The document discusses the importance of different literary contexts, including social, historical, ideological, and cultural contexts, in interpreting literary works. It highlights examples from poems and stories to illustrate how these contexts influence understanding and depict socio-political issues like social discrimination, cultural norms, and familial expectations. Additionally, it addresses the interconnectedness of social issues, politics, and religion within literature, emphasizing their impact on human life.

1. WRITING A CRAFT ESSAY
DEMONSTRATING AWARENESS
AND SENSITIVITY TO THE DIFFERENT
LITERARY SOCIO-POLITICAL
CONTEXTS

2. Directions: Write the ideals and principles which are being
portrayed in the picture. Place also your ideas at the bottom part
of the bulb why the artist portrayed that illustration.

4. What is a context?
The word “context” means the
circumstances forming the set up
of an event, statement, or idea
to make it understandable and
easy to assess.

5. Literary context
Literary context means understanding the
literary genre. Determining the literary genre helps
in understanding the context of the passage. The
author and the reader agree through the genre.
Examples of genre for fiction are: drama, fable,
fairy tale, folklore, humor, horror, legend, poetry,
short story, and science fiction while the literary
genres for non-fiction are: biography, essay,
speech, autobiography, and narrative non-fiction.

6. 1. Social context
It is the way in which the surroundings, the
people, the situation influence on how people react
and interpret things. How people react may be
credited to their previous experiences. Read the
sample poem and see how the social context
dominated in the overall understanding of the piece.
Furthermore, there are several literary contexts which can help the
readers in giving interpretation of the text. These are social context,
historical context, ideological context, and cultural context

7. Going back to the poem “My Neighbor”, the
situation is about the rich neighbor who built high walls
around their residence. The rich neighbor had a tall
gate that the poor families could not see the things
inside. The daughter of the well to do family also wished
to see the world outside their house as stated in the line
“looks longingly beyond the gate.” This circumstance
depicts the gap between the rich and the poor
families. The social standing created a disparity that the
two kids cannot be friends with each other.

8. 2. Historical context
This kind of context is being hooked
with the social context when the literary
work or era it was produced. There is no
literary piece that can be fully
appreciated without knowing the
historical context.

9. For example, the poem written by Telesforo
Sungkit Jr. entitled “I Higaonon”, social and
historical contexts can be derived from the
poem. This poem is about Higaonon tribe, one of
the lumads or indigenous peoples in Bukidnon
Province, Northern Mindanao. The poem portrays
a sort of social discrimination on the part of the
Higaonons stated in the 6th stanza below
I, you called savage
you say savage is bad
people.
You say you is civilized
and civilized is good
people.

10. Below are the 9th and 10th stanzas that divulged the resentful experience as part of
their tribe’s history. For decades, the Higaonons were struggling of their independence,
their cultural integrity, and rights to self-determination. They fought for the protection of
their forested mountains against the loggers and the security of their ancestral domain for
more than sixty years already. More so, some of them were being killed and suppressed if
they disagree with those who tried to stop the superiors as described in the poem.
I angry you kill my datus,
I angry you burn my house,
I angry you get my honey,
I angry you get my sakop,
but you say I should know democracy.
You say know democracy
but you commanding all
you telling I not speak
you forcing I live near plantations
You making all us sakop
you killing my brothers not liking you.

11. 3. Ideological contexts
Ideology is described as the systems of
beliefs and ideas being found in our
attitudes and behavior. This kind of context
is invisible as it is being normalized as
people act according to their assumptions
and social norms.

12. For instance, in the epic of Maranao entitled “Darangan”, there were
two sons of the king: Prince Madali and Prince Bantugan. Between the
two princes, the younger one, Prince Bantugan was better in strength
and intelligence. When their father died, the elder brother, Prince
Madali was promoted to the throne. Implicitly, the story valued the role
of the elder brother who was next to his father even though the younger
brother was more capable to rule. This kind of norm called seniority rule
is still applied in some organizations and group of people nowadays.

13. 4. Cultural contexts
Culture means the way of life including religion,
race, nationality, food, dress code, manner, art,
music, and literature. It is also linked with social,
historical, and ideological context. This kind of
context is dominant especially when the author is
commenting about an aspect of culture, or conflict
of culture. Through literature, rich cultures are being
manifested in the text.

14. Take a look at the short story written by Amador Daguio
entitled “Wedding Dance”. The characters Awiyao and Lumnay
most probably belonged to the Igorot people who inhabit the
large areas of Luzon. Since Filipinos were being colonized by
Spaniards in 1500s, Americans in 1898, and Japanese in 1940s,
there were mixed cultures being practiced by our ancestors. Thus
the writer, Amador Daguio being born in Ilocos Province dwelt in
the culture of his ancestors to explore the Filipino traditions. In the
short story, after being married for seven years Awiyao was forced
to marry another girl because Lumnay could not bear a child. The
culture suggested that a measurement of being a family man is to
have a child. In that case, the love of the couple was in a big
trouble leading their true love to unhappy ending. This literary
piece also depicts that culture has a great factor in the decision
of a person.

15. There are three areas that involved in the socio-political
contexts. These are social issues, politics, and religion.
◦ 1. Social issues-These are related to the issues concerning the
national aspect of human life. In the Philippines, examples of
social problems are: corruption, poverty, lack of education,
teenage pregnancy, oppression to the poor, prostitution,
suppression of freedom of the press, dishonesty, and others.
◦ 2. Politics-This is one of the prolific themes in literature that has
something to do with the governance of a country or an area.
◦ 3. Religion-This refers to the belief of humanity that there is far
greater entity who made the greatness of nature.

16. Directions: Identify the places mentioned in the song. What
are the important events happened in that place? What is your
overall interpretation on the song? What contexts can be derived
from the song? Write your answers in the box below.
Activity 2 . Mark that Place

17. Magellan
Yoyoy Villame

18. THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING