ABOUT THIS MODULE

This Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) are prepared in response to the Distance Learning
and Blended Learning Approach of Our Lady of Lourdes College. Distribution of this booklet in
any means without authorization from the editor and administrators is highly prohibited.
This modular booklet contains topics for 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and
the World. For the first semester, literature from the Philippines is the main focus. The students
will be able to understand and appreciate the literary past and present of our country with varying
regional contexts and themes through a critical and close interpretation of the texts which will
then yield to a deeper perspective of our culture, society and its technological advances whether
in isolated or integrated view.
To properly guide the learners of how to use this module, here is a breakdown of the parts
of each module:

 Title: The title of each module easily describes the content of each module.
 Introduction: This give a short overview of the content of the module.
 Objectives: This part lists downs the competencies to be developed and achieved
by the learner in each module.
 Key Words and Concepts: This part provides words and concepts that are
reoccurring and significant in the module.
 Before You Begin: This part is a pre-assessment activity to refresh or recall
previous ideas that are related to the topic of the module.
 Language Lobby: This part provides exercises that can enhance the vocabulary
of
the learner.
 Dashboard: This part exposes the necessary information for each lesson. Each
module may contain several lessons that falls under the content
theme.
 Let’s Squeeze You Up: This part is an assessment activity that measures the
learners’ knowledge and comprehension capacity.
 Because Reading is Fundamental: This part provides a literary text that is
relevant to the topic.
 Note on Lit: This part is an assessment activity that measure the comprehension
and evaluation capacity of the learner relevant to the literary text.
 Work on It: This part is the final assessment activity of the module.
 Remember: This part summarizes the topic of the module.
 In Case You Want More: This part provides books, literature, articles and
relevant to the topic which can enhance the learner’s understanding of the topic.
 References: This part list downs the references used in the module.

This module is design as such to target different competencies necessary in increasing

the learner’s literary appreciation and critical understanding. Some parts may or may not be
present in some topics.

MODULE 5. REPRESENTATION

In the previous sections of this course subject, you witnessed how different context help
the Filipino writers deliver to the readers their understanding of the human condition and human
societies. In them, we get to see how struggles of society is retold.

In this chapter, we will immerse ourselves with the themes that are in need of
representation specifically the women and the LGBTQIA+ community.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the learning experience, the learners are expected to:

 acquire different vocabulary words by using the dictionary;

 understand and appreciate the need for representation and stories involving
gender;
 write a close analysis and critical interpretation of literary texts;
 discuss amongst peers the different injustices experienced by women and the
LGBTQIA+ especially now; and
 produce a creative representation of a literary text by applying multimedia and
ICT skills.
KEY WORDS AND CONCEPTS

representation, queer stories, feminism, poetry, short film, gynocentrism, identity, Joi
Barrios,

In the mainstream media, the following stories have been emerging lately. Stories about
same-sex relationship and gay and women struggles have been the themes of movies and series
we watch. What are your thoughts on these? Do you think this is relevant?
Defining Words Using the Dictionary

Using a dictionary, find the meaning of the underlined words in each sentence.

______________1. The distinction between "masculine" and "feminine" activities and behavior
is

constantly changing.

______________2. Kinatatakutan ko ang pag-iisa.

______________3. Gender studies asks what it means to make gender salient.

______________4. Scholar and transgender activist Miqqi Alicia Gilbert considers the
production

and maintenance of the gender binary.

______________5. Is gender purely a social construct?

______________6. Solidarity doesn’t have to mean sameness; collective action can emerge from

difference.

______________7. It aims to disrupt universal categories of and claims about identity.

______________8. Hindi ko tiyak ang bukas na laging nakakawing sa mga lalaki ng aking
buhay.

Womanhood and Queer Representation in Literature

Literature for the most part is not only a reflection of reality; it has the power of reality.
As the Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa (2007) puts it, “literature of the food for the
rebellious spirit” (para. 19). However, as much as we want to tell every story there is to account
for our personal histories, there are voices and stories that are mainly left unheard and unwritten.
This problem is what the following topics is trying to address.
Feminism
One of the major movements that transformed many disciplines, including writing,
literature, philosophy, and the arts, is feminism. Today, it is widely recognized as a paradigm of
its own. One must remember though, that he/she should not mistake feminism for female
supremacy and misandry (a hatred of men).

