11

21st Century Literature

from the Philippines
and the World
Quarter 2 – Module 1:
Lens of the World
English – Grade 11
Quarter 2 – Module 1: Lens of the World
First Edition, 2020

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work
of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or
office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit.
Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of
royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
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Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from
their respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim
ownership over them.

Published by the Department of Education

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Rhonex P. Paras
Editors: Name
Reviewers: Name
Illustrator: Name
Layout Artist:
Template Developer: Neil Edward D. Diaz
Management Team:

Printed in the Philippines by Learning Resource Management Section

Department of Education – Davao del Sur Division

Office Address: Corner Lapu-Lapu Plaridel Streets, Zone 3, Digos City, Davao del Sur

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E-mail Address: lrmds.davsur@deped.gov.ph

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21st Century
Literature from
the Philippines
and the World
Quarter 2 – Module1:
Lens of the World

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Introductory Message
For the facilitator:
(This gives an instruction to the facilitator to orient the learners and support
the parents, elder sibling etc. of the learners on how to use the module.
Furthermore, this also instructs the facilitator to remind the learners to use
separate sheets in answering the pre-test, self-check exercises, and post-test.)

For the learner:

(This communicates directly to the learners and hence, must be interactive.
This contains instructions on how to use the module. The structure and the
procedure of working through the module are explained here. This also gives
an overview of the content of the module. If standard symbols are used to
represent some parts of the module such as the objectives, input, practice task
and the like they are defined and explained in this portion.)

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Quarter 2
Module 1

Lens of the World

Let Us Learn!

Hello! Do you know that literature is vast and purely rich? Definitely yes, for
literature is present across the world and it continuously serves as a prism of life. Indeed,
there’s a lot to be shared about the diversity and uniqueness of world literature. The
peculiar language and creativity of a specific literature coming from different continents
mirror and display the lives and emotions of every people and share distinct perspectives
and viewpoints on some societal concerns.

In this module, you will identify some representative texts and authors from the
different continents of the world and you will discover and appreciate more its literary
genres, traditions and forms from different national literature. Recognizing some
representative texts and authors in the world will help you deepen your understanding and
cultivate your inner appreciation on the different literary masterpieces.

In this module, your learning will be maximized as you walk through the lesson for
it comprises tasks and activities to be accomplished.

Most Essential Learning Competency:

 Identify representative texts and authors from Asia, North America, Europe, Latin
America, and Africa. (EN12Lit-IIa-22)

Specifically, after going through this module, you are expected to:
 Recognize some representative texts and authors around the world and their
contributions.
 Demonstrate understanding and appreciation of a literary text
 Explain the literary element, genre, form and theme of a literary text
 Present a short analysis of a literary text using 55 method
 Write a close analysis/critical interpretation of a literary text

Let Us Try!

Task 1: What’s the Word? That’s the Word!

Fill in the answers on the grid of squares and blanks into which words crossing
vertically and horizontally where clues are written.

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Across
1. It refers to all works of literature in
English published in the United States,
which has produced many great writers
through the centuries.
3. These were essentially modernist
Novels which appeared in the second half
of the 20th century.
5. He is known for The Iliad and The
Odyssey
Down
2. An Indian epic written in Sanskrit and
considered to be the longest poem in
history with about 100,000 couplets.
4. An art form that combines unrelated
images or events in a very strange and
dreamlike way.

Key Questions:

What are your thoughts and ideas about the words that you have found in the
crossword puzzle? Do the words sound familiar to you? How are these related to
literature?

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_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Yes, you are right your answers/responses are correct for these words are primarily
connected with world literature for it involves some great writers with their literary works.

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 Let Us Study

The world has a lot of creative and great writers; some of them are well-
rounded and proficient of demonstrating their cultures and traditions through fiction. Some
of these are Charlson Ong’s epic novel Banyaga which recounts the predicament of
Chinese-Filipino boys and their adversities in the country; Edith Tiempo’s A Blade of Fern
which depicts the problems of Filipino miners of Nibucal in Southern Philippines, Leo
Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina which provides a vast panorama of contemporary life in Russia
and of humanity in general; Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bind Chronicle voices the
story of a man searching for something and his tales of another world; and Chinua
Achebe’s classic Things Fall Apart which deals with emergent Africa, where native
communities, like Achebe’s Igbo community, came in contact with white missionaries and
its colonizers.

