21ST CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD

BY Marikit Tara A. Uychoco

UNIT 1 – PHILIPPINE HISTORY AND LITERATURE

Although literature is often thought of as ephemeral and transient, it can also remind us
of the horror of the past, and bring with it sensory experiences through rhyme, rhythm, and
image. It is a more tactile, evocative medium than newspaper articles or history books, and
keeps the past alive for the present readers. In this unit, we will be reading literature about
important events in the Philippines. These events have had a significant impact on our nation
and merit remembrance and reflection.

MODULE 1: Reading and Revolution

MOTIVATION
1. What do you know about the publication of Noli Me Tangere and how it affected the
Philippines?
2. Do you think the novels in the Philippines are as important as they used to be when the
Noli was published in 1887? Are people still inspired by novels?
3. What is it about reading long texts, such as short stories or novels that makes it different
from reading tweets and Facebook status posts? What is the importance of literature
for the Facebook generation?

ASSIGNMENT:
1. Family Tree
Map your family tree. Try to find out who your relatives are as far back as your great-
great-grandfather, if possible. Draw your family tree, and beside the names of your relatives,
make a sketch of the historical events that happened in their lifetime. Is it possible to trace
your ancestors from the times of Rizal before 1898? SUBMIT AND WRITE IN A ¼ ILLUSTRATION
BOARD.

2. Essay
In a short one-page essay, imagine what the life of your ancestor would have been like
during the Philippine Revolution. Judging from your family tree, create an educated guess. Do
you think he/she would have been a Spaniard, a Chinese, or a Filipino? Would he/she have
been from the upper class or the lower class? Imagine what his/her life would have been
during that time. Read your essay aloud in class.

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

When people write about Noli Me Tangere in the history books, they always mention
how Andres Bonifacio was inspired to revolution, and that it was the ideological fire that forged
the Katipunan. However, it was not just Andres Bonifacio who was inspired by the novel, but
countless other Filipinos who felt, for the very first time, that Jose Rizal was articulating what
they felt about the Philippines. According to the poet and writer J. Neil Garcia (2011), before
Rizal wrote Noli Me Tangere, there was no real concept of the Philippine nation; that the novel
was a "myth-making project," a "means of imagining the special communal fantasy that was the
nation." When Rizal wrote the Noli, the concept and dream of the Philippine nation was born.
When you think about it, it is interesting that the seeds of Philippine nationhood came
from a novel. Although some people may say that literature is not important, during those
times, literature was important enough for people to imagine a nation and he willing to fight for
it.
In the excerpt of Gina Apostol's novel The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata, the
"revolutionary act of reading" is explored through the eyes of a young marn, a high school
student from the Ateneo. Reading it makes you imagine what it would have been like to be
alive during those heady days of revolution. In this excerpt, he reads the book Noli Me Tangere
by Jose Rizal, which was given to him by his friend, Father Gaspar, a Filipino priest.

The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata

[Excerpt]
by Gina Apostol
It was a bolt—a thunder bolt. A rain of bricks, a lightning zap. A pummeling of
mountains, a heaving, violent storm at sea—a whiplash. A typhoon, an earthquake. The end of
the world. And I was in ruins. It struck me dumb. It changed my life and the world was new
when I was done. And when I raised myself from bed two days later, I thought: it's only a novel.
If I ever met him, what would my life be? I lay back in bed. But what a novel! And I cursed him,
the writer—what was his name—for doing what I hadn't done, for putting my world into words
before I even had the sense to know what the world was. That was his triumph—he'd laid out a
trait, and all we had to do was follow in his wake, Even then, I already felt the bitter envy, the
acid retch of the latecomer artist, the one who will always be under the influences by mere
chronology always slightly suspect, a borrower never lender be. After him all Filipinos are tardy
ingrates. What is the definition of art? Art is reproach to those who receive it. That was his
curse upon all of us. I was weak, as if drugged. I realized: I hadn't eaten in two days. Then I got
out of bed and boiled barako for me.
Later it was all the rage in the coffee shops, in the bazaars of Binondo. People did not
even hide it----crowds of men, and not just students, not just boys, some women even, with
their violent fans —gesticulating in public, throwing up their hands, Putting up fists in debate.
Put your knuckles where your mouth is. We were loud, obstreperous, heedless. We were
literary critics. We were cantankerous: rude and raving, And no matter on which side you were,
with the crown or with the infidel Spain or spolarium, all of us, each one, seemed revitalized by
spleen, hatched from the Wombs of long, venomous silence. And yes, suddenly a world opened
up to me, after the novel, to which before I had been blind.
 Still I rushed into other debates, for instance, with Benigno and Agapito, who had now
moved into my rooms. Remembering Father Gaspar's cryptic injunction—“throw it away to
someone else," so that in this manner the book traveled rapidly in those dark days of its first
printing, now so nostalgically glorious, though then I had no clue that these were historic acts,
the act of reading, or that the book would become such a collector's item, or otherwise I would
have wrapped it in parchment and sealed it for the highest bidder, what the hell, I only knew
holding the book could very likely Constitute a glorious crime—in short, I lent it to Benigno.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. Why ,did the Noli Me Tangere have such a big impression on the narrator? Could you
relate to the narrator's experience of reading? Why or why not?
2. Have you ever felt the same about a book that you had read? What book was it? Why
did it leave such a huge impression on you?
3. What does the line, "Art is a reproach to those who receive it" mean? Should art be a
reproach? Should we relate art to society? Explain your views.
4. When you read about how so many people were affected by the novel Noli Me Tangere,
what was your reaction? Do you think a book can ever elicit such a strong response in
the Philippines?
5. When the narrator says that the act of reading was a historic act, what did he mean? Do
you think this is true even today?
6. During those times, do you think you would have been moved to fight against the
government after reading the novel?
7. They say that the act of reading gives people more empathy and makes them more
critical and reflective. Do you think this is true?
8. Given this excerpt, what do you think is the importance of literature to society? Is this
still applicable today?
9. Why is the Noli Me Tangere, a book that was banned in the, past, now a required
reading in Philippine schools? Why did the Catholic Church go against making the Noli a
requirement?
10. Do you think there should ever be a time when certain books should be banned? Why or
why not?