Feminism Defined
The definition of feminism has changed over time and it is safe to say that feminists
actually vary amongst themselves in terms of their views and opinions on certain matters. It is
important to go over some fundamental facts and terms regarding feminism if one will try to
view a work through a feminist lens.
Feminism, as a discipline, has not yet found the full recognition it deserves. For one,
there are scholars who simply reduce it to an appeal of women to be honorary men, denying
feminism the legitimacy of other hard-core disciplines (which are, for the most part, dominated
by men).
The Case for the Philippines
In the Philippines, there are certain claims that feminism is already irrelevant because
gender equality is no longer an issue. After all, our country is one of the few countries that have
already produced two female presidents to date. How about you, do you still think that women in
the Philippines still need to fight for their rights and proper recognition? If you think that the
struggle is still relevant mainly because women are prone to abuse or maltreatment because of
physical factors or inadequacy of legislative protection, then the answer is yes.
Feminism as a Discipline
Feminists often present the discipline in terms of waves. The more widely accepted view
is that it has two waves. In this lesson, however, we will briefly touch on three waves. Most of
the materials you will be reading here came from Dela Cruz (2008). Culler (2011), and Sarza
(2008).
First Wave: A Longing for Equality
Dela Cruz (2008) maintains that the greatest achievement of the first wave is
championing the rights of women to suffrage in America and Europe. Basically, the central
theme of the first wave is the struggle for equality-equal rights and opportunities.
Mary Wollstonecraft was the leading figure in the first wave of feminism. Her project
started with exposing the politics behind discourse about women written by men. In other words,
women did not have a voice of their own to articulate what they are and what they can be. For a
long time, women were socially inexistent-not allowed to possess their own property, to cast
their votes. to enter universities; "no voice" whatsoever.
Wollstonecraft's monumental work, titled A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792),
appealed for equal education which served as the key for producing women who were equal with
men. She also critiqued the double standard posited and perpetuated by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's
Emile, which revolved on the unfair circumstances of education of Emile (boy) and Sophie (girl).
Wollstonecraft (1792) also questioned the characteristics traditionally ascribed to the
female sex-craftiness, vanity, and hypocrisy (Dela Cruz, 2008). She posited that these were
mainly products of confining women to the domestic sphere.
But the strength of Wollstonecraft's project had two prongs: it deconstructed the false
dichotomies and hierarchies, making a case for the equality of all and it posited that any logical
being--male or female--would come up to the conclusion that it is imperative for women to be
equally educated as men and to become thinking citizens themselves for they will ultimately be
the ones responsible for the upbringing of their children who will later on determine the future of
a society.
Note to the reader
Today, John Stuart Mill's concept of liberty is considered by many democracies around
the world as guiding principle. He advocated a liberty for all, a liberty that does not discriminate
gender, race, economic status, and the like. His philosophy respects the diverse way through
which people seek their happiness.
Second Wave: Celebrating the Woman (Sex vs. Gender)
Simone de Beauvoir, an existentialist philosopher and writer, was the leading figure of
the second wave of feminism. In 1949, she published The Second Sex which went back to the
discourses (e.g., biology, history, literature) that gave birth to the image of a woman. Remember
that though women's movements already championed women's access to opportunities
previously exclusive to men, femininity was still treated as inferior. We shall see later on that
this thought is insidious both for women and men.
Beauvoir examined how woman is the "Other" through the socio-historic process of
establishing the identity of the man's "Self." It is fair to say that Beauvoir's theory is actually an
appropriation or a deeper application of Georg Hegel's master-slave relationship. In Hegelian
philosophy, the desire of the Self (master) to dominate is instinctive. The Self is always in
pursuit of establishing its identity by annihilating, killing, or subverting the Other (slave). In the
process of establishing the Self, however, it realizes that its identity is actually dependent on the
other since the difference between them is what establishes the domination to begin with.
Note to the reader
Beauvoir herself would always fall victim to many prejudiced readers every time it is
assumed that her theory is an appropriation of Jean-Paul Sartre's theory of the Self and other. The
truth is that Beauvoir examined subjectivity vs. inter-subjectivity way before Sartre.
Chronologically speaking. it is but logical to conclude that it was actually Beauvoir who
influenced Sartre and not the other way around. The error often stems from failing to recognize
that even before Beauvoir and Sartre established their theories, Hegel had already theorized the
master-slave relationship.
Second-wave feminists picked up from Beauvoir to promote gynocentrism, which is all
about the woman being equal to man in terms of rights and opportunities without her being
forced to be like a man. Cognizant of how women were sidelined in many disciplines (eg,
history, humanities, literature, biology) and how attributes of femininity were debased,
gynocentrists turned the male- dominated discourse against its head and promoted femininity.
Gynocentrism enabled the marginalized women to write back and question principles that
claimed to be universal but were actually excluding the realities about women.
Gynocentrism is a celebration of womanhood.
Third Wave: Being a Woman of One's Own
The third wave of feminism is basically echoed by the thinking of Judith Butler and her
seminal work Gender Trouble (1990). Butler actually started as a Hegelian philosopher who
would also apply her methods on literature. At the peak of the women's movement in the U.S.,
she was asked by some feminists to ally herself with them.
Butler re-evaluated the claims of the second wave movement and asked, "Who says that
these are the attributes of femininity to begin with?" In a world where there were movements for
the recognition of female identity, Butler went back to the more basic question: What is identity?
Is identity pre-made or is it actually something that is constructed over a period of time through a
socio- cultural process of repeating certain acts?
Butler is not always recognized as the third wave of feminism not because she questions
even the second waves, but because her theory actually goes beyond gender.