Have you heard of these following literary masterpieces? Well, in order for you to be
familiarized and be engaged with the different literary works around the world, you’ll
have to get through on the next activity.

Task 2: Let’s Celebrate!

As part of the country’s celebration of world literature, you are tasked to research
and be engaged with the different continents such as Asia, North America, Europe, Latin
America, and Africa. You may use the graphic organizer below as you place the brief
information about the nation, the nation’s famous literary works and writers, and the
nation’s contribution to the world.

Continent Famous Literary Nation’s Contribution

Works/Writers
Asia

North America

Europe

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 Latin America

Africa

Key Questions:

How was your discovery and learning upon engaging with the different continents
in the world together with its famous literary works and writers with their contributions to
the world? What’s your key learning and insight? Do the literary works affect you, if it is
then in what aspect?

_______________________________________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________________________________
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Let Us Practice

Latiff Mohidin is a poet and a painter who was born in

Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. He has been known as a
“Boy Wonder” since he was 11 because of the artistry of his
works. He has attended schools under various scholarships in
Berlin, Germany; Paris, France; and New York, USA. He is
considered to be one of Malaysia’s most treasured living artists.

(https://www.catranslation.org/person/latiff-mohidin/) In the Midst of Hardship

By Latiff Mohidin

At dawn they returned home

their soaking clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair
The whole day and night just passed
they had to brave the horrendous flood

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 in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their son’s
albino buffalo that was never found

They were born amidst hardship

and grew up with a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

Source:https://zahuren.wordpress.com/poems/in-the-midst-of-hardship-by-latiff-mohidin/
(accessed on 10 September 2015)

You have already read the masterpiece written by Latiff Mohidin and for sure you
have already your ideas in mind. Then, let’s test your understanding by answering the
questions below.

Direction: Read the questions carefully and chose the letter of your answer.

____1. When did the family reach their home?

a. In the evening b. In the afternoon c. Early morning  d. At midnight
____2. In stanza 1, ‘soaky clothes’ are caused by
a. the heavy downpour  c. sweating profusely
b. water shortage d. falling into the river
____3. Why did they approached the stove?
a. To cook breakfast  c. To change their stove
b. To boil water d. To dry themselves up
____4. What can you see on their limbs?
a.  Birthmark b.  Blood c.  Muscles d. Wounds 
____5. What can you see on their brows?
a. delighted look c. an angry expression
b. calm composure  d. a sad look
 ____6. How long did the flood hit the village?
a. 24 hours  b. 1 hour c. 12 hours d. Not mentioned
 ____7. The word ‘horrendous’ in Stanza 2 can be replaced with
a. horrific  b. drastic c. fantastic d. terrific
 ____8. Who were desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo?
a. The albino buffalo’s family c. The villagers
b. The father and the mother d. The head villager
 ____9. In Stanza 2, what were floating in the floodwater?
a. Stove c. Bloating carcasses

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 b. Albino buffalo d. The villagers
____10. Which phrase in Stanza 3 indicates the jovial feelings of the family despite what
they have gone through?
a. they were born amidst hardship c. making jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves
b. there was not a sign of despair d. their limbs marked by scratches

What is Formalism? What is Reader Response Criticism?

