GOOD AFTERNOON

7- DIAMOND
 What is Shawl?

A shawl is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and
sometimes also over the head.

It is usually a rectangular or squarepiece of cloth, which is often folded to make a triangle, but can
also be triangular in shape. Other shapes include oblong shawls.
 THEME
Theme In a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its
central insight. It is the authors underlying meaning or main
idea that he is trying to convey.
Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning
of a literary work, which may be stated directly or indirectly.
Different literary Themes
Example #1: Love and Friendship Theme
Love and friendship are frequently occurring
themes in literature. They generate emotional
twists and turns in a narrative, and can lead to a
variety of endings: happy, sad, or bittersweet. The
following are famous literary works with love and
friendship themes:
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Example #2: War Theme
The theme of war has been explored in literature
since ancient times. literary woks utilizing this
theme may either glorify or criticize the idea of
war. Most recent literary works portray war as a
curse for humanity, due to the suffering it inflicts.
Some famous examples include:
• Iliad and Odyssey by Homer
Example #3: Crime and Mystery Themes
Crime and mystery are utilized in detective
novels. Such narratives also include sub-themes,
such as “crimes cannot be hidden,” “evil is
always punished,” and others. Some well-known
crime and mystery theme examples include:
• The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan
Poe
A Shawl for Anita
by: Lolita M. Andrada
Vocabulary
Words
 Directions: Read the passage carefully.
Choose the letter of the correct answer.
 
1. Anita just got out from the hospital,
she looked frail.

a. allows oneself to enjoy the pleasure of.

b. irritated, annoy.
c. weak and delicate.
2. Anita’s family eked out their
livelihood in the soil. They had difficult
in earning money.

a. makes a small hole in something with

a sharp object.
b. manages to support oneself or make
a living with difficult.
c. showing or having an insensitive and
3. Jose indulged himself in
drinking soft drinks.

a. allows oneself to enjoy the

pleasure of.
b. showing or having an
insensitive and cruel disregard
for others.
4. The noise outside irked Mang Julio.
So, he put down the pen and stop
writing the letter.

a. irritated, annoy.
b. makes a small hole in something
with a sharp object.
c. showing or having an insensitive
and cruel disregard for others.
5. The chef wanted to cook the meat
immediately so he decides to prick it
with a fork.

a. allows oneself to enjoy the

pleasure of.
b. irritated, annoy.
c. makes a small hole in something
with a sharp object.
6. Manolo speaks callously against
the issue of LGBT. He is so insensitive
of their feelings.

a. irritated, annoy.
b. manages to support oneself or
make a living with difficult.
c. showing or having an insensitive
and cruel disregard for others.
 A SHAWL FOR
ANITA

by Lolita M. Andrada
 A former Director IV of
the Bureau of Secondary
Education, Department of
Education. She served as
the Project Manager of the
Secondary Education
Development and
Improvement Project
(SEDIP).
Lolita M. Andrada
 She has published various articles in
education journals and other
 publications.
She has a Ph.D. in Education from the
University of South Australia and a
Master's in Curriculum and Instructor
from the University of the Philippines.
Lolita M. Andrada

 At present, she is one of the

Phoenix Publishing House
Educational Foundation consultants.
 A SHAWL FOR
ANITA
by Lolita M. Andrada
My mother brought us up single-
handedly. It was an extraordinary task
for a woman so frail – dealing with
three adolescent children. But she
managed. She did not finish high
school, but her deft hands had
skillfully eked out a living for the four
of us. She was good at knitting. Her
Then she put up a sari-sari store to send
the other children to college. Mother
wanted us all to get a college degree and
she had sacrificed much to see us
through.

