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| Cover photo of "Lumbay ng DIla by Genevieve Asenjo (from Google Images) |
To whom you can relate most in the novel? Why?
If I were to relate myself the most to a character in the novel, “Lumbay ng Dila,” it would be Stephen Chua. Because I want to be a lawyer in the future like him; however, my choice of becoming a lawyer is my personal decision unlike in the case of Stephen, he was being pressured by his parents particularly his father.
“My Dad, sobra. Kaya nag nag-law ako, e. For the good of the family daw…” (17)
This line from the novel shows how pressure he is to pursue law for the sake of his father’s fulfilment.
“…Law student ngayon sa San Beda.” (16)
Moreover, I can relate to Stephen because he is currently studying in San Beda for law which is one of my choices aside from Ateneo and UP Law School.
In relation of myself having lots of things I want to do such as study; play football; become a chef; be a lawyer; and an ambassador, I think it only shows how I really want to have a happy and contented future. Like Stephen, he seeks for success and prioritizing his future over relationships.
“… … Masisira ang buhay ko.” (94)
This line stated by Stephen during the heat of the conversation with Sadyah featured how scared he was if the professor of DLSU gets pregnant after the meeting that they had. In short, I associate myself the most to Stephen because of his willingness to be successful in life despite the pressure being put by his father, and his attitude of focusing on the things he needs to do for his brighter future.
We read novel for emotion. Share the affect - the emotional response evoked, elicited by the novel in you.
To be honest, the novel gave me an experience of enjoying it by issuing different emotions that eventually helped me to be part of the novel and understand the flow of events. In short, it is like love is like a rosary full of mysteries and yes it is. Such a roller coster ride, up for the positive emotion like happiness, and down for anger, sadness and curiosity. These four emotions were what the novel affected me.
“Ga, kinuha ko ang pera mo.” - Ishamel (216)
Ishmael stole Sadyah’s money without any permission from; what made me anger was that this was the time when he and Sadyah were already fighting and using a thick face, getting a money from a girl that you are not treating well.
Moreover, the line...
“You manipulated me.” - Stephen (94)
… also made me anger because Stephen blamed Sadyah for not being prudent. In my stand, he should accept his mistake because he was drove by his sexual endeavours. In short, I felt anger because of Ishmael and Stephen not respecting a woman despite all the good things Sadyah did for them.
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“Is it true, Lolo, that you killed Gov. Edgardo Salazar?” - Sadyah (135)
The passage gave me sadness and curiosity. Sadness because, I felt the sorrow of Sadyah of being confused to know the truth. On the other hand, I was curious of how Sadyah can she stand that long of not uncovering the reality within her family.
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“Pagkilala sa kanyang kaharap, at marahil pagpapatawad: ito ang silbi ng kanyang pagiging buhay ngayon.” (391)
This passage sums it up, being part of the up of the roller coaster, it give me the happiness that finally Sadyah forgave her mother. And in my perspective, forgiving is a process of forgetting the negative vibes that hinder you from being happy. This is also, I think, a lesson for us to remember that we should learn how to forget, and move on to the new chapters of our lives.
Reading is an experience in language. Share your encounter with the language of the novel: joy, difficulty maybe, and the strategies you employed to finish the novel.
Admittedly, it was such a great experience reading a novel like “Lumbay ng Dila.” Before reading it, I thought the words were more traditional in a sense that it is composed of deep Tagalog words but I was wrong. Personally, it was a great step for the author to modernized the language she used. I really enjoyed the words used because it gave me an opportunity to learn new words from the Visayan region of the Philippines like…
“Sa Kinaray-a, Kasubu kang DIla. Sa Tagalog, Lumbay ng DIla.” (97)
Moreover, I was able to learn their culture that helped me understand why some people from other regions act. In addition, since we have a Visayan helper, I asked her what did the Kasubu mean in Tagalog, which is sorrow or lungkot.
Figuratively speaking, I am like a turtle when it walks, that is how I read; in short, I am a slow reader because I am easily distracted. This is why, I was so happy that the words used and language were not that heavy and deep. One of my main strategies to finish the books is by having an English dictionary for some English words that I am not familiar of and of course, internet.
