Josol, Jianne Shanley P. - Written Work 4

 Essay Questions for the poem “Agua de Viuda”

1. How was the word viuda defined in the poem?

    The word viuda only appeared twice in the poem. However, the narrator extensively delivers the meaning and characteristics of the word viuda throughout the entire poem. The narrator first defined viuda as a widow in an indirect way. The readers can find it in the statement, "but I have not buried my husband. nor do I want to." from the third and fourth lines in the first stanza. The statement proves that the narrator defined viuda based on what makes a person a viuda. A person becomes a viuda if their husband is deceased. 

    Moreover, the narrator described the word viuda creatively in the fourth, fifth, and sixth stanzas. In the fourth stanza, the readers can see how a viuda is recognized based on its scent. The narrator described the viuda as a person whose scent is of a: lady strained on aloneness, chest of secrets unlocked, promise unfulfilled, and night spent dwelling on an error. In the opening line of stanza number five, the narrator represents a viuda as drained, hoping for something back. In the sixth stanza, the narrator describes a viuda as pondering revenge. 

    Furthermore, the narrator dwelled on the meaning of the word viuda in the third line of the seventh stanza. The readers can see how viuda is referred to as "vidhwa" and "separated." The narrator also explains their perspective of the word viuda in the last stanza. In the final stanza, the narrator conveys how a viuda has a chance for a new life. 

2. Identify and discuss the figures of speech used by the author.

    The poem comprises various figures of speech. The author incorporated similes, metaphors, and alliterations in their text. The first figure of speech that the author uses is a simile. The statement "I smell good fragrant like of viuda" in the first stanza compares a person's fragrance to a viuda by using "like." Another example of a simile is from the line "treating on grief like the wife of bath," located in the seventh stanza. The author compared the treatment of grief to the wife of bath by still using "like."

    Additionally, the poem also includes numerous metaphors. The fourth stanza is abundant with these metaphors, from the opening line to the final line. The author directly compares the scent of a person to the following: the musk of a lady strained on aloneness, the sandalwood of a chest of secrets unlocked, the essence of almonds following behind a promise unfulfilled, and the blast of Jasmine on an evening spent dwelling on an error. The author compared the following without the words "like" or "as." The readers can locate the last example of a metaphor in the poem in the eighth stanza. In this stanza, the person directly compares themself to a widow without using "like" or "as."

    Along with the similes and metaphors are the alliterations. There are two examples of alliteration in the poem. In the third stanza, the readers can locate the alliteration, "a sweet ending, some might say." The statement presents the repetition of the letter "s" at the beginning of three words. The last example of alliteration is in the seventh stanza. The line "in Sanskrit is "vidhwa" solitary, and elsewhere "separated" eating only boiled rice" is an alliteration as there is also a repetition of the letter "s" at the beginning of three words.

3. The second stanza tells you that the death of her grandmother was sweet for some,

why is that so?

    The interpretation of the death of the narrator's grandmother can differ from person to person. The grandmother's death may be sweet for some as the grandmother died on the deceased grandfather's birth anniversary, as stated in the second and third lines in the second stanza. The readers may consider the situation sweet as it shows a connection between the grandmother and grandfather. The day the circumstances occurred is significant as it is the day the grandmother died, and the day the grandfather lived. The life of the grandmother ended, and the grandfather's life started. 

    There could still be a different interpretation of why the situation was considered sweet. The grandmother's life was comfortable years before it ended. The second line of stanza number two states that the grandmother spent her remaining days playing cards with neighbors. The grandmother's actions show that they were not struggling with their life. The second line from the same stanza also states that the grandmother died of heart failure. The cause of death is natural as it is a health condition. The grandmother's death did not involve violence or an accident. To summarize, the grandmother's life from their earlier years to their death was peaceful. Thus, people consider it sweet. 

4. Was the narrator a real viuda? Why, or why not?

    Simply put, no, the narrator was not a real viuda. The narrator explains early in the poem that their husband is not dead. In the first stanza, the statement, "but I have not buried my husband," is evidence of the husband's living state. In the same stanza, the narrator also added that she does not want her husband to be dead. On the contrary, the author did compare herself to a widow in the first line of the final stanza. The narrator compared her life to a widow's life. Thus, the narrator said that she was a widow. Still, the truth prevails. And the truth is that the narrator is not a real viuda. 

Essay Question for “All these Fighting Cocks”

    The text entitled "All these Fighting Cocks" is written by the esteemed Reil Benedict Obinque. This literary criticism will be using gender criticism as an approach. The text begins with stereotypical gender roles of men and women. Men are expected to be aggressive, strong, and bold, and women are expected to be patient, understanding, and caring. The author conveys how men usually do not follow orders from women, as they are used to being the ones giving orders. The personality trait of the husband is what society would expect, high self-confidence even with a poisonous background. Likewise, the domestic character of the husband shows traditional masculinity, as the public would agree. Men do none of the cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. 

    The first paragraph shows how men do not have remorse for being stubborn and unaccountable for damaging actions. The readers can see the evidence of that claim in the first paragraph, where the husband arrives late at night, steal and lose their family savings, and ignore the family's condition. The second paragraph conveys how the husband maintains harmful gender roles by being stubborn and showing indifference to the wife's emotions. The third paragraph shows a higher level of masculinity, a more poisonous one. The readers can see how the husband would resort to violence, e.g., slapping his wife. The second half of the fourth paragraph up until the last paragraph shows how the man lost control over his family. He was disoriented and kept in the dark—the husband's situation show where men usually are not placed. 

    Furthermore, the wife in the text was also subjected to conventional roles implemented by the public; her personality trait is accomodating and emotional, and cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children is her role in the household. Society expects women to be gentle, understanding, and patient. Women ignore men's wrongdoings as they are used to thinking their concerns and needs are less significant than men's. This mentality roots in the gender roles imposed by society. 

    The first paragraph shows how patient and understanding women could be of their husband's actions. The readers can see the wife understanding the husband's late-night arrivals, stolen and lost family savings, and neglect of their family. However, the text interchanged the roles of the wife and husband after the first paragraph. The woman recognized her husband's incompetence, so she broke gender roles and made herself more assertive and aggressive. The readers can see the woman's transformation in the second up to the final paragraph. The woman pierced the claws of the fighting cocks, tied her husband around a beam on the ceiling, made her husband strain his arm, hid her husband's whereabouts from his kumpare, and cooked the fighting cocks. Society would be furious with the wife's actions as they do not expect women to be violent. Nevertheless, the text shows how powerful, bold, and pitiless women could be if people continuously disrespect them, which is why people should respect others, regardless of gender.