Lesson 11: Literatures about Minority Groups/Integration of IP Studies

Topic: Minority Groups and The Wedding Dance

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1. Discuss what minority group is;
2. Recognize the importance of one’s culture
through reading the story, “The Wedding Dance”; and
3. Apply the message of the story through
answering the guided questions given
LEARNING CONTENT
Introduction:

What is a Minority Group?

Sociologist Louis Wirth (1945) defined a minority group as “any group of people who,
because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in
the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore
regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.”
Minority Group is a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or
power over their lives than members of a dominant or majority group. A group that
experiences a narrowing of opportunities (success, education, wealth, etc) that is
disproportionately low compared to their numbers in the society.
According to Charles Wagley and Marvin Harris (1958), a minority group is distinguished
by five characteristics:
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF A MINORITY GROUP
 Distinguishing physical or cultural traits, e.g. skin color or
language
 Unequal Treatment and Less Power over their lives
 Involuntary membership in the group (no personal choice)
 Awareness of subordination and strong sense of group
solidarity
 High In-group Marriage
Given the definition and characteristics of Minority Group, below is a literary piece about
the story of two lovers divided by their cultures. Before discussing the content, let’s first
have a background story of “The Wedding Dance”.
Awiyao and Lumnay most likely to belong to the Igorot people who inhabit the
mountain areas of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. The Philippine islands
were settled by various migrants from Southeast Asia for centuries. These peoples built
up a number of different cultures and clan-based social structures on the many islands
of the archipelago. In the 1500s, Spain colonized the islands, spreading Christianity and
the Spanish language. Following Spain’s loss in the Spanish American war of 1898, the
Philippines became a territory of the United States. During World War II, the islands
were occupied by the Japanese until gaining their independence in 1945. The Igorot
people maintained many of their traditional cultural practices through the late 19th
century.

THE WEDDING DANCE

ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 Amador Daguio was born in the Ilocos province of the
Philippines in 1912. He began writing poetry in high school and published his first poem
before he graduated. Throughout his career, he taught at a number of schools in the
Philippines and also worked as a lawyer, editor, reporter, and public relations officer for
the Filipino government. In his writing, Daguio seeks to establish a pure Filipino voice,
distinct from its colonizers. Even in English, Daguio’s writing is Filipino in essence. In
“The Wedding Dance”, he draws upon the culture of his ancestors to explore Filipino
traditions along with the universal themes of love, suffering, and societal expectations. 
 
OVERVIEW:
“The Wedding Dance” by Amador Daguio is a short story about a husband and wife,
Awiyao and Lumnay, who had been married for seven years. In spite of being in love
with his wife, Awiyao feels the need to marry again in order to have a son.
 
 WEDDING DANCE BY AMADOR DAGUIO
Awiyao reached for the upper horizontal log which served as the edge of the headhigh
threshold.  Clinging to the log, he lifted himself with one bound that carried him across
to the narrow door. He slid back the cover, stepped inside, then pushed the cover back
in place. After some moments during which he seemed to wait, he talked to the
listening darkness.

"I'm sorry this had to be done. I am really sorry. But neither of us can help it."

The sound of the gangsas beat through the walls of the dark house like muffled roars of
falling waters. The woman who had moved with a start when the sliding door opened
had been hearing the gangsas for she did not know how long. There was a sudden rush
of fire in her. She gave no sign that she heard Awiyao, but continued to sit unmoving in
the darkness.

But Awiyao knew that she heard him and his heart pitied her. He crawled on all fours to
the middle of the room; he knew exactly where the stove was. With bare fingers he
stirred the covered smoldering embers, and blew into the stove. When the coals began
to glow, Awiyao put pieces of pine on them, then full round logs as his arms. The room
brightened.

"Why don't you go out," he said, "and join the dancing women?" He felt a pang inside
him, because what he said was really not the right thing to say and because the woman
did not stir. "You should join the dancers," he said, "as if--as if nothing had happened."
He looked at the woman huddled in a corner of the room, leaning against the wall. The
stove fire played with strange moving shadows and lights
upon her face. She was partly sullen, but her sullenness was not because of anger or
hate.

"Go out--go out and dance. If you really don't hate me for this separation, go out and
dance. One of the men will see you dance well; he will like your dancing, he will marry
you. Who knows but that, with him, you will be luckier than you were with me."

"I don't want any man," she said sharply. "I don't want any other man."

He felt relieved that at least she talked: "You know very well that I won't want any
other woman either. You know that, don't you? Lumnay, you know it, don't you?"

She did not answer him.

"You know it Lumnay, don't you?" he repeated.

"Yes, I know," she said weakly.

"It is not my fault," he said, feeling relieved. "You cannot blame me; I have been a
good husband to you."

"Neither can you blame me," she said. She seemed about to cry.

"No, you have been very good to me. You have been a good wife. I have nothing to say
against you." He set some of the burning wood in place. "It's only that a man must
have a child. Seven harvests is just too long to wait. Yes, we have waited too long. We
should have another chance before it is too late for both of us."

