Guillermo, Abigail Jan B. - Written Work 3
21ST CENTURY LITERATURE FROM PHIL.
AND THE WORLD
3.1. Based on the given articles, identify and discuss the
literary forms/elements from the following: (a) Early Phil. Literature, (b)
Philippine Literature in Spanish Colonial Period, and (c) Philippine
Literature in American Period.
(a) Early Philippine Literature
Before the Spanish Colonial Period, the Philippines was like every
other country. The country had its alphabet, language, culture, and literature.
In the early years, the people that lived in the Philippines had their native
alphabet. It is called the baybayin, and the early residents of the Philippines
used it to make songs, riSddles, lyrics, and other literary forms. However,
these literary forms were only passed through oral recitation and incantation
and were only transcribed centuries later by the Spaniards and scholars using
the Roman alphabet. The Filipinos had no other choice but to pass the songs and
riddles to the new generation orally because printing was not available until
1563 (Cruz, 2018). Many believe that using the Roman alphabet to transcribe the
literary forms written using baybayin wiped out an essential piece in the
history of Philippine literature.
The literary forms like songs, riddles and proverbs, and short poems
were spread throughout the Philippines. Each region had its rendition, but all
had the same meaning. Although the people made many literary forms, the songs
or awits endured. Among the Tagalogs,
there were 16 song forms used for different occasions. Uyayi or hele was used
to put a child to sleep; the soliranin and talindaw are songs for travelers and
seafarers; kumintang is a song for war, and maluway is sung for collective
labor. Like the current times, the Philippines also had their love songs from
many centuries ago. Kundiman is known to be a melancholy love song, and
panambitan is a song sung during courtship. A would-be groom sings Pamanhikan
to his wouldbe bride as he asks for her hand in marriage. Another song for
courtship and marriage is subli. In the north, other song forms were popular
among the Ilocanos. Love songs like dallot and duayya were popular, as well as
dung-aw, which is a song for wakes. Other song forms include the Bontoc of
Mount Province's bagbagto, which is sung during harvest, and the Ivatan of the
Batanes islands' laji which is usually sung after a long day of work when
people gather together, drink, and enjoy their time of relaxation. Since
hundreds of years ago, singing during special occasions has always been a part
of the Philippines' culture.
Aside from songs, the Philippines also had riddles and proverbs.
Tagalogs called riddles "bugtong," while the Ilocanos called these
"burburtia." Riddles are usually made to rhyme and use the
talinghaga, a form of metaphor that leads to the riddle's answer. Indigenous
forms are also used to convey riddles, such as the ambahan. The ambahan is a
monorhyme heptasyllabic poem attributed to the Hanunuu-Mangyan ethnic group. It
is also used to narrate folk experiences. Unlike the Ambahan, which doesn't
have a specific length, Tanaga comprises a seven-syllable quatrain. It is
similar to a puzzle, but it uses words to reveal the answer. By making tanagas,
poets can assess their skills in rhyming, meter, and metaphor.
On the other hand, proverbs are made for sharing a lesson or simply
reflecting traditions and beliefs. The Tagalogs refer to these as salawikain or
sawikain, while the Ilokanos call these sarsarita. According to their subject
matter, Professor Damiana Eugenio classified the Philippine proverbs into six
groups. There are proverbs expressing a general attitude towards life and the
laws that control our lives, ethical proverbs talking about virtues and vices,
proverbs expressing a system of values, proverbs talking about the truths and
observations about life, entertaining proverbs, and proverbs that aren't
included in a specific category. According to Eugenio, it is possible to
produce a comprehensive philosophy of life for Filipinos. Philippine proverbs
show the different characteristics and traits that many Filipinos possess and
the values they live by.
