alamat at pagsaksi: isang pagsusuri sa ang sandali ng mga mata

Tulad ng sa lumang panahon, isinasalaysay ang mga pangyayari sa nobelang Ang Sandali ng mga Mata ni Alvin Yapan. Hindi man pasalita kundi isinusulat sa papel, ikinukuwento ng pangunahing tauhang si Esteban ang kanyang nasaksihan nang paris ng prekolonyal na panitikan: mala-alamat. Ordinaryong buhay man meron ang mga tauhan, ito ay may saysay kaya dapat isalaysay at hindi basta kakalimutan. Kuwento man ito ng isang naging katulong gaya ni Selya, ng isang anak sa labas gaya ni Nene o ng mga gerilya o rebelde ng lipunang gaya nina Esteban at Bino, may mga kabayanihan o alamat itong gustong ipaalam sa mga maaaring makinig, magbasa o umunawa. Sa paraang ito, mas nabibigyan ng tamang kabuluhan ang mga buhay sa kontemporaryong panahon. Sa ngayon, mahirap hanapin ang maalamat sa buhay ng mga tao sapagkat nagdaan na sa marami, paulit-ulit at malalaking pagkabigo sa halip na mga kabayanihan. Hindi nalalayo sa ganitong pagdaranas ang mga tauhan sa nobela. Sa kaso ng mga Filipino, makikita ang mga pagkabigong ito sa karanasan ng ating pagkasakop at, matapos ang pagkasakop, ang desperadong pagtatangkang lumaya sa mga epekto ng kolonyalismo at sa kahirapan. Dahil patuloy na hinahanap ang mga kalayaan mula sa mga ito, hinahabi pa rin ang mga alamat at sa dulo pa ng buhay malalaman kung magiging bayani o magiging katulad ng mga tauhan sa kuwento na nasadlak sa kanya-kanyang kabiguan. Sa nobelang ito, si Esteban lamang ang nanatiling buhay para ikuwento ang mga buhay ng mga nangamatay nang literal gaya nina Estela at Boboy at nang piguratibo gaya nina Bino at Selya. Sa pamamagitan ni Esteban, nabigyan ng maalamat na kalidad ang buhay ng mga ordinaryong taong ito upang ipakitang kahit sa kasalukuyang panahon, may mga pagtatangkang maging bayani gaya ng sa mga epiko kaya hindi dapat mawala o mapatianod ang tao sa mga kontemporaryong panganib gaya ng materyalismo, pananakop, dehumanisasyon at iba pa.
Hindi man lubusang naging bayani sa kanilang mga sari-sarili, sinubok ng mga tauhan sa nobela na maging ganito may malay man sila o walang nagpapakabayani sila gaya ng sa katutubong epikong Ibalon. Halimbawa, nang hindi gampanan ni Selya ang kanyang tungkulin bilang ina ni Nene, inako ito ni Bino at siya ang nag-asikaso sa bata sa pagpapalit ng lampin, paghahanap ng gatas at iba pang gawaing pang-nanay. Habang mistulang dalaga ang kanyang asawa, binabalanse ni Bino ang kanyang mga tungkulin bilang ama at ina ni Nene at bilang makataong tagapamahala ng hacienda ng mga Nueva. Sa dulo man ay napabayaan niya si Nene sa pag-aaruga ng katulong na agtang si Agatha at mistulang patay na rin siyang hindi umalis sa kanyang tumba-tumba, nasubok naman niyang magpakabayani sa batang hindi niya tunay na anak kundi resulta ng panggagahasa sa kanyang asawa. Pinangatawanan man niya ang kanyang pagkakapon dahil hindi na nagamit ang kanyang kakayanan at kapangyarihan sa pagkakatigil niya sa tumba-tumba, nasubok naman niyang gumawa ng alamat sa pamamagitan ng pagiging dalawang magulang habang mahusay na nakikitungo sa mga sakada ng kanyang lupain.
