Rice for the Moon Summary
Author: Daniel-Jay Pascual
Class: IP 411
Rice for the Moon is a story about an Ilokano tradition that depicts a piece of history in the Philippine culture. The setting takes place in the 1940’s, a time in which the Japanese-American war broke out in the Philippines. The story is told by the narrator of the story, a young nine-year-old boy named Odet.
The beginning of the story portrays the tradition of throwing a ball of rice to the moon in hopes of bringing good luck and harvest to those who practice the ritual. Instead of bringing good fortune to Odet’s family, a war takes place and forces the family as well as other families in the community to move away from their homes, partly in due to the fact that food was becoming scarce and conditions were not suitable for living. During the story, Odet mentions a memory of his sister, Manang Ason, and Nardo, Manang Ason’s boyfriend. He mentions a secret meeting of the two, symbolizing the love they have between each other. The mentioning of this portion of the story is important because it adds to the emotion Manang Ason feels in the end. The rest of the story basically depicts the journey of the family from their previous home in Nagsaag to the Carballo Mountains. The reason for their move is the economic transition they made by having Odet’s sister, Manang Ason unite with Don Gaspar, a character in the story representing high economic status. In the end, the entire family moves in with Don Gaspar at the expense of Manang Ason’s life of love.
Author: Daniel-Jay Pascual
Class: IP 411
Rice for the Moon is a story about an Ilokano tradition that depicts a piece of history in the Philippine culture. The setting takes place in the 1940’s, a time in which the Japanese-American war broke out in the Philippines. The story is told by the narrator of the story, a young nine-year-old boy named Odet.
The beginning of the story portrays the tradition of throwing a ball of rice to the moon in hopes of bringing good luck and harvest to those who practice the ritual. Instead of bringing good fortune to Odet’s family, a war takes place and forces the family as well as other families in the community to move away from their homes, partly in due to the fact that food was becoming scarce and conditions were not suitable for living. During the story, Odet mentions a memory of his sister, Manang Ason, and Nardo, Manang Ason’s boyfriend. He mentions a secret meeting of the two, symbolizing the love they have between each other. The mentioning of this portion of the story is important because it adds to the emotion Manang Ason feels in the end. The rest of the story basically depicts the journey of the family from their previous home in Nagsaag to the Carballo Mountains. The reason for their move is the economic transition they made by having Odet’s sister, Manang Ason unite with Don Gaspar, a character in the story representing high economic status. In the end, the entire family moves in with Don Gaspar at the expense of Manang Ason’s life of love.
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Rice for the Moon Reaction
Author: Daniel-Jay Pascual
Class: IP 411
Personally, I enjoyed this story. The hardships and struggle of the family in this story are similar to those experiences in real life. In this case, rice signifies a type of bond between the members of Odet’s family. When rice is scarce and famine becomes eminent, the effects can be seen by the sacrifice Manang Ason is forced to make in order to provide her family with a sense of security and food. Here we can analyze that the concept of “helping the family at every cost” is employed. Although Manang Ason is clearly unhappy toward the end of the story, a reader may admire her sacrifice for the greater good of her family.
2 comments:
Noted. Oct 11/07.
Noted. 10-11-07.
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