ASSIGNMENT:
3. Create a poster showing the relationship between reading and revolution in the past,
and the importance of reading and society in the present day. On a LONG BOND paper,
write the title of your poster and your insights about the importance of reading and
nurturing a nation of readers.
4. Write a short essay entitled Readers and Society Today. Try to answer the following
questions in your essay:
 Is reading still an important activity. today? Why or why not?
 Is the experience of reading literature more important than googling information on the
Internet? Why or why not?
MODULE 2: The Death of a Hero

MOTIVATION:
1. What do you know about Jose Rizal? What do you feel about Jose Rizal?
2. Why do people often compare and contrast Rizal and Bonifacio?
3. Do you consider Jose Rizal a revolutionary? Why or why not?

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE:
Did you know that Jose Rizal is not the Philippines' national hero? According to the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts CNCCA201.1), there has been no official
proclamation of any historical figure as our national hero. The NCCA states, "Even Jose Rizal,
considered as the greatest among the Filipino heroes, was not explicitly proclaimed as a
national hero. The position he now holds in Philippine history is a tribute to the continued
veneration or acclamation of the people in recognition of his contribution to the significant
social transformations that took place in our country." The poem you are about to read is an
imagined narrative by a priest of the Ateneo, Padre Faura, on how he feels about his old
student, Jose Rizal.

Padre Faura Witnesses the Execution of Rizal

by Danton Remoto

1 I stand on the roof

2 Of the Ateneo Municipal,
3 Shivering
4 On this December morning.

5 Months ago,
6 Pepe came to me
7 n the Observatory.
8 I thought we would talk

9 About the stars

10 That do not collide
11 In the sky:
12 Instead, he asked me about purgatory.

13 (His cheeks still ruddy

14 From the sudden sun
15 After the bitter winters
16 In Europe.)

17 And on this day

18 With the year beginning to turn,
 19 Salt stings my eyes.
20 I see Pepe,

21 A blur
22 Between the soldiers
23 With their Mausers raised
24 And the early morning's

25 Star:
26 Still shimmering
27 Even if millions of miles away,
28 The star itself
29 Is already dead.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. Who is Pepe? Explain.
2. Why does Pepe ask the persona about purgatory?
3. The poem talks about the nature of stars. Can you explain what he means, terms of
science?
4. This discussion of a star is also a metaphor. What Is it a metaphor for? Explain.
5. Why was Rizal executed? How is this similar to the idea of a star? Relate to Philippine
history.
6. What do you think the persona felt for Rizal? Give textual evidence.
7. Do you feel the same way? Why or why not?
8. What would you say was Rizal's greatest contribution to Philippine society?
9. If you were in Rizal's place, would you have supported the Katipunan? Why or why not?
10. Who do you consider as our national hero? Jose Rizal or Andres Bonifacio?

ASSIGNMENT:
1. Viewing
Look for the Joey Ayala song Mi Ultimo Adios, with English subtitles on YouTube. Watch
it, write the lyrics and submit.

2. EVALUATION
Perform or sing any song about Jose Rizal. Record your video and submit to our
Telegram group chat.

3. Write a journal entry about how the whole module has affected the way you see Jose
Rizal.