Exploring ASEAN Literature and Definitions

ASEAN Literature

• Brunei joined in 1984, Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Myanmar in 1997, and Cambodia in 1999.
• Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand joined in 1967.

Meaning of Literature

• The term "literature" comes from the Latin "litteratura," which originally meant "writing formed with letters" and included "learning, a writing, grammar."
• Literature can be written or spoken.
• Oral narratives are now included in the definition of literature.
• Literature transforms normal language, differing systematically from daily speech.

Definition of Literature

• Literature is a collection of written works that includes imaginative poetry and prose.
• These works are classified by language, origin, historical period, genre, and subject.

Qualities of Literature

• Artistic: has a sense of beauty.
• Intellectual: Stimulates critical thinking and abstract reasoning.
• Suggestive: Evokes deep emotion and stirs imagination.
• Spiritual: Elevates the spirit and inspires moral values.
• Permanent: Endures across time, offering fresh insights with each reading.
• Style: Reflects a unique way of seeing life through ideas, forms, structures, and expressions.
• Universal: Appeals to everyone, regardless of culture, race, gender, or time.

Division of Literature

• Prose and poetry are the two primary divisions

Prose

• Uses paragraphs primarily
• Ordinary language is deployed
• Appeals to intellect
• Aims to convince or inform.

Poetry

• Uses stanzas and verses
• Metrical and rhythmic language is deployed
• Appeals to emotion
• Aims to stir imagination.

Definition of Prose

• Prose comes from the Latin word "prosa," meaning straightforward speech.

Elements of Prose

• Theme: Central idea.
• Setting: Can be a place, time, or social setting.
• Plot: Sequence of events.
• Characters: People in the story.
• Point of View: Perspective from which the story is told.

Definition of Poetry

• Poetry uses figurative language to create multiple layers of meaning

Types of Poems

Sonnet

• A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme.
• Example: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" by William Shakespeare.

Haiku

• A 3-line poem with 5, 7, and 5 syllables.
• Example: "An old silent pond / A frog jumps into the pond-/Splash! Silence again." by Matsuo Basho.

Villanelle

• A 19-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and repeated lines.
• Example: "Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas.

Free Verse

• A poem with no specific rhyme or meter.
• Example: "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot.

Limerick

• A 5-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and a humorous tone.
• Example: "There was an Old Man with a beard" by Edward Lear.

Elements of Poetry

• Verse: A line in a poem.
• Stanza: A group of verses with a repeated form.
• Rhyme: Similarity of final sounds in verses.

Techniques in Making Meaning

• Compare/Contrast: Discusses similarities and differences.
• Narration: Commentary that conveys a story to an audience.

Literary Conventions

• Conventions are defining characteristics of a genre.

Narrative Conventions

• Techniques used by an author to create meaning.

Types of Setting

• Time Setting: The period in which the story exists.
• Place Setting: The location where the story occurs.

Types of Point of View

• First Person: Uses "I" or "We."
• Second Person: Uses "You."
• Third Person: Uses "He, She, They."

Literary Convention Style

• Language: Figurative language.
• Sensory Detail: Mental images using descriptive words.
• Dramatic Visualization: Vivid descriptions of gestures and dialogue.

Theme

• The underlying message or central idea.
• About the universal human experience.

Literary Approaches

• Feminism: Focuses on equal rights for women.
• New Historicism: Understands literature through its cultural context.
• Formalism: Analyzes the inherent features of a text.

Topic 1: Philippines - "Tata Selo" by Rogelio Sikat

• The story addresses social injustice and the struggle of the poor.

Characters

• Tata Selo: A widower farmer arrested for killing the head of the village.
• Binatang Mayaman: Rich man's son.
• Alkalde: Mayor.
• Hepe: Police chief of San Roque.
• Kabesang Tano: The deceased head of the village of San Roque.
• Saling: Tata Selo's daughter.
• Batang Magbubukid: A child who visits Tata Selo in jail.

Settings

• Place: Includes the town hall, stockade, farm, and mayor's office of the village.
• Time: Morning and Noon

Themes

• Social injustice and oppression
• Abuse of power
• Poverty and strife

Point of View

• The story is told from the third-person perspective.

