PUP student goes viral for thesis on drama series “Anne with an E”

Oliver Tesorero, 23, creates an undergraduate thesis about his favorite series “Anne with an E.” Photo courtesy of Oliver Tesorero

A fourth-year AB English Language Studies student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) gained attention online after his thesis on the drama series “Anne with an E” inspired fellow students to write their theses based on something they are fans of.

On TikTok, 23-year-old Oliver Tesorero, of Pasig City, posted photos documenting his journey as a researcher for his undergraduate thesis. His thesis immediately captured the curiosity of netizens, mostly students and fans of the show.

Oliver Tesorero holding the hardbound copy of his thesis at The Obelisk in PUP. Photo courtesy of Oliver Tesorero

“Fan ka ng movie/series? [Eh ‘di gawin mo ng thesis!] [Malay] mo maging one of the best thesis pa ‘yan,” Tesorero captioned his post.

In an interview with INQUIRER.net, Tesorero shared that he chose to write about “Anne with an E” because it was one of the most wholesome series he has watched on a streaming platform.

He explained that his thesis is about the protagonist, 13-year-old Anne Shirley, who possesses a vast English vocabulary and is able to express herself articulately despite her young age.

Screenshot of Tesorero’s Thesis Presentation. Photo courtesy of Oliver Tesorero

“She enjoys talking and frequently expresses herself with large words. By analyzing Anne’s experiences and her communication process, my paper aims to understand how people perceive someone who has in-depth knowledge of the English language,” Tesorero explained.

Tesorero recalled that he first became a fan of the show after stumbling upon a video clip of the protagonist standing up against her bully. He was immediately intrigued by the character’s personality and decided to watch the show.

Further, Tesorero recounted how he and Anne have different personalities. He describes Anne as a communicative young girl who enjoys talking and uses big words to express herself. Meanwhile, he was an introverted person who only talked when asked to.

“So one of the challenges for me was [to] highlight Anne’s character through my work, I [thought I] needed to be able to relate to her deeply. But one thing I realized is that it’s not the people we relate to; it’s their experiences that transcend us and make us relate to them,” Tesorero said.

Tesorero shared that Anne’s experiences with being misunderstood and judged allowed him to view himself in her character.

“Anne felt judged by the people around her, and I did, too. Anne felt that she was different and weird because that’s what her society [made] her believe, and I did, too. Anne experienced having [a good family] and friends [who] understood her, and I did, too. [These] are the aspects that I used to tell Anne’s story through my work,” Tesorero expounded.

He claimed that writing about Anne Shirley came to him as a “lightbulb moment” while writing his proposed thesis title.

“I realized that Anne with an E might be a good topic to study since the protagonist is a child who uses big English words to express herself, and there are a lot of scenes in the show that tackle how people perceive her usage of the English language,” Tesorero conveyed.

As of writing, Tesorero’s post has amassed 595,400 views and 98,200 likes on TikTok. —Carmela Joy A. Salentes, INQUIRER.net intern

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