Mother had a soft heart – especially for

Anita.
Anita was the youngest, and I, being
the middle child, always envied her.
She was sickly and Mother willingly
indulged her. My sister’s whimpers
never irked her. She was ever so
gentle with her while I was so
impatient and jealous. I never
My mother who had always been a
frail woman was much thinner now.
Anita who was married by now had
never stopped being pampered. Her
lack of concern for our mother’s
failing health was getting on my
nerves. I felt like shouting at her,
calling her names when I heard her
ask Mother to knit a shawl for her.
Mother could hardly refuse, but I knew
that the task was too much for her.
Her fingers had lost their flexibility;
rheumatic pain told on her knuckles
that felt a million pins pricking. My
heart went out to her every time I saw
her painfully knitting the needles into
the yarn.
I never wanted to see Mother lift a finger.
She was too old to work, and we wanted
to save the burden of doing even the
lightest household chores. Mother said
she felt useless being cooped up in the
house all day, doing nothing. That was
before Anita sweet talked her into
knitting her shawl. I was beginning to
hate Anita for being so callous.
Knitting the shawl might have been an
agony for Mother, but she never showed
any pain. At the end of the day, she would
look at her handiwork, a smile on her lips
as she held it against her. Knitting proved
to be a slow process, but Mother didn’t
mind, I only did and when Anita showed
up one day to visit Mother. I scolded her
for being so thoughtless.
Anita touched my arm and in a gentle
voice she said, “I did it for Mother.
That shawl is giving her reason to live.
She was wasting away, didn’t you
notice? She felt so useless because
she had nothing to do, no matter how
small. Mother is one person who
prefers to live her life working. If she
I nodded my head. Perhaps
Anita was right. I was
beginning to understand my
mother.
THE END
Comprehension
Questions
1.Who narrates the story?
 Answer:
Middle Child
2.Who are the characters
in the story?
 Answer:
Mother, Anita, and Middle Child ( Narrator)
3. Among the characters, who is so
frail but never stop working?
Answer:
Mother
4.Who is the child that the mother
take care the most?
Answer:
Anita
5. Why does Anita keep on requesting
something from the mother despite her
mother’s condition?
 Answer:
Because she notice that her mother
would felt useless if she had nothing
to do. Their mother is a kind of person
who loves working. So, if she stops
working, she will stop living.

Mother is one person who prefers to

live her life working. If she stops
working, she will stop living.”
6.What is/are the theme/s of the
story A Shawl for Anita?
 ANSWER:

Contentment, love, passion, courage,

family, sacrifice, jealous, envy.
LET’S TRY THIS!!

Directions: read each short story

and determine the theme. Then
explain why?
1. Even though they were sisters, Suzie and June were nothing alike. If Suzie wanted to
jump rope, June wanted to play hopscotch. If June wanted to watch soap operas,
Suzie wanted to watch talk shows. Tensions rose to the point that the girls could no
longer stand one another’s company. It seemed that they had nothing in common,
until the day that progress reports came out. While riding the bus home from school,
the girls—startled by how upset the other looked—realized that they were both
failing a subject. Suzie was failing math and June was failing reading. Since both girls
wanted to pass their classes, they got to talking and agreed to help one another. So
everyday after school for the next few weeks, Suzie tutored June in reading and then
June tutored Suzie in math. By the time report cards came were distributed, Suzie
and June were passing all of their classes. The girls were delighted, but their mother
was happiest of all. Not just because her daughters passed their classes, but because
they had learned to be good sisters.
2.Kyle liked Lucy more than any other girl in the school, but he had an
odd way of showing it. When she walked ahead of him in line, he
kicked at her shoe. When she passed him on the school yard, he called
her “lame Lucy.” He even wrote a mean word on her homework
during the bus ride to school. But what puzzled Lucy the most was
receiving an invitation to Kyle’s birthday party. Figuring that he was
just planning a mean trick on her, Lucy decided not to go, and while
Kyle eagerly awaited Lucy’s arrival, Lucy talked on the phone to Jacob.
When Kyle finally realized that Lucy was not coming to his party, he
was crushed.
 Directions: Read carefully and answer the following questions.

1.Who is the author of the story “A Shawl for Anita “?

2.Who are the characters in the story?
3.Who is the child that the mother take care the most?
4.Among the characters, who is so frail but never stop working?
5.Why does Anita keep on requesting something from the mother
despite her mother condition?
6.What is the theme of the story?
7-10
On the given example story above, choose one (1) story then write
and illustrate the theme.