Another literary form of early Philippine literature is the Philippine
epic or ethno-epics. These are not considered national epics as it came from
different ethnical groups who considered themselves a nation (Godinez-Ortega,
2015). It is the most exciting poetic and narrative form from early Philippine
literature. The majority of the major ethnic groups have epics that are chanted
in different rituals. Unfortunately, because these epics are chanted, many of them
remain unwritten. An ASEAN-sponsored study of Filipino epics claims that about
a hundred extant epics are discovered in the country, most of these found from
Palawan. The Philippine epics that have been translated to English and Filipino
are the Ifugaos’ Aliguyon, the Ilocanos’ Biag ni Lam-ang, Labaw Donggon, the
Manobos’ Agyu or Olahing, and the Subanuns’ Sandayo. Aside from these, there
also are other Philippine epics like Bantugan, Darangen, Kudaman, Alim, and
Ibalon. Many Filipinos grew up listening and reading these epics, imagining
themselves as the heroes portrayed in the epics.
The Ifugaos' Aliguyon talks about the story of Aliguyon and his battle
with Pambukhayon during harvest season. As its name suggests, Biag ni Lam-ang
discusses the life of Lam-ang and his journey as a kid who possesses
superpowers at an early age. Labaw Donggon is the son of a goddess, Alunsina,
with Datu Paubari, who is a mortal. The epic talks about his battles with
different monsters and lords. The Manobos' Agyu or Olahing narrates the story
of a hero who helps his people after they were forced to leave their land named
Nalandangan. The Subanuns' Sandayo tells the story of a child with the same
name who fell out of his mother's hair while she was combing it.
Although these epics were translated and edited by different people,
they found five similarities between the Filipino epics. They noticed that the
titles of these epics mostly mean songs or chants. Examples are the Ifugao's
hudhud, the Manobo's olagingor, and the Subanon's guman. Next are the
similarities in the scenes. Most epics have similar scenarios, and no matter
how common it is, there is a possibility that a scenario from an epic could
appear again in other epics. Typical examples for this would be the scenario
where a couple gets married or when they prepare for a wedding. Third, most
epics involve supernatural characters like engkantos, diwatas, and other beings
that help the heroes. Fourth, these epics are reflective of their origin.
Lastly, these epics have various versions, many episodes, phenomena that relate
to the epic genre, and transmission from one age group to another.
Don Isabelo de Los Reyes collected different Philippine folktales,
legends, and myths that he exhibited. The Spanish-language manuscript won him a
silver medal at the Exposición Filipina in Madrid in 1887 (Anderson, 2016). Aside from these epics and other narrative
forms, other stories narrate the origin of the people, the stars, the skies,
and many more. These short stories were compiled and made into a book entitled
El Folklore Filipino, published in 1996.
(b) Philippine Literature in the Spanish
Colonial Period
Notable writing in Spanish by the
Filipinos emerged in the 19th century despite the Spanish colonization
occurring in 1565. This happened because the conditions for a "culture of
literacy," which included the advancement of journalism and an educational
system based on letters, only developed in the 19th century. However, the
Philippines was introduced to printing in 1593, with Doctrina Cristiana being
the first printed book in the Philippines. Between 1953 and 1800, the total
number of books published in the country was only 541. Before the 19th century,
the only significant Filipino writers who wrote in Spanish were the ones who
wrote about religious topics, along with Spanish missionaries. The Spanish used
the story of Christ as a strategy to overpower the then Philippine literature.
They used the similarities of Christ and the superheroes in the epics the
Filipinos loved to demolish the early Philippine literature. During this
period, the Filipinos started to worship Christ, read Church doctrines, and
adopt a religion.
The Spanish government monitored the
production and circulation of each literary piece published. During this time,
censorship was also active. Books written by authors like Victor Hugo,
Alexander Dumas, and Eugene Sue weren't allowed to enter the colony, and Miguel
de Cervantes' Don Quixote for depicting "immoral customs." The
message Don Quixote wanted to express, which was individuals can be correct,
and society can be wrong, was deemed radical during those times (The
Surprising, Radical Message of Don Quixote, 2016). This led to the banning of
the book. But, the social-economic changes paved the way for Filipino writers
in Spanish.
