Philippine Literature

during American Period

 AMERICAN PERIOD
American defeated Spaniards in Spanish-American
War which resulted in TREATY OF PARIS
Introduced the public school system in
the Philippines and English Language
 AMERICAN PERIOD
• The use of English alongside Filipino was practiced.
• The Philippines Public School system was introduced.
• Free public instruction was given to the Filipinos.
• The literature during the American period was considered as imitative of
American model. Instead of asking the students to write originals, students
ended up following the form of American poets.
 Periods of Philippine
Literature
Precolonial Period Spanish Period

American Period Japanese Period

Philippine Republic Martial Law

Contemporary Period
THOMASITES
-first English teachers
-The Filipino learned the language and
used it in their writings
Forms of Literature

• Poetry
• Drama
• Novel
Poetry

• poetry under the American rule still

followed the style of the old, but had
contents that ranged from free writing
to societal concerns under the
Americans.
Poetry
Examples

• Jose Corazon de Jesus (1832-1896) popularly known as “Batute,” created his

own generation with his first book of poems.

• Mga Gintong Dahon (1920) - were poems pre-occupied with such

nontraditional
themes as passion-slaying, grief-induced, insanity, and lover's suicide.

• Sa Dakong Silangan (1928) –returned to the awit form, retelling the history of
Philippines under Spain, the coming of the U.S. under the guise of friendship
to take over from Spain
Drama

• was usually used in American period to

degrade the Spanish rule and to
immortalize the heroism of the men
who fought under the Katipunan
Drama

Example

• Severino Reyes (1861-1942) – spearheaded a movement to

supplant the komedya with a new type of drama, the zarzuela,
a Filipino adaptation of the Spanish zarzuela.

Walang Sugat (1902) – is a zarzuela drawn from the period of

Revolution depicting the cruelty and corruption of friars and the
heroism of the soldiers of the Katipunan
Novel

• is a long work of realist prose that

focuses on the psychological aspects of
human character and the sociopolitical
dimensions of collective existence.
Novel

• Remake Novels – took up Dr. Jose Rizal’s portrayal

of social conditions by colonial repression

Examples
Gabriel Beato Francisco is best known for his
trilogy Fulgencia Galbillo, Capitan Bensio, and Alfaro

Inigo Ed Regalado – Madaling Araw (1909)

Activity A:
Search for any short story or drama that is written during the American colonization or tells about the American
influence. Fill in the graphic organizer after having read the chosen text:

Title of Text Genre

Evidence or Hints of Filipino Culture Evidence or Hints of American Culture

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the theme of the text?
2. What is the dominant culture embodied in the text?
3. How is local color incorporated in the text?
4. What could be the message of the text read?
Activity B. Analyze the following poem:
Excerpt from “Ako ang Daigdig” ni Alejandro G. Abadilla

ako ang daigdig

ako ang tula
ako ang daigdig
ang tula
ako ang daigdig ng tula
ang tula ng daigdig
ako ang walang maliw na ako
ang walang kamatayang ako
ang tula ng daigdig
Guide questions:
1. What is the poem about?
2. What are the prominent literary devices used in these lines?
3. How is the structure of this poem different from the verses made
from the earlier periods?
4. Being written during the American period, what could be a possible
interpretation over these verses?
C. Give your opinion about the following:
1. What is the primary goal of the American colonizers?
2. How are the Americans different from the Spanish
colonizers?
3. How are they similar?
4. What do you think are the benefits and consequences of
having been colonized by the Americans?
5. What values do you think have the literary writers gained
during this period?
Thanks for listening!