A Taste of Multiculturalism
An Analysis of a 21st Century Philippine Literature entitled
An Earnest Parable
by: Merlinda Bobis
She received the
following awards:
o Australian Classical Music Award for Best Vocal/Choral Work of the Year for Daragang Magayon Cantata (2007)
o Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas (National Balagtas Award: a lifetime award for author's poetry and prose in English, Pilipino, Bikol) from the Unyon ng Manunulat ng Pilipinas (Union of Philippine Writers) (2006)
o Gintong Aklat Award (Golden Book Award: Philippine publishers' award) for Banana Heart Summer (2006)
o Australian Literature Society Gold Medal for Banana Heart Summer (2006)
o Nomination: Best in Foreign Language in Fiction from the Manila Critics' Circle for Banana Heart Summer (2006)
o Judges' Choice Award, Bumbershoot Bookfair, Seattle Arts Festival for The Kissing (collection of short stories published as White Turtle in Australia and the Philippines) (2001)
o Arts Queensland
Steele Rudd Australian Short Story Award (for the Best Published Collection of
Australian Short Stories, joint winner) for White Turtle (2000)
o Philippine National Book Award for Fiction (Joint winner) from the Manila Critics' Circle for White Turtle (2000)
o NSW Ministry for the Arts Writers' Fellowship for novel in progress, Fish-Hair Woman (2000)
o Canberra Writing Fellowship jointly from the Australian National University, the University of Canberra, and the Australian Defence Force Academy (2000)
o Prix Italia (international award) for Rita's Lullaby (radio play) (1998)
o Australian Writers' Guild Award (AWGIE) for Rita's Lullaby (1998)
o Pamana Philippine Presidential Award for achievement in the arts (for Filipino expatriates) (1998)
o Shortlist: The Age Poetry Book of the Year Award for Summer Was a Fast Train Without Terminals (collection of poems) (1998)
o Winner, Out of the Ashes Trans-Tasman Short Story Competition for White Turtle (short story) (1998)
o Commended: National Short Story Competition, Society of Women Writers for The Sadness Collector (short story) (1998)
o Joint winner, ABC Radio National's 'Books & Writing Short Story Competition' for The Tongue (also known as The Parable of Illawarra Street) (1997)
o Ian Reed Foundation Prize for Radio Drama for Rita's Lullaby (1995)
o Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in Literature (Philippine national award), Honourable Mention for Ms. Serena Serenata (one-act play) (1995)
o Gawad Cultural Centre of the Philippines (national award for poetry in Filipino) for Mula Dulo Hanggang Kanto ('From End to Corner', collection of poems) (1990)
o Likhaan Award for Daragang Magayon and other poems, University of the Philippines Writers' Workshop (1990)
o Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in Literature, Second Prize for Lupang di Hinirang: Kuwento at Sikreto ('Land Not Dearest: Story and Secret', collection of poems in Filipino) (1989)
o Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in Literature, joint winner, First Prize for Peopleness (collection of poems in English) (1987)
Her works are:
o Rituals: Selected poems, 1985-1990. (1990)
o Summer was a Fast Train without Terminals. (Melbourne: Spinifex, 1998)
o usaping ina at anak
o White Turtle (Melbourne: Spinifex, 1999)
o The Kissing (Aunt Lute, 2001) [US reissue of White Turtle]
o Banana Heart Summer (Murdoch Books, 2005)
o The Solemn Lantern Maker (Sydney: Murdoch Books, 2008)
o Fish-hair Woman (North Melbourne: Spinifex, 2011)
o Locust Girl: A Lovesong (North Melbourne: Spinifex, 2015)
Textual Background
An
Earnest Parable is a 21st Century Philippine literature written by Merlinda
Bobis, a Philippine-Australian writer. It is considered as a Philippine
literature because Merlinda Bobis is a Filipino writer. It was published in the
book, White turtle on 1999 but was republished on her book, The Kissing on 2001
as a copy or a revised version in the US. It is about the daily life of six
neighbours with different cultures, each of them sharing and consuming their
delicacies from their native land. With this, they realized the beauty and
passion of each other’s country through their tongue.
