Literature Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But it is more important than just a historical/ cultural artifact Reflection of society group of people place objective Etymology: Litterae (latin word) letters o The Latin word for literature was simply the plural, litterae, and in this basic sense literature embraces everything written with the letters of the alphabet *panitikan System of Writing: Phoenicians Objective of Literature o Catharsis Emotional tension after overwhelming vicarious experiences The act or process of releasing a strong emotion (pity or fear) especially by expressing it in an art form Difficult to achieve *No real consensus or one all-embracing definition of the term literature – a lot of definitions Subjectivity of Literature – all theories of literary value are subjective and that literary evaluation is a purely personal matter (*loose ends) o ―Compendium of written works done imaginatively‖ *Modes in Which Literature is Expressed o Spoken Form (orature) o Written Form 2 Classifications of Literature (Literary Forms) 1) Prose o Straight narratives o Sentences/ paragraphs a. Novel 100 pages TNR/ Arial 12, double b. Short Stories 10-25 pages o 5 ELEMENTS OF FICTION 1. Characters/ Tauhan (hindi lahat tao) can be inanimated (not living) Major/ Minor Protagonist/ Antagonist Bida (life)/ Kontrabida *Salvador – Savior Round/ Flat [change in person] *Dialogues of characters – represent what they say 2. Setting When, Where Milieu The physical/ social setting in which something happens/ develops *social environment *social context The setting tells the character how to act/ speak The world surrounding the characters, not only the setting but also culture and society, government and religion, family and traditions, everything 3. Plot Storyline Sequence of events that form the story Introduction/ Exposition o The beginning of the story where the characters and setting are revealed Rising Action/ Complication o This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed
Climax o Considered the high point – the most exciting part – of the story o This is where all the rising action and conflict building up in the story finally reaches the peak o It is usually the moment of greatest danger or decision making for the protagonist o The turning point can be considered the incident right before the climax Falling Action o Deals with the effects of the climax on the main character o The events and complications begin to resolve themselves Resolution/ Denouement o Conclusion to the story o *there is usually a release of dramatic tension and anxiety (catharsis) o Reveals the outcome of the conflict o Unraveling or untying of the complexities of a plot 4. Conflict A struggle between opposing forces that drives the action of the story Man vs Himself Man vs Man Man vs Nature 5. Theme The central and dominating idea/s in a literary work Message or moral implicit in any work of art *tungkol saan yun kwento 2) Poetry o Language raised to the nth level o Persona: mask (speaker) o Imagery By the use of imagery, the poet makes what is not familiar to us familiar Uses images to share his experiences, thoughts, feelings and ideas o Lines/ stanzas – chamber o *A verse and rhythmic writing with imagery that evokes an emotional response from the reader Unit 1: Imaging the Filipino Man Patriarchy o Has institutionalized masculinity as the bedrock structure that defines power, language & perception o According to feminists, patriarchy acts as the mode of culture which dominates and denigrates women o Basing from psychology‘s definition, patriarchy creates caricatures which are damaging to both men (perennial conquerors) & women (perpetually conquered) The selections clustered under this theme situate the multifarious domains the Filipino man occupies ―Mill of the Gods‖ – Estrella Alfon Radical depiction of the Filipino man as an ignoble father and husband Foregrounds the plenitude of literature in exploring how culture and politics emblematize the patriarchal figure Characters o Martha Isang maganda at tahimik na babae na dati ay huli sa kanyang pag-aaral. May matinding galit siya sa kanyang ama. Dramatic/ round character o Ina Siya ang nanay ni Martha na mapagtimpi sa panlolokong ginagawa ng kanyang asawa. Flat character o Ama – Ang tatay ni Martha na may kabit. Namatay siya sa huli pagkatapos barilin ng asawa ng kanyang kabit. o Espeleta – Ito ang mga kapitbahay at ang lipunan (community) na kinabibilangan ng pamilya ni Martha. Sila ang nakasaksi sa bawat pangyayari ng buhay nila Martha. Theme o Patriarchy Pio as the antagonistic husband, father and womanizer
Hindi nabigyan ng parusa ang ama ni Martha kahit na alam ng lahat ang pangangaliwa nito. Sa halip ay tinanggap pa rin siya ng kanyang asawa. The man who left Martha for another woman The doctor who had a wife and secretly had an affair with Martha o Paghihiganti Piniling maging kabit si Martha upang mapunan ang galit niya sa ginawa ng ama. o Pambababae bilang madalas ngunit patagong gawain Halos lahat ng lalaki sa kuwento ay nangaliwa. Images/Symbols o Pigtails: youth o Knife/Gun: power, violence, bloodshed o Window: freedom or lack thereof o Flowers: beauty, gentleness, admiration or death o Darkness: evil, ignorance, danger o Saliva: disgust, hatred o Mill of the Gods: retribution or punishment (slow but certain) o Crucifix: justice Figurative Speech o Simile: ―…life must seem like a road given us to travel…‖ ―…life seems like an old-fashioned melodrama…‖ o Hyperbole: ―…both of them struggled and panted and had almost no breath left for words.‖ o Irony: ―Even in play, there was some part of her that never managed to take too great a part— she was so content if they always made her ―it‖ in a game of tag, if only they would let her play… if only they would only include her in the fascinating games she could not play alone.‖ Point of Views o Omniscient Point of view if the story is all-knowing o Dramatic Like a play; dialogues Summary o Matha, the daughter of Pio and Engracia, was 12 years old and was lagged behind others of her age, whether in study or in play. One night, she heard her parents arguing and struggling in terrible fury with each other. Martha immediately got out of her room when she heard her mother‘s voice and she saw that they were struggling for the knife. Her father had commanded her to take the knife away from her mother‘s hand and so she did and threw it out of the window. Engracia wordlessly slapped her husband a couple of times as soon as he released her. She clutched at Martha and told her words that were unfamiliar to her; words that were only half-understood. But despite of this, Martha was crying. Her father went out and was gone after her mother spat on him, and Martha‘s mother directed her to find him but she could not. She went back to the room and cried with her mother. o When Martha was 18, she fully understood the night that had been a blur to her when she was still 12. She fell in love with a guy not older than herself, and her seriousness with love hindered things such as play or game. Martha asked him about their marriage and he just laughed at her. She realized his excuses meant that he did not want to marry her. He married another woman and Martha, taking in reality, knew that she had learned her lesson. That night came back to her and made her hate her father and regret about throwing the knife. o Martha turned religious and Espeleta approved because they did not know what she prayed for. Martha‘s parents are still together even after that night but between them there was silence. After she had fallen in love, when she started hating her father, she also started to hate her mother. Martha graduated with high honors in high school at the age of 18 and everyone, including her mother and father, was proud of her. Martha studied nursing and started to have visitors – this time they were doctors – in the house again. But out of all the other doctors, Martha chose someone slightly older than the rest. Between him and her, there had been a quick lifting of the pulse and quickening of the breath. But for the very first time they talked to each other, he told her he was married and if ever he‘ll have an affair with another woman, it should be hidden. Martha found in herself the deep abiding secret against her father and the laws of man and the church. It seemed like her mother‘s burden was passed on to her unwilling shoulders.
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One day at the hospital, Martha was in the emergency room and saw a man who had been shot. She imagined that the man was his father. The doctor she loved was in charge and she was shocked when he returned her gaze with a look of pain on his face. She then realized that the man who had been shot was really his father, and as she walked out of the room she saw her mother crying. She wanted to cry to ease the tightness in her chest but instead she felt the cruel justness of things. When they got home, there was a crowd who waited for them. There was also an unfamiliar group called Colon and they were the witnesses to her father‘s death. They told Martha that the one who shot her father was the husband of the woman whom Martha‘s father had an affair with. And after hearing all these, she went to her father, looking at his face that seemed to be in peace and free from pain. She went to her room and there hung a crucifix. She prayed and thanked that justice was repaid at last. Estrella Alfon (July 18, 1917 – December 28, 1983) o Born on 1917 in San Nicolas, Cebu City o Even if her parents were shoe keepers, she managed to attend college to study medicine o During her college, she was mistakenly diagnosed with tuberculosis She was sent to a sanitarium to be quarantined and decided to resign from her premedical education o She had the Associate of Arts degree instead (UP) o Her children are: Alan Rivera, Esmeralda ―Mimi‖ River, Brian Alfon, Estrella ―Twinkie‖ Alfon, and Rita ―Daday‖ Alfon . No grandchildren o She died in the year 1983 at the age of 66. Due to a heart attack which she suffered on-stage during the Awards night of the Manila Film Festival o Storywriter, playwright & journalist o Well-known author who wrote almost exclusively in English o Most prolific Filipina writer prior to WWII o Only female member of the Veronicans (group of writers in the 1930s) Literary pieces that bolster the myriad possibilities of interpreting the Filipino man as text and as a decentered object of desire: “To the Man I Married” & “The Spouse” ―To the Man I Married‖ – Angela Manalang-Gloria Romantic poem which delineates the man as the beloved Romanticizes man as her love object in the poem Presents a specific value judgment for a woman’s man – lover, protector, provider, elemental Metaphor: o ―You are my earth and all that earth implies‖ my everything ―…the land that stills my cries…‖ o you are my provider Summary o She considers her husband her earth. The Earth that nourishes her, the Earth that gives her everything in order to live. The Earth that provides for her. Her husband is also the air she breathes, the orbit that sets off her directions in life. Not only does the Earth provide for her living, it also gives her resting place by the time she rejoins her Almighty Creator. o It may seem that her Earth is the only thing that she needs but no! She also needs her Sky, her Almighty Creator. But that doesn‘t mean that she loves her Earth any less. o Her love for her Earth might be great but it is not comparable to the ocean. Not because her love wasn't real or great or what, but because in reality, only the Almighty Creator can love as great as an ocean. But she compares her love to the waves. Part I (Intensity of Love) o In the octave, the speaker makes the bold claim addressing the man she married: ―You are my earth and all that earth implies.‖ The speaker‘s claim alerts the reader to a metaphorical comparison: the addressee is her earth. o And just what does ―earth‖ imply? Because the person is her earth, he supplies her necessities for life: ―gravity that ballasts me in space,‖ ―air‖ that she breathes, the fertile soil where her food is grown. He gives her direction by his ―orbit‖ that ―marks [her] way / And sets [her] north and south, [her] east and west.‖ o The speaker‘s final point of comparison is both startling yet quite logical: her husband is like the earth, in that he is ―the final, elemental clay / The driven heart must turn to for its rest.‖ While he acts as a force for life as the earth does, he also provides a place for death also as the earth does.
