Strangers at First Sight by Nick Joaquin (Poem) - Analysis and Meaning

Strangers at First Sight is a poem by Nick Joaquin. On initial reading, the poem seems to be simple enough to understand. No fancy wordplay. No overbearing metaphors. But upon closer inspection, it's actually more vague than simple. It's written in clear and easy language but trying to decipher its meaning requires a bit of mental exercise. The poem is about falling in and out of love. It's about nurturing a relationship, seeing it dissipate, and hoping that you don't have to go through the same process again.

The title of the poem could be a playful reference to the saying "love at first sight". Come to think of it. Before lovers became lovers, they have to meet for the first time. During this first meeting, they were strangers to each other.

The poem also has a tinge of pessimism in it. The speaker's experiences with feelings and love has rendered him pessimistic. Enough to cause him to ignore everything and shut off his senses.

How could you possibly start from nothing?
And then end up as everything?

- The speaker is amazed at the power of love and feelings. Two people start out as strangers to each other. They don't know each other. They know nothing of each other. They are basically nothing of value to each other before they met. But after meeting and falling in love, they become everything to each other.

I never thought I’d feel this way again…
More like I pushed myself to never fall victim again
To this arresting feeling

- Here the speaker takes the opposite stance. In the first lines of the poem, he speaks highly of the power and beauty of love and feelings. In these next lines, he pushes back against such feelings. The only explanation to this pushback is that he had a bad experience with falling in love. He even used the word "victim". He was a victim of love, a victim of falling in love at first sight. And he doesn't plan on getting victimized again.

How ironic is it, That what I wanted to lose the most,
Is what most people long for their whole life

- Most people dream of falling in love at first sight. Of finding the one. But the speaker wants the opposite. He doesn't want fall in love again with a stranger only to see it disappear again.

I don’t know what to do,
Guess I’ll just ignore everything again,
Time to shut my senses to all the assaults that the world has to offer…
After all, I’ve suppressed everything so far
What’s one more to add?

- Here the speaker meets a problem. Going against your feelings is a lost cause. If you meet someone and you like her, there's not much that you can do to stop yourself from loving her. This is why the speaker laments not knowing what to do. He thinks of ignoring everything and shutting his senses. He comforts himself by reminding himself that he has suppressed everything so far.

This is definitely a poem that can be open to varying interpretations especially the last five lines. But the overall theme of the poem is on the power of feelings and the consequences of these feelings.

Games by Noelle Q. De Jesus (Short Story) - Summary and Analysis

Games is a short story by Noelle Q. De Jesus. It's a very brief piece. Just a dozen or so paragraphs. As the title of the story suggests, it's about the games a girl plays with her lover. The characters in the story weren't given names so let's call the female character Girl and her male lover Boy.

Girl likes playing games with Boy. She would regularly call Boy at the office where he works. She never gives her real name when someone picks up the phone. She would simply say that she is calling to talk to Boy. If the person who answered the phone asks who's calling, Girl would invent a name - Tina, Fannie, Malou, Carla, Sharon, etc. She would also invent accents to hide her identity. She lowers or heightens the pitch of her voice if it needs be.

She enjoys playing the game. She thinks it's fun. And her lover seems to not mind. He would answer the phone and they would talk. After the day's work, the two lovers would cuddle at home.

Eventually, there came a time when Girl stopped playing the game. One day, the lovers had a fight. The next day, feeling guilty and realizing that she was in the wrong, Girl called Boy at the office to apologize. As usual, she used one of her invented names when someone answered the phone. When Boy got on the phone and referred to her using her invented name, she was taken aback. It struck her that it's not right to be using a fake name when trying to seriously apologize to a person. This was the last time that Girl called Boy with an invented name.

About the author - Noelle Q. De Jesus got her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Ateneo. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from from the Bowling Green State University in Ohio, United States. In 1995, De Jesus won second prize in the Short Story category at the Palanca Awards for her story Blood.

Here's a short excerpt from the story:

And there was no picture in her mind as she breathed anxiously. Waiting for him to come to the telephone, nothing compared to her even when she heard the voice say, not without a teasing note. "There's a Beth on the line for you." No, she had been thinking about the words she say, how she was sorry, how she had been silly to feel so badly and how she loved him. She had been thinking that it was right to call him this way, in the morning. It was right to take just two minutes to make it better, so they would feel wonderful again and things could go back to they way they were.

Pedagogic by Cirilo F. Bautista (Poem) - Analysis and Meaning

I walked towards the falling woods
to teach the trees all that I could
of time and birth, the language of men,
the virtues of hate and loving.
They stood with their fingers flaming,
Listened to me with a serious mien:
I knew the footnotes, all the text,
my words were precise and correct-
I was sure that they were learning-
till one tree spoke, speaking in dolor,
to ask why I never changed color.

Analysis and Meaning

Merriam-Webster defines the word pedagogic as "of, relating to, or befitting a teacher or education". You can replace the title of the poem with this exact definition and it will make complete sense. The speaker in the poem is a teacher, an educator tasked with imparting knowledge to the less knowledgeable and the less experienced. The speaker is passionate about teaching. That's why he's always walking towards the "falling woods". The "falling woods" here is a metaphor. The "woods" can be a country, a population, or a citizenry. The trees in the poem is a metaphor for the people. By "falling", the speaker means that the people are intellectually dying. The people are either not getting the education they need/deserve or their their mental capabilities are waning.

So the speaker walks towards them. To teach them. To impart knowledge upon them. "Time and birth" can be a metaphor for history and fields of study like anthropology, archaeology, evolutionary biology, etc. "The language of men" can be a metaphor for literature and linguistics. "The virtues of hate and loving" can be a metaphor for philosophy and logic.

"Fingers flaming" means that the trees are starting to burn and it's just a matter of time before they start falling down. People are becoming more and more ignorant and it's the teacher's duty to help ensure that this doesn't happen. So the teacher teaches them everything - text and footnotes, and all. Precise and capable, the teacher thinks his lessons are getting through to his students. But he soon realizes that he was wrong. Instead of learning from him, his students are questioning him instead.

