Torres, Keana Kyle A. - Written Work 2

 Critical Analysis on the Philippine Literature by Frank R. Blake.

    Philippine literacy is literature related with the Philippines from prehistory towards the

current day, from prehistoric through colonial history. The author of the article “Philippine

literature”, was a professor of languages at Johns Hopkins University. He was also a writer

and a linguist. He has 46 works in 117 publications in 2 languages and 612 library holdings

including this Philippine Literature.

    Philippine literature is a broad term that encompasses any literary work created in a

Philippine language. Like what he wrote in the article, he said that the literature of the

Philippine languages is merely literature in the broad context of written speech, and the

name "Philippine Literature" is now used in this sense. His purpose is to inform the readers

and viewers about the works in numerous Philippine languages. Because of its structure, the

article is written in such a way that the reader may readily grasp it. He organized it such that

the important concepts are listed first, and then he expands on them. The key concepts are

also stated in chronological order.

    Frank Blake begins by listing the three groups that make up the Philippine Islands'

native population. It is made up of: The mountain pagan tribes, including the dwarf-like

Negritos, doubtless the aboriginal inhabitants of the archipelago.Second is Mohammedan

Moros of Sulu and Mindanao. Third is the Christian tribes, the Indios or Filipinos of the

Spaniards, who form the bulk of the population. Each tribe has its own native languages that

can be used in any written works and produce a small amount of part in literature in the

sense of artistic writing. Starting with the mountain pagan tribes, hardly any of their

languages exist in written form. It was said in the article that the Tagbanuas of Palawan,

some from Borneo towards Luzon, northern neighbors and Mangyans of Mindoro own native

alphabets. Also, many of these people's works of literature are written in Roman style and

the authors are mostly missionaries who have attempted in converting pagan tribes.

    He discussed the two languages of the Mohammedan tribes, Sulu and Magindanaw.

Sulu is spoken mainly in the areas of the sultan of sulu while Magindanaw is usually used by

the tribe on the large island of Mindanao. They don't know about the art of printing, hence all

of their literary works are in manuscript form, written in a slightly modified version of the

Arabic alphabet. Their writings are classified into four: historical annals which are

genealogies of the datos or Moro chiefs and more or less mythical. Second is legal codes,

based on Arabic law. Third is Religion texts, these include translations of the Koran and its

interpretations, Hadith or Mohammedan traditions, orations for various Mohammedan

holidays, and so on. Lastly is writings of various characters, legends, magical books, letters

of various types, and so on. Mostly Moro manuscripts begin with Arabic phrase, bismi 'lldhi

'rrahmdni 'rrahimi, which means "in the name of God, the Compassionate, -the Merciful.”

And because the Moros study from Arabic and Malay sources, they take delight in displaying

their Arabic and Malay erudition which means that Moro books are written by the Moros

themselves.

    Then, the Christian tribes. They spoke a variety of local languages before the

Spanish invasion in the 16th century, but none of them were written down and are now

mostly forgotten. Some works have been published in their native languages. Both prose

and verse are used in the works written in these languages. He also notes that these tribes

have a variety of different types of writing, and that they have the most written texts, which

cover a wide range of topics other than religion and history.

After reading the article I was impressed by how he wrote the piece. Younger and

older readers might grasp the language and terminology he employed. He provided several

examples and references to ensure the correctness of his work. Not only that, but the

sections' flow is well-structured and written in a logical manner. As a result, I found the essay

to be well-written and truthful.

    The author, Frank Blake, spoke on the Philippines' native languages and literature.

He described the archipelago and the three tribes, as well as their various native languages.

The literature of the Philippine languages, he argued in the essay, is just literature in the

wide sense of written speech, and the term "Philippine Literature" is now used in this

meaning. He further emphasized that Philippine literature encompasses a wide range of

themes, including fiction, as well as religion and history, as seen by translations of religious

articles.

    To improve is to change, progress is impossible without change. The Philippines has

been through a lot of ups and downs throughout the years, so it's no surprise that our

literature has suffered tremendously. During the pre-colonial period, different tribes spoke

different languages. Even though there were no written works, they had their own alphabets,

and some of them had inscriptions that are similar to the Arabic alphabet. However, time 

passes, and language evolves. Christianity grew popular in the Philippines when Spain

conquered the country. As a result of the adoption of new alphabets, literature has changed.

As a result, we've established that literature will alter as a result of the current situation.

Different languages and cultures coexist in a single country. Literature is diverse, and it

reflects our forefathers' hardships and victories.

    This article is not tough to comprehend. It was well-organized, and the sequence was

simple to follow. This article by Frank R. Blake is a fantastic choice for a reader interested in

learning more about the many types of Philippine literature. It is not only simple to follow, but

it was also written in such a way that anyone could comprehend it immediately.