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While the octave implies a very close and sustaining relationship between the speaker and her husband, the sestet asserts that that closeness does not completely satisfy all of the needs of the speaker as an individual: ―If in your arms that hold me now so near / I lift my keening thoughts to another one.‖ o Even as she acknowledges her close, nurturing relationship with her husband, she finds that she needs ―another one,‖ because of her ―keening thoughts.‖ And then she metaphorically compares herself to a tree whose roots though ―long rooted to the earth‖ raise their ―leaves and flowers to the sun.‖ o She needs the earth, but she also needs the sky, just as the earth does, just as trees need the sun. That does not diminish her love for and attachment to her husband, who is her earth. The speaker wants to make that fact quite clear so she repeats her claim: ―You who are earth, O never doubt that I / Need you no less because I need the sky.‖ Part II (How long…) o Part II of ―To the Man I Married‖ consists of two quatrains, in which the speaker asserts that she does not want to overstate her case about her love for her husband, and she even backtracks somewhat. o Although he is metaphorically her earth, she really cannot compare her love for him to the ocean, because ―no such love / And no such ocean can ever be.‖ ―I cannot love you with a love that outcompares the boundless sea.‖ This doesn‘t mean that her love for him was lessen or wasn‘t real, but because only the Almighty God can love as great and as wide as the ocean. But she can love him in a finite way, like the waves that keep crashing against the shore; after all, those waves do reflect ―The blue of everlasting skies.‖ Angela Caridad Legaspi Manalang-Gloria (1907–1995) o Born on August 2, 1907 in Guagua, Pampanga o Her parents were Felipe Dizon-Manalang & Tomasa Tolosa-Legaspi o They are from Pampanga but they settled in Albay, Bicol Region o Studied at St. Agnes Academy in Legaspi, where she graduated valedictorian in elementary o In her senior year, she moved to St. Scholastica's College in Malate, Manila, where her writing started to get noticed o Angela Manalang was among the first generation female students at the University of the Philippines. Angela initially enrolled in law, as suggested by her father. However, with the advice of her professor C.V. Wickers, who also became her mentor, she eventually transferred to literature. o During her education in UP, her life-long rivalry with the poet Jose Garcia Villa was developed. o She also became the literary editor in Philippine Collegian, with Celedonio P. Gloria as the editor-in-chief Their friendship led to marriage and they had 3 children o March 11, 1945: Japanese patrol attacked her husband and her son Ruben in Alitagtag, Batangas Though Celedonio died, Ruben was able to survive but he had a trauma. This left Angela a widow with 3 children to take care of. It also forced her to leave writing and change her means of living from a writer to abaca business. o Is versatile; lyric poet, pianist and editor o ―Poems‖ First and only pre-war anthology of poetry in English by a Filipino Woman o An idealist turned pragmatist ―The Spouse‖ – Luis Dato Explication of the young wife as the lover ―Her hair disheveled in the night of passion‖ o Manifestation of love Oedipus o The only one who was able to answer the mystery Sender: To the Man I Married (The Spouse) Characteristics of man: Provider & Hardworking Characteristics of woman: Realistic & Dissatisfied This poem is spoken by a third person. It is about a woman who is not satisfied with her life. She is crying because after their night of passion, when she woke up her husband is already gone plowing the fields. Doesn‘t that makes you feel alone? Just when you expect you‘ll see his face the moment you open your eyes after a passionate night, but you only see a rose – a compromise. But she cannot do
anything about it. She is just a woman. And she believe she has no other life but other than this. In the end, it questions: Will there ever be a change? Will she get the love she deserved? *Setting: Rural *After the sacred strife, the husband abandoned his wife (sinaktan tapos iniwan) because he needs to work *to console: rose no arrogance (husband) Luis Guevarra Dato (July 4, 1906 – January 29,1984) o Date of Birth : July 4, 1906 o Place of Birth : Baao, Camarines Sur o Parents : Eugenio Dato y Esplana Barbara Guevarra y Imperial o Paternal Grandparents : Damaso Dato Nicolasa Esplana o Maternal Grandparents : Ludivico Guevara Higina Imperial o Brothers and Sisters : Rodolfo Dato Francisca D. Flores Soledad H. Hidalgo Pablo Dato (2nd Nuptials) o Schools Attended : Naga Central School, (1914 - 1917) Tabuco Primary School, (1917 – 1918) San Vicente de Paul Seminary (1918 – 1919) Naga Elementary School, (1919 – 1920) Camarines Sur High School, (1920 – 1923) U.P. High School, (1923 – 1924) U.P. College of Liberal Arts (1924 – 1928) U.P. College of Law (1928 – 1933) Southern Luzon College (1947 – 1949) University of Nueva Caceres (1949 – 1951) St. Anthony College (1971 – 1972) o Degrees : Associate in Arts, U.P., 1926 B.S.E., Southern Luzon College, 1949 Bachelor of Laws, University of Nueva Caceres, 1951 Master of Arts, (30 units) University of Nueva Caceres, St. Anthony College Unit 2: Imaging the Filipino Woman ―Vanity, thy name is woman‖ Significant One or the inessential Other Venus and Mariang Makiling o The muse of love, nature and inspiration Medusa and Mangkukulam o Demonic entity casting evil spells and inflicting plagues on otherwise orderly society o Trademarks: mystery & ambiguity Luna (the moon) o Deliberately feminized as a result of her variegated phases Typhoons & hurricanes o Predominately carry female names, evidenced by their erratic shifting fluxions Nature o Characterized as an entity which can be preserved, cultivated, or destroyed o Bears a ―mother‖ label Mater Dolorosa o The silent, grieving mother whose agony and tears foreground her equally agonizing Child Femme fatale o Whose sly and provocative schemes lure her men of prey to their doom
―Ang Babaing Nangangarap nang Gising‖ – Rio Alma The life of a typical Filipina who has experienced a lot of hardships in life. Despite the challenges and struggles she's been through, she still hopes a better life with her husband. She dreams of a peaceful and happy married life. She wants to escape these disappointments and she does it by day-dreaming. She wishes a happy life; she doesn‘t want to experience any more pain. She‘s been hurt so many times. She wants a perfect life, she may not achieve it in reality but through day dreaming, it gives her the blissful feeling. She‘s a strong Filipina who possesses the quality of being patient and martyr. "I think that the poem was written at a time when the country was still on the verge of industrialization and living in the city was at its peak. The woman in the story symbolizes a typical person living in the province that is blinded by the fast life and possibly a better future in the city. This was her ambition. Simply put, to live in the city means to live in prosperity. Now reality struck her, she got married to a drunkard husband in a home with few to eat. Amidst all these, still she closes her eyes and dreams a life with violins playing and with sweet care from her husband." Para sa akin, ang ibig sabhin ng tulang ito ay, may isang babaeng mahirap at lumaki sa malansa at bukid na basa sa isang liblib na nayon, siya'y nangarap na sanay makatagpo sya ng isang prinsipe na maaaring makapagpaganda ng kanyang buhay at mamuhay na parang prinsesa, kaya lunsod ay kanyang tinungo, subalit ang babaeng ito ay bigo sapagkat nilamon sya sa tukso ng lungsod at kanyang natagpuan ay lalaking lasenggero lamang, ang lahat ng kanyang pangarap ay naglaho at ang kanyang mga nais na matupad sa buhay ay hanggang sa pangarap na lamang. May isang babaeng probinsyana na nangarap umahon sa kahirapan. Siya ay nakipagsapalaran sa lungsod ngunit sa hindi inaasahang pangyayari, siya ay nadala ng tukso o makamundong pagnanasa. Dahil sa pangyayaring ito, naglaho ang kanyang pangarap. Ngayon, siya na lamang ay nangangarap ng gising. Dahil sa kahirapan at pagkaligaw ng landas, siya ay napilitang gumawa ng masama. Hindi rin maganda ang naging buhay niya sa kanyang asawa. Sa tuwing ang lalaki ay darating, siya ay pipikit at magpapanggap na siya ay sasalubong sa prinsipe niyang lasing at mangangarap ng gising na ang bawat himas ng asawa‘y kaginha-ginhawa. Lumalabas na siya ay itinuturing na laruan lamang ng asawang lasing. *Gusto na pangarap na hindi achievable *She wants to be a princess *Ligaw na sisiw *Daydream habang nagluluto ng tuyo symbol of poverty *May belief na if sa city = mas okay Virgilio Almario (Rio Alma) (March 9, 1944) o Born on March 9, 1944 in the rural town of San Miguel in Bulacan o Parents: Ricardo Almario and Feliciana Senadren. o Spouse: Emelina B. Soriano o 3 kids: Asa Victoria, Ani Rosa and Agno Virgilio. o A Filipino artist, poet, critic, translator, editor, teacher, and cultural manager o He is a National Artist of the Philippines and currently serves as the chairman of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), the government agency mandated to promote and standardize the use of the Filipino language. o Elementary: Camias Elementary School in 1955 o Secondary: San Miguel High School in 1959 o Growing up in Bulacan among peasants, Almario sought his education at Manila and completed his degree in A.B. Political Science at the University of the Philippines (1963) o His life as a poet started when he took master‘s course in education at the University of the East where he became associated with Rogelio G. Mangahas and Lamberto E. Antonio. o He was an instructor at the Lagao Central Elementary School from 1969-1972. He only took his M.A. in Filipino in 1974 in the University of the Philippines. In 2003, he was appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Letters in the said university. On June 25 of the same year, he was proclaimed National Artist for Literature ―Woman with Horns‖ – Cecilia Manguerra – Brainard "Woman with Horns is a short story written by Filipino writer Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. The story was first published in Focus Philippines in 1984 and is part of the author's first short story collection, Woman with Horns and Other Stories (New Day Publishers, 1987). Woman With Horns is centered around two personalities, two extremely opposite personalities: Agustina, the so called Woman with Horns and Gerald, an American doctor in the Philippines at the turn of the century; The title refers to a fictional character named Agustina Macaraig, an Ubecan widow, rumored to have horns. Brainard's character
was inspired by fanciful folklore from Cebu, Philippines,where she grew up in and which inspired her to create the setting of many of her stories - Ubec, which is Cebu backwards. Characters o Dr. Gerald McAllister – American physician, widower o Dr. Jaime Laurel – assistant of Dr. McAllister o Augustina Macaraig – widow with a daughter o Blanche o Mayor Setting o 1903 (Philippine – American) o Ubec Cebu The story is set in 1903 a year after the tumultuous Philippine-American War. America was busy sending American administrators to their newly acquired colony in the Pacific. One of those who went to the "Islands" and who ended up in Ubec was a New York doctor and widower, Gerald McAllister. As the Public Health Director of Ubec, he carries on with his duties of establishing a vaccination program to stop a cholera epidemic. His initial meeting of the beautiful and sensual widow, Agustina Macaraig, disturbs and irritates the doctor. It is his assistant, Dr. Jaime Laurel, who reminds him that life is more than work: "Friend, you don't know how to enjoy life. Look at the sun turning red, getting ready to set spectacularly. It is a wonderful afternoon, you walk with a friend, you talk about beautiful women, about life..." Dr. Gerald McAllister went to his house to eat lunch and return to his office at the Ubec General Hospital. It was March 16, 1903 on that day. A year and a half passed after his arrival to Ubec from San Francisco. Three years passed since his wife, Blanche, died. He met Agustina Macaraig, an Ubecan widow, at the hospital. She went there to have a medical check – up, but Gerald requested her to return after lunch because there were no doctors on duty. A story has been told about Agustina by Dr. Jaime Laurel, his assistant, during their walk at the park. According to the story, Agustina is a half – woman, half – myth creature. Her mother is a laundry woman while her father is an encantando, a river spirit. She was born with horns, but then her mother bribed the carpenter to saw them off. During Gerald‘s visit to the Mayor‘s house he went to the verandah to drink his rice wine. There he met Agustina again. She tried flirting with him and invited him to have dinner at her house with her child. After their dinner, Gerald went home with anger and confusion. Like him, Agustina should keep on lamenting for the death of her spouse, but it was the other way around. He tried forgetting it by staring at an album of pictures of his wedding with Blanche. Blanche died due to consumption. In order to stop himself from mourning, Gerald went to Philippines and worked there as the Public Health Director of Ubec. This loss is compounded by his transgression with the nurse who took care of his sick wife, the wife discovers the affair before she dies - With loss and guilt, Gerald is drying like a twig, losing his battle with depression... Night passed and the next day came, Gerald went to Jaime‘s office. Jaime told him that the mother of the Mayor died – but Gerald, instead of showing sympathy, did not care at all, which made Jaime angry. Gerald went to the Mayor‘s house, where the body of the old woman was in funeral service, to show sympathy. After the burial of the Mayor‘s mother, which always happen at the end of a funeral service, the mourners, including Gerald, went back to the Mayor‘s house to have a banquet. There he met Agustina again and had a conversation with her. Gerald went home after the event, but then he decided to swim in the river during the night. He went there and saw Agustina slowly approaching him as he swam, until they fell into each other‘s arms. *Horns (irony) o Literary Symbol Evil Masculinity (bull, kudu, impala, etc) *Gerald (Tiger – but helpless) *sign of death ng mother ng mayor – sanitize sa story, she has high position Cecilia Manguerra – Brainard o Born: 1947 at Cebu, Philippines o The youngest of four children to Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra and Mariano F. Manguerra.
