21st Century Literature

from the Philippines and

the World
Quarter 1 – Module 1
Context and Text’s Meaning

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to
help you fully understand literary contexts and the text’s meaning. The scope of this
module permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The language
used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to
follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them
can be changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.

MELC: Discuss how different contexts enhance the text’s meaning and enrich the
reader’s understanding.

This module helps you specifically develop a skill to discuss how the different literary
social and socio-cultural contexts enhance the text’s meaning and enrich the reader’s
understanding.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify words, ideas, structure, and purpose of the text;

2. explore the different social and socio-cultural contexts to enhance and enrich
the understanding of the text; and

3. appreciate the importance of understanding the literary context and its

meaning to one’s own life experiences.

What I Know

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. Dom Caruso is a trained sniper. He used a Mauser during his training and in
his real combat. Mauser is used for the long-range target.
Mauser is a _______.
a. long rifle
b. automatic rifle
c. high-velocity automatic rifle
d. German high-velocity automatic rifle
2. Park Seo Joon starred in Itaewon Class showed in the Netflix.
a. The actor who was chosen for the sub-role
b. The actor that performed outstandingly
c. The principal actor who played the chief role
d. The principal actor who played the second lead role
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3. After the birth of Jesus, the Three Wise Men followed a guiding star to Bethlehem.
a. A natural luminous celestial body visible in the sky at night
b. A waning fortune or fame
c. A prominent spark at night
d. A figure with many sides
4. Roman Catholic Christians believe that souls of those who die in God’s grace went
to purgatory for cleansing of past sins.
a. A place where intense sufferings are being experienced
b. A place which is humid and dry
c. Intermediate state after death for expiatory purification of souls
d. A state of after death where hopes grow
5. Mt. Everest, located at Mahalangur Himal, a subrange of the Himalayas, with its
height of 29,029 ft is the roof of the world.
a. An extended limit
b. the highest point
c. an upper limit
d. extremely high point
6. A virus like Covid-19, can be easily transmitted to another person who has close
contact with the carrier. A person who has weak immunity and pre-existing health
conditions may experience a bitter death. Covid-19 patients can recover if
he/she is not immune-compromised. Which statement must be true?
a. A Covid-19 virus is not fatal.
b. Not all Covid-19 patients die.
c. All patients can recover.
d. Bitter death is an easy death.
7. Almost all companies send employees to an all-expense-paid seminar. But the
year 2020, a travel and seminar plan is a blur to every company. Until 2021,
travel plan is vaguely known to be allowed. Which statement must be false?
a. When a company sends you to a seminar, you do not pay for it.
b. In the year 2020, any travel for leisure is not allowed.
c. In the year 2021, it is clear that travel will be allowed.
d. Travel tourism will suffer in 2020.
8. Korean food lovers love the smooth and ruddy crimson color of the chili paste
called, gojuchang. All ripe chilies are ruddy. Red tomato is ripe. Tomato is ___.
a. Reddish-brown
b. Orange
c. Red-orange
d. Ruddy
9. Covid-19 virus brought chaos to the world. People were ordered to stay at home
during the lockdown. During this time, many felt that they were in purgatory.
The situation makes them feel temporary suffering and misery. Which statement
must be true?
a. Covid-19 brought disorder to the world.
b. Covid-19 virus forced the people to stay home.
c. Lockdown brought suffering and misery.
d. Purgatory, in that sentence, depicts cleansing from sin.