The most remarkable movement was the
"Propaganda Movement" carried out by Filipinos from Europe and the
Philippines. During this movement, literary activities occurred, and
significant figures in the Philippine literature also came to light. These
figures are Jose Rizal, Pedro Paterno, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Graciano
Lopez-Jaena, and Mariano Ponce. The movement's goals were: representation of
the Philippines in the Spanish parliament, the secularization of the clergy,
legalization of Spanish and Filipino equality, creation of a public school
system independent of the friars, and more (Jose Rizal and the Propaganda
Movement, 2022). Meanwhile, La Solidaridad was an organization created in Spain
by Filipino liberals.
Rizal's novel, Noli Me Tangere, and its
sequel El Filibusterismo were written to reveal the sufferings that the
Filipinos experienced at the hands of the Spanish authorities and expose the
injustice of the Spanish government as they take over the Philippines. Despite
the fact that they were banned, it gained number of audience due to smuggling
of his novels into the country (Jose Rizal and the Propaganda Movement, 2022).
Although Rizal did not promote violence, it is believed that his novels ignited
the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1896 (Rizal before
"Rizal", 2017). Rizal conveys through his books the message that
people should not let others govern their own life. They should fight for the
truth and the liberty of their country and themselves (Paciente, 2020).
A surge in Spanish literary works was
observed at the end of the Spanish colonization in 1898. Advances in public
education and the development of journalism and book publishing are only some
of the identified factors for this surge. The language situation in the early
years of the 20th century also was a key factor for this. During this time, the
people used three languages for expression. These are the native languages,
including Tagalog, Iloko, Cebuano, and other languages people speak in
different parts of the Philippines, English, and Spanish.
The early years of the century produced
significant literary works, mainly poetry. Some of the prominent poets of this
time were Fernando Ma. Guerrero, Cecilio Apostol, Jesus Balmori, and Claro M.
Recto. Books of poetry published were Recto's Bajo Los Cocoteros, Guerrero's
Crisalidas, Balmori's Mi Casa de Nipa, and Apostol's Pentelicas. Theater,
mainly Spain's zarzuela, was also introduced to the Philippines. Recto, Pascual
Poblete, and Antonio Abad were some writers who wrote plays in Spanish but did
not have any impact as the plays in the Philippine language rose to fame. Other
than poems and plays, fictional works were also produced during this period.
Fictions written were Balmori’s Bancarrota de Almas and Abad’s El Ultimo
Romantico. Essays and prose forms were written in Spanish, proving how well the
Filipinos grasped the concept of the Spanish language. Significant writers of
these works were Rafael Palma, Jaime C. De Veyra, and Teodoro M. Kalaw.
Educated women of this period also made
their names known through their exceptional and significant poems. These women
were Gregoria de Jesus, the wife of Andres Bonifacio, and Leona
Florentino. De Jesus wrote Tagalog poetry,
while Florentino wrote in Ilocano. By Florentino's poetry, she became the first
Ilocano writer of her time.
(c) Philippine Literature in American Period
The American government was motivated to
bring education to the Philippines in hopes of teaching the Filipinos their
values, language, and culture (Glavin, 2017). Philippine literature in the
American period was encouraged by education and culture. Unlike the Spanish
Period, public education was available for everyone, with English as the medium
by 1901. They also removed religion from the subjects (Glavin, 2017). Hundreds
of educators were available in exchange for the soldiers who also worked as
teachers. Through free education, many Filipinos learned the language quickly
and gave them enough knowledge to improve their social status and become part
of the country’s middle class.
The opening of the Philippine Normal
School and University of the Philippines in the 20th century and the
publication of newspapers written in the English language disseminated and
promoted the use of the language. Although the language had been exposed since
the early 20th century, it wasn’t until the 30’s and 40’s that Filipino wrote
literary forms in English.
During this period, newspapers and
magazines were first published. The Philippines Herald, the Philippine
Education Magazine, were the first of their kind to be published in the
Philippines. Later on, magazines and newspapers like the Manila Tribune, the
Graphic, and the
Woman’s outlook would be published and made Paz Marquez
Benitez, Jose Garcia Villa, and Casiano Calalang’s works known to the public.