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The death of her father when she was nine prompted her to start writing, first in journals, then essays and fiction. o She attended St. Theresa's College and Maryknoll College in the Philippines; and she did graduate work at UCLA She attended Maryknoll College in Quezon City from 1964 to 1968, where she received a BA in Communication Arts. In 1969, Brainard immigrated to the United States to study film at UCLA graduate school. o She has lectured and performed in worldwide literary arts organizations and universities, including UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Beyond Baroque, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others. She teaches creative writing at the Writers Program at UCLA-Extension. o Like many Filipinos at this time, Brainard emigrated to flee the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. She reestablished her friendship with Lauren Brainard, whom she had met in the Philippines when he was serving in the Peace Corps. She is married to Lauren R. Brainard, a former Peace Corp Volunteer to Leyte, Philippines They have three sons: Christopher, Alexander, and Andrew. o Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Unit 3: Representing the Filipino Family “Mats” – Francisco Arcellana SETTINGS: o Place: Nana Emilia‘s House o Time: The time setting for the action is in the afternoon. This story happened somewhat between 1950‘s up to the present time. There is no specific season for the said story but the story evolves in the evening. "The Mats" is set somewhere before World War II. It was in the time when people did not sleep in beds but slept on mats. As the story opens Mr. Angeles, head of a large family, has just returned from one of his periodic inspection tours on the family‘s farm lands in the Marivales in the province of Bataan. Students of WWII history will know of the Bataan Death March. CHARACTERS: o Protagonist: Mr. Angeles o Antagonist: Himself o Family Members Jaime Angeles Nana Emilia (Miling) Marcelina Jose Antonio Juan Susanna Jesus Alfonso o Dead Family Members Josefina Victoria Concepcion PLOT: o Exposition: The story is started by Mr. Angeles who is coming home for his periodic inspection trip. Then he had written in Mariveles (Bataan) to Nana Emilia that he has a surprise to him that he bought mats that are made by an artistic craftsman at this area. These mats have colorful designs with their own distinguish weaves, design, and colors. He is excited to give it to them all. o Rising Action: The rising action is when Mr. Angeles is giving his surprised gift to the whole family. And the siblings were very excited to get their gifts. And one by one, on the lighted area of the house, he gave the mats with distinguish names and symbolism on it.
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Climax: The highest part of the story is wherein they all get the mats but there are 3 remaining mats that must be unfolded. And Mr. Angeles unfold it one by one and he speaks in a loud voice that he offers this simple mats to his 3 dead offspring which are Josefina, Victoria, and Concepcion. o Falling Action: The falling action of the story is where Nana Emilia and Mr. Angeles argues about this sensitive issue that they must forget already because they are dead but Mr. Angeles is so stubborn that he emphasized that these children must not be taken for granted o Denouement: The denouement of this story is when the children heard the word exploding in the silence. They wanted to turn away and not to see the face of their father and also when Nana Emila shivered once and twice, bowed her head, gripped her clasped hands between her thighs. o Ending: At the end of the story there was a total silence on the house. Then the mats were unfolded and each name was slowly revealed. And the mats for the 3 dead offspring were described. CONFLICT: o Man vs. Himself Because Mr. Angeles wants to commemorate his 3 offspring and he was so emotional that this sensitive issue must not be talked about and also the emotion was look before in himself and he find the way out to burst that emotion by offering mats to the 3 siblings THEME: o ―We must not forget and take for granted the people whom passed away because they contributed to our life and we must respect them by commemorating them.‖ *mat symbolizes each one of them *mat – seldom used (special occasion), older than anyone of them, symbol of healing, family tradition *pasalubong (cohesive) *Weird o Upper middle class – but gumagamit ng mats o Own banig (mat) – the wife o Reaction of father – change of mood noong nagtanong yun nanay about the ―other mats‖ - Sudden outburst - ―Sa tingin mo ba nakalimutan ko?‖ - Disconnection the mother did not know the anger of the father… Francisco Arcellana (September 6, 1916 – August 1, 2002) o Francisco "Franz" Arcellana (Zacarias Eugene Francisco Quino Arcellana) was a Filipino writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher. He was born in aka Frank V. Sta. Cruz, Manila. o He is the fourth of 18 children of Jose Arcellana y Cabaneiro and Epifanio Quino. He was married to Emerenciana Yuvienco with whom he has six children, one of whom, Juaniyo is an essayist, poet and fictionist. He received his first schooling in Tondo. The idea of writing occurred to him at the Tondo Intermediate School but it was at the Manila West High School (later Torres High School) that he took up writing actively as staff member of The Torres Torch, the school organ. o In 1932 Arcellana entered the University of the Philippines (UP) as a pre-medicine student and graduated in 1939 with a bachelor of philosophy in degree. In his junior year, mainly because of the publication of his ―trilogy of the turtles‖ in the Literary Apprentice, Arcellana was invited to join the UP Writers Club by Manuel Arguilla – who at that time was already a campus literary figure. In 1934, he edited and published Expression, a quarterly of experimental writing. It caught the attention of Jose Garcia Villa who started a correspondence with Arcellana. It also spawned the Veronicans, a group of 13 pre-WWII who rebelled against traditional forms and themes in Philippine literature. o Arcellana went on to medical school after receiving his bachelor's degree while holding jobs in Herald Midweek Magazine, where his weekly column ―Art and Life‖ (later retitled ―Life and Letters‖) appeared, and in Philcross, the publication of the Philippine Red Cross. The war stopped his schooling. After the war, he continued working in media and publishing and began a career in the academe. He was manager of the International News Service and the editor of This Week. He joined the UP Department of English and Comparative Literature and served as adviser of the Philippine Collegian and director of the UP Creative Writing Center, 1979- 1982. Under a Rockefeller Foundation grant he became a fellow in creative writing, 1956- 1957, at the University of Iowa and Breadloaf Writers' Conference.
