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English
Quarter 2 – Module 1: Lesson 2
Fighting Social Injustice

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English – Grade 9
Quarter 2 – Module 1: Lesson 2 Fighting Social Injustice

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work of
the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or office
wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit. Such
agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
trademarks, etc.) included in this book are owned by their respective copyright holders. Every
effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from their
respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim ownership
over them.

Regional Director: Gilbert T. Sadsad

Assistant Regional Director: Jessie L. Amin

Development Team of the Module

Writer: LOVIEMAY C. LORILLA

Editor: LOURDES B. MESA, AL BAMBINO M. CAMINO

Reviewer: EMMA V. DASCO and SORSOGON CITY DIVISION (headed by

Cleofe D. Ariola)

Layout Artist: LOVIEMAY C. LORILLA

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I. Introduction

As you engage in the tasks in this week’s lesson, you will learn how to
identify social issues and concerns that can affect you and the people
around you. You’ll realize that some issues have always been there but
there have been new obstacles that will challenge you and will bring you to
a test. But in the end, you will think of ways on how to face such serious
concerns courageously as well as help others to face their own
circumstances too.
The selected reading materials that you will explore in this lesson will
help you develop your vocabulary as well as your understanding of the
target concepts and themes.

II. Objectives:

MELC: Relate text content to particular social issues, concerns, or

dispositions in real life
Specific Objectives:
a. Identify the sound devices used in poetry;
b. Summarize the information in the material viewed;
c. Relate the text content to real life social issues.

III. Vocabulary List:

Comprehension improves when you know what the words mean. So,
read and learn the meaning of the unfamiliar words below to better
understand the texts that you are about to read.

1. gaze – verb: to fix the eyes in a steady intent look often with eagerness
2. rapture – noun: a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
3. censure – noun: a judgment involving condemnation; the act of blaming
4. dominion – noun: supreme authority
5. portent – noun: something that foreshadows a coming event
6. seraphim – noun: an order of angels
7. stolid - adjective: having or expressing little or no sensibility;
unemotional
8. immedicable - adjective: incurable; not likely to be changed or
corrected
9. fraught – adjective: causing or characterized by emotional distress
Source of Definitions: Meriam-Webster, 1828

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 IV. Pre-Test

Before you start, try to determine if you have background knowledge

about the topic. Should you begin exploring them? OK, do the pre-test then!
Direction: Read the poem and the questions carefully. Then, choose the
best answer from the given options. Write your answer in a
separate sheet of paper.

We plough and sow—we're so very, very low

That we delve in the dirty clay,
Till we bless the plain—with the golden grain,
And the vale with the fragrant hay.
Our place we know—we're so very low.
'Tis down at the landlord's feet:
We're not too low—the bread to grow,
But too low the bread to eat.
(From "The Song of the Classes” By E. Jones)

1. The literary element used in this poem that stresses certain sounds
and create musical effects is called ___________.
a. sound device c. rhythm
b. literary device d. rhyme

2. The words clay and hay used at the end of 2nd and 4th lines are
examples of _________.
a. Rhyme c. Alliteration
b. Repetition d. Rhythm

3. The repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in the line “we

plough and sow—we're so very, very low” is called __________.
a. Rhyme c. Consonance
b. Alliteration d. Assonance

4. The group of workers being portrayed in the poem are ________.

a. Builders c. Farmers
b. Miners d. Weavers

5. The social issue that was shown in the poem is __________.

a. violence c. racism
b. exploitation d. gender inequality

If you get a high score in this pre-test, then you have a good comprehension
and retention skill. But if you get a low score, don’t worry, you will still learn more as
you go through the lesson. So, continue learning and do your best!

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V. Learning Activities

Direction: Read the poem and find out what circumstance is the
persona faced with. Also, take note of the sound devices used.

The Man with the Hoe

BY EDWIN MARKHAM
(Written after seeing Millet’s World-Famous Painting)

Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans

Upon his hoe and gazes on the ground,
The emptiness of ages in his face,
And on his back the burden of the world.
Who made him dead to rapture and despair,
A thing that grieves not and that never hopes,
Stolid and stunned, a brother to the ox?
Who loosened and let down this brutal jaw?
Whose was the hand that slanted back this brow?
Whose breath blew out the light within this brain?

Is this the Thing the Lord God made and gave

To have dominion over sea and land;
To trace the stars and search the heavens for power;
To feel the passion of Eternity?
Is this the Dream He dreamed who shaped the suns
And marked their ways upon the ancient deep?
Down all the stretch of Hell to its last gulf
There is no shape more terrible than this—
More tongued with censure of the world’s blind greed—

More filled with signs and portents for the soul—

More fraught with danger to the universe.