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10. Padre F. Faura founded the Manila 0bservatory, where celestial and
astronomical events were observed. All modern structures are made of concrete.
Observatory is a structure. Observatory is made of _____.
a. structure
b. concrete
c. light material
d. modern design
11. Zamboanga Hermosa Festival is a month-long religious celebration. The opening
ceremony is the annual Regata de Zamboanga, where 200 Vinta paddlers
compete. As the vintas’ move the sail shiver. What makes the sail shiver?
a. The force of the paddle
b. The gust of the wind
c. The movement of the paddler
d. The wave of the sea
12. The little children of Arnulfo family played inside the receiving area. The receiving
area was a house to the antique collection. They played a touching ball. In an
attempt to strike the opponent, the ball hit the jar on the corner stand. What do
you think happened?
a. The ball hit the ceiling.
b. The vase punctured the ball several times
c. The ball went into the mouth of the vase.
d. The antique was knocked down and shattered into many small
pieces.
13. The statements of the two Cabinet Secretaries collided. The first gave a point of
view, which was opposing view of the latter. What would be the impact on the
readers of the report?
a. The readers applause the Secretaries for the job well done.
b. The readers got confused about the clashing of ideas.
c. The readers felt that there is harmony between the two.
d. The readers realized that the ideas blend well.
14. The Narra trees planted on both sides of the national highway in Pangasinan
roofed the entire stretch of the highway. The shade gives a cool ambiance to the
motorists. How does this looks?
It looks like a garland hanging on the road.
a. The canopy of leaves and branches appear embracing.
b. The leaves and branches look like a hot air balloon.
c. The leaves and branches appear praying.
15. The red sports car was running at high speed along the expressway in Batangas
when suddenly a group of cows appeared from somewhere. The car swerved hard
and went- off the road. What do you think happened next?
a. The car rested safely on the side of the road.
b. The car stopped and continued to travel
c. The car flew and collided with a tree.
d. The car flew, bounced, and ran again.

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Lesson

1 Context and Text’s Meaning

Reading literary pieces becomes a challenge to a student like you. But as the years
go by, changes happened even in the literary genre. Understanding the selection
you read takes time, but if you will familiarize yourself with the context of the
literary piece, appreciation comes along.

What’s In
Let us recall the previous lesson you have studied in Module 2. From the
conventional and modern genre of literature: poetry, drama, fiction, non-
fiction, 21st-century literary genres were presented to you. Fill out the
organizer by writing LETTERS only under columns 2 & 3, write WORDS
under column 4. Note: two letters may be repeated as you answer the grid.

GENRE SIMILARITY/IES DIFFERENCES SAMPLE

( write the title/words)
1 2 3
4

1.Manga

2.Graphic novel

3.Blog

4.Doodle fiction

5.Hyper poetry

6.Text-talk novel
a. Make use of web or internet connection.
b. A website containing short articles called posts updated regularly by the same
person or by people interested in the same topic.
c. Involved set of words, phrases, lines, etc. presented in a variable, sits on the
page much as traditional poetry does, or may contain parts of the poem that
move and mutate.
d. All make use of illustration in presenting stories.
e. An artistic storytelling style originated in Japan.
f. Encompasses non-fiction works and thematically linked short stories as well
as fictional stories across a number of genres.
g. Literary presentation where doodle writing and drawings are incorporated.
h. Stories told almost completely in dialogue simulating social network
exchanges.

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 What’s New
Below is a poem written by Danton Remoto, a Filipino author. Read
and try to discover what this poem wants to convey. Then, answer
the essential questions that follow.

Padre Faura Witness The Execution of Rizal

Author: Danton Remoto
(Poetry)
I stand on the roof
Of the Ateneo municipal, And on this day
Shivering With the years beginning to
On this December morning. turn, Salt things my eyes.
Months ago, I see Pepe,
Pepe came to me In A blur
the observatory. Between the soldiers
I thought we would talk With their Mausers raised
About the stars And the early morning’s
That do not collide Star:
In the sky: Still shimmering
Instead, he asked me about purgatory Even if millons of miles away,
(His cheeks still ruddy The star itself
From the sudden sun Is already dead
After the bitter winter
In Europe

Essential Questions:

1. Who are the characters in the poem? Write a piece of short information about
each character.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

2. Who speaks in the poem? Extract a sentence from the poem to prove your
answer.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

3. Discuss the form/structure of the poem.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

4. What was the situation when Padre Faura stood in the balcony of Ateneo de
Manila?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

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 5. What was the situation of our country based on the poem? Prove your answer
by extracting a line from the poem.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

6. To whom the poem is addressed? Explain your answer.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

7. How do you feel while reading the poem, that Padre Faura witnessed the
execution of his former student?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

8. What was the feeling displayed by the author in the poem?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

9. What was the message that Danton Remoto wanted to convey in this poem?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

What is It
Context originates from the notion of weaving together. It is defined as the
circumstances that form the setting of events, statements, or ideas and in
the way of which it can be fully understood and assessed. Reading a literary
piece may contribute to the production of the author and the reception of the
reader as they appreciate and explore.

