A Literary Criticism on Cecilia Brainard's "Childhood in the Path of Typhoons"

By: Kent Joemar Escoto

 It is easy to forget these words. The world we live in is not exactly that amazing place we dream about. We hear every day on TV, newspapers and the internet about wars, natural disasters and other bad news. And usually too many important stories remain untold. Today we want to bring to you those untold beautiful stories from the Philippines, a country that has witnessed much devastation after the Haiyan Typhoon razed its Eastern part, killing thousands and leaving at least 600,000 homeless.

Childhood in the Path of Typhoons is a literary piece by Cecilia Brainard. In this piece she discussed about how she grew up and lived in the midst of the typhoons. The essay shows also the preparation they made before, during and after the typhoon. By staying indoors when the  storm signals is on nos. 3 and 4. They stayed home with all the things that they needed during typhoon and listening to the radio for futher informations that they can get. The climax of this essay is how the super typhoon Haiyan affect our fellow Filipinos. The author of Childhood in the Path of typhoon shows the unforgettable experience that super typhoon Haiyan brought here in the Philippines.

In my analysis through her piece by eco-criticism. Philippines often faces multiple natural disasters each year, and I can say that typhoons are already natural to the Filipinos since it is constantly happening in our country because we are prone to typhoons. The Philippines is vulnerable to many disasters and calamities due to its geographical location which is along the Pacific region and near the equator. But able to respond to them and lessen its troublesome effect, we should need to have the right emergency services and systems in place. Because as the time pass by, chances of having a typhoon stronger than Yolanda is high.

In conclusion we should be the one to strive hard making our country better, by having the common sense when this disaster struck us, we should have the knowledge and be mindful on our surroundings to be able to deal with it and for us to know what we should do to prevent bad things that might happen to us when it happens. Also in tiny efforts like planting trees all over our forests and taking care of our nature already has a big effect on our environment. We should lend a hand to each other to have a great impact in our country. And we should be the one who will take care of it because it is our obligation and it is also our home.

A Literary Criticism on Maria Elena Paulma’s "The Bougainvillea"

By: Rhynie Jane Salvaleon

Filipinos grew up believing hundreds and thousands of superstitious beliefs such as Oro, Plata, Mata (Gold, Silver, Death) and crossing path with a black cat is a bad omen. People believe the existence of magic, witchcrafts, invisible forces such as spirits and demons. One of the stories that can open people’s mind when it comes to superstitious belief is the story of The Bougainvillea. It is one of the pieces in Maria Elena Paulma’s Book of Southern Stories and Strays which tells about a tree that is believed to be a home of dili ingon nato (not like us).

The whole story revolves around the point of view of a child. Before he was even conscious, the bougainvillea had already wrapped itself along the wire link fence that separated their house from the two-lane concrete street outside. Everyone who passed by always turned for a second look and awe not just because of its magnificence but because they believe that beneath the brightness of its flowers and vibrant leaves lay a whole different world they could only whisper about. There were whispers though, the bougainvillea dislike being touched. The first time anyone came near with his shears, they say the shears fell from his hands because of the thickness of the stem. Everyone believe that the accident had something to do with the bougainvillea. These theories were proven right when his father’s brother, who doesn’t believe in things like spirits, came to visit. He was too noisy, snipped too fast and had no respect for the bougainvillea. He did finish his job but that night, he was brought to the hospital because of his ring finger, where his wedding band resided, became swollen. The narrator has 2 friends namely – Bansing and Elsa. Bansing is his next-door neighbor while Elsa is just across the street. It came quietly, the day Bansing was possessed. Bansing was to have more several more seizures from the possession. After a week, Bansing went back to the streets again. About two months after Bansing’s possession, Elsa disappeared from the streets and the games. Her mom scolded her, asking her what had possessed her to do such a thing. There were whispers from Elsa’s classmates that she’s one of those who came in late after recess, the trail of sickly sweet smoking following her, the smell was identified in whispers as Mary Jane to hide its real name, marijuana. Two possessions in one summer, and all because of the bougainvillea which continued to bloom on the summer heat.

The story itself shows that the females are really close to troubles than men. The author might want to spread awareness against the abuse among females. As you can read the story, the narrator, which is probably a female, Bansing and Elsa experienced more traumatic experience rather than the male who did something with the bougainvillea. Firstly, in Bansing’s situation, one of the highlights in the story was Bansing’s possession which in reality, she really wasn’t possessed. She explained the whole situation to her childhood friends after a year. “The night before she was possessed, someone had lifted the mosquito net and crawled into the single mat on which she lay.”, which means someone has raped her. According to the Rainn organization, majority of raped victims range from 12-17 and 48% of the crime occurs when the victims are sleeping which is actually matched in Bansing’s happening. Secondly, Elsa smells like marijuana, also shows that women can easily be a victim of such substance but gets weaker compared the men.