This time the woman stirred, stretched her right leg out and bent her left leg in. She
wound the blanket more snugly around herself.

"You know that I have done my best," she said. "I have prayed to Kabunyan much. I
have sacrificed many chickens in my prayers."

"Yes, I know."

"You remember how angry you were once when you came home from your work in the
terrace because I butchered one of our pigs without your permission? I did it to
appease Kabunyan, because, like you, I wanted to have a child. But what could I do?"

"Kabunyan does not see fit for us to have a child," he said. He stirred the fire. The
spark rose through the crackles of the flames. The smoke and soot went up the ceiling.
Lumnay looked down and unconsciously started to pull at the rattan that kept the split
bamboo flooring in place. She tugged at the rattan flooring. Each time she did this the
split bamboo went up and came down with a slight rattle. The gong of the dancers
clamorously called in her care through the walls.

Awiyao went to the corner where Lumnay sat, paused before her, looked at her
bronzed and sturdy face, then turned to where the jars of water stood piled one over
the other. Awiyao took a coconut cup and dipped it in the top jar and drank. Lumnay
had filled the jars from the mountain creek early that evening.

"I came home," he said. "Because I did not find you among the dancers. Of course, I
am not forcing you to come, if you don't want to join my wedding ceremony. I came to
tell you that Madulimay, although I am marrying her, can never become as good as you
are. She is not as strong in planting beans, not as fast in cleaning water jars, not as
good keeping a house clean. You are one of the best wives in the whole village."

"That has not done me any good, has it?" She said. She looked at him lovingly. She
almost seemed to smile.

He put the coconut cup aside on the floor and came closer to her. He held her face
between his hands and looked longingly at her beauty. But her eyes looked away.
Never again would he hold her face.  The next day she would not be his any more. She
would go back to her parents. He let go of her face, and she bent to the floor again and
looked at her fingers as they tugged softly at the split bamboo floor.

"This house is yours," he said. "I built it for you. Make it your own, live in it as long as
you wish. I will build another house for Madulimay."

"I have no need for a house," she said slowly. "I'll go to my own house. My parents are
old. They will need help in the planting of the beans, in the pounding of the rice."

"I will give you the field that I dug out of the mountains during the first year of our
marriage," he said. "You know I did it for you. You helped me to make it for the two of
us."

"I have no use for any field," she said.

He looked at her, then turned away, and became silent. They were silent for a time.

"Go back to the dance," she said finally. "It is not right for you to be here. They will
wonder where you are, and Madulimay will not feel good. Go back to the dance."

"I would feel better if you could come, and dance---for the last time. The gangsas are
playing."
"You know that I cannot."

"Lumnay," he said tenderly. "Lumnay, if I did this it is because of my need for a child.
You know that life is not worth living without a child. The man have mocked me behind
my back. You know that."

"I know it," he said. "I will pray that Kabunyan will bless you and Madulimay."

She bit her lips now, then shook her head wildly, and sobbed.

She thought of the seven harvests that had passed, the high hopes they had in the
beginning of their new life, the day he took her away from her parents across the
roaring river, on the other side of the mountain, the trip up the trail which they had to
climb, the steep canyon which they had to cross. The waters boiled in her mind in
forms of white and jade and roaring silver; the waters tolled and growled,
resounded in thunderous echoes through the walls of the stiff cliffs; they were far away
now from somewhere on the tops of the other ranges, and they had looked carefully at
the buttresses of rocks they had to step on---a slip would have meant death.

They both drank of the water then rested on the other bank before they made the final
climb to the other side of the mountain.

She looked at his face with the fire playing upon his features---hard and strong, and
kind. He had a sense of lightness in his way of saying things which often made her and
the village people laugh. How proud she had been of his humor. The muscles where
taut and firm, bronze and compact in their hold upon his skull---how frank his bright
eyes were. She looked at his body the carved out of the mountains
five fields for her; his wide and supple torso heaved as if a slab of shining lumber were
heaving; his arms and legs flowed down in fluent muscles--he was strong and for that
she had lost him.

She flung herself upon his knees and clung to them. "Awiyao, Awiyao, my husband,"
she cried. "I did everything to have a child," she said passionately in a hoarse whisper.
"Look at me," she cried. "Look at my body. Then it was full of promise. It could dance;
it could work fast in the fields; it could climb the mountains fast. Even now it is firm,
full. But, Awiyao, I am useless. I must die."

"It will not be right to die," he said, gathering her in his arms. Her whole warm naked
naked breast quivered against his own; she clung now to his neck, and her hand lay
upon his right shoulder; her hair flowed down in cascades of gleaming darkness.

"I don't care about the fields," she said. "I don't care about the house. I don't care for
anything but you. I'll have no other man."
"Then you'll always be fruitless."

"I'll go back to my father, I'll die."

"Then you hate me," he said. "If you die it means you hate me. You do not want me to
have a child. You do not want my name to live on in our tribe."

She was silent.

"If I do not try a second time," he explained, "it means I'll die. Nobody will get the
fields I have carved out of the mountains; nobody will come after me."