What gulfs between him and the seraphim!

Slave of the wheel of labor, what to him
Are Plato and the swing of Pleiades?
What the long reaches of the peaks of song,
The rift of dawn, the reddening of the rose?
Through this dread shape the suffering ages look;
Time’s tragedy is in that aching stoop;
Through this dread shape humanity betrayed,
Plundered, profaned and disinherited,
Cries protest to the Judges of the World,
A protest that is also prophecy.
O masters, lords and rulers in all lands,
is this the handiwork you give to God,
This monstrous thing distorted and soul-quenched ?
How will you ever straighten up this shape;
Touch it again with immortality;

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 Give back the upward looking and the light;
Rebuild in it the music and the dream;
Make right the immemorial infamies,
Perfidious wrongs, immedicable woes?
O masters, lords and rulers in all lands,
How will the Future reckon with this Man?
How answer his brute question in that hour
When whirlwinds of rebellion shake the world?
How will it be with kingdoms and with kings—
With those who shaped him to the thing he is—
When this dumb Terror shall reply to God
After the silence of the centuries?

(Source: Grade 9 LM, pp. 135 – 137)

 About the Author
Edwin Markham, original name Charles Edward Anson
Markham, (born April 23, 1852, Oregon City, Ore., U.S.—
died March 7, 1940, New York City), American poet and
lecturer, best-known for his poem of social protest, “The
Man with the Hoe.” The youngest son of pioneer parents,
Markham grew up on an isolated valley ranch in the
Suisun hills in central California. After graduation from
college, he became first a teacher and then a school
administrator. In 1899 he gained national fame with the
publication in the San Francisco Examiner of “The Man
with the Hoe.” Inspired by Jean-François Millet’s painting,
Markham made the French peasant the symbol of the
exploited classes throughout the world. Its success
enabled Markham to devote himself to writing and
lecturing—in which he concerned himself with social and
industrial, as well as poetic, problems.

 Understanding the Text

Good job! You’re on your way to become a great reader! So, in

order to test your understanding of the poem, it’s now time to do the
next tasks.
Direction: Read the questions and give the correct answer. Write your
answer in a separate sheet of paper.

1. What group of workers is being described in the poem “The Man with the
Hoe”?
a. farmers c. economists
b. miners d. laborers
2. To what animal is the man with the hoe compared?
a. sheep c. bull
b. cow d. ox
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 3. How does the poet describe him?
a. hopeful c. exhausted
b. disaffected d. contented
4. What does the bent body of the man with the hoe signify?
a. disability c. humility
b. hard labor d. deformation
5. According to the poet, who is responsible for the condition or state of the
man with the hoe?
a. politician c. captain
b. landlord d. tenant

Points to Ponder:

 On Social Issue

As a student, it is really necessary for you to be aware and to learn about social
issues and concerns that affect today’s society. Aside from that, you should also learn
how to express your views and opinions about them as well as take a stand after
seeing different perspectives of the issue.
What is a social issue? A social issue is a problem that influences many citizens
within a society. It is a common problem in present-day society and one that many
people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an
individual's control. Social issues are the source of a conflicting opinion on the grounds
of what is perceived as morally correct or incorrect personal life or interpersonal social
life decisions.
If you will look around you, you’ll see some of the common issues and problems
drawn up from news items on social media, television, radio and in newspapers such
as poverty, violence, anti-social behavior, discrimination, injustice, and human rights
violation.
It is important to understand the general social issues of our society and how
they impact the lives of the people of the country. It is really important for the nation to
come together and take a stand against these problems. And so, doing your bit right
now might help to lessen the burden caused by these social problems.

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  Poetry Analysis

When you read a poem, you should not only look at its content but you should
also analyze its structure and elements.

Markham’s “The Man with the Hoe” received national fame, and later worldwide
fame not just because of its content but also its structure. The forty-nine lines of the
poem which were divided into five stanzas are consist of strong poetic ideas, symbols,
and figurative language. He chose blank verse, for it provided the flexibility he
needed, and employed language using several sound devices such as alliteration,
assonance, consonance, and repetition.