Gayundin naman si Nene na inihalintulad sa bayaning si Handyong na nakipaglaban sa mga halimaw na gumambala sa Ibalon. Gaya ng nabanggit na bayani, kinalaban din niya ang mga Marcos na hinihinala niyang pasimuno sa pagnanakaw sa nagbibigay-kaligtasang Ina ng Bikolandia, isang krimeng gumambala sa bayan ni Nene. Tuluyan man siyang nawala sa loob ng Malakanyang kung paanong nawala si Handyong nang umibig sa mapagbalat-kayong (dahil nag-anyong diwata) kalabang si Oryol, sinubok pa rin ni Nene na ipakipaglaban ang karapatan ng kanyang bayan na mabawi ang ninakaw ng mapagbalat-kayong (dahil magnanakaw pala) pinuno ng Pilipinas. Bayani pa rin si Nene dahil marami siyang simulaing nagpabago sa makaluma niyang bayan ng Sagrada gaya ng pagbebenta ng yelo, ng baka at manok at sari-sari pang produkto.
Mala-bayani rin anak ni Nene na si Boboy, dahil inihalintulad siya sa sumunod kay Handyong na si Bantong, ang huling bayani sa epikong Ibalon. Ipinapahiwatig nito na itinuloy ni Boboy ang simulain ng ina na huwag maniwala sa mga pamahiing nagtatali sa kalumaan sa maraming tao sa Sagrada. Kung hindi lamang siya natagpuang lulutang-lutang sa ilog sa piling ng mga lilang takay, baka nakatapos siya ng abogasya at nabigyan ng kaginhawaan ang lolang punumpuno ng kasawian sa buhay mula nang maging alila ng mga Nueva hanggang magahasa ng mga Hapon. Kung hindi niya labis na ipinagluksa ang pagbibigti ng kasintahang si Estela, maaaring naging abogado na siya at itinuloy ang simulain ng ina na paunlarin ang makalumang bayan niya.
Ang pagtatangka ng nobela na ipakitang nagpapakabayani ang mga tauhan ay pagkumpirmang hindi humihinto ang siglo ng mga alamat. Hindi lamang matatagpuan ang mga bayani sa lumang panahon kundi sa lahat ng panahon at pagkakataon. Pag-aangat ito sa buhay ng mga kontemporaryong mga tauhan pati na ng mga mambabasa upang pahalagahan ang kanilang magagawa bilang sagot sa mga kasalukuyang balakid sa pag-asensong personal o panlipunan. May mga alamat na mahuhugot sa buhay ng tao upang magsilbing inspirsyon ng kanyang kapwa. Hindi man tuluyang magtagumpay, sumubok pa ring humabi ng alamat ng pagkabayani ang mga tauhan ng nobela para patunayang napapanahon pa rin ang mga bayani.
Sa nobela, isa lamang ang maituturing na bayani, si Esteban. Malaki ang nagawa ng kanyang mga mata upang palitawin ang kalidad ng maalamat sa buhay niya bilang tagapagsalaysay ng kuwento. Sa sandali ng kanyang mga mata, naging saksi siya sa mga bigong pagpapakabayani ng kanyang mga nakasalamuhang tauhan. Ngunit hindi gaya nila, naging bukas ang mga mata ni Esteban kahit pa masakit masdan ang mga pagkabigo. Hindi siya pumikit para lamang matakasan sa pamamagitan ng dilim ang mga dusa at kasawian ng minamahal na si Selya at ang mga kapamilya nitong sina Nene at Boboy. Sa pamamagitan pa ng nagising niyang ikatlong mata, namulat din siya sa malapit at malayong nakaraan pati na sa daigdig ng mga dating buhay. Sa kapangyarihan ng kanyang mga mata, nagawa ni Esteban na saksihan at patotohanan ang mga pangyayari sa iba’t ibang panahon, mula sa panahon ng mga bayani ng epiko hanggang sa malagim na paglubog ng Cagsawa dahil sa pumutok na Bulkang Mayon hanggang sa pagdating ng mga Amerikano at Hapones hanggang sa diktadurya ni Marcos at EDSA 1. Sa pagkakasaksi ni Esteban sa iba’t ibang punto ng kasaysayan ng bansa, pinatototohanan niya ang isinasabuhay na epiko ng ating bansa: ng mga indibidwal na bayaning nagkakawing-kawing ang mga buhay para likhain ang bayan at ang kasaysayan nito, ang mga madalang na tagumpay at madalas na pagkabigo sa pagsubok na magpakabayani at lumikha ng pansariling alamat. Sandali ng mga matang nakasaksi sa magkakahiwalay na mga pangyayari ang magpapakita ng ebidensiya na mapagtatagpi-tagpi ang mga sala-salabid ngunit totohanang nangyari upang ang nabuong naratibo ang magbibigay ng kahulugan sa magkakaugnay palang nakalipas, kasalukuyan at kinabukasan.
