Midsummer

By:Manuel Aguilla

One of the most revered works in the Philippines is The Story of Midsummer. It is primarily built on
the forces of gravitation and attraction between two strangers, a young maiden named Ading who is a
Mahinhin Filipina and a little boy named Manong who is a Binata.

The memorable incident happens in a rural area next to the village well. The summer was
harsh because of the oppressive heat. When Manong arrived to the village well with his bull
and wagon, he was surprised to see the attractive figure of Ading.

The author highlights the two's uncertainty and coyness in approaching one other, accurately
reflecting the values and traditions of the area and its inhabitants. The atmosphere is extremely hot, and
the intensity of the electrical between the two is multiplied.

Manong, who is a little more quiet, receives a questioning glance from Ading who also gives her
reassuring space and consideration. While drawing water from the well, he becomes preoccupied with
Ading's ideas.He gives off the impression of a budding romance as he frets about the condition of her
palms, which were prone to callous wear from the tough ropes while she drew water from the well.

Ading gives a quiet smile as a way of starting a conversation. Ading approaches him as he is eating
his dinner. She pours water over herself as a result of her frayed nerves.The author creates a sensual
chemistry between the two in this instance. Manong is taken with Ading's wet attire, and Ading is
impressed by Ading's muscular development and sense of manhood. This amount of overt expression
between the two indicates a developing propensity toward desire.

Manong assists Ading in refilling her jar of water after gathering his thoughts. She extends an
invitation to visit her home as thanks for his assistance. He gladly agrees to follow the damsel to her
modest home after she gives him the assurance that her mother has given her permission.

As the author invites her readers to draw their own romantic interpretations, the ending conveys a
sense of imaginative openness. Did their relationship lead to marriage?Were they misled into a lust
attack and mistook a physical attraction for a love of purpose and substance? Was there a stir made by
the girl's family?

On the other hand, the overt sensuality in the story also alludes to the flight of fantasy that physical
attraction may cause in the brains of young people.The fact that the two were complete strangers and
couldn't possibly vouch for one another's moral character; their intimacy leaves an unsettling aftertaste
and emphasizes the hormonally-driven euphoria of youth that frequently trumps good judgment and
reason.
“Midsummer” by Manuel Arguilla Analysis
The author made an effort to accurately reflect the culture and traditions of the region and its
inhabitants. The meeting as a whole seems present because to the elaborate utilization of
environmental and natural perspectives.

The characters in the story exhibit qualities such as courtesy, generosity, thankfulness, concern,
goodness, etc. This is unquestionably a tribute to and eulogy for the people of the Philippines and their
customs, tendencies, and behavior.

The colonial invasion of Filipino civilization, which was a moment of flux and significant changes,
serves as the backdrop for the story. It shows a balancing act between the familiar and the unfamiliar,
between the ancient and the contemporary, and a twist of the ordinary with the extraordinary.
 "Love in the Cornhusk"
By:(Aida L. Rivera-Ford's)
The author of "Love in Cornhusk" is Aida L. Rivera-ford. She is a Filipina author whose works
highlight regional characteristics and historical identities. A brief piece of fiction is considered a short
tale when referring to one of the literary genres (Klarer 12).

In her writing, Aida told the tale of Tinang, who came to see Seora. She, however, was worried by
his previous love relationships with Amado. She was informed by Senora of the letter at the post office.
They then fled with her child. A serpent abruptly entered the room as the reader was seated on a
cornhusk and reading the letter. She dropped the letter unintentionally as she moved to secure her kid,
and the story came to an end (Rivera-ford 58-64). She felt her former romantic relationship weighing on
her throughout the story. She eventually understood, though, that her vengeful memory needed to be
put in the past. The illusion of the character's private feelings persisted throughout this novel. Grow
claims that the story's thematic development is represented by parting and abandonment (42-45).

