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English 10

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English – Grade 10 Quarter 3 – Module 3: Literary Criticism through the
Marxist Lens First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education - Schools Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Self-Learning Module

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Printed in the Philippines by Department of Education – Schools Division of

Pasig City

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English 10 10
Quarter 3

Self-Learning Module 3
Literary Criticism through the Marxist Lens

Introductory Message
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For the Facilitator:

Welcome to English Grade 10 Self-Learning Module on Literary Criticism through the

Marxist Lens!

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and

independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims
to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely:
Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

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For the Learner:

Welcome to English Grade 10 Self-Learning Module on Literary Criticism through the

Marxist Lens!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an
active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge

and skills that you will learn after completing the
module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts and skills that
you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

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Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and application of the

lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the lesson.

Posttest - This measures how much you have learned from the entire
module.

EXPECTATIONS

This is your self-instructional learning module in English 10. All the

activities provided in this lesson will help you learn and understand: Literary
Criticism through the Marxist Lens. At the end of this lesson, you are expected
to:

• know the proponent of Marxism;

• understand the Marxist literary approach and some of its relying principles;
• critique a literary text in the lens of Marxism.

PRETEST

Read and identify the following statements and choose the correct answer
from the choices below. Write the correct answer on the space before each number.

_____ 1. It is a cultural theory that embodies a set of social, economic, and political
ideas that its followers believe will enable them to interpret and change their world.

A. Essentialism B. Feminism C. Marxism D. Moralism

_____ 2. He is the proponent of the Marxist Theory.

A. Edgar Allan Poe B. Edith Hamilton C. Edward Albee D. Karl Marx

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_____ 3. It is a one-act play about two opposite characters in opposite social classes.

A. Les Misérables B. The Lottery C. The Necklace D. The Zoo Story

_____ 4. Complete this statement: Social __________ was a consequence of the arrival
of the division of labor and, moreover, was what had led to the class society.

A. Equality B. Inequality C. Justice D. Policy

_____ 5. Which among the following points is NOT used in a Marxist literary text?

A. resolving the embedded issue or problem

B. moral judgment rather than formal principles
C. background of the author and his views on economy, politics
D. author’s main purpose of writing the story is far from just entertaining the
reader

RECAP

You have learned in your previous lesson that the Moralist approach in
literature aims to judge literary works according to moral rather than formal
principles, merely focusing on ethical teachings and virtue. In today’s lesson, you’ll
discover another literary approach that is also commonly used in literature.

LESSON

In this lesson, you will discover another literary approach that you will use
as lens in critiquing a text later.
Try to answer this 4 pics 1 word challenge. Write your answer on the space
provided.

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(The poor and the rich: How fashion
fills the gap. (2020, May 31).
HighlightStory.(The poor and the rich: How fashion fills the gap. (2020, May 31).
[Link]
HighlightStory.
[Link] poor
and the rich: Not a winning message:
War on Poverty, wealth and income
inequality | How to
get rich, inequality, poverty. (n.d.).
Pinterest. [Link]

Marxism is a cultural
theory that embodies a set of
social, economic, and political
ideas that its followers believe
will enable them to interpret
and change their world.
Marxist critics are also
interested in how the lower or
working classes are oppressed
- in everyday life and in
literature.

("It’s About Time The Uber-Bourgeois Media Bubble Was

Popped." IT | International Times. Accessed August 8, 2020 .
[Link]
bourgeois-media-bubble-was-popped/)
ULC, Bitstrips. Bitmoji - Your Own Personal Emoji. Accessed
August 14, 2020. [Link]

Karl Marx , the proponent of this

theory, lived in London at the time of
industrialization and travelled extensively
through Europe. He saw a highly developed
continent where the tensions ran high
because of social inequality. According to
Marx, social inequality was a
consequence of the arrival of the division
of labor and, moreover, was what had led
to the class society.

Since literature reflects economics, politics, the

kind of people and their society where they live in, one literary piece can be subject
to analysis not in its feature elements and devices but in its contents, style of the
writer in developing the plot and to the extent of his background as a compelling
contributing factor to the over-all effect of the whole story.

