21st century literature finals

• When Filipinos and Americans stand together, Americans are often perceived more favorably due to their skin color
• A Filipino man offered his umbrella to keep the author dry, prioritizing the young woman he was accompanying because of her white skin
• The man was not holding the umbrella above me. He was holding the umbrella above my whiteness.: 'Laurel Fantauzzo'
• They were brown and they were damp. I was pale and I was dry.: 'Laurel Fantauzzo'
• Upon arriving in the Philippines, the author's mixed nationalities sparked interest among those they encountered, but once they set foot in Manila, they were perceived simply as a white individual
• The author was granted advantages that come with being perceived as white, including financial stability, dependability, and assurance of equitable treatment
• Experiences at Greenbelt Mall and an exclusive university campus


  • At Greenbelt Mall, Filipinos around them were being hurried along by employees despite only spending 40 pesos at a cafe and using their wifi for hours
  • At the university campus, the guard tipped their hat and allowed them entry without signing in on the logbook, and they were able to enter a restricted area in a theater without question
• White privilege


  • Filipinos' hospitable nature is sometimes misconstrued as subservience to those with lighter skin
  • White and foreign individuals are often granted more power and consideration than Filipinos
• Those they encountered were perceived simply as a white individual once they set foot in Manila, a new experience for them as they had never before been granted the advantages that come with being perceived as white, including financial stability, dependability, and assurance of equitable treatment
• Experiences of white privilege in Manila

  • Being hurried along by employees at Greenbelt Mall despite only spending 40 pesos
  • Guard tipping their hat and allowing entry without signing in at an exclusive university campus
  • Guards letting them pass without question when entering a restricted area in a theater
• Societal status based on color and white privilege


  Filipinos' hospitable nature is sometimes misconstrued as subservience, and Filipinos often prioritize the needs and desires of white individuals over their own, perpetuating the cycle of white privilege
• White and foreign individuals are often granted more power and comfort than their Filipino counterparts
• The author was perceived as a "mestiza" because she spoke English, had black hair and a pale face, and was thought to look like a ruler of Spanish or American descent
• The author's mother was a scholar at Ateneo de Manila University and received grants and scholarships which none of the middle to lower class in the Philippines ever get to see
• The author's physical appearance and status

  Guards and drivers in the Philippines thought she should be eating somewhere more lush
• The author's relatives in a working-class neighborhood in Tandang Sora were looking for ways to become Overseas Filipino Workers to escape the criminally small wages in the Philippines
• The author often finds extra charges being made to her bills, which she calls "dayuhan tax" - the extra cost for the postcolonial privileges of her face
• Western expats vent their frustrations with the Philippines to the author, whether it's the traffic, poor customer service, or corruption
• The author finds herself bored and confused, opting to stay in her room and watch the subtitles on the local music, Myx, as a way to familiarize herself with the Filipino language
• The author watched an advertisement that promotes a whitening soap and saw an actress dressed like the blackface of her people
• The author attended a party in Forbes Park, a wealthy neighborhood in Manila, and was confronted with a stark contrast when witnessing the workers waiting outside
• Barred mansions


  Symbolizes the barriers to privilege
• The author acknowledges their tendency to recognize the differences between their own life and the lives of those less fortunate but sometimes chooses to dismiss these differences to preserve their sense of comfort or to have success in the face of others'
• Despite their advantages, the author grapples with the question of how to make space for everyone, regardless of social standing
• The author's refusal of special treatment through a taxi reflects a moment of self-awareness and humility, demonstrating a recognition of their privilege and a desire to not exploit it at the expense of others
• Laurel Fantauzzo is Filipino-Italian by ethnicity but was born in the United States and has lived in Brooklyn and Iowa
• Laurel Fantauzzo wrote the essay "Under My Invisible Umbrella" and won the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Award
• Tone


  Upbeat and fast, shifts tenses from past to present to convey immediacy, narrative and conversational, uses some Filipino phrases
• Filipino values present in the story


  • Strong family ties, hospitality
• Lawrence Lacambra Ypil grew up in Cebu, Philippines, and has been involved in writing communities in Asia and the diaspora
• Rhythm and flows


  Features of urban life, the pacing, movement, and flows of activity in a city
• Present tense


  A distinct feature used by Ypil to create a sense of immediacy to the experience
• Modernization


  The spatial production of modernity, modernity physicalized and concretized, the city as a magnanimity of rational thought
• Urbanization


  A movement to achieve the modern
• Modernism


  How intellectuals, philosophers, and artists respond to modernity; a way of characterizing and representing modern life
• The essay's structure


  1. Section 1: Comparing Singapore and Cebu

  2. Section 2: Story of a situation in a hawker center

  3. Section 3: The film "80km/h" and the idea of capturing movement

  4. Section 4: A Filipino writer's experiences moving to Southeast Asia
• Significance of the title

  Highlights the differences between the two cities and the experiences of their different residents, the "rhythm" or daily activities, sounds, and smells that occur within each city