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COLLEGE OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

PHILIPPINE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Literary Criticism
A FINAL OUTPUT

Submitted by:
Ricanie A. Cadorna
BMLS-2C

Submitted to:
Mrs. Mary Ann Aletin

Option 1. You have to write a literary criticism of your choice (Philippine literary piece
from any Filipino writers). Use any of the literary theories you know. Study carefully the
literary criticism written by Isagani R. Cruz as your guide in writing your own criticism
that you will find in the module in Lesson 7.
Isang Dipang Langit An Arm’s Length Piece of the Sky
Amadeo V. Hernandez Amadeo V. Hernandez

Ako'y ipiniit ng linsil na puno I am held by an evil leader

hangad palibhasang diwa ko'y piitin, seeking to cage my thoughts
katawang marupok, aniya'y pagsuko, a body weak, he says, is surrender,
damdami'y supil na't mithiin ay supil. emotions suppressed, advocacy hindered.

Ikinulong ako sa kutang malupit: I am kept in a cruel place:

bato, bakal, punlo, balasik ng bantay; rock, steel, bullets, ferocious guards;
lubos na tiwalag sa buong daigdig isolated from the world
at inaring kahit buhay man ay patay. alive, treated as dead.

Sa munting dungawan, tanging abot-malas From the little window, my sole consolation
ay sandipang langit na puno ng luha, is an arm's length piece of the sky, full of tears,
maramot na birang ng pusong may sugat, a paltry handkerchief to dress a wounded heart,
watawat ng aking pagkapariwara. flag of my misfortune.

Sintalim ng kidlat ang mata ng tanod, Sharp as lightning are the guards' eyes,
sa pintong may susi't walang makalapit; at the gates, with keys, no one can go near;
sigaw ng bilanggo sa katabing moog, the scream from a nearby cell
anaki'y atungal ng hayop sa yungib. resembles a cave animal's howl.

Ang maghapo'y tila isang tanikala Days pass like a chain

na kala-kaladkad ng paang madugo dragged along by bloody feet,
ang buong magdamag ay kulambong luksa the nights are a blanket of sorrow
ng kabaong waring lungga ng bilanggo. in the coffin-like realm of the jail.

Kung minsa'y magdaan ang payak na yabag, Sometimes, quiet footsteps pass,
kawil ng kadena ang kumakalanding; with a line of rattling, clinking chains;
sa maputlang araw saglit ibibilad, to the pale sun momentarily exposed,
sanlibong aninong iniluwa ng dilim. a thousand shadows escape.

Kung minsan, ang gabi'y biglang magulantang Sometimes, the night is awakened
sa hudyat - may takas! - at asod ng punlo; by an alarm - an escapee! - gunfire!
kung minsa'y tumangis ang lumang batingaw, sometimes the old bell cries,
sa bitayang moog, may naghihingalo. at the execution den, someone lies dying.

At ito ang tanging daigdig ko ngayon - And this is my only world now-
bilangguang mandi'y libingan ng buhay; the prison house, a graveyard of the living;
sampu, dalawampu, at lahat ng taon ten, twenty, and all of my years
ng buong buhay ko'y dito mapipigtal. my whole life will be here.

Nguni't yaring diwa'y walang takot-hirap But a resolute mind knows not fear nor agony
at batis pa rin itong aking puso: and hope still springs in my heart:
piita'y bahagi ng pakikilamas, imprisonment is part of the struggle,
mapiit ay tanda ng di pagsuko. jail, the fate of the embattled.

Ang tao't Bathala ay di natutulog Man and God do not sleep

at di habang araw ang api ay api, the unfortunate won't stay oppressed,
tanang paniniil ay may pagtutuos, tyranny has a price to pay,
habang may Bastilya'y may bayang gaganti. while a Bastille exists, people will resist.

