Written Document Analysis Worksheet

Title: Japanese Occupation of the Philippines

Attach a photo/printed format of the document:

Comprehensive description and summary of the written primary source:

When Philippines was under the Japanese government between 1942-1945,
rules and regulations were made during that time of which the Filipinos were obliged to
follow just like any government. One of the regulations was about the community sanitation
rules. Any establishment that has been affixed with the warning should clean his/her
premises including the sidewalk, street, front and rear of his/her building in order to
safeguard the health of the civilian population. Failure to comply of such rule on the next
inspection will have severe penalty in accordance with Martial Law.

Relevance/significance to Philippine history and to the Filipino Nation:

This photo of a written document tells us that despite the negative impact of
the Japanese to the lives of the Filipino citizens, the Japanese also taught us the value of
cleanliness and discipline. These traits have been passed down to the next generations and
can actually be seen up until now. Filipinos value cleanliness of the self and as well as the
surroundings and somehow, discipline can be seen such as the act of throwing garbage to
the right place of which we may give credit to the strictness of the Japanese government
during their occupation in our country.

Type of Written Document (Check one):

___newspaper article _/__Letter ___Government documents (what
kind):_____________________
___Press release ___Diary ___Others
(specify):__________________________________
Historical Literacy Competency Analysis:

I. Sourcing:
The Director General of the New Leaders
Who wrote the document? Association

The author is of importance to the

What is the author’s perspective or Japanese government and was strict
position in the historical event? when it comes to sanitation rules and
regulations.
Between 1942-1945
When/Where was it written?

In order to safeguard the health of the

Why was it written? civilian population.

The owner of the establishments

Who is/are its intended audience?

Pasted on the façade of establishments

Where was it published or circulated?

No records can be found on where it is

Where is it currently currently stored.
located/stored/found?

It can be deduced that the Japanese

Other significant information and insights were strict when it comes to cleanliness
about sourcing. and sanitation.

II. Contextualization:
The following guidelines should be answered vis-à-vis with its effect on the
content of the document you are studying.

Significant events in history that were This was the time when the Japanese were
happening when the document was created infiltrating and occupying the Philippines.
(should be related to the document)

The author was the Director General of the

Author’s Background and Motivation New Leaders Association

The intended audience were the owner of

Intended Audience Background the establishment that the warning sign
was pasted to.
Information/Insights that were emphasized
How may the content and manner of
writing of the document affected by the
significant or influential events that were
happening when it was written?
It was emphasized that there is a need for
the owner of the establishment to clean the
premises of the establishment in order to
safeguard the health of the general public
and as well as give consequences to the
violators of the regulation.
The content and manner instilled a manner
of superiority to those that were affected by
this regulation.

It can be seen that during that time, Martial

Other significant information and insights Law was at play.
about contextualization.

III. Corroboration

Other historical sources with complementing

information, insights and ideas (title; and
short description). Cite and elaborate the
significant points of complementarity

Other historical sources with contradicting

information, insights and ideas (title; and
short description). Cite and elaborate the
significant points of contradiction.

Other historical sources which can give more

description or elaboration of the
phenomenon or personalities described in
the document (title; and short description).

Other significant information and insights

about contextualization.

IV. Close Reading:

The importance of sanitation and cleanliness

What are the significant points/arguments which was emphasized in the documentation
the author emphasized? What could have been presented and that there is a consequence when
the author’s reason of doing so? the regulation was neglected. It was made for
the purpose of safeguarding the health of the
general public.
The penalty wasn’t specific in the given
Did the author intentionally or unintentionally document. The purpose might be in order to
left out certain arguments/insights/information? instill fear to the minds of the affected
What could have been the author’s reason of individuals.
doing so?

How may the events during the document was

written have influenced the author’s views as
expressed its arguments/main points?

How do evidences from other sources

complement or contradict the claims of the
document?

What language (words, phrases, images,

symbols) did the author use in order to
communicate and persuade its audience?

What are other significant peculiarities of the

document which implicitly or explicitly connotes
meaning?

Other significant information and insights about

close reading.

Conclusions: It can be said with great confidence that the Japanese were strict when it
comes to proper sanitation and that the Filipinos were subject to following those certain
regulations to avoid consequences.

Realizations: We realized that the Filipinos attribute of being clean might be attributed by
the Japanese’s style of disciplining through instilling fear. It is also evident that the Japanese
also cares for the well-being of the community hence the proper implementation of rules
and regulations.