One way to look at a literary

Reader-Response Criticism is a
selection is through the lenses of formalism,
school of literary theory that focuses on the
or Russian formalism, as it was also called
reader (or “audience”) and their experience
back in early 20th century. What is
of a literary work, in contrast to other
formalism? It is partly based on Ferdinand
schools and theories that focus attention
de Saussure’s idea of semiotics and how
primarily on the author or the content and
signs and symbols may bring about a new
form of the work.
meaning in a literary text. Formalism aims
to look at the medium in which literature is
Although literary theory has long
written. More than that, it aims to look at
paid some attention to the reader’s role in
how literature, most especially poetry,
creating the meaning and experience of a
artistically alter or “renew” the everyday
literary work, modern reader-response
common language in which everyone speaks
criticism began in the 1960s and ’70s,
so that they come up with a “defamiliarized”
particularly in the US and Germany, in
work of art that is new to the senses. The
work by Norman Holland, Stanley Fish,
idea is to focus on the form and technique
Wolfgang Iser, Hans-Robert Jauss, Roland
used in literature rather than its content, so
Barthes, and others.
that literature becomes an autonomous form
of art which may stand on its own-without
Reader-response theory recognizes
its content.
the reader as an active agent who imparts
“real existence” to the work and completes
its meaning through interpretation. Reader-
response criticism argues that literature
should be viewed as a performing art in
which each reader creates their own,
possibly unique, text-related performance.
It stands in total opposition to the theories
of formalism and the New Criticism.

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Task 3: Read and Analyze

You will be writing a short literary analysis of the poem “In the Midst of Hardship”
by Latiff Mohidin. You may use any of the two literary criticisms (Formalism or Reader-
Response Criticism) as you analyze the literary text.

Content – 10 pts
Organization – 5 pts
Grammar – 5 pts

Total - 20pts.

Let Us Practice More

 Are you ready to unfold the chronicle text written by Malala Yousafzai?
 What would be the memoir all about?
 Do you have an idea about the battle cry of the author?

Well, for you to find out all the answers, let’s now start to enter the world of Malala
Yousafzai.

Read the prologue of Malala Yousafzai entitled “I Am Malala: The Girl Who
Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban.

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Who is Malala Yousafzai?

As a young girl, Malala Yousafzai defied the Taliban in Pakistan and demanded
that girls be allowed to receive an education. She was shot in the head by a Taliban
gunman in 2012, but survived.

Malala was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora, Pakistan. As a child, she became an
advocate for girl’s education, which resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against
her. On October 9, 2012, a gunman shot Malala when she was traveling home from
school. She survived, and has continued to speak out in the importance of education. She
was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. In 2014, she was nominated again and
won, becoming the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Get Started

Study this cartoon carefully and think of the message it conveys.

Pivotal Questions:

Why would the Taliban be afraid of a “girl with a book? What does “a girl with a
book” symbolize? What threat does it present to terrorists like the Taliban?

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Read this excerpt from Malala Yousafzai’s memoir, I am Malala.

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Prologue: The Day my World Changed

I come from a country which was created at midnight. When I almost died it was
just after midday.

One year ago I left my home for school and never returned. I was shot by a Taliban
bullet and was flown out of Pakistan unconscious. Some people say I will never return
home but I believe firmly in my heart that I will. To be torn from the country that you love
is not something to wish on anyone.

Now, every morning when I open my eyes, I long to see my old room full of my
things, my clothes all over the floor and my school prizes on the shelves. Instead I am in a
country which is five hours behind my beloved homeland Pakistan and my home in the
Swat Valley. But my country is centuries behind this one. Here there is any convenience
you can imagine. Water running from every tap, hot or cold as you wish; lights at the flick
of a switch, day and night, no need for oil lamps; ovens to cook on that don’t need anyone
to go and fetch gas cylinders from the bazaar. Here everything is so modern one can even
find food ready cooked in packets.

When I stand in front of my window and look out, I see tall buildings, long roads
full of vehicles moving in orderly lines, neat green hedges and lawns, and tidy pavements
to walk on. I close my eyes and for a moment I am back in my valley – the high snow-
topped mountains, green waving fields and fresh blue rivers – and my heart smiles when it
looks at the people of Swat. My mind transports me back to my school and there I am
reunited with my friends and teachers. I meet my best friend Moniba and we sit together,
talking and joking as if I had never left.

Then I remember I am in Birmingham, England.

The day when everything changed was Tuesday, 9 October 2012. It wasn’t the best
of days to start with as it was the middle of school exams, though as a bookish girl I didn’t
mind them as much as some of my classmates.

That morning we arrived in the narrow mud lane of Haji Baba Road in our usual
procession of brightly painted rickshaws, sputtering diesel fumes, each one crammed with
five or six girls. Since the time of the Taliban our school has had no sign and the
ornamented brass door in a white wall across from the woodcutter’s yard gives no hint of
what lies beyond.