In 1921, the Free Press started paying for published works, and cash incentives
were given to the writers. They also rewarded P1, 000 for the best stories
written. Some of the organizations that helped promote the literary works
during this period were the Philippines Writers Association in 1925 and the
U.P. Writers Club in 1927.
The first Commonwealth Literary Awards
were awarded to Salvador P. Lopez’s Literature and Society, Manuel Arguilla’s
How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife and Other Stories, Zulueta de Costa’s
Like the Molave, and Juan Laya’s His Native Soil. Other writers also published
notable works in different literary forms during this era.
Plays were also famous, using the form
of Spain’s zarzuela. Writers of these plays all wrote against the Americans.
Before World War II started, one-person plays of Wilfredo Maria Guerrero gained
fame throughout the country. Poetry, fiction, and novels written against the
American government were also observed. Ishmael Amado’s
Bulalakaw ng Pag-asa was one of the first novels to be written directed against
the Americans but was not released to the public until 1916. Novels centered on
the theme of love were also published. Examples are Valeriano Hernandez Peña’s
Nena at Neneng, which narrates the story of two women as they deal with their
lovers and relationships, and Faustino Aguilar’s Pinaglahuan, which portrays a
love triangle between an ordinary worker, a son of a wealthy capitalist, and a
rich woman. In honor of Francisco F. Balagtas, balagtasans were performed
throughout the country.
Although ruled by the Americans, many
Filipino writers wrote literary works in their language. However, the number of
English works during this period is undeniable. This period of writing has made
a new culture blossom. Philippine writing in English became a tradition,
indicating a new age for Philippine Literature.
3.2. Discuss the significant developments of the following
periods.
Early Philippine Literature, and Philippine
Literature in Spanish and American Period.
Since the early years of Philippine
literature, the Filipinos have shown exceptional skills in writing literature.
Despite the difficulty in producing works during the colonial period, Filipinos
fought for their right to write and learn. Amongst the rising Spanish and
American writers, remarkable Filipino writers made a name for themselves and
eventually kept Philippine literature thriving.
Before the colonial period, Filipinos
had an alphabet of their own and literary works that expressed their feelings
and other aspects of their lives. Poems, songs, riddles, proverbs, and lyrics
are only some of the literary forms they were able to make during this era.
Although they were only able to pass it to other generations orally,
transcriptions of these works made it possible to be preserved until the
current day. During the early years of Philippine literature, songs were the
most prominent and common in every region in the country. Songs were used to
celebrate various occasions, like weddings, courtship, wakes, and more. Riddles
were also made for entertainment, while some used proverbs to teach others an
important life lesson. During this era, there were also several short stories,
mostly narrating stories about a hero and how he saved others from danger.
Although the plot of the stories was similar to each other, people still enjoyed
reading them. As part of history, today's youth have read and heard of these
literary forms at least once.
Many remarkable works were made during
the Spanish colonial era, despite the Spanish government being strict. However,
while many works had indeed been published and released to the public, the
Spanish colonial period also sparked the Propaganda Movement, a movement done
through books and other reading materials to reform the current government.
Some of the notable figures who participated in this movement are Jose Rizal,
Marcelo H. Del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena. During this period, Rizal also
wrote and published his two well-known novels, Noli Me Tangere and its sequel
El Filibusterismo. It is believed that these novels ignited the Philippine
Revolution. Printing was one of the significant developments introduced to the
country, but most of the works printed and distributed were Spanish works, and
most of the content was about religion. Literary forms written in this era
mostly talked about the Spanish authorities' injustice and the Filipinos'
experiences under the governance of Spain.