The phrase "speaking in dolor" plays a very important role in this poem. "Dolor" is a state of great sorrow and distress. The students are distressed about being taught. So what do they do? They rebel against their teacher. With that said, this poem can be interpreted as not just about the dying of education and the rise of ignorance, but also about close-mindedness or anti-intellectualism. Some people prefer being ignorant as opposed to having their eyes and ears opened.

Oras de Peligro: an Upcoming Movie by Director Joel Lamangan

Oras de Peligro is an upcoming movie by Filipino director Joel Lamangan (Rainbow's Sunset, Siphayo, The Bride and the Lover, Migrante, Desperadas). The film was written by Eric Ramos and Bonifacio Ilagan. It's to be produced by Bagong Siklab Productions. The film will follow a documentary-drama style wherein historical and archival footages are combined with dramatization. The film is about the experiences of a poor urban family during the final days of the Marcos dictatorship. 

Bonifacio Ilagan, one of the writers of the film, is a Martial Law survivor. Ilagan and Lamangan have worked together in the past for multiple film and media projects. He is the elder brother of Rizalina Ilagan, an activist who was abducted in 1977. She was never seen again. 

Serving as a backdrop for the film is the EDSA People Power Revolution. According to Lamangan, the movie is a conscious effort to help fight disinformation and historical distortion in the Philippines. The film will directly address the lies that Marcos propagandists and loyalists have been trying to embed into Philippine society for decades.

A press/story conference for the film was held on October 23, 2022. 

A prolific director who made his first film in 1991, Lamangan is most well-known for his award-winning films which include The Flor Contemplacion Story, Sidhi, Deathrow, Hubog, Aishte Imasu 1941, Blue Moon, and Mano Po.

Cast:

- Cherie Pie Picache
- Allen Dizon
- Mae Paner
- Nor Domingo

- Therese Malvar

- Dave Bornea

- Gerald Santos

- Carlos Dala

- Felixia Dizon

- Jim Pebanco

- Nanding Joseph

- Apollo Abraham

- Marcus Madrigal

- Rico Barrera

- Elora Espano

Sadness by Bienvenido Lumbera (Poem) - Analysis and Meaning

Sweet little songs I make,
Tunes so pure and full of love.
When lovers are timid and mute,
I give them voice, I make them bold.
Once I bid a word to come
And help me put together a poem.
From far and near, from wherever,
The word brought the poem warmth.
Each word I painstakingly refine,
And I wash the impoverished tongue.
I soothe and salve the cry of pain,
I banish any trace of tears.
But sadness I cannot send away—
Its little waves lap and leave,
Lap and leave the shore of the heart,
This moment a whisper, next a storm.

Analysis and Meaning

This poem is about the power that sadness can hold over someone's heart and mind. Sadness can grip you so tight that there's nothing you can do but submit to it. All you can muster is wait for it to fade away and leave you alone. It follows that the poem is also about man's utter inability to deal with sadness. The reason why we always choose to submit to sadness is that there's very little we can do to prevent its onslaught. If you're sad, you're sad. You simply ride the wave and wait.

Lumbera applies analogies and metaphors in driving his message across. Singers can compose beautiful songs that can awaken timid and mute lovers. When listening to these songs, these lovers find their voice. The songs embolden them. Poets accomplish the same thing. They write poems that hit people's hearts and minds and give them warmth and feelings sof euphoria. Beautiful songs and lovely poems can erase pain and banish tears.

But sadness is a completely different monster. There's not much that poems and songs can do to banish sadness. In the poem, Lumbera describes sadness as waves that lap and leave the heart. One second, it's a little wave. The next second it's a tsunami. And most of the time, the heart isn't prepared for it.

This is a very lovely and sentimental poem. It's no wonder that some readers find it cheesy and corny. It's a great poem to read when you are sad. When you are lonely. Or when you are at the beach. Watch the waves as you contemplate Lumbera comparing waves of sadness to waves in the seashore.

Other poems by Bienvenido Lumbera: A Eulogy of Roaches, Servant, Ka Bel

Mt. Lambi in Barangay Kayapa in Bakun, Benguet

Mt. Lambi is a mountain located within the vicinity of barangay Kayapa in the town of Bakun in Benguet. In 2022, the tourism council of the town started exploring the site for potential opening as a tourist destination. 

In August of 2022, the town posted a drone video of the mountain on their official Facebook page with the following caption: "Mt. Lambi, one of the proposed tourist attractions of Barangay Kayapa, Bakun, Benguet. It will soon be opened to tourists once the trail from sitio Nalbo to Nagawa will be cleared or established."

Kayapa is one of the seven barangays of Bakun. The other six are Ampusongan, Bagui, Dalipey, Gambng, Poblacion, and Sinacbat.

The town is already home to several tourist destinations, mostly for hikers and trekkers looking for a mountain to climb. Located in barangay Poblacion are Mt. Kabunian and Mt. Lubo. Located in barangay Sinacbat is Mt. Tenglawan.

Bakun is also home to several waterfalls - Tekip, Mangta, Pattan, Sakup, Pikaw, Tres Marias, and Beey Manok. 

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” - Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Ka Bel by Bienvenido Lumbera (Poem)

Ka Bel is a poem written in the Filipino language by Bienvenido Lumbera. It's one of Lumbera's most well-known and most studied poems. It's often taught on poetry and literature classes in the Philippines.

Ang lider ay isang sangkap lamang ng tagumpay,
Ang masa ang siyang tunay na mapagpasiya.
Maraming beses na nating sinabi sa kanila,
Subalit makunat talaga ang kanilang utak,
Ayaw nang talaban ng ating katotohanan.
Iligpit ang lider at tuluyang mawawasak
Ang rebolusyong binabalak, iyan lamang
Ang kaya nilang paniwalaan.

Ulianin ang katarungang atas ng Malakanyang,
Dinaklot ng batas na walang kinamuwangan
Ang lider ng Anakpawis, di-umano’y imbitasyong lang,
Proklamasyon 1017 ang mahigpit na dahilan.
Nang maikandado ang seldang kulungan,
Inakala nilang nalumpo na ang himagsikan,
Kaliweteng party-list di na makagagalaw.