For us girls that doorway was like a magical entrance to our own special world. As
we skipped through, we cast of our headscarves like winds puffing away clouds to make
way for the sun then ran helter-skelter up the steps. At the top of the steps was an open
courtyard with doors to all the classrooms. We dumped our backpacks in our rooms then
gathered for morning assembly under the sky, our backs to the mountains as we stood to
attention. One girl commanded, L Assaan bash! ’ or ‘Stand at ease!’ and we clicked our
heels and responded, ‘Allah.’ Ten she said, ‘Hoo she yar!’ or ‘Attention!’ and we clicked
our heels again. ‘Allah.’

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 The school was founded by my father before I was born, and on the wall above us
khushal school was painted proudly in red and white letters. We went to school six
mornings a week and as a fifteen-year-old in Year 9 my classes were spent chanting
chemical equations or studying Urdu grammar; writing stories in English with morals like
‘Haste makes waste’ or drawing diagrams of blood circulation – most of my classmates
wanted to be doctors. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would see that as a threat. Yet,
outside the door to the school lay not only the noise and craziness of Mingora, the main
city of Swat, but also those like the Taliban who think girls should not go to school.

That morning had begun like any other, though a little later than usual. It was exam
time so school started at nine instead of eight, which was good as I don’t like getting up
and can sleep through the crows of the cocks and the prayer calls of the muezzin. First my
father would try to rouse me. ‘Time to get up, Janimuri,’ he would say. This means
‘soulmate’ in Persian, and he always called me that at the start of the day. ‘A few more
minutes, Aba, please,’ I’d beg, then burrow deeper under the quilt.

Then my mother would come. ‘Pisho,’ she would call. This means ‘cat’ and is her
name for me. At this point I’d realise the time and shout, ‘Bhabi, I’m late!’ In our culture,
every man is your ‘brother’ and every woman your ‘sister’. That’s how we think of each
other. When my father first brought his wife to school, all the teachers referred to her as
‘my brother’s wife’ or Bhabi. That’s how it stayed from then on. We all call her Bhabi
now.

I slept in the long room at the front of our house, and the only furniture was a bed
and a cabinet which I had bought with some of the money I had been given as an award
for campaigning for peace in our valley and the right for girls to go to school. On some
shelves were all the gold-coloured plastic cups and trophies I had won for coming first in
my class. Only twice had I not come top – both times when I was beaten by my class rival
Malka e-Noor. I was determined it would not happen again.

The school was not far from my home and I used to walk, but since the start of last
year I had been going with other girls in a rickshaw and coming home by bus. It was a
journey of just fve minutes along the stinky stream, past the giant billboard for Dr
Humayun’s Hair Transplant Institute where we joked that one of our bald male teachers
must have gone when he suddenly started to sprout hair. I liked the bus because I didn’t
get as sweaty as when I walked, and I could chat with my friends and gossip with Usman
Ali, the driver, who we called Bhai Jan, or ‘Brother’. He made us all laugh with his crazy
stories.

I had started taking the bus because my mother was scared of me walking on my
own. We had been getting threats all year. Some were in the newspapers, some were notes
or messages passed on by people. My mother was worried about me, but the Taliban had
never come for a girl and I was more concerned they would target my father as he was
always speaking out against them. His close friend and fellow campaigner Zahid Khan had
been shot in the face in August on his way to prayers and I knew everyone was telling my
father, ‘Take care, you’ll be next.’
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 Our street could not be reached by car, so coming home I would get of the bus on
the road below by the stream and go through a barred iron gate and up a fight of steps. I
thought if anyone attacked me it would be on those steps. Like my father I’ve always been
a daydreamer, and sometimes in lessons my mind would drift and I’d imagine that on the
way home a terrorist might jump out and shoot me on those steps. I wondered what I
would do. Maybe I’d take of my shoes and hit him, but then I’d think if I did that there
would be no difference between me and a terrorist. It would be better to plead, ‘OK, shoot
me, but first listen to me. What you are doing is wrong. I’m not against you personally, I
just want every girl to go to school.’