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In doing a Marxist literary criticism, one must look for the following details:

("Karl Marx | Карл Маркс, 1875." Color by Klimbim 0.1. Last modified February 11,
2019. [Link]

✓ social classes that constitute the setting of the story

(their importance and role to run the plot and in injecting ideas);
✓ characteristics of such social classes (as to how social classes interact
each other and make conflicts between or among social classes );
✓ author’s idea about the prevailing social issue like oppression;
✓ technique of the author in using the social conflicts;
✓ resolving the embedded issue or problem;
✓ author’s message on the issue or pro blem whether stated directly
through characters or merely implied;
✓ author’s main purpose of writing the story f ar from entertaining the
reader;
✓ background of the author and his views on economy, politics and
society;
✓ the place where th e literary piece was written ( time period, culture,
traditions, practices, economy and politics that might have influenced
one literary piece ).

("Download Scroll Png Clipart Png Photo Png - Free PNG Images." TopPNG. Accessed August 14, 2020. [Link]
png-PNG-free-PNG-Images_53962?search-result.)

One of the best

examples of literary piece
injected with Marxism
theory is the 1997 movie
Titanic. This movie
makes t he class struggle
obvious, It portrays
differences in class es and
the struggle amongthem.

(ULC, Bitstrips. Bitmoji - Your Own Personal Emoji.

Accessed August 14, 2020. [Link]
(PNG GURU. n.d. [Link]
transparent-background-png-clipart-mclvi/download)

The ship itself represents the class

struggle, showing the first class

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passengers on the upper decks and the third class passengers unable to reach the
higher decks. This is good use of

positioning as a metaphor for the struggle the proletariat has of reaching the heights
of the ruling classes.

("Raising Titanic: The World of Communication & the Creation of One of the World's Most Succesful Films." Inquiries Journal. Accessed August 14, 2020.
[Link]

As for the two main characters, Rose and Jack are complete opposite. Rose
is a rich young woman who has everything she could want. On the other hand,
Jack has nothing. At the beginning of the film, he is trying to gamble his way to
America
by trying to win third class
tickets in a poker game.
The way the
different classes are
treated by the bourgeoisie
or the middle class is
obvious in the scenes
depicting the sinking of
the ship where the ruling
class orders that the third
class passengers are to be
locked in the lower decks
while the first class
passengers have the chance to get aboard the lifeboats.
(Capatides, Christina. "Super Dangerous Movies." CBS News - Breaking News, 24/7 Live Streaming News & Top Stories. Last modified April 16, 2015.
[Link]

Now that you already have a picture of Marxism on your mind, it’s time fore
you to read an interesting summary of a play.

The Author: Edward Albee

Edward Albee is considered as the
foremost American playwright of his generation
who introduced himself with a bang in 1959,
when his first produced one-act play, “The Zoo
Story,” opened in Berlin. This is about an isolated
young man who is desperate to interact with other
people. The sky-rocketing launch of this play
helped propel the blossoming theater movement
that became known as Off Broadway.
("Edward Albee, Trenchant Playwright Who Laid Bare Modern Life, Dies at 88." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Last modified
September 17, 2016. [Link]

The Zoo Story

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by Edward Albee

One Sunday afternoon, a well-dressed man named Peter, wearing tweed and
a smoking pipe, is an upper-middle-class family man and publishing executive in
his mid-forties, is reading a book on a bench. Jerry, a sloppily dressed transient in
his late thirties, approaches and announces that he is coming from the Central
Park Zoo. Despite Peter’s apparent reluctance to chat, Jerry strikes up a
conversation. Jerry’s forward personality quickly begins to annoy Peter – he points
out that Peter will likely get cancer from smoking, and implies that Peter is
emasculated because he has cats instead of dogs.
Jerry continues to ask Peter questions about his life, his job, and his
interests. When Peter finally begins to return Jerry’s questions, Jerry tells him
about his miserable apartment in a flophouse on the Upper West Side. He describes
his unsavory neighbors and the junk that comprises his possessions – including
two empty picture frames. When Peter asks him about the picture frames, Jerry
explains that he is completely
alone in life. His parents died
when he was young, and his only
significant romantic relationship
was a short liaison he had with
another boy when he was a
teenager.
Jerry promises to tell Peter
about his trip to the zoo, but is
sidetracked into telling Peter about
his landlady, a drunken woman
who constantly offers him. When
she got a dog, Jerry tried to
befriend it, but the dog responded
only by attacking him. After
repeated and repudiated attempts (png.""white PNG fuel. n.d. [Link] bench illustration, Urban park Cartoon
Illustration, Park cartoons free -png/ajivi/download)

