LIT 1 MIDTERMS REVIEWER • I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old.
What am I?
PRE- COLONIAL LITERATURE
The pre-colonial literature includes all literature
produced before the Spanish colonization like chant,
proverbs, songs, and folk narratives. Time, the topic was
something that the people who made up the village had in
common, such as food harvesting, nature's creatures and
things, work in the home, field, forest, or sea, taking care of
children, etc. The most popular types of oral writing, such as
the riddle, proverb, and song, all seem to presume that the
audience is familiar with the circumstances, pursuits, and
things addressed while expressing a feeling or notion. The
language of oral literature was the language of daily life,
unless the work was an epic that was a part of the
community's cultural history. Any community member can
contribute at this point in literary growth.
History Background:
- The early literary forms of the Philippines were epics,
legends, riddles, and proverbs which were told and retold by
the natives.
- Philippines literature were preserved by inscribing them on
barks of trees palms leaves and bamboos.
.- The Spaniards who came to the Philippines, they tried to
prove that our forefather were fond of poetry, songs, stories,
riddles, and proverbs.
These pre-Spaniards’ literature is characterized by:
- Legends , Folk tales, Epic, Folk songs, Epigrams, riddles,
chants , Proverbs and sayings , Myths
Riddles
Riddles are most commonly called “bugtong” or “palaisipan”
in the local context.
Filipinos’ riddles are on a level their own. Riddles are brain
teasers typically written in the interrogative manner,
intended largely to amuse oneself or to assist sharpen one’s
ideas.
Examples
• Alalay kong bilugan, puro tubig ang laman.
Answer: batya
• Isang butil ng palay, sakop ang buong buhay.
Answer: bumbilya
• Isang pirasong tela lang ito, sinasaluduhan ng mga
sundalo.
Answer: watawat
• Dala mo dala ka, dala ka ng iyong dala.
Answer: sapatos
• What has to be broken before you can use it?
Answer: an egg
PROVERBS AND EXAMPLES
Billy Collins - the author of twelve collections of poetry
including Whale Day, The rain in Portugal, Aimless Love,
Horoscopes for the dead, Ballistics, The Trouble with Poetry,
Nine Horses, Sailing Alone Around the Room, Questions
About Angels, The Art of Drowning, and Picnic, Lightning.
— becomes famous though Collins published throughout the
1980s, it was his fourth book, Questions about Angels (1991),
that propelled him into the literary spotlight.
—The collection was selected by poet Ed Hirsch for the 1990
National Poetry Series.
— Billy Collins is also famous for conversational, witty
poems that welcome readers with humour but often slip
into quirky, tender, or profound observation on the
everyday, reading and writing, and poetry itself.
Proverbs - It is a short pithy saying in general use, stating a
general truth or piece of advice. A short saying or piece of
folk wisdom that emerges from the general culture rather
than being written by a single, individual author. Proverbs
often use metaphors or creative imagery to express a
broader truth.
“Adage” is another word for “proverbs “.
Poetry - Poetry, from medieval Latin “Poetria”, from Latin
“Poeta” and from the Greek word “Poiesis” for a making’, is
notable for its unusual structure and meter in language.
Poetry uses a number of literary techniques which serves to
make it stand apart from prose.
3 Types of Poetry:
Narrative Poetry- A form of poetry that tells a story, often
using the voices of both a narrator and characters.
Lyric Poetry – Refers to a short poem, often with songlike
qualities, that expresses the speaker’s personal emotions and
feelings.
Dramatic Poetry – Has elements that closely relate it to
drama, either because it is written in some kind of dramatic
form, or uses a dramatic technique.
Folksongs - A piece of music that was composed within the
parameters of folk music.
Characteristics of Poetry:
- Imaginative - Poetry is imaginative in nature (imagine)
- Unique – experience and ideas, it can be said that each
poem is unique.
- Imagery – readers be able to be “a part” of the scene, the
writer needs to make use of imagery.
- Thought Provoking – Tends to reflect the personal insights
and ideas of the writers
- Triggers Emotional Response – Reflects the ideas, insights,
emotions, and intention s of the writer
- Has Rhyme and Rhythm – Much like in music, poetry also
follows the principle of losing a rhyming pattern and meter
MYTHS AND EXAMPLES
Myths are sacred tales that explain the world and man’s
experience.
Myths are traditional or legendary stories, usually concerning
some being a hero or event, with or without a determinable
basis or fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is
concerned with deities or demigods and explains some
practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
Some myths may have factual origins, while others are
experience. Moreover, myth originated in cultures without
writing (called oral cultures), and they are passed down by
word of mouth.
