21ST CENTURY LITERATURE

FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND

THE WORLD
(Week 5 – Week 8)

Frances Kyle G. Domingo

12 STEM – Riemann
DIRECTIONS: Study the following questions carefully and write your answers on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. Where did the story happen?

The story presents two different scenarios — the present scene and the flashbacks that
occurred as Liza was asked by her Aunt Loleng. The setting used in Tita Loleng and Liza’s
conversation is the kitchen considering that they’re preparing to cook sinigang. On the other hand,
the scene in the flashbacks where Liza was in her brother’s burial took place in the living room in
Bulacan.

2. Who were the characters in the story?

The characters mentioned in the story are:
Liza, the protagonist.
Tita Loleng, Liza’s aunt that she’s helping in making Sinigang.
Meg, Liza’s younger sister.
Lem, Liza’s stepbrother who died.
Sylvia, the woman whom I presume is her father’s mistress.
Liza’s Dad and her Mom.

3. What do you think led to the emotional separation of Liza from her father?
If we’ll take a deeper look or think profoundly some signs and clues tell the readers that
Liza’s father had an affair or maybe still having an affair with Sylvia.

4. What was the most interesting part of the story?

For me, the most interesting part is when my idea of Sylvia being the mistress of Liza’s
father finally has a basis or signs that supported my theory.

5. What was the story about?

The story is about the scenarios that took place back in the burial of Liza’s stepbrother and
some backstories that support the present attitude of the characters.

6. Who narrated the story?

Liza is the one who narrated the story. The whole thing was written in her point of view
considering that the short story revolved around the occurrence in her life.

A. DIRECTIONS: Identify the six (6) elements from the short story Sinigang.

1. Setting : Kitchen and Living Room in Bulacan

2. Characters : Liza, the protagonist.

Tita Loleng, Liza’s aunt that she’s helping in making Sinigang.
Meg, Liza’s younger sister.
Lem, Liza’s stepbrother who died.
Sylvia, the woman whom I presume is her father’s mistress.
Liza’s Dad and her Mom.
 3. Plot : The story Sinigang, written by Marby Villaceran, tackles the issues faced by Liza as her father
had an extramarital affair with Sylvia. The story took place in her house where she and her Tita
Loleng was busy preparing Sinigang, which is her father's favorite. During the preparation, her
aunt asked her about her encounter with Sylvia in the internment of his stepbrother Lem, who
died because of cancer. Through her aunt's juxtapose questions while they were busy preparing,
flashbacks sparked, revealing her reaction towards the incident where her father's concubine
appeared and how rancorous and flashily impassive she is towards her father. These flashbacks
also disclose the love of her mother, proving to herself that no matter how much she denies it, her
love for her father despite his flaws was never really lost. Liza's father then asked for her
forgiveness at Lem's funeral - a thing that Liza needed the most - but, whether she forgot her
fiasco or forgiven his father was not clearly stated.

4. Conflict : Man Vs Man

5. Theme : Some things will occur in our lives and change us, but the important thing is that we
should learn to accept them. Life is full of obstacles, and sometimes acceptance is the key to a
peaceful and happy life. Just like Sinigang, it depends on the person who will take it and have a
taste.

6. Point of View : First Person

B. DIRECTIONS: In this activity, you have to identify the plot structure of the story “Sinigang”.Write A for
exposition; B for rising action; C for climax; D for falling action; and E for resolution. Write your answers
on a separate sheet of paper.

1. “Did you meet…her?” Tita Loleng asked. A

2. The woman looked to me like she was in her forties—the same age as my mother. A
3. The woman, upon seeing my curious stare, had explained, “I am Sylvia.” B
4. I finally turned to him. There was only one question I needed to ask. “Why?” C
5. I wanted to scream at her to let go but I did not move away. C
6. All my muscles tensed upon hearing her name. It took all my self-control to outwardly
remain calm and simply raise an eyebrow. B
7. When my Dad had come out of the room, I remembered sensing it immediately—the same
way an animal instinctively perceives when it is in danger. C
8. When her weeping had subsided, she raised her head and looked at me. “Everyone makes
mistakes, Liza.” Her eyes begged for understanding. B
9. I continued to pick out tomatoes for the sinigang we were to have for dinner. I wasn’t
usually the one who assisted my aunt with the cooking. A
10. “I’m sorry,” he had told me. E

DIRECTIONS: Reflect on the short story, “Sinigang”, by Maria Aubrey J. Villaceran and answer the
questions below. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What significant lesson have you learned from the story? How will you apply it in your own life?
Life is full of obstacles that either break or make us better. It depends on how a person will
take it. Acceptance is the key to a peaceful and happy life. We may not forget, but we should
always leave a spare room for forgiveness — to lighten the burden, or maybe to have a breath of
fresh air.
 2. Why do you think some married men commit extramarital affair?
It's simple. Those guys don't love their wives enough to stay faithful to them. If a man truly
loves his wife, even if hundreds of gorgeous-stunning ladies ramped in front of him with their
naked glory, they will never cheat.