 Blank verse is a literary device defined as un-rhyming verse written in iambic

pentameter. In poetry and prose, it has a consistent meter with 10 syllables in
each line (pentameter); where, unstressed syllables are followed by stressed
ones, five of which are stressed but do not rhyme.
 Sound devices are special tools the poet can use to create certain effects in
the poem to convey and reinforce meaning through sound. The five most
common sound devices are repetition, alliteration, consonance, assonance,
and rhyme.
1. Repetition consists of repeating a word, phrase, or sentence, and is
common in both poetry and prose.
E.g. But for now Anders can still make time. Time for the
shadows to lengthen on the grass, time for the tethered dog to
bark at the flying ball, time for the boy in right field to smack his
sweat-blackened mitt and softly chant, They is, They is, They is.

2. Alliteration is a literary device that repeats a speech sound in a

sequence of words that are close to each other. Alliteration typically uses
consonant sounds at the beginning of a word to give stress to its
syllable. Tounge twisters are examples of this.

E.g. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

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 3. Consonance refers to repetitive sounds produced by consonants
within or at the end of a sentence or phrase. This repetition often takes
place in quick succession.
Examples:

Blank and think Strong and swing

Spelled and scald Far and jar
Sent and went Hard and ward
Dawn goes down Borrow and sorrow
Laughed and deft Litter and batter
Cheer and beer Slither and slather

4. Assonance, or “vowel rhyme,” is the repetition of vowel sounds across

a line of text or poetry. The words have to be near enough to each other
that the similar vowel sounds are noticeable.

E.g. Go slow on the road

Sell the wedding bells

5. Rhyme is a repetition of similar sounding words, occurring at the end of

lines in poems or songs. A rhyme is a tool utilizing repeating patterns
that bring rhythm or musicality to poems.

E.g. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

VI. Practice Task 1 – Looking At Poetic Sound Devices

You have just learned the five (5) sound devices that are commonly used
in poetry. Now, let’s try if you can identify them. Point out the sound devices
used in phrases and sentences in the poem “The Man with the Hoe”.

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 Direction: Fill in the table with the correct answers. The first one is done
for you. Write your answer in a separate sheet of paper.
Phrase/Sentence Sound Device
1. Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans Assonance
2. The emptiness of ages in his face
3. Whose breath blew out the light within this brain
4. Is this the Dream He dream who shaped the suns
5. Who loosened and let down this brutal jaw?
Whose was the hand that slanted back this brow?

Practice Task 2: Seeing Social Problems

The lesson helps you to discover how a certain social issue is
identified, defined, given meaning and acted upon. Your task now is to
use what you’ve learned by answering the following questions. You can
answer in 1-2 complete sentences. Write your answer in a separate
sheet of paper.
A. What particular social issue is portrayed in the poem “The Man with
the Hoe”?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
B. Is it still a social problem or concern in our country nowadays? Why
or why not?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
C. Who are the “modern man with the hoe”? How does our society
treat them?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

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 D. If you were in the same situation and you experience the same
problem, how would you react?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Practice Task 3
Your doing great for having this far! This time, you will relate the
experience of the persona in the poem with that of the modern man’s
situation. Examine the infographic and read the informational text
“Philippine Job Challenge” below. Then, answer the questions in complete
sentences. Write your answer in a separate sheet of paper.

KEY FINDINGS
 The Philippines faces an enormous challenge of creating more and better
jobs in the country.
 With strong macroeconomic, fundamentals, the country is in a good
position to accelerate reforms that will help create good jobs.
 Meeting the jobs challenge requires that all sector work together on a
package of reforms.
 Addressing the jobs challenge requires meeting a dual challenge:
expanding formal sector employment even faster while rapidly raising the
incomes of those informally employed.
(Source: Grade 9 LM, pp.139-140/https://www.slideshare.net/shielalabs/g9-english-lesson-exemplar-2nd-quarter)

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 Questions to answer:
1. What economic social issue does the informational material say?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2. What are the causes of the problem?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3. How can the generation of more jobs influence the Filipino workers?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
4. How should the jobs challenge be addressed?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
5. If you were unemployed and you experienced difficulties, would you
choose to work outside the country? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

V. POST TEST

You are awesome! You were able to complete all the

learning tasks prepared for you in this lesson. No doubt, you are now
ready to show how much you’ve learned. Give your best shot!

A. Read and analyze an excerpt from a poem by Ernest Jones entitled,

“The Song of the Classes”.
We’re low, we’re low—we’re very, very low,—
And yet from our fingers glide
The silken floss and the robes that glow
Round the limbs of the sons of pride;

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 And what we get, and what we give,
We know, and we know our share;
We’re not too low the cloth to weave,
But too low the cloth to wear.

We’re low, we’re low, we’re very, very low,

And yet when the trumpets ring,
The thrust of a poor man’s arm will go
Through the heart of the proudest king.
We’re low, we’re low—mere rabble, we know—
We’re only the rank and the file;
We’re not too low to kill the foe,
But too low to share the spoil.