Kung paanong naging motif ang ahas bilang dahilan ng kasawian ng tao o ang bulaklak bilang pang-alay, motif din sa nobela ang mata mula sa kinikilatis na mata ng isda, sa mata ng lungsod na hindi pumipikit upang hindi mabangungot ngunit hindi rin makapapanaginip, hanggang sa singkit na mga mata ng mga Hapones. Palibhasa, mga mata kasi ang nakakakita ng dilim at liwanag. Ito ang makakapagpatotoo kung tunay o huwad ang nakikita at maisasaysay. Kung nakakapikit ito dahil ayaw masaksihan ang masakit na katotohanan, hindi makapangyarihan ang maisasaysay nito. Samantala, kung dilat naman ito bilang pagtanggap sa mapait ngunit mapagpalayang katotohanan, makapagsasaysay ito nang may kapangyarihan dahil makapagmumulat din ng ibang mga mata. Gaya ng mga pagkabigo sa mga tauhan ng nobela, masakit ngunit nakapagpapalaya ang pagtanggap sa katotohanan ng mga pagkabigo sa tunay na buhay. Ito ang dahilan ni Esteban sa pagsasalaysay ng kanyang nasaksihan: upang hindi na dumami pa ang maging biktima ng kamandag ng kawalang-malay. Habang buhay ang kuwento, epiko at alamat ng buhay, ‘di mababaon ang tao sa pamahiin, dilim at kalumaan.

merlie alunan’s bringing the dolls: a textual reading

The poem Bringing The Dolls written by Merlie Alunan is about a mother’s realization that in one’s moving on, one need not bring only those considered important.
The predominant image of the poem is the dolls. It can initially be found in the first 3 lines, which describe the dolls as mangled:
Two dolls in rags and tatters,
One missing an arm and a leg,
The other blind in one eye –
The dolls’ image appears again in line 18, wherein the persona sees the deliberately left dolls—“rags, tatters and all.” In both appearances, the persona tries to reinforce the idea that the dolls are unsightly, and as the lines move along to reveal the dramatic situation, this reinforcement suggests the representation of the hideous past which, like the ugly dolls set side by side against “the neat trim packs” (line 19), the persona “rule[s] to leave behind” (line 20).
We can see that the poem’s dramatic situation is the struggle of the mother, as she and daughter move to a new home, never to “take/what must be left behind” (lines 13-14): the past. The poem’s title vividly presents the dilemma that if the mother concedes to her daughter’s bringing the dolls, the mother will be hounded by the past; if the mother does pack only “the barest need:/no room for sentiment or memory” (lines 8-9), she will most probably break her daughter’s heart. The dramatic situation is very important because the persona detailing the dramatic situation soon realizes a truth that her child has unwittingly taught her: to keep her faith, even if things seem trivial. This she discovers only later because she denies herself the luxury of being sentimental for a while: “a smart wind blowing dry/the stealthy tears [she can] not wipe” (lines 16-17).
The persona in the poem is a mother who tries to escape from the past by leaving the seemingly unimportant (and essentially harsh) reminders of it. She is the one putting in detail the dramatic situation; thus, she is integral to the poem’s progress. It is through her that the truth about keeping one’s faith is revealed, amid her attempt to have a “stern resolve” (line 11) to erase the past through the only way she knows: her own way. The child, however, insisted in bringing the dolls along (lines 18-20), a defiance: “her clean white years unlived —/and paid [her mother’s] price” (lines 24-25).
In lines 21-23, the persona tries to tell us that the child understands what her mother is going through. She feels empathy as supported by the following lines:
Her silence should have warned me
she knew her burdens
as I knew mine:
The mother now knows that her child is not oblivious of her problem. Ultimately, her child teaches her a lesson. The main point of the poem unravels in the last four lines:
when what’s at stake
is loyalty or love,
hers are the true rights.
