Module 3-Context and Text's Meaning

MODULE 3
CONTEXT AND TEXT’S MEANING

RECALL THE DIFFERENT
LITERARY GENRES
WUZZLES
going thought the motions
no one to blame
count the number of ways
heartbroken
a kick in the butt

Reading, understanding, and appreciating stories,
poems, essays or any other forms of literature
may sometimes be challenging for you.
This can be influenced by many factors. It could

be your lack of knowledge about the topic or
author’s background, your inability to understand
the words used in the text, your lack of time to
spend for reading, or simply your negative attitude
towards reading itself.
Whatever the reason may be, the simple truth
that reading is an essential part of your life as a
student remains unquestionable.
It is a part of your mental, emotional, social,

and spiritual growth. Hence, it is something that
you have to embrace and cultivate as an academic
skill.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEXT AND CONTEXT
TEXT in this course are broadly described as

follows: texts are anything that is produced with
the intent of conveying a meaning to an audience,
incorporating both spoken and written acts of
communication, and the associated use of images
and visual and aural stimuli.
Texts under this definition can be literary
or non-literary.
They include any communicative
device used
to convey a message or idea.
single images/
films/
voice recordings/
books/
blogs/
twitters/
poetry/
prose.
Examples:
1. “Please send the report through email”
– a text means a request
2. “I love you very much”

- a text means expressing one’s feelings
3. Once a upon a time there was a young girl who lives in

the forest. She grew up in a very cool and wonderful place
full of trees and wonderful flower garden.
– a text means a story of a girl
CONTEXT means the experience, the
environment or the event to which the written
words had come from. Context means the
purpose why such written words had come into
words.
Banaag at Sikat
by Lope K. Santos
The novel narrates the story between Delfin and Felipe

who have contrasting views. Delfin is a socialist
whereas Felipe, despite being the son of a rich
landowner, leans towards anarchism. Throughout the
narrative, themes of love, livelihood, and societal
status are embedded.
Banaag at Sikat (From Early Dawn to Full Light) has
been dubbed the ‘bible of the Filipino working class.’
Being among the earliest novels written by Lope K.
Santos, it’s considered by Filipino critic Teodoro
Agoncillo as one of the most important books in
Philippine literature in 1949. That’s because according
to Agoncillo, it paved the way for the development of a
system on how Tagalog novels were written.
ACTIVITY
Instructions. Identify the following statement. On your notebook,

write T if the statement is a text; and C if it is a context.
1. Please do not step on the grass.
2. It was a dark and windy night when the family left their home
town since it was under attack by swarm of insects that
damages their root crops and other farm vegetation that also
cause danger to human lives.
3. Every student who is taking the examination for Law school
needs to undergo comprehensive review activities prior to the
entrance examination proper.
4. All books are now ready for distribution.
5. I was glad you were present last night awarding ceremony.
6. Some of the equipment were being destroyed this was

because of the unforeseen event that happened the other day.
The store room where the equipment were being stored got
caught on fire.
7. Great minds need great outputs.
8. Living in misery must have cost so much mental

health issues among women in a community full of
violence caused by arms and conflict.
9. Your request will be granted soon.
10. How time flies.

In order for you to understand and appreciate a
literary text, you should know some useful
techniques and strategies.
These techniques refer to your ability to interpret

the biographical, linguistic, and sociocultural
contexts which give more meaning and impact
to a reading selection.
BIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT
A biographical context refers to the author’s life and
the factors that influenced and shaped it, such as
social, political, and economic conditions during his
or her time.
This also includes his or her educational background, religion,

ethnicity, among others. When you read based on a
biographical context, you employ a biographical criticism.
LINGUISTIC CONTEXT
Reading through a linguistic context means you have
to focus on the language used in the literary text and
how it is used to convey meaning. Knowing how words
interplay in a piece of literature will help you
understand and appreciate it more.
Pay careful attention to sentence structures, grammar

patterns, and vocabulary used in the text.
l Literal comprehension simply means reading the
lines. As your read a text, take note of specific details that
relate to who, what, when, where, why, and how
questions.
l Inferential comprehension, on the other hand,

refers to reading between the lines. This means you have
to determine the meaning of certain words and
expressions within the text not by using the dictionary, but
by using context clues.
Context clues are surrounding words and
phrases in the text that are used to give
meaning to unfamiliar words and phrases
such as idiomatic expressions and figures of
speech.
l Evaluative comprehension takes your
imagination outside of the text. It enables you to
make generalizations, form new conclusions, or
make judgments about certain issues presented
explicitly or implicitly in the text.
SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT
It focus on understanding the social, economic, political and
cultural forces affecting the literary work. It combines social
and cultural elements that are significant in understanding
and appreciating a work of literature. Consider the following
questions in analyzing the sociocultural context embedded in
the literary piece.
• How does the literary piece depict society?

• With what societal issues is it concerned?
• Does the work describe real events, or some that are strikingly
similar to real events?

Module 3-Context and Text's Meaning

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 3-Context and Text's Meaning

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module 3-Context and Text's Meaning

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MODULE 3

CONTEXT AND TEXT’S MEANING

going thought the motions

a kick in the butt

This can be influenced by many factors. It could

It is a part of your mental, emotional, social,

TEXT in this course are broadly described as

2. “I love you very much”

3. Once a upon a time there was a young girl who lives in

The novel narrates the story between Delfin and Felipe

Instructions. Identify the following statement. On your notebook,

1. Please do not step on the grass.

4. All books are now ready for distribution.

5. I was glad you were present last night awarding ceremony.

6. Some of the equipment were being destroyed this was

8. Living in misery must have cost so much mental

9. Your request will be granted soon.

10. How time flies.

These techniques refer to your ability to interpret

This also includes his or her educational background, religion,

Pay careful attention to sentence structures, grammar

l Inferential comprehension, on the other hand,

• How does the literary piece depict society?

You might also like