Lesson No.

& Title Lesson 2: Literary Background

Learning Outcomes At the end of the term students must have:

1. read and interpret myths that left significant marks in the

respective cultures they belong;

2. formulated logical conclusions about life from the selected

literary pieces read;

3. appreciated similarities, differences in the beliefs, ideas, attitudes

and values of people from the oral and written literary pieces taken;
and

4. expressed relevant and sound opinions about literary pieces in relation

to national and international problems and issues.
Time Frame 3 days
Introduction Literature is a term used to describe written and sometimes spoken material.
Derived from the Latin word literature meaning "writing formed with letters,"
literature most commonly refers to works of the creative imagination, including
poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and in some instances, journalism, and song.
Activity What is your favorite form of literature? Craft your own.
Analysis What is the relevance of the activity to our topic? Explain in 100 words.
EPIC
An epic is a long narrative poem, which is usually related to heroic deeds of
a person of an unusual courage and unparalleled bravery. In order to depict this
bravery and courage, the epic uses grandiose style.
Iliad is another example of an epic. It was written by the popular Greek poet,
Homer. It relates the story of the Trojan wars, involving themes of courage,
boldness, love for one’s country and nostalgia of family. However, it describes
many legends related to the siege of Troy, the events took place before the
siege, the gathering of the warriors prior to the siege and the causes of the war.
Later, the epic foretold the looming death of Achilles and the destruction of
Troy. The style of narration is grand, and suits an epic poem — the reason that
it is still one the most celebrated work of antiquity.

FOLKTALES AND LEGENDS

Folktales are stories with people as main characters that sometimes

include feats of strength. Myths are stories told to explain the world
around us, from the origin of the world, to why there are seasons.
Finally, legends are grounded in reality, but aren't necessarily true.

Folktales also stem from an oral tradition, passed down by the 'folk'

who told them. The term 'folktale' is often used interchangeably with
fable, since folktales can have a lesson at the end. Folktales are different
from fables because they feature people as their main characters, but
often with a twist. For example, stories like 'Paul Bunyan and Babe the
Blue Ox' and the American cowboy Pecos Bill lassoing a tornado, show
people and animals performing amazing feats of strength. Just as there
are folk in every country, every country has its own folktales.
Sometimes, countries as far apart as China and France can have very
similar traditional tales. The story of 'Stone Soup', for example, is one
told all over the world.
A common version of 'Stone Soup' begins with three soldiers, hungry
and tired, entering a village. The villagers are greedy, not looking to
share their food, but the strangers are smart. They put large stones in a
pot to boil in the town square, and the villagers stop by one-by-one to ask
what they are making.
Soon, each villager is convinced to add an onion or some carrots or a
handful of beans to the 'stone soup'. At the story's end, a delicious feast is
enjoyed by the entire village, brought together by strangers. Found in
different countries across the world, the folktale of 'Stone Soup' serves as
a reminder to people to work together, share their resources and show
hospitality to the needy among them.

PROVERBS AND SAYING

A Proverb is a simple and short saying, widely known, often metaphorical,

which expresses a basic truth or practical precept, based on the practical
experience of humankind, and the idiosyncrasies of a people and their culture in
time and history.

А Sаying is a shоrt wеll-knоwn еxprеssiоn — а rеmаrk оf wisdоm аnd

truth оr а gеnеrаl аdvicе.

А grеаt wаy tо imprоvе yоur undеrstаnding оf thе Еnglish culturе,

pеоplе аnd histоry is tо study Еnglish prоvеrbs аnd sаyings. By mеmоrizing
thеm, yоu will nоt оnly lеаrn sоmе cоmmоn Еnglish sаyings; yоu will аlsо
hеlp yоur brаin tо bеcоmе bеttеr аt fоrming gооd Еnglish sеntеncеs.

SONGS

A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human

voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns
of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the
repetition and variation of sections.

Written words created specifically for music or for which music is

specifically created, are called lyrics. If a pre-existing poem is set to composed
music in classical music it is an art song. Songs that are sung on repeated
pitches without distinct contours and patterns that rise and fall are called chants.
Songs composed in a simple style that are learned informally "by ear" are often
referred to as folk songs. Songs that are composed for professional singers who
sell their recordings or live shows to the mass market are called popular songs.

MARIA MAKILING

Long ago,in Mount Makiling,there lived a beautiful goddess name Mariang

Makiling. She is beautiful,kindhearted and loving. She had a long shiny black
hair and she often wear black pearls and gold jewelry. She often shows off
herself to people living at the foot of the mountain as a human. Many
times,people would climb up to the mountain and pick some fruits but when
they came down,fruits changed into gold. People thanked her for it.