At bukas, diyan din, aking matatanaw And tomorrow, in this very place, I will see
sa sandipang langit na wala nang luha, an arm's length piece of the sky with no more tears,
sisikat ang gintong araw ng tagumpay... the golden sun of victory will shine...
layang sasalubong ako sa paglaya! free, freedom I'll embrace!
 Amado V. Hernandez, the author of Isang Dipang Langit (An Arm’s Length Piece of the
Sky) was a labor leader known for his criticism of social injustices in the Philippines. His works
have always focused on nationalism, democracy, and social justice. In his belief that a writer has
a duty to be the conscience of society and evidence to the greatness of the human spirit in the
face of cruelty, he disregarded the possibility of himself getting imprisoned by the government.
For his goal is to make every Filipino aware of the injustice and struggles of workers in the
rotten social system that exists.

` The main subject of this poem reflects his life inside the jail. It also highlights the
experiences of the incarcerated, the life of the prisoners on a daily basis. The melody of the story
is about his sufferings. The author narrates what it feels like to be condemned for fighting his
own rights. He likewise describes how living inside the prison, made him feel the desire of
seeking his freedom.

Biographical Criticism

Amado V. Hernandez was born in Tondo, Manila on September 13, 1903. He was a labor
leader known for his criticism of social injustices in the Philippines. His works have always
focused on nationalism, democracy, and social justice. Most of his works were inspired by his
experiences as an intelligence officer for the underground guerilla resistance during the Japanese
invasion of the country in the 1940s. In 1939, he won the Philippine Commonwealth Award for a
nationalist historical epic and in 1940, he won the award for Kayumanggi, a compilation of
traditional poems.

His relationship with the HUKBALAHAP (Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon)
guerillas is said to have influenced his communist ideals. In the 1940s and 1950s, he was an
outspoken advocate for Filipino rights and equality. He was imprisoned at the New Bilibid from
1951 to 1956 for his tireless efforts to advance the rights of Filipinos, during which time he
published “Luha ng Buwaya” and “Mga Ibong Mandaragit.”

Hernandez wrote several poems, short stories, plays, and essays. To name a few of his
works: poems - “Sariling Hardin” (My Own Garden), “Isang Dipang Langit” (An Arm’s Length
Piece of the Sky), “Bartolina” (Solitary Confinement), “Kung Tuyo Na ang Luha Mo Aking
Bayan” (When Your Tears Dry Up, My Country); short stories – Walang Lunas (No More
Remedy) and Langaw sa Isang Basong Gatas (Fly in a Glass of Milk); plays – Hagdan sa
Bahaghari (Stairway to the Rainbow) and Ang mga Kagalang-galang (The Vene-rables); and
essays – “Si Atang at ang Dulaan” (Atang and the Theater) and “Si Jose Corazon de Jesus at ang
Ating Panulaan” (Jose Corazon de Jesus and Our Poetry).

Formalism

“Isang Dipang Langit” is an eleven-stanza poem composed of 4 lines (quatrains) that tells
us about the pains, sufferings, and hope of a prisoner. The poem follows 12 meters or “beats” all
throughout the lines from start to finish. Moreover, it has rhymes at every end of the lines which
do not necessarily made use of words having same letters on the last syllable but rather,
employed words likely similar in sound.

Since Hernandez wrote the poem while he was incarcerated in Muntinlupa, the poetic
vision depicts the persona's (obviously Hernandez himself) physical, psychological, and
emotional struggles within his cell. The speaker’s internal pain and fear of torture and death
rolled in one is clearly manifested by this line: “ang buong magdamag ay kulambong luksa ng
kabaong waring lungga ng bilanggo” (the nights are a blanket of sorrow in the coffin-like realm
of the jail). He also uses figures and speech (such as simile, hyperbole, personification and
metaphor), to help him express the tone of the story. For instance, (1) “Sintalim ng kidlat ang
mata ng tanod” – (Simile); (2) “Sa munting dungawan, tanging abot-malas, ay sandipang
langit na puno ng luha” - (Hyperbole); (3) “Kung minsan, ang gabi'y biglang magulantang” -
(Personification); (4) “At ito ang tanging daigdig ko ngayon - bilangguang mandi'y libingan
ng buhay – (Metaphor).

