Instruction: Read the Poem and answer the guide questions below.



Man of Earth

By: Amador Daguio



Pliant is the bamboo;

I am man of earth;

They say that from the bamboo

We had our first birth.

Am I of the body,

Or of the green leaf?

Do I have to whisper

My every sin and grief?

If the wind passes by,

Must I stoop and try

To measure fully

My flexibility?

I might have been the bamboo,

But I will be a man.

Bend me then, O Lord,

Bend me if you can.







Guide Questions:

Understand

Whom could the speaker be referring to as they in Line 3?









What could Lines 13-14 mean?









What is the speaker asking for in the last two lines?











Apply

Would it make a difference if the first line says Pliant as the bamboo and not Pliant is the bamboo? Explain your answer.











Analyze

What is the tone of the poem?









What could be the purpose of the speaker in asking the series of questions in Lines 5-12?









What does the word wind in Line 9 symbolize?











Evaluate

What is the message of the poem and how valuable is that message to present-day Filipinos?