A. Match the sound devices in the left column with the lines from the
poem in the right. Choose the letter of the correct answer and write
your answer in a separate sheet of paper.
A B
____1. Rhyme a. We’re low, we’re low—we’re very, very low
____2. Alliteration b. We’re not too low to kill the foe,
But too low to share the spoil
____3.Consonance c. And what we get, and what we give,
____4. Assonance d. We’re low, we’re low, we’re very, very low,
And yet when the trumpets ring,
The thrust of a poor man’s arm will go
Through the heart of the proudest king.
____5. Repetition e. The silken floss and the robes that glow
Round the limbs of the sons of pride

B. Direction: Choose the best answer for items 6-10.

6. What group of workers is being referred to in the 1st stanza of

the poem?
a. farmers c. weavers
b. miners d. laborers

7. What word or phrase in the last stanza is synonymous to

soldier?
a. king c. rabble
b. foe d. rank and file

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 8. What social problem is brought up in the poem?
a. exploitation or abuse among workers/laborers
b. slow-growing wages for middle class workers
c. struggle between the rich and the poor
d. racial discrimination and inequality

9. Why did the workers emphasize the value of their labor in the
last two lines of the poem both in the 1st and 2nd stanzas?
a. Because they want to have money
b. Because they want to get revenge
c. Because they want to enjoy the reward for their work
d. Because they want to show what they can do

10. What specific solution is expressed in the poem that could

solve the social issue on exploitation among lowly workers?
a. awareness campaign
b. social transformation
c. group solidarity
d. proper guidance

VII. Assignment

List down 3 of the greatest challenges that our

country is facing today. Cite reasons why our
government should address them immediately.
Write your answers in your notebook.

https://www.pinterest.ph

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References:

Grade 9 Learner’s Material

https://medium.com/amplify/an-open-letter-to-those-fighting-the-good-fight-
for-social-justice-627aeda153e9
https://www.culturematters.org.uk/index.php/arts/poetry/item/2898-the-
song-of-the-low-the-chartist-ernest-jones-advises-the-labour-party
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/lrlibrary/05-LRL-poem.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/learning/lesson-plans/making-it-
relevant-helping-students-connect-their-studies-to-the-world-today.html
https://www.slideshare.net/shielalabs/g9-english-lesson-exemplar-2nd-
quarter)
https://allpoetry.com/The-Man-With-The-Hoe:Written-after-Seeing-the-
Painting-by-Millet
https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapter/the-social-self-the-role-of-
the-social-situation/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_issue
https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/edwin-markham/the-man-with-the-hoe
http://www.literarydevices.com/repetition/
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-alliteration-poems.html
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-consonance.html
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/poetry-101-what-is-assonance-in-
poetry-assonance-definition-with-examples#quiz-0
https://literarydevices.net/rhyme/
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson54/detec
tiverubric.pdf

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Answer key:

 Pre-test
1. A 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. B

 Understanding the Text

1. A 2. D 3. C 5. B 5. B

 Practice Task 1
1. Assonance
2. Consonance
3. Alliteration
4. Repetition
5. Rhyme

 Practice Task 2
1. (Answer may vary). The social issue in the poem “The Man with the
Hoe” is labor exploitation. It illustrates how a brutal master oppressed
his lowly servant or worker. This shows an exploitation or
mistreatment of the poor by the rich and powerful people.
2. (Answer may vary.) Yes. Small/lowly workers in our country including
agricultural laborers still experience pitiable plight or condition. Some
are still fighting for their rights and priviledges.
3. (Answer my vary.) The “modern man with the hoe” applies to the
workers at present who experience mistreatment, indifference,
injustice, or cruelty under their bosses or masters at their workplace.
4. (Answer may vary.) I’ll express my stand and speak out my views on
an issue. Also, I’ll take part in making solutions to the problem.

 Practice Task 3

1. The informational material is about the challenges of creating more

and better jobs in the country.
2. The causes are lack of competition, complex regulations, insecure
property ownership, and lack of investments.
3. Providing or creating more good jobs will lessen the problems of
informality, poverty, and out-migration.
4. Addressing the jobs challenge requires meeting a dual challenge:
expanding formal sector employment even faster while rapidly
raising the incomes of those informally employed.
5. Yes. If this job abroad can help me earn enough, I will not hesitate to
grab the opportunity for it can help me lift my family from poverty.

 Post Test
A. 1. D 2. C 3. E 4. B 5. A

B. 1. C 2. D 3. A 4. C 5. B

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