An Introduction to Queer Theory and Narratives

Queer theory’s origin is hard to clearly define, since it came from multiple critical and
cultural contexts, including feminism, post-structuralist theory, radical movements of people of
color, the gay and lesbian movements, AIDS activism, many sexual subcultural practices such as
sadomasochism, and postcolonialism.
Although queer theory had its beginnings in the educational sphere, the cultural events
surrounding its origin also had a huge impact. Activist groups pushed back in the 1980's against
the lack of government intervention after the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic. Gay activist groups
like ACT-UP and Queer Nation took the lead to force attention to both the AIDS epidemic and
the gay and lesbian community as a whole. These groups helped define the field with the work
they did by highlighting a non-normative option to the more traditional identity politics and
marginal group creations.
Queer theory as an academic tool came about in part from gender and sexuality studies
that in turn had their origins from lesbians and gay studies and feminist theory. It is a much
newer theory, in that it was established in the 1990s, and contests many of the set ideas of the
more established fields it comes from by challenging the notion of defined and finite identity
categories, as well as the norms that create a binary of good versus bad sexualities. Queer
theorists’ contention is that there is no set normal, only changing norms that people may or may
not fit into, making queer theorists’ main challenge to disrupt binaries in hopes that this will
destroy difference as well as inequality.
The Need for Representation
On Feminism
K. Floss and C. Griffin in their book Feminist Rhetorical Theories point that feminism is
an important perspective for at least it validates values and experiences often associated with
women. Some of our most meaningful experiences have involved women, and feminism
celebrates and honors such experiences [11].
Feminism is also important because it gives voice to individuals marginalized and
devalued by the dominant culture and thus provides a more holistic understanding of the world.
Feminism takes seriously not only the experiences associated with women but also those of all
marginalized groups, whether people of color, people with disabilities, lesbians and gay men, or
any other group that is not featured in the dominant culture. Feminism takes seriously their
perspectives and suggests that these perspectives are as valuable as those that characterize the
dominant culture. The result is a greater repertoire of options for living and communicating to all
individuals.
Furthermore, feminism is important because it is believed to establish and legitimize a
value system that privileges mutuality, respect, caring, power-with, interconnection, and
immanent value. These values stand in direct contrast to those that characterize the dominant
culture- hierarchy, competition, domination, alienation, and power-over, for example. Feminism
therefore, offers a model for different ways of living in the world.

