21st Task

Marielle Bayan
11- Dan (Humanities and Social Sciences)
PART II: Activity Time!

Learning Competency: A.5. Identify the biographical, linguistic, and sociocultural context in a literary
work (Remembering)
ACTIVITY 1: From the passage below, identify what literary context is used, then, explain your answer.
Write your answer in the provided space below.
Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 in the historical place of Calamba, Laguna. His
father is named Francisco Mercado and her mother was Teodora Alonzo. Rizal was the
seventh amongst the eleven siblings. Their family was from the social class “principalia”
and one of the renowned families in Calamba. His father was renting a space field that
was owned by the Dominicans to forage crops such as rice and corn. They have a mini
store under their abode that was run by her mother. They also owned a carriage which
was a status symbol during that time and they have a library in their home that was
harboring 1000 books.
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Literary Context: The Socioeconomic Background in the Biographical Context in
Reading Literature
It is the Biographical Context in Reading Literature in the eye of Socioeconomic Background
since the author's background is stated in the passage above. It is socioeconomic background
because we will also learn about Jose Rizal's family, which was of the social class "principalia"
and one of the renowned families in Calamba, and what his parent's occupation was, which was
his father renting a space field, and they had a mini store under their abode that was run by her
mother. They also had a carriage, which was a prestige symbol at the time, and a library in their
home that housed 1000 books. The biographical context when reading a literature is important
because it is very important to study the background of the author's literary work before the
reading process begins. It is important to know the connections that the character's morals and
behavior can connect with the life of the author and the readers themselves, or knowing the
life of the author initially before reading his work will help the reader to understand the text
better, because it can give you insight into how the author's life influenced and shaped the
literary work, and the autobiography helps you recognize the extent to which his experiences
directly and indirectly shape his work.
Competency: A.6. Identify different critical literary theories. (Remembering); M.1. Appreciate the
contributions of the canonical Filipino writers in the development of national literature. (Understanding)
Activity 2: Read and analyze the text that will be sent by your teacher through a PDF File. Share your
interpretation in the spaces provided for your answer.
Text: We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers

By: Alejandro R. Roces
The literary work "We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers," written by Alejandro Roces, is a
piece about two people having a chat over several drinks. The characters were of two races: one
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Filipino farmer and one American soldier, who is referred to as Joe throughout the piece since
all Americans are referred to as Joe in the Philippines. It is about an American soldier bragging
his ability to drink all kinds of liquor to a Filipino farmer, who offered him lambanog (a drink
made from the coconut tree with crushed mangrove bark added to avoid spontaneous
combustion). It has several applications. We use it to treat snakebites, as an antidote for malaria
chills, as a pesticide, and to tanner carabao hide. Finally, he became inebriated as a result of the
lambanog given by the farmer. This drink is the result of the Filipinos' hard work and
resourcefulness in creating something from scratch while also taking advantage of the natural
resources they have, knowing that the Philippines is rich in agriculture. We only drink for three
excellent reasons. We drink when we feel overjoyed. When we are depressed, we drink. And we
drink for a variety of additional reasons. Drinking is prevalent in our time, particularly among
young people. It's fine to drink, especially when you're thirsty, but you must be aware of your
limits. The Filipino farmer in the piece was just going about his daily tasks of plowing the rice
fields with Datu, his carabao in the field when an American passed by and invited him to come
drink some whiskey with him; the Filipino declined and instead offered the American a drink
popular in the Philippines at the time, the "Lambanog." The author must have intended for this
gesture to depict Filipinos' friendly attitude when it came to welcoming guests into their homes.
This is supported by the fact that the farmer finishes his work earlier just to have a drink with
his guest. Although, as farmers, of course, they take good care of their animals since they work
just as hard as they do, as seen by how the farmer treats Datu, his carabao. This could also show
that Americans are quite open to trying new things to broaden their experience, as seen when
Joe first tried the Lambanog and was practically moved to tears when he showed how our
country was. Culture has the most to offer to foreigners to try it out for themselves. When the
farmer suggested "lambanog," which the Americans term "jungle juice," the farmer warned him
that he might not like it. However, the soldier brags about his ability to consume high-quality
liquors such as whiskey, rum, and vodka. Lambanog is a traditional Filipino distilled palm
liquor created from coconut or nipa palm sap, which is why it is known as jungle juice in the
America. However, when the farmer invited him to his home to drink. The farmer cut a
calamansi, dipped it in salt, and poured it inside the coconut shell to serve as a chaser. Every
Filipino's pride and humility are symbolized by the coconut tree. It stays extremely high, like a
coconut tree, yet its leaves sway down to ground, remembering the land that gave it life.
Filipinos are true achievers; no matter how many times we fall to the ground, we always have
the guts to get back up and climb again. When the American soldier finished the lambanog, his
eye burst out and he hurriedly requested a chaser, which was a calamansi dip with salt, but it
was too late. Nothing could catch up to him. Then they drank and drank and drank till the
soldier collapsed. The farmer then carried him till his buddies assisted him in carrying the
soldier back to his house. And his other American soldiers thanked him and offered him a drink,
but he refused and said, "We Filipinos are mild drinkers. For example, Joe demonstrated how
Americans are outgoing and energetic when it comes to strangers, as well as how they are
heavy drinkers. Meanwhile, the farmer exemplified the Filipino character traits of meekness,
hard labor, generosity, and humility. Despite its length, the piece captures these qualities quite
effectively and, more interestingly, is realistic to how these different countries generally act.
Finally, the work was generally amusing, demonstrating how Filipinos and Americans shared a
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tight relationship despite cultural and linguistic obstacles, as well as highlighting these
disparities through the characters' speech to one another. Figurative language is used in the
literary composition.

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Marielle Bayan

11- Dan (Humanities and Social Sciences)

PART II: Activity Time!

Text: We Filipinos are Mild Drinkers

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