Subalit ang mga manggagawa, lahat ng anakpawis
Na walang pangalan sa mga pabrika at lansangan,
Ang mga pagtutol na isinisigaw, ang pagkakabigkis
Lalong tumitibay—Palayain si Crispin Beltran!
Ang masa, ang masa, pag nabuksan ang isipan,
Uugit ng landas tungo sa kalayaan.
Diwa ni Ka Bel di kayang ihiwalay ng rehas na bakal
Sa sambayang kanyang pinaglingkuran,
Naging sinag ng araw na tumimo sa kamalayan,
At ngayo’y liwanag na nagpupumiglas
Sa dilim at dagim na isinasabog ng Malakanyang.
Loob nati’y tibayan, likumin ang kaliwanagan,
Bukang-liwayway ng ating paglaya’y
Hinding-hindi na mapipigilan!

Other poems by Bienvenido Lumbera worth reading: Servant, A Eulogy of Roaches

Palanca Awards 2022 List of Winners

The Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature is the most influential awards program that recognizes writers in the Philippines. It's at the top when it comes to prestige. It's basically the Philippine version of the Pulitzer Prize. Writers who snag a Palanca award usually experience a boost in their writing career and an improved status within the Philippine literary community. The awards program was established in 1950 in memory of Don Carlos Palanca, a prominent businessman and philanthropist. Palanca died on September 2, 1950.

The 70th CPMA ceremony will be held at 6:00 o’clock on the evening of November 25, 2022. Venue will be at the CP Excelsior Executive Lounge in Legaspi Village, Makati.

Below is the Palanca Awards 2022 list of winners. We will be updating this list as more winners are announced:

I. Short Story - 

1st Prize - "Ceferina in Apartment 2G" by Ian Rosales Casocot

2nd Prize - "Ardor" by Exie Abola

3rd Prize - "The Money Changer" by Hammed Bolotaolo

II. Short Story for Children -

1st Prize - No Winner

2nd Prize - "Cloud Keeper" by Elyrah L. Salanga-Torralba

3rd Prize -"My Grandma Who Lives in Half a House" by Heather Ann Ferrer Pulido

 
III. Essay -

1st Prize - "Letter from Tawi-Tawi" by Alfonso Tomas P. Araullo

2nd Prize - "Filipino Millennial Monomyth" by Michaela Sarah De Leon

3rd Prize - "The Helmsman's Daughter" by Alexandra Francesca A. Bichara

 
IV. Poetry -

1st Prize - "Bol-anon Prodigal" by Ramil Digal Gulle

2nd Prize - "A Few Dawns from Now, a Sunfish" by  Soleil David

3rd Prize - "The Blueline" by Lawrence Anthony R. Bernabe

 
V. Poetry Written for Children -

1st Prize - "An Empty Chair in the Corner" by Elyrah L. Salanga-Torralba

2nd Prize - "Picnic, Symphony and Other Concepts a 4th Grader Needs to Know" by Peter Solis Nery

3rd Prize - No Winner 

 
VI. One-act Play -

1st Prize - "The Cave Dwellers" by Ronald S. Covar

2nd Prize - "Salvaged Eman" by Bonifacio P. Ilagan

3rd Prize - "Agencia Feliz" by Maria Kristine B. Roxas-Miller

 
VII. Full-Length Play -

1st Prize - "Orgullo Compound" by Layeta P. Bucoy

2nd Prize - "Black Bordello" by Jay Mariano Crisostomo IV

3rd Prize - "The Lost Filipino Patriots of America" by Dustin Edward D. Celestino 

3rd Prize - "The Lost Filipino Patriots of America" by Dustin Edward D. Celestino

 
VIII. Maikling Kuwento -

1st Prize - "Ang Value ng X Kapag Choppy Si Mam" by Charmaine M. Lasar

2nd Prize - "Barangay Alitaptap" by Abby Pariente

3rd Prize - "Kung sa Bawat Pagtawag ay Pagtawid sa Dagat" by Alec Joshua B. Paradeza

 
IX. Maikling Kuwentong Pambata -

1st Prize - "Si Veraptori Laban Kay Trolakuz" by Mark Norman S. Boquiren

2nd Prize - "Balong Batsit, ang Bidang Bulilit at Bayaning Bulinggit" by Wilfredo Farrales Sarangaya

3rd Prize - "Marisol Para Kay Lola Sol" by Benedick N. Damaso

 
X. Sanaysay -

1st Prize - "Kung Magkapalad Ka't Mangmang" by Venice Kayla Dacanay Delica

2md Prize - "Tatlong Pancit Canton" by Jhon Lester P. Sandigan

3rd Prize - "Isang Dekadang Kontrata sa Piling ng mga Mikrobyo" by Nathaniel R. Alcantara

XI. Tula -

1st Prize - "Uyayi ng mga Patay na Buwan" by Ralph Lorenz G. Fonte

2nd Prize - "Pintula" by Enrique S. Villasis

3rd Prize - "Mga Anino sa Guhoat Iba Pang mga Tula" by Sonny C. Sendon

XII. Tula Para sa mga Bata -

1st Prize - "Tula, Tula, Paano ka Ginawa" by Christian R. Vallez

2nd Prize - "Ale Bangbang" by Rebecca T. Anonuevo

3rd Prize - "Mga Pahina sa Alaala ng Nanay" by Ninia H. dela Cruz

XIII. Dulang May Isang Yugto -

1st Prize - "Punks Not Dead" by Andrew Bonifacio L. Clete

2nd Prize - "Dance of the Foolies" by Layeta P. Bucoy

3rd Prize - "Huling Haraya Nina Ischia at Emeteria" by Ryan Machado

 
XIV. Dulang Ganap ang Haba -

1st Prize - "Mga Silid ng Unos: Tomo Uno" by Joshua Lim So

2nd Prize - "Anak Datu" by Rodolfo C. Vera

3rd Prize - "Badung" by Steven Prince C. Fernandez 

 
XV. Dulang Pampelikula -

1st prize - "Amoy Pulbos" by Avelino Mark C. Balmes Jr.

