21st Century

Objective
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify Edith L. Tiempo's contributions to Philippine
literature by analyzing her literary works.

Who is Edith L. Tiempo? What are her contributions to the development of Philippine literature?

Last Updated: 07.04.16

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.

 The excerpts cited in this material are copyrighted by their respective authors. Quipper
ensures that the use of these 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:
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.

The themes or messages of the poem are:

 Time is irreversible, and memories can only be remembered and cherished.

 Old people face physical weakness and emotional challenges such as feelings of isolation,
sadness, and frustration.
 Old age is an inevitable period in human growth and development.

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.
Objective
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify F. Sionil Jose’s contributions to the
development of Philippine literature.

Who is F. Sionil Jose? What are his contributions to the development of Philippine literature?

Last Updated: 06.12.16

F. Sionil Jose

 Francisco Sionil Jose, widely known as F. Sionil Jose, was born on December 3, 1924 in
Rosales, Pangasinan.
 His life and most of his works are influenced by Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
 He edited various literary and journalistic publications, and he founded the Philippine PEN,
an organization of poets, playwrights, and novelists.
 He opened Solidaridad Publishing House in 1965. A year after, he founded Solidarity, a
magazine that produces content mainly focused on "current affairs, ideas, and the arts."
 He was a recipient of numerous awards. Some of which are the Ramon Magsaysay Award
for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communications in 1980, the Pablo Neruda
Centennial Award in 2004, and the Officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters in 2014.
 He was conferred as National Artist for Literature in 2001.

F. Sionil Jose's Literary Works

 F. Sionil Jose’s are generally written in English and are translated to more than twenty
languages and produced worldwide.
 Among his most celebrated works is the Rosales Saga. It is a series of novels that are set
from the Spanish colonial period to the proclamation of Martial Law in the 1970s. This saga
includes the following novels: Po-on, Tree, The Pretenders, Mass, and My Brother, My
Executioner.
 He has also written several short stories, including the notable "The God Stealer". It is a
story about the friendship of Philip Latak, an Ifugao, and Sam Christie, an American who
wanted to buy a bulol, a sculpture of an Ifugao god. The story depicts the relationship and
truths about the colonizer and the colony.
 Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories is a compilation of short stories about pre-Hispanic
Philippine society.
 In 2004, he published the children’s book The Molave and Other Children’s Stories.
 o identify a writer's contributions to Philippine literature, it is important to analyze and take a
close look at his literary works.
 Example:
 In a nutshell, F. Sionil Jose’s "The God Stealer" tells the story of Philip Latak and Sam
Christie. Philip was residing in the city for years against his family’s wishes. Sam, his
colleague, was an American who wanted a bulol, an Ifugao god sculpture, as a souvenir
before he gets back to Boston. Philip stole his grandfather’s bulol for Sam, as he felt
indebted to repay Sam’s kindness. Then Philip’s grandfather died, and he no longer wanted
to come with Sam back in the city.

 Explanation:
 The story tackles one of the many effects of colonization, that is, losing one’s identity. Philip
represents the Philippines, while Sam represents America. Philip’s way of offering
the bulol to Sam out of gratitude shows how he tried to denounce his roots by embracing a
new one, thus losing himself in the process.
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 identify the valuable contributions of Virgilio S. Almario to Philippine Literature; and

 analyze one of his poems.

Who is Virgilio S. Almario?

What are his contributions to Philippine Literature?

Last Updated: 06.30.16

Virgilio S. Almario
Virgilio S. Almario, popularly known by his pen name Rio Alma, is a Filipino artist known for his
poetry and literary criticism. He was proclaimed National Artist for Literature in 2003.

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

Masdan ang tagak sa likod ng kalabaw, 

Parang birheng-birheng manang
Na di-madapuan ng langaw 
Sa ibabaw ng karosa patungong simbahan;

At ang mga dekadenteng gansa sa gilid ng lawa,

Maluluma ang mga donyang nakahilata
Habang ibinibilad ang kuto at muta.