In 1932 Arcellana published his first story. ―The Man Who Could Be Poe‖ in Graphic while still a student at Torres High School. The following year two of his short stories, ―Death is a Factory‖ and ―Lina,‖ were included in Jose Garcia Villa's honor roll. During the 1930's, which he calls his most productive period, he wrote his most significant stories including, ―Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal‖ cited in 1938 by Villa as the year's best. He also began writing poetry at this time, many of them appearing in Philippine Collegian, Graphic and Herald Midweek Magazine. o He is considered an important progenitor of the modern Filipino short story in English. Arcellana pioneered the development of the short story as a lyrical prose-poetic form within Filipino literature. His works are now often taught in tertiary-level-syllabi in the Philippines. o Some of his works have been translated into Tagalog, Malaysian, Italian, German and Russian, and many have been anthologized. Two major collections of his works are: Selected Stories, 1962, and The Francisco Arcellana Sampler, 1990. He also edited the Philippine PEN Anthology of Short Stories, 1962, and Fifteen Stories: Story Masters 5, 1973. Arcellana credits Erskine Caldwell and Whit Burnett as influences. From 1928 to 1939, 14 of his short stories were included in Jose Garcia Villa's honor roll. His short story ―The Flowers of May‖ won second prize in 1951 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature. Another short story, ―Wing of Madness,‖ placed second in the Philippines Free Press literary contest in 1953, He also received the first award in art criticism from the Art Association of the Philippines in 1954, the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan award from the city government of Manila in 1981, and the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for English fiction from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipino (UMPIL) in 1988. He was conferred a doctorate in humane letters, honoris causa, by the UP in 1989. He was proclaimed National Artist in Literature in 1990 – L.R. Lacuesta and R.C. Lucero ―The Sadness Collector‖ – Merlinda Bobis Theme o Dislocation o Diaspora o Displacement Characters o Rica o Father o Mother Figures of Speech o Apostrophe – ―Big Lady‖ o Hyperbole – ―So she can be saved from bursting‖ o Hyperbole and Metonymy – ―She only comes to eat your sadness‖ (sadness = tears) o Metaphor – ―She likes sadness, it‘s food.‖ o Simile – ―She‘s sad, like her meals‖ Symbolisms o The sadness collector/ Bedtime Story Our ―Source of Comfort‖ Separating reality from fantasy o ―She can‘t take you away from me‖ Referring to custody *Diaspora – part and parcel of Filipino‘s life (✓Economic, ✓Pride) *Poignant – painfully affecting the feelings *Climax – mukha hindi na babalik *Rica - mom OFW sa Paris – no legal work unless magaling na painter, opera, actor, etc - Tourist only (illegal [TNT]) Communication: Long hand *Mom being legal – may na yun nanay (legal pwede na kunin yun anak) The story represents the importance of the specific roles played by each of the members of a Filipino family. It is evident that a mother and a father in a Filipino family tend to have a very distant role to perform in the household. The father should be the bread-winner while the mother should stay at home taking care of the kids. In the story The Sadness Collector they have seemed to break tradition. The mother went to Paris to work and actually be the bread winner, while the father, although still working, stayed at home with Rica. In the absence of the mother, the Filipino perspective that the mother is the best person who can look out for the welfare of her child/children was represented in the story seeing Rica as a confused and disturbed child because her mom is not by her side. The father was so hard to o
connect with Rica because of the reason that it was hard for him to accept the fact that he had to stay with his child which, for him, is not his real role. Seeing this situation, I can say that a Filipino family tends to be more patriarchal and breaking this tradition seemed to be, for the many, ruining of the family. What is also evident here in this selection is the perspective of the very big role played by the mother in the Filipino family; they keep family ties and a child without a mother by his/her side tends to grow out of the way, being an incomplete person inside. At first glance "The Sadness Collector" seems to be your typical story of a Filipino family, one of which we see on movies. The mother goes to a foreign country, leaving her children behind, while taking care of a stranger's child with the intent to give a comfortable living for the family. However, what seems to be the typical story may be classified as a "daily tragedy", Merlinda Bobis depicted the corroding of what is said to be the essence of a Filipino family, "Close Knitted Family Bonds". Young girls usually steps within the shadows of their mother, but Rica not like most girls, lost the chance in her growing years. Suffering a great loss from the physical distance of the mother from Paris, to the eventual emotional distance of the father, who refuses to read her mother's letter and answer the questions about the baby pictures. In this story it is now obvious that the effects is focused on Rica, a model of every Filipino child that never/forgot feeling of the loving touch of their mothers. In Merlinda Bobis' "poetic" short story leaves an alarming message, a child who lost the joy of being her mother's daughter, Filipino family seized of its very essence - what do we do now? It is a common situation in many families today. Husband and child remain at home while wife works as a domestic helper in a foreign country. Rica, now six years old, was just three when her mother left. Her father works in a factory and attends to her only in the evenings. Sometimes she watches TV and plays with the pretty little things sent by her mother. Early this year a picture of her employer's baby was included in the packages sent. Father and daughter Rica are signs each distinct from the other. Sometimes Rica does not like to eat supper and father resorts to scolding, cajoling or telling stories. She likes especially the story of Big Lady who comes in the evenings to eat the sadness she has gathered from the homes. Filled with images about the Big Lady, Rica whiles away the time by drawing stick figures of her with a tummy that grows bigger every day. She knows that it will eventually burst and she waits for that moment. That evening her father comes home late as usual to avoid answering her questions about the baby in the picture. But he is drunk and shouts. ―That whore!‖ (In reference to his wife who has decided to stay for another year in Paris) as he kicks the pots and pans in the kitchen that fall cluttering on the floor. Rica screams and collapses as he takes her in his arms. The father, both in anger and remorse tries to assuage and comfort Rica who believes it is the Big Lady who has come back. For venting his anger at his wife he realizes that the havoc he created has caused his daughter‘s fears so he assures her of his love without telling his real feelings; he even hides his closed fists behind her back as she tells about the Big Lady while the father curses his wife. That Rica does not understand her father‘s pain is for her good. Clearly, the father is the signifier which means sadness, the signified. Rica, also a signifier, and the father have had enough—two years to suffer the absence of the mother. Each tries hard to keep sane, each a paradigm complementing the other. It is the father‘s outburst that draws a syntagmatic whole and gives meaning to the narrative. o Actually, the notion of a Big Lady who comes at night to eat the uneaten food of children who refuse to eat supper is a Bikol folk custom. Merlinda Bobis (November 25, 1959 – present) o Born in Tabaco, Albay o Her main interest was painting, but at age 10 she began writing poetry because ‗painting with words‘ was cheaper o Writer, performer, academic o Completed her Bachelor of Arts at Aquinas University of Legaspi [Summa cum Laude] o Got her post-graduate degree in (Master of Arts in Literature) University of Santo Tomas and (Doctorate of Creative Arts) University of Wollongong (Australia) o For ten years she taught Literature and English at Philippine universities before coming to Australia in 1991 on a study grant. o She completed a Doctorate of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong where she now teaches creative writing. She lives in Wollongong, which echoes her first home: a city nestled between the mountain and the Pacific. Senior lecturer at the University of Wollongong ―Breaking Through‖ – Myrna Peña Reyes Characters
o The Persona and her father. Theme: Filial Love The poem Breaking Through written by Myrna Peña-Reyes is very profound in terms of its appeal to the reader. The poem is all about the filial relationship between a son/daughter and a father. The poem basically revolves around the father and his son/daughter. The plot of the poem tells the reader that a certain persona in the first stanza receives a parcel that came during that morning. The persona lamely opened the small box and it takes for him/her a short labor to undo the tie. Although the box is just small, it is being tied skillfully and very well. It is not stated in the first stanza where the package does came from but lately, it is being mentioned that it‘s from the persona‘s father. The package box came all the way across 10, 000 miles of ocean. While opening the box, the persona can feel the love of his/her father that binds them together. Breaking Through if examined could be the literal meaning of breaking through or the undoing of the strong thread of two or three strands that are being twisted together tied around the package box received by the persona from his/her father. The title itself could be the connotation of the applied effort of a certain persona in the poem in executing a little labor by untying the box. This effort of the persona in the poem is very present from line 1 to 7 of the first stanza. It says that, ―Haltingly I undo the knots around your parcel that came this morning. A small box should require little labor, but you‘ve always been thorough, tying things tight and well. The twine lengthens, curls beside the box.‖ The title Breaking Through is the metaphorical representation of the filial devotion of the persona to his/her father. The title could be the denotation of the persona in the poem of the lessons that he/she had learned from his/her father. It could also mean ―love‖ as supported from the last two lines of the second stanza. The line says that ―my father, this undoing is what binds us.‖ Although it‘s not directly mentioned that love is the breaking through, it is showed indirectly through subliminal meaning of the phrase ―this undoing is what binds us.‖ What makes the father and the persona bind? The clear and not vague answer is love, nothing more. The author also used symbols in the poem. The first symbol is the box. As an assertion, the box highly symbolizes the love of the father to the persona that is being away from him. It is distant because the author mentioned in the last lines of the first stanza. It says that the package box came across 10, 000 miles of ocean. The box also represents the longing of the father to his son/daughter that is away from him for a long time. Through the box, the father extends his warm filial love to his daughter. The knots around the parcel also represents that the father‘s love is true and fair to the persona. The love that is true and fair can be supported by lines from 6-7 of stanza 1 that says ―but you‘ve always been thorough, tying things tight and well. The twine lengthens‖ and lines from 11-12 of stanza 1 that says ―you hoped the package would hold its shape across 10, 000 miles of ocean.‖ In those lines, the father of the persona tied the knots thoroughly to keep the package in its original shape from the father‘s home until it reaches the persona‘s hand. It only signifies that he wanted that his best regards and love would remain intact after journeying across 10, 000 miles across the ocean. The knots also symbolized of how patient the persona‘s father, it definitely reflects he tied the box. In the poem, there is a mention of belt in the 10th line of first stanza. It says, ―Once your belt slapped sharply against my skin,‖ it is being enclosed in the parenthesis for further emphasis. The belt that the author projects in line 10 only symbolizes that the persona‘s father is a man of discipline. He slaps the persona sometime in his/her childhood to discipline him/her. Through the belt, it shaped the persona for he/she know through the father‘s slapping, the persona learned things between bad and good, and right or wrong. The belt also symbolizes display or the manifestation of power. It only shows that during childhood of the persona, he/she exists in the patriarchal world. Indeed, during the persona‘s childhood, he/she exists in the patriarchal society for he/she experienced being beaten by the father. Not using the scissors in cutting could also mean a lot in the poem. As an assertion, the persona did not use the scissors to unravel the tight knots of the box because the persona wanted to savor the moment of unraveling with love. If the person uses the scissors, it will project that the persona is nonappreciative of the love of the father. Not using the scissors could also mean that the persona prolonged the excitement by opening it very lamely. It also means that the persona had learned the craft of patience from his/her father. The author had also left its readers the dramatic impact by not revealing what is inside the box. It poses questions of what is inside the box. Is it a food? Books? Dress? Bag or anything that is liquid? The reader can‘t figure out for its not revealed. A strong assertion is that, no matter what‘s inside the box, it surely resembles the love of the father to the persona of the poem. In a contemporary setting, if the author is mentioning about across 10, 000 miles of oceans, the first that comes into the mind of the reader is that, the persona is situated abroad or in states. If being assumed that the father is in Philippines, maybe the persona is in West Asia, America, Europe,