2nd Prize - "DOS" by Noreen Besmar Capili

3rd prize - "Ang Pananalangin sa Getsemani" by Ehdison M. Dimen 

 
XVI. Short Story (Cebuano) -

1st Prize - "Barang" by Noel P. Tuazon

2nd Prize - "Ikigai" by Manu Avenido

3rd Prize - "John Wayne ug ang Goldfish kong Inahan" by Januar E. Yap

 
XVII. Short Story (Hiligaynon) -

1st Prize - "Ang Macatol Kag Ang 'Queen of Relief'" by Peter Solis Nery

2nd Prize - "Malipayun nga Katapusan" by Early Sol A. Gadong

3rd Prize -"Esperanza" by Ritchie D. Pagunsan

 
XVIII. Short Story (Ilokano) -

1st Prize - "Ti Kimat Ken Ti Silag" by Oswald Ancheta Valente

2nd Prize - "Ti Ubing" by Remedios S. Tabelisma-Aguillon

3rd Prize - "Karton" by Rodolfo Agatep Jr.

 
XIX. Kabataan Essay (Theme: “Life in the Midst of the Pandemic and Coping in the New Normal”) -

1st Prize - "Home is a Bowl of Warm Soup" by Glorious Savannah Exylin C. Alesna

2nd Prize - "Covid-19 is My Alter Ego" by Jenine A. Santos

3rd Prize - "The Social Pandemic" by Gavin Micah T. Herrera

XX. Kabataan Sanaysay (Theme: “Buhay sa Gitna ng Pandemya at Pagharap sa ‘New Normal’”) -

1st Prize - "Pamimintana" by Glorious Savannah Exylin C. Alesna

2nd Prize - "Ang Larong Naipanalo Ko" by Hansly Kendrich Cheng Saw

3rd Prize - "Mga Bantas ang Nagsilbi Kong Guro" by John Clarence D. Espedido

XXI. Novel

Grand Prize - "Bittersweetland" by Raymundo T. Pandan Jr.

Special Prize - "1762" by Alvin Dela Serna Lopez

XXII. Nobela

Grand Prize (Pangunahing Gantimpala) - "ANTIMARCOS" by Khavn

Special Prize (Natatanging Gantimpala) - "Teorya ng Unang Panahon" by Edgar Calabia Samar

NOTE: For those who want to help us in updating this list, kindly send us an email at filipinofreelancewriter@gmail.com or message us on our Facebook page: The Filipino Writer. 

Servant by Bienvenido Lumbera (Poem) - Analysis, Meaning

On the shut door of the mind
We knock, we of soul and body torn;
We who serve and are ignored,
Broken into pieces to be of use.
Our heads nod, our arms lift,
Our feet are quick, our faces turn:
We scatter our parts to the beck
And call of those higher than us.
Deep within, we have a name,
A story to tell. Against a harsh life
We’ve put up a fight, only
To end up with a servant’s life.
We serve the strong, we are
Feet and arms wanting to climb,
Heads and faces used to fool the law,
Will we be whole again tomorrow?
Up ahead the new day shines,
The change-of-fate we seek—
Then we shall rise again,
With our names and bodies back.

Anaylysis and Meaning:

This is a poem that laments the great divide between those who serve and those who are served. The great divide between the poor and the rich. The great divide between the corrupted and those who corrupt them. The great divide between the common folk and the elite. The great divide between the powerless and the powerful. The great divide between those born in the stinking slums and those born with silver spoons.

The speaker cries of the harshness of living as a lower being. Of belonging to a lower societal class. Servants serve while being ignored. Broken and grounded, servants give their body and soul to their masters. They have no choice but perform their master's instructions. They nod if they have to. They lift their hands if they have to. Their feet are always ready to move and their faces are always ready to turn should their masters tell them to.

Making matters worse is that servants have no choice but call on their masters. They depend on their masters for almost everything. This further strengthens the hold that their masters have over them.

Servants have names. They have life stories. They have feelings. They have ambitions. But all of these almost mean nothing because they are enslaved by their masters, physically and mentally. It's a very harsh life that involves fighting for existence and recognition every single day.

Everything is stacked against the servant. What are the odds that the servant can get out of his predicament? The speaker in the poem asks: "Will we be whole again tomorrow?" The speaker answers his own question with the suggestion that there is indeed hope. "Up ahead the new day shines," he exclaims. It's possible. The fates of servants can change. They can hope for something better. And to achieve that, they have to rise. They have to rise with the intention of getting their "names and bodies back."

The word "rise" in the poem is a metaphor for revolution. It could be a personal revolution (improving your status in your community) or a national revolution (political revolution).

Other poems by Bienvenido Lumbera worth reading: Ka Bel, A Eulogy of Roaches, 

Was Nick Joaquin Known as Doveglion?

The short answer is no. Nick Joaquin did not use Doveglion as a pen name. Doveglion is the pen name of another well-known and influential Filipino writer and poet. That would be Jose Garcia Villa. Villa used Doveglion as a pen name and explained that it was a combination of the three words dove, eagle, and lion. According to Villa, these three animals/creatures (which has appeared in some of his works) represent his personality. Even the great American poet e.e. cummings has written and dedicated a poem to Villa using the pen name. What was the poem called? The poem was called "Doveglion, Adventures in Value."

In 2008, Penguin published a selected collection of Jose Garcia Villa's most famous and influential poems. The book was titled Doveglion: Collected Poems. The book was referred to as a centennial edition because it was published on Villa's centennial year. The collection contained an introduction by Luis H. Francia and it was edited by John Edwin Cowen.

Nick Joaquin has also used a pen name in some of his works. He used the pen name Quijano de Manila. This pen name was supposed to be an anagram of Nick Joaquin's family name. He mostly used this pen name in his essays and columns for various publications. He used to write weekly for the Philippines Free Press. 

Stories by Nick Joaquin that you should read include Candido's Apocalypse, The Order of Melkizedek, Dona Jeronima, Guardia de Honor, The Woman Who Had Two Navels, May Day Eve, The Summer Solstice, The Mass of St. Sylvestre, The Legend of the Dying Wanton, and Three Generations.

A Eulogy of Roaches by Bienvenido Lumbera (Poem) - Summary, Meaning, Analysis

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.

Summary, Meaning, Analysis:

This is a politically-charged poem which should not come as a surprise to you if you are familiar with Bienvenido Lumbera and his body of work. Lumbera's written works are often described as "nationalist writing" and A Eulogy of Roaches is a perfect example. Lumbera wrote to scream against unfairness, injustice, brutality, and incompetence. He was among the many literary artists who were arrested and jailed during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. If you sense a lot of angst in this poem and in his other works, you know why.