• The writer's context is knowing about the writer's life, values,

assumptions, gender, race, race, sexual orientation, and the political
and economic issues related to the author.
• Reader's context is about the reader's previous reading experience,
values, assumptions, political and economic issues.
• The text's context is about its publishing history. It is part of the larger
text such as newspaper, history, events, translated in it.
• Social context and socio-cultural of a text feature the society in which
the characters live and in which the author's text was produced.

In this lesson, you will unravel what goes with the poem.

The structure of the poem refers to words that are put together or arranged such
that they make sense.

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 Imagery is creating a picture in the reader's mind by using words that appeal to
the senses. There are types of Imagery that are used in this module. (Menoy 2016))

• Visual imagery produced by the use of words that appeal to the sense
of sight.

• Auditory Imagery produced by the use of words that appeal to the

sense of hearing.

• Kinesthetic imagery produced by the use of words that appeal to the

actions and movement.

Literary Techniques are methods the author or writer of a literary piece used
to convey what they want to impart to the reader, such as Flashback where
the events have taken place before the present time the narration is following.

What’s More

Activity 1. Understanding the Text

To understand a piece of literature, answering the given questions enable the readers
to appreciate literature more.
Multiple Choice. Read each question. Choose and write the letter of the best
answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Who was Fr. F. Faura to Jose Rizal?

a. His godfather
b. His uncle
c. His teacher
d. His friend
2. What was the nickname given to Jose Rizal mentioned in the poem?
a. Star
b. Mauser
c. Ruddy
d. Pepe
3. Why Padre Faura expected that they would talk about the stars?
a. Because Padre Faura worked in the observatory
b. Because Pepe was a star
c. Because Pepe just arrived from Europe
d. Because Pepe was fascinated in the observatory
4. Why Padre Faura was in the observatory when Pepe visited him?
a. It was the only place where they could talk.
b. He was in-charged in the observatory.

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 c. The observatory was near the Ateneo De Manila
d. The observatory was near Bagunbayan.

5. Why instead of stars, Pepe asked about purgatory to Padre Faura?

a. Pepe was interested in the after-life.
b. Padre Faura was sick.
c. Pepe was hopeless
d. Pepe was about to be executed

Asessment 1. Getting familiar with texts’ meaning

Direction: Read the poem and make the necessary responses to the following
instructions given below.

Earnest wish
by
Lydia S. Villanueva

I will I will

Count the multitude of stars Tend the garden

The leaves in all the branches Rearrange the stones in a pile
The flock of birds perched in the Weed the grass in the field
loft Harvest the fruits in season
The blades of grass in the meadow And do again all of these. And the
cogon flowers in the air.
Let us
I will Bring the front liners back home
Listen to the sound of breeze
Fight the unforeseen enemy
To the rustling of leaves
Help the new beginning
To the chirping of birds
Contribute to the humanity
To the buzzing of the bees
Flatten the curve
To the flapping of butterfly’s wings. Stay at home!

1. A multitude gathered along with Wan Chai District in Hongkong to protest

the new policy there and to call to ban some products. Thousands of
protesters were arrested. Multitude in this sentence means_______.
a. A few in number of people
b. A great number of people
c. Some people
d. Several numbers of people

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2. In the poem, Earnest Wish, identify the words that suggest the meaning of the
word, multitude.

_______________________

Multitude _______________________
_______________________

3. The author used imagery in the poem, such as visual, auditory, and
kinesthetic imagery. Write the words that suggest:

_______________________

Visual _______________________
Imagery
_______________________

_______________________

Auditory _______________________
Imagery
_______________________

_______________________

Kinesthetic
Imagery _______________________

_______________________

_______________________

4. Discuss the structure of the poem, the stanza, lines, rhyme scheme.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Discuss how the author presented the ideas of the poem up to the point where
the message was presented.

