ANNOTATED LIST

1. Alibaba and the forty thieves

Despite its title, “Alibaba and the Forty Thieves,” this story was not actually ruled by a
man. A funny story yet full of adventures and lessons with its impact on the readers, Alibaba and
the Forty Thieves is connected to the story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, was included in the
Arabian Nights Stories, and is best known for its famous phrase, “Open Sesame! "The narrative
started with Ali Baba and Kasim, two brothers. Due to his marriage to a wealthy woman, Kasim
enjoys a higher social status than Ali Baba, who weds a poor woman.

The narrative commences with Ali Baba discovering a secret mission in the forest: The Forty
Thieves are hiding their looted goods in a cave, but to go inside, they must utter a mysterious
word known as "Open Sesame!" Seeing everything that was going on, Ali Baba entered the cave
as the Forty Thieves were leaving, took some gold for his treasure, and then went as if nothing
had happened. Upon returning home, Ali Baba's brother Kasim informed him of the events and
vowed to reveal the location of the gold he had discovered. Thus, in an attempt to obtain some
riches, Kasim also went to the cave; however, the Forty slaughtered and captured him.

Ali Baba noticed that his brother Kasim had taken so long to return to their house, so he
followed him into the cave and found him dead. Ali Baba brought Kasim’s body home to bury,
and when the leader of the thieves noticed that the body was taken, he went mad and ordered
his people to look for the person who dared to enter their cave. And then the adventure begins.
Ali Baba has a slave named Morgiana. Morgiana is underrated because of her social status, but
despite it, she is a clever one; she always outsmarts the thieves every time they try to kill Ali
Baba. Because of Morgiana’s faithfulness to his master, she did everything just to protect him.
This is the reason why the story was no longer about masculinity or Ali Baba.
As the protagonist of the tale, Morgiana inherited Ali's position of prominence. She
exemplifies feminism by using cunning tactics to overcome the forty thieves' leader and by
demonstrating that undervalued individuals can achieve greater success than they may have
previously realized. In the end, Morgiana managed to escape slavery and wed the nephew of Ali
Baba. The author encourages us to consider the tale of how avarice brings misfortune to
individuals as well as the bravery of those who are marginalized.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. (n.d.).
https://americanliterature.com/author/arabian-nights/short-story/ali-baba-and-the-forty-
thieves/

2. To Kill a Mockingbird

“The world is really unfair” is one of the phrases that established an impact on the
readers in this story. Most people are indeed recognized and treated unequally because of their
race, social status, or physical appearance. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is not just a story that we can
read or encounter in many different books but a story that happens in real-life scenarios. Harper
Lee wants his readers to reflect on one of the societal issues that are still present today; he
wants to share a heartfelt story that could possibly touch the soul of the readers and might
change their point of view about living life equally.

The story begins with the family living in Maycomb, Alabama: the father, named Atticus,
a lawyer with dignity and pride, and his children, named Scout and Jem. The two siblings were
so close to each other, in their town there was this hunted house known to be the house of a
monster that eats flesh and was nicknamed “Boo” Everyone is afraid of this creature because of
the rumored stories roaming around their town; however, the story does not revolve around it,
the whole plot of the story was about a man named Tom and was accused and arrested for the
crime of raping a white woman, Tom is a black guy, enough factor to feel discriminated in their
town; luckily his lawyer Atticus fought for his rights, believed in him, and does not discriminate
him; although Atticus knew that there will be no chance that Tom will be fled from his case he
still fought for it because Atticus wants to make a change in their town that in the middle of
injustice, there should be one person to fight for what is right.

As expected, Tom did not win his case and got imprisoned, but suddenly got killed for trying to
escape. Atticus's daughter Scout was the one who took in everything that was going on in their
town and gained the most profound insight from it all. Like Boo, who lives in the haunted house
and is eventually revealed to be a good person in the story's later parts, she came to understand
how racism ruled their town, blinding people to only see and acknowledge people who have the
same color as them. Discrimination also causes people to think negative things about you and
makes you feel cast because of the differences you had among others.
Because the novel deals with weighty subjects like discrimination, social concerns, and
killings, readers may perceive it as being both highly dramatic and serious. The narrative
nevertheless portrays a realistic series; it is no secret that racism, discrimination, and unfair
treatment of others persist in society. Harper Lee may be trying to warn his readers to exercise
caution and mindfulness at all times, as well as the fact that discrimination does not bring good
fortune and that children are disproportionately impacted by these issues.

Harper Lee (1960) To Kill A Mockingbird (raio.org)

3. A Eulogy of Roaches

Who really does rule the world? are the people? The Government? The Queen and the
King? or the creatures? All that a living creature could possibly require is found on Earth, making
it the ideal place to dwell. However, humans are the planet's rulers and queens above all else.
The poem "A Eulogy of Roaches" is about underprivileged people who go through hardships in
life and poverty. The narrative focuses more on symbolism, conveying both the advantages and
disadvantages of scarcity. Buenvenido Lumbrera, a poet, critic, and dramatist who graduated
from the University of Santo Tomas in 1950 and was dubbed "the Noteworthy," wrote it in 1965.

The poem's author begins by identifying the nation, but he doesn't say which one. He
presents a favorable image of cockroach life, saying they have no rules to obey since everyone
accepts their way of doing things. It becomes evident how miserable their lives is in the later
section as he goes on to detail their manner of life. Imagine living in a nation where everyone is
free to do as they like, there are no rules to obey, no police to provide safety, and people's lives
are negatively impacted by poverty.

However, the author also wishes to convey his opinion of how these people require assistance in
order to address the issue of poverty. Government support is lacking in many parts of the
Philippines, particularly in Manila. Even after many years, there is still no lasting solution to the
problem of poverty. In order to respond to the query, who governs the world? This is an object,
not a live thing; it's money. One of the necessities of life on Earth is money; it is needed for
everything from food to electricity to bills to even personal desires. This relates to the poetry in
that money is one way to combat poverty.

Baculo, C. (n.d.). A Eulogy of Roaches. Scribd. https://www.scribd.com/document/390463425/A-