Senior High School

21st CENTURY LITERATURE FROM

THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
Module 3:
Exploring World Literature

st
AIRs - LM
LU_21 Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3
21st CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
Module 3: Exploring the World Literature
Second Edition, 2021

Copyright © 2021
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: Ruth M. Balderas

Co-author: Imelda L. Butardo
Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team
Illustrator: Ernesto F. Ramos Jr.
Design and Layout: Dylan C. Rufinta

Management Team:

Atty. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent
Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, Ph.D
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
German E. Flora, Ph.D, CID Chief
Virgilio C. Boado, Ph.D, EPS in Charge of LRMS
Belen C. Aquino, Ph.D., EPS in Charge of English
Michael Jason D. Morales, PDO II
Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II

Printed in the Philippines by: _______________________

Department of Education – SDO La Union

Office Address: Flores St. Catbangen, San Fernando City, La Union
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LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3

 Senior High School

21st Century from the

Philippines and the World
Module 3:
Exploring World Literature

LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3

Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear
learners, can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities,
questions, directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you
to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you
step-by-step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust that you
will be honest in using these. In addition to the material in the main text,
Notes to the Teacher are also provided to our facilitators and parents for
strategies and reminders on how they can best help you on your home-based
learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on
any part of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises
and tests. And read the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in

answering the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher
or facilitator.

Thank you.

LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3

 Target

Literature across the regions of the world is a rich repertoire of stories that
unveils the beliefs, culture, and feelings of people at a specific time in a specific
location. Because of the vastness of literary traditions of the world, it may be more
convenient to understand it in bits by region or continent.

In the first half of this course, you have explored Philippine Literature with
highlight on the 21st century literary tradition.

This module will take you to selected places in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America
and Latin America with focus on the authors and timeless literary pieces.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

• identify representative texts and authors from Asia, North America, Europe,
Latin America, and Africa (EN12Lit-IIa-22)

Note to the Teacher

This SLM is strategically designed for independent learning.
However, as the teacher or facilitator of learning, you are highly
encouraged to engage with your learners as they go along. Some learners
may find the activities difficult and would require you to explain
instructions and lesson contents for them to be able to understand and
successfully finish the module.
Your support in the success of teaching-learning is very important.

LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3

 Module
Exploring World Literature
3
Jumpstart

Activity 1: 4 Clues, 1 Word

Instructions: Guess the continent represented by each set of pictures. Write the letter
of your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
Choices: A B C D E
Africa Asia Europe North America Latin America

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 Discover

Asian Literature
Asia is the largest continent in the world and it is further subdivided into East,
Central, West, and South East regions. Each region has its prevailing beliefs, traditions,
and feelings which make Asian literature rich in thousands of stories and poetry about
its heritage. The most influential set of literary traditions in Asia are Chinese, Japanese
and Indian literatures.
Chinese Literature
Rather than dealing with grand themes, this body of Asian literature puts a
spotlight on the meander, simple everyday issues of the people in society. Philosophical
books explicate the expected “duties, behavior, and actions a person must do in order
to belong harmoniously to his society” (Mendoza & Silva, 2016).
Moreover, Chinese literary works include fiction, philosophical and religious
works, poetry, and scientific writings. The eras of each dynasty shaped the literary
traditions of China.

A. Four Great Classic Novels:

• The Novel of the Three Kingdoms Sānguó Yǎnyì. Luo
Guanzhong’s novel recounts the real events that occurred during the period
when China was composed of three kingdoms: Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Wu.
While children read this book like a fairytale or as a bedtime story,
politicians consider this as a handguide for strategies.
• Journey to the West – Xī Yóu Jì. Wu Cheng’en’s novel is also known as
“Monkey” since it features, Sun Wukong, a monkey who set out on a journey
with his companions to search for Chinese people’s sacred scroll. Journey to
the West has influenced many adventure stories and dramas, as well as the
famous Son Goku in Dragon Ball series.
• Dream of the Red Chamber – Hónglóu Mèng by Cao Xuequin.
This novel is a lovestory “celebrated for its realism, psychological depth and
the richness of the plot” (Buzelli, 2019).
• Water Margin – Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn is a novel by Shi Nai’an that narrates plight
of 108 brigands from Mount Liang who challenged the emperor. The story
was set during the Song dynasty. Other titles of this book are “Outlaws of the
Marsh,” and “All Men are Brothers.”
B. Chinese poetry has been one of the favorite literary genres for a thousand
years. Their poetry may be divided into 5, namely 1)Shi, which are couplets,
2)Ci, which seem like songs due to its syllabic and tonal patterns, 3) Ge, means
song, 4)Qu has a freer poetic form and is usually used in theater plays, and
5)Fu which are descriptive poems composed of both prose and couplets.
• Dufu followed a structured form of poetry and observed realistic poems
whose themes include difficulties living in a war, poverty, and rural life.
• Li Bai is a romantic poet who wrote poetry as he traveled widely across the
provinces of China. He used free form poetry.

