"Popong Eats His Rice"

(An Analysis of the Story)

Introduction

           

Popong Eats His Rice is an exemplary and commendable story by Chat Garrido-Ocampo, a teacher and a mother of two. It is crafted with the help of illustrations made by Grace Dy, an Educational Communication major. It is presented through the sponsorship of the Department of Agriculture in partnership campaign of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Objectives:

Using the Pahinungod Approach in this story, I have come up with these objectives that every listener/viewer of this presentation should realize and find out at the end of the story.

·         Realize the importance of rice and emphasize how it is actually produced or processed;

·         Imply the importance of food conservation and wise consumption; and

·         Emphasize the roles of parents and institutions (i.e school, community, organizations such as the Department of Agriculture and IRRI) in the information dissemination/discipline towards rice and/or food.

Review and Analysis

It is a fact that we, especially the kids disregard the importance of food, in this story, the very common rice, in our diet. More often, they really don’t care at how it is raised by the ever industrious farmers in the field, how many months of heat, sweat, and wait did it take them to harvest his yield, how our parents come up with their budget for rice, and collectively, how many people would be happy and full if they have the food that little kids ignore.

This educational and at the same time adding the twist of humor, fantasy and adventure is a form of communication widely used by development practitioners in partnership with various organizations, mostly by agriculture and consumption sectors.

The story uses a typical setting, characters, and scenarios to denote and impose real life situations in which the readers can cope up or relate to. Adding some creativity through visualizing the union and cooperation of characters and mystical beings to solve the problem/conflict of the story, the story is successful in delivering normal conversations and descriptions of events that is totally mesmerizing to little audiences with young tastes.

I ate my rice!

The typical home setting is effective in presenting real life experiences. A mom and a picky child is an excellent choice of primary characters to denote reality and for complete understanding and interconnections.

The appearance of mystical/personified characters is perhaps the best way to catch young listeners’ full attention and interest. Using this strategy, the book highlights its morale and self-reflection among the audience. In this case, there is a communication between primary to secondary characters. To sustain the interest, there is an adventure or exploration used to change the monopoly of the setting. There are simple conversations that are vital to support action, and visuals to make an impact of color and creativity.

More of an advertising propaganda for advertising in research and discovery, the overall technique is pleasing and convincing.

The story might be successful in promoting awareness for rice consumption and conservation and at the same time, promotes it as a source of energy.

Conclusion

The Philippines, a tropical country, has abundant and staple supply of rice for every Filipino. But the most important thing to reflect in here is our attitude in consuming it.

"What would be our smallest action would be our biggest contribution to the conservation of rice and improvement of lives."

We, as educated and responsible people should discipline not just ourselves, but every person in our homes, in consuming rice or else, the Rice Prince might just have a visit and let all of us experience how to become a rice!

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Image Source: http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x2735424/boy_eating_rice_from_bowl_CB104398.jpg