A Tropical Winter’s Tale
?COLLEGE READING AND STUDY A TROPICAL WINTER’S TALE: LITERAL COMPREHENSION >WHO (CHARACTERS IN THE STORY): Li HuaParents of Li Hua Bei XiongAh Beng Claritathe Doctor AnnaRelatives of Anna >WHAT (TOPIC OF THE STORY): It narrated the life of Li Hua in relation to Bei Xiong. >WHERE (SETTING OF THE STORY): It happened in some parts of China and then in Manila. >WHEN (TIME PLOT OF THE STORY): It probably occurred at night. >WHY (REASON): Bei Xiong was desperate of having a child. INTERPRETATIVE COMPREHENSION (SUMMARY) Li Hua, at first, was a weak girl who eventually evolved into a powerful woman.
She had a relationship with Bei Xiong who bought her from her foster parents who in turn bought her off from a sick peasant as an act of Buddhist charity. Li Hua was treated by her parents rudely. The reason behind it was because she had no use at all. She has no talent for embroidery, no love for cooking etc. which girls during those times really need to learn. She also experienced the same thing with Bei Xiong as she wasn’t able to bear Bei Xiong his own. She was forced to make love with Bei Xiong though she felt no love for him and to follow his every command though it was against her will.
Li Hua experienced the worst of her life in her relation to her foster parents and Bei Xiong but because of these experiences which made her stronger – in mind, body and spirit – she in the end won over the tyranny of her husband and became a master of her own action. CRITICAL ANALYSIS People have their own past experiences. It may be good or bad. Experiences taken in the past may serve as our guide in continuing life; serve as our inspiration and motivation in making life even better – past experiences that may make us better or even worse.
But the fact is that we do not have the chance to choose between the two – whether to experience the best or the worst. In the story shown, there is a girl named Li Hua – too weak to protect herself, has no power to resist – who met Bei Xiong – a rude man – and there was when Li Hua experienced the worst instances in her life but still manages to be calm and still – to stay in silence and obey every command given to her. The story shows how Li Hua evolved from a weak girl to a powerful woman. Starting with a dream, the author wanted to show the audience a flashback of her life before – how she was treated by her foster parents.
The dream points out of Li Hua’s relation with winter – “The sadness without her was sister to the sadness within. ” It also sets the theme of the story. As the story goes, Bei Xiong also played an important part in Li Hua’s life. He treated Li Hua in a rude way – insisted to have sex with him, forced her to follow his commands. For short, Li Hua was a slave to Bei Xiong. Not having a child, Bei Xiong became desperate. He had sexual intercourse with another woman aside from Li Hua until the time it narrated Bei Xiong’s rape of Anna and the murder of Bei Xiong.
Associating the story with the society nowadays, man is seen with more power compared to women. It also shows how women sacrifice for their loved ones. Though the man they love cause them harm, they still manage to stay calm and remain silent. Patience in the part of women is shown on the story. Siyempre, hindi naman natin maikakaila na napupuno na rin sag alit ang mga babae tuwing sila ay nagpapakumbaba para lang sa taong mahal nila. Hindi naman pupwede na sa lahat ng oras ay ang babae na lamang ang siyang nagbibigay. Napupuno rin naman tayong mga babae at kung minsan dahil sag alit na ito ay nakakagawa tayo ng hindi kanais-nais.
Patience, understanding, and most of all love, is what the story is telling us. We need to develop these to live harmoniously. Remember, our past experiences should not degrade us but instead serve as motivation to strive harder in life. APPLICATION AND CREATION >APPLICATION – Develop patience, understanding, and most of all love to live harmoniously. This implies especially to married couples. – We need to use our past experiences as motivation to strive harder in life than to degrade ourselves. – Marry the one you truly love. >CREATION (original composition)
MISTAKEN LOVE There was this boy To whom I’ve given my life for We’ve been together And I thought it’ll be happily ever after He insisted to make love And to follow his every command Make me do what was against my will I was a slave, that’s what I feel He treated me nothing but a toy Betrayed me and loved another, oh boy! Even brought her in my own home Thinking she’ll bear him his own Things like these happened always I was already numb, didn’t feel any pain It was a mistake giving my life to him Thinking he’ll love me more than everybody else do