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 • Su Tungpo, also called Su Shi, was a prolific poet of the northern Song era
and he has produced over 2000 poems. When he was banished to live in
a farm because of political problems, he wrote a poem about it.
The moon rounds the red mansion
Stoops to silk-pad doors
Shines upon the sleepless
Bearing no grudge
Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?

Japanese Literature
Japanese literature finds its appeal in the use of great variety of words to convey
feelings and emotions. It is rather emotional and subjective than intellectual.
A. Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji in the 11th century retells of the life of
prince Hikaru Genji, his romances and aristocratic society. Lady
Murasaki lived during the Heian Period, an era of remarkable growth of poetry,
diaries, and fiction produced by court ladies.
B. Sei Shonagon’s The Pillow Book is a genre bending miscellany of short, largely
unrelated pieces which can be classified as narratives, thoughts and opinions and
famous lists. Sei Shonagon is a contemporary and rival or Lady Murasaki.
C. Matsuo Basho – He was known as the supreme Japanese haiku poet. Although
haiku existed before him, he made this poetic form an accepted artistic expression
throughout the world.
D. “I” novel – (Watakushi-shôsetu) is a colloquial fiction where the author describes
the world from his perspective and also reveals his own mental states.
E. Yasunari Kawabata – is Japan’s first recipient of Nobel Prize for Literature and he
is also known as the master of psychological fiction. Among his famous works are
Snow Country (a novel) and The Izu Dancer (a short story).
Indian Literature
Majority of Indian literature are written in Sanskrit. Classic Indian literature
revolves around its predominant faith – Hinduism, while modern literature focuses on
issues of their nation.
Three distinct characteristics of Indian literature are a) based on piety, a deep
religious spirit, b) written in epic form, and c) designed to advance some unorthodox
regional beliefs.
1. Panchatantra – is a compilation of tales in prose and poetry, featuring five
books of fables and magical tales.
2. Bhagavad Gita (The Name of the Lord)
– an ancient text that became an important work of Hindu tradition in
terms of both literature and philosophy.
3. Mahabharata – is the longest epic in the world. It recounts the dynastic struggle
and civil wars between the Pandavas and Kauravas in the kingdom of Kuruksheta
about the 9th century BC.
4. Ramayana – is the second longest epic in the world and it had a great impact in
shaping the nature of Indian civilization. The story tells of how Rama went on a
journey to find and save his wife Sita. Along the way, he learns Hindu life lessons.

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African Literature
Two great colonizing movements have made an impact on the literary traditions
of Africa. These movements are that of Islamic Arabs in the 7th century and of Christian
Europeans in the 19th century. Oral tradition in African dialects have been the prevailing
form until the Swahilis (Kenya and Tanzania) transcribed their stories and folk
literature. African literature may simply be categorized into two – ORAL TRADITION
and WRITTEN TRADITION

Oral Tradition. Included in this category are African myths, stories, poems, folktales
and riddles.
• Myths – each tribe has its own version of how the world and everything in it
came to be. What was common among the versions is the story that a “god first
agreed to give man eternal life, but his message was perverted through the
stupidity or malice of the messenger.”
• Poetry – purposes of on-the-spot oral poems include “praising a chief, mourning
the dead, making fun of an unfriendly town, and get favors from the gods to
cure a disease.” Priests are also required to study the Ifa oracle which is a
massive poem about pleasing the gods.
• Folktales, proverbs and riddles – Folktales are usually heard in the evening for
family’s entertainment. Dilemma tales are also popular where the ending is up
to the listeners to find the best solution to a conflict in the story. African
proverbs are known to be amusing because of the surprising way they put ideas
into words. For example, instead of saying “Be careful,” they say “The housefly
does not play a sticky drum.” Or when they say “The staring frogs do not
prevent cattle from drinking,” they mean “Do not worry about other people’s
opinions.” African riddles are often “intended to display the questioner’s
imagination rather than to test the cleverness of the audience.” (Smith, n.d.)

