Module : A Letter to Pedro, US Citizen, Also known as “Pete”

By Rene Estella Amper

Day 1 Objectives:
By the end of the session, the students must be able to:
a. Identify the elements of the poem showing conflict/events between tradition and modernity.
b. Analyse the events and production elements of the poem using sensory images; and
c. Discuss the theme and conflict shown in the poem .

Notes:

Si Rene Estella Amper ay isinilang noong 18 Oktubre 1940 sa

Boljoon, Cebu. Nag-aral siya ng Pilosopiya sa Unibersidad ng
San Carlos noong 1960. Lumipat siya sa South Western
University noong 1962 upang mag-aral ng medisina.

Naging miyembro siya ng Diliman Writers' Workshop noong

1968. Nakapag-ambag si Amper ng mga tula sa panitikang
Pilipino. Ang unang aklat ng kanyang mga tula ay ang Twelve
Palmas na lumabas noong 1969. Nahinto siya sa pagsusulat
noong panahon ng Martial Law. Ang kanyang Collected Palmas
ay nalathala noong 1990.

Naging aktibo siya sa pagsusulat ng mga tula sa Cebuano. Ang

unang koleksiyon ng kanyang mga tula sa wikang Cebuano ay ang Payag Ibabaw sa Hangin (Hut Over the
Wind) noong 1991. Ang All Else is Grass ay isang koleksiyon ng kanyang mga tula na nagkamit ng
Ikalawang Gantimpalang Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature noong 1989.

The poem “Letter to Pedro, U.S. Citizen, also called Pete” is a

response to the on-going reality of Filipino immigration to
foreign countries to seek greener pastures due to a calamity of
problems the Philippines is facing as reflected by the sentence
enjambment, melancholic imagery, blatant satire and double
persona.

The author manipulated the sentence enjambment to flow as if

the reader were Pete or Pedro skimming through the letter
written by the anonymous author. The sentence enjambment
may indicate pauses between lines as the reader readers the
letter. In the first line where the author cuts the line “Pete,
old
friend”, there is a pause. Then after the author cuts the line, he presents another dependent
clause, “there isn’t much change”. This is a relatively short line and an incomplete statement unless
the reader connect the dependent clause with the opening line and the line thereafter, indicating a
flow or pattern of reading the text.

This module is owned and made by Rexces James D. Lopez from various open educational resources. Any form of
distribution and replication is not allowed without the consent of the owner.
 PRE-READING

Reminiscence Bump: Look at these images for 10 seconds. Then, close your eyes for a minute and think
some of your personal experiences (it may be a personal encounter, a particular situation, a conversation,
etc.) which remind you of these places. Reflect on your experiences for 2 minutes while listening to music
(sound of traffic and coins). After these, open your eyes and focus on the following questions. Write your
answers on a piece of paper.
1. Describe what you see in the pictures. What do you feel upon seeing the images?
2. How do these images capture your attention?
3. What images/scenarios were formed in your mind while reflecting?
4. Looking at the images, what do you think the film going to be about? How do the scene/images
would contribute to the totality of the poem?

VIEWING

A. As you watch the film, focus on the events that happen. Then, accomplish the worksheet below
by writing your answer after each question.

1. Where is the setting of the 2. Who are the characters 3. Who is the persona speaking
poem? mentioned in the poem? to?

4. Who is the one speaking in the 5.Who or what is the subject of 6.How does the persona’s language
poem, or who is the persona? the persona’s speech? And what is make us experience the poem in a
the purpose of the persona’s sensually and emotionally
speaking to his addressee? intelligent way?

This module is owned and made by Rexces James D. Lopez from various open educational resources. Any form of
distribution and replication is not allowed without the consent of the owner.
 B. Recall scenarios/situations from the poem that show modernity and tradition. Also, write the
significance of these events to the totality of the theme.

Lines/ Situations that show Lines/ Situations that show Significance to the THEME
TRADITION MODERNITY

POST-VIEWING

A. After reading the poem, identify a specific line/event that corresponds to each sensory image.
Then, write your reaction and interpretation for the line/event you mentioned.

Sensory Images Particular Scene Film Reaction Interpretation

Visual

Olfactory (Smell)

Tactile (Touch)

Auditory (Sound)

Gustatory (Taste)

Discussion Questions:
1. From the scenes you identified in the poem, what do you think is the main problem being
face by the persona? What underlying societal issues does it show?
2. What message does the poem want to convey?
3. If were given a chance to respond to the letter, what will you tell the persona/sender?

Source: https://teachwithmovies.org/discussion-questions-for-use-with-any-film-that-is-a-work-
of-fiction/

This module is owned and made by Rexces James D. Lopez from various open educational resources. Any form of
distribution and replication is not allowed without the consent of the owner.