"If you fail--if you fail this second time--" she said thoughtfully. The voice was a
shudder. "No--no, I don't want you to fail."

"If I fail," he said, "I'll come back to you. Then both of us will die together. Both of us
will vanish from the life of our tribe."

The gongs thundered through the walls of their house, sonorous and faraway.

"I'll keep my beads," she said. "Awiyao, let me keep my beads," she half-whispered.

"You will keep the beads. They come from far-off times. My grandmother said they
come from up North, from the slant-eyed people across the sea. You keep them,
Lumnay. They are worth twenty fields."

"I'll keep them because they stand for the love you have for me," she said. "I love you.
I love you and have nothing to give."

She took herself away from him, for a voice was calling out to him from outside.
"Awiyao! Awiyao! O Awiyao! They are looking for you at the dance!"

"I am not in hurry."

"The elders will scold you. You had better go."

"Not until you tell me that it is all right with you."

"It is all right with me."

He clasped her hands. "I do this for the sake of the tribe," he said.

"I know," she said.

He went to the door.

"Awiyao!"

He stopped as if suddenly hit by a spear. In pain he turned to her. Her face was in
agony. It pained him to leave. She had been wonderful to him. What was it that made
a man wish for a child? What was it in life, in the work in the field, in the planting and
harvest, in the silence of the night, in the communing with husband and wife, in the
whole life of the tribe itself that made man wish for the laughter and speech of a child?
Suppose he changed his mind? Why did the unwritten law demand, anyway, that a
man, to be a man, must have a child to come after him? And if he was fruitless--but he
loved Lumnay. It was like taking away of his life to leave her like this.

"Awiyao," she said, and her eyes seemed to smile in the light. "The beads!" He turned
back and walked to the farthest corner of their room, to the trunk where they kept their
worldly possession---his battle-ax and his spear points, her betel nut box and her
beads. He dug out from the darkness the beads which had been given to him by his
grandmother to give to Lumnay on the beads on, and tied them in place. The white and
jade and deep orange obsidians shone in the firelight. She suddenly clung to him, clung
to his neck as if she would never let him go.

"Awiyao! Awiyao, it is hard!" She gasped, and she closed her eyes and huried her face
in his neck.

The call for him from the outside repeated; her grip loosened, and he buried out into
the night.

Lumnay sat for some time in the darkness. Then she went to the door and opened it.
The moonlight struck her face; the moonlight spilled itself on the whole village.

She could hear the throbbing of the gangsas coming to her through the caverns of the
other houses. She knew that all the houses were empty that the whole tribe was at the
dance. Only she was absent. And yet was she not the best dancer of the village? Did
she not have the most lightness and grace? Could she not, alone among all women,
dance like a bird tripping for grains on the ground, beautifully timed to the beat of the
gangsas? Did not the men praise her supple body, and the women envy the way she
stretched her hands like the wings of the mountain eagle now and then as she danced?
How long ago did she dance at her own wedding? Tonight, all the women who counted,
who once danced in her honor, were dancing now in honor of another whose only claim
was that perhaps she could give her
husband a child.

"It is not right. It is not right!" she cried. "How does she know? How can anybody
know? It is not right," she said.

Suddenly she found courage. She would go to the dance. She would go to the chief of
the village, to the elders, to tell them it was not right. Awiyao was hers; nobody could
take him away from her. Let her be the first woman to complain, to denounce the
unwritten rule that a man may take another woman. She would tell Awiyao to come
back to her. He surely would relent. Was not their love as strong as the
river?

She made for the other side of the village where the dancing was. There was a flaming
glow over the whole place; a great bonfire was burning. The gangsas clamored more
loudly now, and it seemed they were calling to her. She was near at last. She could see
the dancers clearly now. The man leaped lightly with their gangsas as they circled the
dancing women decked in feast garments and beads, tripping on the ground like
graceful birds, following their men. Her heart warmed to the flaming call of the dance;
strange heat in her blood welled up, and she started to run. But the gleaming
brightness of the bonfire commanded her to stop. Did anybody see her approach? She
stopped. What if somebody had seen her coming? The flames of the bonfire leaped in
countless sparks which spread and rose like yellow points and died out in the night. The
blaze reached out to her like a spreading radiance. She did not have the courage to
break into the wedding feast.

Lumnay walked away from the dancing ground, away from the village. She thought of
the new clearing of beans which Awiyao and she had started to make only four moons
before. She followed the trail above the village.

When she came to the mountain stream she crossed it carefully. Nobody held her hand,
and the stream water was very cold. The trail went up again, and she was in the
moonlight shadows among the trees and shrubs. Slowly she climbed the mountain.

When Lumnay reached the clearing, she cold see from where she stood the blazing
bonfire at the edge of the village, where the wedding was. She could hear the far-off
clamor of the gongs, still rich in their sonorousness, echoing from mountain to
mountain. The sound did not mock her; they seemed to call far to her, to speak to her
in the language of unspeaking love. She felt the pull of their gratitude for her sacrifice.
Her heartbeat began to sound to her like many gangsas.