Written Tradition. Since African languages are only spoken, they owe their writing
traditions to the influence of Muslim Arabs in Africa. East African writing were first
written in the Arabic script and later adopted the Roman Alphabet.
• Swahili Literature – shairi poems are non-religious poems which have grown
out of poetry contests where the first poet comes up with two lines and other
poets must continue adding two lines each with the same rhyme and rhythm.
Uhuru wa Watumwa (Freedom for the Slaves, 1934) was the first Swahili
novella by James Mbotela.
• Hausa Literature – Islamic scholars living among the locals in northern Africa
wrote the first poems in Hausa using Arabic alphabets. They call these
religious poems as ajami. Eventually, themes of poems from this region are
conflicts between Islamic ways and European culture and beliefs.
• Yoruba Literature – The fantasy Igbo Olodumare (The Forest of the Lord,
1947) made Chief D.O. Fagunawa one of Nigeria’s most popular writers.
Yoruba has also produced social and political satires by Hubert Ogunde as
well as tragedies by Duro Lapido.
• Other African-language Literature – Christian texts became models for most
African provinces which did not have an earlier written tradition. Spiritual
books such as the Bible, John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, and Christian

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 hymns were translated to African languages, while natives were taught by
converted Africans the English language.
In 1906, Thomas Mokopu Mofolo of Lesotho published the first Christian
inspired novel Moeti oa Bochabela (Traveller of the East). His book was
originally produced in a missionary printing press. However, his third novel
which came out in 1925 (Chaka) written in the Sotho language had to be
revised upon the advice of the missionaries. Chaka contained war and
witchcraft themes which were strongly disapproved by the publishers. From
then on, African writers had to adjust their writings to suit not only their
local readers but also their religious influences.
• French-language literature – French colonizers imposed their culture and
language on the natives and brought African scholars to their universities in
France. However, scholars realized that no culture could ever replace their
own. So, they began to write poems about their longings for Africa and their
anger toward losing their identity as a nation. This became a movement and
it was recognized in 1930s as “negritude” or a celebration of their blackness
and the African traditions. In 1960, a poet turned the first president of
Senegal used the color black as a symbol of magical life rather than of death.
• Portuguese-language literature – Among the writers during this period were
Caetano da Costa Alegre of Sao Tome who wrote about his loneliness in the
midst of a white society while living in Portugal as a medical student;
Agostinha Neto and Mario de Andrade of Angola who were both political poets
who thrived in the Angolan liberation movement; Valente Malangatana and
Jose Craveirinha of Mozambique, who were tortured and imprisoned by
Portuguese because of their writings that exposed the problems of racial
discrimination and the difficulties of black laborers.
• English-language literature – Around the 18th century, freed slaves who have
settled in England and America wrote in the English language. Since then,
writers expressed through poetry their love for their race and country while
at the same time commemorated the European and Christian values. In
1911, the first African novel in English, Ethiopia Unbound by Joseph
Ephraim Casley-Hayford of Ghana was published. Onitsha novels, which are
short popular fiction, became in demand especially in western African night
markets.
 Amos Tutuola – was the first Nigerian who was recognized internationally
by reinventing Yoruban folklore in the English language. Because he
lacked formal language education, he often relied on Yoruba’s orality
rather than on standard English (goodreads.com)
 Chinua Achebe – He was the most widely read African novelist and has
one of the biggest contributions in letting the world enter into an
understanding of African literature (Brucker, 1992). New York Times
described him as
Africa’s Literary Giant especially for his first novel, “Things Fall Apart.”
This work of art unveils the story of a man named Okonwo from the Igbo
tribe who struggled both against his own folks and the European
missionaries.

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 “Things Fall Apart”
An Excerpt
Chinua Achebe

