LITERARY SAMPLE

When I Was No Bigger Than A Huge

By: Jose Garcia Villa

Jose Garcia Villa

 a Filipino poet, critic, short story writer and painter

 Villa was born in 1907 in the Philippine Islands
 In 1929, he published a collection of erotic poems called Man Songs
 modernist poet in Philippine literature
 Doveglion (derived from “Dove”, “Eagle” and “Lion”)
 “reversed consonance rhyme scheme”
 when thelast sounded consonants of the last syllable arereversed for the corresponding
rhyme (ex: light andtell; run and near)
 modernist poet in Philippine literature
 Doveglion (derived from “Dove”, “Eagle” and “Lion”)
 “reversed consonance rhyme scheme”
 -when thelast sounded consonants of the last syllable arereversed for the corresponding
rhyme (ex: light andtell; run and near
 Villa moved from the university in the Philippines to attend the University of New
Mexico
 Aside from publishing various collections of poetry
 Villa also wrote something he called “comma poems,”
 Villa has won numerous awards

When, I, was, no, bigger, than, a, huge,

Star, in, my, self, I, began, to, write,
My,
Theology,
Of, rose, and,
Tiger: till, I, burned, with, their
Pure, and, Rage. Then, was, I, Wrath-
Ful,
And, most,
Gentle: most,
Dark, and, yet, most, Lit: in, me, an,
 Eye, there, grew: springing, Vision,
Its,
Gold, and,
Its, wars. Then,
I, knew, the, Lord, was, not, my, Creator!
–Not, He, the, Unbegotten—but, I, saw,
The,
Creator,
Was, I—and,
I, began, to, Die, and, I, began, to, Grow

STRUCTURE

• “Comma Poem”

• Comma – represents a pause

• Emphasizes every word, suggests its importance

• ❖Most, if not all, adjectives and nouns begins with a capital letter

• ❖Pure, Rage, Wrathful, Gentle, Dark, Vision, Die, and Grow— play a significant
role in the poem, such that they present contrasts

• ❖ 4 stanzas and a concluding line

• ❖2 long lines that contain the main essence of the stanza and 3 short lines that
serves as a transition

CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

On a formalist point of view, I would say the poem revolves around the author’s
inquiry on metaphysical questions, not necessarily questions but a quest to find what
is real as a matter of fact, such as God’s existence or the reality of a ‘supreme and
divine Being.’ This assertion of mine arises from the word ‘theology’ which he stated
in the fourth line in the beginning as well as what the latter part of the poem
implies. Then, he proceeded with ‘rose and tiger’ then ‘pure and rage,’ ‘wrathful and
most gentle’, so on and so forth, which we can immediately notice that these are
opposites. His theology vis-à-vis these opposites - his search or quest for existential
questions I suppose, was ruined by doubt and uncertainty (most dark and yet most
lit). 
His use of commas after every word gives emphasis for each word in the poem;
connoting the significance of each of their meanings. On the other hand, the lines
containing one to three words serve as the transitional part for each stanza. After
these opposites, the author then proceeded in relation to the preceding term: ‘in me
an eye there grew: springing vision,’ and ‘its gold and its wars’ from where I have
formed in my mind this idea of “hope” and “supreme vision”, this idea of gold,
shining, light, something precious and certain, that may refer to the answers to his
doubts and uncertainty which he initially made. However, there he said not only its
gold [certainty] but also its wars, immediately followed by ‘I knew the Lord was not
my Creator!’ which I believe the latter refers to the wars that still darkens his
certainty despite of already having his supreme vision. Consecutively, he used en
dash and went on to further claim that He [the Unbegotten] was not really the
Creator, supporting the former line. His use of punctuations in this part of the poem
was very much important. Thus, em dashes followed containing the lines ‘but I saw
the Creator was I’ which means he made a strong break in the structure of the
thought and made the continuation of his idea of knowing the Lord is not the Creator
with ‘and I began to die and I began to grow.’

From this, I therefore interpret that the wars referring to his negation about God’s
supremacy despite of having the vision for certainty, were cleared upon him seeing
the Creator himself. The latter could also refer to the springing vision he was talking
about, its golds. Hence, he ended with a conclusion that after all his search for truth
about God’s reality he himself find God [his Creator] to be real and existential. Thus,
made him to end and clear all his doubts (I began to die) and began with certainty
(to grow). On the contrary, the Lord and Creator in a Marxist point of view can be
taken as referring to the struggle of society: the lower class dominated by the upper
ruling classes.
In addition, by merely looking at the structure of the poem and aside from the
author’s frequent use of commas, some words were written in capital letters
excluding those at the beginning of the lines which I guess another way of giving
emphasis to the words themselves. But some words he used in the poem are kind of
familiar which leads me to archetypically interpret the poem: Theology by Ted
Hughes, Tiger [Tyger] of William Blake and "Do not go gentle into that good night"
by Dylan Thomas from his use of Gentle. Villa’s use of collage with these poems can
be interpreted as his way of relating his idea to other literary works to create an
objective point; and other capitalized words or adjectives are related to these
poems.