FOLKTALES/FANTASTIC STORIES
What is a Folktale?
"Folk" came from the German word volk,
which means "people". While "tale" is a
story. A folktale is a characteristically
anonymous, timeless, and placeless tale
circulated orally among a people. Folktales
have no known author
- Folktales were often employed to share a
common history, to reinforce cultural values,
or highlight important traditions.
EPIC
WHAT IS AN EPIC?
The word “epic” comes from the ancient Greek “epos”
which simply means “word, narrative, or song. In the
Philippine Literature epic or epiko-from Spanish are the
lengthy narrative poems based on oral tradition and it is
composed of verse. This includes the story about a
supernatural or heroic person of ancient times.
In addition to the narrative there is also description and
there is an important element of vastness and heroism. The
earliest epics were oral and were only written down later.
An epic according to E. Arsenio Manuel has 7 elements:
1. It must be narrative poem with sustained length
2. Based on oral tradition
3. Containing supernatural events or heroic deeds of
the folk hero
4. In the form of verse
5. It’s either chanted or sung
6. With a certain seriousness of purpose
7. Embodying or validating the beliefs, customs, ideals
or life values of the people.
In the Ilocos Region, we have our very own Biag ni Lam
– ang which was penned by Pedro Bukaneg. It is the only
authentic epic of the Christianized tribes of the Philippines. It
has five known version, the earliest one in 1889 and the
latest in 1947. The epic has been ascribed to Pedro Bukaneg,
a blind poet who was given away by his parents to a priest
who raised him. Hence, the epic, although classified as of pre
– Spanish origin, contains Christian rituals such as marriage
by a priest in church, baptism with a godfather, the presence
of honorific in Spanish e.g. Don, Dona, etc.
BIOGRAPHY OF PEDRO BUKANEG:
Perdo Bukaneg (1592-1630)
• Father of Ilokano Literature (1592-1630
• Blind since birth
Pedro Bukaneg (1592-1630), a renowned Filipino poet, is
acknowledged as the author of the Ilocano epic – Biag ni
Lam-ang.
He is also regarded as the first Ilokano man-of-letters, orator,
musician, lexicographer, and linguist to appear in the
limelight of our history.
Although visually impaired, he didn’t let his condition
overshadow his intellectual brilliance, a retentive memory,
sensitive musical sense, magnetic eloquence, and gift for
learning languages.
A romanticist, he composed poems and songs which were so
tenderly sweet, gaining fame among the Ilokanos as a gifted
troubadour. His works enhanced the glory of Ilokandia’s
literary heritage.
THE REASON BEHIND THAT LITERAY PIECE:
Bukaneg might have been born about 1592. It is said
that one day in March, 1592, a laundry woman found a little
baby crying inside a floating tampipi (big basket for keeping
clothes) along the bank of stream (now called Banaoang
River), a tributary of the big Abra River, which flows between
the town of Bantay and Vigan, Ilocos Sur. She took the baby
and saw it was a boy, ugly and blind. This story parallels the
tale of biblical Moses, who, was an infant, was found by an
Egyptian princess (daughter of the pharaoh) inside a basket
floating down the Nile River. The only difference is that
Moses was neither ugly nor blind. Evidently, Bukaneg was a
victim of the brutal custom of destroying infants born with
physical defects, practiced not only in Samtoy, but also in
Sparta, Persia, and other nations of anquity.
EXAMPLES OF EPICS IN PHILIPPINE LITERATURE:
• Biag ni Lam-ang
• Agyu : The Ilianon Epic of Mindanao (of the
Manobos of North Cotabato)
• Hudhud hi Aliguyon (An Ifugao Harvest
Song)
• Kudaman (of Palawan)
• Lumalindaw (Ga’dang Epic)
• The Epic of Labaw Donggon (of the Sulod
people of Central Panay)
SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD
- It is an acceped belief that the Spanish colonization of the
Philippines started in 1565 during the time of Miguel Lopez
de Legazpi, the first Spanish governorgeneral in the
Philippines. Literature started to flourish during his time. This
spurt continued unabated until the Cavite Revolt in 1872. The
Spaniards colonized the Philippines for more than three
centuries.During these times, many changes occurred in the
lives of Filipinos. They embraced the Catholic religion,
changed their names, and were baptized. Their lifestyles
changed too. They built houses made of stones and bricks,
used beautiful furniture like the piano and used kitchen
utensils. Carriages, trains and boats were used as means of
travel. They held fiestas to honor the saints, the pope and the
governors. They had cockfights, horse races and the theater
as means of recreation. This gave rise to the formation of the
different classes of society like the rich and the landlords.