at friendship, Jerry decided to murder the dog by feeding it a poisoned hamburger

patty. Although this sickened the dog, it eventually recovered and began to simply
leave him alone.
Peter finds this story extremely disturbing, and wonders why Jerry told it to
him. Jerry explains that he tries to befriend animals as a gateway to befriending
other people.
Peter tries to excuse himself, but Jerry tickles him to keep him from leaving. He
then tries to force Peter to move from the bench, and punches him when he refuses.
Although Peter initially realizes that Jerry’s behavior is absurd, he gradually
becomes more possessive of the bench.
Unexpectedly, Jerry pulls a knife and insists Peter to fight for it. This shocks
Peter, who refuses to fight. As a gesture of peace, Jerry gives the knife to Peter, who
holds the knife out to protect himself. When Peter holds the knife defensively, Jerry
charges him and impales himself on the knife.

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Although he is initially hysterical,
Jerry soon calms down and accepts his
death. He even thanks Peter, using his
last energy to wipe Peter’s fingerprints
off the knife handle so that Peter will
not be accused of his murder. Peter
takes his book and dashes off before
passersby notice that Jerry is dying.
"Hey Oscar Wilde! It's Clobberin' Time!!! » Rob Walton – Edward Albee's The Zoo Story." Hey Oscar
Wilde! It's Clobberin' Time!!!. Accessed August 14, 2020.
[Link]

Guided Practice
Read the following statements. Draw thumbs up if the statement is true
and draw thumbs down if the statement is false. Write your answer on the
space before each item.

_____ 1. The characters of Peter and Jerry show a big difference in their social
classes through their actions.
_____ 2. Peter welcomed warmly Jerry’s eagerness to establish friendship at the beginning
of the story.
_____ 3. Peter got his ownership on the bench that they were arguing about.
_____ 4. Edward Albee, the author of The Zoo Story showcased oppression in the
text.
_____ 5. The author’s message on the issue was stated directly through the characters
Peter and Jerry.

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1
Read the following statements and choose the best answer from the given
choices. Write the correct answer on the space before each item.

_____ 1. Peter was described in the text as a well-dressed man wearing a tweed and
a smoking pipe while Jerry was described as sloppily dressed and looked weary.
What do these descriptions depict?

A. Jerry was wealthier than Peter

B. Peter and Jerry shared the same status in life.
C. Peter was in a higher social status compared to Jerry.
D. Jerry had the same status as Peter but chose to dress sloppily.

_____ 2. Why do you think Peter found Jerry’s stories very disturbing about
befriending people?

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A. Peter was against animal cruelty.
B. Peter got sentimental when he heard stories similar to Jerry’s.
C. Jerry’s physical appearance was disgusting that’s why he considered his
stories as strange ones.
D. Jerry’s story was unusual as he shared that he once tried to murder his
landlady’s dog just to befriend it.

_____ 3. Which among the following situations DOES NOT show a shade of
Marxism?
A. Jerry poisoned the pet of his landlady.
B. Peter was dressed well compared to Jerry.
C. Peter overpowered Jerry in the bench that they’re sitting on.
D. Jerry started sharing his stories to Peter but Peter hesitated to listen.

_____ 4. Jerry shared to Peter how he lived. What were the descriptions that Jerry
included in his story that also showed Jerry’s status?

A. He was happily living with his wealthy family.

B. He lived in a loft with his dog as his only companion.
C. He was just pretending as a poor man to cover up his real social status.
D. He lived in a miserable apartment with his two picture frames as his only
possession.

