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Dekada '70 Paper
Dekada '70 Paper
Contreras 10638245
The Martial law era was one of the darkest times in Philippine history. For the
first time, democracy was challenged, the whole nation was plunged in fear as the
government seized complete and total control of the media and the activities of its
citizens. Those who stood against the government suffered a horrible fate, all of them
were hunted down and killed. This was also a time of “greening activism”, young people
learned to participate in what the country is currently experiencing by joining the cause
Indeed, our country’s darkest era was also the brightest era as seen through the
Amanda was torn between the feeling of how is she supposed to feel that her eldest son,
Jules, being involved too early in anti-government sentiments. Even her husband, Julian,
is involved in some way. I’m sure any mother would have been hyperventilating after
knowing that a family member could just vanish anytime without a trace, only to find out
later on, that her son’s/daughter’s body was found floating in some river. The despotic
ruler does not know of mercy nor forgiveness, anyone who is found guilty of anti-
restrained herself from initiating sex with her husband Julian because it is a taboo for
women to be the initiator or express liking in sex. As she puts it: “Hindi ko dapat ipakita
and pagkasabik ko sa sex dahil ako ay isang babae, marami pang bagay na mas
importante kay sa sex.” She lives up to the expectation of feminists by trying to free
herself from the binding grasp of society through an attempt to really show how she feels
forced arrests without warrants and later on torture then death. The other one is
emotional oppression by exercise of excessive control over the nation not normally seen
in a democratic country. What merits the most attention for political activism I think is
the emotional oppression, people become disturbed, helpless and crying for freedom.
By any chance, if such a family existed during the Martial law era, they would
have been the gem of the state, a triumph of society’s basic unit in an attempt to decide
the fate of a nation. Although not so perfect, the Bartolome family is both an image of
tragedy and courage in tough times. Amanda’s boldness in being a mother, it seems, has
given her a revitalized role in bringing up a family not only as an individual or mother
Lualhati Bautista, to say the least, is brilliant. He had an eye for that particular
tumultuous time in our country’s era nobody else had. He must have forgotten that
Amanda, Julian and Jules along with the other characters are just characters he created in
reliving the power of the family and women at the same time.