This poem is a direct indictment of the greed and corruption that is rampant in Philippine society. Lumbera is directing his ammunition here towards the greedy rich folks and corrupt politicians. To Lumbera, these shady characters are nothing but opportunistic cockroaches. Pests who exploit the poor, the illiterate, and the gullible.

The poet provides several examples of unfair privileges that the rich and the corrupt enjoy. They are untouchable by the police because they tolerate each other's corrupt practices. They don't work, they don't plant the fields, they don't raise livestock. But when the time to eat comes, they can choose whatever they want to eat. There's always a feast in front of them. They do not spin yarn nor weave textile. But they are always wearing the best clothes. They can live wherever they want because they don't have to pay rent. They don't have to live in fear because they are immune to eviction. They survive even if they don't hold jobs because there will always be poor and gullible people for them to exploit.

Lumbera lived through the 60's, 70's, and 80's and so he saw with his own eyes and experienced with his own skin the injustices and corruption under the Marcos regime. Remember that he was thrown into jail by the regime. So this poem is him making his case against all the injustices and corruption he has witnessed. There's a line in the poem that goes "they tolerate each other's smell or greed". He is probably referring to cronies here. Cronyism was very rampant during the Marcos years. Businessmen and politicians working together to exploit the country and its poor people.

In conclusion, this poem is a protest poem. It's a literary piece coming from an activist. An activist who has seen and experienced injustice and suffering.

Bonsai by Edith L. Tiempo (Poem) - Analysis, Meaning, Theme, Moral Lesson

All that I love
I fold over once
And once again
And keep in a box
Or a slit in a hollow post
Or in my shoe

All that I love?

Why, yes but for the moment-
And for all time, both.
Something that folds and keeps easy,
Son’s note, or Dad’s one gaudy tie,
A roto picture of a young queen
A blue Indian shawl, even
A money bill.

It’s utter sublimation,
A feat, this heart’s control
Moment to moment
To scale all love down
To a cupped hand’s size.

Till seashells are broken pieces
From God’s own bright teeth,
All life and love are real
Things you can run and
Breathless hand over
To the merest child

Analysis and Meaning:

The poem is about the human capacity for memory-keeping by collecting keepsakes. Nurturing great memories is the main theme of the poem. The poem is about the art of remembering and the joy of collecting things that remind us of a memorable happening in the past. The speaker begins by saying that she collects keepsakes in a box, in a hollow post, or in her shoe. This is not a metaphor. She's being literal here. She's talking about real boxes, real hollow posts, and real shoes.

In the next several lines, the speaker provides examples of the things she collects as keepsakes - her son's letter, her father's necktie, a roto picture, an Indian shawl, and a money bill.

In lines 15-19, the speaker gushes in amazement at the heart's capability to scale down love and all the memories attached to it to the size of a "cupped hand". As an example, let's take into account the "son's letter" that was mentioned by the speaker earlier in the poem. This single letter means a lot to the speaker. We may not know what it contains but it's likely that it's brimming with so much love. Enough reason for the speaker to keep the letter in a box. According to the speaker, it's amazing to think that all the love and all the memories between mother and son can bre represented by one single letter. How can so much love and memories fit in a "cupped hand's size"?

In the final stanza, the speaker proclaims that this practice of collecting memories and keepsakes will be with humankind until the end of time. Life and love can be scaled down to something very simple like a letter, a picture, or a shawl. Something so simple that you can without remorse, hand over to a child nearby.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Why did the poet title her poem "Bonsai"? Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing miniature trees in pots. The poet used it in her poem as a metaphor for the human capacity of keeping and nurturing memories through tiny keepsakes. Bonsai is the art of shrinking trees. Collecting keepsakes is the art of shrinking love, life, and memories. For example, the letter that the speaker keeps in a box is a miniature version of the love and memories she and her son has for each other.

2. What does the line "Till seashells are broken pieces, From God’s own bright teeth" mean? I think she's talking about the end of mankind, the end of Earth. Science has come to the conclusion that the solar system which includes the earth will end when the sun exhausts its source of energy and dies. The poet could be referring to the sun as "God's own bright teeth". When the sun dies, it will explode. That should burn and break down all seashells on any shore.

2. What's the moral lesson in the poem? Bonsai is one of those poems where there isn't a moral lesson. There is no need for one. So you shouldn't be looking for one. The poem simply projects the poet reflecting on one of the most important aspects of being human - the ability to gather memories and keep them fresh in the mind and heart by collecting keepsakes to represent them.

Other poems by Edith L. Tiempo: Lament for the Littlest Fellow, 

Coñotations by Paolo Manalo (Poem) - Analysis

1. I’m like tripping right now I have suitcase fever.
2. Dude, man, pare, three people can be the same.
3. Except he’s not who he says he is, pare. He’s a sneeze with Chinese blood: Ha Ching!
4. Naman, it’s like our Tagalog accent, so they won’t think we’re all airs; so much weight it means nothing naman.
5. Dude, man, pare, at the next stop we’ll make buwelta. So they can see we know how to look where we came from.
6. It’s hirap kaya to find a connection. Who ba’s puwede to be our guide?
7. Dude, man, can you make this areglo naman?
8. Make it pabalot kaya in the mall. So they can’t guess what you’re thinking. That’s what I call a package deal.
9. Who says ’coz should be shot.
10. Only kolehiyalas make tusok the fishballs. Us guys, dude, pare, we make them tuhog.
11. Talaga, she said she’d sleep with you? Naman pare, when she says talaga, it means she’s lying.
12. Hey, wala namang like that-an.

Analysis, Meaning, Critique:

Coñotations is a poem that appeared in Jolography, a poem collection by Paolo Manalo that was published in 2003 by the University of the Philippines Press. It's a poem that copies the form and style of a listicle. A listicle is an article that lists things. Here's a few examples of listicle article titles:

- The 101 Greatest Novels of All Time
- 7 Things You Should Never Say in a Romantic Date
- 15 Reasons Why You Should Leave the Philippines and Live Somewhere Else

Listicles have become very popular online and majority of online media outlets use them for their articles. You could say that Paolo Manolo used the same format to craft his poem Coñotations. Whether he did it this way intentionally or otherwise, the fact remains that the poem has the form and style of a listicle. It's basically a listicle in poem form.

