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?”
