nga kalalakin-an nga may haglaba nga pusil lugod an nakapalibot didi.
Tama ak duda, engkwentro. Dugang nga nagsuot ak dughan ngan naghababaw an
pagginhawa, nagdalapurap an mata tungod sa nagsasalwak nga luha. Diyos ko, ayaw
si Ingko!
Gintadong ko an katapusan san haligot nga kalye nga nahimumutangan san
balay ni Kapitan. Mamingaw liwat.
Hinangad ak sa may ditoy nga kapilya sa bawbaw san bulod sa luyo nira
Kapitan. May mga armado liwat didto, may mga nakapalaypay nga uniporme, may
mga nakahigot nga duyan, may kaldero nga adto sa bawbaw sin naglalarab nga haring.
Sini nga takna, nagyayagingying na sa ak mga talinga an panlagapok san
martilyo. Hinay-hinay nga nanhahagurong an hururingay san mga tawo nga pag-abat
ko adto sa may butnga san baryo. Nagtitiglaksi na liwat an ak paglakaw. Mas
nagtitiglaksi pa ngan nagtitigkusog an panlagabong san dughan. Sa am higripid gad
la kunta an may patay. Deputa, ayaw gad man sa balay, Diyos ko!
Dinalagan ak otro ngan paguliat nga ginban-o sira Nanay ngan Tatay, pero
wara nagawas nga tingog. Mala an iginlulupad ak san hangin sa laksi san dalagan.
Pakaliko ko sa may kanto nira Mano Guti, nakulwan ko na an gidadamo-i nga
tawo — haros ngatanan ada nga baryohanon — nga nakapalibot sa am balay.
Nagsasarang liwat an pira nga mga armado nga kalalakin-an... aw may kababayen-an
liwat. Sa am atubangan nga hawan may masuna nga Petromax ngan ada nagtatrabaho
an duha nga panday.
Nagtatangis ak sin wara luha, naguliat sin wara tingog, naghihibi sin wara
sigurado nga rason.
Samtang nagtitigharani sa balay, ginpapakianhan ko an mga tawo kun sin-o an
patay pero mala la sira an mga di mao. Diri liwat ak ginpapansin nira Olaling ngan
Kortong nga pareho nalilibang sa pagpinanmahik san luha ngan muhog. Nakulwan
ko liwat nga puros nangungusyoso sa palibot ito kaarugan nga una kanina nga
sinulod sa ak huna-huna pakabati ko pa la san panlagapok.
Nagtitigdagko an panlagapok san martilyo sa lungon nga nakukulwan ko nga
dali na matangpos an takop. Nababatian ko na liwat an panangis san pira nga tawo,
nalandaw an mga pagnguyngoy nira Nanay ngan Inse Maring, nga pareho naluhod
ngan nagbabakhu sa tupad san minatay nga gintahuban sin presko nga dahon san
saging. Sin-o iton nga patay nga gintatangisan nira sin sugad siton? Diri poyde nga si
Ingko iton!

