My Father Goes to

Court

BOOK REPORT

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

 Carlos Bulosan was born in the Philippines in the
rural farming village of Mangusmana, near the
town of Binalonan (Pangasinan province, Luzon
island). He was the son of a farmer and spent
most of his upbringing in the countryside with his
family. Like many families in the Philippines,
Carlos’s family struggled to survive during times
of economic hardship. Many families were
impoverished and many more would suffer
because of the conditions in the Philippines
created by US colonization. Rural farming families
like Carlos’ family experienced severe economic
disparity due to the growing concentration of
wealth and power in the hands of the economic
and political elite. Determined to help support his family and further his education,
Carlos decided to come to America with the dream to fulfill these goals.

Traveling by ship, Carlos arrived in Seattle on July 22, 1930 at the age of seventeen.
With only three years of education from the Philippines, Carlos spoke little English and
had barely any money left. Desperate to survive, he soon began working various low-
paying jobs: servicing in hotels, harvesting in the fields, and even embarking to the
Alaskan canneries. During his hardships in finding employment, Carlos experienced
much economic difficulty and racial brutality that significantly damaged his health and
eventually changed his perception of America.

From several years of racist attacks, starvation, and sickness, Carlos underwent
surgery for tuberculosis in Los Angeles. His health condition with tuberculosis forced
him to undergo three operations where he lost most of the right side of his ribs and the
function of one lung. Yet, he recovered and stayed in the hospital for about two years
where he spent much of his time reading and writing.

The discrimination and unhealthy working conditions Carlos had experienced in many of
his workplaces encouraged him to participate in union organizing with other Filipinos
and various workers. Carlos become a self-educated and prolific writer determined to
voice the struggles he had undergone as a Filipino coming to America and the struggles
he had witnessed of other people. Like many of his fellow Filipinos in his time, Carlos
never had the opportunity to return to the Philippines. After years of hardship and flight,
he passed away in Seattle suffering from an advanced stage of bronchopneumonia. He
is buried at Queen Anne Hill in Seattle.

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

Contents

Summary ......................................................................................................................... 4
Settings ........................................................................................................................... 5
A. Time ................................................................................................................... 5
B. Place .................................................................................................................. 5
C. Characters.......................................................................................................... 5
Plot of the Story ............................................................................................................... 6
D. Exposition........................................................................................................... 6
E. Rising Action ...................................................................................................... 6
F. Climax ................................................................................................................ 6
G. Falling Action...................................................................................................... 6
H. Resolution .......................................................................................................... 7
Lesson Learned .............................................................................................................. 7
Did you find yourself in one of the characters? Who are you and why do you say so? ... 8
Who among the characters do you like best? Why? ....................................................... 8
Vocabulary Words ........................................................................................................... 8

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

Summary

In the Island of Luzon, There was a Happy family who always enjoying the day
everyday. The children were always playing outside with a smile, bathing in a cold
river from mountains, full of enjoyment. Until one day, there was a Sad family who
came home in their house. They always locked the windows tightly that no
sunlight enters.

The children were curious on that house because they looked up in the window,
pale and thin children looking to their place. The children were always watching
the other children, playing outside with the sun shines. The rich man always
locked the windows and closed all curtains. The rich man’s servants were cooking
special foods that the happy children smelt the aroma. They always stay in the
window to smell the spirit of the food. They sing, play, swim. Sometimes, they
laugh out loud then the other neighbor join them and laugh at them.

Until the day came that the rich man filed a case to the Father that he always
stealing the spirits of his food and wealth. Though, they end up in the court, with
their family. They wait for the jury to judge them. The father had no attorney but
the rich man had. The father always agree to all question that they always smell
the aroma of their food, but not wealth. Father told the rich man to see his
children, and they came, pale and thin.

After that, The father stood up and get some coins to his children and wife and put
them in his straw hat. Then, he walked to the rich man and sounded the coins and
then he said to him if he heard the spirit of the sound, then the rich man agree and
he fell down. The Jury stopped the case and congratulated the father and he want
to hear his children laugh. They laugh out loud but the jury laughed harder.

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

Settings

A. Time

Several years after the Father’s farm had been destroyed in 1918.

B. Place

Town on the island of Luzon, Philippines.

C. Characters

Major
The young narrator
Father a laughing man

Minor

Mother who is kind

brothers whose arms and legs were like molave
and sisters who had grown fat with laughing
Rich man grown old and feeble and his face was scarred with deep lines
with his children’s shyly and pale and sad
servants whose always frying and cooking something good
policeman
judge and the lawyer.

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

Plot of the Story

D. Exposition

There was a young narrator describing his family who lived in a town with
a rich neighbor. This family’s children often go out to play along with each
other and always find themselves laughing while the rich man’s children
are always kept inside the house. The family often hang and stand beside
the rich man’s window to see whatever they are up to. They always
unintentionally smell the rich aroma of those foods their neighbor’s maids
are cooking.

E. Rising Action

As time went on, the rich man’s children became thin and anemic, while
the young narrator’s family grew even more robust and full of life. Their
faces were bright and rosy while the others were pale and sad. Soon, the
rich man started to cough and his wife began too. Then their children
started to cough, one after the other. Until one day, the rich man suddenly
closed their windows after seeing the young narrator’s siblings; healthy
and full of life.

F. Climax

One morning a policeman from the presidencia came to the young narrator’s
house. The rich man had filed a complaint against them stating that they’ve
been stealing the spirit of their wealth and food.