But one day,some people robbed her jewelry. Some hunters climb up the
mountain and hunted for wild animals,cut down trees and left the forest at the
top of the mountain denuded. At that time,one of those hunters is a mortal
which Mariang Makiling fell in love with. She discovered that that hunter
already have a mortal as his wife. After those things happened,Mariang
Makiling was very angry that it thundered and rained hard that night and her
voice was heard by all people leaving at the foot of the mountain saying "I have
provided you food,treasures and shelter but it wasn't enough for you!I have
given you everything you want but still you aren't contented. I loved you more
than myself but still you searched for mortal love. Now,feel my anger! And
wait for my revenge! From now on,you shall stand on your own feet and you
will never see me again. I swear!" And she laughed so hard that it brought an
earthquake.

After her large voice was heard, she never showed herself again to those
mortals who abused her kindness. Today,it is still believed that Mariang
Makiling is still living there.

NUNO SA PUNSO

During hot summer afternoons when I was a boy, I used to enjoy hiking to the
stream near our home. Usually there would be a farmer nearby plowing his little
rice field with his big carabao (water bufallo). I noticed that he would always be
careful to avoid plowing the several large anthills on his rice field, but could not
be certain why.

Still on his way to Ilocos Norte, Juan decided he needed to rest under a balete
tree to escape that afternoon's harsh and hot sun. Haphazardly, he had chanced
upon what looked to be like an ant or termite hill, except it was about four times
larger. Out of the corner of his eye, a little old man with a flowing white beard
and a walking cane emerged from one of the hills, and smiled at him.

Juan quickly recollected what was told to him as a story when he was but a
young boy. In the old days during rice harvest time, barrio farmers would be
careful to pay homage or "rent" to the dwendes (dwarfs) that were said to own
 all the land there is. The rent that was taken was usually boiled white chicken
and rice cakes. Usually the food is put in the fields or under trees after sunset.
The food must be free from salt, spices or any kind of seasoning. The rice must
be boiled for the dwendes have few teeth.

Juan recognized that the shirtless little man before him was what was called the
Nuno sa Punso. Nuno sa Punso was a very old bearded man as short as a boy of
three, but with comparatively large joints, belly, head, eyes, nose and mouth.
He usually lived underground, under caves and anthills, which is how he got his
name; nuno sa punso means "old man under the anthill." Usually, nuno sa
punso napped on the anthill at noon, and preferred that farmers not plow the
ground with tractors, fearing that the tractors would ruin his anthill home.

Nuno sa punso was a relatively harmless dwende and mostly hid himself as
Juan remembered. That is until its anthill home somehow got plowed
accidentally or unless rent wasn't provided. Sometimes, nuno sa punso visited
people's yards after sunset, so it would also be unwise to inadvertently blind
nuno with the dust that is swept from a yard or floor then. Otherwise, nuno sa
punso would pinch an unlucky traveler's skin, which subsequently became blue,
or pull the toes and make them twice as long. Nuno could also give scabies,
fever or chills, or worse cast an evil spell.

"Excuse me, sir. I almost did not see you, please let me pass so I don't step on
you accidentally." Juan exclaimed.

Juan still had the white chicken and rice that Enting's folk had provided to him.
He gathered some wood nearby and created a small fire to cook the white
chicken. He took some water from a nearby stream and emptied his water tin
can to cook the rice. He subsequently offered this to nuno sa punso.

Nuno sa punso thanked Juan for his offerings, and offered him some on some
dangers ahead on the road. Because of Juan's respect for him, nuno sa punso
also provided Juan with a whole roasted piglet, enough food to last him for a
good week!
Abstraction Remember all the childhood stories you’ve heard. How does they influence you
in the present? Explain in not less than100 words.
Application Choose a Filipino literary piece that you like best, write it on your notebook and
literary piece to the present situation.
Conclusion “Mythology is the realm in which reality and imagination meet, where future
and past make the present, where humankind and god make a person, where
body and spirit make the heartbeat.”— Sergio Cruz Duran
Lesson No. & Title Lesson 3: Ancient Middle East
Time Frame 3 days
Introduction The highlands of the Middle East are the natural habitat of grasses, such as
wild wheat and barley, and it was almost inevitable that agriculture based on
these crops, which would eventually cover so much of the world, would begin
here, around 10,000 years ago. Farming had spread around the Middle East by
c. 6000 BCE, and was gradually pushing westward into Europe and eastward
into India and South Asia.