Chapter One
Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His
fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had
brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was the great
wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was called
the Cat because his back would never touch the earth. It was this man that Okonkwo
threw in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of
their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights.
The drums beat and the flutes sang and the spectators held their breath.
Amalinze was a wily craftsman, but Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water. Every
nerve and every muscle stood out on their arms, on their backs and their thighs, and
one almost heard them stretching to breaking point. In the end, Okonkwo threw the
Cat.
That was many years ago, twenty years or more, and during this time
Okonkwo's fame had grown like a bush-fire in the harmattan. He was tall and huge,
and his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a very severe look. He breathed
heavily, and it was said that, when he slept, his wives and children in their houses
could hear him breathe. When he walked, his heels hardly touched the ground and
he seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on somebody. And he did
pounce on people quite often. He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry
and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists. He had no
patience with unsuccessful men. He had had no patience with his father.
Unoka, for that was his father's name, had died ten years ago. In his day he
was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow. If any
money came his way, and it seldom did, he immediately bought gourds of palmwine,
called round his neighbors and made merry. He always said that whenever he saw a
dead man's mouth he saw the folly of not eating what one had in one's lifetime. Unoka
was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every neighbor some money, from a few cowries
to quite substantial amounts.
He was tall but very thin and had a slight stoop. He wore a haggard and
mournful look except when he was drinking or playing on his flute. He was very good
on his flute, and his happiest moments were the two or three moons after the harvest
when the village musicians brought down their instruments, hung above the fireplace.
Unoka would play with them, his face beaming with blessedness and peace.
Sometimes another village would ask Unoka's band and their dancing egwugwu to
come and stay with them and teach them their tunes. They would go to such hosts
for as long as three or four markets, making music and feasting. Unoka loved the good
fare and the good fellowship, and he loved this season of the year, when the rains had
stopped and the sun rose every morning with dazzling beauty. And it was not too hot
either, because the cold and dry harmattan wind was blowing down from the north.
Some years the harmattan was very severe and a dense haze hung on the atmosphere.
Old men and children would then sit round log fires, warming their bodies. Unoka
loved it all, and he loved the first kites that returned with the dry season, and the
children who sang songs of welcome to them. He would remember his own childhood,
how he had often wandered around looking for a kite sailing leisurely against the blue
sky. As soon as he found one he would sing with his whole being, welcoming it back
from its long, long journey, and asking it if it had brought home any lengths of cloth.
That was years ago, when he was young. Unoka, the grown-up, was a failure.
He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat. People laughed at
him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any more money
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because he never paid back. But Unoka was such a man that he always succeeded in
borrowing more, and piling up his debts.
One day a neighbor called Okoye came in to see him. He was reclining on a
mud bed in his hut playing on the flute. He immediately rose and shook hands with
Okoye, who then unrolled the goatskin which he carried under his arm, and sat down.
Unoka went into an inner room and soon returned with a small wooden disc
containing a kola nut, some alligator pepper and a lump of white chalk.
"I have kola," he announced when he sat down, and passed the disc over to his
guest.
"Thank you. He who brings kola brings life. But I think you ought to break it,"
replied Okoye, passing back the disc.
"No, it is for you, I think," and they argued like this for a few moments before
Unoka accepted the honor of breaking the kola. Okoye, meanwhile, took the lump of
chalk, drew some lines on the floor, and then painted his big toe.
As he broke the kola, Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and
for protection against their enemies. When they had eaten they talked about many
things: about the heavy rains which were drowning the yams, about the next ancestral
feast and about the impending war with the village of Mbaino. Unoka was never happy
when it came to wars. He was in fact a coward and could not bear the sight of blood.
And so he changed the subject and talked about music, and his face beamed. He could
hear in his mind's ear the blood-stirring and intricate rhythms of the ekwe and the
udu and the ogene, and he could hear his own flute weaving in and out of them,
decorating them with a colorful and plaintive tune. The total effect was gay and brisk,
but if one picked out the flute as it went up and down and then broke up into short
snatches, one saw that there was sorrow and grief there.
Okoye was also a musician. He played on the ogene. But he was not a failure
like Unoka. He had a large barn full of yams and he had three wives. And now he was
going to take the Idemili title, the third highest in the land. It was a very expensive
ceremony and he was gathering all his resources together. That was in fact the reason
why he had come to see Unoka. He cleared his throat and began:
"Thank you for the kola. You may have heard of the title I intend to take
shortly."
Having spoken plainly so far, Okoye said the next half a dozen sentences in
proverbs. Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs
are the palm-oil with which words are eaten. Okoye was a great talker and he spoke
for a long time, skirting round the subject and then hitting it finally. In short, he was
asking Unoka to return the two hundred cowries he had borrowed from him more
than two years before. As soon as Unoka understood what his friend was driving at,
he burst out laughing. He laughed loud and long and his voice rang out clear as the
ogene, and tears stood in his eyes. His visitor was amazed, and sat speechless. At the
end, Unoka was able to give an answer between fresh outbursts of mirth.
"Look at that wall," he said, pointing at the far wall of his hut, which was rubbed
with red earth so that it shone. "Look at those lines of chalk;" and Okoye saw groups
of short perpendicular lines drawn in chalk. There were five groups, and the smallest
group had ten lines. Unoka had a sense of the dramatic and so he allowed a pause,
in which he took a pinch of snuff and sneezed noisily, and then he continued: "Each
group there represents a debt to someone, and each stroke is one hundred cowries.
You see, I owe that man a thousand cowries. But he has not come to wake me up in
the morning for it. I shall pay, you, but not today. Our elders say that the sun will
shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them. I shall pay
my big debts first." And he took another pinch of snuff, as if that was paying the big
debts first. Okoye rolled his goatskin and departed.
When Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt. Any
wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed of him? Fortunately, among these
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 people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his
father. Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was still young but he had
won fame as the greatest wrestler in the nine villages. He was a wealthy farmer and
had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife. To crown it all he had
taken two titles and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars. And so
although Okonkwo was still young, he was already one of the greatest men of his time.
Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said,
if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings. Okonkwo had clearly washed his
hands and so he ate with kings and elders. And that was how he came to look after
the doomed lad who was sacrificed to the village of Umuofia by their neighbors to avoid
war and bloodshed. The ill-fated lad was called Ikemefuna.
Source: Achebe, Chinua (1994). Things Fall Apart. Retrieved July 25, 2020 from
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/565351/things-fall-apart-by-
chinuaachebe/9780385667838/excerpt

▪ Wole Soyinka – is known to be Africa’s most famous and versatile playwright which
earned him a Nobel prize for literature in 1986. He “merged Western plot structure
with Yoruba characters and themes, symbolism and irony, and traditional
European forms with African mime, dance, and music.

European Literature
European literature, also known as Western Literature, is the largest body of
literature in the world. It includes literature in the Indo-European languages such as
Latin, Greek, Romance languages and Russian.

Latin Literature
A. Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BCE – 43 BCE) was the greatest Roman orator. Using
Latin as a literary medium, he was able to express abstract and complicated
thoughts clearly in his speeches. One of his well- known speeches is Pro Cluentio.
B. Virgil (70BCE – 19 BCE), the greatest Roman poet, known for Aeneid, an epic
poem. Aeneas, the protagonist went on a journey to search for the land he was
destined to build which will one day become the great Roman Empire.

Greek Literature
A. Homer is known for the Iliad and the Odyssey. These epics are the heroic
achievements of Achilles and Odysseus, respectively.
B. Sophocles (496 BC – 406 BC) was a tragic playwright known for Oedipus the
King, which marks the highest level of achievement of Greek drama.

Italian Literature
A. Francesco Petrarch (1304 -1374) perfected the Italian sonnet, a major influence
in European poetry. Written in the vernacular, his sonnets were published in the
Canzoniere.
B. Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 – 1375) is known for Decameron, a classic Italian
masterpiece, written in the vernacular.

Spanish Literature
Two well-known Spanish writers of Siglo de Oro (1500 – 1681) are Miguel de
Cervantes and Lope de Vega
A. Miguel de Cervantes was known for his novel Don Quixote, one of the most widely
read works of Western Literature. Its titular character’s name is the origin of the
word quixotic meaning hopeful or romantic in a way that it is not practical.

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 B. Lope de Vega, an outstanding dramatist, wrote as many as 1800 plays during his
lifetime, including cloak and sword drama, which are plays of the upper middle-
class manners and intrigue.

French Literature
A. Gustave Flaubert – a novelist, was a major influence on the realist school. His
masterpiece, Madame Bovary (1857), marked the beginning of a new age of
realism.
B. Guy de Maupassant – is considered as the greatest French short story writer. A
naturalist, he wrote objective stories which represent a real “slice of life.” He was
known for his short story, “The Necklace.”

Russian Literature
A. Leo Tolstoy is known for his novels of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, and
his short story, God Sees the Truth but Waits. A master of realistic fiction, he is
considered as one of the world’s greatest novelist.
B. Anton Chekov is a master of the modern short story and a Russian playwright.
His works such as The Bet and The Misfortune reveal his clinical approach to
ordinary life.
English Literature refers to the body of written works produced in the English language
by inhabitants of British Isles and Ireland from the 7 th century to the present day.
A. Beowulf is an epic poetry that tells the story of the hero Beowulf who saved the
Danes from the monster and his mother. Later on, he succeeded the kingship
back in their kingdom and died protecting his people from the firebreathing
dragon.
B. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a novel that compiles the stories of
pilgrims, which consisted of people from all walks of life – knight, prioress, monk,
merchant, man of law, franklin, scholarly clerk, miller, reeve, pardoner, wife of
Bath, and many others. The story depicted a common practice in the Medieval
era where pilgrimages are done for religious purposes, while at the same time
benefitting a vacation.
C. William Shakespeare (Bard of Avon) is considered as the English national poet
and the greatest dramatists of all time. He published at least 154 sonnets, a
poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in
English typically having ten syllables per line (Oxford dictionary). Among his
many famous tragedies are Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, King
Lear, and Othello. And his comedies include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The
Twelfth Night, The Tempest, and the Taming of the Shrew, and more.
D. How Do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barret Browning is one of the most quoted
English love poem. It is usually interpreted to be dedicated to her husband Robert
Browning.
How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My
soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the
ends of being and ideal grace.

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 I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I
shall but love thee better after death.