Manalo invented a new word - coñotations - which is the title of the poem. It's the offspring of two words that Manalo forced into marriage. Conyo and connotations. Conyo is a label used to tag Filipinos who speak Tagalog-English. It's also used to refer to the "kind of speech" produced when someone speaks in Tagalog-English. It's often called conyo talk or conyo speak. Conyo or conyo talk is also attached to a stereotype - those who speak conyo are people from the middle class and upper class in the social structure.

A key to understanding this poem is the definition of the Eglish word "connotation". The general definition for connotation is that it's "an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning." In philosophy, it's defined as "the abstract meaning or intension of a term, which forms a principle determining which objects or concepts it applies to." Read these definitions very well then go back and read the poem with these definitions in mind. You should be able to get the gist of the poem already.

In conclusion, the poem is a list of conyo talk and their hidden connotations.

Questions and Answers for Discussion:

1. What does "suitcase fever" mean? This probably means attachment. The person may be too attached to someone the way he's attached to a suitcase.
2. Are all the speakers in the poem men? It does sound like that. The words and phrases in the poem are mostly male lingo.

A Kind of Burning by Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta (Poem) - Analysis, Meaning, Critique

it is perhaps because
one way or the other
we keep this distance
closeness will tug as apart
in many directions
in absolute din
how we love the same
trivial pursuits and
insignificant gewgaws
spoken or inert
claw at the same straws
pore over the same jigsaws
trying to make heads or tails
you take the edges
i take the center
keeping fancy guard
loving beyond what is there
you sling at the stars
i bedeck the weeds
straining in song or
profanities towards some
fabled meeting apart
from what dreams read
and suns dismantle
we have been all the hapless
lovers in this wayward world
in almost all kinds of ways
except we never really meet
but for this kind of burning.

Analysis, Meaning, Critique:

If you have read other poems by Dimalanta, it should be easier for you to understand this poem. There are certain poets whose styles of writing can be used as a tool in understanding their poems. Dimalanta is one such poet. If you are familiar with her work (and her style), understanding her poems can be much easier. If it's your first time to read a Dimalanta poem (A Kind of Burning in particular), I wouldn't blame you if you think the poem is all over the place. There doesn't seem to be a coherence to it.

A Kind of Burning is a love poem. This much is true. There's no doubt about that. I sometimes joke to my students that I refer to this poem with an alternative title - "A Kind of Love". The speaker of talking about a kind of love. This is where the varied interpretations arise. What kind of love is he talking about? Some say it's about unconsummated love. Some say it's about long-distance relationships. Some say it's about an abusive relationship. Some say it's about love gone stale. Some say it's about tempered love. Some say it's about the love musings of a deranged person.

Here's my interpretation. A Kind of Burning is about guarded love. Maybe it's not all about it but it's the main foundation of the poem. In the first six lines of the poem, the speaker talks about keeping a safe distance because closeness is a destroyer of feelings. People often assume that being close keeps things together but that is not always true when it comes to love and relationships in general. Sometimes, closeness achieves the opposite. It causes people to grow farther apart from each other.

The lines from 7 to 17 tell of the things that the speaker and the other party share. Both common and uncommon things. As far as romance is concerned, they are a match. A pairing seemingly ordained by circumstances. And of course, they have their differences as well. One is slinging at the stars while the other one is content bedecking the weeds. One prefers songs, the other one prefers profanities.

The last 4 lines in the poems drive the message home that the poem is about guarded love. In most circumstances, the two parties would have been serious and passionate lovers. As I said earlier, they are a good match for each other. But as the last 2 lines explain, they meet not because they want to be lovers but to enjoy "this kind of burning". They prefer it this way. They didn't want to take what they already have any further. Why? Unfortunately, the poem ends here.

Definitions:

1. trivial - of little value or importance 

2. gewgaws - a showy thing, especially one that is useless or worthless 

3. hapless - (especially of a person) unfortunate 

4. wayward - difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior 

5. dismantle - take (a machine or structure) to pieces

Last Piece in the Puzzle of My Life by Vic P. Yambao (Poem) - Analysis, Meaning, Critique

The sweetness of your voice
Your soul-searching eyes
Throw in the smiling lips
Makes my life complete

Missing you, when you're gone
But frozen stiff
when you're around
As my worthless life
is now complete
This dream might end...
if I'll stir...

Analysis, Meaning, Critique

This poem is very straightforward. And needless to say, it's quite easy to understand. It's a love poem. A guy is basically expressing his feelings of love to a girl. The first stanza describes why the speaker is in love with the girl in the first place. She has a very sweet voice. She has beautiful soul-searching eyes. She has irresistible smiling lips. The stanza ends with the line "makes my life complete". The girl makes the speaker feel full. Seeing or being with the girl makes him feel like he has everything and that he doesn't need anything else. Anyone who has ever fallen in love with someone can understand this feeling.

Love makes you feel full. It makes you feel complete. It makes you feel like you have achieved everything. It makes you feel that you can take on the world.

The first five lines of the second stanza is a continuation of the adulations in the first stanza. Just expressions of pure love and unbridled longing.

The last two lines in the poem is where things get a bit more interesting. Unlike the rest of the poem which can be read literally, these last two lines can be approached with a few different interpretations. The keyword in these last two lines is "dream". This can be interpreted as a literal dream. The speaker is merely dreaming. Everything contained in the poem is but a dream. The girl may be real but the descriptions of the speaker being complete are but figments in the dream. This is why he's afraid and concerned that the dream will end. We all know that feeling. We are having a beautiful dream and we are scared to stir or move a muscle because we just might wake up and find out that everything was just a dream.

An alternative interpretation of the last two lines is that the speaker is not describing a literal dream. Everything about him and the girl is real and true. It's so real and true that it feels like a dream. We all know this feeling of bliss and satisfaction. In the poem, the speaker is overwhelmed by this bliss so much that he's very scared it might end. This is why he must avoid to "stir" anything at all costs. The "stir" here could be a metaphor for doing something stupid or reckless that will eventually put an end to the romantic bliss the speaker is currently experiencing.