Some Filipinos finished courses like medicine, law, agriculture
and teaching. Many Filipinos finished their schooling in the
Philippines because many schools already had been
established.
DOCTRINA CHRISTIANA
As a friar, Juan de Plasencia lived up to his pledge, leading a
lifestyle devoid of any luxury and in constant contact with the
people he was trying to convert to Christianity. He was also
known to be a defender of the native population, looking
after the poor, ill, or neglected, and standing up for their
rights on numerous occasions.
He was also very keen on creating primary schools, and
requested official sanction for the creation of educational
centers where "Filipinos could not only learn Christian
doctrine, but also reading and writing, and some arts and
crafts, so they would become after, not only good Christians
but also useful citizens", an initiative that was approved by
Domingo de Salazar, the first Bishop of the See of Manila
(1512–1594).
He spent most of his missionary life in the Philippines, where
he founded numerous towns in Luzon and authored several
religious and linguistic books. Notably, de Plasencia wrote the
Doctrina Cristiana, an early book on catechism and is
believed to be the first book ever printed in the Philippines.
Reason behind the literary piece:
The title literally means “Christian Doctrine”, and thus the
primary goal of the book was to propagate Christian teaching
across the Philippine archipelago. The book was printed in
Manila in 1593 and intended as an aid for priests and friars
trying to convert the people of the newly colonized
Philippines. Juan de Plasencia wrote a number of books
designed primarily to promote the understanding of both the
Spanish language among the natives, and the local languages
among the missionaries, to facilitate the task of spreading
Christianity.
Main point/main topic:
Doctrina Christiana contains Christian teaching and it is a
syllabary comes with the basic prayers: the
Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, Credo, and the Salve Regina.
Following these are Articles of Faith, the Ten
Commandments, Commandments of the Holy Church,
Sacraments of the Holy Church, Seven Mortal Sins, Fourteen
Works of Charity, and points on Confession and Catechism.

About the author:

Summary of the Piece:
Juan de Plasencia was born in the early 16th century as
Consisting of seventy-four pages of text in Spanish, Tagalog
Juan Portocarrero in Plasencia, in the region of Extremadura,
transliterated into roman letters, and Tagalog in original
Spain. Juan de Plasencia is not a native Tagalog but a
Baybayin script, the Doctrina Christiana was printed in the
Franciscan missionary who first arrived in the Philippines in
Philippines in 1593 as part of the effort to introduce
1577. He was tasked by the King of Spain to document the
Christianity. It contains basic biblical texts, including the
customs and traditions of the colonized (“natives”) based on,
Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, and the Salve Regina, as well as the
arguably, his own observations and judgments. He was one
Ten Commandments, and the Sacraments of the Holy Church.
of the seven children of Pedro Portocarrero, a captain of a
The Doctrina Christiana includes translations of Christian
Spanish schooner. He was a Spanish friar of the Franciscan
catechism and hymns from Spanish to Old Tagalog and
Order. He was among the first group of Franciscan
Baybayin, an indigenous writing script of the Philippines.
missionaries who arrived in the Islands on July 2, 1578.
MAY BAGYO MA'T MAY RILIM
The poem “may bagyo ma’t may rilim” (Though It May Be
Stormy and Dark) is one of the earliest Tagalog poems ever to
be published. It was in a book printed in the year 1605. The
poet is unknown.
MAY BAGYO MA’T MAY RILIM (May bagyo man at dilim) is a
tittle of a poem using Abecedario Filipino, this is based from
Spanish Alphabhet or Latin Script. Abecedario had either
28,29,31, or 32 letters. Prior to Spanish colonization, a native
writing systems called baybayin were utilized by some
communities in Luzon and Visayas: Baybayin and Spanish
alphabet were evidently shown Doctrina Christiana, a book
that outlines the basic teaching and prayers of Christianity
translated in tagalog.
On first reading, it is clear from the poem "May
Bagyo Ma't May Rilim" that the poet is skilled at acting. Only
word placement and rhyming pattern are accurate. The play's
central theme is Christianity. What is being discussed can be
determined only from the first two stanzas.
First and second stanzas:
The words "Dios" and "libro" are said to be a religion in
question, but with the words "na ama namin," it can be
identified as Christianity. In the first stanza, the person says
that he will find God regardless of the weather. In the second
stanza, he says that there are many temptations in life and
many things that can hinder his search for God, but he will
use the Bible to fight them.
Third stanza:
The third stanza confirms the assumption that the author
was a native who was new to Christianity. The phrases "Since
I was blinded" (Cun dati mang nabulag) and "To the Father
who wrote this good letter" (Sa Padreng bagsiulat nitong
mabuting sulat)" demonstrate his conversion to Christianity,
and he expresses gratitude to the "priests" (padre) who
shared the Bible's teachings with him.
