MCU Basic Education Department FIRST QUARTER SY 2020-2021

WORKSHEET IN 21st CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND THE

Learning Tasks Instructions:

A. Answer the question “Which of the following canonical writers you think had the
best impact to the Philippine Literature?” Answer the question in at least three
paragraphs with at least five sentences for each paragraph.

Alejandro Roces (13 July 1924 – 23 May 2011) was a Filipino author,
essayist, dramatist and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature. He
joined the communist group hukbo ng bayan laban sa Hapon during Japanese
colonization where despite of being a teenager he was given the rank of a
Captain. When he saw the opportunity to go to school, he went to the States
for his tertiary education. There was an interview where Alejandro was ask
how he became a writer, Alejandro said that “When I was in the University
of Arizona, there I was not in the influence of any school, any teacher or even
my own family and that was when I discover that I was a writer”. The
interviewee ask if it has something to do with being a Roces, he answered,
“Well, genetically yes but as far as that is concern I have to discover it on my
very own, individually, not as a Roces”. His three (3) other brothers are also
involved in writing. Rafael who wrote a column called Roses and Thorns for
Manila Times and killed by the Japanese. Joaquin who wrote the column My
Daily Bread for the Manila Times post war. His youngest brother Alfredo also
became a columnist and the one who wrote the book that tackles about the
history of the Roces family entitle The Search for Liling. Alejandro was
married to Irene Yorston Viola (granddaughter of Maximo Viola), with whom
he had a daughter, Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa.
Alejandro Roces graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts and, not long after,
attained his M.A. from Far Eastern University back in the Philippines. He has
since received honorary doctorates from Tokyo University, Baguio's St.
Louis University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the Ateneo
de Manila University. He served as Secretary of education from 1962 to
1965, during the term of Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal.
President of the College Assurance Plan Foundation that started with his
great interest in education. On March 22, 2001, he was appointed to handle
the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). He was
also a president of the Bulletin Publishing Corporation and Dean of the
Institute of Arts and Science at the Far Eastern University. Roces also became
a member of the Board of Trustees of GSIS (Government Service Insurance
System) and maintained a column in the Philippine Star called Roses and
Thorns. Roses and thorns was the inverted column of his brother Rafael and
once wrote for Daily Mirror and Manila Times. During his freshman year in
the University of Arizona, Roces won Best Short Story for We Filipinos are
Mild Drinkers. Another of his stories, My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken, was
listed as Martha Foley’s Best American Stories among the most distinctive
for years 1948 and 1951. He was also given a citation by the Cultural Center
of the Philippines Centennial Honors for the Arts on February 2, 1999 for his
invaluable contributions to the field of cultural dissemination thus granting
him the Parangal Sentenyal sa Sining at Kultura. May 21, 2000 he was
included in the World's Who's Who, which is a biographical directory of the
highest achievers and contributors from around the globe.

This is intended for OFFLINE Learning. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution of this is not allowed.
Students will accomplish tasks in handwritten/manual form. Thank you.
MCU Basic Education Department FIRST QUARTER SY 2020-2021

Roces did not only focus on short stories alone, as he also published
books such as Of Cocks and Kites (1959), Fiesta (1980), and Something to
Crow About (2005). Of Cocks and Kites earned him the reputation as the
country's best writer of humorous stories. It also contained the widely
anthologized piece My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken. Fiesta is a book of essays,
featuring folk festivals such as Ermita's Bota Flores, Aklan's Ati-atihan, and
Naga's Peñafrancia. He once said in an interview what motivated him to
write it “When I wrote the Fiesta everybody was against fiestas. Everybody
wanted to eradicate it; they felt it was the greatest ban against progress. But
I saw the fiesta as our highest community expression that was the
impression it made on me so I wanted to preserve it”. Something to Crow
About, on the other hand, is a collection of Roces’ short stories. The book has
been brought to life by a critically acclaimed play of the same title; the staged
version of Something to Crow About is the first Filipino zarzuela in English.
This modern zarzuela tells the story of a poor cockfighter named Kiko who,
to his wife's chagrin, pays more attention to the roosters than to her. It also
won the Aliw Award for Best Musical and Best Director for a Musical
Production. It also had a run off-Broadway at the La Mama Theater in New
York. Through the years, Roces has won numerous awards, including the
Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, the Diwa ng Lahi Award, the
Tanging Parangal of the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, and the Rizal Pro Patria
Award. He was finally bestowed the honor as National Artist of Literature on
25 June 2003.

Citation:
Sumulong, Sassy M. C. (2002). Contemporary Roces Progenies Alejandro
"Anding" Reyes Roces. Retrieve from
[Link]
Wikimedia Foundation. (2020, Otober 2). Alejandro Roces. Retrieve from
[Link]

This is intended for OFFLINE Learning. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution of this is not allowed.
Students will accomplish tasks in handwritten/manual form. Thank you.
MCU Basic Education Department FIRST QUARTER SY 2020-2021

RUBRICS

CRITERIA 4 3 2 1
There is one
specific, well- There is one
focused topic. specific, well-
Main ideas are focused topic. Main There is one topic The topics and
FOCUS AND
clear and are well ideas are clear but but main ideas are ideas are not
DETAILS
supported by are not supported not clear. clear.
detailed and by detailed
accurate information or fact.
information.
The introduction
is inviting, states
the main topic The introduction
and provides an states the main The introduction
There is no
overview of the topic and provides states the main
clear
argument. an overview of the topic. A conclusion
ORGANIZATION introduction,
Information is paper. A conclusion is included but is
structure or
relevant and is included but does not
conclusion.
presented in not strengthen the relevant/supportive.
logical order. The argument/position.
conclusion is
strong.
The author’s
The author’s
purpose of The author’s
purpose of writing
writing is very purpose of writing
is somewhat clear,
clear, and there is is somewhat clear,
and there is some
strong evidence and there is The author’s
evidence of
of attention to evidence of purpose of
VOICE attention to
audience. The attention to writing is
audience. The
author’s audience. The unclear.
author’s knowledge
knowledge of author’s knowledge
of and/or
and/or experience of the topic seems
experience with the
with the topic is limited.
topic is evident.
evident.
The author uses The writer
The author uses The author uses
vivid words and uses limited
vivid words and words that
phrases. The choice vocabulary.
phrases. The communicate
and placement of Jargon or
choice and clearly but the
WORD CHOICE words is inaccurate clichés are not
placement of writing lacks
at times, or seems used properly
words seems variety and seems
overdone or and detract
accurate, natural inappropriate to the
inappropriate for from the
and appropriate. subject matter.
the subject matter. meaning.
Sentences
sound
awkward and
Most sentences are Most sentences are are
All sentences are well-constructed well-constructed distractingly
well-constructed and gave varied but they have repetitive, or
and gave varied structure and similar structure are difficult to
SENTENCE
structure and length. The author and/or length. The understand.
STRUCTURE,
length. The makes a few errors author makes The author
GRAMMAR,
author makes in grammar, several errors in makes
MECHANICS
very few errors in mechanics and/or grammar, numerous
AND SPELLING
grammar, spelling but these mechanics and/or errors in
mechanics and/or mistakes do not spelling that grammar,
spelling. interfere with interfere with mechanics
understanding. understanding. and/or
spelling that
interfere with
understanding.

This is intended for OFFLINE Learning. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution of this is not allowed.
Students will accomplish tasks in handwritten/manual form. Thank you.