Large parts of the Middle East lie within a hot, dry zone, where rainfall is
insufficient to grow crops such as wheat and barley. The melting snows in the
high mountains and the spring rains in the hills carry fresh water and silt down
into the lowlands, flooding the dry river plains and depositing a rich mud for
miles around.
Activity Gather data about Ancient Middle East. Write them on your notebook.
Analysis How did the literature of Ancient Middle East survived the test of time? Explain
in not less than 100 words.

Babylonia - The Enuma Elis

The Enuma Elish (also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation) is the
Mesopotamian creation myth whose title is derived from the opening lines of
the piece, "When on High". All of the tablets containing the myth, found
at Ashur, Kish, Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh, Sultantepe, and other
excavated sites, date to c. 1200 BCE but their colophons indicate that these are
all copies of a much older version of the myth dating from long before the fall
of Sumer in c. 1750 BCE.

As Marduk, the champion of the young gods intheir war against Tiamat, is

of Babylonian origin, the Sumerian Ea/Enki or Enlil is thought to have played
the major role in the original version of the story. The copy found at Ashur has
the god Ashur in the main role as was the custom of the cities of Mesopotamia.
The god of each city was always considered the best and most powerful.
Marduk, the god of Babylon, only figures as prominently as he does in the story
because most of the copies found are from Babylonian scribes. Even so, Ea
does still play an important part in the Babylonian version of the Enuma Elish
by creating human beings.

Story
The story, one of the oldest, if not the oldest in the world, concerns the birth of
the gods and the creation of the universe and human beings. In the beginning,
there was only undifferentiated water swirling in chaos. Out of this swirl, the
waters divided into sweet, fresh water, known as the god Apsu, and salty bitter
water, the goddess Tiamat. Once differentiated, the union of these two entities
gave birth to the younger gods.

THE STORY, ONE OF THE OLDEST, IF NOT THE OLDEST IN THE

WORLD, CONCERNS THE BIRTH OF THE GODS & THE CREATION OF
THE UNIVERSE & HUMAN BEINGS.

These young gods, however, were extremely loud, troubling the sleep of Apsu
at night and distracting him from his work by day. Upon the advice of his
Vizier, Mummu, Apsu decides to kill the younger gods. Tiamat, hearing of their
plan, warns her eldest son, Enki (sometimes Ea) and he puts Apsu to sleep and
kills him. From Apsu's remains, Enki creates his home.

Tiamat, once the supporter of the younger gods, now is enraged that they have
killed her mate. She consults with the god, Quingu, who advises her to make
war on the younger gods. Tiamat rewards Quingu with the Tablets of Destiny,
which legitimize the rule of a god and control the fates, and he wears them
proudly as a breastplate. With Quingu as her champion, Tiamat summons the
forces of chaos and creates eleven horrible monsters to destroy her children.

Ea, Enki, and the younger gods fight against Tiamat futilely until, from among
them, emerges the champion Marduk who swears he will defeat Tiamat.
Marduk defeats Quingu and kills Tiamat by shooting her with an arrow which
splits her in two; from her eyes flow the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers. Out of Tiamat's corpse, Marduk creates the heavens and the earth, he
appoints gods to various duties and binds Tiamat's eleven creatures to his feet as
trophies (to much adulation from the other gods) before setting their images in
his new home. He also takes the Tablets of Destiny from Quingu, thus
legitimizing his reign.

After the gods have finished praising him for his great victory and the art of his
creation, Marduk consults with the god Ea (the god of wisdom) and decides to
create human beings from the remains of whichever of the gods instigated
Tiamat to war. Quingu is charged as guilty and killed and, from his blood, Ea
creates Lullu, the first man, to be a helper to the gods in their eternal task of
maintaining order and keeping chaos at bay.

As the poem phrases it, "Ea created mankind/On whom he imposed the service
of the gods, and set the gods free" (Tablet VI.33-34). Following this, Marduk
"arranged the organization of the netherworld" and distributed the gods to their
appointed stations (Tablet VI.43-46). The poem ends in Tablet VII with long
praise of Marduk for his accomplishments.

Sumer/Babylonia-The Gilgamesh
 Gilgamesh is the semi-mythic King of Uruk in Mesopotamia best known
from The Epic of Gilgamesh (written c. 2150 - 1400 BCE) the
great Sumerian/Babylonian poetic work which pre-dates Homer’s writing by
1500 years and, therefore, stands as the oldest piece of epic world literature.