Latin American Literature

Latin American literature refers to all works of literature in Latin American
culture like Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Colombia and Peru.
THE VANGUARDIA
The Vanguardia (avant-garde) took place in Latin America between approximately
1916 and 1935. It collectively referred to different literary movements. Four of those
were the following:
A. Creacionismo – founded by Vicente Huidebro, a Chilean poet
B. Ultraismo- introduced by Jorge Luis Borges, an Argentinian writer
C. Estredintismo – founded in Mexico City by Manuel Maples Acre, a Mexican writer
D. Surrealism – started in Argentina when the Argentenian poet Aldo Pellegrini
launched the first Surrealist magazine
SURREALISM, an art form that combines unrelated images or events in a very strange
and dreamlike way, became a major influence in Latin American Literature throughout
the 20th century
A. Pablo Neruda – a Chilean poet wrote Residence on Earth, a collection of poetry
inspired by surrealism
B. Octavio Paz – a Mexican poet, wrote poems with surrealist imagery. His major
works were published in Freedom Under Parole
C. Jorge Luis Borges – was known for his fantastic stories, published later as a
collection entitled Ficciones
D. Alejo Carpentier – a Cuban writer, wrote The Kingdom of This World, a novel of
the magic realism genre, in which elements of fantasy or myth are included
matter-of-factly in seemingly realistic fiction.
E. Miguel Angel Asturias – a Guatemalan writer, wrote the novel The President.
This novel along with Carpentier’s novel introduced magic realism
BOOM NOVELS
These were essentially modernist novels, which appeared in the second half of
the 20th century. They had features that were different or absent from the works of the
regionalist writers of the past. (Regionalist writers were those that used local color,
which refers to interesting information about a particular place or its people).
• The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes, a Mexican writer
• Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar, an Argentine fictionist
• The Time of the Hero by Mario Vargas Llosa, a Peruvian writer
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Colombian
fictionist
POST-BOOM
These writers included a host of women who published works in the last twenty
years of the 20th century. Three of them were Isabel Allende, a Chilean writer who
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LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3
wrote The House of Spirits; Diamella Eltit, a Chilean writer who wrote E. Luminata;
and Luisa Valenzuela, an Argentinian writer who wrote Black Novel with Argentines.

North American Literature

American literature is a rich body of literature. It refers to all works of literature
in English published in the United States, which has produced
many great writers through the centuries.

19th Century
A. Edgar Allan Poe became famous for his macabre stories like “The Fall of the
House of Usher” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” He also wrote poems such as
Annabel Lee and Raven which both gained instant fame.
B. Nathaniel Hawthorne became known for his symbolical tales “The Hollow of the
Three Hills” and Young Goodman Brown. Also, he wrote the gothic romance The
Scarlet Letter.
C. Emily Dickinson wrote odd poems. She mostly used the imperfect rhyme and
avoided regular rhythms. A collection of her poems, Poems by Emily Dickinson
came out in 1890.

20th Century
A. Robert Frost wrote poems with traditional stanzas and a blank verse, a verse in
iambic pentameter with no rhyme. His poems portray ordinary people in everyday
situations like Mending Wall, The Road Not Taken, and After ApplePicking.
B. Harper Lee published his enormously popular novel To Kill a Mockingbird in
1960. It’s a story of a girl was awakened to the issue of prejudice and racism. The
protagonist learned from her father not to kill a mockingbird alluding to the fact
that they are innocent and harmless. This novel has already been translated to
40 languages.
C. Ezra Pound was a leader of the Imagists, who emphasized the use of direct and
sparse language and precise images in writing poetry. His works include Ripostes
(1912) and Lustra (1916).
D. Anne Sexton became known for her confessional poetry, a kind of poetry that
deals with the private experiences of the speaker. Her work, Live or Die (1966)
won a Pulitzer prize. Wanting to Die is an example of a confessional poetry.

Wanting to Die
(An Excerpt)
Anne Sexton

Since you may ask, most days I cannot remember

I walk in my clothing, unmarked by that voyage
Then the almost unnameable lust returns

Even then I have nothing against life

I know well the grass blades you mention,
The furniture you have placed under the sun

But suicides have a special language

Like carpenters they want to know which tools
They never ask why build
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LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3
 Explore

Activity: TO WHERE THEY BELONG!

Instructions: There’s an overload of words. Arrange them according to the region they
belong. Use a separate sheet of paper for your answers.

