Reading Guide: Womxn, the Activist

Quiet Agency

“Sublime Abjection” by Francisco Rodriguez

  1. What assumptions did Mario Franco make about his friend, Nita Ruiz? In befriending Nita, what assumptions did he assign to women in general? 
  2. At the conclusion of the story, what does Mario Franco believe about Nita? What does he learn about female agency? 
  3. Like many pieces of literature written by men, this story seems sympathetic to Mario, a romantic underdog character who only wished to love his best friend. How does Rodriguez portray Nita? What kind of agency does he grant her? What statements does he make about women’s agency in society and in relationships? (Think about how the author describes her as well as the line: “How much she idolized the man who would soon be her sole possessor and loving protector.”)

Agency within the Confines 

“The Teacher of My Town” by Antonio Luna

  1. For what issues does Jacinta advocate? What role does she think Filipinas should have in society?
  2. What forms of advocacy do we see in Jacinta’s actions? 
  3. Analyze the quote: “She was extremely fair and her robust arms that could be glimpsed through her piña sleeves extended from tempting shoulders. In Madrid they would have called her a great woman, and the lovers of the physical form would have called her a heavy woman.” Notice that Luna seems to praise Madrid. What are Antonio Luna’s opinions of Spain, and what significance does this have in terms of the way Luna views the colonizer? 
  4. Interestingly, this story centers on female empowerment but it was written by a man. Comparing this story with that of “Sublime Abjection”, how does Luna’s perspective of women differ from Rodriguez’s?

Creative Campaigns

“To Love as Aswang” by Barbara Jane Reyes

Note: https://barbarajanereyes.com/portfolio/to-love-as-aswang/

  1. How does the unique form of Reyes’ poem influence the author’s reading of Filipinas in popular culture as both objects of desire and demons? How do you interpret the line “With animal teeth, with too much life | The Filipina is a loyal partner, deserving of all your love?” 
  2. What is an aswang? What role does the aswang play in the poem? How does Reyes appropriate the aswang to be a symbol of female agency? Through this creature that has once been a symbol of female estrangement by society, how does she reclaim it for all women? 
  3. How does Reyes advocate against colonialism? What observations does she make of the world today?

“Brown Girl Manifesto #allpinayeverything” by Barbara Jane Reyes

  1. How does Reyes build solidarity in this poem? 
  2. How does the author view herself and the Philippines? What are her goals?
  3. How does the structure of a manifesto impact how we might interpret the poem’s message? What significance does the word “because’ have? 
  4. According to the author, what impact does writing have on societal change? What are some literary allusions that Reyes uses to indicate this? 
Thematic Questions:
1) What is the role of literature in activism? 
2) What does activism mean to you? 
3) How can we use literature to combat historical revisionism and reclaim our sovereignty?