Lumnay though of Awiyao as the Awiyao she had known long ago-- a strong, muscular
boy carrying his heavy loads of fuel logs down the mountains to his home. She had met
him one day as she was on her way to fill her clay jars with water. He had stopped at
the spring to drink and rest; and she had made him drink the cool mountain water from
her coconut shell. After that it did not take him long to decide to throw his spear on the
stairs of her father's house in token on his desire to marry her.
The mountain clearing was cold in the freezing moonlight. The wind began to stir the
leaves of the bean plants. Lumnay looked for a big rock on which to sit down. The bean
plants now surrounded her, and she was lost among them.

A few more weeks, a few more months, a few more harvests---what did it matter? She
would be holding the bean flowers, soft in the texture, silken almost, but moist where
the dew got into them, silver to look at, silver on the light blue, blooming whiteness,
when the morning comes. The stretching of the bean pods full length from the hearts of
the wilting petals would go on.

Lumnay's fingers moved a long, long time among the growing bean pods.
 
PLOT OF THE STORY
The setting is a mountain village of the Philippines where Awiyao has been remarried.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Awiyao has left his wife Lumnay, whom he loved very much. However, she couldn’t give him a
child. He has now married Madulimay in hopes to have a son, who will continue his legacy. This
is something Awiyao expresses as important in his culture. However, Lumnay is upset because
she loves Awiyao and doesn’t want this separation.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Outside, the villagers are dancing in celebration of the wedding. Awiyao leaves to try and
comfort Lumnay. He offers her many items of the life that they built together. Lumnay refuses
them and clings to Awiyao, wishing he would stay.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Awiyao finally leaves to re-join the wedding and Lumnay runs into the hills.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lumnay sits on the side of the mountain overlooking the blazing fire and dancing women,
thinking about how her life has changed. She has a sense of desperation, isolation,
andworthlessness.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The reader is left not knowing what will become of Lumnay.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LEARNING CONTENT
Introduction:
In the previous lesson, we have studied a literature that speak about minority groups.
This week, we’ll be focusing on a literature about Migration. Through this literature, we
try to find out about some, if not most of the determinants as to why people opt to leave
the place they first loved in search for a place that can give them comfort and security.
 But before we get onto that, here are some key things we have to understand about
Diaspora/Migration:
Why do people migrate?
People migrate for many different reasons. These reasons can be classified
as economic, social, political or environmental:
 economic migration- moving to find work or follow a particular career path
 social migration-moving somewhere for a better quality of life or to be closer to
family or friends
 political migration- moving to escape political persecution or war
 environmental causes of migration include natural disasters such as flooding
Some people choose to migrate, eg someone who moves to another country to enhance
their career opportunities. Some people are forced to migrate, eg someone who moves
due to war or famine.
A refugee is someone who has left their home and does not have a new home to go to.
Often refugees do not carry many possessions with them and do not have a clear idea
of where they may finally settle.
Push and pull factors
Push factors are the reasons why people leave an area. They include:
 lack of services
 lack of safety
 high crime
 crop failure
 drought
 flooding
 poverty
 war
Pull factors are the reasons why people move to a particular area. They include:
 higher employment
 more wealth
 better services
 good climate
 safer, less crime
 political stability
 more fertile land
 lower risk from natural hazards
Migration usually happens as a result of a combination of these push and pull factors.

Letter to Pedro, U.S. Citizen, Also called Pete

 About the Author
Rene Estella Amper
 Born on October 18, 1940 in Boljoon, Cebu
 Studied philosophy at University of San Carlos Seminary
 Studied medicine at South Western University
 Poems have been published in local magazines and periodicals.
FACTS ABOUT THE POEM:
 Written in free verse
 No regular rhyme, length and stanza form
 No regular pattern in the flow of sound
 Images and sentiments of the poet are vividly present.
Pete, old friend;
there isn't really much change
in our hometown since you left.

This morning I couldn't find anymore

the grave of Simeona, the cat we buried
at the foot of Miguel's mango tree,
when we were in grade four,
after she was hit by a truck while crossing
the street. The bulldozer has messed it up
while making the feeder road into the mountains
to reach the hearts of the farmers.
The farmers come down every Sunday
to sell their agony and their sweat for
a few pesos, lose in the cockpit or get
drunk on the way home.

A steel bridge named after the congressman's wife

now spans the gray river where Tasyo, the old
goat, had split the skin of our young lizards
to make us a man many years ago.

The long blue hills where we

used to shoot birds with slingshot or spend
the summer afternoons we loved so much doing
nothing in the tall grass have been bought
by the mayor's son. Now there's a barbed wire
fence about them; the birds have gone away.
 The mayor owns a big sugar plantation, three
new cars, and a mansion with the gate overhung
with sampaguita. Inside the gate
are guys who carry a rifle and a pistol.

We still go to Konga's store for rice

and sardines and sugar and nails for the coffin.

Still only a handful go to mass on Sundays.

In the church the men talk, sleep; the children play.
The priest is sad.