I wasn’t scared but I had started making sure the gate was locked at night and
asking God what happens when you die. I told my best friend Moniba everything. We’d
lived on the same street when we were little and been friends since primary school and we
shared everything, Justin Bieber songs and Twilight movies, the best face-lightening
creams. Her dream was to be a fashion designer although she knew her family would
never agree to it, so she told everyone she wanted to be a doctor.

It’s hard for girls in our society to be anything other than teachers or doctors if they
can work at all. I was different – I never hid my desire when I changed from wanting to be
a doctor to wanting to be an inventor or a politician. Moniba always knew if something
was wrong. ‘Don’t worry,’ I told her.

‘The Taliban have never come for a small girl.’

When our bus was called, we ran down the steps. The other girls all covered their
heads before emerging from the door and climbing up into the back. The bus was actually
what we call a dyna, a white Toyota TownAce truck with three parallel benches, one along
either side and one in the middle.

It was cramped with twenty girls and three teachers. I was sitting on the left
between Moniba and a girl from the year below called Shazia Ramzan, holding our exam
folders to our chests and our school bags under our feet.

After that it is all a bit hazy. I remember that inside the dyna it was hot and sticky.
The cooler days were late coming and only the faraway mountains of the Hindu Kush had
a frosting of snow. The back where we sat had no windows, just thick plastic sheeting at
the sides which flapped and was too yellowed and dusty to see through. All we could see
was a little stamp of open sky out of the back and glimpses of the sun, at that time of day a
yellow orb floating in the dust that streamed over everything.

I remember that the bus turned right of the main road at the army checkpoint as
always and rounded the corner past the deserted cricket ground. I don’t remember any
more.

In my dreams about the shooting my father is also in the bus and he is shot with
me, and then there are men everywhere and I am searching for my father.

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 In reality what happened was we suddenly stopped. On our left was the tomb of
Sher Mohammad Khan, the finance minister of the first ruler of Swat, all overgrown with
grass, and on our right the snack factory. We must have been less than 200 metres from
the checkpoint.

We couldn’t see in front, but a young bearded man in light-coloured clothes had
stepped into the road and waved the van down.

‘Is this the Khushal School bus?’ he asked our driver. Usman Bhai Jan thought this
was a stupid question as the name was painted on the side. ‘Yes,’ he said.

‘I need information about some children,’ said the man.

‘You should go to the office,’ said Usman Bhai Jan.

As he was speaking another young man in white approached the back of the van.
‘Look, it’s one of those journalists coming to ask for an interview,’ said Moniba. Since I’d
started speaking at events with my father to campaign for girls’ education and against
those like the Taliban who want to hide us away, journalists often came, even foreigners,
though not like this in the road.

The man was wearing a peaked cap and had a handkerchief over his nose and
mouth as if he had flu. He looked like a college student. Ten he swung himself onto the
tailboard at the back and leaned in right over us.

‘Who is Malala?’ he demanded.

No one said anything, but several of the girls looked at me. I was the only girl with
my face not covered.

That’s when he lifted up a black pistol. I later learned it was a Colt 45. Some of the
girls screamed.

Moniba tells me I squeezed her hand.

My friends say he fired three shots, one after another. The first went through my
left eye socket and out under my left shoulder. I slumped forward onto Moniba, blood
coming from my left ear, so the other two bullets hit the girls next to me. One bullet went
into Shazia’s left hand. The third went through her left shoulder and into the upper right
arm of Kainat Riaz.

My friends later told me the gunman’s hand was shaking as he fired.

By the time we got to the hospital my long hair and Moniba’s lap were full of
blood.

Who is Malala? I am Malala and this is my story.

