BENT TO THE EARTH

BENT TO THE EARTH BY BLAS MANUEL DE LUNA

Objectives

• Analyze images used in a poem;

• Determine the tone of the poem; and

• Relate the text to social issues, concerns, and dispositions in real life.

PRE-ACTIVITY

OUTPUT A. If you were an object that could be bent, what object would you be and why?

OUTPUT B. Who among the members of the family do you admire the most? What do you admire about them? How do you like to apply these things you admire about them when you grow up? Draw this on a short bond paper.

RUBRICS

• CREATIVITY/ORIGINALITY- 5

• IDEA/PRESENTATION-5

• WRITING CONVENTIONS-5

ACTIVITY:

Read the excerpt carefully. Then, answer the questions that follow. Write the letter of your answer on the blank before each number. 

BLAS MANUEL DE LUNA

• IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.poetryfoundation.org /articles/68501/field-work-

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Tijuana, Mexico. He worked alongside his parents and siblings in the agricultural fields in Madera, California.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

'Bent to the Earth,' his first poem reflects on his experiences.It was a finalist in the 2006 National Book Critics Circle.

BENT TO THE EARTH

BLAS MANUEL DE LUNA

SOURCE IMAGE: https://sacompassion.net/poem-bent-to-the-earth-by-blas-manuel-de-luna/

BENT TO THE EARTH

BLAS MANUEL DE LUNA

They had hit Ruben

with the high beams, had blinded

him so that the van

he was driving, full of Mexicans

going to pick tomatoes,

would have to stop. Ruben spun

the van into an irrigation ditch,

spun the five-year-old me awake

to immigration officers,

their batons already out,

already looking for the soft spots on the body,

to my mother being handcuffed

and dragged to a van, to my father

trying to show them our green cards.

BENT TO THE EARTH

BY: BLAS MANUEL DE LEON

They let us go. But Alvaro

was going back.

So was his brother Fernando.

So was their sister Sonia. 

Their mother did not escape,

and so was going back. Their father

was somewhere in the field,

and was free. There were no great truths

revealed to me then.

No wisdom

given to me by anyone. I was a child

who had seen what a piece of polished wood

could do to a face, who had seen his father

about to lose the one he loved, who had lost

some friends who would never return, who, later that morning, bent

to the earth and went to work. 

Multiple Choice

Who is the persona in the poem?

• an educated person

• a slave

• a professional

• a politician

Multiple Choice

Which of the following words best describes their condition?

• free

• contented

• oppressed

• powerful

Multiple Choice

What does the word revealed mean?

• exposed

• hidden

• denied

• buried

Multiple Choice

What social issue is reflected in the poem?

• exploitation of the working class

• poor working conditions

• land grabbing

• environmental issues

Multiple Choice

What is the tone of the poem?

• vengeful

• gloomy

• hopeful

• regretful

EXPECTED OUTPUT

REFLECTIVE LEARNING SHEET

MAIN OUTPUT A:

Think of a workingman in your community who deserves to have recognition.

• Inside the

  circle, draw an image that represents this workingman. 

Write his name/

profession inside the ribbon. Then, write a letter, a poem or an essay as a tribute. 

As you write, consider the following questions:

• How would you describe his present condition?

• Why do you think he is not given enough recognition?

• Why is his work important to the society? 

RUBRICS

• CONTENT-5

• CREATIVITY-5

• GRAMMAR-5

• TOTAL:15/15

MAIN OUTPUT B:

Think of an event in your life that you consider as your guiding experience when you get older. Write a narrative poem (fictional) that is based on that/these experience(s).

MINIMUM -5 STANZAS

RUBRICS:

• CREATIVITY/ORIGINALITY-5

• USE OF ELEMENTS OF POETRY LIKE RHYME, SOUND PATTERNS, IMAGERY AND TONE-5

• IDEAS-5

• OVERALL APPEAL OF THE POEM -5