Filipino authors have written a lot of short stories. Few, though, are contextually and structurally
investigated. As a result, an analysis of Aida L. Rivera-"Love Ford's in Cornhusk" is done in order to
identify the structural identities of the story as well as the author's presence in the text. Additionally,
this qualitative evaluation uses pertinent data that is pulled from the internet. In addition to online
sources, printed materials like books and articles are also utilised. The critical theories of literature also
support this critical analysis. The artwork of Aida will be interpreted both subjectively and expressively.
The exploration of the author's presence in the text is supported by expressive theory, while the
examination of the structural identities of the story is supported by objective theory. According to
Montealegre, expressive theory is a concept in which a particular literary work is decoded via
biographical synthesis (228). Critics who subscribe to this viewpoint are curious about the author's life
story and historical context. This idea is applied to the analysis of a story event that is connected to the
author's life or biography (Obeso 612). In addition, the term "objective theory" refers to the speculative
notion that a particular work can be evaluated based on its structure or form. It is independent of its
creator, the period when it was written, or the historical setting, as Montealegre puts it (229). As a
result, this theory does not take into account the author's emotions, how reality is defined, or the
reader's emotional response (Leitch 17). By emphasizing the literary component, researchers can more
closely examine the text's key themes.

Filipino novelist Aida Rivera Ford is well-known in the literary world. She is a smart woman who
publishes several articles. She did, in fact, earn an AB degree with a major in English and cum laude in
1949. (Panitikan.ph). The story's primary character, Tinang, is a lady who is being pursued because of a
previous romantic relationship she had with Amado. In his letter, Amado explains clearly why he left her
behind because his mother was in bad shape: "Finally, I could not return since I realized that my mother
was very ill" (Rivera-ford, 62). He remains the main character's favorite. This is clear from the way she
silently cries when she reads and thinks back to his earlier interactions with Amado. The author is
married to Donald Ford and in a loving relationship with him.

Setting describes the surroundings in which the tale takes place (Literary Terms 1). The story takes
place in a rural area where agriculture is the main source of income for the locals. She continued walking
till she came to a piece of a veld where cornhusks were strewn beneath a kamansi tree, which makes
this point clear (Rivera-ford, 62). Characters are mostly the people who appear in a story. Constantina
"Tinang" Tirol, Senora, Tito, Senorito, Amado Galuran, Inggo, and Bagobo, and Bagobito are the major
and supporting characters of the narrative (Rivera-Ford, "Love on the cornhusk").

Conflict also exists in addition to the literary component. Conflict describes the conflicts or tensions
in the narrative (Literary Terms 1). Because the main character comes across a serpent while reading the
letter, the battle may be between man and nature. However, it is not the story's primary conflict. Man vs
himself is the story's central struggle. This is shown when the main character is debating whether to
move on and give her son more of her undivided attention or to maintain her undying love for her
previous boyfriend. But the main character decides to focus on taking care of her son.

Symbolic archetypes are mentioned in the story by the author. Another literary technique that sticks
to using symbols to represent ideas is symbolism (Literary and Rhetorical Elements 3-4). The story uses
the symbols snake, cornhusk, and letter. A small green snake that slithered lazily into the tall grass a few
yards from the kamansi tree is described in the story's later sections as follows: (Rivera-ford 64). Louis
claims that the snake represents seduction and temptation (3). As stated in the following lines, Tinang
and Amado experience sexual fulfillment and temptation: "When she held out the bolts, he grabbed her
wrist and said: "Come," drawing her to the screen of trees beyond. Although she resisted, his arms were
powerful.She shook, gasped, and clung to him as he awkwardly and roughly embraced her (Rivera-ford
64). Tinang searches for a comfortable location to read the letter out of desperation. The letter denotes
a close relationship. As eloquently described, she positions herself in an open region of land: "She
moved on till she discovered a piece of a veld where cornhusks were scattered under a kamansi tree"
(Rivera-ford 62). Cornhusk represents harmony and production.

Additionally, the narrative is written from an omniscient point of view, allowing readers to
understand how the characters are feeling and thinking. This is described in the following words:
"Tinang was inebriated. A flush spread across her face and seeped throughout her body. She sat down
against the kamansi tree and sobbed as she recalled the little girl she had been less than two years prior,
when she used to bring food to the Senora in the field and the workers would slyly glance at her (Rivera-
ford 63).