Australia and others. The reader does not also know if the persona is working abroad, married, touring and etc. because it‘s not directly stated. What is very vivid in the context is that they are away from each other and they haven‘t seen each other for a long period of time. The tone of the poem is about longing and sadness. In the first part of the poem, the persona undoes the box haltingly. Haltingly in other words could mean lamely. In this thought alone, an assertion came in that the persona is sad because it made him/her feel home sick as the box arrives. The tone of longing could also be sensed. As the persona is undoing the knots of the box, the persona reminisce his/her father-his teaching, disciplinary actions and love. Through the presence of the box, the persona can imagine his/her home that heightened his/her sadness and longing. Characterization of the father in the poem is also very effective. In the context, the father is portrayed as caring for he sends the persona a package box although it‘s very far. Unlike other father figure, the father in the poem is very mild-not ruthless and cruel. Though there is a use of belt slapping in the poem, it is being done to discipline his child. The father did do it for a good purpose, for the benefit of the child when he/she grew up but not in the abusive manner. The father figure in here is perhaps a gentle and amiable father. The author also used strong images to convey the meaning of the poem. The delivery is very suggestive images like the undoing of the box; the scene is very vivid and understandable. Through this clear description, it brought the reader the catharsis of emotions or eliminating its complexity, the author effectively carried out the essence and meaning of the poem. In terms of form and structure, the author unconsciously celebrated the form over the content. Like T. S. Eliot, she has done it for she chose to write in free verse or blank verse. She does not follow rhymes and meters, what she did is the total deviation of the traditional metered poems. The style is very contemporary, or maybe it belongs to the Romantics. In general, the Breaking Through is a superb poem. It tackles a rarely touched theme in poetry, filial love. Through this theme, it makes the poem unique and notable. *outdated – may tie (buhol); packaging now gumagamit ng tape *a girl about to get married *persona – opening a package (~10,000 miles) *yun nagbigay ng package hindi makapunta *important kung paano packaging – paano dineliver *iniisip niya paano pinackage ng tatay Myrna Peña Reyes o She was born in the year 1938 to school teacher parents in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental. o Her family spent the WWII years in the jungles of Mindanao where her mother passed away when she was only four years old. o After the war, her family moved to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental where she completed her elementary, high school, and college education. o She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Oregon where she met her husband, poet William T. Sweet. o For several years, she was on the faculty of the Department of English and Literature at Silliman University and the Silliman National Writers Workshop. o In Eugene, Oregon, where she and her husband now reside, she has taught college classes; was co-owner of a grocery store and a bookstore; worked in an office supply shop; and is presently a book buyer for a bookstore.[From River Singing Stone] o Two of her acclaimed works are ―The River Singing Stone‖, published in 1994, and ―Almost Home‖, published in 2004. o Her style: free verse and contemporary ―Bringing the Dolls‖ – Merlie Alunan The poem ―Bringing the Dolls‖ written by Merlie Alunan is about a mother‘s realization that in one‘s moving on, one need not bring only those considered important. The child has the discretion of what is most important to her, and the mother has no right to insist upon what she deems vital for her child, in this case the child‘s bringing the dolls, which the child loves and is loyal to. Her daughter‘s keeping the faith eventually teaches the mother that memories, even those one will rather forget, serve a function or two, in her case a learning point as mother and child go on in life. This realization of an old truth fulfills the promise of the material used in the poem, that the daughter and her rag dolls have a lesson to tell to the too-practical mother, in which case the poem succeeds in projecting the universal theme of keeping the faith. *Boat, bagahe – problema *We have our own weaknesses
*Kids have their own needs (ex: dolls, shirt) o *Holding onto her toys: keeping memories alive *Lilipat – hiwalay sa asawa - pabilisan (barest needs) – POV of mother *Dolls – useless for mom *Must not impose your standard sa bata (others) Merlie Alunan (December 14, 1943) o Merlie M. Alunan (born December 14, 1943 Dingle, Iloilo) is a Filipina poet. o She graduated Silliman University with an MA in Creative Writing in 1974. o She teaches at the Creative Writing Center, University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College. She lives in Tacloban City. Unit 4: Exploring Filipino Traditions ―The God Stealer‖ – F. Sionil Jose A short story by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. It is José's most anthologized work of fiction. It is not just a tale about an Ifugao stealing a religious idol, but also about the friendship that developed between a Filipino and an American, a representation of the relationship that developed between the "colonized" and the "colonizer". The story was a first prize winner during the 1959 awards in the Philippines. It is included in the book by José with a similar title, The God Stealer and Other Stories Sam Christie and Philip Latak were best of friends and that was possible because they worked in the same office. On one December dawn, Sam Christie was on his way to Ifugao with his native assistant. It was his last month in the Philippines and in a matter of days he would return to Boston for that leave which he had not had in years. During their journey, they talked about the grandfather of Philip and the different views in the Ifugao. Philip encountered an acquaintance that he did not want to recognize because the latter called him by his native name. When they had arrived on the village of Philip Latak, they met Sadek, Philip‘s brother. From there, Philip told Sam how his brother, as well as all the others in the village, disliked him. After staying for quite some time in the house of Sadek, they went to Philip‘s grandfather; but only Philip went inside to meet and talk to the elder. They visited the Mission the following day after having hiked to the villages. And there Reverend Doone invited them for lunch. He told them how he reminisced San Francisco and how he feels like home. Going down the hill, Sam told Philip that he would not leave Ifugao without a god because it‘s more than a souvenir and it would remind him of Philip. Philip then told Sam that he would steal a god for him since he made the vacation and the raise possible. They hiked to the village and this time it was not as difficult as it had been the previous day. When they reached the village, they went to the grandfather of Philip. Sam was pleased with the prospect of being inside a native Ifugao house for the first time. He was able to see the Ifugao god for the first time, and he witnessed the rite wherein the blood of the slaughtered pig was poured on the head of the idol, and was returned to where it was kept. The feast began. For some time, Sam Christie was entertained by the dances and the songs, but soon he was bored. He told Philip that he would like to return to the boarding house. Philip Latak went to the boarding house past midnight carrying his grandfather‘s idol and he handed it to Sam Christie. They argued if it was better that Philip returned the bloodstained god back to his grandfather. When Sam Christie woke up it was already daylight. It was Philip Latak who had stirred him, his voice shrill and grating. He told Sam that his grandfather is dying. The next day, Sam was told by Sadek that their grandfather is dead and that Philip would not return with Sam to Manila Philip told Sam that he would not be going back to Manila and that he was the reason his grandfather is dead. From that moment, their friendship was broken. Philip Latak did not, even once, face Sam. He seemed completely absorbed in his work. Sam knew then that Philip was determined to stay and break his bonds with Sam. Sam realized that Philip was carving a new god to replace the one he stole from his grandfather. Elements of the Short Story o Characters Philip Latak – Also known as Ip-pig, is an Ifugao who became a Christian and lived in Manila. By becoming a city dweller, Philip became less sentimental with his cultural identity, beliefs, and customs. His name was derived from the word Philippines. Sam Cristie – Was an American who wanted to view the rice terraces of the Mountain Province (also known as the Cordilleras). He was also interested in purchasing an original figurine of an Ifugao god. His name was derived from Uncle Sam, a representation of the United States.
Sadek – Embraces his culture Grandfather – Symbolizes time, the old days, past story. o Setting After World War 2 Manila Baguio Rice Terraces o Plot Philip and Sam went to Baguio City. During a feast honoring Philip for his return, Philip and Sam were because of the unwillingness of the Ifugao people to sell any Ifugao statue. Philip plans to steal his grandfather's god in return for the salary raise given to him by Sam. After finding out that his god was missing, Philip's grandfather dies. Because of his grandfather's death, Philip decides not to return to Manila with Sam as a form of repentance. Philip transforms himself back into an Ifugao attired in traditional clothing that was in the process of replacing the old Ifugao idol by chiseling a new one. o Theme Lost Filipino‘s Culture and Identity Colonial mentality of the Filipino people Filipino is rich in cultural heritage *Agency *Vietnam War (Cold War) *1946-1991* [1960s] o US vs Russia (Soviet Union) *Coke na walang yelo *Sam Cristie – gusto sumama o (travel only, souvenir ) ayaw niya imitations/ ayaw niya yun made for tourist talaga *story behind every artifact *Philip Latak *we want to own pieces of history *naputol ugnayan ni Philip with tribe noong umalis siya ng Ifugao (except for the lolo) *Philip wants to impress his boss **bul-ol – icon for fertility, ugly, crude **Do not use o Rice Terraces, Hagdan-Hagdang Palayan Payyo o Pambansang Ibong: Agila, Philippine Eagle, Monkey-Eating Eagle Banoy *Death o Old age + drinking & partying o Nawala god (disappointment) kasi alam niya na it was his grandson who stole it *ayaw na ni Philip bumalik sa Manila Francisco Sionil Jose (December 3, 1924) o F. Sionil José or in full Francisco Sionil José (born December 3, 1924) is one of the most widely read Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society. José's works - written in English - have been translated into 22 languages, including Korean, Indonesian, Czech, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch. o Filipino novelist, writer, journalist o Ethnicity: Ilocano o Alma mater: University of Santo Tomas (dropped out) o He is the son of Antonio Jose an Aglipayan minister, and Sofia Sionil o He is married to Maria Teresa Jovellanos with whom he has seven children. o Childhood José was born in Rosales, Pangasinan, the setting of many of his stories. He spent his childhood in Barrio Cabugawan, Rosales, where he first began to write. José was of Ilocano descent whose family had migrated to Pangasinan before his birth. Fleeing poverty, his forefathers traveled from Ilocos towards Cagayan Valley through the Santa Fe Trail. Like many migrant families, they brought their lifetime possessions with them, including uprooted molave posts of their old houses and their alsong, a stone mortar for pounding rice. One of the greatest influences to José was his industrious mother who went out of her way to get him the books he loved to read, while making sure her family did not go
hungry despite poverty and landlessness. José started writing in grade school, at the time he started reading. In the fifth grade, one of José‘s teachers opened the school library to her students, which is how José managed to read the novels of José Rizal, Willa Cather‘s My Antonia, Faulkner and Steinbeck. Reading about Basilio and Crispin in Rizal‘s Noli Me Tangere made the young José cry, because injustice was not an alien thing to him. When José was five years old, his grandfather who was a soldier during the Philippine revolution, had once tearfully showed him the land their family had once tilled but was taken away by rich mestizo landlords who knew how to work the system against illiterates like his grandfather. o Life as a writer He studied at the Rosales Elementary School, Far Eastern University High School, and the University of Santo Tomas (UST). José attended the University of Santo Tomas after World War II, but dropped out and plunged into writing and journalism in Manila. In subsequent years, he edited various literary and journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and founded the Philippine branch of PEN, an international organization for writers. José received numerous awards for his work. The Pretenders is his most popular novel, which is the story of one man's alienation from his poor background and the decadence of his wife's wealthy family. José Rizal's life and writings profoundly influenced José's work. The five volume Rosales Saga, in particular, employs and interrogates themes and characters from Rizal's work. Throughout his career, José's writings espouse social justice and change to better the lives of average Filipino families. He is one of the most critically acclaimed Filipino authors internationally, although much underrated in his own country because of his authentic Filipino English and his anti-elite views. "Authors like myself choose the city as a setting for their fiction because the city itself illustrates the progress or the sophistication that a particular country has achieved. Or, on the other hand, it might also reflect the kind of decay, both social and perhaps moral, that has come upon a particular people."-F. Sionil José, BBC.com, July 30, 2003 Sionil José also owns Solidaridad Bookshop, which is on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila. The bookshop offers mostly hard-to-find books and Filipiniana reading materials. It is said to be one of the favorite haunts of many local writers. In his regular column, Hindsight, in The Philippine Star, dated September 12, 2011, he wrote "Why we are shallow," blaming the decline of Filipino intellectual and cultural standards on a variety of modern amenities, including media, the education system— particularly the loss of emphasis on classic literature and the study of Greek and Latin--, and the abundance and immediacy of information on the internet. ―The Wedding Dance‖ – Amador T. Daguio The Wedding Dance is a story of Lumnay and Awiyao, who as members of a tribe in Cordillera, have to conform to the dictates of their culture. After seven harvests, Lumnay and Awiyao are still childless. Not having a child creates a problem with them. Lumnay, as a woman is expected to be suspected as infertile. Awiyao has to look for another wife even if he loves Lumnay so much. At the day of Awiyao‘s wedding to Madulimay he paid visit to Lumnay for the last time and invited her to come to his wedding. They are both wretched. Lumnay tried to fight for her husband. She wanted to defy the unwritten law of the tribe, besides, they both love each other. During the course of their conversation Awiyao explains his opposition to his marriage to other woman but is defeated with cultural dictates. Awiyao called by the load sound of the gongs goes back to the ceremony. Lumnay considered breaking into the ceremony but ends up alone in the company of bean plants. The love for their tribe reigned over Awiyao. Lumnay becomes the image of a woman whose qualities as a good wife and the best dancer among all the other women in their tribe mean nothing if she cannot bear a child. SYNOPSIS/ SUMMARY o Awiyao and Lumnay were husband and wife for seven years, but now the husband has to marry another woman, Madulimay, because Lumnay was not able to give him a child. (In their culture in the mountains during those times, having a child to follow after the husband‘s name was a must.) o On the night of the wedding, Awiyao goes to his and Lumnay‘s house to personally invite her to the traditional wedding dance. However, Lumnay, the best dancer in the entire tribe, refuses to