Her own faith she must keep, not I.
The child has the discretion of what is most important to her, and the mother has no right to insist upon what she deems vital for her child, in this case the child’s bringing the dolls, which the child loves and is loyal to. Her daughter’s keeping the faith eventually teaches the mother that memories, even those one will rather forget, serve a function or two, in her case a learning point as mother and child go on in life. This realization of an old truth fulfills the promise of the material used in the poem, that the daughter and her rag dolls have a lesson to tell to the too-practical mother, in which case the poem succeeds in projecting the universal theme of keeping the faith.

the dangerous manipulation of truth in fahrenheit 9/11

Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore’s daring documentary on the events that caused the September 11, 2001 hijacking attacks on the United States and the reason for its waging of war against Afghanistan and Iraq comes in the wake of the worldwide cynicism regarding who the real terrorist is. While it is shocking to witness a country touted to be “the best damn planet on earth” reduced into shambles, it is rather not surprising that one of President George Bush’ staunch critics such as Moore should accuse him of bungling his job and of actually benefiting from a national tragedy. Only, Moore’s film went several steps too many to tread the path to shameless propaganda. Yes, this film is more of a propaganda than a straightforward documentary. Presented with a provocative documentary like this just when social anxiety runs way too high, viewers will likely emerge screaming out of the movie house more because of paranoia than assault to incredulous sensibilities. Moore has already established himself as a leading documentary filmmaker in Hollywood. But can we consider this film a documentary? A documentary, as defined by the Webster’s Universal Dictionary and Thesaurus, presents “a factual account of an event or activity.” It is a nonfiction exposition of a specific issue in society, being able to portray both sides of the story and letting its audience decide freely for themselves which side to heap trust on. Fahrenheit 9/11 is undoubtedly meant to discredit President Bush. Calling the film a documentary is like calling a duck the mother of pearl. The truths used in the film are twisted out of context in order to present occurrences in a different light. This is evident with the editing which, while laudable for its cleverness, ripped off circumstances in order to foist in the viewers’ mind that Bush is an incompetent chief, an opportunist and a war freak. If one’s brain is impressionable, a president caught being in touch with his humanity (i.e. Bush’ playing golf) is rather unbecoming for someone whose supreme position entails work, work, work. All job and no play will have sounded like a silly excuse for this, but Moore features a light moment of the President, and then decides that Bush is playing a Nero at a time of Roman distress instead of busying himself with rigorous presidential tasks back in Washington.
With Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore has once again capitalized on insinuations as in his past films--a diversion from the essence of a documentary. Again, if one only takes in what is being fed by Moore without it being turned over in one’s head, then it is easy to say that Bush fished in troubled waters when the US launched warfare against Afghanistan first, then Iraq. How? Moore presented Bush’ single degree of separation from the moneyed Bin Ladens, a member of whom is the prime hijacking suspect Osama. This association is business in nature, and it is not beyond Moore to suggest that Bush and the Bin Ladens maintain an economic mutuality. What’s more, in waging war in Middle East, Bush, whose family corporation includes armament supplies, actually benefits from the Afghan and Iraq Wars because his family-owned company services the US Defense. Proclaiming the President’s unabashed involvement in such a business at the expense of his nation crosses the delineation between objectivity and subjectivity. The film wants to convince the people of its own version of truth, unmasking itself of the propaganda that it is--a propaganda meant to slant the Americans against the real enemy that is their President.
The part wherein Bush is shown so dumbfounded about the freshly-wrought 9/11 attacks that the most he could do was read a preschooler’s book seems contrasted with the starkness of his conviction to lead the fight of the Americans against the country’s terrorists. Of course, Moore implies that Bush is such a haphazard bully as to judge Afghanistan and Iraq as terrorists’ lair without thinking of the imminent threat his decision brings along toward innocent civilians of these relatively defense-inferior countries. Now it can be told that there are no weapons of mass destruction hidden in Iraq and that Osama Bin Laden remains at large, but to show the idiocy of someone elected by one of the most democratic nations in the world seems also an affront to the US. While Bush indeed made a grave blunder by launching war, veiling Bush’s motive of sustaining world peace is just too much. In this, the propaganda has struck a raw vein because the joke is on Moore himself.