___________________________________________________________________________

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 ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2. Understanding the Context

Directions: Look at each picture below. In Column A, each picture depicts the
event presented in the poem. In Column B, based on your understanding of
the poem, write what event happened in each picture and how do you feel
about it.

A B

___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________

___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________

___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________

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Assessment 2. Finding the Purpose
1. What was the situation when the author wrote this poem?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. How did the author present the events in the poem?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. How did the author present her willingness to attain her fervent wish?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. What nearly impossible things or difficult tasks the author was willing to do?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. What do you think was the main reason why the author wrote this piece?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Activtity 3. Knowing Author’s Context

Lydia Sapitanan-Villanueva hails from the agricultural town of Imus, Cavite.

Her parents were farmers and her residence is in the midst of the
agricultural property of her in-laws in Malagasang 1A, City of Imus. She
holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Southeast Asian Studies from Centro
Escolar University and Master of Arts in Teaching Language and Arts from
Philippine Normal University. She is currently the Vice-President and one
of the founders of School Paper Advisers Movement, Inc., a national
nonprofit organization of campus journalists and advisers with members
from elementary to college. She is also a CPD resource speaker for Action
Research.

Dr. Villanueva is a Master Teacher 1 since she joined Department of

Education in 2016. During the pandemic caused by Covid-19 and during
community quarantine, Dr. Villanueva wrote several poems including
Earnest Wish. Her profound love for writing started during her primary

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 years. She always believes that experiences and surroundings play a strong
influence on the prolific mind of a writer. Write now or forget it forever drives
her to write about her environment.

Reflect on the importance of a biographical context in understanding a text.

1. Discuss the environment that surrounds the author while writing the poem.
Prove your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Discuss the occurring event in the society during that time that influences the
author in writing the poem.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Discuss the message of the author in the poem.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

What I Have Learned

Reading and appreciating literature can be made possible by understanding the

context and text’s meaning.

• During the reading, there was recognition and recall.

o I recall that Dr. Jose Rizal was shot in _______________. (place) o

During this time, the Philippines was under the _______ government. o
The purpose of the poem was to ______________________________. o The
author wrote the poem for the____________________________.
o The poem was based on the historical perspective. Recalling our past
as Filipinos, what was the most trying moment of Jose Rizal during
those time? _____________________________________________.
o With that challenging situation, Dr. Jose Rizal was able to write two
novels ________________________________________________________.
o As you read the poem, what experiences in life can you consider
challenging and why?_______________________________________________.

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 • Values, assumptions, political and economic issues, and events related to the
author and reader play a significant role in understanding context and the
text’s meaning in a literary piece.

What I Can Do

Directions: Write a two-stanza poem using visual imagery. Describe your

surrounding that mostly influences your line of thought.

________________________________ __________________________________

________________________________ __________________________________
________________________________ __________________________________

Rubrics for Poem

Beginning 1 Developing Accomplished 3 Exemplary Score
2 4
Form Uses an May use an Effectively uses an Creatively uses an
inappropriate appropriate appropriate poetic appropriate poetic
poetic form. poetic form. form. form.
Word Usage Student’s use of Vocabulary is Student’s use of Student’s use of
vocabulary is very very basic. vocabulary is vocabulary is precise,
basic. Student’s use of routine and vivid, and paints a
vocabulary is workable. strong clear and
more telling complete picture in
than showing. the reader’s mind.
Mental Uses few mental Uses some Uses mental image Effectively uses
Image image. mental image to reinforce the mental to reinforce
theme. the theme.