go. Then, during their conversation, it is revealed that both of them still love each other, but because of their tribe‘s custom, they have to separate. o Awiyao goes back to the wedding, to the wedding dance, after being fetched by some friends. Lumnay wants to follow, partly because of the dance, and partly because she wants to put a stop to their tribe‘s tradition of having to marry another partner just to have a child. SHORT STORY ELEMENTS o CHARACTERS 1. Lumnay – a woman who was left by her husband because he had to marry another woman/ Developing 2. Awiyao- the husband stated above / Flat 3. Madulimay – Awiyao‘s new wife / Flat o PLOT – Linear a) Introduction The story opens with Awiyao entering his and Lumnay‘s house. b) Rising Action Things start to heat up when Lumnay says she does not want any other man. c) Climax There is more intensity when Awiyao says he does not want any other woman. d) Falling action But they both have to follow their tribe‘s tradition. e) Denouement Awiyao has to go back to the wedding dance. o SETTING a) place – in the mountains somewhere in the Philippines b) time – a long time ago c) weather conditions – fine d) social conditions – lower-class e) mood or atmosphere – sad and tense o POINT OF VIEW The Point of View used in this short story is the Omniscient Limited – The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us. o LITERARY DEVICES For me, there is an extensive use of the literary device Symbolism. There are many symbols here, and these are the darkness, the house‘s four walls, the smoldering embers, and the beads. The darkness symbolizes how the two lead characters feel. Meanwhile, the house‘s walls symbolize the former couple‘s ―imprisonment.‖ The smoldering embers that become glowing coals symbolize the love that both of them still feel towards each other. Finally, the beads symbolize Awiyao‘s great love for Lumnay even if she was not able to give him a child. o THEME In my opinion, the theme True love never dies is applicable to this story. o CONFLICT The conflict here is Man vs. Society. The lead characters have to follow their tribe‘s custom *Melodrama o Exaggeration o Extravagant theatrical action o A sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters *―I don‘t care about the fields,‖ she said. ―I don‘t care about the house. I don‘t care for anything but you. I‘ll never have another man.‖ – heighten drama *drama – theatre *the story is not good to study for literature *authenticity – para sa Milieu o If conversation is emotionally charged: dapat may stutters Interjections Dapat hindi complete yun mga sentences Amador T. Daguio (January 8,1912 – 1966)
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Daguio was born January 8, 1912 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, but grew up in Lubuagan, Mountain Province o A poet, novelist and teacher during the pre-war. o He was best known for his fictions and poems. He had published two volumes of poetry, "Bataan Harvest" and "The Flaming Lyre". o He served as chief editor for the Philippine House of Representatives before he died in 1966. o He was class valedictorian in 1924 at the Lubuagan Elementary School. o Then he stayed with his uncle at Fort William McKinley to study at Rizal High School in Pasig. o Those four years in high school were, according to Daguio, the most critical in his life. ―I spent them literally in poverty, extreme loneliness, and adolescent pains … In my loneliness, I began to compose verses in earnest.‖ He was in third year high when he broke into print in a national weekly, The Sunday Tribune Magazine (11 July 1926), with a poem, ―She Came to Me.‖ He was going to be valedictorian or salutatorian, but his teacher in ―utter lack of justice …put down my marks in history—my favorite subject. That just about broke my heart because then I would have had free tuition at the U.P.‖ o Thus out of school for the first semester in 1928, he earned his tuition (P60.00) by serving as houseboy, waiter, and caddy to officers at Fort McKinley. He enrolled for the second semester with only P2.50 left for books and other expenses. He commuted between the Fort and Padre Faura, Manila, walking about two kilometers from Paco station twice daily. He would eat his lunch alone on Dewey Blvd. and arrive at the Fort about 9 o‘clock in the evening. This continued for three years. Then an uncle arrived from Honolulu who paid his tuition during his third year; before this, he worked Saturday and Sunday as printer‘s devil at the U.P. and served as Philippine Collegian reporter. During all this time, he learned the craft of writing from Tom Inglis Moore, an Australian professor at U.P., and was especially grateful to A.V.H. Hartendorp of Philippine Magazine. His stories and poems appeared in practically all the Manila papers. o One of ten honor graduates at U.P. in 1932, he returned to teach at his boyhood school in Lubuagan; in 1938, he taught at Zamboanga Normal School where he met his wife Estela. They transferred to Normal Leyte School in 1941 before the Second World War. During the Japanese Occupation, he joined the resistance and wrote poems in secret, later collected as Bataan Harvest. He was a bosom-friend of another writer in the resistance, Manuel E. Arguilla. o In 1952, he obtained his M.A. in English at Stanford U. as a Fulbright scholar. His thesis was a study and translation of Hudhud hi Aliguyon (Ifugao Harvest Song). In 1954, he obtained his Law degree from Romualdez Law College in Leyte. Daguio was editor and public relations officer in various offices in government and the military. o He also taught for twenty-six years at the University of the East, U.P., and Philippine Women‘s University. o In 1973, six years after his death, Daguio was conferred the Republic Cultural Heritage Award. ―The White Horse of Alih‖ – Mig Alvarez Enriquez "The White Horse of Alih," the title story in this collection, talks of the exotic Moslem culture. It is the story of two brothers, who in their attempt to regain the honor that they have lost, decide to become juramentados. The story further shows the gap between the Moslems and the Christians – Filipinos and blood-brothers – who are set apart by cultural and religious differences. This dichotomy achieves concreteness in the river (―The school was across the river. The Moros were not allowed to set foot on the reservation‖.) In the end, their plans fail and ironically, it is Alih who kills his brother Omar because of the former‘s obsession with women (―… Alih simply, did not love his white horse as he did his houri‖). The white horse with wings they had envisioned as a reward for killing and which would transport them to heaven, remains what it is – an illusion (―… conjured by fanatics in their attempt to give reason to their behavior. The prophet never taught it. He was a man of peace.) They adamantly refuse to heed the Imam‘s wise words, and persist in their plan. Omar‘s death at the hands of Alih manifests the truth that to take the life of a fellow human being is to take the life of your own brother. The story happened on July 4th in a city with a parade of people. It was a happy day for everybody because they are celebrating the big American Holiday. Among the crowd was Alih, a Moro who was then looking for his brother, Omar. That day was intended for them to fulfill their plan. Their plan is to kill these people. So Alih waited for his brother, he went out of the crown and sat under the acacia tree. While he was sitting and looking at the parade, he remembered his past, his childhood and his growing years where he met the women whom he wished and longed for and he remembered his mission. That is---to kill the people. But people can't notice them as Moros because they were in disguise.
When he saw a man riding a horse and controlling the crowd, he remembered how much he longed for a horse for himself. He recalled when his brother punished him because he spent his earnings just to ride in a merry - go- round. He wanted to ride on a wooden horse because he saw the girl whom he liked most and her name was Lucy. Lucy was the girl who lived in the reservation area where the Americans live. Moros were not allowed to enter that vicinity. But because he needs to go to school, he cross the river and reached the reservation area. There he saw the first girl he liked. Though, they were not given the chance to see and talk to each other since then. When he grew up, Omar told him about how the American soldiers killed their father without any reason. Their father was known and respected in their village. With these, Omar taught him to be brave and be able to fight against these people because he believes that only by killing could they wash away their shame. He taught him words to live by and beliefs to be respected and attained. As he grew into a mature individual, he met another woman named Fermina. Fermina was a beautiful bar maid with a mole near her mouth. He likes her so much but the woman doesn't like him because of his impertinent manner towards her. He was put to jail for six months because of what he did. Remembering all of these from his past, he thought of what Omar said about the promise of their prophet to those who are faithful to him. That is to have a white horse ride to heaven and as many hours as the number of infidel heads he could lay before Allah. But when he thought of what their Imam said that white horse, as a reward for killing is an reference conjured by fanatics in their attempt to give reason to their behavior. The prophet never taught them about that because he was man of peace. So back to reality, he continued searching for Omar into the crowd. Soon he saw a float with a girl whom he thought of as Fermina. He went near the float and assisted the girl to go down to the ground. As he was about to hold her completely, Omar came but to his surprise, he was drunk and tipsy! All along, he realized that Omar had been drinking tuba. He knew that Omar was afraid to kill that is why he drink tuba first before he go to the town. Omar shouted and leap to the street, and then he gets his fatal blade from his pants. The crowd screamed. Fear and panic seized everyone. Everyone is running and escaping from Omar, even fermina jumped into the ground and run away but she got stuck from a bamboo frame of the float because of her long flowing robe that hooked on the edge of the bamboo frame. She tried to set herself free but she saw Omar coming to her swinging his blade. Fermina screamed and screamed because of fear. The screams struck Alih because he saw that Fermina the girl he was love is in danger and get his blade from his leg immediately and then he leaped to his brother Omar and hit its back by his sharp blade repeatedly. Omar died. The town spoke out about the strange tragedy for many days after. But nobody had known Alih, and nobody could figure out why he turned against his brother. THE ISSUE INSIDE THE STORY o Psychological effect of man's alienation from the society he is at o Racial Discrimination o Traditions in religion o Psychological impact of an individual‘s experiences o Quarrel between religions o Discrimination based on religion ELEMENTS OF STORY o Setting A Moro Village in Zamboanga (Mindanao – dialect: Chavacano) The story happened on July 4th in a city with a parade of people. *Story happened between 1946~1961 because the Philippines observed Independence Day on July 4 o Characters Alih A Moro who plans on killing the people celebrating the Filipino- American Friendship Day Omar The older brother of Alih who dictates him on what to do in every aspects of his life Imam The village priest who tried to dissuade the two brothers, he explain to them that the prophets did not teach to do it Lucy