Hayun ang mga maryakaprang paawit-awit,

Parang mga binibining umiikot ang puwit,
Sa bulwagang hitik sa masalapi’t makikisig;

At ang mga burukratang unggoy

Sa tuktok ng mala-palasyong kahoy,
Pulu-pulutong kung magpulong
Kung paanong mas lalapad ang papel at tumbong.

Naghahari’t matitikas na oso’t agila,

Nagkikikil lang ng kuko’t pangil tuwing umaga
Para isakmal sa karne’t isuob na barya
Kaya tumatambok ang tiyan at bulsa.

Samantala, matatalinong kuwago’y naghihilik,

Malalaki nga ang mata’y lagi namang pikit,
Marahil, bagong paraiso ang laman ng panaginip.

Di tulad ng buwayang laging abala

Sa paghanap ng kahit butiking mabiktima,
Bundat na’y lagi pa ring nakanganga.

Pero higit na mag-ingat sa hunyango’t ahas 

Na sa damuhan ay nagkalat;
Tuwing maghuhunos ng kulay at balat,
Pakay ay kay-hirap madalumat.

(Reproduced by permission of National Artist, Virgilio S. Almario)

The excerpts cited in this material are copyrighted by their respective authors. Quipper ensures that
the use of these 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.

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.
Objective
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify Alejandro R. Roces’s contributions to the
development of Philippine literature.

Who is Alejandro R. Roces?

What are his contributions to the development of Philippine Literature?

Last Updated: 06.12.16

Alejandro R. Roces as a Filipino Writer

 Alejandro R. Roces was a Filipino literary writer. He was born on July 13, 1924.
 He was a playwright, an essayist, and a short story writer. He was also a columnist at
the Philippine Star, the Manila Times, and the Manila Chronicle.
 He attended the Ateneo de Manila University for his primary and secondary education and
the University of Arizona where he earned his degree in fine arts. He pursued further studies
at the following institutions: Far Eastern University (master’s degree); Ateneo de Manila
University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, St. Louis University, and Tokyo
University in Japan (doctorate).
 Alejandro R. Roces was known for his short story "We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers," a story
about an American soldier in the Philippines who brags about his drinking habits, but
becomes overly drunk after drinking lambanog offered by a Filipino farmer.
 From 1961 to 1965, he served as the Secretary of Education under the regime of former
president Diosdado Macapagal. He has also served as chairman of the Movie and Television
Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) in 2001.
 His other literary works are "My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken," a story which talks about two
brothers who were arguing whether the chicken they caught was a hen or a
rooster; Something to Crow About, the first Filipino zarzuela in English about a man named
Kiko who earns a living by means of cockfighting; and Fiesta, a collection of essays about
various Philippine festivals.
 Alejandro R. Roces was conferred as National Artist for Literature in 2003.
 Read the synopsis of “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken” below, one of Alejandro R. Roces’
notable works.
  Synopsis:
 Kiko and his brother found a peculiar chicken. They argued whether it was a hen or a
rooster. Kiko believed that it was a rooster, while his brother thought otherwise. Kiko’s
brother emphasized that it could not be a rooster as the chicken has neither wattles nor
comb. Their parents took turns in looking at the chicken and had different thoughts about it;
thus, they ended up arguing like their children. Kiko and his brother asked the chieftain about
it, and he thought that it was a bird of a different kind. They also asked Mr. Eduardo Cruz,
someone who studied poultry raising, and he suggested examining the insides of the
chicken, to which Kiko refused. They both agreed to bring the chicken to a cockpit and have
it fight with a rooster from Texas. However, the rooster performed a love dance around the
peculiar chicken. It turned out that the peculiar chicken was waiting for a chance to attack. It
stubbed its spur into the rooster, and won. Kiko’s brother was convinced that the chicken
was a rooster. However, when he was holding the chicken, it suddenly quivered and laid an
egg.