G. Falling Action

The trial began and the rich man’s lawyer jumped and pointed his finger and
asks questions to the father. After answering the question the father requested
to bring the complaint’s children to stand and began to ask almost the same
questions.

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

H. Resolution

The father agreed to pay the crime they committed. He walked over to where
his children were sitting and too his straw hat and began filling it up with coins.
With the permission from judge, he strode into the other room with the hat full
of coins in his hand while the doors of both rooms were wide open. The sweet
tinkle of the coins carried beautifully in the courtroom. All the people heard the
sound. The father talked to the rich man and said: that’s the spirit of money,
you are paid.

Lesson Learned

1. Don’t blame others for your own unhappiness and unhealthiness.

2. The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important
than wealth.
3. Happiness is a choice. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be
happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy.
4. Life is to short so love your family and others, and don’t think that someone
else is more blessed than you are it’s just that we are blessed in different
ways.
5. Be content and happy with what you have in your life, but it doesn’t mean
that you don’t need to work hard to have a better future.
6. Happiness and health is wealth.
7. Learned to forgive others even if they wronged you. Forgiveness may be
the last thing on your mind when someone does something truly awful to
you, but it's not just for them it's for your own well-being. You don't need to
do anything right then and there, but holding on to that emotion for too long
becomes a heavy burden to carry through your life. You forgive for
yourself, not just for them.
8. Be a humble person and keeps your accomplishments, gifts, and talents in
a proper perspective. Know self-knowledge, and be aware of your
limitations as an individual and as a human being. Be humbled and
oriented towards others, value the welfare of other people.
9. Don’t look down on other people.
10. Getting you and your kids to play outside isn’t just fun but it’s also good for
your health. It can promote social skills, increase attention span, reduce
stress and increase vitamin D.
11. Money is not everything.
12.

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

Did you find yourself in one of the characters? Who are you and why do you
say so?

Yes, the judge because before I make judgement on someone or something, I first
deliberate and think over before I make a decision and I will ask or gather
information if it’s right or wrong before I will make my decision.

Who among the characters do you like best? Why?

The father because he was happy all the time and he knows that he don’t do any
harm in his neighbor or trespassed they’re rights. He loves his family even without
wealth he make his family happy and healthy. He doesn’t complain about what
was lack in their life and contented of what they have.

Vocabulary Words

Sudden

Adjective
happening without warning or in a short space of time

Synonyms:
fast
acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly

abrupt
exceedingly sudden and unexpected

choppy, jerky
marked by abrupt transitions

emergent
occurring unexpectedly and requiring urgent action

explosive
sudden and loud

fulminant
sudden and severe

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

sharp
very sudden and in great amount or degree

Antonyms:

gradual
proceeding in small stages

Seldom

Adjective
not often

Synonyms:
rarely

Antonyms:
frequently, oft, often, oftentimes, ofttimes
many times at short intervals

Enchanting

Adjective
capturing interest as if by a spell

Synonyms:
bewitching, captivating, enthralling, entrancing, fascinating

attractive
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm

Contagious

Adjective
(of disease) capable of being transmitted by infection

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

Synonyms:
catching, communicable, contractable, transmissible, transmittable

Grotesque

Adjective
distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous

Synonyms:
monstrous
ugly
displeasing to the senses

Extravagant

Adjective
recklessly wasteful

Synonyms:
prodigal, profligate, spendthrift
wasteful

Adjective
adj unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings

Synonyms:
excessive, exuberant, overweening
unrestrained
not subject to restraint

Might

noun
physical strength

Synonyms:
mightiness, power

Genuine

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

Adjective
not fake or counterfeit

Synonyms:
echt
authentic, bona fide, unquestionable, veritable
not counterfeit or copied

attested, authenticated, documented

established as genuine

good, honest
not forged

honest-to-god, honest-to-goodness, old, sure-enough

(used informally especially for emphasis)

honest, honorable
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent

existent, real
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory

sincere
open and genuine; not deceitful

true
consistent with fact or reality; not false

Antonyms:
counterfeit, imitative
not genuine; imitating something superior

Robust

adjective
sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

Synonyms:
rugged
sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring

healthy
having or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or disease

beefy, buirdly, burly, husky, strapping

muscular and heavily built

big-boned
having a bone structure that is massive in contrast with the surrounding flesh

big-chested, chesty
marked by a large or well-developed chest

big-shouldered, broad-shouldered, square-shouldered

having broad shoulders

cast-iron, iron
extremely robust

hardy, stalwart, stout, sturdy

having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships

hardy
able to survive under unfavorable weather conditions

half-hardy
(of plants) requiring protection from frost

heavy-armed
having massive arms

square-built
broad and solidly built

vigorous
strong and active physically or mentally

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

strong
having strength or power greater than average or expected

Antonyms:
frail
physically weak

adjective
strong enough to withstand or overcome intellectual challenges or adversity

Synonyms:
strong
having strength or power greater than average or expected

adjective
marked by richness and fullness of flavor

Synonyms:
full-bodied, racy, rich

tasty
pleasing to the sense of taste

adjective
rough and crude

Synonyms:
unrefined
(used of persons and their behavior) not refined; uncouth

Gratuitously
Adjective
in an uncalled-for manner

Spectator

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais

noun
a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some
kind)

noun
a woman's pump with medium heel; usually in contrasting colors for toe and heel

Synonyms:
spectator pump

Morose

adjective
showing a brooding ill humor

Synonyms:
dark, dour, glowering, glum, moody, saturnine, sour, sullen

ill-natured
having an irritable and unpleasant disposition

Submitted By: Rushiabelle Cabais