Copy of The Literary Text
AN
EARNEST PARABLE
Merlinda
Bobis
Albay/
Australia
As it was his run that day to lose his tongue, he had for breakfast, the creamiest latik, a dish of sticky rice in coconut milk, served with a large, ripe mango. Then he sang two serenades about love and volcanoes in the Philippines. He was making the most of his chance for taste and speech, because, an hour later, his Sri Lankan neighbor would be at the door, awaiting her turn. Already, she would be dreaming of pappadums and hot curries, not quite as spicy as her dialect, which would melt on the much-awaited tongue. Tongue communal tongue.
Bessel street’s most prestigious possession. Last week, it lodged with the Italian butcher who earlier had picked it up from the Australian couple. The butcher was not one to waste time. Immediately, he laid this soft, pink flesh moist with the previous owner’s steak and peppercorns. Inside his mouth. Then he ran to the mirror with his wife and three daughters and began savouring his first words after weeks of silence: “bellisima, bellisima!” The whole family marveled at how, like a pink animal, the tongue rolled its tip to the roof of the mouth in an intimate curl – “belllllllll-isima…” Then they passed the tongue around, taking turns to relish old, native sounds, after which they dined on home-made pasta in a piquant marinara sauce.
The residents of Bessel Street were kin in tongue. The pink flesh toured up and down that street, went into homes, into mouths if difference origins. There was the baker from Turkey, the Filipino cook, the Australian couple with the fish shop, the Italian butcher, and the Sri Lankan tailor.
One tongue for five homes. Not
really an inconvenient arrangement, mind you. Of course, when the tongue was
accommodated elsewhere, one could not eat with the usual joys of the palate.
But the pleasure of the ear was enough compensation. Every tongue-owner’s
soundings, especially those that were heard as foreign noises, seemed to
orchestrate in everyone else’s middle ear into something intimate and
comforting. This was inevitable for, muted at different times, they learned how
to listen intently to whoever had the chance for speech or song-and how they
spoke and sang and even told stories, usually with brief words of beauty and kindness.
The moment of speech was too dear to be wasted on loose, heart-less talk. Its
was a shame not to do justice to the little, pink animal in the mouth.
Thus, everyone spoke, ate, listened
with care and passion, and shared various languages and delicacies. Last week,
for instance, the word “bella” found its way into a Turkish ditty whose refrain
would later inspire the new name of the Australian fish shop, which supplied
the mussels for the butcher’s marinara that sneaked into the Filipino chef’s kitchen,
where it was blessed-Dios mabalos!-as an afterthought, with a dollop of coconut
cream and some red chillies, well, to
give it teeth, the Sri Lankan reckoned before the dish was resurrected among
the pides of the Turkish baker.
Indeed, on their respective days of
owning the tongue, each of the neighbors could not help but echo the mouth of
the previous owner. The Italian family eventually developed a taste for the
occasional cardamon tea, the Filipino adventurously spread some Vegemite on his
pan de sal and, at one time, the Australian couple stirred fish heads into
their sour soup. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan began hosting summer feats by the
Barbie, and the Turkish baker even serenaded his wife with songs about love and
volcanoes as he prepared a tray of almond biscotti for the even.
You see, the tongue had an excellent
memory. Even when it had moved to a new mouth, it still evoked the breath of
spices, sweets and syllables of the former host. It was never known to forget
anything, least of all the fact that it was once the soft pink flesh of a South
Coast mollusc; it yielded itself to a higher good one winter night when the
ocean was formidably wild. The six households understood this origin in their
mouths. The tongue was the gift of the landspace. The pides and gulab jamuns,
the daily bonjournos and even the highly spiced takable tang of Australian surf
and grit-and truly, like surf, after this home truth was dramatized on TV’s
latest culinary show, the heart of one viewing nation swelled and swelled with
pride.
Analysis
A. Literary Genre
Short story can be a fiction or a
nonfiction narrative that is shorter than a novel and that usually deals with
only a few words (under 7, 500 words).
The short story is usually
concerned with a single effect conveyed in only one or a few significant
episodes or scenes. The form encourages economy of setting, concise narrative,
and the omission of a complex plot; character is disclosed in action and
dramatic encounter but is seldom fully developed. Despite its relatively
limited scope, though, a short story is often judged by its ability to provide
a “complete” or satisfying treatment of its characters and subject.
An Earnest Parable is a short story
because it contains a setting - Bessel Street, characters - Filipino cook,
Italian butcher, Australian couple, Sri Lankan tailor, and the baker from
Turkey, plot and a theme - multiculturalism between 6 people living in one neighbourhood.