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 Nakulwan ko si Tatay, nanhuhupong an mata ngan ginkukurog an mga kamot,
samtang an tuo nagyuyopyop sin sigarilyo ngan an wala man nakapot sa polo san
sundang nga nakahigot sa kanya kupsan. Nahutok la siya sa minatay, waray tingog-
tingog samtang ginkaka-istorya sin mataba ngan unipormado nga lalaki.
Wara ak nasasabtan sa mga iristorya. An panlagapok la san martilyo ngan
panangis sa palibot an ak nababatian, nga sini nga takna hinay-hinay liwat nga
nagtitiglubad ngan nagigin sayo nga makusog ngan nakakabungol nga hagurong na
la.
Kun kanina lakaw ngan dalagan, yana mala na ak an nalutaw sa kalaksihon san
ak pagduok sa sentro san kasamukan ngan kagupungan yana nga gab-i.
Nakulwan ko na gihap si Kapitan. Linuhod siya sa tupad ni Nanay ngan
gindawag ug ginkaptan an dahoon san saging nga nakataklob sa ulo san minatay.
Nahingaratan ak ngan waray tingog-tingog nga ginkinulawan an nahudaday nga kun
sin-o. Pero pakaluhod ni Kapitan, may naaning-ing ak nga ulitawohay nga natugbos
ngan nagtitinangis sa kanya luyo. Nagsasalakot nga kahiyok ngan masurub-on nga
kamingaw an gin-abat ko san makilal-an ko kun sin-o ini — si Ingko!
Sini nga takna, tigda ak ginhigop sin waray sugad kapiniton nga harupoy
tipailarum sa direksyon san minatay. Pero nano kay wara man la nagmamala-salo sa
ak? Nagtatalibong sin wara direksyon an kalibutan, samtang nagtitigkusog an
hagurong ngan puros na la hagurong an ngatanan.
San pira na la ak kapulgada tikang sa minatay, gin-alsa na ni Kapitan an taklob
sa kahimo san gindemalas.
Nasiplatan ko an kalugaringon ko nga kahimo — duguan, buklad an mata,
laylay an dila, luho an agtang. Madagmit nga nagmingaw an hagurong ngan tinuko
an kalibutan, samtang an gab-i ngan ako nagin sayo.

RESPONDING TO FICTION

Reading a literary work responsively can be an intensely demanding activity.

Henry David Thoreau – about as intense and demanding a reader and writer as they
come – insists that “books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were
written. Thoreau is right about the necessity for a conscious, sustained involvement
with the literary work.
Just as how we respond moment by moment to people and situations in our
lives, we also respond to literary works as we read them, though we may not be fully
aware of how we are affected at each point along the way. The more conscious we
are of how and why we respond to works in particular ways, the more likely we are
to be imaginatively engaged in our reading.
In the very real sense both the reader and the author create the literary work.
How a reader responds to a story, poem, or play will help to determine its meaning.

Module 2: 21st Century Literary Pieces from Philippines (21st Century Literature from the Philippines & the World) Page 9
 The author arranges the various elements that constitute his or her craft – elements
such as plot, character, setting, point of view, and symbolism – but the author cannot
completely control the reader’s response any more than a person can absolutely
predict how a remark or action will be received by a stranger, friend, or even family
member. Our sympathy, anger, confusion, laughter, sadness, or whatever the feeling
might be is left up to us to experience.
Writers may have the talent to evoke such feelings, but they do not have
the power and authority to enforce them. Because of the range of possible
responses produced by imaginative literature, there is no single, correct,
definitive response or interpretation.
The following questions can help you consider elements of fiction that reveal
your responses to a story’s effects and meanings. The questions are general, so they
will not always be relevant to a particular story. Many of them, however, should
prove useful for thinking, talking, and writing about a work of fiction.
I. PLOT
1. Does the plot conform to a formula? Is it like those of any other stories you
have read? Did you find it predictable?
2. What is the source and nature of the conflict for the protagonist? Was your
major interest in the story based on what happens next or on some other
concern? What does the title reveal now that you’ve finished the story?
3. Is the story told chronologically? If not, in what order is it old, and what is
the effect of that order on your response to the action?
4. What does the exposition reveal? Are flashbacks used? Did you see any
foreshadowing? Where is the climax?
5. Is the conflict resolved at the end? Would you characterize the ending as
happy, unhappy, or somewhere in between?
6. Is the plot unified? Is each incident somehow related to some other element
in the story?
PLOT DIAGRAM

Rising Action
Falling Action

SETTING Climax
CHARACTER

Conflict

Exposition Resolution

Module 2: 21st Century Literary Pieces from Philippines (21st Century Literature from the Philippines & the World) Page 10
 II. CHARACTER
7. Do you identify the protagonist? Who (or what) is the antagonist?
8. Does your response to any characters change as you read? What do you think
caused the change? Do any characters change and develop in the course of
the story? How?
9. Are round, flat, or stock characters used? Is their behavior motivated and
plausible?
10. How does the author reveal characters? Are they directly described or
indirectly presented? Are the characters’ names used to convey something
about them?
11. What is the purpose of the minor characters? Are they individualized, or do
they primarily represent ideas or attitudes?