The motif of the quest for the meaning of life is first fully explored in
Gilgamesh as the hero-king leaves his kingdom following the death of his best
friend, Enkidu, to find the mystical figure Utnapishtim and gain eternal life.
Gilgamesh's fear of death is actually a fear of meaninglessness and, although he
fails to win immortality, the quest itself gives his life meaning. This theme has
been explored by writers and philosophers from antiquity up to the present day.

Story
Gilgamesh is the Priest-King of the city of Uruk. He is a tyrannical king who
works his people to death and takes what he wants from them. He kills the
young men at will and uses the women as he pleases. The people of Uruk cry
out to the gods for help so that they can have peace.

The gods hear them and instruct Anu, the goddess of creation, to make a twin
for Gilgamesh, someone who is strong enough to stand up to him and who will
ultimately save him. Anu makes Enkidu, a hairy wild man who lives in the
wilderness with the animals.

One day a trapper sees Enkidu by a water hole and is frightened. He tells his
father of the wild man he saw. His father tells the trapper to go to see
Gilgamesh. He tells his son to ask the king for a temple prostitute to bring back
with him to seduce Enkidu. The trapper returns with Shamhat, a temple
prostitute from the temple of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war. They wait for
Enkidu to reappear by the watering hole.

Enkidu returns and Shamhat reveals herself to him. They copulate for six days
and seven nights. When Enkidu is satisfied, he finds that the animals no longer
accept him. Shamhat tells him to come back with her to Uruk. Upon hearing of
Gilgamesh, Enkidu decides he wishes to meet him. The two set out for Uruk,
making a stop at a shepherd's camp. There Enkidu learns that Gilgamesh will
sleep with a newly married bride on her wedding night, before her husband
sleeps with her. He is outraged and decides he must stop Gilgamesh.
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh has several dreams foretelling the arrival of Enkidu.

The two meet in the streets of Uruk and a great fight breaks out between them.
Gilgamesh is triumphant but his encounter with Enkidu changes him. They
become companions. Enkidu tells Gilgamesh of Humbaba, a terrible monster
who guards the Cedar Forest. Gilgamesh decides the two of them should
journey there and defeat the monster.

They make preparations and head to the Cedar Forest. They encounter
Humbaba and with the help of Shamash, the sun god, defeat him. They return to
Uruk carrying his head. After a celebration, Gilgamesh bathes himself and
catches the eye of Ishtar. She tells him to become her lover, promising great
riches and rewards in return. Gilgamesh rejects Ishtar, telling her he is aware of
her reputation as a scornful lover.

Ishtar is outraged and convinces her father, Anu, to release the Bull of Heaven
to punish Gilgamesh. The Bull of Heaven descends on Uruk, killing hundreds
of men. Enkidu seizes the animal and Gilgamesh kills it with a sword. Ishtar
appears and threatens the heroes. Enkidu tears off one of the Bull's haunches
and throws it at Ishtar. Later that night, Enkidu has a dream that the gods are
meeting in council.

The dream proves true. The gods decide that one of the heroes must die for their
behavior. They choose Enkidu. Enkidu falls ill and suffers for twelve days
before finally dying. Gilgamesh is shattered. He mourns for days and tears his
hair and clothes. He adorns filthy animal skins and journeys into the forest and
mountains. He has witnessed death and is now terrified of his own mortality. He
seeks to escape it.

Gilgamesh decides to seek out Utnapishtim, the one being granted immortality

by the gods. He travels to Mount Mashu, a twin-peaked mountain that marks an
entrance to a world in which mortals cannot venture. He convinces the guards
of the mountain, two Scorpion-man beings, to allow him to enter a long passage
under the mountain. He endures this terrible darkness for a full day.

When he emerges on the other side, he is in a wondrous paradise. He sees a

tavern by the sea and approaches it, frightening its owner, Siduri, with his
appearance. Siduri allows him to enter the tavern after he explains his story and
his intention to find Utnapishtim. Siduri tells Gilgamesh of Urshanabi, the
boatman, who can ferry Gilgamesh across the Waters of Death to where
Utnapishtim resides.

Gilgamesh finds Urshanabi and the two set out to find Utnapishtim. They reach
a shore and Gilgamesh meets an old man. Gilgamesh explains that he wishes to
attain immortality. The old man is Utnapishtim, who tells Gilgamesh that
immortality is for the gods alone. Mortals must learn to accept death. He tells
Gilgamesh the story of how he was granted immortality by the gods. He asks
Gilgamesh what he has done to deserve this same gift.

