Written Close Analysis of Lengua Para Diablo

I. View

Lengua Para Diablo is an excerpt from the book “Banana Heart Summer.” Banana Heart Summer is written by Merinda Bobis. Merlinda Bobis is an acclaimed Filipino-Australian writer and performer who has published in three languages. Her novels, short story and poetry collections, and plays have received various awards.

Lengua Para Diablo means “The Devil Ate My Words.” “Lengua is a Spanish word meaning “tounge,” which in the story, symbolizes the words eaten by the devil.

Lengua (Beef tongue) is also a dish made of cow’s tongue. Lengua is often seasoned with onion and other spices, and then placed in a pot to boil.

II. Condense

The story started when a daughter suspected that her father sold his tongue to the devil. Her father did not speak much in their house. Her father said that “the devil ate his words” which means he forgot what he was about to say; that statement appeases his wife. Her father lost his job so he needed to conciliate more. Her mother was always complaining about their hard situation so her father kept on promising that he would buy them the things that would make them comfortable.

The devil that ate his words was her father’s employer, who is a Spanish mestizo that owned several stores in the city. The employer fired her father who is a mason after he found a cheaper deal for the extension of his house. Her father didn’t say any word about his job to placate his family; the devil really ate his words.

Her daughter was wondering what the devil did to her father’s tongue. She was thinking that her father’s tongue was cooked in mushroom sauce in the special Spanish way. She also imagined that her father’s tongue was served on the devil’s platter with spices that gives an aroma of something rich and foreign. She thought that her father’s tongue was luxuriating in a multitude of essences so she said that maybe he should also sell his esophagus and his stomach for him to be pampered. She also imagined being cooked and put inside the stomach of a rich man where she could know the feeling of too much affluence.

III. Culture Reflected

A culture that can be reflected from the text is the way of living of Filipino Families. Here in the Philippines, some families depend more on fathers than the mothers. Fathers provide more for their families’ needs and wants. In the story, the mother was always complaining, not knowing that her husband had lost his job. The problems that can be seen in the story are loss of jobs, poverty, and unequal effort of parents which are the most common family problems here in our country.

The Lengua (Beef tongue) dish was introduced in the story. It was described as a delectable food served with different spices that gives off a rich and foreign aroma. That dish is often cooked and eaten by Filipinos. The colonization of Spain here in the Philippines is probably the reason why it became known to us Filipinos.

IV. Literary Technique

The use of figurative language is the first technique that the author used. One example is when she represented tongue as “words” which is a metaphor. The tongue was also made a food that is eaten by the devil to better convey the message that the devil gets to experience much satisfaction in his life because the food is described as pampering. Another example is when the father’s employer is represented as a devil. Figurative language is used to better communicate with the readers because some ideas are too complicated. Figurative language also cause enjoyment on the reader and author.

Another technique that the author used is the inclusion of descriptive words especially in describing food. The author stated the steps in cooking; she also included the ingredients of the food. The descriptive words enable the readers to know the appearance, smell, texture, taste, etc. which is an effective technique because they will be able to easily imagine the things that are being described.

V. Deep

The interpretation of the text became hard at first for me. I did not understand why the tongue is cooked and served. But later on, I realized that the daughter wants to deliver a message. She was always imagining food; she thought that a body part experiences satisfaction because of the exotic ingredients added to it. She thought that it was better to sell other body parts as well so that they could experience things that they were not experiencing. For me, I think the reason why she stated those things is because they are not affluent; she says that selling body parts will make them inducted to secrets, thus experiencing what the wealthy are experiencing.

The author only wanted to deliver the message that there are problems today that Filipinos are still facing. Some families are still struggling in life. The excerpt successfully delivered its message about the situation of families here in our country. The text is interesting; the author’s techniques caused me to be engaged while reading. I recommend this text to be read by teen students because it would help them improve their reading comprehension and make them aware of some problems in our society. Being aware of our different problems at an early age would be a great help because it will prepare us to avoid or face those problems.

VI. Reference

http://mascarareview.com/merlinda-bobis/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_tongue