REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION – REGION III

SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – CITY OF MALOLOS

MARCELO H. DEL PILAR NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Bagong Bayan, City of Malolos, Bulacan / School ID: 300751 / www.marcelodelpilarnhs.com
E-mail: marcelohdelpilarnhs@gmail.com / Tel. No. 795-5343

21ST Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

Asian Literature of the 21st Century
Learning Activity Sheets

Name: Carl Lawrence R. Carpio

Grade and Section: 12 – STEM A

LET US REVIEW

How much do you know about Singapore? Give it a shot and test your knowledge!
Encircle the letter of the best answer.

1. B. Dollar
2. C. Orchid
3. D. Buddhism
4. C. Pearl of the Orient
5. A. Selling chewing gum

ACTIVITY 1

Read the informative text below to gain input about the literature of Singapore and then
identify the points in which Singaporean literature is similar with Philippine literature and the
points that in which they differ. Use the graphic organizer given for your answer.

Singaporean Literature and Philippine Literature

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 How alike? How different?
 Since both countries are located in the  Philippine Literature has a long history
same geographic location, their culture, and more historical divisions than
customs, and traditions are somehow Singaporean Literature.
similar. It is reflected in their works.
 Singaporean Literature offers four main
 Most of their stories are reflecting the languages (English, Chinese, Malay, and
normal ways of life of the common Tamil), while Philippine Literature has
people. two (English and Filipino).

 Writers are telling the problems and

 Because the Philippines has a larger
issues present in society.
geographical feature, its work of literature
is more diverse. It used different dialects
 Both works of literature exhibit the and covers diverse stories from the
history of the country and the experiences regions.
of people living in that period.

CHARACTER SKETCH

Write a character sketch about Edwin Thumboo after reading this character information.
Use the activity sheet for your character sketch.

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LET US PRACTICE

Read and study the poem A Bitter Ballad written by Edwin Thumboo and answer the
Comprehension Check that follows.

1. B. inform
2. D. The boy has no idea of what could smoking bring to his health

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 3. D. Aggressive
4. D. The old man can’t help but cry over his son’s future
5. D. His son looks like a man but mentally he is not
6. The characters presented in the study are the young boy and his father,
7. The theme of the story is about the struggles of parents and children in poor community.
The child has a lot of external influences that pushes him in smoking at a very young age.
He was exposed in a community full of smokers, and he is only replicating the actions of
an adult. The father in the story is helpless, he cannot do anything to save his young son
who is pushing himself in being an adult.

ACTIVITY 2

Sometimes the text is a reflection of the life and times of the author and is inseparable
from his/her life and his/her experiences. Thus some literary pieces are best read if you know the
background of the author.

Your task for this activity is to compare the life experiences of Edwin Thumboo and the
details from the poem. You can do additional research of the author’s background. Use the table
below for your responses.

Edwin Thumboo’s Life and Times Details from the Text

Thumboo was born and raised in a middle- The poem is set in a community of low and
class family. middle-class families.

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 He was a young boy during the Japanese The young man in the poem does not enjoy
colonization. During this time, he sold cakes his childhood. Since he was exposed to the
on the streets and worked as a sales boy in a behavior of an adult man, he pushed himself
store. to replicate these actions.

This kind of community shows bad behaviors

He grew during the post-war era of Singapore
that were seen by those children living in the
when there are a lot of people in slums.
slums.

His works depict nationalistic themes or the The problem of the story is the growing
problems of the Singaporean Society. number of young people smoking cigarettes.

ACTIVITY 3

Work independently and develop your questionnaires about young boys and teenagers
who are into Smoking at an early age. Make sure your questionnaire will gather information
about the reasons and effects of smoking to their studies and to their health.

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 Young Smoker’s Story

Good day! This questionnaire is used to help the researcher collect information in order to
complete the Learning Activity Sheets. Please answer all the questions by providing the
appropriate information needed. Rest assured that the data will be treated with the utmost
confidentiality.

Name (optional): _________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________________
Sex: _____________________________________________________________________
Age: ____________________________________________________________________

QUESTIONS:
1. At what age have you started smoking cigarettes?
2. Who are the people in your community that smoke cigarettes?
3. Who taught you how to smoke?
4. How are these people influenced you in your life?
5. Take us to the time when you first tried to smoke cigarettes. What happened?
6. What do you feel every time you smoke cigarettes?
7. How cigarettes affect your health and well-being in terms of;
a. Physical;
b. Mental; and
c. Emotional?
8. Are you intending to stop cigarettes? If yes, when and how are you going to stop it?

The student researcher extends his heartfelt thanks for your participation in the interview
questions
ACTIVITY 1

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 After reading the introduction, you are now ready to create a timeline about important
details on Japanese Literature. Use the template for your answers.