Plot is one of the key components of a story. It speaks of the series of incidents that make up the
story (Literary Devices and Terms 6). Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement are
the different aspects of a story. The characters and environment are introduced during the exposition.
When Tinang summons Seora, the plot is introduced. The conflict is introduced during the increasing
action. When Seora brings up her ex-boyfriend, the narrative picks up steam, and she eventually leaves
after realizing what she was trying to do. More specifically, the term "climax" refers to the most exciting
or intensely dramatic portion of the narrative (Literary Devices and Terms 2). The story's turning point
occurs when Tinang receives Amado's letter and recalls the priceless times they shared. The story's
falling action occurs when the letter accidentally hits the ground as the main character frantically
assures her son. The denouement, on the other hand, is the conclusion or last section of the story. The
narrative ends with Tinang's troubled demeanor as she prayed and looked for her son (Rivera-ford 64).

The literary analysis demonstrates that the story's events reflect the author's own life. Additionally, it
is discovered that the structure defines the meaning of the masterpiece. The conclusion drawn from the
research is that Aida L. Rivera-"Love Ford's in the Cornhusk" reveals the structural identities of the story
and the author's involvement with the text.
 Crossing the River
By: Anthony Tan
After crossing the river, I met a medium and an apostrophe. I deliberately chose these poems
because they all contain imagery of death in some way, finally leading to death symbols. In order to
study and determine how death is portrayed in these poems and the rest of the chosen poems, I
deliberately chose three poems: Crossing the River, Meeting with a Medium, and Apostrophe.

Literature doesn't always have happy endings; occasionally, characters pass away or suffer some
other kind of loss. It is leave-taking literature, writing about passing away before the time actually
comes. The recollection or anticipation of dying has inspired some of the most poignant lyrics (Lombardi,
2012).

People all across the world experience such intense and wide-ranging emotions in response to death.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that poets have attempted to confront death in their works
throughout history, regardless of the period or location. Any poet can reflect on and respond
emotionally and lyrically to death through poetry, whether it be their own death, the death of a loved
one, a stranger, or just the fact of death. The tone and form of poems about death, however, vary
widely. A symbol is a literary device in which a person, thing, or object is used to represent a concept. A
symbol is also anything that denotes something other than its literal meaning. Symbol is a handy literary
device that, because it uses terms that are not common, is particularly helpful in expressing the very
meaning or essence of the poem. Many poets, both domestically and overseas, have covered death in a
variety of ways.

Dr. Anthony L. Tan, a well-known Mindanaoan poet and recipient of the Palanca Award, is one of the
current Filipino authors who deals with mortality in his writings. Tan explores death through the themes
of remembering the deceased, yearning, leaving, and tragic events. Although he is not particularly aware
that his encounters with death have affected his writing in this way, they have had a broad influence on
his works. Dr. Anthony Tan significantly demonstrates his perspective on death. For him, dying is
something to be taken seriously and is something that many people fear. In order to achieve various
goals, the poet wrote his poems using a variety of symbols.

The poet claims that the symbols used were merely images and that he did not intend to use them as
symbols but rather as a way to underline the context. Because of this, the poet is not aware that the
images he used can also serve as symbols.

Conceptual Diction
Operational definitions for the following major phrases are provided as they are used in this text.

A symbol in this study denotes significance that is distinct from its literal context. Compared to being a
representative of a class or category, which has multiple meanings, it has a deeper connotation.

Symbolism is used in this study to describe words, phrases, scenes, or episodes that explicitly relate to
one thing while also implying another. It stands for something concrete that is real and something else
that is real even though it is intangible. It is the practical application of symbols, which are iconic
representations with specific, established meanings (Galia and Villanea, 2004).

In this study, death is defined as the act of dying, an irreversible state of humanity from which a person
cannot escape. It is also the mental and physical loss of someone you love.

Poetry is a literary genre that, in this research, makes extensive use of imagery and symbolism to evoke
meanings.
 Karaniwang Tao
By: Joey Ayala
The song "Common Man" is a reference to what we do in society and how it affects the common
person negatively while also making the planet and the environment more sad and filthy. The common
people to whom the song is referring are us because we are the only species on Earth to abuse and
destroy our natural environment. We are the common people that the song is alluding to since we are
the only people in our world that abuse and destroy our nature. Still, the message of this song by Joey
Ayala is powerful. Environmental protection is a concern shared by all.