III. SETTING
12. Is the setting important in shaping your response? If it were changed, would
your response to the story’s action and meaning be significantly different?
13. Is the setting used symbolically? Are the time, place, and atmosphere related
to the theme?
14. Is the setting used as an antagonist?

IV. POINT OF VIEW

15. Who tells the story? Is it a first-person or third-person narrator? Is it a major
or a minor character or one who does not participate in the action at all? How
much does the narrator know? Does the point of view change at all in the
course of the story?
16. Is the narrator reliable and objective? Does the narrator appear too innocent,
emotional, or self-deluded to be trusted?
17. Does the author directly comment on the action?
18. If told from a different point of view, how would your response to the story
change? Would anything be lost?

V. SYMBOLISM
19. Did you notice any symbols in the story? Are they actions, characters, settings,
objects, or words?
20. How do the symbols contribute to your understanding of the story?

VI. THEME
21. Did you find a theme? If so, what is it?
22. Is the theme stated directly, or is it developed implicitly through the plot,
characters, or some other element?
23. Is the theme a confirmation of your values, or does it challenge them?
================================================================

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 LESSON-END TASK 2:
1. Identify the elements of a fiction in Jeremy Alexander O. Evardone’s Kay
nano Diri Mamingaw sa Among Baryo Yana Nga Gab-I using the plot
diagram.

2. What is the theme of the story?

3. What does “Kay nano Diri Mamingaw sa Among Baryo Yana Nga Gab-I”
reveal about the socio-cultural landscape of the Visayas particularly Palapag,
Northern Samar?
Specific Instructions:
Printed
Paper Size – A4
Margin – 1 inch on all sides
Style – Arial
Font size – 12
Spacing – 1.5
Alignment – Justify/Justified
No. of Pages – 1-2 pages
Submit on: Oct. 14, 2022 (Friday) *Until 5:00 PM @ UEP-Graduate Studies
On the top of your paper, follow this format:
Name: Strand: Section: Set:

Module 2: 21st Century Literary Pieces from Philippines (21st Century Literature from the Philippines & the World) Page 12
 LESSON 3:
POETRY

Traditionally, poetry is language arranged in the lines with a regular rhythm

and often with a definitive rhyme scheme. It uses figurative language. Of two
divisions, poetry was the first to be developed.
Poetry is oral, aural; hence, it is recited in a song-like manner. It is highly
subjective for it speaks of the thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes, and beliefs of
the artist.

ELEGY

It is a poem of mourning. Most elegies are about someone that has died. Some
mourn a way of life that is gone forever.

An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, especially one mourning the loss of

someone who dies. Elegies are defined by their subject matter, and do not have to
follow any specific form in terms of meter, rhyme, or structure. Because elegies focus
on the emotional experience of the poet, they are generally written in the first person.
An elegy is an expression of grief. It is a song of mourning. It was originally the form
of poetry on the subject of sadness, especially ‘complaints about love.’ But now the
word normally refers to the poems written on the subject of death of someone or
great loss of any kind.

The elements of a traditional elegy mirrors three stages of loss. First, there is
a lament, where the speaker expressed grief and sorrow. Second, praise and
admiration of the idealized dead. And third, consolation and solace. On the other
hand, modern elegies have been written not out of sense of personal grief, but rather
a broad feeling of loss and metaphysical sadness.

TWO KINDS OF ELEGIES

1. Personal Elegy – the poet laments the death of some close friend or
relative.
2. Impersonal Elegy – the poet grieves over human destiny or over some
aspect of contemporary life and literature.

On the other hand, pastoral elegy emerged in 18 th century among English

Romantic poets. The pastoral elegy is a special kind of elegy. The words “pastoral”
comes from the Greek word “pastor”, which means “to graze.” Hence, pastoral
elegy is an elegy in which the poet represents himself as a shepherd mourning the
death of a fellow shepherd.