In Japan, written
literature dates Literature Different genres
from the Nara flourished under emerge during the
The literature of
period, though Chinese (Tang) Modern Period.
this time is reflected
there was an oral influence in the Some examples are
in history, the civil
culture long before early Heian period Japanese Drama,
wars, and the
that time. but became more Kabuki, Poetry,
warrior class. The
Man'yōshū (The descriptive of native Haiku, and
emergence of renga
Collection of Ten feelings as Japan yomihon. Great
is evident in this
Thousand Leaves) is retreated into itself Japanese writers
period. Its form is
a collection of and political also tend to
similar to haiku (5-
poems from the structures are romanticize
7-5 mora)
communal and dissolved. different subjects or
personal concerns. genres.

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ACTIVITY 2

Read the excerpt from the notable Japanese writer Haruki Murakami’s Town of Cats then
complete the tasks that follow.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

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1. Who are the characters presented in the story? Describe them.

The characters presented in the story are Tengo and his father. Tengo is a young
man who has a bitter relationship with his father. He complained about his father’s
insistence to accompany him on Sundays in collecting NHK Subscriptions. Thus, he did
not have a happy childhood compared to his classmates. He is also a smart kid, especially
in Mathematics, but his father never appreciated it. He also is confused about his mother,
whom his father said died after his birth.

Tengo’s father came from a poor town of Manchuria. He faced a lot of struggles
and challenges before transferring to Tokyo and worked at NHK Subscription
Department. He is a good employee, thus he rose from the ranks and became permanent.
According to Tengo, his father is a good storyteller. Instead of reading books and sing
lullabies, he told Tengo about his actual experiences before. After his retirement, he
entered a sanatorium that specialized in cognitive disasters.

2. What is the primary conflict? Give details to support your answers.

The primary conflict of the story is between Tengo and his father, or man versus
man. Ever since his childhood, Tengo has no good relationship with his father. He thinks
that his father never loved him nor appreciated his accomplishments in school. He
doubted the story of his father about the death of his mother. Tengo hated his father for
not bringing a normal childhood experience, he always spent his Sundays with his father
roaming around Tokyo.

3. What do you think does this line mean ‘If you can’t understand it without an explanation,
you can’t understand it with an explanation?’

Certain questions in our life should still be a question, it should be left as

unanswered. Certain things are beyond our comprehension that we cannot grasp
anymore. One of my favorite philosophers, Saint Augustine, told in his books that our
mind is like a shell and knowledge is like a vast sea. We only have little intellect to
comprehend all of the things. Explaining these things will only make things more
complicated and will raise more questions on our part.

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 4. Expound this line “When a vacuum forms, something has to come along to fill it. That’s
what everybody does.”

Humans cannot live alone; we need other people in order to sustain our living. It
shows parallelism in the “Town of Cats” story that he read in his childhood. The cats
filled in a society that was left by humans. In the story, Tengo’s father filled the vacuum
left by his mother during his childhood. Since he became distant from his father, his heart
becomes like a vacuum. It is now his responsibility to fill up this longing in his heart.

5. Do you think all of us have experienced some strange relationship with our own fathers?
How do you handle some misunderstanding with you own father?

I think that most of the children in today’s society have a strange relationship with
their father. We can cite several reasons; being distant or lack of quality due to their work
or their fathers are not being an expressive or good communicator of their love and
support. When I have misunderstandings with my father, I always talked to him when he
is calm. I approached him and explain my side of the story in a respectful tone and
manner. I will ask for an apology if I have done something wrong.

ACTIVITY 3:

Compose a song about a son/daughter and father relationship. It could be about handling
and understanding one’s father or vice versa. Be guided with this Rubric below for grading your
composition

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LET US REMEMBER

In 5 sentences, what are your takeaways from the given lesson.

In this module, I learned about the beauty and diversity of Asian Literature, specifically
works from Singapore and Japan. I do realize that the literary works of our region are underrated
as compared to those from Western Literature. I think that it is high time to promote and
appreciate these hidden literary gems to different parts of the globe. I believe that Asian
Literature can stand against famous and popular works of literature from Europe and America. In
addition, as part of the globalization process, 21 st Century Learners must learn to appreciate
works from neighboring countries in order to know more about their culture and society.

LET US APPRECIATE

The tourism industry is one of the sectors that is badly affected by the Covid-19
pandemic. Once this pandemic is over, you will be called to help in the promotion of some Asian
tourist destinations so the tourism industry may get back to its glorious days, attract investors,
and tourists as well. You can choose from making a tourist brochure, a tourist blog, a website or
any social media advertisement.

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EVALUATION

Fill in the blanks with the necessary information to complete the statements.

1. Modern Period
2. Classical Period
3. India
4. China
5. Japan
6. Edwin Nadason Thumboo
7. Similarities and differences of the two main characters in the Bitter Ballad and The Town
of Cats using a Venn Diagram.

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