LENGUA PARA DIABLO(The Devil Ate My Words) by Merlinda Bobis

LENGUA PARA DIABLO

(Mixed Approach)

Lengua Para Diablo a Spanish line which means the devil ate my words is an excerpt from the the Banana Heart Summers  by the author Merlinda Bobis , an elaborate  literary masterpiece which turns our world into words. “ Painting words was cheaper” says Bobis, who artistically painted our society with words, depicting realities. The author really did a great job not in the way that we’re going  view our society in a negative way but to show what is really the one of the issues that our country facing nowadays ---- poverty among families.

This literature contains numerous figurative or symbolical words and lines which really allow you to ponder what this is really about.  But what really impacts me is that when the girl in the story said “Perhaps, next he should sell his esophagus, then stomach. I would if I had the chance to be that pampered. To know for once what I would never taste”. These lines seems telling that the girl slowly losing her hope in living because of the situation they’re into which makes her think in the way what life is waiting for her as she grows up. The girl was disappointed and seems cursing her father for not fulfilling his promises to give them a life worth to live for.

“The devil ate my words” this  was  the line that the father always uttered. The father felt worthless, because the opportunity was taken away from him , the opportunity of giving his family a prosperous kind of life- comfort, a full stomach, life without their  wretched want. Who was the devil?, In the story  it was the Spanish mestizo employer but in reality these are the people who continuously crumble and stepped into others life turning them into miserable one. For we can’t change the fact that there are still people who are greedy , feeding from other’s downfall which turn them into devil.

“I would be induced to secrets. I would be the “inside girl “, and I could tell you the nature of sated affluence”. The girl is imagining herself in the situation where her father is up to. The last few lines shows the negative impact of having an unfortunate kind of living, with nothing to own and provide ,most especially to the children, for  their environment influenced them in some ways either positive or negative.

Merlinda Bobis is a Filipino-Australian writer , most of  her exceptional  writings are the reflection of realities but in different genre. Her technique in writing is using figurative language and it is generally metaphorical that both confusing and interesting.  Bobis, being a translational writer exploring different culture coloured her work. Bobis was born in Legaspi City in the Philippines , specifically at the foot of the Mt. Mayon, where she wrote also her first writing. Some of her works comprises Philippine culture and maybe this motivate her to wrote such literature excerpt concerning issues in our country that we must not view it in a negative way but a motivation for changes.

The questions bombarded on my mind after learning the literature Lengua Para Diablo are  “ Was there other devil out there, nowadays?” “ Why devil these days exist?”” Why there are still people living in miseries” “Who deserves the blame?” “What other conflicts devil can create in our society? And etc. Actually, this literature gives me ideas  how  to comprehend how the world works, and the seasonings  which makes our world difficult to live on. I really felt bad towards the family’s situation. Even I, can’t imagine myself if someday I’ll be in their shoe. Just seeing others experiencing the taste of poverty breaks my heart into pieces. “Lengua Para Diablo” ,perhaps to others it’s just a story for our lesson but for me it motivates me that later on I’ll strive to make changes in the world where I’m existing. Based from the lines and words of the literature, it comprises negativities yet these are the factors that will trigger us more to think about our roles and what really our worth in this complex and ever changing world. The  literature also tackle about family matters , so for families, let us not focused what are the labels that we have in the family that suffice our roles but we are ought to work together as one.

Poverty one of the barriers in our society needs an attention. Leaders and all Filipinos should take actions in reducing it  through different effective manners. Family , should receive its  worth ,in which it is the basic unit of society that  oblige to do their roles especially parents  who lead  their children.  I can say that devils are everywhere and difficulties are just normal ,so, all we have to do is to prepare and armed ourselves with wisdom and works. Despite of the myriads of questions brought to  me by this excerpt in the literature , for now only one question outstand ,that is “Am I capable of making changes despite of the chaos made by devils?”