It is only written in a few words (734 words) with a complete story which can
be read in one-sitting only. It also possess the author's perspective and
thought about a certain idea just like Merlinada Bobis’ perspective about immigrant
life in Australia. The author also uses literary techniques that makes the
story more interesting such as the use of different languages like biscouti
(biscuit) and bonjournos (good morning) - Italian Word, bellisima (beautiful) -
a Spanish word, dios mabalos (thank you)- a Bicol expression, latik - a dish of
sticky rice in coconut milk, served with a large, ripe mango - a Philippine
delicacy, pappadum and a hot curry - a Sri Lankan dish, pasta in a piquant
marinara sauce, a cardamon tea, pides and gulab jamuns - Italian delicacy,
Vegemite spread on a bread and a takable tang - Australian dish. The readers
may feel the emotion of the story and they may also learn and get moral lessons
from the story - we need to respect, adopt, and accept other's culture in order
to establish a good, effective, and strong relationship.
B. Analysis
Guides
"Tongue
is not just for tasting different foods, it can be also defined as a cultural
exchange" does this make sense?
Reader
Response
As readers, we initially respond to the work of
literature by identifying its message and purpose. We like the story “An
Earnest Parable” because it shows the concept of multiculturalism wherein the
people with different nationalities who are living in the Bessel street shared
and respected each other's culture. Upon reading it for the first time, we were
confused because we didn’t clearly understand the story but after reading it
several times and as we analyze and discuss it with our group, finally, we
understood the meaning of the story.
Tone
Tone in literature is the way the
author expresses his attitude through his writing. The tone can change very
quickly or may remain the same throughout the story. Tone is expressed by the
use of syntax, point of view, diction, and the level of formality in author’s
writing. The author, Merlinda Bobis, showed her perspectives about embracing
one's difference. She showcased how multiculturalism works. Her writing style
is easy to imagine and feel. When her story describes something, for example is
food which was shown in the story, readers can feel their taste buds tingle and
they are getting hungry.
Point
of View
The story "An Earnest
Parable" by Merlinda Bobis is in a third person point of view because the
author didn’t use the words “I” and “we”. Instead, she used the words “their’, “he”,
and “she”. She narrated the story by
making reference to the other characters in the story. She is not included in
the story. For example, "Indeed, on their respective days of owning the
tongue, each of the neighbours could not help but echo the mouth of the
previous owner”.
Diction
and Style
An earnest parable is a
multicultural literature. It uses different languages such as biscouti (biscuit)
and bonjournos (good morning) - Italian Word, bellisima (beautiful) - a Spanish
word, dios mabalos (thank you)- a Bicol expression, latik - a dish of sticky
rice in coconut milk, served with a large, ripe mango - a Philippine delicacy,
pappadum and a hot curry - a Sri Lankan dish, pasta in a piquant marinara
sauce, a cardamon tea, pides and gulab jamuns - Italian delicacy, Vegemite
spread on a bread and a takable tang - Australian dish.
The author made the story easy to read and different
languages were used to attract more readers.
Images
and Symbols
The story makes use of the tongue as
a literal and symbolic device. It was seen in the phrase “kin in tongue” which
means that we don’t need to sacrifice our culture or native language just to
adapt other’s culture. Just like what the author said, tongue was never known
to forget anything. It was the gift of the landscape- one of the most precious
gift that was given to us. It symbolizes communication, taste or preference.
Plot
and Structure of the Text
An Earnest Parable talks about six foreign people: a baker from Turkey, a Filipino cook, an Australian couple running a fish shop, an Italian butcher and a Sri Lankan tailor. They all live in one neighbourhood, Bessel Street, despite of being drastically different. Each character has its own cultures and traditions but despite of it, they still built a strong relationship. The story is in a format of a standard essay made up of three components: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. On the introduction, the author introduced the characters and what the story is all about. On the body, the story is narrated by the author. On the conclusion, there is a judgement or decision reached.
Setting
The setting of a piece of literature
is the time and place in which the story takes place. In the story “An Earnest
Parable”, the story took place at the Bessel Street – a neighbourhood where
people with different nationalities and cultures built a strong bond despite of
their cultural differences. The exact time when the story happened is not
stated in the literature.