Last night the storm came and blew away

the cornflowers. The cornfields are full of cries.
Your cousin, Julia, has just become a whore.
She liked good clothes, good food, big money.
That's why she became a whore.
Now our hometown has seven whores.

Pete, old friend,

every time we have good reason to get drunk
and be carried home in a wheelbarrow
we always remember you. Oh, we miss
both Pete and Pedro.

Remember us to your American wife,

you lucky bastard. Islaw, your cock-eyed
uncle, now calls himself Stanley
after he began wearing the clothes you sent
him last Christmas.

P.S. Tasyo, the old goat,

Sends your lizard his warmest congratulations
 
 SUMMARY
The poem mainly concerns about a man who moved to the US with a western wife and
his friend who was sending a letter. His friend updates him on the things that happened
in his old home.
CHARACTERS:
 PETE
 HIS FRIEND
 TASYO
 KONGA
SETTING
 HOMELAND OF PETE
CONFLICT

 TRADITION VS. MODERNITY

THEME
 “SOCIO-POLITICAL”
 “COLONIAL MENTALITY AMONG FILIPINOS”
 
ANALYSIS

The poem clearly

tells of the old life the main characters have. The author tells us of corruption within the
society and the difference of the past and the present. There are also sentimental
meanings of childhood long gone as the main characters face their present.
Economically and socially, the poem suggests a lot of problems as the mayor keeps
getting rich and the farmers are still poor.
The mayor is the politically entity as well as the congressman’s wife. The mayor has
slowly taken some of the land and has grown richer also putting in to danger the land
the characters had in their boyhood. The bridge that was named after the
congressman’s wife had also laid waste to the memory of their circumcision for that was
the place they committed it.
The farmers as mentioned were going down the mountains to sell their agony and
sweat which means the economical strain they have in their town while a mayor keeps
 getting richer. Keeping in mind there might be corruption or political imbalance at play
here.
The old memories of the characters are being slowly taken down as the old town slowly
progresses and changes throughout the course of time.
 
 CONCLUSION
IT SERVES AS A WAKE UP CALL FOR CRISIS. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE
UNWILLINGESS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY LEAVE AND SEARCH FOR
GREENER PASTURE.

LEARNING CONTENT
Introduction
 
"Diaspora  |dīˈaspərə| (from Greek διασπορά, "scattering, dispersion")
Source: mtholyoke.edu
  the movement or migration of a group of people, such as those sharing a
national and/or ethnic identity, away from an established or ancestral homeland.”

“International migration of skilled persons

has assumed increased importance in recent years reflecting the impact of globalization
and revival of growth in the world economy.”
The Philippines is estimated to have a population of 94 million. A surprising
phenomenon, called the Philippine Diaspora, shows that the population is declining
significantly with each year of growth. The major concern, however, is that the
increasing trend of migrant workers signifies a large-scale human capital flight, also
known as a Brain Drain, which would greatly affect the progress and development of
the Philippines. What is to become of the country when all the brightest individuals
leave?
 
 
Approximately twelve percent of the total population of the Philippines live
overseas. Over the past years, the figures have been rising. Every hour, around 950
migrant workers leave the Philippines according to a statistic by the Philippine
Commission on Population. They primarily migrate in search of better job opportunities
and better life conditions. Often leaving behind their families and relatives in the
Philippines, in the hopes of sending back remittances to better their economic and
social status and one day finding a way to help them migrate abroad too.
 Many overseas Filipino workers, commonly denoted as OFWs, have assimilated
into their respective countries. They’ve successfully improved not only their quality of
life but also that of their family back home. However, not all are so lucky. Some
overseas Filipino workers, especially women, are underemployed, mistreated and
exploited by their foreign employers.
The diaspora, particularly the migration of workers and labor, is not unique to
the Philippines. It is a trend among residents of a developing country to leave for better
prospects in a more developed country. It is a result of modern globalization. My aim
for this website is it to share insight on the history of migration in the Philippines, the
ongoing diaspora and the human capital flight of the Philippines.
 
Lesson Proper:
 
BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR

PATRICIA EVANGELISTA
She was born in Manila and graduated CUM LAUDE from the University of the
Philippines-Diliman with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications.
Patricia is a journalist who has worked across a range of platforms including television
production, documentary film and multi-platform collaborative projects focused on
human rights, conflict, disaster, development and public interest issues. She is a
videographer, editor and producer.
At 18, she became the first Filipino to win the London-based annual International Public
Speaking Championships. At 19, she began writing for the Philippine Daily Inquirer's
opinion section. Her column ran for eight years. She has written for Rogue and UNO,
and was writer-at-large for Esquire Philippines Magazine.
 
 
 
 
 
A Borderless World
By Patricia Evangelista
The speech given by Patricia Evangelista was mainly about nationalism.
According to her, a borderless world does not preclude or rule out one’s idea of a home.
It is about being proud and appreciating our own country and appreciating even
ourselves. A “borderless world” refers to an open world which can bring influences upon
people. It may bring about changes in their culture, beliefs, traditions and others.
FULL TEXT:

WHEN I was little, I wanted what many Filipino children all over the country wanted. I
wanted to be blond, blue-eyed and white.
I thought — if I just wished hard enough and was good enough, I’d wake up on
Christmas morning with snow outside my window and freckles across my nose!
 