In Campbell’s (1996) Theory of Modern Superstition, people view phenomenon as an evolutionary ‘survival’ and to invoke psychological theories which neglect both culture and history. Another theory that may help for this story is Griffiths’ (2014) A Theory of Superstition in which he states that the superstition implicitly or explicitly asserts a particular causal connection without containing any account of how it works. If any explanation were in evidence, the term ‘superstition’ would no longer seem especially apposite.

The story in the end explains what in reality happened but people won’t believe the fact and they stick to their superstitious belief. These superstitious beliefs can affect people’s behavior and state of mind like what happened to the mother’s narrator who believed that the bougainvillea had something to do with the accident which actually doesn’t. In the narrator’s accident, she slipped from the bough. In his uncle’s, his finger accidentally pricked the thorn. In Bansing, she was actually raped. Lastly, Elsa was into marijuana. And the narrator’s mother believes the bougainvillea so she decided to cut it down. As for me, these superstitious beliefs are not really true since I have a pet cat which happened to be all black but I don’t find it to be a bad luck, he’s actually as sweet as the other cats. So in conclusion, these beliefs might cover the reality of what really happened since superstitious beliefs are passed generations to generations that even other can’t explain anymore why is it not allowed to do this or that.

             

           

A Literary Criticism on Joel Toledo's "Same Old Figurative"

By: Flaire Sherylle Calatagan

The world is experiencing kinds of problems that can make people become stronger. It determines the people to survive life no matter what. The poem Same Old Figurative written by Joel M Toledo tells how people fought their trials in life and become stronger. It is difficult to understand due to the unfamiliar words used by the author. It tells that the calamities, trials and other problems face by the people is as the same as old times face.

In the poem, Joel Toledo tells about how people deal with the problems of the world. The way how they deal their challenges matters most. It is also written how resilient people in his country were. No matter how hard the problems will come into their lives they can still manage to rise up again.

The poem represents how resilient Filipinos are. It shows how Filipinos bravely face their problems. It shows how strong they are. They have positive minds. It is a cycle of how hard the situations are and how people bravely face it.

The poem is wrote to remind people to rise no matter what happen. Trials and challenges makes people become stronger. These what makes the same old figurative. There's always sunshine after the rain. There's always a beauty after the disaster happened. Rise up and do something more.

Jo

A Literary Criticism on Christian Cabagnot and Karlo Anotnio David's "The Kiram Builsing"

By: Genalyn Comendador

Kiram Mansion is located in Kidapawan, North Cotabato that designed and build by Sultan Omar Kiram II. It was a testimony to the life and artistic merit of a great man of history. With distinct Roman-Torogan design, its Kidapawan greatest link to its Mindanawon roots. In 1962 the mansion was originally invented by Major Vicente Austria, better known as Sultan Omar Kiram II. He built the mansion together with his sons after he and his family of ten children migrate to the city of Cotabato (Cabagnot & David, 2010).

Half of the structure was damaged at the end of 2009, while much of the southwest area was converted into a hardware store. The mansion was more than 47 years old.

The Kiram Building was named after its designer and builder Sultan Omar Kiram II (Cuzon, 2015). But Sultan Omar Kiram II its not only has an unique design and build of a mansion also has a very rare story of life.

Vicente Austria also known Sultan Omar Kiram II was invited to teach chemistry and give lectures on pottery at the Siliman University. When the Second World War broke out, he joined the army. When his foster Austrian parents killed in the war his desire to join in the war increased. This is the time when he married his wife Nelly Lee Kelly the daughter of Irish-American veteran soldier. After the war, President Magsaysay made him part of the government, particularly as a translator for negotiations with Moro rebel groups. While he was in the Lake Lanao bathing he noticed an old woman staring him. He polite approach the woman. The old woman said that he is the lost son of Sultan Omar Kiram I. The Lost Sultan – Sultan Omar Kiram II.

Sultan Omar Kiram II – The Lost Sultan he is the son of Sultan Omar Kiram I – Uyaan Sultan of Onayan Sultanate of Lanao del Sur, and Bai Saumay Ampaso Mindalano.

When the Philippines-American war started to broke out, Bai Saumay ordered Prince Omar maid, Ishraida, to move to Dansalan (now Marawi). On the road to Marawi the 7-year-old prince was lost, it was kidnapped by Moro comrades. The poor prince was sold as a slave upon arriving in Marawi.

American-Ilocano soldier named Gil Austria brought the Prince for twenty-two pesos and he name him Vicente. He raised Vicente as a Christian but Vicente fluently speak Maranao. He does not know why he could spoke Maranao fluently.

Vicente was sent to the U.S Adamson University, where he took two courses in engineering and a master’s degree in pottery. He returned to the Philippines, where he was invited to teach chemistry and give lectures on pottery at the Siliman University.