_____ 5. How did the story show Marxism at the end of the text?
A. Jerry killed Peter using his knife.
B. Peter was sent to jail after stabbing Jerry.
C. Peter rushed Jerry to the nearest hospital.
D. Jerry wiped off Peter’s fingerprint from the knife so that Peter will not
be accused of killing Jerry.

Activity 2
Read the questions in Column A and match it with the answers in Column
B. Write the correct answer on the space before each item.

_____ 4. What is the technique used by the

author to show the difference between Peter and
Column A
Jerry’s social class?
_____ 1. How does “The Zoo Story” relate to Karl
Marx? _____ 5. How does the text address a societal
issue at the end of the text?
_____ 2. What is the conflict between the two
social classes in the text?

_____ 3. What human value is presented in the

text?

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D. The part of the story where Jerry found out
that it was hard to befriend people because of
social status matched to what the proponent of
Marxism had experienced.

Column B E. The author used Jerry’s death as symbol of

battle cry among poor that their worth be
A. People interact only to where they belong recognized and this served as eye opener on the
because one’s worth depends on his status as in way rich treat the poor.
Jerry’s death.
F. Peter and Jerry’s social status was shown
B. Peter and Jerry fight over the ownership of in the text through descriptions.
a bench.

C. Befriending someone requires a brutal

action.
Activity 3
Read the story “Boule de Suif” by Guy de Maupassant. Then, fill the graphic organizer that follows with
the appropriate information for a thorough literary criticism using the Marxist lens.

The Author: Guy de Maupassant

Guy de Maupassant studied law but in 1869, he
volunteered to serve army during the Franco-Prussian period
which he hated later on and spent free time in writing and
chasing women. He has a photographic memory and had
personal experiences with many kinds of ordinary people like
farmers, servants, shopkeepers and others.
("GUY DE MAUPASSANT Short Story THE UMBRELLA English Text Eng." [Link]. Last modified October 24, 2018.
[Link] -english-text-eng/)

Boule de Suif
by Guy de Maupassant
When the Prussian army made an advance against
French soldiers, there were some individuals who were given
permits to leave Rouen. Ten of these lucky individuals were
Comte and Comtesse Hubert de Bre`ville, Monsieur and
Madame Loiseau, Monsieur and Madame Carre` - Lamadon,
Cornudet, two nuns and finally Elizabet Rousset, a prostitute
who was called as Boule de Suif because of being fat. Six of them were
either in higher social class, extremely wealthy, positioned in the government or both.
The weather was terrible and unpredictable, and the coach was required to move frustratingly slow
that made the long journey longer even more. Everybody was hungry and thirsty. Luckily Boule de Suif
has brought food and wine enough for everyone however all of them were reluctant to ask for they had
condemned and insulted her. Finally, Monsieur Loiseau swallowed his pride and asked for food and
wine and Boule de Suif delightedly served them all.

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At last, they stopped at Totes but Prussian officers interrogated and held them. They will be released if
Boule de Suif will sleep with their commandant. She refused and everyone supported her. Five days
had passed and they grew impatient and demanded Boule de Suif to sleep with the commandant and
she was finally convinced.
The following morning, nine passengers rose early to pack for travel while Boule de Suif has been left
with no time to pack even her food to eat. She had to hurry to get into the coach. In the coach, they
scorned her and called her shameful. No one thanked her for the food she shared when they were
hungry and most of all no one thanked her for the sacrifice she did last night for them just to be
released and be able to continue the travel. Boul de Suif silently burst in tears, sobbed in the night as
the coach headed to Le Havre.

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1. Background of the author 2. Background of the author
that influenced him in writing that influenced him in writing
this story: this story:

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WRAP-UP

To sum up everything that you have learned today, fill the blanks with the appropriate word from
the box below.

Karl Marx balance controlled Marxism oppressed

1. __________ is a cultural theory proposed by 2. __________ that embodies a set of social,

economic, and political ideas that its followers believe will enable them to interpret and change their
world. It hopes to create some sort of 3. __________ that makes the world a better, more secure place for
those who have been 4. __________ and 5. __________.