Task 4: Checking Comprehension

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1. What first impression of Malala do you get from the opening paragraph of the
prologue? What kind of girl is she?
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2. Based on how she describes her hometown in Pakistan and her current home in
England, what are the main differences that she observes between the two?
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3. Describe Malala’s parents? In what ways were they influential to the kind of girl Malala
grew up to be?
________________________________________________________________________
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4. Why is it difficult for girls in their society to be educated or to pursue any vocation they
want?
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Task 5: Let’s Go with 55 (5 fingers, in less than 5 words)

Present an analysis of the literary text “I am Malala” using the 55 method. The
method has 5 parts. (Thumb: Title Impression, Forefinger: Admired Character/s, Middle
Finger: Captivating Plot, Ring Finger: Central Theme, Little Finger: Author’s Message)

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Task 6: Feel and Fill in

Read and feel the story “I am Malala”: The Girl Who Stood up for Education and
was Shot by the Taliban. After which, explain the literary element, genre, form and theme
of the literary text and fill in your answers on the box provided below.

Literary Elements

Genre/Form

Theme

( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17851885-i-am-malal)a

Task 7: Appreciate Africa (AA)

The growth and development of African literature, coming from its oral tradition
up to the present time, reflects and mirrors the history and culture of its people, the
continent’s expressions and emotions as well as the thoughts and minds of its populace.

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 Africa had been denied to share its preserved and unique culture to the rest of the
world yet its African literature continues to flourish and takes pride in their identity as a
people with rich culture and heritage. The Dark Continent enjoys a myriad collection of
masterpieces, both in written and oral literature which are greatly diverse and distinctly
created.

The literatures on black Africa commenced in the middle ages when Arabic was
introduced to them and then it moved forward in the 1800s with the introduction of the
alphabet. With the birth of the Negritude (which literally means ‘blackness’) movement in
1934, African writers committed to look into their own culture, traditions and values that
can be applied in the modern world. The determination and initiative of writers to write
and stimulate political freedom cultivated and the dignity and pride of African traditions
has been emphasized. The Negritude movement unlocked the avenue for writers to
celebrate what is truly African.

Look at the given pictures below and write words which best describe them.

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Task 8: David Diop’s Africa

Read the poetry Africa written by David Diop and fill in your answers using the
box provided below.

AFRICA
by David Diop

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
Africa, tell me Africa
Is this your back that is bent
This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun
But a grave voice answers me
Impetuous child that tree, young and strong
That tree over there
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
Springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.

Tone of the text Theme of the text

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 Africa

Writer’s purpose Insights I gained

in writing is…

Task 9: Share Your Beauty (SYB)

Create an acrostic using the word BEAUTY to narrate your personal experiences
being discriminated or treated unfairly because of your physical features or flaws. See the
example below as your guide:

L ots of people don’t like me

E ven if they don’t me they judge the clothes I wear
O ut of style, they say
N ot stylish and it does not fit well
A ware that they talk behind my back, I kept it all inside
R espect is what I give them still
D on’t let anyone hold you down.

B
E
A
U
T
LetYUs Remember

Task 10: Points to Ponder

As you identified the literary writers and their literary works, what are the essential things
you have learned and pondered? In the context of literary criticism, how beneficial its use
in analyzing a literary text?

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 __________________________________________________________________________________________
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Let Us Assess

Task 11: Bubble Quote Activity (BQA)

Use the diagram below and create a Bubble Quote based on the given questions.

1. Identify/Name your favourite writer (Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America
and Africa) with his/her literary work.
2. How does it contribute to cultivate your appreciation in literature particularly in the
context on its literary genre, tradition and forms?
3. Emphasize your salient points why this author and his/her literary work give an
impact to your life as an individual.

Favourite
Literary Author
& Work

Let Us Enhance

Robert Frost was an American poet and winner of four

Pulitzer Prizes. Famous works include “Fire and Ice,” “Mending
Wall,” “Birches,” “Out Out,” “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and “Home
Burial.” His 1916 poem, "The Road Not Taken," is often read at
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(https://www.biography.com/writer/robert-frost)
graduation ceremonies across the United States. As a special guest at President John F.
Kennedy’s inauguration, Frost became a poetic force and the unofficial "poet laureate" of
the United States.