The author's style is common to others but when comparing his structure of the way it is
written, the first three lines in each stanza are in the usual order, while the second and fourth give
it five spaces. He wrote this poem in the conventional manner, emphasizing his structuralist
tendencies. Hernandez's word choice, in this poem was artistically crafted, with the rawest and
finest words chosen to create a pictorial vein. The method of linking and sequencing the ideas,
words, verses and stanzas is effective because each word was interpreted in a clear and
meaningful way. The mood of the poem shifts from melancholy to fearful to oblivion. However,
the last stanza would tell us that despite of the anguish and fears, hope is still at hand.

Expressive Criticism
 the author of Isang Dipang Langit (An Arm’s Length Piece of the Sky) was a
labor leader known for his criticism of social injustices in the Philippines. His works have
always focused on nationalism, democracy, and social justice. In his belief that a writer
has a duty to be the conscience of society and evidence to the greatness of the human
spirit in the face of cruelty, he disregarded the possibility of himself getting imprisoned
by the government. For his goal is to make every Filipino aware of the injustice and
struggles of workers in the rotten social system that exists.

The main subject of this poem reflects his life inside the jail. It also highlights the
experiences of the incarcerated, the life of the prisoners on a daily basis. The melody of
the story is about his sufferings. The author narrates what it feels like to be condemned
for fighting his own rights. He likewise describes how living inside the prison, made him
feel the desire of seeking his freedom.

In the first stanza, it shows that the speaker was convicted and was forced to be in
jail. 2nd stanza, he was taken to the prison cell wherein he felt like even though he was
alive, it seems like he was dead person because of the steel bars and guards keep on
eyeing him. 3rd stanza, the speaker was heartbroken and he was filled with tears because
of his situation. 4th stanza, the stare of the guards was as sharp as lightning and felt like
it’s as if the other screaming prisoner were animals in a cave. 5 th stanzas, he describes
how his noon look like a chain that drags a bloody and wounded foot and his nights like
that of a mosquito net that serves as a coffin for prisoner like him. 6 th stanzas, he tells us
how the footsteps he hears, sounded like a chain and how he saw thousand of shadows
from the dark area of the cell, as the sun shows up. 7 th stanza, the speaker was sometimes
startled when someone broke out from the prison and sometimes, he heard a person who
was catching his breath near the bell. 8th stanza, the speaker feels like his world now only
revolves in prison which he describes as a cemetery for the living and he believes he
would be spending all the rest of his life in prison. 9 th stanza even though the speaker’s
life in prison was very miserable, being convicted- on the other hand- was not enough for
him to give up on his dreams for freedom. 10 th stanza, the speaker was believing that God
does not sleep and that not at all times the oppressed would forever be oppressed. 11 th
stanza, the speaker hopes by that tomorrow, he would see an Arm’s Length of Heaven
that won’t bring him tears anymore. He also believes that the golden sun of victory would
rise again and that he would finally attain his freedom.

Isang Dipang Langit is an essay poem which consist of 12 syllables per stanzas
and with consonant and vowel that rhymes. The author uses imagery and various type of
figures and speech (such as simile, hyperbole, personification and metaphor), to help him
express the tone of the story. For instance, (1) “Sintalim ng kidlat ang mata ng tanod” –
(Simile); (2) “Sa munting dungawan, tanging abot-malas, ay sandipang langit na puno
ng luha” - (Hyperbole); (3) “Kung minsan, ang gabi'y biglang magulantang” -
(Personification); (4) “At ito ang tanging daigdig ko ngayon - bilangguang mandi'y
libingan ng buhay – (Metaphor).

The author's style is common to others but when comparing his structure of the
way it is written, the first three lines in each stanza are in the usual order, while the
second and fourth give it five spaces. The method of linking and sequencing the ideas,
words, verses and stanzas is effective because each word was interpreted in a clear and
meaningful way.

This poetry of Amado Hernandez is truly inspirational. It conveys a message of

resiliency amidst trials in life, bravery for defending one's rights, confidence in one's own
abilities and above all is having faith and trust in our God.