Basho All Men are JK Rowling James Mbotela Stopping by Woods on

Brothers Snowy Evening
Iliad Li Bai Amos Tutuola The Necklace Leo Tolstoy

The Tale of Pro Cluentio Francesco Chinua Achebe Decameron

Genji Petrarch
Freedom for Jose Gabriel Aeneid “I” novel
the slaves Craveirinha Garcia
Marquez
The Raven Pablo Romeo and Avant-garde Water Margin
Neruda Juliet

God Sees the Wole Don Quixote The Kingdom of Sonnet 18 (Shall I
Truth but Soyinka This World Compare
Waits Thee)

House of The Onitsha Panchatantra Oedipus the King

Spirits President novels

100 Years of The Izu Beowulf The Taximan’s Things Fall Apart
Solitude Dancer Story

Surrealism Haruki Negritude Siglo de Oro How Do I Love Thee

Murakami

AFRICA ASIA EUROPE NORTH LATIN

AMERICA AMERICA

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LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3
 Deepen

Activity: BRANCH OUT

Instructions: Summarize the representative texts and authors from world literature
using the graphic organizer below. From each region, identify three (3) representative
authors and three (3) representative literary texts.

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LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3
 Gauge

Instructions: Read each item carefully. Write the letter of your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.

1. Which of the following countries did NOT directly influence earliest Asian literature?
A. Arabia B. China C. India D. Japan
2. Which among the Four Great Classic Novels of China was read both as a fairytale
and a hand guide for strategies?
A. The Novel of the Three Kingdoms B. Dream of the Red Chamber
C. Journey to the West D. Water Margin
3. What Japanese literary piece features the conquest and romance of the ideal man of
Lady Murasaki Shikbu?
A. Izu Dancer B. Qu Poem C. The Pillow Book D. The Tale of Genji
4. Who was Japan’s first recipient of Nobel Prize for Literature because of his mastery
of psychological fiction?
A. Matsuo Basho B. Murasaki Shikibu
C. Sei Shonagon D. Yasunari Kawabata
5. What is the original African title of Freedom of the Slaves by James Mbotela?
A. Igbo Olodumare B. Moeti oa Bochabela
C. Panchatantra D. Uhuru wa Watumawa
6. What term refers to a collection of non-religious poems which grew from on the spot
poetry contest where participants have to keep on adding two lines with the same
rhyme and rhythm?
A. Ifa B. Negritude C. Onitsha D. Shairi
7. Who was recognized by New York Times as the African literary giant?
A. Chinua Achebe B. Nadine Gordimer
C. Wole Soyinka D. All of the choices
8. Which of the following does NOT describe Okonkwo’s father, Unoka?
A. Lover of wine and merry making B. Man without dreams
C. Responsible father and chief D. Died with debts
9. Who was the Greek tragic playwright whose masterpiece was about a man
destined to kill his father and marry his mother?
A. Boccaccio B. Homer C. Petrarch D. Sophocles
10. What term from the Spanish literary heritage means “hopeful or romantic in an
impractical way?”
A. Antagonistic B. Decameron C. Estredentistic D. Quixotic
11. Which of the following is not a Shakespearean tragedy?
A. King Lear B. Macbeth C. Othello D. Twelfth Night
12. Which European novel features stories within a story?
A. Canterbury Tales B. Canzoniere
C. Decameron D. Pro Cluentio
13. What North American novel features the unveiling of a girl’s awareness of racism
and prejudice?
A. Mending Wall C. To Kill a Mocking Bird
B. Catcher in the Rye D. The Hollow of Three Hills

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LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3
 14. Which of the following American poets was known for confessional poetry?
A. Anne Sexton B. Emily Dickinson C. Ezra Pound D. Harper Lee
15. Who led Imagism or the use of direct sparse language and precise images in poetry?
A. Anne Sexton B. Emily Dickinson C. Ezra Pound D. Harper Lee
16. What movement in Latin America promoted storytelling of fantasy or myth in a
matter-of-factly manner, to make it appear true to life?
A. Avant-garde B. Boom C. Surrealism D. Ultraism
17. Which literary work drew interest in the rise and fall of the fictional city of Macondo
along with its builders, the Buendias?
A. One Hundred Years of Solitude B. The Time of the Hero
C. The Death of Artemio Cruz D. Hopscotch
18. Who is the South American counterpart of Shakespeare as a poet?
A. Alejo Carpentier B. Jorge Borges C. Octavio Paz D. Pablo Neruda

For number 19:

God Sees The Truth But Waits (An Excerpt)
Leo Tolstoy

In the town of Vladimir lived a young merchant named Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov.
He had two shops and a house of his own. Aksionov was a handsome, fair-haired,
curly-headed fellow, full of fun, and very fond of singing. When quite a young man he
had been given to drink, and was riotous when he had had too much; but after he
married, he gave up on drinking, except now and then.
One summer Aksionov was going to the Nizhny Fair, and as he bade goodbye to
his family, his wife said to him, “Ivan Dmitrich, do not start today. I have had a bad
dream about you.”
Aksionov laughed and said, “You are afraid that when I get to the fair I shall go
on a spree.”
His wife replied: “I do not know what I am afraid of; all I know is that I had a bad
dream. I dreamt you returned from the town, and when you took off your cap I saw
your hair was quite grey.”
Aksionov laughed. “That’s a lucky sign,” said he. “See if I don’t sell out all my goods,
and bring you some presents from the fair.” So he said goodbye to his family and drove
away.

