Literary Works
Literary Works
Literary Works
Francisco Arcellana
Francisco Arcellana is a Filipino teacher and a contemporary writer. He is one of the prominent Filipino
fictionists in English.
He is known for innovating and exploring new literary forms and experimenting with different techniques in
short story writing.
He was a member of the group The Veronicans, which was composed of influential Filipino writers who aimed
to use sensible literature in order to create a greater impact on the Philippines.
He was also the first director of the University of the Philippines Creative Writing Center.
Some of his well-known literary works are the short stories "The Man Who Would Be Poe," "Death in a
Factory," "A Clown Remembers," "The Mats," and "Lina."
In 1990, he was awarded as the National Artist for Literature.
His short stories "Flowers of May," "Christmas Gift," and "The Mats," were adapted as screenplays.
Analyzing a writer's literary works will help in identifying his contributions to Philippine literature.
Example:
Below are details regarding Francisco Arcellana's "The Mats."
a. Setting
The short story is set in the afternoon until evening at the house of the Angeles family.
b. Plot
Exposition
Mr. Angeles comes from a periodic inspection trip in Mariveles. During the trip, he writes to his family and gets
them excited about the exceptionally beautiful and colorful mats he bought from an artist.
Rising Action
Upon arriving, he gives the mats one by one to his children. Each mat is woven with his child’s name and
symbols. They are all happy to receive the mats.
Climax
There are three mats that are to be unfolded. In a loud voice, he offers the three mats to his dead children
named Josefina, Victoria, and Concepcion.
Falling Action
Nana Emilia, anguished, said he should not have bought mats for them, but Mr. Angeles insists that they must
be remembered.
Conclusion
The children feel the tension and see the grief in the face of Mr. Angeles and the sadness of Nana Emilia. The
father unfolds the three mats in silence.
c. Theme
Coping with the death of a loved one is a struggle. Commemorating his or her life is painful, but it must be
faced with courage and faith.
Explanation:
Francisco Arcellana presented the story using a distinct style. He focused on the characters' actions and
dialogues to reveal the innermost feelings and motives of the characters, which set the dramatic tone of the
short story.
Summary
Francisco Arcellana is a Filipino fictionist who demonstrated his craftsmanship in writing great literary pieces such as
"The Mats," a story that highlights Filipino family values and pictures an interesting character coping with the death of
loved ones. In this short story, he uses writing techniques such as emphasizing the characters’ actions and dialogues to
reveal their inner motives and emotions.
Life and Works of Nestor Vicente Madali (N.V.M.) Gonzalez
N.V.M. Gonzalez
Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez is an award-winning Filipino poet, essayist, fictionist, journalist, editor, and
teacher of creative writing.
He is the first president of the Philippine Writers’ Association.
He is also honored as one of the great Filipino writers who advanced literary traditions and culture.
He was a recipient of the following awards: The Republic Cultural Heritage Award, the Jose Rizal Pro-Patria
Award, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, and the National Artist Award for Literature in 1997.
Some of his published works are Seven Hills Away (1947), Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other
Stories (1954), and The Bamboo Dancers (1949), which appeared in Russian translation in 1965 and 1974.
Seven Hills Away is a collection of short stories that sketch the daily lives of the Filipino kaingeros in his
hometown province, Mindoro.
The Bamboo Dancers is a diasporic novel that features the challenges faced by Filipinos in America.
arefully analyzing the works of a writer will help in determining what his works have contributed to literature.
Example:
"Children of the Ash-Covered Loam" is a short story that depicts Filipino family practices and beliefs in a rural setting.
a. Setting
The story is set in a provincial place where kaingin is a common practice.
b. Plot
Exposition
The story begins one sunny afternoon when Tarang’s father arrives with a pig to be taken care of by Tarang, a
seven-year-old boy.
Rising Action
Tia Orang, an old midwife, sees Tarang and tells him to inform his mother of her passing by.
Climax
Tatay and Nanay, Tarang’s parents, together with their neighbors are all set for performing religious rites
after kaingin (burning of trees). They believe that these practices will take away all evil spirits and will give
them a bountiful harvest. Tatay lays the pullet’s neck and lets the streaks of blood drop on the ash-covered
loam.
Falling Action
After the clearing of the land, Tia Orang visits the family and performs hilot on Nanay and tells her that she is
ready to bear a child. She also shares stories of evil ones and spirits.
Conclusion
Tarang, half-awake, hears the noise outside, gets up, and accidentally strikes a tree stump with his big toe.
The hurt does not concern him, for he is more interested in seeing how life emerge from the land as the rice
grains peek through the dirt.
c. Theme
Death forms new life. Death and new formations of life are recurring motifs in the story. When a living thing
dies, a new life emerges. The story paints a cycle of life and death for the family. The kaingin practice and the
killing of the pullet as a ritual are some forms of deaths that the family believes will bring new life like a
bountiful harvest and another child.