Fourth and fifth stanzas:
In the last two stanzas, the persona emphasizes the value of
the Bible. No matter what happens to him, he will go through
it. Maybe by reading and studying God's word, he gets
strength. And it is like a staff that supports him in life. The
Bible is very important to Christianity, and many of the books
that compose it tell stories and teach. There are books that
are purely teaching, and most of the others tell the events
before Jesus lived as well as the story of Jesus himself. It can
be said that the Bible is the "Basic Instruction Before Living
Earth.
The reason behind his literary piece “May bagyo ma’t may
rilim”:
The fact that it was written during the Spanish conquest of
the Philippines in the 1600s may aid with the notion of
"brainwashing" the locals. The reader could also speculate
that this drama was written by priests. Another theory holds
that it was written by a native, but that it was done out of
gratitude for the priests in order to keep peace with them.
Main point/topic:
The primary interpretation of the poem "May Bagyo Ma't
May Rilim" ("There may be storm and dark"), written in 1605,
is that it expresses an unnamed native's submission to
Catholicism and serves as a testament to their then
unwavering faith. The present piece seeks to reconsider the
poem by comparing it to folk poetry believed to have
emerged in earlier times.
Examples:
The poem is situated in the Philippine Archipelago affected
by cyclonic storms and flood. According to Time magazine,
“THE Philippines is the most storm-exposed country on
earth” facing an average of eight or nine tropical storms
landfall every year. The worsty typhoon occurred in 2013.
Thyphoon “Yolanda” damage cost Php 95.5 billion. The
deadliest “Haiphong” typhoon killed 20,000 people on
September 1881.
Definition of Terms:
Abecedario Filipino -This alphabet was called the Abecedario,
the original alphabet of the Catholicized Filipinos, which
variously had either 28, 29, 31, or 32 letters.
Baybayin- Baybayin is one of the precolonial writing systems
used by early Filipinos. The term
“baybayin” comes from the Tagalog root word baybay, which
means “to spell.”
Doctrina Christiana- The Doctrina Christiana includes
translations of Christian catechism and hymns from Spanish
to Old Tagalog and Baybayin, an indigenous writing script of
the Philippines.
PASYON AT CENAKULO
Brief background of author:
Gaspar Aquino de Belen was a Filipino poet and translator of
the 17th century, known for authoring a 1704 rendition of
the Pasyon: a famous poetic narrative of the passion, death
and resurrection of Jesus, which has circulated in many
versions.
The reason behind that literary piece:
Historically, the pasyon has served as a symbolic lens through
which political events and figures have been interpreted.
Revolutionary leaders were associated with Christ while
peasants and nationalists were expected to be like his
disciples, giving up their worldly lives in pursuit of
independence. The execution of nationalist author José Rizal
was remembered in the performance of the pasyon, where
Rizal’s “martyrdom” echoed Christ’s death. Over a half
century later, the assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr. would
have the same effect.
Main point/Main Topic:
The Pasyon is a retelling of the Passion of Christ. Readings
and performances of the pasyon text are widespread in the
Philippines, where they have synthesized indigenous religious
performativity with Catholicism and political and social
activism. There are three pasyon texts, the first of which was
“Mahal na Passion ni Jesucristong Panginoon Natin na Tola”
published in 1704 by the Filipino poet Gaspar Aquino de
Belen. The pasyon is performed during Lent in cities and
villages throughout the Philippines, often by unskilled pious
actors and paid for as an act of piety by affluent patrons.
The Senakulo (or cenaculo) is the staged re-enactment of
Christ’s passion and death. The performance of the Senakulo
is traced to the late 17th and early 18th centuries when the
first Pasyon text was written. Unlike the Pasyon which is
chanted in a mournful tone called tagulaylay, the Senakulo
aims to dramatize scenes while also deriving from the
contents of the Pasyon.
• The main characters are; Jesus Christ, Judas, Herod,
Pontius Pilate, Mary Magdalene, the Virgin
Mary and an entourage of weeping women
• This re-enactment revolves around Christ’s passion
and death.
• It encourages people to reflect on the sacrifices of
Jesus for the salvation of mankind.
• It helps devout locals relieve biblical events
pertinent to the life, tribulations and ultimate sacrifice
of Jesus Christ.
• The word “cenaculo” (or cenacle) is derived from
Spanish and describes the place where Jesus and his
disciples celebrated the Last Supper.
• The play began along the outskirts of Pasay in 1902.
• Actors must be from Malibay, Pasay City.