In line with all these insinuations, Moore has ignored the other side completely. He did not even try to hide his disgust with President Bush. Scenes are displayed in order to show the flaws of the President. With America being threatened and paranoid of further terrorism attacks, government officials had mistaken several parties for being “terrorists” themselves. They hired an agent to spy on UNESCO, a peace-loving group which aims to propagate harmony in the midst of the situation then. A gym buff was awaken from his sleep in his apartment by policemen since they had received reports that he had been talking about terrorism, Iraq and oil companies. A mother had been suspected of carrying drugs, while it was only a bottle of breastfed milk she prepared for her child. In terms of national security, this successful satire displayed the state of Oregon, having insufficient means of protection. Only one man, not given a handbook on security guidelines, stands by its coast, in the hopes of harboring the state from suspicious terrorists. Oregon’s only police center is also not equipped with adequate resources, with a part time worker and a malfunctioned telephone booth. In view of the state’s counter-terrorism efforts, a deficient army has also been one of the issues presented in the social propaganda. In response to this, members of the US army saunter along middle class shopping centers to draw individuals, mostly students, in joining the military. These occasions depict Bush as a defective leader, not presenting any circumstance in favor of him. It is different from saying that Bush is a proficient President. However, these anti-Bush events are not balanced with pro-Bush ones, deeming Fahrenheit 9/11 as subjective and biased.
Moore has a reputation of manipulating the truth. Thus, viewers have no way to assess whether any tampering had been done with several interviews presented. One of which is with Lisa Lipscomb, filming her when her son was still alive and later after his death. It is as if to portray a shift of emotions --from being loyal to the country to cursing the man seated inside the Oval. It’s truly a moving material but Moore’s reputation deprived this of its power. His character demands the audience to regard everything in his films with skepticism. Nobody knows how much of it is actually real.
The scenes displayed were very clear—clear enough to infiltrate Bush’s flawed character in the observer’s mind. However, Fahrenheit 9/11 signifies a bombardment with bullets flying in all directions. These discrepant shots do not cohere at any point. They jump all over the place, gaining occasional hits but never establishing Moore’s agenda in the first place. The narrative was also delivered in his voice. Merely by the explicit use of words such as “associations with Osama bin Laden” and “Is that a kind of president we would have?” proves that Moore uses this “documentary” as a rhetoric device to dishonor and shame President George Bush. More importantly, how sure are we that the scenes and the voice-overs are in the same context? Moore might have interpreted the scenes according to his schema, ripping them out of their true context. His heart may be in the right place but his execution is totally amiss. Hence, Moore’s efforts may be considered as reprehensible.
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a poignant and emotionally charged film. It is not a documentary, but a man’s provocative attempt to permeate into one’s mind. It is a dangerous film, incapable of attracting viewers on merit and a shameless political manifesto, lacking the power to impact undecided voters. If one’s beliefs are not grounded on solid foundations, then he should not even consider viewing this film. Balance is what we seek to find here, but there had not been any here. We only discover media outtakes and video discards, adroitly maneuvered, that have formed an appalling distortion of the truth.

touched: human contacts in marguerite duras’ the lover

The modern current and its confrontational interrogation of traditional modes of world culture gave way to frankness about human sexuality, and writers the world over seized the opportunity to explore sensually related themes in order to discover redeeming qualities about such a topic rendered taboo by conservatives for reasons no less than restrictive, often hypocritical social mores. One such controversial writer is Marguerite Duras in her scathing tale The Lover, whose protagonist, an impoverished French lass barely in her sixteen, learns the truth about love with an older Chinese man with whom she feels mutual sexual desire at the onset. Set in Indochina at the turn of the 20th century, The Lover proves that desire is the one unifying element the keeps humans alive, as may be gleaned in the palpable albeit varying proportions of human contacts made by the narrator with other individuals.
