This document provides an excerpt from the story "Lengua Para Diablo" by Filipino author Merlinda Bobis. It summarizes the story, which is about a daughter who suspects her father sold his tongue to the devil after he lost his job. Her father does not speak much at home and claims "the devil ate his words," meaning he forgets what he was saying. The daughter imagines the devil cooking and serving her father's tongue. The story symbolizes the struggles of poverty and inequality faced by many Filipino families.

1. Lengua Para Diablo
(The Devil Ate My Words)
Excerpt from “Banana Heart Summer”
Page 25
By: Merlinda Bobis
Symposium Speakers:
Lord Leopoldo &
Jandee Lee

2. Let’s Begin
Let’s start this symposium with a
motivational introduction
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3. Motivational
Introduction
Solving Riddles
- Per row, answer the riddles
carefully in the video.
- Write your answer on your
worksheet
3

4. Learning About
the Author
Who wrote this novel?
Who is she? What makes a
successful author?
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5. Merlinda Bobis
BACKGROUND
Born in Legazpi City, in the Philippines province of Albay,
Merlinda Bobis attended Bicol University High School then
completed her B.A. at Aquinas University in Legazpi City.
She holds post-graduate degrees from the University of
Santo Tomas and University of Wollongong, and now lives
in Australia. Written in various genres in both Filipino and
English, her work integrates elements of the traditional
culture of the Philippines with modern immigrant
experience.
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6. Philippine Realities
What can you say about our
society today?
What realities does the
Philippines face today?
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7. Poverty in the Philippines
◇ More than 26 million Filipinos remain poor
with almost half, or a little more than 12
million, living in extreme poverty and lacking
the means to feed themselves, according to
official government statistics for the first
semester of 2015.
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8. Lengua Para Diablo4
📌

9. 9
P O V E R T Y

10. 10
I N E Q U A L I T Y

11. 11
L E N G U A

12. 12
D I A B L O

13. ◇ Lengua Para Diablo is an excerpt
from the book “Banana Heart
Summer.” Banana Heart Summer
is written by Merinda Bobis.
Lengua Para Diablo
13

14. ◇ Lengua Para Diablo means “The Devil Ate My
Words.” “Lengua is a Spanish word meaning
“tongue,” which in the story, symbolizes the
words eaten by the devil.
◇ Lengua (Beef tongue) is also a dish made of
cow’s tongue. Lengua is often seasoned with
onion and other spices, and then placed in a
pot to boil.
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15. The story started when a
daughter suspected that her
father sold his tongue to the devil.
Her father did not speak much in
their house. Her father said that
“the devil ate his words” which
means he forgot what he was
about to say; that statement
appeases his wife.15
Lengua Para Diablo

16. Her father lost his job so he
needed to conciliate more. Her
mother was always complaining
about their hard situation so her
father kept on promising that he
would buy them the things that
would make them comfortable.
Lengua Para Diablo
16

17. ◇ The devil that ate his words was her
father’s employer, that owned several
stores in the city. The employer fired
her father who is a mason after he
found a cheaper deal for the
extension of his house. Her father
didn’t say any word about his job to
placate his family; the devil really ate
his words.
Lengua Para Diablo
17

18. Her daughter was wondering what the
devil did to her father’s tongue. She was
thinking that her father’s tongue was
cooked in mushroom sauce in the
special Spanish way. She also imagined
that her father’s tongue was served on
the devil’s platter with spices that gives
an aroma of something rich and foreign.
Lengua Para Diablo
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19. She thought that her father’s tongue
was luxuriating in a multitude of
essences so she said that maybe he
should also sell his esophagus and his
stomach for him to be pampered. She
also imagined being cooked and put
inside the stomach of a rich man where
she could know the feeling of too much
affluence.
.
Lengua Para Diablo
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20. Evaluation5
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21. 1. What are your insights to the story?
2. What are the characteristics of the
Father?
3. What is the symbolism of the
“Lengua” or the tongue.
4. What did you learn from the story?
Evaluation
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22. Response and Insights
6
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23. ◇ In the story, the mother was
always complaining, not
knowing that her husband had
lost his job. The problems that
can be seen in the story are loss
of jobs, poverty, and unequal
effort of parents which are the
most common family problems
here in our country.
Response/Insights
23

24. A culture that can be reflected
from the text is the way of living of
Filipino Families. Here in the
Philippines, some families depend
more on fathers than the mothers.
Fathers provide more for their
families’ needs and wants.
Response/Insights
24

25. Conclusion
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📌 The author only wanted to deliver the
message that there are problems today
that Filipinos are still facing. The truth of
the matter is that our country is still stuck
in various inequalities, and there is no way
for our nation to progress unless we
address them. Some families are still
struggling in life. The excerpt successfully
delivered its message about the situation
of families here in our country.

26. “
“How can a heart accommodate?
There are only 4 chambers but
with infinite space.”
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- Merlinda Bobis

27. THANK YOU!
📌
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