EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT TO PHILIPPINE LITERATURE: READER'S RESPONSE TO LAMBERTO ANTONIO'S 'GABI NG ISANG PIYON'

Abstract: This study explores emotional engagement with Philippine literature through the lens of Reader-Response Theory. It focuses on how a reader’s personal background, cultural context, and lived experiences shape emotional and interpretive responses to Gabi ng Isang Piyon, a poem by Lamberto Antonio that portrays themes of labor, fatigue, and sacrifice. Guided by an interpretivist paradigm, this qualitative case study involved a fourth-year Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English from Southern Negros Occidental. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and reflective journals, and analyzed using Lichtman’s 3Cs coding framework (coding, categorizing, conceptualizing). The analysis generated 349 units of meaning clustered into three major themes: (1) Enduring Fatigue and Blurring of Work-Life Boundaries, (2) Sacrifice, Responsibility, and Emotional Burden Across Generations, and (3) Chronic Financial Insecurity and Structural Inequality. These themes revealed a profound emotional resonance with the poem, shaped by the participant’s experiences as a young mother and the economic struggles of her laborer husband. Findings affirm that emotional engagement with literature can deepen interpretive understanding, especially when texts reflect the reader’s socio-economic realities. The participant’s personal identification with the piyon transformed the poem into a mirror of lived experience, illustrating literature’s capacity to evoke empathy, critical reflection, and motivation. Though limited to a single participant, the study offers meaningful insights for educators and curriculum developers advocating for culturally relevant pedagogy and emotional literacy in literary education. Keywords: Philippine literature, reader-response theory, emotional engagement, case study, Gabi ng Isang Piyon