A supportive critique of The Lover which may be found in Critical Guide to French Texts attests to the fact that yes, the young female protagonist does attain certain degrees of contact with her lover the Chinaman, her schoolmate Helene, her mother, and her elder and younger brothers. It helps that her adolescence—her blossoming sexuality—and her feeling of being relatively unloved render her vulnerable to the clutches of desiring for whatever form of love she may have, not to mention the socio-historical milieu in which the protagonist is situated. These factors, nevertheless, make ambivalent impacts to the contact she tries to establish with other characters. Also, these factors offer a tremendous challenge that unloved she may be, the narrator is somewhat capable of reaching out to her fellow individuals.
The narrator has developed initial contact with her lover the China man by virtue of the quintessential desire because she feels unloved, and her escapist stance against a colonial Indochina and an impoverished, oppressive family automatically shoves her into finding love in the nearest available source. When she encounters the China man aboard a ferry cruising in the historic Mekong River, she becomes curious whether she can exercise some power over her life even as she is virtually powerless and her life, out of control because of her social position. Likewise, she is at the brink of womanhood, and it is understandable that she should be interested with her burgeoning sexuality. These factors succeed in making her seek love from the lover: inexperienced yet flirtatious, she rides with him to Saigon, knows him deeper as a rich, educated bachelor, and eventually, makes love with him. She wants to belong to someone, to her life, and to herself.
The white girl’s intense sexual passion with the older Chinese guy has evolved into love because long after they are separated, she—relatively matured at eighteen—realizes on board a France-bound steamer that she loved him immensely. Upon witnessing a young male passenger throw himself onto the sea, she acknowledges her love for him. The separation drama in the scene makes her wistful of her separation from her lover, who could not marry her but assures his undying love for her. Her love is full of obsession, condemned, and suddenly nipped in the bud; the affair is rather impossible, but this impossibility only heightened the erotic presence of her lover.[1]
In spite of their affair’s condemnation because the girl’s family accuses her of attraction only to the guy’s wealth and their colonial society is somewhat intolerant of their age and class difference, she only becomes more impassioned with the one who tears her asunder (who breaks her virginity) but makes her whole all the same, even makes her an entirely different person altogether, not just a precocious child tying hard to be wiser than her age permits.
The narrator’s desire for the Chinese man loosens from their mutual relationship to cover her desire for Helene Lagonelle, her schoolmate. She claims to making a gift of her lover to this schoolmate as her biggest desire.
[2] She must be drawing pleasure via the substitution of some other woman’s body for her own,
[3]by offering Helene to the lover in order to identify with him as a lover seeing a love object and in the process, to express her imagination of herself making love to Helene. Their desire-laden looks toward one another state their relationship and emotional affinity, as is implicit with the narrator’s direct look at Helene, all with the expression of tenderness and desire for her friend. At the beginning, she is attracted to her because she sympathizes with Helene’s plight. This attraction soon morphs when she thinks of herself, her lover and Helene engaging in a sexual triangle.[4]
Also, the young girl develops a contact with her mother through her longing for her mother’s attention. She wants to assist her in giving protection to her little brother Paolo. Her mother’s overwhelming despair, however, affects the young girl’s frustrated contact with her. Theirs is a matriarchal family, and an insane-like mother with wretched life, marriage, and relationship with her children is not beyond in encouraging her own daughter to whoring in order to sustain the family’s necessities. This frustration of the narrator’s desire to connect is further aggravated by her mother’s nagging, her degradation of her, her projection and general maternal guilt tripping. When the young girl discovers her sexuality, she has begun to dissociate from the mother, which will ultimately lead to her departure from the colony to establish another identity as a writer—a self-construction that spells independence from her mother, a fact that is somehow encouraged by the mother for her daughter to achieve redemption by leaving the colony and her position in the society. Both daughter and mother maintain contact even if they are later dissipated geographically, as is bolstered previously by the narrator’s constant remembrance of her mother especially when she has liaisons with her lover.
The narrator has had contact with the elder brother, despite her loathing for him, when she recognizes the power he holds over her family even with the lover around. She becomes one with him when, idealizing this brother, the members whisk the Chinese guy off their mind, denying his presence often and getting reminded of his existence when they have him take charge of meal bills. The rules laid down by the elder brother are too persistent to make the narrator forget her passion for and perception of the lover. Resembling the mother, she learns to adapt to her brother’s dismissal of weaklings, citing his capacity not only to dominate physically but also to influence the minds of people within his sphere. Her perceptively incestuous relationship with him, her rape by him that can only be insinuated, the bizarre sexual tension between them lessened her complete contact with the elder brother.
