She thought that her father’s tongue was luxuriating in a multitude of essences so she said that maybe he should also sell his esophagus and his stomach for him to be pampered. She also imagined that her father’s tongue was served on the devil’s platter with spices that gives an aroma of something rich and foreign. She was thinking that her father’s tongue was cooked in mushroom sauce in the special Spanish way. Her daughter was wondering what the devil did to her father’s tongue. Her father didn’t say any word about his job to placate his family the devil really ate his words. The employer fired her father who is a mason after he found a cheaper deal for the extension of his house. The devil that ate his words was her father’s employer, who is a Spanish mestizo that owned several stores in the city. Her mother was always complaining about their hard situation so her father kept on promising that he would buy them the things that would make them comfortable. Her father lost his job so he needed to conciliate more. Her father said that “the devil ate his words” which means he forgot what he was about to say that statement appeases his wife. Her father did not speak much in their house. The story started when a daughter suspected that her father sold his tongue to the devil.

Lengua is often seasoned with onion and other spices, and then placed in a pot to boil.

Lengua (Beef tongue) is also a dish made of cow’s tongue. Lengua Para Diablo means “The Devil Ate My Words.” “Lengua is a Spanish word meaning “tounge,” which in the story, symbolizes the words eaten by the devil. Her novels, short story and poetry collections, and plays have received various awards. Merlinda Bobis is an acclaimed Filipino-Australian writer and performer who has published in three languages. Lengua Para Diablo is an excerpt from the book “Banana Heart Summer.” Banana Heart Summer is written by Merinda Bobis. Written Close Analysis of Lengua Para Diablo

Banana Heart Summer by Merlinda Bobis