Explanation:
The use of words such as kaingin, hilot, Nanay, and Tatay is part of N.V.M. Gonzalez's writing style, as even his
other works showcase terms that are unique to the setting of the story. Analyzing a story will help readers see
details such as this that will give them ideas regarding the writer's contributions to Philippine literature.
N.V.M. Gonzalez is known as a local colorist writer. Local color is a literary technique that features the unique
regional traditions of people and emphasizes the ordinary events in their lives. This is used by N.V.M Gonzalez
to present the sociocultural dimensions of Filipino families and farmers in the provinces. In "Children of the
Ash-Covered Loam," words that show local color include kaingin, hilot, Nanay, and Tatay.
Life and Works of Edith L. Tiempo
Edith L. Tiempo
Edith L. Tiempo was a Filipino writer in English. She was a poet, fiction writer, and literary critic.
She was known for using intricate and witty representations to portray significant human experiences.
Some of her well known poems are "The Return," a poem that describes the characteristics of old age, "Lament
for the Littlest Fellow," a poem that presents a metaphor to describe the plight of a submissive wife under her
domineering husband, and "Bonsai," a poem that gives a look at how tangible objects could be keepers of
memories and emotions.
As a fictionist, she was known for her moral profoundness. One of her remarkable short stories, "The Black
Monkey," won third prize in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award. "The Black Monkey," which is set during the
time when guerrillas were fighting against the Japanese during World War II, narrates the tormenting
encounter of a woman with a monkey.
She also wrote the novel A Blade of Fern, which depicts the problems of Filipino miners of Nibucal in southern
Philippines.
She was awarded as the National Artist for Literature in 1999.
She founded with her husband the Silliman University National Writers Workshop, which produced great young
writers of her time.
Analyzing the literary work of a writer would help in determining what her contributions are to literature.
Example:
Below is an excerpt of Edith L. Tiempo's poem "The Return."
The Return
If the dead years could shake their skinny legs and run
As once he had circled this house in thirty counts,
he would go thru this door among those old friends and they would not shun
Him and the tales he would tell, tales that would
bear more than the spare
Testimony of willed wit and his grey hairs.
And he would live in the whispers and locked heads.
Wheeling around and around turning back was where he started:
The turn to the pasture, a swift streak under a boy’s running;
The swing, up a few times and he had all the earth he wanted;
The tower trees, and not so tall as he had
imagined;
The rocking chair on the porch, you pushed it and it started rocking,
Rocking, and abruptly stopped. He, too, stopped in the doorway, chagrined.
He would go among them but he would not tell, he could be smart,
He, an old man cracking the bones of his embarrassment apart.
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these works has permission from their authors and this effort is ongoing. Should you have concerns regarding
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please let us know immediately.
Explanation:
Old age is the subject of the given poem. This poem describes the life of an old man who loved to travel in his youth.
The phrases dead years, skinny legs, and thirty counts denote the physical weakness and isolation that the old man
feels. The old man wants to visit his friends to bond with them and share to them his travel stories and experiences.
Hopelessly, he sees only the things associated with old age: irritability and illness, rocking chair, pasture, and the tower
tree.
Author’s Style
Edith L. Tiempo used a very contemplative style in writing the poem "The Return." The theme and the subject of the
poem are very serious. Her narrative tone and vivid visual imagery allow readers to think deeply about old age and
evoke emotions of nostalgia and sadness from the old man’s perspective.
Edith L. Tiempo is one of the foremost Filipino contemporary writers in English who is known for her style and
substance. Her language is considered descriptive but without scrupulous detailing. Her literary works are hailed for
their artistic representation of significant human experiences.
Almario, together with poets Rogelio Mangahas and Lamberto E. Antonio, pioneered the second modernist movement
in Filipino poetry. In his own words, he defines modernist poetry as sparing, suggestive, and restrained in emotion; its
vocabulary and subject are immersed in the now. Among his poetry collections are Makinasyon at Ilang Tula (1968),
his very first collection; Peregrinasyon at Iba Pang Tula (1970), which won first prize in poetry in the Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards; Doktrinang Anakpawis (1979); Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo (1984); and Muli Sa Kandungan ng
Lupa (1994).
Almario’s earliest works of literary criticism were published in the Dawn, the weekly organ of the University of the East.
Some of those works were later included in Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina (1982), now considered as the first
book of literary criticism in Filipino. His other critical works include Taludtod at Talinghaga (1965), which tackles the
traditional Tagalog prosody; and Balagtasismo Versus Modernismo (1984), in which he presents the two main
directions of the Tagalog Poetry.
Almario performed significant deeds in the field of Philippine literature. He founded the Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT)
with the other poets Teo Antonio and Mike Bigornia in 1970; and the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), an
organization of poets who write in Filipino, in 1985. From 1986 to 1992, he served as chairman of the Unyon ng mga
Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL), considered to be the biggest umbrella organization of writers. From 1998 to 2001, he
served as executive director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). In 2013 he became the
chairman of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF).
Example:
High Zoociety
Ni Rio Alma
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works has permission from their authors and this effort is ongoing. Should you have concerns regarding the proper use
of these works, or if you have not received communication from us regarding this matter, please let us know
immediately.