 
 
 

 
 
More than four centuries under western domination can do that to you. I have 16
cousins. In a couple of years, there will just be five of us left in the Philippines, the rest
will have gone abroad in search of “greener pastures.” It’s not an anomaly; it’s a trend;
the Filipino diaspora. Today, about eight million Filipinos are scattered around the
world.
There are those who disapprove of Filipinos who choose to leave. I used to. Maybe this
is a natural reaction of someone who was left behind, smiling for family pictures that
get emptier with each succeeding year. Desertion, I called it. My country is a land that
has perpetually fought for the freedom to be itself. Our heroes offered their lives in the
struggle against the Spanish, the Japanese, the Americans. To pack up and deny that
identity is tantamount to spitting on that sacrifice.
Or is it? I don’t think so. Not anymore.

True, there is no denying this phenomenon, aided by the fact that what was once the
other side of the world is now a 12-hour plane ride away. But this is a borderless world,
where no individual can claim to be purely from where he is now. My mother is of
Chinese descent, my father is a quarter Spanish, and I call myself a pure Filipino — a
hybrid of sorts resulting from a combination of cultures.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Each square mile anywhere in the world is made up of people of different ethnicities,
with national identities and individual personalities. Because of this, each square mile is
already a  microcosm of the world. In as much as this blessed spot that is England is
the world, so is my neighborhood back home.
 
 
 
 
 
Seen this way, the Filipino Diaspora, or any sort of dispersal of populations, is not as
ominous as so many claim. It must be understood. I come from a Third World country,
one that is still trying mightily to get back on its feet after many years of dictatorship.
But we shall make it, given more time. Especially now, when we have thousands of
eager young minds who graduate from college every year. They have skills. They need
jobs. We cannot absorb them all.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A borderless world presents a bigger opportunity, yet one that is not so much
abandonment but an extension of identity. Even as we take, we give back. We are the
40,000 skilled nurses who support the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. We
are the quarter-of-a-million seafarers manning most of the world’s commercial ships.
We are your software engineers in Ireland, your construction workers in the Middle
East, your doctors and caregivers in North America, and, your musical artists in
London’s West End.
 
 
 
Nationalism isn’t bound by time or place. People from other nations migrate to create
new nations, yet still remain essentially who they are. British society is itself an example
of a multi-cultural nation, a melting pot of races, religions, arts and cultures. We are,
indeed, in a borderless world!
Leaving sometimes isn’t a matter of choice. It’s coming back that is. The Hobbits of the
shire traveled all over Middle-Earth, but they chose to
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
come home, richer in every sense of the word. We call people like these balikbayans or
the “returnees” — those who followed their dream, yet choose to return and share their
maturetalents and good fortune.
In a few years, I may take advantage of whatever opportunities that come my way. But
I will come home. A borderless world doesn’t preclude the idea of a home. I’m a
Filipino, and I’ll always be one. It isn’t about geography; it isn’t about boundaries. It’s
about giving back to the country that shaped me.
 
 
 
 
 
And that’s going to be more important to me than seeing snow outside my window on a
bright Christmas morning.
Mabuhay and thank you.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source:
http://pinoy-tabularasa.blogspot.com/2010/10/borderless-world-by-patricia.html
 
ANALYSIS OF THE SPEECH
 There are many reasons why people, especially Filipinos, migrate to other
countries. One of them is poverty. Most Filipinos think that if they go to other countries,
they will have a happy and comfortable life. Many Filipinos are working abroad instead
of working in the Philippines, their own country. There are a lot of Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFWs) especially in the Middle East. There are also others serving as
domestic helpers, caregivers, nurses, etc. The main cause for this is probably because
the salary offered in other countries is higher compared to that in the Philippines.
In spite of these, there are also Filipinos who became successful in other
countries that are still here in the Philippines. Some may have been famous in the field
of science and sports. Others may have been popular singers and actors or actresses. It
is important to learn how to appreciate and be contented of oneself. Learn to love and
be used of the country’s traditions and beliefs. Be proud to be a Filipino, and be a true
Filipino at heart.
A borderless world presents a bigger opportunity, yet one that is not so much
abandonment but an extension of identity. Even as we take, we give back.
Nationalism isn´t bound by time or place. People from other nations migrate to
create new nations, yet still remain essentially who they are. British society is itself an
example of a multicultural nation, a melting pot of races, religions, arts and cultures.
We are, indeed, in a borderless world!
 
LEARNING CONTENT
Introduction
 
"Diaspora  |dīˈaspərə| (from Greek διασπορά, "scattering, dispersion")
Source: mtholyoke.edu
  the movement or migration of a group of people, such as those sharing a
national and/or ethnic identity, away from an established or ancestral homeland.”