VALUING

You have learned in this lesson that

inequality in our society can make a big
impact on our lives. Write your realizations
after learning from this lesson by completing
the statement below.

(ULC, Bitstrips. Bitmoji - Your Own Personal Emoji. Accessed August 14, 2020.
[Link]

After learning from this lesson, I have realized that ___________

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.

("Download Scroll Png Clipart Png Photo Png - Free PNG Images." TopPNG. Accessed August 14, 2020.
[Link]

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POSTTEST

Read the following statements and choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the correct
answer on the space before each item.

_____ 1. He is the proponent of Marxism.

A. Edgar Allan Poe

B. Edward Albee
C. Karl Marx
D. Guy de Maupassant

_____ 2. Which among the following statements is a relying principle in Marxism?

A. Behavior must be fair and just.

B. Class struggle is the basic pattern in history.
C. Sexual violence must end and sexual freedom must start.
D. Consider the time period from which literature sprang.

_____ 3. Which among the following points is not used in a Marxist literary criticism?

A. Moral judgement rather than formal principles.

B. Technique of the author in using the social conflicts.
C. Social classes that constitute the setting of the story.
D. Author’s idea about the prevailing social issue like oppression.

_____ 4. Which among the following scenarios in the play The Zoo Story shows Marxism?

A. Peter asked Jerry about his stories.

B. Peter sitting on the bench while reading a book.
C. Jerry started telling unusual stories of befriending to Peter.
D. Jerry accepted his death and wiped Peter’s fingerprints on the knife.

_____ 5. This is one of the prevailing issues that is usually present in Marxist literary texts.

A. Class struggle
B. Gender inequality
C. Racial discrimination
D. Substance abuse

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References

"Download Scroll Png Clipart Png Photo Png - Free PNG Images." TopPNG.
Accessed August 14, 2020. [Link]
result

"Edward Albee, Trenchant Playwright Who Laid Bare Modern Life, Dies at 88." The
New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Last modified September 17,
2016. [Link]
[Link]

"GUY DE MAUPASSANT Short Story THE UMBRELLA English Text Eng." [Link]. Last
modified October 24, 2018. [Link]
theumbrella-english-text-eng/

"How to Apply Marxist Theory to Literature." [Link]. Last modified October

27, 2016. [Link]

"Karl Marx | Карл Маркс, 1875." Color by Klimbim 0.1. Last modified February 11, 2019.
[Link]

"Literary Criticism." Write a Writing. Last modified June 28, 2016.

[Link]
%20Literary%20Criticism?

"Marxism Within Film." Critical Approaches to Film & TV. Last modified November
27, 2012. [Link]

"Moralistic Approach." Share and Discover Knowledge on SlideShare. Last modified October 2, 2019.
[Link]

"Raising Titanic: The World of Communication & the Creation of One of the World's Most Succesful
Films." Inquiries Journal. Accessed August 14, 2020.
[Link]
creation-of-one-of-the-worlds-most-succesful-films

"'Titanic': THR's 1997 Review." The Hollywood Reporter. Last modified December 19, 2017.
[Link]
1069238#:~:text=Photofest

"'Titanic': THR's 1997 Review." The Hollywood Reporter. Last modified December 19, 2017.
[Link]
1069238#:~:text=Photofest.

"white bench illustration, Urban park Cartoon Illustration, Park cartoons free png." PNG fuel. n.d.
[Link]

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Capatides, Christina. "Super Dangerous Movies." CBS News - Breaking News, 24/7 Live Streaming
News & Top Stories. Last modified April 16, 2015. [Link]
of-the-most-dangerous-moviesever/10/

GradeSaver. "The Zoo Story Summary." Study Guides & Essay Editing | GradeSaver. Last
modified April 18, 2018.
[Link]

PNG GURU. n.d. [Link]

ULC, Bitstrips. Bitmoji - Your Own Personal Emoji. Accessed August 14, 2020.
[Link]

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