After the end of the Spanish colonial
period, the Filipinos had a different experience with the Americans. During
this era, free education was founded. Everyone had the chance to attend school,
and by the end of their education, some of them had enough knowledge to improve
their social status and be part of the middle class in the country. Compared to
the Spanish period, Filipinos had more freedom under the hands of the
Americans. They wrote more literary works, using both their native language and
English. Due to their education, Filipinos were able to familiarize and adopt
the English language quickly. There was also a wider range of genres and subjects
of the literary works made during this period. Some pieces were about society,
some were about love, and some were simply narrative stories published for
entertainment. Filipino writers also wrote plays, novels, fiction, and poetry.
Although Spain ruled the Philippines significantly longer
than the United States,
Filipinos adopted the Americans' culture, language, and way
of living. In fact, at the end of the Spanish colonial era, not more than ten
percent of the Christianized population could speak, let alone understand, the
Spanish language. Until this day, more Filipinos are more familiar with the
English language than Spanish. However, the impact these two periods had on the
country is undeniable. These periods have contributed significant developments
to the country and its literature.
3.3 How have these literary periods shaped our (a)
ideological perspectives, (b) societal values, (c) and political views? Discuss
each.
Both pre-colonial and colonial periods
have contributed to significant changes in our literature. At the same time, it
has shaped several aspects of our lives and society. People cannot deny that
these literary periods have changed our country, perspectives, and lives.
During the Spanish colonial period, the
Spanish government promoted Christianity and the concept of religion to the
Filipinos. This is evident through the first-ever printed materials in the
country. Even in the current times, the majority of the Filipinos have their
religion and are devoted to the Gods they worship. However, some of the people
residing in the southern part of the Philippines are Islam. Spain has decided
to spread Christianity in other parts of the country after the failed attempt
to overpower the Muslims in Mindanao (Miller, 2022). Nonetheless, the concept
of religion has spread around the country and is now a part of the lives of
Filipinos.
The ideology of gender roles was also
evident in the Spanish colonial era. During this period, women were forced to
stay at their homes to take care of their families. They were not allowed to
lead the country or a group and participate in political activities. They
weren't even allowed to share their thoughts, forced to keep their ideas and
opinions to themselves (Saldua, 2012). Despite the current government's
discrimination towards women, records show that there are women who had
significant roles during this period. Fortunately, this changed during the
governance of the Americans when the women had proper education and became more
aware. During this period, women were also given the right to vote and
participate in political activities (Abao & Yang, 2001).
The literary periods also paved the way
for societal values, especially justice and freedom. This can be proved through
several novels written by Filipino writers while under the Spanish and American
regimes. The literary works written during this period discussed the injustice
of the administrations, inequality among the Filipinos and their people, and
freedom. Rizal's novels were written with hopes of gaining independence from
the Spanish administration. He wrote about the injustice and the struggles of
the Filipinos under the management of the Spaniards. Ishmael Amado's Bulalakaw
ng Pag-asa was also written to discuss American imperialism in the Philippines.
Through their constant fight for freedom, the Philippines achieved freedom from
the Spanish regime and was eventually granted independence by the United
States.
During Spain's regime in the country,
they attempted to take over the trade routes by requiring them to go through
Manila. They disregarded and destroyed the follower-leader system and punished
leaders who tried to disobey them. They also removed women from their
positions, claiming they could not lead. Both Spaniards and Americans used
their military to claim power in the country (Nadeau, 2011). However, America
wanted to spread American ideals to the Philippines, one of which was
democracy. While the Spanish discouraged promoting politics in the country, the
Americans wanted to prepare the Philippines for democratic self-government. To
achieve this, they gave Filipinos positions in the government (Philippines,
2022). The Americans achieved this and are considered to have the most
influence regarding the democratic government in the country (Masanga, 2021).
Indeed, the literary periods were a
rocky journey. The country, its culture, and its literature have experienced
hell, but with the perseverance and motivation of the Filipinos, they have kept
it alive. Regardless of the unpleasant experiences the Filipinos have gone
through, the influence of the colonial period on the present culture,
literature, and way of living remains evident. Centuries may have passed, but
all literary works and periods are still considered a significant part of
Philippine literature.
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Introduction
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