“International migration of skilled persons

has assumed increased importance in recent years reflecting the impact of globalization
and revival of growth in the world economy.”
The Philippines is estimated to have a population of 94 million. A surprising
phenomenon, called the Philippine Diaspora, shows that the population is declining
significantly with each year of growth. The major concern, however, is that the
increasing trend of migrant workers signifies a large-scale human capital flight, also
known as a Brain Drain, which would greatly affect the progress and development of
the Philippines. What is to become of the country when all the brightest individuals
leave?
 
 
Approximately twelve percent of the total population of the Philippines live
overseas. Over the past years, the figures have been rising. Every hour, around 950
migrant workers leave the Philippines according to a statistic by the Philippine
Commission on Population. They primarily migrate in search of better job opportunities
and better life conditions. Often leaving behind their families and relatives in the
Philippines, in the hopes of sending back remittances to better their economic and
social status and one day finding a way to help them migrate abroad too.
Many overseas Filipino workers, commonly denoted as OFWs, have assimilated
into their respective countries. They’ve successfully improved not only their quality of
life but also that of their family back home. However, not all are so lucky. Some
overseas Filipino workers, especially women, are underemployed, mistreated and
exploited by their foreign employers.
The diaspora, particularly the migration of workers and labor, is not unique to
the Philippines. It is a trend among residents of a developing country to leave for better
prospects in a more developed country. It is a result of modern globalization. My aim
for this website is it to share insight on the history of migration in the Philippines, the
ongoing diaspora and the human capital flight of the Philippines.
 
Lesson Proper:
 
BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
 PATRICIA EVANGELISTA
She was born in Manila and graduated CUM LAUDE from the University of the
Philippines-Diliman with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications.
Patricia is a journalist who has worked across a range of platforms including television
production, documentary film and multi-platform collaborative projects focused on
human rights, conflict, disaster, development and public interest issues. She is a
videographer, editor and producer.
At 18, she became the first Filipino to win the London-based annual International Public
Speaking Championships. At 19, she began writing for the Philippine Daily Inquirer's
opinion section. Her column ran for eight years. She has written for Rogue and UNO,
and was writer-at-large for Esquire Philippines Magazine.
 
 
 
 
 
A Borderless World
By Patricia Evangelista
The speech given by Patricia Evangelista was mainly about nationalism.
According to her, a borderless world does not preclude or rule out one’s idea of a home.
It is about being proud and appreciating our own country and appreciating even
ourselves. A “borderless world” refers to an open world which can bring influences upon
people. It may bring about changes in their culture, beliefs, traditions and others.
FULL TEXT:

WHEN I was little, I wanted what many Filipino children all over the country wanted. I
wanted to be blond, blue-eyed and white.
I thought — if I just wished hard enough and was good enough, I’d wake up on
Christmas morning with snow outside my window and freckles across my nose!
 
 
 
 
 
 
More than four centuries under western domination can do that to you. I have 16
cousins. In a couple of years, there will just be five of us left in the Philippines, the rest
will have gone abroad in search of “greener pastures.” It’s not an anomaly; it’s a trend;
the Filipino diaspora. Today, about eight million Filipinos are scattered around the
world.
There are those who disapprove of Filipinos who choose to leave. I used to. Maybe this
is a natural reaction of someone who was left behind, smiling for family pictures that
get emptier with each succeeding year. Desertion, I called it. My country is a land that
has perpetually fought for the freedom to be itself. Our heroes offered their lives in the
struggle against the Spanish, the Japanese, the Americans. To pack up and deny that
identity is tantamount to spitting on that sacrifice.
Or is it? I don’t think so. Not anymore.
True, there is no denying this phenomenon, aided by the fact that what was once the
other side of the world is now a 12-hour plane ride away. But this is a borderless world,
where no individual can claim to be purely from where he is now. My mother is of
Chinese descent, my father is a quarter Spanish, and I call myself a pure Filipino — a
hybrid of sorts resulting from a combination of cultures.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Each square mile anywhere in the world is made up of people of different ethnicities,
with national identities and individual personalities. Because of this, each square mile is
already a  microcosm of the world. In as much as this blessed spot that is England is
the world, so is my neighborhood back home.
 
 
 
 
 
Seen this way, the Filipino Diaspora, or any sort of dispersal of populations, is not as
ominous as so many claim. It must be understood. I come from a Third World country,
one that is still trying mightily to get back on its feet after many years of dictatorship.
But we shall make it, given more time. Especially now, when we have thousands of
eager young minds who graduate from college every year. They have skills. They need
jobs. We cannot absorb them all.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A borderless world presents a bigger opportunity, yet one that is not so much
abandonment but an extension of identity. Even as we take, we give back. We are the
40,000 skilled nurses who support the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. We
are the quarter-of-a-million seafarers manning most of the world’s commercial ships.
We are your software engineers in Ireland, your construction workers in the Middle
East, your doctors and caregivers in North America, and, your musical artists in
London’s West End.
 