On Queer Narratives
Other significant features of this collection of queer literature, and we argue queer
literature more broadly, is the disruption of norms related to sexuality and gender as well as
those related to families and homes. These books disrupt norms related to sexuality and gender
by evading gender identification and thus calling into question sexual identification
Examining texts for different conceptualizations of sexual and gender identities might
invite students and teachers to interrogate assumed notions of identities as essential or even
developmental. This might free a student who has been tagged as a fag or a dyke, even for years,
of the burden of homophobia, even if only in his or her English language arts class. It might also
liberate a student who has always understood himself or herself, and has always been understood
by others, as straight, but who is struggling with a confusing attraction to a same-gender peer. In
other words, exploring possibilities of sexual and gender identities that are multiple, variable,
and fluid might alleviate some of the pressure of being or becoming someone who is socially
acceptable and soothe the anxieties associated with being or becoming someone who is not.
Studying texts for disruptions of sexuality and gender norms provides students with a
wider array of ways of being in the world. This might mean reflecting on the options of being a
girl who engages in some behaviors typically associated with boys, like playing football; being a
girl who sometimes performs boyhood, perhaps through her dress; or being a boy who was
assigned the sex of female when he was born. This full range of options calls into question the
notion of there being any particular, right, gendered way of being in the world.

Titles and Authors

1. Aura: The Gay Theme in Philippine Fiction in English
This anthology is the aggregate version of the famous Ladlad series that opened up
LGBT+ narratives and works in local literature since the 90's. Featuring fiction, poetry,
and essays, Aura is a fun and enlightening read for those who are looking for stories
about the trials and triumphs of being queer in Philippine society.

2. Riverrun by Danton Remoto

This novel follows the coming-of-age story of a young gay man during a dictatorship.
Balancing the troubles of big-picture politics and intrapersonal anxieties, this memoir is
filled with vignettes, poetry, flash fiction, and other fun literary forms that all-in-all create
a fun and touching read.

3. “Sa Ngalan ng Ina/In the Name of the Mother: 100 Years of Feminist Poetry”
This book was edited by poet Lilia Quindoza-Santiago. “It is the first collection of
Philippine poetry by women of this scale and magnitude, beginning in 1889 up to the
country's centennial celebration,” says Faye Cura. “Containing scholarly texts on the
women's movement and feminist poetry, it exposes women's participation in the grand
project or ideal of ‘nation-building’ or ‘writing the nation.’ Super cool too because it
unequivocally declares itself as a feminist collection.”

4. “Centennial Crossings: Readings on Babaylan Feminism in the Philippines”

While there is a scarcity of recorded historical data on pre-colonial Philippines, there
have been pieces of literature that reveal the central role women play during this era. A
significant icon of pre-colonial Philippines is the babaylan, a healer or shaman who is
usually a woman. In the book “Centennial Crossings: Readings on Babaylan Feminism in
the Philippines,” the editors Fe Mangahas and Jenny Llaguno shine a light on how
babaylanism is the inherent source of a Filipina’s strength and that babaylanism may
perhaps be the forebearer of the women’s movement in the country.

5. LIGAW-TINGIN: Kalipunang Komix ng Pagmamahalang Marilag

Among the seven full-color komix in the collection are stories about lesbian schoolgirls,
lesbian grandmothers, and other ordinary lesbians in urban and mythical spaces. Created
by queer women komix artists, it is the first anthology of its kind to be published in the
Philippines.

I. Essay.
1. Name a Filipino story, book, poem, movie or TV series that tackles the issues of
gender specifically about women and queer community. What makes this story
important? Do you think it was able to translate to the readers/viewers its message
with regards to their theme?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What can you say about the emergence of the Boys Love stories? (i.e. Boys'
Lockdown, Gameboys, Gaya Sa Pelikula, Hello Stranger)

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. There are certain claims that feminism is already irrelevant because gender
equality is no longer an issue. Do you agree on this? Why or why not?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Joi Barrios is a Filipina poet and activist. She writes Tagalog poetry (the primary language in
the Philippines). To give an idea of the importance of her work, Virgilio Almario, one of the best
recognized literary critics and a scholar of Filipino poetry, has stated that there are only four
recognizable women poets in Philippine literature. Joi is one of them.

In writing about her work, Joi "touch(es) on topics closest to my heart--the love of country,
women's issues, history. With these poems, I reaffirm my commitment to the national democratic
revolution" (translated from the introduction of her book, Minatamis at Iba Pang Tula ng Pag-
ibig - Sweetened Fruit and Other Love Poems).

Below is a poem from Joi Barrios. Read how he describes what it is like being a woman.

Ang Pagiging Babae ay Pamumuhay sa Panahon ng Digma

ni Joi Barrios

Ang pagiging babae

ay pamumuhay

sa panahon ng digma

Kapiling ko sa aking paglaki

ang pangamba

hindi ko tiyak ang bukas na laging nakakawing

sa mga lalaki ng aking buhay;

ama, kapatid,

asawa, anak.