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.
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify the valuable contributions of Bienvenido S.
Lumbera in the development of Philippine literature, and analyze two of his poems.

Who is Bienvenido S. Lumbera?

What are his important contributions to the Philippine Literature?
What theme do his works have in common?

Last Updated: 07.03.16

Personal Life 
 Lumbera, who was called Beny when he was a young boy, was born in Lipa, Batangas on
April 11, 1932. His parents had passed away before he turned five.
 Beny and his older sister were raised by Eusebia Teru, their paternal grandmother.
 When Eusebia died, Beny came to live with his godparents, Enrique and Amanda Lumbera.
 Beny showed natural aptitude for English. In sixth grade, his writing impressed his teacher so
much that she once asked him, in an accusatory tone, if he did write his composition himself.
In his third year in high school, his teacher gave him difficult works of literature to read.
 Lumbera took a degree in journalism at the University of Santo Tomas in 1950 and
graduated cum laude in 1954. A year before his graduation, his first published work, the
poem “Frigid Moon,” appeared in the Sunday magazine of the Manila Chronicle.
 On a full scholarship granted by the Fulbright Committee, Lumbera obtained his masters and
doctorate degrees at Indiana University.

Literary Background
Lumbera writes in English and Filipino. Below are some of his works.

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.)

Analysis of the Poem

Published in 1965, “A Eulogy of Roaches” is a piece of Bagay poetry. Its subject, the roaches,
represents a deeper meaning. However, the poet merely focuses on giving precise visual images of
the subject and not on explicitly stating its representations.

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.”

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.
Ucsp

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 explain anthropological and sociological perspectives on culture and society, and

 describe society and culture as a complex whole.

 Why should people use different perspectives in recognizing the existence of culture and
society?

 Why is culture said to be a product of society?

Find out the answers in this lesson!

Anthropology and Sociology

Humans are interesting subjects to study. The human story has a lot to say from their way of living to
the associations they form. The two interrelated scientific studies of society colloquially known as the
twin social sciences are anthropology and sociology.

Anthropology
 Anthropology is the study of people throughout the world, their evolutionary history, how
they behave, adapt to different environments, communicate, and socialize with one another.
  Anthropology provides us with a big picture of what it means to be human.

 The study of anthropology is concerned with the biological features that make us human
(such as physiology, genetic makeup, nutritional history, and evolution) and their social
aspects (such as language, culture, politics, family, and religion).

Sociology
 Sociology is the study of human institutions and their relationships. This discipline examines
how human actions in modern societies are shaped by social groups and by wider social,
economic, and political pressures.

 Sociology’s subject matter is diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the
state, from the divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture,
and from social stability to radical change in whole societies.

Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture and Society

In sociology, society is the leading concept while culture is subordinate. In anthropology, on the
other hand, culture comes first as a subject matter followed by society.

Let us put the two concepts this way.

 When talking about culture, we are mostly talking about tangible factors which include
language, technology, and institutions−like our churches, schools, or houses.
 However, culture also has intangible aspects such as our values and behaviors. It also
includes norms, the standards or rules of acceptable behavior.

 Culture is what makes society a collective whole. It gives the community its form, shape, and
identity.

 A society, in terms of sociology, is a group of people living and interacting with one another
to create a culture. Its population is bound by a shared culture−beliefs, attitudes, languages,
and institutions.
Society and Culture as a Complex Whole
Edward B. Tylor defined culture as "that complex whole which includes knowledge, art, belief, law,
morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society."

 With this premise, it can be said that culture is a product of society. These two exist
dependently on each other.

 Culture , just like every person in society, is susceptible to change or death.

 Society is not constant. Its members change from time to time. As a result, culture changes
along. New trends exist. New technologies are invented and new means of interaction have
been created.
 People evolve over time as a result of their exposure to renewed or changed laws, values,
and standards of society.