 
 
Nationalism isn’t bound by time or place. People from other nations migrate to create
new nations, yet still remain essentially who they are. British society is itself an example
of a multi-cultural nation, a melting pot of races, religions, arts and cultures. We are,
indeed, in a borderless world!
Leaving sometimes isn’t a matter of choice. It’s coming back that is. The Hobbits of the
shire traveled all over Middle-Earth, but they chose to
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
come home, richer in every sense of the word. We call people like these balikbayans or
the “returnees” — those who followed their dream, yet choose to return and share their
maturetalents and good fortune.
In a few years, I may take advantage of whatever opportunities that come my way. But
I will come home. A borderless world doesn’t preclude the idea of a home. I’m a
Filipino, and I’ll always be one. It isn’t about geography; it isn’t about boundaries. It’s
about giving back to the country that shaped me.
 
 
 
 
 
And that’s going to be more important to me than seeing snow outside my window on a
bright Christmas morning.
Mabuhay and thank you.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source:
http://pinoy-tabularasa.blogspot.com/2010/10/borderless-world-by-patricia.html
 
ANALYSIS OF THE SPEECH
 There are many reasons why people, especially Filipinos, migrate to other
countries. One of them is poverty. Most Filipinos think that if they go to other countries,
they will have a happy and comfortable life. Many Filipinos are working abroad instead
of working in the Philippines, their own country. There are a lot of Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFWs) especially in the Middle East. There are also others serving as
domestic helpers, caregivers, nurses, etc. The main cause for this is probably because
the salary offered in other countries is higher compared to that in the Philippines.
In spite of these, there are also Filipinos who became successful in other
countries that are still here in the Philippines. Some may have been famous in the field
of science and sports. Others may have been popular singers and actors or actresses. It
is important to learn how to appreciate and be contented of oneself. Learn to love and
be used of the country’s traditions and beliefs. Be proud to be a Filipino, and be a true
Filipino at heart.
A borderless world presents a bigger opportunity, yet one that is not so much
abandonment but an extension of identity. Even as we take, we give back.
Nationalism isn´t bound by time or place. People from other nations migrate to
create new nations, yet still remain essentially who they are. British society is itself an
example of a multicultural nation, a melting pot of races, religions, arts and cultures.
We are, indeed, in a borderless world!
 
Introduction
Effectively writing different types of essays has become critical to academic
success. Essay writing is a common school assignment and a part of standardized test.
Often on tests, choosing the correct type of essay to write in response to a writing
prompt is key to getting the question right. Clearly, students can’t afford to remain
confused about types of essays.
There are over a dozen types of essays, so it’s easy to get confused. However,
rest assured, the number is actually more manageable. Essentially there are four major
types of essays, with the variations making up the remainder.
Lesson Proper:
The Main Types of Essay
 An essay is:
 a short academic composition
 derived from a French word “essai” or “essayer,” which mean “trail.”
 a piece of non-fiction writing that talks or discusses a specific topic.
An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many
different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative,
expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.
Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making
clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and
writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most
common type. 
 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays,
which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.
Argumentative essays
 In an argumentative essay, the writer is trying to convince the reader of something. He
or she will demonstrate the validity or falsity of a topic. The writer's position will be
backed up with evidence, including statistics or the opinion of experts. In these essays,
the writer isn't merely offering an opinion, but making an argument for or against
something, and supporting that argument with data.
Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a
topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write
will involve some kind of argumentation.
 
 
The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:
 The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
 The body presents your evidence and arguments
 The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance
The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the
effects of the internet on education. Read it to learn more.
Argumentative essay example paragraph
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Expository essays
An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require
an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.
Expository essays compare, explore, and discuss problems. While there's a bit of a
storytelling element to them, their purpose is greater than that. It's always to explain
some integral concept to the reader. As such, they inform, describe, and explain.
The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general
background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the
information presented.
 When writing an expository essay, the text needs to:
 Be concise and easy to understand.
 Offer different views on a subject.
 Report on a situation or event.
 Explain something that may be difficult to understand.
A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing
press is shown below. Study it to learn more.
Expository essay example paragraph
Narrative essays
Narration means you're telling a story from a certain viewpoint, and there is usually a
reason for the telling. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it
may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced. All
narrative essays have characters, setting, a climax, and most importantly, a plot.
A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it
should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the
story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.
 When writing a narrative essay, remember to:
 Include sensory and emotional details, so the reader will experience the story,
not just read about it.
 Allow the story to support the point you're making, and make reference to that
point in the first sentence.
 Write in the first or third person.
Study the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write
about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its
structure.
Narrative essay example
Descriptive essays

Descriptive essays describe the traits and

characteristics of people, objects, events, and feelings in intricate detail. What's being
 described will be thoroughly examined. For example, if you were describing roses, you
might want to detail:
 Their origin
 Their appearance
 Their color
 Their fragrance
When you write a descriptive essay, you want to involve the reader's senses and
emotions. For example, you could say, "I got sleepy." Or, you could write, "While I
waited for Santa, my eyelids grew heavy, the lights on the tree began to blur, and my
head began to droop." The second excerpt provides vivid detail, allowing readers to feel
like they're there.
A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by
introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it.
The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an
original description of your object.
Study the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to
spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.
Descriptive essay example
Essay writing is something that may never leave your life. And, no matter the format,
always remember your transition words!