Assessment
Multiple Choice. Read each statement. Choose and write the letter
of the best answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. The persona in the poem “Padre Faura Witness The Execution of Rizal” was
_______.
a. Danton Remoto
b. Dr. Jose Rizal
c. Padre Faura
d. You
2. The mood of the poem was _______.
a. Mournful
b. Delightful
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 c. Joyful
d. Mysterious
3. The speaker was shivering while standing in the roof because _______.
a. He was dizzy.
b. It was cold.
c. It was December.
d. It was high.
4. In stanza 2 & 3 the persona recalled what transpired between him and Pepe.
This literary device is called _______.
a. Prophecy
b. Symbolic
c. Flashbacking
d. foreshadowing
5. Pepe came from Europe where winter was bitter. His face became ruddy because
_______.
a. He was exposed to humiliation
b. He was exhausted.
c. He was not accustomed to the weather
d. He was exposed to sudden sun.
6. The characteristics of the star were used to compare with Jose Rizal was
shimmering because _______.
a. he was well-known
b. he was about to die
c. he studied astronomy
d. his teacher was in the observatory
7. Months before Pepe’s execution, he visited Padre Faura. Pepe talked about
purgatory instead of colliding star maybe because _______.
a. Padre Faura was sick
b. Pepe was terminally ill
c. Pepe knew he would be executed
d. Pepe did not believe in the afterlife
8. Padre Faura witnessed the execution of Rizal from the Azotea of Ateneo because
_______.
a. there was no building in between Bagumbayan
b. the old Ateneo de Manila was in Intramuros
c. the Observatory was part of Ateneo
d. he was invited
9. The author in the poem below expressed her willingness to do some impossible
tasks stated below. What makes the tasks impossible to do?

I will
Count the multitude of stars
The leaves in all the branches
The flock of birds perched in the loft
The blades of grass in the meadow
And the cogon flowers in the air.
a. The tasks were impossible to do because birds are flying high.
b. The tasks were impossible to do because the birds are perched on a loft.
c. The tasks were impossible to do because quantifiers are needed.

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 d. The tasks were impossible to do because nouns there are uncountable.
10. In this stanza, the author used auditory imagery which appeals to the sense of
hearing. Among the sounds, which could not be heard clearly.

I will
Listen to the sound of breeze
To the rustling of leaves
To the chirping of birds
To the buzzing of the bees
To the flapping of butterfly’s wings
a. Rustling
b. Buzzing
c. Flapping
d. Chirping

11. Dr. Jose Rizal was being compared to a shimmering star in the poem. In the line,
the star itself is already dead means _______.

Star:
Still shimmering
Even if millions of miles away,
The star itself
Is already dead.

a. Dr. Jose Rizal was no longer shimmering.

b. Dr. Jose Rizal was not a star.
c. Dr. Jose Rizal was sent to the sky.
d. Dr. Jose Rizal was sent down.
12. In the poem, Preludes by T.S. Eliot, imagery is used. Which line appear to the
sense of touch?

1. The winter evening settles down 2.

With smell of steaks in passageways.
3. Six o'clock.
4. The burnt-out ends of smoky days.
5. And now a gusty shower wraps
6. The grimy scraps
a. 4
b. 5
c. 6
d. 2

13. In the poem below, which word is used to refer to snow?

"Kissed by Snow" - Kelly Roper

1. Standing in darkness with face upturned as
2. Frosty, feathery stars drift down from the sky
3. And land like gentle kisses from cold lips
4. On my cheeks, my nose, my lips and closed eyes
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 a. Sky
b. Eyes
c. Lips
d. stars

14. Using the same poem, Kissed by Snow, which line used metaphorical language?

a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4

15. In the poem, "Man Versus Pepper- Kelly Roper, what situation is expressed?

One sniff gives a clue of the heat within.

First bite feels like swallowing a lighted blow torch,
And tears stream from his eyes like a flash flood
As the dying ghost pepper delivers its savage revenge.

a. The persona in the poem shares his great time eating spicy food.
b. The persona in the poem expresses his experience eating spicy food.
c. The persona in the poem describes how he feels while eating spicy food.
d. The persona in the poem warns the reader not to eat spicy food.

Additional Activities

At present what current situation in the society/community/household do you find

challenging or difficult. Please explain your answer.

NEGATIVE VS. POSITIVE - Write first the bad situation that happened and then
write a positive outcome that emerged from it.

NEGATIVE SITUATION POSITIVE EFFECT

In the poem:

In your current situation:

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