When the Second World War broke out, he joined the army. When his foster Austrians parents killed in the war his desire to join the war increased. He could eventually rise to the rank of major. It was also during this period that he married Nelly Lee Kelly, a family friend and daughter of Irish-American veteran soldier.

After the war, President Ramon Magsaysay (then the Secretary of National Defense) assigned Vicente as negotiator to the Moro rebels.

On April 19, 1955, an earthquake hit Lanao. The most devastated part was the village of Uyaan. Recognizing Vicente’s fluency in the Maranao tongue, Pres. Magsaysay sent Vicente to give relief aid.

The relief operation in the village of Uyaan would then cover the way for the inspiring discovery of Vicente’s identity – Bunsa, the Lost Sultan.

Gives the significance of the history in the Philippines. It became a tourist attraction to the Cotabato and people learn to gives heritage to the place because its represents the structure and the materials that made by the Maranawon Tribe.

The Lost Sultan Omar Kiram II, as he was known as a Sultan, he does not want his children spoil of being the son of Sultan. He chooses to have a normal life together his family. He continues his duty in government and help others.

He never takes advantage the benefits as a Sultan but humbly gave it to his uncle who serves for 33 years.

Hence, Sultan Omar Kiram II never take advantage of being a Prince and he choose to have a normal life together with his family. He humbly passes to his uncle the duties that successfully serves for 33 years. Instead he continued his involvement in the government, supervising such public works as the Kidapawan-Matalam-Tacorong road. Because of this project him and his family arrived in Kidapawan. Where he designs and build the Kiram Building. At the age of 71-year-old. His sons who taking care the Kiram Mansion and now the half of the structure was damaged at the end of 2009, while much of the southwest area was converted into a hardware store. The mansion was more than 47 years old.

A Literary Criticism on Merlinda Bobis' "The Sadness Collector"

By: Rina Jane Epa

“No family is perfect, we argue we fight. We even stop talking each other at times, but in the end, family is family the love is always be there.” –Varsha Sharma

OFW or Overseas Filipino Workers are the people who leave their love ones for good opportunities abroad. Lots of Filipinos are working abroad because here in the Philippines we are lack of jobs, the other countries give a good salary and they also have many opportunities. Jeffrey Hays (2008) said 10% of Philippines population have worked outside the Philippines. Filipinos work in every country, more than 2.5 million works in United States and nearly a million in Saudi Arabia, with hundreds of thousands more working in the Middle East, mostly as maids and labourers and about 70% of Filipino workers are legal. The other 30% are undocumented illegal workers. The life of OFW is not easy because you need to find a job and work hard to earn money and not everyone can go to another country because they don’t have enough money to support the requirements and needs to go abroad.

In the story of Sadness Collector the characters are the Big Lady, Rica’s Father, Rica’s Mother and Rica. It talks about a girl who is left by her mother to work abroad. When Rica was 3 years old her father told her a story about the Big Lady after her mother left them for Paris. She always listened all night, noises from the kitchen, she thought it was Big Lady who are now collecting sadness. She always makes sure that her nightly tears remained small and few. The first year when her mother sent all colours of the rainbow for her long and unruly hair, her father doesn’t know how to make it more graceful. It took him some time to learn and perfect the ponytail for Rica. When her mother left them, her father served as a mother for Rica. It was hard for him, but he would do anything for his daughter. Her aunties never agreed with Rica’s mother’s decision to work abroad as a domestic helper, taking care of other people’s children than taking care of her own child, but Rica’s mother only wants to earn good money and to sustain their needs and wants, also to give them a better life. Years have passed Rica is now 6 years old, but still she believed there was a Big Lady. As time goes by she has many questions about her mother, because of that her father makes sure he comes home late each night, so he won’t have to answer the questions. One night, Rica heard noises in the kitchen, she thinks it was Big Lady. She got scared and screams out of her bedroom and she went to the kitchen. She didn’t notice it was her father who made the noises, because of Rica’s scream and also her father was drunk he slapped Rica. He had no intention of slapping Rica he was carried away of his anger and intoxication. When they had the conversation he said “she can’t take you away from me,” he means Rica’s mother, he thought that she might take Rica away from him and because he loves Rica so much he would do everything he can to get Rica away from her mother. 

 In the story of Sadness Collector by Merlinda Bobis, the author shows us that Rica’s mother left them to work abroad because she wants to give her family a good life and to provide for their needs and wants but she didn’t know that her daughter and her husband suffered too much when she left them. It shows how Rica’s father cares and raised her, he even make a story about this Big Lady who collects sadness just  to avoid Rica from crying or being sad for her mother’s absence. Years have passed, Rica’s  father always comes home late just to avoid questions from her that he could not answer, and because it has huge impact for him about his wife who went to abroad he did not even realize he had neglected his daughter.