The title, the first and second line connote the life of a star, from his shining to
dimming moment (the end), which I assert, he wrote this poem in the latter part of
his life when he was already shaped by all his experiences. He as a star was not
bigger as compared to the universe, as he being a single individual raising
metaphysical inquiry until he finds an answer through his dying moment yet the
beginning of his certainty (the life, death, and rebirth of a star)
 SUMMARY

• The wars referring to his negation about God’s supremacy despite of having
the vision for certainty, were cleared upon him seeing the Creator himself. The
conclusion that after all his search for truth about God’s reality he himself find
God [his Creator] to be real and existential. Thus , made him to end and clear all his
doubts (I began to die)and began with certainty (to grow).

1. Don't regret even one moment of your life.

2. We can't plan life. All we can do is be available for it.
3. We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our
diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such
beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.

4. You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You
will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.
5.The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it
Notable works and authors (English)

Philippine Poetry
The Rural Maid
By Fernando M. Maramag

1.
Thy glance, sweet maid, when first we met,
Had left a heart that aches for thee,
I feel the pain of fond regret—
Thy heart, perchance, is not for me.

2.
We parted: though we met no more,
My dreams are dreams of thee, fair maid;
I think of thee, my thoughts implore
The hours my lips on thine are laid.

3.
Forgive these words that love impart,
And pleading, bare the poet’s breast;
And if a rose with thorns thou art,
Yet on my breast that rose may rest.

4.
I know not what to name thy charms,
Thou art half human, half divine;
And if I could hold thee in my arms,
I know both heaven and earth were mine.

Fernando Maramag

Fernando Mamuri Maramág was born on January 21, 1893 in Ilagan,

Isabela. He was educated in the Philippine Normal School, and then
transferred to the University of the Philippines. He worked as teacher at the
Instituto de Manila, which later became the University of Manila. He was also
writer and editor at several magazines, including Rising Philippines, Citizen,
Philippine National Weekly, Philippines Herald, and The Tribune. He also
served in the Publication Division of the Department of Justice, and then
transferred to the office of the President of the Senate under Manuel L.
Quezon.

Analysis and Summary 

The Rural Maid

By Fernando M. Maramag

The poem is about a man who has been in love with a fair maid. He fell in love with her the first
time they met. Their eyes glanced at each other and he was smitten by her charm. But despite
of his endearment to her, her heart doesn’t belong to him this left some pain in his heart.

The poem revolves in a hopeless dreamer’s passion for a girl he could, and never would, own.
They parted and never crossed paths again. But the memory of the maid kept hunting him even
if he is sleeping. In his every dream, the image of the rural maid is always there. Thinking about
her became his past time ever since. He always thinks about the moment their lips met for a
sweet and warm kiss. He expresses his love, though it is only a one-sided love affair. The reader
can feel his sacrifice, a potion of which hope and eternal dam nation mix. But even this love is
hurting him, just like how the thorns from a rose hurt the skin ;he will still continue sacrificing. He
says that if he could only hold her in his arms, heaven and earth would be his. It is his only
happiness, his only desire to love the rural maid he knew will never love him in the end.
Air Castle

Juan F. Salazar

My life's tomorrow beckons me

From distant mountains, high and low;
My future seems a boundless sea,
Where moving passions come and go.

Deep in my heart ambitions dwells;

He cheers me up the highland,
And guides me through the hills and dells
Wherein I pass the busy day.

I cannot write with Shakespeare's pen,

But I can love with Shakespeare's heart;
I love his skill his craft of men,
His mastery of poet's art.

I do not care for fame, has he,

Enthroned, was like unto a god:
The depths he reached are dark to me.
But I will grope the ways he tried.

I wear achievement’s coronet,

For best are they who see things done!
And all my cares I soon forget
When I have wrought my work alone.

If I be met by adverse fate,

And all my dreams be but in vain;
Then, must I work the harder yet
With high resolve to try again.
Juan F. Salazar

 was part of the first Filipino writers to use the English language in their
writing.
 crafted stories and modeled after
 published "My Mother" and "Air Castle" in 1909

SUMMARY and ANALYSIS

“Air Castle” is a poem that wrote by Mr. Juan F. Salazar. An inspiring poem that everyone
can reflect on their own selves. A poem that really hard to understand on the first sight but
it connects to reality of life. A great poem that one can led as a inspiration. One thing that
we would appreciate and love.

The Poem want to make people realize that ambition is not easy to achieve you can always
experience rejection; rejection is not always be the reason to quit it must be always the
inspiration to continue and trying again your ambition in life until you achieve it.

The poem itself has been regarded by some to speak to man’s relationship with God. With
lines such as: “Enthroned was he, like unto a God/ the depth he reached is dark to me”… In
the last stanza of the poem, the speaker points out the reality behind the saying “try and try
until you succeed”. A person should not give up on something because if he/she does,
he/she will never achieve what he/she wants…

There is a question I hear and it somehow connects to the poem:”Do you think it is really
important to aim for something?” For me, when you aim something you can earn a respect
from others but the important thing when you achieve that you can learn not easily giving
up on something…Air Castle is all about your ambitions in life, the things or you want to be
you want to have in the future. Having ambition in life is not committing a mistake in life; it
can be a mistake when you plan aim it in a wrong way… Ambition must always use by
motivating you to make things successful… Ambition is always your guide in to fulfill what
you want to be or to have… The poem gives a motivation to me to pursue my ambition
without hesitation and negative thoughts in my mind that can let me think that I can’t
achieve it… not only in having an ambition and achieving it but also loving what you are
doing, because loving what you are doing is one of the key to achieve your ambition and
making it in reality.