3. React on this: It is ordinary in our Filipino culture for husbands to commit adultery and look for
another woman who can satisfy their desires simply because they are men and not saints.
It's just purely stupid. Men don't need to be a saint just for them to stay faithful and love
their wives with all their heart. Marriage is not something temporary it's a lifetime attachment
that involves a bunch of responsibilities, duties, commission, failures, and devotion bonded by the
love of two people. A man married his wife to be with him through everything that they have to
undergo - may it be good or not - therefore, seeking another woman's warmth just to satisfy their
desires is gibberish hypocrisy. This kind of culture shouldn't be practiced in any place. Cheating is
never justifiable. No matter what reason someone has. Properly cut his/her ties with the one that
he/she will leave first before he/she entangles with another person.

Directions: Choose a part in the story, Sinigang, which you find the most interesting. Then, write a script
using the characters’ lines and depicting their feelings.

The room is gloomy, a smooth white coffin whose corners bore gold-plated figures of cherubs framed by
elaborate swirls resembling thick curling vines is in front of Liza. Two golden candelabras, each
supporting three rows of high-wattage electric candles, flanked the coffin and seared the white
kalachuchi in the funeral wreaths, causing the flowers to release more of their heady scent before they
wilted prematurely.

SYLVIA: Are you Liza?

Sylvia asks hesitantly as she started rubbing her palms together to ease her nervousness.

Liza tilted her head to look at a woman in her late forties. With an unknown feeling building up inside
Liza, she secretly observed the woman in front of her. Long, slim feet with mauve-painted toenails that
peeked through the opening of a pair of scruffy-looking slippers; smooth legs unmarred by swollen veins
or scars—so unlike the spider-veined legs of her mother — encased in a

black, pencil-cut skirt; a white blouse with its sleeves too long for the wearer, causing the extra fabric to
bunch around the cuffs; a slim neck whose skin sagged just a little bit; and a pale face that seemed like it
had not experienced sleep in days.

LIZA: Yes.
SYLVIA: I am Sylvia.

Her name sends bolts of energy in Liza's system, enough for her to tense up upon hearing her name. Her
eyebrows raised that caused a range of emotions crossing in the woman's face.

Sylvia grabbed Liza's hand from where it was resting, giving Liza the chance to feel her damp and sticky
palms. She knelt like a sinner confessing before a priest so he could wash away the dirt from her past.
With her eyes begging for understanding, Sylvia speaks her heart out.

SYLVIA: Everyone makes mistakes, Liza.

DIRECTIONS: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. Who is the writer of the short story “Sinigang”?

a. Marie Aubrey Villaceran c. Edith L. Tiempo
b. NVM Gonzales d. Manuel E. Arguilla
2. Where is the setting of the story?
a. farm c. cemetery
b. house d. garden
3. Who is the main character in the story?
a. Sylvia c. Lem
b. Liza d. Tita Loleng
4. What point of view was used by the author in telling the story?
a. Third Person c. First Person
b. Omniscient Third Person d. Limited Third Person
5. Whose favorite dish is the “Sinigang”?
a. Liza c. Liza’s mother
b. Tita Loleng d. Liza’s father
6. What type of conflict was shown in the story?
a. man versus man c. man versus himself
b. man versus nature d. man versus society

7. What element refers to the events in the story?

a. Setting c. Plot
b. Theme d. Conflict
8. What is known as the essence of fiction?
a. Setting c. Conflict
b. Theme d. Climax
9. What do you call the series of events when things begin to happen in the story?
a. Rising Action c. Exposition
b. Theme d. Climax
10. What element is presented at the final part of the story?
a. Resolution c. Exposition
b. Theme d. Climax
11. What element is considered the high point in the story?
a. Setting c. Exposition
b. Theme d. Climax
12. What element creates the tone and presents the characters and other important facts to introduce
the story?
a. Setting c. Exposition
b. Theme d. Climax
13. What element includes the locale and period in a story?
a. Setting c. Exposition
b. Theme d. Climax
14. Based on the text, what does the word “Sinverguenza” mean?
a. a person who is shameless c. a person who is calm
b. a person who is sinful d. a person who is reckless
15. What type of character contends with the main character?
a. opposition c. antagonist
b. protagonist d. instigator
DIRECTIONS: Accomplish the self-assessment table below. Do this task objectively. Remember that there
are no wrong answers for this activity. Refer to the activities that you have completed as basis in
completing this task.