Kinatatakutan ko ang pag-iisa.

Sa pagiging ina,
kaharap ko'y tagsalat.

Pagkat ang lupit ng digmaan

ay hindi lamang paggulong ng mga ulo

pagguhit ng espada,

kundi unti-unting pagkaubos

ng pagkain sa hapag.

ay, paano magpapasuso ng bunso

habang naghahanap ng maisusubo sa panganay?

Walang sandaling walang panganib.

Sa lansangan,

ang paglakad sa gabi'y

pagtukso sa kapahamakan.

Sa sariling tahanan,

ang pagsagot at pagsuwa'y

ay pag-aanyaya ng karahasan.

Kaytagal kong pinag-aralan

ang puno't dulo

nitong digmaan.

Sa huli'y naunawaan kong

ang pagiging babae

ay walang katapusang pakikibaka

para mabuhay at maging malaya.

As your activity, answer the following questions to help you understand how Jai Barrios
transcend the essence of womanhood in her poem.

1. How did the poet examine womanhood? Cite lines that will justify your notion.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. How is the poem told? What is the language used? Did this affect the theme of the poem?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. What are the gender roles stated in the poem with regards to mother/woman?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. What line/lines made the poem a subject to a feminist lens? How did the poet deliver this
message?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

The following are excerpts from the comics of Emiliana Kampilan “Dead Balagtas: Mga
Sayaw ng Dagat at Lupa Tomo 1”. It was awarded as 2018 National Book Award—Best Graphic
Literature & Best Book Design.
The excerpt shows how Ramon and Rahman struggled with their identity in relation to
their family and culture. Your task is to create a continuing chapter for the story of Ramon and
Rahman. Having the idea of a little background on Ramon, how do you think will this affect his
next chapter in life with Rahman?
A lack of diversity among authors leads to a lack of representation of characters in books,
leading to few stories students of color can relate to which makes it hard to motivate them to
read. (Ayonnie, 2018).

Highlighting the struggles of women and the queer community is one of society’s
problems that can be addressed through literature. Our human psyche is an everchanging spirit
and as we traverse through the day to day inconsistencies, the need for us to pause and breathe
and look at this certain communities is a big step for us to understand them.

Reading books, watching media and immersing trough their lives is what these area od
studies in literature is trying to send to us.

Narcissus, Cayaan, Mark Anthony, Ateneo De Manila University Press, 2011

Dead Balagtas: Mga Sayaw ng Dagat at Lupa Tomo 1, Kampilan, Emiliana, Adarna Publishin
House, 2017

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5N86N9w-ka6YnFKd09zaVZ6Skk/view

Ang Pagbabalik ni Adiang Waray by Kampilan:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MEbpA2t1yfpRPluLEVkixWoCbDTfrSdF/view

Mag-Inang Bayani ni Kampilan:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OdNnpHkm3qVjrEcQc8F596S0GJ_T9gVq/view
Dead Balagtas: Mga Sayaw ng Dagat at Lupa Tomo 1, Kampilan, Emiliana, Adarna Publishin
House, 2017

Examining Queer Elements and Ideologies in LGBT-Themed Literature: What Queer Literature

Can Offer Young Adult Readers, Blackburn, Mollie V., Clark, Caroline T., Nemeth, Emily A.,

The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA, 2015

Feminism in Philippine Mainstream Short Stories in English, Dials, Jeanette G., International

Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, Vol. 3, No. 4, December 2017

The Philippines and the World, 21st Century Literature, Bautista, Richard, De Guia, Lani,
Frondozo, Wenifreda R., Trinitas Publishin Inc, 2017, ISBN 978-971-42-1198-8
Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2019/4/15/philippine-feminism.html

Retrieved from https://commonwealthtimes.org/2018/02/06/problem-representation-literature/

Retrieved from https://daily.jstor.org/reading-list-gender-studies/

Retrieved from

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/literary_theory_and_sc

hools_of_criticism/gender_studies_and_queer_theory.html

Retrieved from https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/5-local-books-to-revisit-for-pride-month

Retrieved from https://tagaloglit.blogspot.com/2013/02/ang-pagiging-babae-ay-pamumuhay-

sa.html