Girl who lived in the reservation area where the Americans live She is the first girl Alih liked Fermina A beautiful bar maid with a mole near her mouth Alih likes her so much but the woman doesn‘t like him because of his impertinent manner towards her. o Conflict – Alih did not want to kill but the fear he had for his brother while he was growing urged him to the killings and also because his brother taught him that killing will be their way to wash away their shame and gain respect for their father who had died by the American soldiers without any reason. o Plot Complication – When they decided to become merchants there were rebels who stole their commodities Rising Action – He saw a float with a girl whom he thought of as Fermina. He went near the float and assisted the girl to go down to the ground and found out that it is Fermina when he saw the little black mole on the corner of the girl‘s mouth Climax – As he was about to hold her completely, Omar came but to his surprise, he was drunk and tipsy! All along, he realized that Omar had been drinking tuba. Omar was about to kill Fermina. Falling Action – Alih kills his brother despite their plans to gain the white horse for him to protect Fermina. Resolution – After the incident, many speculations was made of what happened. Some said Alih became insane that is why he killed his brother. But the thing is Alih didn‘t want his white horse anymore. o Theme- the short story tells about the tradition, beliefs and faith of the Filipinos o Point of View – Third person limited LITERARY APPROACHES USED o Historical Approach Since the author was born on 1925, this may influence his work on The White Horse of Alih. The setting of the story happened on July 4th in a city with a parade of people. The author might experience this big event in the history wherein the July 4th is considered as Filipino- American Friendship Day. o Mimetic Approach The text is can be related to the reality. It there were discrimination among races, differences among religions and traditions. And the moral aspect of killing is an issue of their faith. o Freudian Approach The main character tries to overcome his feelings on this text but Alih shows his intention to Fermina in the middle of story when he ask for a kiss to the lady. VOCABULARY WORDS o Houri - (hū'rē, hou'–) one of the beautiful maidens said by some Muslims to dwell in paradise for the enjoyment of the faithful. The passages in the Qur'an detailing the physical delights of heaven are considered by many Muslim critics as allegorical. o Imam- a leader of congregational prayer in a mosque, a religious teacher o Jihad- A Muslim holy war or spiritual struggle against infidels. o Qur'an or Koran- The sacred text of Islam, considered by Muslims to contain the revelations of God to Muhammad. o Shia or Shiites - A member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali and his descendants as the legitimate successors to Muhammad and rejects the first three caliphs. o Juramentados - The term juramentado was derived from the Spanish verb juramentar, meaning "to swear an oath." A rushing Moro warrior with shaven hair, fiery eyes and plucked eyebrows, brandishing kris or kampilan to attack infidels until he was slain. It was a person who had chosen to fight in the Way of Allah in his individual capacity since. A sacred duty and when he died in the course of his attack, he became shahid or "martyr" with paradise as his ultimate reward. As with any real Muslim warrior, the juramentado loved martyrdom more than life. *The eponymous White Horse comes from a Moro legend which explain that if a Moro should kill someone (and be killed in the process), Allah shall send for a white horse to retrieve his soul and bring it to paradise, where thousands of houri (woman) are waiting for him. In the end, Alih decides his houri is more important that his white horse
*Independence Day o The day of celebration of independence varied throughout the nation‘s history July 4, 1946: formal recognition of independence from US through Treaty of Manila On May 12, 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal issued Proclamation Number 2695 June 12, 1898: commemorates the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain & the Philippines‘ flag was raised and its national anthem was played for the 1st time in 1898. *they can regain their honor (manhood) by killing daw *man who wants revenge o Agitated by his brother inagitate ni Omar si Alih *make statement while seeking revenge: revenge + making statement because sa Parade of American Independence Day *revenge : (motivation) : seek revenge for the death of their father by the hands of Americans naulila kasi sila *massacre of Filipinos (sidearm of American army from 0.38 caliber revolver 0.45 caliber revolver) *girls (intifada) – price for Muslim Warriors *people die for their faith *Muslims are prepared to die they go to heaven daw if they die as martyr *Juramentados o Shave everything o ―to swear an oath‖ o Holy warrior o Last fight – murderous killing spree *Omar, himself, not well-agitated *Justice was not served sa goal nila Mig Alvarez Enriquez (1925) o Emigdio Alvarez Enriquez was born on the year 1925. He is a Filipino by birth. A native of Zamboanga City o Elementary and Secondary at Ateneo de Zamboanga o Gained his A.B. at Arellano University o Went on to study and gain a ―Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing‖ at the State University of Iowa through an International Scholarship and a Fulbright Grant o He started writing at the age of 20. o He is a novelist, story writer, and playwright. Among his famous literary works are: Blood on the Moon, A Tale of Two Houses, Cachil Kudarat (Sultan of Mindanao) or Cachil Corrala, and Labaw, Donggon. All of this short stories won Palanca awards in the year ―May Day Eve‖ – Nick Joaquin May Day Eve is the magic night, proper time to consult oracles, hold séances. Certain rites and runes are supposed to enable you at midnight to behold in a mirror the face of the person fated to be yours love. A ball was held in honor of young men returning from Europe. After the ball, the young men wandered out; the maidens proceeded to their sleeping chambers. Old Anastasia told the ladies of an enchanted ritual for one to see her future husband. But if anything would go wrong, the face of the devil should appear. Agueda, who was very bold and stubborn, still carried on with the ritual. Don Badoy Montoya‘s face appeared over her shoulders. Alas! He fell in love with Agueda at the mere sight of her. But Agueda resisted his advances and ran away. Agueda and Badoy retold the story of their meeting that took place on that faithful eve of May; Agueda to her daughter, Badoy to his grandson. But instead of revealing that they saw each other‘s faces, Agueda claimed that it was the devil she had seen and Badoy claimed that he had caught a glimpse of the witch Theme o Love is not just full of happiness. It also has a sad or an ―evil‖ side of bitterness and hate Characters o Agueda – bold and liberated girl; unlike girls among her age o Dona Agueda – old lady who has gray hair, full of sentiments; emotional and resentful o Badoy Montiya – a rich stereotypical, forceful man intent on proving his machismo o Don Badoy Montiya – full of sentiment old man, who regrets that he failed to show his late wife how important she really is to him
o Agueda‘s Daughter – a very keen child who is close to her mother o Voltaire – Don Badoy‘s grandson, a very curious child who believes in superstition o Anastasia – an old lady who is obedient to her mistress and believes in superstitious beliefs o Girls in the dormitory (?) Settings o Place: in an unnamed place, possibly in a rural area; room with a big hanging mirror o Time: (1847~1890) May of 1847; Unknown time; 1890
Plot (The story has 2 parts, the story told by Agueda to her daughter and the story told by Don Badoy to his grandson)
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Exposition Anastasia told the girls about the story that they would be able to know their future husband by reciting an incantation in front of the mirror but if it gone wrong, they would see a devil. o Complication Agueda tried the incantation in front of the mirror then she saw Don Badoy. They had some confrontation and she ended up biting Don Badoy‘s hand because he wouldn‘t let her go. At that moment, he fell in love with her but he would still make her pay for what she did. o Climax Don Badoy told his grandson, Voltaire, that he once saw a witch in front of a mirror when he caught him doing the incantation in front of the mirror. Amazed by what he said, Voltaire told him that his grandma once saw the devil in that mirror. o Denouement Don Badoy realized that he ponders on love that had been wasted. They had shared a bitter and loveless marriage. His forgot his love to Agueda since that May day eve. o Resolution Don Badoy reminisced the time when he saw Agueda in front of the mirror and when he fell madly in love with her. That old love had been blinded by hatred, but it has now resurfaced but it‘s too late because Agueda is dead. What is the May Day Eve? Explain the traditions that people celebrate during this day. o May Day refers to first day of May and is traditionally a celebration of spring. Several cultures believe that spring is a gift from gods, thus festivities and gatherings are usually held. May Day also holds a mystic attribute, for it is also considered a time for divination and lovers. How do you describe the love between Agueda and Badoy? o The love they had was true, but was clouded by their initial dislike for each other; hence, the love they shared was poorly manifested. What is the significance of mirror in the story as a way to explain the tradition? o The mirror enables you at midnight to behold the face of the personfated to be yours. It serves as a clue to unlock the mystery of the past andthe future, the departure and return, and the idealistic traces of what is"out there" and what is "at hand." Story is told in back and forth o May Day Eve of 1847 goes forward to the old Agueda telling her daughter about the ―devil‖ + reminiscing about it shifts back to the May Day Eve of 1847 again goes forward to the old Badoy telling the story to his grandson + reminiscing about it on a May Day Eve of 1890 Young Agueda Old Agueda Headstrong and defiant Miserable Liberated Bitter Has sharp tongue (and teeth) Angry Mature Resentful Non-conforming *TIME can turn the tide of emotion Young Badoy Old Badoy From Europe Tame Confident, has a sense of superiority Resentful Vain, aggressive Nostalgic Full of passion (vengeance, violence, hate, love intention of getting Agueda) *TIME can bring back memories that can bring out regret. He was regretful of how he wasn‘t able to love her as much as he could have *We need to put our self in their situation
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May of 1847 No aircorn, ilaw ,kuryente [inconveniences] Party na walang ice – but pa rin sila; they drank brandy (jerez) (?) *Mirror (midnight) dati may pocket watch lang o ―Mirror, mirror show to me him whose woman I will be.‖ o Soul mate OR Devil OR Witch o Badoy & Agueda bittersweet love *NO PERFECT COUPLE / RELATIONSHIP *happy story pa rin siya *cycle of life: to suffer *May – blossoming; merry month Nick Joaquin (May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) o Nicomedes Joaquin (born May 4, 1917, Paco, Manila, Phil.—died April 29, 2004, San Juan, Phil.), o Filipino novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, and biographer whose works present the diverse heritage of the Filipino people. o Joaquín was born in Paco, Manila, one of ten children of Leocadio Joaquín, a colonel under General Emilio Aguinaldo in the 1896 Revolution, and Salome Márquez, a teacher of English and Spanish. After being read poems and stories by his mother, the boy Joaquín read widely in his father's library and at the National Library of the Philippines. By then, his father had become a successful lawyer after the revolution. From reading, Joaquín became interested in writing. o At age 17, Joaquín had his first piece published, in the literary section of the pre-World War II Tribune, where he worked as a proofreader. It was accepted by the writer and editor Serafín Lanot. After Joaquín won a nationwide essay competition to honor La Naval de Manila, sponsored by the Dominican Order, the University of Santo Tomas awarded him an honorary Associate in Arts (A.A.). They also awarded him a scholarship to St. Albert's Convent, the Dominican monastery in Hong Kong. A description of Manila‘s fabled resistance to 17th-century Dutch invaders. After World War II he traveled to the United States, Mexico, and Spain, later serving as a cultural representative of the Philippines to Taiwan, Cuba, and China o Starting as a proofreader for the Philippines Free Press, Joaquin rose to contributing editor and essayist under the nom de plume ―Quijano de Manila‖ (―Manila Old-Timer‖). He was well known as a historian of the brief Golden Age of Spain in the Philippines, as a writer of short stories suffused with folk Roman Catholicism, as a playwright, and as a novelist. o Joaquín deeply admired José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. Joaquín paid tribute to him in books such as The Storyteller's New Medium - Rizal in Saga, The Complete Poems and Plays of Jose Rizal, and A Question of Heroes: Essays in Criticism on Ten Key Figures of Philippine History. He translated the hero's valedictory poem, in the original Spanish Mi Ultimo Adios, as "Land That I Love, Farewell!" o Joaquín represented the Philippines at the International PEN Congress in Tokyo in 1957, and was appointed as a member of the Motion Pictures commission under presidents Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand E. Marcos. o After being honored as National Artist, Joaquin used his position to work for intellectual freedom in society. He secured the release of imprisoned writer José F. Lacaba. At a ceremony on Mount Makiling attended by First Lady Imelda Marcos, Joaquín delivered an invocation to Mariang Makiling, the mountain's mythical maiden. Joaquín touched on the importance of freedom and the artist. After that, Joaquín was excluded by the Marcos regime as a speaker from important cultural events. o Joaquín died of cardiac arrest in the early morning of April 29, 2004, at his home in San Juan, Metro Manila. He was then editor of Philippine Graphic magazine where he worked with Juan P. Dayang, who was the magazine's first publisher. Joaquin was also publisher of its sister publication, Mirror Weekly, a women‘s magazine. He also wrote the column (―Small Beer‖) for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Isyu, an opinion tabloid. Unit 5: Discovering Love and the Filipino ―Bonsai‖ – Edith Tiempo The poem entitled ―Bonsai‖ written by Edith Tiempo talks about love in terms of a plant ―Bonsai‖. Bonsai is a perennial woody plant that has the features of a tree. In the poem, it describes how a Bonsai could be related to love. Many say that love is a huge monumental feeling that is found in every little aspects of life. This award-winning poet describes how love could be scaled down into a ―cupped hand size‖.