Who Am I by Brian Joseph Sy (Poem) - Analysis, Meaning, Critique

Who am I to blindly believe that
I can become parcel of this sacred ground?
To pretend that I am a strong wind
to guide your ever sturdy wings

Who am I to change this persistent blue rain?
To pretend that I can wash the sorrows away
from your ever beating heart

Who am I to care for this mortified soul?
To pretend that sanctity ascends in my
figureless touch…

I am none. Transcending only the littlest of
existence only meager eyes could see.
In the skies I plead alms
to catch your merciful grace;
To rescue me from this lonesome cloud of misery
that I call self

I am ceaselessly yours.

Analysis, Meaning, Critique

The obvious question here is this: who is the poet speaking to? To understand this poem, you have to discern and define to whom (or to what) he's speaking to. Is he speaking to a lover? Is he speaking to a loved one who is not necessarily a lover (i.e. a son, a daughter, a friend, a neighbor)? Or is he speaking to a higher being like a god or a spiritual guide? Is he speaking to the universe at large? Or maybe he's speaking to an imagined someone or an imagined thing?

To analyze this poem, you have to start with the above question and decide for yourself to whom (or to what) the speaker/poet is speaking to. It will be a lot easier to try to understand why the poet is feeling the way he does if you have decided on who he's speaking to.

No matter how you decide who the poet is speaking to, it's obvious from the poem that the speaker feels unworthy in front of of the person or thing he's speaking to. He's speaking almost in complete shame and ends the poem with the line "I am ceaselessly yours" which is basically an proclamation of surrender.

There are several words in the poem which can be described as religious words. These words make some readers believe that the speaker in the poem is talking to a religious god. These words appear in the poem: sacred, soul, alms, merciful, grace, sanctity. These are very common words in religious parlance. So yes, maybe the narrator in the poem is speaking to a god.

Definitions:

1. mortified - subdued by self denial or discipline
2. sacred - connected with God (or the gods) or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration
3. transcend - be or go beyond the range or limits of (something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division)
4. meager - (of something provided or available) lacking in quantity or quality
5. sanctity - the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly

Shadows by Gerson M. Mallilin (Poem) - Critique, Analysis, Meaning

They are like strangers on the ground,
These shadows shy;
Walk upon them, strike them,
They never cry.

And yet within me something says
They are the hosts,
And we but strangers in a place
Whose kings are ghosts.

Analysis, Meanings, Notes:

In this poem, the poet attempts to define and understand the world of shadows. He articulates what most of us think of our shadows. Mallilin describes shadows as strangers who are shy and who never complain despite being walked upon. Describing shadows as strangers is very appropriate. They are always with us wherever we go. But they are also always nameless, formless, and devoid of any emotions.

In the second stanza, the poet puts forth the kind of feelings stirred within him by shadows. He turns upside down what he talked about in the first stanza. Instead of the shadows being the strangers, the poet thinks that we are the strangers and that shadows are our hosts. The poet imagines a parallel universe where ghosts are kings, shadows are their subjects, and people are mere strangers.

For discussion:

1. Why did the poet describe shadows as shy?
2. Do you agree that shadows never cry?
3. Do you share the poet's feeling that shadows are the hosts and that we are the strangers?

The Knockers by Gerson S. Mallilin (Poem) - Critique, Analysis, Meaning

The first one knocked
At the house with his heart,
No one heeded him
The door did not part.
And before he could think
Of knocking with stone
The life from his heart
Had flown.
The second knocked
With a piece of gold,
The door opened promptly
And someone called:
“Come in, Friend, come in
And join us here—
We welcome all callers,
Anytime of the year.”

This poem is a direct indictment of one of the saddest flaws of being a human. This flaw is the tendency of a person to be warm and welcoming to the haves while be cold and condescending to the have-nots. Mallilin frames the poem through an anecdote featuring a house and two knockers. The first person knocks with his heart but he is ignored. The door remains closed. The second person knocks and the door immediately flies open. What does this second knocker have that the door is opened for him? Gold. He has gold.

The first person knocked with his heart because it's all that he has. Although disappointed, he thinks of knocking again but it's too late. His previously warm heart has gone cold and empty. So not only did the people in the house show themselves as selfish and uncaring towards the less fortunate, they've also hardened somebody else's heart.

The poem is also a criticism on human hypocrisy. The first person who knocked was denied. The second person who knocked was allowed to enter because he had gold. The people in the house then tells the second knocker that they welcome anyone who knocked or called "anytime of the year." That's textbook hypocrisy and blatant lying. The denied the first knocker which basically debunks their claim that everyone can knock and enter.

Other poems by George S. Mallilin you can check out:

- A Distinction

A Distinction by Gerson M. Mallilin (Poem) - Notes, Critique, Analysis, Meaning

When only the brain has poetry
nothing else has;
the heart is numb with emptiness,
the eyes might as well be shrouded,
the lips yawn with the ghost of words
buried before they can become speech,
the hands are active crosses.

But when the heart has poetry everything else has;
the brain is renewed
and stirred to surpass itself,
the blood becomes a flood
of meanings and images
eyes, lips, and hands
can never
perfectly tell.

To understand this poem by Gerson M. Mallilin, one has to sit for a while and mull over the title and why the poet used such. The title is directly derived from the body of the poem. In the body of the poem, Mallilin offers his own distinction between a brain that has poetry and a heart that has poetry. The poem has two stanzas which is good and convenient for this particular poem because each stanza is devoted to a definition of "brain has poetry" and "heart has poetry".

In the poem, is Mallilin using the word "poetry" in the literal sense? Or is it used as a metaphor for something? Did Mallilin use "poetry" as a placeholder for something or some things? It's difficult to decide whether the word "poetry" is literal or metaphorical here. If you take the word literally, the poems makes sense. The word fits. If you also take it metaphorically, it also makes sense. It also fits. Maybe, this was what's intentioned by the poet. Maybe he wanted the reader to have the choice to either take the word literally or metaphorically.

According to the poem, if only your brain has poetry, you don't have much going on. You are empty, you can't see, you are lost, and you can't speak articulately. You have nothing.

Now, if your heart has poetry, you have everything. Your brain works perfectly, there's meaning around you, and your eyes, lips, and hands work according to their purpose.