Explanation:
The poem "High Zoociety" is part of the collection Doktrinang Anakpawis (1979). Published during the martial law
years (1972–1981), the poem and the rest of the collection are considered committed poetry, that is, of social
awareness and concern. The title is a play on the term "High Society," which refers to the rich and powerful.
"High Zoociety" has eight stanzas following this pattern of number of lines: 4-3-3-4-4-3-3-4. It uses what is called in
Tagalog poetry as "tugmang karaniwan," wherein the last word of each line has the same sound. The second, fifth,
and seventh stanzas use "tugmang patinig," wherein the last words of the lines have the same vowel wound. On the
other hand, the rest of the stanzas use "tugmang katinig," wherein the last words of the lines end in a consonant
preceded by the same vowel sound. However, the poem has no regular meter.
Key Points
Virgilio S. Almario, or Rio Alma, is a Filipino artist known for his works of modernist poetry and literary criticism on
Filipino poetry, which are valuable contributions to Philippine literature.
Humor is a literary device which aims to make the audience or readers laugh or be amused. Alejandro R. Roces
employed humor in most of his works. There are various types of humor. Some of which are exaggeration/hyperbole,
surprise, and sarcasm.
Sarcasm – is a literary device used to mock. In the story, the chicken crowed and Kiko triumphantly asked his
brother if he heard it. Kiko then mocked his brother by saying “I suppose you are going to tell me now that
hens crow and that carabaos fly.”
Exaggeration/Hyperbole – is a literary device used to make an event appear better or worse than what it really
is. In the story, Kiko’s brother shared how they were almost whipped for arguing too much.
Surprise – is a literary device commonly found in unlikely situation or an unexpected turn of events. As the
brothers ran from the mob, Kiko’s brother was convinced that the chicken was a rooster based on how it
defeated its opponent, until it laid an egg.
Summary
Alejandro R. Roces was best known for his short stories, "My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken" and "We Filipinos Are Mild
Drinkers." He employed humor in most of his works, usually tackling the Filipinos’ fascination of cockfighting.
Poetry Collections
Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (1993)
Balaybay: Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang (2002)
Critical Works
Abot Tanaw: Sulyap at Suri sa Nagbabagong Kultura at Lipunan (1987)
Writing the Nation/Pag-Akda ng Bansa (2000)
Tagalog Poetry, 1570–1898: Tradition and Influences in Its Development (2001)
Librettos
Tales of the Manuvu (1977)
Rama Hari (1980)
Sa Sariling Bayan: Apat na Dulang May Musika (2003)
Lumbera is a strong advocate of the Filipino language. According to him, the gap between the well-educated
Filipinos and the majority cannot be bridged until Filipino becomes their true lingua franca.
Lumbera has received numerous awards for his work. The most notable ones were the Special Prize from the
Palanca Awards for his poetry collection Sunog sa Lipa at Iba Pang Tula in 1975, the Ramon Magsaysay Award
for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 1993, and the Philippine Centennial Literary
Prize for Drama in 1998.
Lumbera received the title of National Artist for Literature in 2006.
A Eulogy of Roaches
by Bienvenido Lumbera
Blessed are the cockroaches.
In this country they are
the citizens who last.
They need no police
to promulgate their peace
because they tolerate
each other’s smell or greed.
Friends to dark and filth,
they do not choose their meat.
Although they neither sow
nor reap, a daily feast
is laid for them in rooms
and kitchens of their pick.
The roaches do not spin,
and neither do they weave.
But note the russet coat
the sluggards wear: clothed
at birth, roaches require
no roachy charity.
They settle where they wish
and have no rent to pay.
Eviction is a word
quite meaningless to them
who do not have to own
their dingy crack of wall.
Not knowing dearth or taxes,
they increase and multiply.
Survival is assured
even the jobless roach;
his opportunities
pile up where garbage grows.
Dying is brief and cheap
and thus cannot affright.
A whiff of toxic mist,
an agile heel, a stick
—the swift descent of pain
is also final death.
Their annals may be short,
but when the simple poor
have starved to simple death,
roaches still circulate
in cupboards of the rich,
the strong, the wise, the dead.
(Reproduced by permission of National Artist, Dr. Bienvenido S. Lumbera.)
The poet uses imagery, a literary technique in which figurative language is used to appeal to the reader’s physical
senses. An example is the poet’s description of roaches as “friends to dark and filth.”
Also, the poet uses juxtaposition, a literary technique in which two (or more) ideas are placed side by side for
comparison and contrast. In the last two stanzas, the poet draws both a comparison and a distinction between the
roaches’ life and the life of the poor: that the poor die simply of starvation, but the roaches still go on living their short
lives in the “cupboards of the rich, the strong, the wise, the dead.”
Summary
Bienvenido S. Lumbera is a poet, critic, and librettist. He has made valuable contributions in the development of
Philippine literature especially in the vernacular language. He has published works in English and Filipino and received
numerous awards including the National Artist for Literature title in 2006.