19. Suppose you read later on that Aksionov will be jailed for a crime he did not
commit, what do you think is the specific purpose of the wife’s dream in the
story?
A. To send signal to the readers a shift in the tone
B. To suggest that something bad would happen
C. To provide clues about the story progression
D. To point out development in the character

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LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3
For item 20:
The Necklace (An Excerpt)
Guy De Maupassant

She was one of those pretty and charming girls born, as though fate had
blundered over her, into a family of artisans. She had no marriage portion, no
expectations, no means of getting known, understood, loved, and wedded by a man of
wealth and distinction; and she left herself be married off to a little clerk in the
Ministry of Education. Her tastes were simple because she had never been able to
afford any other, but she was as unhappy as though she had married beneath her;
for women have no caste or class, their beauty, grace and charm serving them for
birth or family, their natural delicacy, their instinctive elegance, their nimbleness of
wit, are their only mark or rank, and put the slum girl on a level with the highest lady
in the land.

20. Based on the given text, which of the following statements about the woman can be
inferred from the passage?
A. She was an ordinary woman B. She was a patient person
C. She was an uncontented fellow D. She was a good wife

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LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3
LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3
17
Jumpstart
1. B 2. A 3. E 4. D 5. B 6. C
Explore
AFRICA ASIA EUROPE NORTH LATIN
AMERICA AMERICA
James Basho JK Rowling Stopping by Gabriel
Mbotela Woods on Garcia
All Men are Iliad
Snowy Marquez
Amos Tutuola Brothers
The Necklace Evening
Chinua Li Bai Pablo
Leo Tolstoy The Raven Neruda
Achebe
The Tale of
Pro Cluentio Avant-garde
Freedom from Genji
the slaves Francesco Petrarch House of
“I” novel
Decameron Spirits
Jose
Water margin
Craveirinha The
Aeneid
The Kingdom President
Wole Soyinka
of this World Romeo and Juliet
100 Years of
Onitsha novels God Sees the
Panchatantra Solitude
Truth but Waits
Things Fall
The Izu Surrealism
Apart Don Quixote
Dancer
Siglo de Or
Negritude Sonnet 18
The
Taximan’s Oedipus the King
Story
Beowulf
Haruki
How do I Love Thee
Murakami
DEEPEN
Answers may vary
GAUGE
1. A 6. D 11. D 16. C
2. B 7. A 12. A 17. B
3. D 8. C 13. D 18. D
4. D 9. D 14. A 19. D
5. D 10. D 15. C 20. C
Answer Key
 References

Achebe, Chinua (1994). Things Fall Apart. Retrieved July 25, 2020 from
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/565351/things-fall-apart-by-
chinuaachebe/9780385667838/excerpt
Brucker, C. (1992). In the survey of world literature: Chinua Achebe. Retrieved July
23, 2020 at https://faculty.atu.edu/cbrucker/Achebe.html
Buzelli, D. (2019). Four of the Best Chinese Novels You Must Discover. Retrieved
July 24, 2020 at https://ltl-school.com/chinese-novels/
Johnston, R (n.d.) A Brief Introduction to Japanese Literature. Retrieved July 25,
2020 from:
www.academia.edu/5491195/A_Brief_Introduction_to_Japanese_Literature
Mendoza, PA & Silva, M. (2016) 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the
World. St. Andrew’s Publishing House: Plaridel, Bulacan.
Mutter, R.P. (2020). English literature. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 24,
2020 at https://www.britannica.com/art/English-literature/The-Old-Englishperiod
Olson, Grant A (nd). Southeast Asian Literature. The Lincoln Library of Essential
Information. Retrieved July 24, 2020 at from
www.niu.edu/clas/cseas/_pdf/lesson-plans/sea-literature-olson.pdf

Smith, V. (n.d). African Literature. Retrieved July 23, 2020 from

https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/African-literature/272747

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For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – SDO La Union

Curriculum Implementation Division
Learning Resource Management Section
Flores St. Catbangen, San Fernando City La Union 2500
Telephone: (072) 607 - 8127
Telefax: (072) 205 - 0046
Email Address:
launion@deped.gov.ph
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LU_21st Century from the Philippines and the World_Module 3