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Multiple Choice:
Direction: Read and answer the questions carefully

1. The poet writes, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel
both…” What does the word “diverged” mean?
a. appeared b. curved c. branched off d. continued on
2. The two roads might symbolize

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 a. different ways out of the woods. c. different ways to get to town
b. different ways to return home. d. different choices in life.
3. Which feature of the selection most strongly indicates that it is a poem?
a. It appeals to the senses. c. It has a title
b. It is divided into lines and stanzas. d. It is told in first person.
4. What does “grassy and wanted wear” in the 8th line of the poem mean?
a. Many people had walked the grassy road.
b. The grass needed cutting.
c. Not many people had walked this road.
d. The grass was too high for anyone to walk through it.
5. What conclusion can the reader draw about the speaker in the first stanza?
a. He is lonely and sad. c. He is hurried and rushed
b. He is hesitant and thoughtful. d. He is kind and generous.
6. What is the theme of the poem? Explain your answer.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

7. If you were in the shoe of the poetic persona, which road will you choose? Why?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Task 12: Critique and Interpret

Direction: Write a close analysis/critical interpretation on the poem “The Road Not
Taken” by Edgar Allan Poe. You may use a separate sheet for your analysis.

Close Analysis/Critical Interpretation Rubric

1 2 3 4 5 Student
Criteria Beginning Developing Approachin Proficient Advanced Rating
g

Analysis of the The text’s Limited The text’s form The text’s The text’s
text’s form and form and discussion and theme is form and form and

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 theme theme is not and analysis less analyzed. theme are theme are
analyzed. of the form substantially very
Discussion and theme. analyzed. substantially
is not analyzed
substantial.
Content/Substance No Limited Minimal Discussion Discussion
discussion discussion of discussion of of the text’s of the text’s
of the text’s the text’s the text’s meaning is meaning is
meaning meaning. meaning. thorough. very
thorough.
Organization of No Limited Minimal Logical Very logical
Ideas organization organization organization of organization organization
of ideas. of ideas. ideas. of ideas. of ideas.
Coherent Very
flow of coherent
thoughts flow of
from one thoughts.
paragraph to
the next.
Average Rating

Let Us Reflect

If you were to link or connect your life today based on a specific literary text, what
would it be? Or should I say what is your story of life? You may use the diagram below as
you fill in your answers.
1. Provide the title of your identified literary masterpiece which mirrors/reflects your life
experience.
2. Provide the summary of the chosen story.
3. Explain your reasons why this literary masterpiece depicts your life today.
4. Share your insights about the story.

Task 13: Summary, Reasons and Insights (SRI)

______________________
___

Title
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 Summary of the Story

Reasons

Insights

Answer Key to Activities

Let Us Try! Let Us Practice! Let Us Enhance!

1. American Literature 1. C 6. A 1. C
2. Mahabharata 2. A 7. A 2. D
3. Boom Novels 3. A 8. B 3. B
4. Surrealism 4. D 9. C 4. C
5. Homer 5. B 10. C 5. B
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 References

Books

Chua, Rina. 2016. DIWA Senior High School Series: 21St Century Literature
From The Philippines And The World. Makati City, Philippines: DIWA LEARNING
SYSTEMS INC.

Mata, Emilou Lindsay, Nerissa Gabelo, Felix Ambon, and Edward Babasa.
2016. 21st Century Literature From The Philippines And The World For Senior High
School. Malabon City: MUTYA Publishing House, INC.

Mendoza, Paul Anthony, and Maristel Silva. 2016. 21St Century Literature From
The Philippines And The World.

Websites

"In The Midst Of Hardship (The Questions & The Answers)". 2020. Thoughtofme.
Accessed June 25, 2020. https://thoughtofme.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/in-the-midst-of-
hardship-the-questions-the-answers/.

"Lumen Learning – Simple Book Production". 2020. Courses.Lumenlearning.Com.

Accessed June 25, 20202.https://courses.lumenlearning.com/introliterature/chapter/reader-
response-criticism suggested replacement/.

"The Road Not Taken". 2010. Www1.Lpssonline.Com. Accessed June 25,

2020.http://www1.lpssonline.com/uploads/LAPassRoadNotTaken.pdf.

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For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Region XI

F. Torres St., Davao City

Telefax:

Email Address: lrms.regionxi@deped.gov.ph

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