Reading Guide: Loss and Grief

Loss of Home and Identity:

“People in the War” by Gilda Cordero-Fernando

  1. According to Cordero-Fernando, what was the Philippines like during the Japanese occupation?
  2. What is the role of government in defining the possession of one’s own identity, e.g. exploring censorship?
  3. What forms of loss do the families experience throughout the story? How are some of these losses gendered? 
  4. How does Cordero-Fernando show the polarization of identity in the story, i.e. “What do you mean 75 in Algebra, 95 in Nippongo! Am I raising a little geisha?” 
  5. How does the author explore themes of morality when Eden is faced with killing her child? What does her reaction after the child’s death say about grief? 

“Trinidad’s Brooch” by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard 

  1. How does family influence one’s identity? As an orphan, how does Trinidad view her own identity? 
  2. What strategies does Trinidad use to cope with the loss of her parents? 
  3. According to Brainard, is identity static? How can we interpret the quote “For the moment, this was enough”? 

“Katipunera” by Elsa Martinez-Coscolluela 

  1. How does the narrator mourn for her husband? And her country?
  2. What was the role of women in the Katipunan? 
  3. How can loss drive political action? 
  4. How does literature serve as a memorial? What language does Martinez-Coscolluela use? 

“Blasted Hopes” by Leona Florentino

Note about the author:

Leona Florentino (1849-1994): Considered to be the mother of Philippine women’s literature, she is a pillar of both vernacular and Spanish literature. Despite not receiving a university education due to her gender, she became one of the most well-known poets in the nation. Also a protofeminist, she did not enjoy much praise from her family, but she received international acclaim. (She is also the mother of former senator Isabelo de los Reyes.)

  1. What is this poem about? In what political climate did it take place? 
  2. How does the narrator deal with loss in the poem? Who did the speaker lose? 

Loss of Children:

“Gift to the Earth” by Lina Espina-Moore

  1. How does the family cope with the death of Elen’s son? 
  2. Why didn’t Teresa tell her sister about her son’s death? 
  3. How is death beautified? What kind of language does Espina-Moore use? How is this a strategy in coping with loss? 
  4. How do people view death in the Philippines? Why do you think Espina-Moore chose to write about child mortality? 

“The Son” by Jesus Balmori

  1. How does envy corrupt loss? 
  2. How does the story’s magical realism make us better understand the process of grief and self-estrangement? 
  3. Does Galindo mourn for the death of his child? How would you interpret the ending? 
  4. What lessons does Balmori teach his audience about loss? 

Loss of Innocence:

“Rosa” by Nerisa del Carmen Guevara

  1. What do the spirits represent in the story?
  2. How does the author capture the process of grief through the eyes of a child? 
  3. What happened at the end of the story? How does this story explore mental health among children?
Thematic Question:
1) From the literature, what can we gather about attitudes towards loss in the Philippines?