One of the literary images shown in the poem is how all the author‘s love is fold over once. This shows how the author thinks that love is something that is foldable or flexible depending on the situation. The author expressed how love could be reduced to a cupped hand‘s size. This irony shows that we all have control to what our hearts could give. However, we are limiting ourselves, which in return, makes our hearts smaller than it could really be. Another literary image shown in the poem is the metaphor ―Till seashells are broken pieces from God‘s own bright teeth‖. Seashells are said to be nature, which are slowly being destroyed by man. Man would then pay the price and man would later be judged by God. This goes to show that everything needs to come to an end and that nothing lasts forever. The title ―Bonsai‖ would at first seem as an inappropriate title for the poem, but as you read the poem over and over again, you would come to realize that the poem speaks for a Bonsai plant. Bonsai is a special type of plant wherein you would have to limit it growth by constantly cutting or trimming its artistic shape. Similarly, love could not be perceived to be something very general or large because too much of something would not do any good. It is essential to keep everything to limit it to a smaller size in order to maintain all its features. Furthermore, any bonsai plant will not live forever. There would come a time wherein it would die or fade away. Likewise, love does not always last forever. It would always be there but it would never be the same. Sometimes, it may fade away if it is left unattained or it would just die down once it loses control. Thus, bonsai and love should be properly cultivated and respected for it to attain its deepest purpose. *scaling down of love *tremendous emotions *artifacts that remind us of the feelings *sentimental values *Bonsai – small na mataba na plant/ tree – loved tenderly Edith Tiempo (April 22, 1919 – August 21, 2011) o A poet, fiction writer, teacher and literary critic o A Filipino writer in the English language. o Tiempo was born in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. Her poems are intricate verbal transfigurations of significant experiences as revealed, in two of her much anthologized pieces, "Lament for the Littlest Fellow" and "Bonsai." As fictionist, Tiempo is as morally profound. Her language has been marked as "descriptive but unburdened by scrupulous detailing." She is an influential tradition in Philippine literature in English. Together with her late husband, writer and critic Edilberto K. Tiempo, they founded (in 1962) and directed the Silliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the Philippines' best writers. o She was conferred the National Artist Award for Literature in 1999. ―Patalim‖ – Cirilo Bautista Patalim – metaphor used by the author to depict their love for each other Talim ng aming balaraw – tamis ng ating pagmamahalan Hindi niya ako titigilan ng Sasak sabatok - di titigil sa kakangawa *connotation – an idea or quality that a word makes you think about in addition to its meaning (not literal) *mundane – ordinary *fight over small things Cirilo Bautista (1941) o Born in 1941 o A poet, fictionist, critic, and writer of nonfiction. o Received a degree in AB Literature in the University of Santo Tomas and graduated a cum laude in 1963. o In 1968, Re received a degree on MA Literature in St. Louis University, Baguio City and also graduated a magna cumlaude. o In 1990, Bautista received a Doctor on Arts In Literature from De La Salle o In 1968-1969 He received a fellowship to attend the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa and was awarded an honorary degree. o He is a co-founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC)and a member of the Manila Critics Circle, Philippine Center of International PEN and the Philippine Writers Academy. Unit 6: Exploring Filipino Humor Part of Humor o Shared knowledge – no need to explain Origin of Humor
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Relief Theory Superiority Theory Pamimintas You feel superioir kasi it‘s not you o Incongruity Theory Deviation from norm (inconsistent) Mababaw kaligayahan ng Pilipinas ―My Father Goes to Court‖ – Carlos Bulosan Point of view: 1st person Setting: 1918 Summary o When the persona was 4 years old, his/her family moved to the town because their farm was flooded. o They lived with a rich neighbor whose servants always cooked good delicious food. They can smell the aroma of the dishes through the windows of the house. o The doors and windows of the neighbor‘s house were always shut and the children were not allowed to play. o The persona together with his/her siblings grew healthy and happy while they were allowed to play outside, under the sun. And they continued to savor the delicious smell from the neighbor‘s. o As they grew healthier, they started to hear their neighbors getting sick, coughing day and night. First, the parents then, the children. o One day, the persona‘s family received a complaint from their neighbor who grew sicklier each day, while them, the opposite. o The day of the court trial, their father represented themselves. o Trial: It was said by the neighbor‘s lawyer that they stole the spirits of their neighbor from all the smelling of the food. The father asked the neighbor if they think they stole their spirits. The neighbour said yes. So the father said they will pay them. He gathered money from his pockets and from his children. And walked with the straw hat containing the money to the other end of the room. He then said, now they have paid them through giving the spirit of the money to them. Then, the neighbor fell to the ground. Father went to his aid o The judge said that his uncle died laughing. So the father said, do you want to hear my family laugh? The whole crowd laughed along with the family. *Absurd – illogical *Rich – has access to resources *Poor – limited access to resources *Sa story un mahirap nagplaplay while yun mayaman nakaconfine lang sa loob ng house Carlos Bulosan (November 2, 1913 – September 11, 1956) o Carlos Bulosan was born in the Philippines in the rural farming village of Mangusmana, near the town of Binalonan (Pangasinan province, Luzon island). o An English-language Filipino novelist and poet who spent most of his life in the United States. His best-known work today is the semi-autobiographical America Is in the Heart, but he first gained fame for his 1943 essay on The Freedom from Want. o Bulosan was born to Ilocano parents in the Philippines in Binalonan, Pangasinan. o Most of his youth was spent in the countryside as a farmer. It is during his youth that he and his family were economically impoverished by the rich and political elite, which would become one of the main themes of his writing. His home town is also the starting point of his famous semiautobiographical novel, America is in the Heart. o Following the pattern of many Filipinos during the American colonial period, he left for America on July 22, 1930 at age 17, in the hope of finding salvation from the economic depression of his home. He never again saw his Philippine homeland. Upon arriving in Seattle, he met with racism and was forced to work in low paying jobs. He worked as a farmworker, harvesting grapes and asparagus, and doing other types of hard work in the fields of California. He also worked as a dishwasher with his brother and Lorenzo in the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.
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As a labor organizer and socialist writer, he was blacklisted. Denied a means to provide for himself, his later years were of flight and hardship, probably including alcoholism. He died in Seattle suffering from an advanced stage of bronchopneumonia. He is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. ―My Own Theory of Devolution‖ – Jessica Zafra Point of view: 1st person Devolution: the more you drink, the lower you become Stages of Devolution: o APE – vision blurs, nauseous, starting to slouch, arms down like an ape o REPTILE – non-functional legs, crawl to travel to another part of the room o POLITICIAN – talkative, loud voice, reveal secrets to strangers, then become pompous, and stop making sense, obnoxious o FISH (or Sammy the Sperm) – not attempting to crawl anymore, swim on the floor o ROCK – pass out, lose consciousness, not an organism anymore, lowest on the evolutionary ladder Next morning: start of evolution again Resolutions to never drink again and not keep: human again *Alcohol needs water to dilute our body puro water then yun brain mawawalan ng tubig + malfunction *Alcohol deprives body of the needed water (lack of water) ―In vino veritas‖ – Latin ―In wine there is truth‖ *Bacchos – god of wine (bacchanalia) *Metaphor popular / not misleading archetypes dapat *Problems with Metaphor o Walang isang kahulugan (w/c one sinasabi) *Pacto de sangre – blood compact Jessica Zafra (1965) o Jessica Zafra (born 1965) is a fiction writer, columnist, editor, publisher, and former television and radio show host. She is known for her sharp and witty writing style. Her most popular books are the Twisted series, a collection of her essays as a columnist for newspaper Today (now Manila Standard Today), as well as from her time as editor and publisher of the magazine Flip. She currently writes a weekly column for InterAksyon.com, the online news portal of TV5. She resides in Metro Manila, Philippines, where she is working on her first novel. She also managed the Eraserheads during the 90's. o Her work often are about current events (both Philippine and international), tennis, movies, music, cats, books, technology, and her personal life. Her work has been the subject of academic study. The main ingredient to her work is often fun cynicism and irony. o She went to St. Theresa's College, Quezon City, from prep school until 6th Grade. After which, she went to the main campus of the Philippine Science High School then to the University of the Philippines and majored in Comparative Literature ―My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken‖ – Alejandro R. Roces The story was about the weird chicken which Kiko and his brother found. They couldn‘t tell whether it is a hen or a rooster. They keep on arguing to each other because Kiko insist that the chicken is a rooster for they saw it on the field fighting another chicken. But his brother is not convinced for the chicken has no comb or wattles, both disagree to one another. They began to ask their mother and father, even the people on their village like Tasio and Mr. Cruz. But all of them couldn't tell whether it's a hen or a rooster. And they also thought that it was a "binabae". So instead, they decide to bring it into the cockpit and make it fight to a rooster. But during the fight there is a turn of events, things gone different for what they have expected. A lovesick expression came into the rooster's eye, instead of fighting, the rooster began to do some love dance but the peculiar chicken suddenly stubs its spur into the rooster and the fight is over. The brothers couldn't believe what they saw. Kiko thinks he convinced his brother that the chicken is a rooster, but the chicken acted something strange. It began to quiver, and egg came out and drop into his brother‘s hand. Setting o Early morning o Cornfield o Village Characters
o Kiko – believes that the chicken is a rooster o Alejandro – believes that the chicken is a hen o Peculiar Chicken o Kiko & Alejandro‘s father and mother o Tenienteng Tasio – head of the village o Mr. Eduardo Cruz – operated a large egg farm *Dinamay yun buong community… Alejandro R. Roces (July 13, 1924 – May 23, 2011) o Alejandro Reyes Roces (13 July 1924 – 23 May 2011) was a Filipino author, essayist, dramatist and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature. He served as Secretary of Education from 1961 to 1965, during the term of Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal. o Married to Irene Yorston Viola (granddaughter of Maximo Viola) Daughter: Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa o Educational Background Elementary: Ateneo de Manila Secondary: Ateneo de Manila College: State University of Arizona (degree in Fine Arts) Master‘s Degree: Far Eastern University (Masters in Fine Arts Doctorate Degree: conferred by Tokyo University and Polytechnic University o Roces was a captain in the Marking‘s Guerilla during World War II and a columnist in Philippine dailies such as the Manila Chronicle and the Manila Times. He was previously President of the Manila Bulletin and of the CAP College Foundation. o In 2001, Roces was appointed as Chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Roces also became a member of the Board of Trustees of GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) and maintained a column in the Philippine Star called Roses and Thorns.