Being an OFW is difficult and challenging because you need to leave your family and love ones just to earn good money to sustain their needs and wants and of course to give them a better life. It is okay to work abroad but it is also hard because again you have to leave your family behind and endure the pain and longing for your family, specially to the parents who works abroad because you can’t take care of your own child. It is also painful for those who are left behind because they need to be strong so that the people who left them would not worry too much and for the children who can’t experience being taken care by their parents. It is difficult if you have one family member who is away but as a family you only have one goal and it is to give a better life for your family. Even if the family members fight sometimes or there is a misunderstanding, at the end of the day, family will still work together and no matter what happens Family is always a Family.

 

Reference:

Hays, J. (2015, June). Overseas Filipino Workers. Retrieved from http://factsanddetails .com/southeast-asia/Philippines/sub5_6g/entry-3918.html

A Literary Criticism on Simeon Dumdum Jr.’s "America"

By: Pauline Yzabel Alinsub

“And on that warm evening

I told myself,

That’s where I want to be,

in West Virginia, or New York,

or San Francisco”

Growing up, I have always been mesmerized about America and everything that has to do with it. Hearing my relatives talk so highly of that country makes me want to go there myself and see what all the fuss is about. That has been my goal even until now. The United States of America has long been considered as the ‘Land of Opportunity’, for the main reason that even at the moment, there are still millions of immigrants who are leaving their own homes to find something in that country not readily available in their own: an opportunity to succeed, according to Congressman Markwayne Mullin in an article from his website, dated 2017. A large part of that success is defined by having a job, which is clearly accessible in the US. Aside from those being mentioned, America is also filled with towering skyscrapers and astonishing tourist destinations that could not be found anywhere else in this world, like the Empire State Building in New York, and the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona. As we, Filipinos, continue to dream about setting foot in that dreamlike country one day, we surely could not help but assess our own lives and wonder why our lives aren’t that thriving as the Americans’. 

Comparing one’s self to others is probably one of Filipinos’ most infamous attribute. We tend to evaluate people’s lives and see what they have that we don’t, and vice versa. Although this deed that we sometimes unconsciously do might lead to lack of motivation and losing faith over ourselves, among other effects, comparisons could also serve as motivators for us to work harder in order to achieve our dreams. We can attain these ambitions through the means of shaping our mindset into focusing on what we want to happen. This statement can be implied from the poem entitled ‘America’, beautifully authored by Simeon Dumdum, Jr. The aforementioned piece shows the main character, whose name wasn’t mentioned, aspiring to make it to America; this dream being fueled by the cousin’s constant descriptions of the foreign country.  Also mentioned in the poem is the accent of the speaker’s cousin, which the former compared to how actors in the movies speak, and how Ronald Reagan communicate on the radio.

Using the formalist criticism, it can be observed that the author utilized words with meanings that aren’t hard to comprehend, which could lead to the overall explanation of the poem being literal and straightforward. This does not immediately mean that metaphors and symbolisms couldn’t be drawn out from the text. In the lines “Because cousin says everything there is big and cheap — big chickens, big eggs, big buildings…” this could mean that there really are bigger chickens and eggs and buildings in that country, literally, but they could also signify how much bigger the available resources are, when it comes to abundance. The word ‘big’ could also be seen as ‘better’, because of the fact that America is a first-world country with a high standard of living. In the last line, however, we could observe a change of direction, although it’s a bit vague. “And he was about to name other roses but the moon was rising and it was bigger than in America,” suggests that although America really is great and astounding, the ‘moon’ was of much higher value than the country. The ‘moon’ could represent the advantage Filipinos have; that while the Philippines may lack in a lot of things, we, Filipinos, still have an edge on other countries in other aspects.

In Dumdum’s piece, though his portrayal of America isn’t entirely wrong, could also come off as somehow biased. We can discern that all the presented information are only what makes America great. There isn’t any line that shows the country’s undesirable aspects, and if people who have only limited knowledge about that country would come across with this poem, they may be misguided into thinking that America is picture-perfect.  However, let us still consider the thought that this might just be one of the author’s intentions so as to really emphasize the differences between that first-world country and the Philippines.

Though brief and concise, ‘America’ is still somehow enigmatic. Just by reading the lines, I can’t really tell if Dumdum intended to write it that way- seemingly understandable but is really not, or the poem just didn’t really have that much of a depth as I first believed it to be. Even so, we could still pick up the implication that the author intended to teach us that it is alright to be in awe of other countries, or generally other places, but let us not forget to also be proud of our own. Rather than complaining on what we don’t have that others do, let us instead focus on ourselves; concentrate on how we can improve so as to reach the point where we won’t be needing comparisons to know that we have worth just like everyone else.