PALABRAS COMIDAS POR EL DIABLO (THE WORDS EATEN BY THE DEVIL)
        Merlinda Bobis is an acclaimed Filipino-Australian writer and performer who has published in three languages. Her novels, short story, and poetry collections, and she plays have various awards. Award winning writer Merlinda Bobis grew up in Albay, Philippines at the foot of an active volcano, which figures prominently in her writing and performance. As a child, her main interest was painting, but at the age of ten she began writing poetrybecause painting with words was cheaper. She has published novels, short stories, dramas and poems. Her plays have been produced/performed on stage and radio in Australia, Philippines, Spain, USA, Canada, Singapore, France, China, Thailand, and the Slovak Republic. She has performed some of her works as theatre, dance and music.
       
         Lengua para Diablo is a story about poverty and a family that is suffering because of it. In the story, a man lost his job and has lost the will to talk to his wife-hence, the title, the devil ate his words. The story illustrated what kind of struggle a normal family must have, especially if they live in poverty. The line that touches me the most was his silent tongue was already luxuriating in a multitude of essences, pampered into a piquant delight. Shame, guilt, humiliation abashment-whatever word it is , it all feels the same. It is evident that the father experienced shamebecause he lost his job and instead of fighting back to his ranting wife, he just stayed silent because he is ashamed, its okay, being ashamed is natural, but let us not live in shame, at the end of the day learn to forgive yourselves to prevent further damage to you and to other people surrounding you. Just promise that after being prostrated of shame, you will strive for yourself not to do things that will bring yourself in that shameful situation. Do not let the devil eat your words.
       
            Merlinda has a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) from Aquinas University of Legazpi and a Master of Arts in Literature (meritissimus) from the University from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila. For ten years she taught Literature and English at Philippine Universities before coming to Australia in 1991 on a study grant. She completed a Doctorate of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong where she taught creative writing for more than twenty years. She continues to dream new stories in Canberra.

         The story that prompts a very realistic setting that shows our country’s problems today-poverty and unemployment-and how it affects us. It can be seen in the text that the father’s being jobless created a big differences in the way he acts around his family. He was not able to fulfill his promise of a better life for his family, especially to his wife whom he have sworn to provide an electric fan, bigger windows, and a bigger house. These situations are not just fictitious, but these things are real, these are the realities that every day of our lives. Everybody plays a role in making this a reality whether you are an employer or an employee, indigent or rich, a man or a woman. Based on the story, it could be concluded that there are a lot of families who have the mother as their working figure instead of the father. As of now, there is a need for everyone to accept the fact that many families nowadays have the father as the one taking charge of the house chores and the children while the mother is working. We need to let the fact that many fathers sold their tongue to the devil in order to save their family.