Characters
Character is a person, a figure, an inanimate object, or animal that drives the story forward. The characters in the story are the Filipino cook, Italian butcher, Australian couple, Sri Lankan tailor, and the baker from turkey--- with different culture that made a great bond despite being different from each other.
Purpose
The author’s purpose is to show the concept of multiculturalism. She wanted to emphasize that we don’t need to give up or sacrifice our own culture and native language just to adapt other countries’ culture and tradition. The author explained that tongue is not just for tasting different foods, it can be also defined as a cultural exchange.
Theme
From the title, we will know that it is meant to give a lesson or showcase a particular principle since it is stated that it is a parable. A parable is a short fictitious story that is presented to teach a religious principle, simple truth or moral lesson. The moral lesson from the story is that cultural differences is not a hindrance for people with different nationalities and cultures to build a strong relationship. It means that despite of being different from one another, people can get along to others like what was shown in the story. Everyone spoke, ate, listened, and shared various languages and delicacies with respect to each other’s culture.
C. Contextual Analysis
Most of Merlinda Bobis’ works deals with the
immigrant experience, most notably from a woman’s perspective. She is an
immigrant in Australia. She is a Filipino writer now based in Australia. Food
and taste are the devices that she uses in many of her stories. The important
events, beliefs, and ideologies in life of the author is included in the
biographical context. Thus, by the use of biographical context, the story
"An Earnest Parable" is all about the multiculturalism which is based
from the author's experiences and observations while she is in Australia.
Linguistic context is used to determine the use of words or language chosen by the author. Thus, by the use of linguistic context, the story "An Earnest Parable" is all about the use of words chosen by Bobis which shows the characters’ culture, such as biscouti (biscuit) and bonjournos (good morning) - Italian Word, bellisima (beautiful) - a Spanish word, dios mabalos (thank you)- a Bicol expression, latik - a dish of sticky rice in coconut milk, served with a large, ripe mango - a Philippine delicacy, pappadum and a hot curry - a Sri Lankan dish, pasta in a piquant marinara sauce, a cardamon tea, pides and gulab jamuns - Italian delicacy, Vegemite spread on a bread and a takable tang - Australian dish.
Summary
An Earnest parable is about the author's experience and perspective about multiculturalism. She used the word tongue to symbolize the adaptation and the acceptance of every character with different culture or the cultural exchange.
The story unveils the relationship between six people---Filipino cook, Italian butcher, Australian couple, Sri Lankan tailor, and the baker from turkey--- with different cultures that made a great bond despite being different from each other. Cultural differences didn’t hinder them to build a strong relationship. They are making memories by talking about everyone’s culture especially tasting ones trademark foods and languages such as such as biscouti (biscuit) and bonjournos (good morning) - Italian Word, bellisima (beautiful) - a Spanish word, dios mabalos (thank you)- a Bicol expression, latik - a dish of sticky rice in coconut milk, served with a large, ripe mango - a Philippine delicacy, pappadum and a hot curry - a Sri Lankan dish, pasta in a piquant marinara sauce, a cardamon tea, pides and gulab jamuns - Italian delicacy, Vegemite spread on a bread and a takable tang - Australian dish.
REFERENCES
These are the references we used to help us understand the short story better:
Sanchez, Lizada and Cuartero, Agustin, 21st- Century Literature from the Philippines and the world, A Diet of Identity, Vibal Group,Inc. 1253 Gregorio Araneta Avenue, Quezon City
Wikipedia, Merlinda Bobis, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlinda_Bobis#:~:text=Merlinda%20Bobis%20(born%2025%20November,Aquinas%20University%20in%20Legazpi%20City
Kalnins, Reinis, Merlinda Bobis, Merlina
Bobis, https://www.merlindabobis.com.au/biography.htm
Herero Dolores, JSTOR, Merlinda Bobis's
Re-Evaluation of Ethics and Identity: "Cantata of the Warrior Woman",
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41274362?seq=1
Cuisia, Audrey, Derp, Derpy , Garcia, Joyce, and Lucero, Frances, Word Press An Earnest Parable (A Che bello! Review, https://bookwrightreviews.home.blog/category/earnest-parable/#:~:text=An%20Earnest%20Parable%20is%20written,who%20now%20resides%20in%20Australia.&text=An%20Earnest%20Parable%20talks%20about,and%20a%20Sri%20Lankan%20tailor.
Food Reference, “Taste” Food Quotes, http://www.foodreference.com/html/qtaste.html
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