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 ELEGY VS. ODE, EPITAPH, & EULOGY

Although similar in function, elegy is distinct from the ode, epitaph, and eulogy.
Ode
It is formal lyric poem
that is written in
celebration,
appreciation or
dedication. It is
generally directed as a
specific person, place,
idea, or object.
Epitaph
It is a commemorative
inscription on a tombstone
or plaque. Some epitaphs
are specified by the person
themselves before their
death, while others are
chosen by those
responsible for the burial.
Eulogy
Known as the funeral
speech. It is a way of
saying farewell to a
person who has passed
away by expressing and
sharing thoughts,
feelings, and experiences
that honor and respect
the deceased.

21st Century Literary Piece from Mindanao

Elegy for a Tortoise
– Christine Godinez Ortega (Iligan)

AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND
Christine Gordinez-Ortega
She is a poet, author, educator, and
journalist. She is a full professor of English,
Department of English, College of Arts and
Social Sciences at Mindanao State University
– Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT),
Iligan City. She is the Director of Publication
and Information of the MSU-Iligan Institute
of Technology. Also, she teaches creative
writing and literature and is a founding
member, resident panelist, and Director of
the Iligan National Writers Workshop. She is
the Literary Arts Coordinator of Central and
Northern Mindanao and Vice Head of the National Literary Arts Committee of the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Elegy for a Tortoise
- Christine Godinez-Ortega (Iligan)

In Siquijor I watched
Some old men hunt
The tortoise-
His crawl of half-century

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 Poised upon that moment,
Yellow folds on brown.
I saw the face
The beak that bore
The creases of the good years

And when the oldest man

Raised his remaining strength,
The head of the tortoise rolled,
It rolled and stopped and watched.

The old man broke the shell

The bolo pierced the lungs,
Severed the heart, perhaps.
Before I close my eyes,
I raised the tortoise and his tear
To straighten the curls
In my looking glass.

RESPONDING TO POETRY

Here are some suggested questions that may be asked when one wants to analyze
and interpret a poem:
A. HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND THE SPEAKER
1. What is the occasion of the poem? Or what is the situation being
described?
2. Who is the speaker? Is the speaker taking part in the action?
3. Are other voices speaking? Is there an implied audience for the poem?

B. ORGANIZATION OF IDEAS
4. How is the poem organized?
5. Are the words repeated?
6. What connection do you see between images?
7. How is the grammar related to the meaning?
8. Is there logical progression of ideas?
9. Is the use of a specific stanza or verse form effective in establishing
connections of time, space, comparison-contrast, cause and effect of ideas?

C. TONE AND DICTION

10. What attitude is the speaker taking toward his subject? Is he serious,
amused, angry, humorous, or what?

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 11. Is the diction concrete or abstract? What are the connotations of the key
words and images?
12. Does the context give unusual meanings to words? Are common words
used in common ways?
13. Does the tone of the poem indicate that the words are used ironically?
14. Are there examples of poetic ambiguity?

D. IMAGERY AND SYMBOLISM

15. Do the images have a literal or metaphorical meaning? If the passage is
metaphoric, what are the two things being compared?
16. Which is the literary term and which is the figurative?
17. In what ways are the two things alike? What do the figurative phrases mean
literally?
18. Is there any use of symbols? What do they stand for?

E. SOUND AND MEANING

19. What is the connection between sound and meaning?
20. What use has the poet made of alliteration and assonance?
21. What is the predominant meter of the poem?
22. Where there are exceptions to the regular beat, what changes are made in
the emphasis?
23. Does the variation affect the meaning?

F. THEME
24. What is the significance of the title?
25. Does it have more than one meaning?
26. What is the theme of the poem?
================================================

LESSON-END TASK 3:
1. What do you think does the Tortoise symbolize? If so, is the “Elegy for a
Tortoise” a personal elegy or an impersonal elegy? Justify your answer.

2. Write an elegy. You may choose whether it is a personal elegy or an impersonal

elegy. Make sure to apply the three elements of traditional elegy.

Module 2: 21st Century Literary Pieces from Philippines (21st Century Literature from the Philippines & the World) Page 16