I think what Mallilin is trying to communicate here is that a heart that has poetry trumps a brain that has poetry. Listen more to what your heart tells you. You will live a more meaningful and more fulfilling life if you listen to the dictates of your heart.

This is my own interpretation of the poem. That means I could be wrong. There are a couple of lines in the poem that I didn't quite grasp. I don't fully understand what the poet meant by "the hands are active crosses". I also didn't make full sense of the line "eyes, lips, and hands can never perfectly tell".

Three Generations by Nick Joaquin (Short Story) - Summary, Plot, Critique, Analysis

Three Generations is a short story written by Nick Joaquin that was first published by the then Manila-based magazine Graphic in 1940. This is believed to be the first story by Joaquin to be published. He was only 23 years old when the story saw print for the first time. The story was also included in the book The Woman Who Had Two Navels and Tales of the Tropical Gothic which was published by Penguin Classics in 2017.The book contained Joaquin's most famous and most influential short stories.

Characters:

1. Celo Monzon - A man struggling with his son's decision to pursue preisthood. He's also haunted by his childhood which was an unhappy one because of the beatings and abuse he received from his father.
2. Sofia Monzon - Celo Monson's wife.
3. Chitong - Celo and Sofia Monzon's son who decided to stop purusing law and go for priesthood instead.
4. Nena - Celo Monzon's younger sister who was taking care of their aging father.
5. Paulo - Celo Monzon's cousin.
6. Celo's father - He is not named in the story.
7. the girl - A young woman who is in a romantic relationship with the old man.

Setting:

The setting of the story isn't specified in the story itself. The events happened in Celo's house and his father's house which is located at the edge of town.

Themes:

The story has several interconnected themes - family relationships, family dynamics, forgiveness, coming of age, death, dealing with death, moving on, love, forbidden love, and domestic violence. Read the story again and try to pinpoint how these themes are weaved into the fabric of the story.

Summary:

The story opens one morning with Celo and Sofia Monson having breakfast. Sofia tells her husband that their son Chitong has decided to stop pursuing his law studies and become a priest instead. Celo is surprised by his son's decision. He comments that Chitong has "always been quiet and reserved" and "not noticeably of a religious temper."

Sofia tells Celo that he needs to go and see his aging and ailing father. Sofia informa him that his younger sister Nena called and that their father has been acting up again. In a flashback, Celo is reminded of his childhood when his father used to beat him up. Celo tells Sofia to tell Chitong to have their car ready. Chitong is to accompany him when he goes to visi his ailing father.

Celo goes to a Dominican church to pray. His son Chitong is there. He tries to compose himself so that he can fervently pray but the thoughts of his father and the beatings he suffered under him when he was a child occupies his thoughts. Chitong looks around towards his father. But Celo turns away and walks out of the church. Chitong informs his mother Sofia of what happened at the church. He tells her that his father is angry with him for choosing to pursue the priesthood. He breaks down and cries. Sofia comforts him.

Celo and Chitong drives to the house where his ailing father lives. The house is at the edge of town. They are met by Celo's youngest sister Nena who informs them that the old man has refused to eat for several days. Nena also tells Celo that the old man keeps on asking for "the girl", a young woman in a romantic relationship with the old man. Celo has driven the girl away prior. 

Celo spends time with his father. He changes his clothes and feeds him. The old man refuses to speak to Celo and defies his every move. Celo then leaves the house and instructs Chitong to stay behind with the car. He says he will take the bus to go home and return in the morning with a doctor. 

Chitong tries to sleep in the same room as his grandfather but he can't because the old man keeps on crying, moaning, and calling on the women he has loved and been with. Chitong tries praying over his grandfather but the pain and desire in the old man's eyes continue to bother him. No longer able to stand the cries of the old man, Chitong decides to go out in town and find the girl who has been with the old man before he got very sick. The idea is that the girl should be able to comfort and calm the old man down.

Chitong finds the girl's house and convinces her to go with him to see the old man, her lover. Back at the old man's house, before the two enter, they are met by Nena. Nena tells them that Chitong's father has come back because there was no available bus to take him home. The girl becomes hesitant to enter the house but Chitong tells her to be not afraid.

Chitong and the girl enters the house and they see his father in the sala. Celo sees them and angrily shouts at Chitong to get the girl out of the house. Celo thinks about taking his belt out and beat the girl. Chitong adamantly protects the girl and stands between her and his father. Celo clinches his fist and strikes Chitong in the face. Celo is immediately overpowered by guilt. He has never struck his son. Not until now. 

Celo and Chitong stares at each other. Shocked and petrified of what just happened. During this incident, the girl has taken the time to slip away, enter the old man's room, and lock it behind her. During the night, the voices of the girl and the old man, the lovers, can be heard coming from the room. The girl is telling the old man that she will never leave him again. That no one shall ever take her away from him again.

Questions and Answers:

1. Are the Monzon family rich? Yes. It's alluded to several times in the story. They have a servant girl waiting for them during breakfast. Sofia Monzon was also referred to as "senora" and "Dona" at some points in the story.

2. Why did Joaquin title his story Three Generations? It's an obvious reference to the three main characters in the story who represent three generations of the Monzon family - the old Monzon, Celo Monzon, and his son Chitong.

3. What moral lesson can be learned from the story? There are several moral lessons that can be gleaned from the full story. Following your heart or the dictates of your passion can be learned from Chitong. Although he knows that his parents, his father in particular, will not be happy if he ditches studying law and pursue priesthood instead, he still went for it. Chitong's maturity and act of defiance against his father can also be a source of moral lessons. Don't be afraid to stand up against authority figures if you know that you are in the right. 

4. How do you write a reflection paper about the story? The best way to approach this is to choose one of the themes in the story. Start from this single theme and build your reflection paper around it. Tackling several themes in your paper will be difficult and will likely end up incoherent. For example, choose the theme of domestic violence and write a reflection paper on how this trickles down from one family generation to the next.

5. Is there a Tagalog version of Nick Joaquin's Three Generations? None that we know of. As far as an official Tagalog version goes, we don't think there's one. There are obviously translated versions floating out there but these are usually done by teachers, students, and enthusiasts.