Gilgamesh finally leaves with Urshanabi to return to Uruk. Utnapishtim tells

Gilgamesh of a magical plant at the bottom of the sea that can restore one's
youth. Gilgamesh descends into the waters and retrieves the plant.

On his way back to Uruk, Gilgamesh stops to bathe in a spring, leaving the
plant by the water. A serpent appears and steals the plant, leaving Gilgamesh
weeping by the water's edge. He returns to Uruk with Urshanabi. Upon seeing
the great city, Gilgamesh understands that it is his legacy, and that if he rules
well, it will be his greatest legacy. Gilgamesh comes to understand that the most
important thing in life is to have lived and loved well.

Egypt- Osiris, Isis and Horus

From Geb, the sky god, and Nut, the earth goddess came four children:
Osiris, Isis, Set and Nepthys. Osiris was the oldest and so became king of
Egypt, and he married his sister Isis. Osiris was a good king and commanded
the respect of all who lived on the earth and the gods who dwelled in the
netherworld. However, Set was always jealous of Osiris, because he did not
command the respect of those on earth or those in the netherworld. One day, Set
transformed himself into a vicious monster and attacked Osiris, killing him. Set
then cut Osiris into pieces and distributed them throughout the length and
breadth of Egypt. With Osiris dead, Set became king of Egypt, with his sister
Nepthys as his wife. Nepthys, however, felt sorry for her sister Isis, who wept
endlessly over her lost husband. Isis, who had great magical powers, decided to
find her husband and bring him back to life long enough so that they could have
a child. Together with Nepthys, Isis roamed the country, collecting the pieces of
her husband’s body and reassembling them. Once she completed this task, she
breathed the breath of life into his body and resurrected him. They were
together again, and Isis became pregnant soon after. Osiris was able to descend
into the underworld, where he became the lord of that domain. The child born
to Isis was named Horus, the hawk-god. When he became an adult, Horus
decided to make a case before the court of gods that he, not Set, was the rightful
king of Egypt. A long period of argument followed, and Set challenged Horus
to a contest. The winner would become king. Set, however, did not play fair.
After several matches in which Set cheated and was the victor, Horus’ mother,
Isis, decided to help her son and set a trap for Set. She snared him, but Set
begged for his life, and Isis let him go. When he found out that she had let his
enemy live, Horus became angry with his mother, and rages against her, earning
him the contempt of the other gods. They decided that there would be one more
match, and Set would get to choose what it would be. Set decided that the final
round of the contest would be a boat race. However, in order to make the
contest a challenge, Set decided that he and Horus should race boats made of
stone. Horus was tricky and built a boat made of wood, covered with limestone
plaster, which looked like stone. As the gods assembled for the race, Set cut the
top off of a mountain to serve as his boat and set it in the water. His boat sank
 right away, and all the other gods laughed at him. Angry, Set transformed
himself into a hippopotamus and attacked Horus’ boat. Horus fought off Set,
but the other gods stopped him before he could kill Set. The other gods decided
that the match was a tie. Many of the gods were sympathetic to Horus, but
remembered his anger toward his mother for being lenient to Set, and were
unwilling to support him completely. The gods who formed the court decided to
write a letter to Osiris and ask for his advice. Osiris responded with a definite
answer: his son is the rightful king, and should be placed upon the throne. No
one, said Osiris, should take the throne of Egypt through an act of murder, as
Set had done. Set had killed Osiris, but Horus did not killed anyone, and was
the better candidate. The sun and the stars, who were Osiris’ allies, descended
into the underworld, leaving the world in darkness. Finally, the gods agreed that
Horus should claim his birthright as king of Egypt.

Abstraction Remember childhood experiences that best relate to the three literary pieces.
Application List down those experiences on your notebook. Does the/se memory/ies help?
Why or why not? Explain in 100 words.
Conclusion “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
 References

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-literature-740531

https://literarydevices.net/epic

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-fable-folktale-myth-legend-differences-and-examples.html

http://sherwoodschool.ru/en/lessons1/english/english_proverbs_and_sayings/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song

http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/userstory20017-mariang-makiling.html

http://fel639.tripod.com/carigaramyhometown/id46.html

https://www.timemaps.com/encyclopedia/history-middle-east/

https://www.ancient.eu/article/225/enuma-elish---the-babylonian-epic-of-creation

https://www.ancient.eu/gilgamesh/

https://www.gradesaver.com/the-epic-of-gilgamesh/study-guide/summary