My Father Goes To Court by

My Father Goes To Court

By: Carlos Bulusan

Author's background: 

Carlos Sampayan Bulosan (November 24, 1913 – September 11, 1956) was an English-language Filipino novelist and poet who spent most of his life in the United States. His best-known work today is the semi-autobiographical America Is in the Heart, but he first gained fame for his 1943 essay on The Freedom from Want.

Vocabulary:

Banged - strike or put down (something) forcefully and noisily, typically in anger or in order to attract attention.

Gratuitously - without good reason; unjustifiably.

Jury - a body of people (typically twelve in number) sworn to give a verdict in a legal case on the basis of evidence submitted to them in court.

Feeble - lacking physical strength, especially as a result of age or illness.

Strode - (past tense of stride) walk with long, decisive steps in a specified direction.

Shook - emotionally or physically disturbed; upset.

Robust - strong and healthy; vigorous.

Contagious - (of a disease) spread from one person or organism to another by direct or indirect contact.

Morose - sullen and ill-tempered.

Characters:

The Narrator

The Narrator's Brothers and Sisters

Their Father

Their Mother

The Rich man

The Rich man's wife

The Rich man's Son's and Daughter

Maids

The Judge and the Lawyer

Policeman

Setting: 

Small town of Luzon, Several years after the flood in 1918

Exposition: 

The story starts with the young narrator describing his family living beside a rich man's

mansion. This short story also tells us that even if you're poor, life won't be happy.

Rising Action: 

As time goes by, the rich man noticed that the poor family grew healthier and his son and daughter gets thin and becomes anemic. He closed their window so the aroma won't go out.

Climax: 

A police came and arrested the father of the poor family. The rich man filed a complaint.

They went to the court.

Falling Action:

The Lawyer starts telling annoying jokes to the rich man. After the poor Father defended

his family, they closed the case and agreed to repayment to the Rich family.

Ending:

The poor Father collected centavos and put it inside his hat, he gave it to the rich man and

told them they are paid by the spirit of money. Then the Father and Family laughed together.

Symbolism: 

Difference between the Rich and Poor.

Spirit of the food: The aroma of the food

Spirit of the money: The sound of the coins while being poured on the hat.

Two families have different sides

The poor have freedom and fewer obligations

The rich have less freedom and more obligations

Theme:

Social Status, Poverty

Lesson: 

Money can't buy everything. Don't be so judgemental like the rich Father, just because he noticed

the poor Family healthy, and his family is getting thinner and sick, it doesn't mean that they're going to steal something from you or someone else. Do something bad just because they're poor? That's too much.