Plot

• Beginning: Tata Selo is jailed for killing the landowner.
• Middle: Tata Selo explains being forced off his land and killing the landowner in desperation.
• End: Tata Selo remains in jail; the poor suffer under the powerful local authorities

Topic 2: Vietnam - "The Cherished Daughter"

• Written anonymously around 1700 AD

Poetry

• Meant to stir a reader's emotions through the writer's expression

Types of Poetry

• Lyric: Expresses personal feelings and emotions.
• Narrative: Tells a story through a narrator and characters in metered verse.
• Descriptive: Focuses on the deep depiction of a subject.

Sub- Types of Poetry

Sonnet

• A 14-line poem following a rhyming pattern

Poetic Devices

• Sound: Assonance, consonance, alliteration, rhythm.
• Figurative: Personification, metaphor, irony.

Topic 3: Brunei - "The Oilfield Labourers"

• By Siti Badriyah biti Haji Md Yusuf.

Introduction

• Revolves around Yazid who works on an oil derrick
• Begins with a fire, loss, grief, and impact on residents.

Characters

• Yazid: Main character who works at the oil derrick.
• Old Man: Died in the fire which left Yazid in turmoil.
• Adam: Yazid's friend who offers him a place to stay.
• Jamal: Yazid's coworker who is fearful of death.
• William: Laborer who works at the oil derrick.
• Ghani: A key figure who symbolizes the workers' resistance by laborers during a time of oppression.

Setting

• Place: Kampong Umbi
• Time: Morning, Afternoon, Evening

Themes

• Hardship and trauma.
• Life and death
• Existential crisis.

Point of View

• Third-person perspective.

Plot

• The story starts with a fire in Yazid's village.
• Continues with Yazid at the oil derrick and his work with the team.
• The story concludes with a suicide.

Summary

• Explores loss of property, grief, and fear surrounding life in Kampong Umbi

Topic 4: Myanmar - "The Kindergarten Teacher" by Aung Thinn

• He received the Lifetime National Literary Award in 2012 and wrote 50 books

Characters

• U Nya Sein: An art and reading/writing teacher at a kindergarten.
• Director/Lecturer: Friend of U Nyan Sein.
• Pupils: U Nyan Sein's students.
• Crying Boy: Student who cries often.
• Daw Aye Thar: Grandmother of the crying boy.

Settings

• Primary School Near Pagoda
• University Of Yangon
• Taungdwin-Gyi Shwe In Taung Pagoda.

Theme

• Passion and love of education.

Point Of View

• First person narrative.

Plot

• Beginning: A former teacher visits his friend U Nyan Sein, an art teacher.
• Middle: The former teacher observes U Nyan Sein has his own method of teaching and discovers his value
• End: The former teacher began questioned his capabilities as a teacher

Summary

• The story revolves around an ex-teacher realizing his past missteps in teaching.

Topic 5: Thailand - "Friend Zone" by Chayanop Boonprakob

• A romantic comedy film about relationship intricacies

Introduction

• The term "friend zone" is when one person holds an admiration or adoration for the second but the second is only looking for mates
• "Friendzone" explores the problem of love, connections, and difficulties of love

Genre

• A category of movies is based on the subject, experience, or tone that is directed

Rom-Com

• Combines satire and love, focused on love accounts with easygoing moments

Synopsis

• Story about Palm and Gink who were close in education
• Gink feels affection for a male interest which puts Palm in crisis
• Palm must choose between confessing or continuing their companionship

Objectives

• Investigates the problems of connections caught between companionship and affection
• Features the difficulties of connections affected by affection
• Analyzes the personal sincerity that both display

Factors

• The unspoken affection is the root of the turmoil
• The balance is broken between platonic admiration and romance

Characterization

• What an author does for the purpose of showing persona
• This is to show them and the audience their behaviors
• Used actions or dialogue to show how characters seem.

Male Lead

• Is Kind and Patient and cares about other friends
• Is invested in the connection
• Will always provide assistance and friendship

Female Lead

• Sees a connection only and displays affection for him
• They share a closer bond and she does not recognize or remember

The male partner

• Only does what seems to improve the situation without recognizing problems.

Cinematography

• Handheld movements and camera use when the shots are appropriate
• Transitions well in a seamless and meaningful way