American is not the heart background 1. Differential inclusion a. Subordinate, not full persons, not citizens (no right, no representation, no protection) 2. What forces shape the Filipino’s life a. US empire b. Global economic c. Racialization d. Global colonialism 3. How did US justified itself? a. Economic rationale: Asian as market for goods and capital, gateway to China, docile labor b. Subject-making process: what kind of people Philippinos are 4. See Pilipinos are a. Childlike, morally inferior, and incapable of self-rule b. Hence “wards” of the state c. Animal-like, uncivilized d. Have the right qualities to protect, rule, and teach them i. Uplift and civilize and Christianize them 5. Opinions about gender a. Stereotype of the feminized Filipino b. 95% Filipino male (single male) 6. US empire billed itself as a “fight for American manhood” 7. The myth of the frontier Prologue Narrator: looking back to her younger self “Are you hungery” Main character: hero (focalizer) third-person narrator 1. Scattered daily life of Hero: her everyday responsibility to pick Roni up from school “indirect characterization of Hero” a. Holding weight, fear of emptiness, carrying the sky on her shoulder 2. Roni: (Hero: strange child) constantly get fights even started a war, unbothered by the eczema, strange eating habits a. Hero’s relationship to Roni: both take care of each other (hero take care of Roni: pick her up, empathy; Roni gives the warmer pizza to hero), small way of taking care—constantly (small acts), given historical background of the dictatorship and martial law; b. Teresa talking about the history of early American health in the Philippines i. Given this historical context, this is why the smallest things are political, food is political, (Nestle formula—US formula is superior)-carries political significance. c. Having hair washed in a beauty salon -war trauma i. Political message: can’t relax(afraid of unable to let go and surrender it to someone else) , manipulate her body; how different from the tortured? Gentle act of intimacy makes her vulnerable, certain things don’t want others to know about her body, get her guard down (scarier than being antagonized) , harder for her (1) feels pleasure, gentleness is hard for her to take (2) physical care, washing someone’s hair (counterbalance the violence) d. History of corn (political meaning of food): how people should be related to each other, how society should be organized, structure should be to regulate things e. Kadwa— with (companionship) 3. The name— Hero (is it ironic or not?) The way she focalizes, she says, reacts a. Depends on definition of clear world b. Not knowing exactly where we stand, what world they are living in c. Paz forgot seventh birthday & noodle eating d. Difficult to return to everyday life after going through war - Is hero: small-scale, acts of responsibility, (her own pov to perceive herself), heroism of not talking/asking/saying (eg: weird thumb, doesn’t ask; decide not to ask/say; does not reveal the names when she was been tortured, quite heroism), mysterious back story (camp, tragic background), doctors want to save lives and dedicate her life to that - Is not hero: creates responsibility, every-day acts of heroism (not typical) - Hero comes from a rich family, she wants to be given some daily responsibility; she could be a nurse, but she likes working in the restaurant 4. Dance party a. Just real life, ordinary life (unbelievable for her), envy Roni live in a single world, Hero’s ambivalence towards the world of ordinary (231) 5. hunger