Usually Sometime Seldom Never

s
1. I can analyze a short story by identifying its basic 
elements.
2. I identify the point of view used in the story. 
3. I can demonstrate an understanding of the moral 
values taught in the story .
4. I enjoy using multimedia in making creative 
representations of a literary text.
5. I can do self or peer assessment to evaluate the
creative adaptation of a literary text based on a 
rationalized set of criteria.

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

1. It is a genre of speculative fiction dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science
and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, a parallel universe and extra-
terrestrial life.
a. Digi-Fiction
b. Doodle Fiction
c. Science Fiction
d. Creative Non-Fiction
2. A literary genre which combines three media: book, movie/video and internet website.
a. Digi-Fiction
b. Doodle Fiction
c. Science Fiction
d. Creative Non-Fiction
3. A Literary presentation where the author incorporates doodle writing and drawings and
handwritten graphics in place of the traditional font Spanish Period
a. Digi-Fiction
b. Doodle Fiction
c. Science Fiction
d. Creative Non-Fiction
4. Stories told almost entirely in dialogue, simulating social network exchanges.
a. Chick Lit
b. Digi-Fiction
c. Hyper Poetry
d. Text-Talk Novel
5. It is a genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and
light-heartedly.
a. Chick Lit
b. Digi-Fiction
c. Hyper Poetry
d. Text-Talk Novel
6. It is a website that contains short articles posted and changed regularly.
 a. Blog
b. Flash Fiction
c. Hyper Poetry
d. Digi-Fiction
7. Digital literature that uses links and includes parts that move or mutate.
a. Blog
b. Flash Fiction
c. Hyper Poetry
d. Digi-Fiction
8. It is a comic book or book series published in Japan.
a. Digi-Fiction
b. Doodle Fiction
c. Illustrated Novel
d. Manga
9. Stories characterized by their brevity. It could range from a word to a thousand.
a. Creative Nonfiction
b. Flash Fiction
c. Blog
d. Hyper Poetry

10. Narrative work in which a story is told using a comic form.

a. Manga
b. Digi-Fiction
c. Graphic Novel
d. Illustrated Novel

Directions: Look for the conventional literary genres in the puzzle below and, on a separate sheet of
paper, answer the questions that follow.

1. What are the four conventional literary genres have you found in the puzzle?
Non-Fiction, Drama, Poetry, and Fiction.

2. What are their unique features?

 NON-FICTION- is based on facts and the author’s opinion about a subject. It aims to inform and
sometimes to persuade. it creates an interesting story with plot, setting, and characters
through real events. This type of writing places emphasis on tone and storytelling rather
than just conveying information.

DRAMA - is attractive, impactful and real as it presents characters along with a natural and
credible aspects. It is very similar to a short story as it also comprises characters, plot,
setting as well as symbolism

POETRY - it is a unique language that combines and uses words to convey meaning and
communicate ideas, feelings, sounds, gestures, signs, and symbols. It is a wisdom
language because it relates the experiences and observations of human life and the
universe around us.

FICTION - it is more structured, follows proper grammatical pattern, and correct mechanics. A
fictional work may incorporate fantastical and imaginary ideas from everyday life. It
comprises some important elements such as plot, exposition, foreshadowing, rising
action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Write a 5-10 sentence paragraph describing the characteristics of Tristan Café that qualifies it as a 21st
century literary piece.

Tristan Café is an example of 21st Century literature that falls under flash fiction. The
said story depicts extreme transcience that requires deep analysis in order to properly decode its
meaning. The use of the Text-Talk Novel is very much in the context of writing, which is a story told
entirely in dialogue. Another genre Identification of it is Hyper Poetry, the set of words, phrases, and lines
are presented in variable order. Lastly, a source/ link is present below that imparts a Blog since a
weblog/ a website containing short articles called posts that are changed regularly.

Based on your answer in Activity 2, briefly answer the following questions.

1. What characteristics make these genres similar in terms of elements?

Text-talk novel, blog, and hyper poetry genres are somehow made from phrases, set of
words, and conversation likes structure that creates or form a conversational literary work.
Moreover, these genres require online platforms such as social media, networks, and digital
devices to share, generate and present literary pieces.

2. What characteristics make these genres similar in terms of structure?

Text talk novel, blog, and hyper poetry are similar in a way that they all belong to a digital
medium of literature. Their literature styles belong to the modern digital era of communication.
Furthermore, since they are digitally accessible, hyperlinks and different types of visual aids are in
the cards.
Create a blog post based on your answer in Activity 3. Use the rubric below as your guide. Write your blog
in a separate sheet of paper.