Finally, the narrator has developed contact with her younger brother because of her desire to take care of someone she closely resembles in being ‘petit.’ Their relationship has transcended difference for them to identify and to be friends with each other. Even as small kids, they have commonality in experiences, be them their escapades together or their shared torments as victims of their abusive brother. Their closeness is brought about by their desire to antagonize their bully brother, who takes them for mere objects in opposition to him. Their affinity is deemed an assumption of their feminine position with their family’s gendered order.[5]<
In conclusion, the narrator has, indeed, attained genuine yet nuanced contact with other characters in The Lover. She has life, and this continuation to live feeds upon the fact that she desires and is made human by this one unifying power to love. In essence, she is the lover.
***
[1] Margeurite Duras Revisited, p. 117.
[2] Duras: A Beginner’s Guide, p. 39.
[3] Margeurite Duras Revisited, p. 123.
[4] Critical Guides to French Texts, p. 46.
[5] Critical Guides to French Texts, p. 32.

being and others

Quiet places fit the mood for some recollection. The only question now is: what is there to recollect? Times like this had me inescapably turning deep into myself to think profoundly about, well, myself. Who am I? Why am I here? What direction am I heading to? After much pondering, a few answers descend upon me, although some leave more questions, which required more recollections as time allows.
I shift my weight on one side of the seat. I look around. The birds flying, the trees swaying like some friends who can’t run to one another’s side to have a group hug, the rocks strewn upon the earth—do they also recollect as I do now? If no, bless their souls, given that they have souls. If yes, what do they gather? Do they look deep into themselves? Or do they explore outside realities?
It’s amazing when I come to think of myself and leave recollecting but wanting to know more. There is not just enough time or opportunity to explore myself, to know the real me. There is this self that I know that others know as well. There is this self that I know that others don’t. Then there is this self that others know but I don’t. And then this self that neither I nor others are even aware of. Nothing’s just perfect. No matter how much time or energy I invest in philosophizing, I can only make a close approach to knowing. Although I am left wanting, I paradoxically get satisfied. Why won’t I, when many things like philosophy are always farther away? It’s enough to approximate, than never being able to come close to anything at all.
Close. Just when is something close? Even as I lay down the questions to gather the answers later, there is no guarantee I can have these answers. But I can get close. I think deeply of myself, then assume I get enlightened enough to have come close to knowing myself more. If I think hard enough about others, can I also approximate enough to know them more? Outside myself are the realities of God, my family, my friends. If I ponder upon my relationships with them, will I become enlightened about who they really are, and why they are ever related to me at all?
There are times when I think that I’m better off alone. I don’t have to pick up the phone and connect with contacts, force a smile when I chance upon someone I know in the mall, join my family for dinner. I’m better off alone because I can think more of myself without having to bother that others exist outside myself. Perhaps, when others don’t exist, I will discover so much more about the real me. When I think get started thinking about myself, outside realities force themselves in, asking in SMS the assignment some professor had us read, or commenting how sleep-deprived I look while groceries are waiting to be picked, or telling me to lead the prayer before meals.
On the other hand, perhaps this is really the point why others exist in my life: for them to complete my profile. That I actually need them to define myself. That without their influence, I will not be who I really am. That each time they text me, come across me in all places, bond with me, they are actually contributing to the self I think hard of knowing. In which case, I’m better off alone only if and when relationships cease to define humankind altogether. I assume that I can only exist relative to the existence of others.
Maybe this is the point of having to reflect about the person that I am. I am being called to relate to others to fulfill this end. I can be the person others help mold into existence, hence the need to relate to them lovingly. On the other hand, this relationship with others is an end in itself, for as motives of my existence, others—God, family, friends—are only different from me because we are independent ideal entities. Otherwise, we are all one and the same, bound by the common search for identity.

the filipino youth in this tumultuous time

Our country seems forever plagued by political unrest and economic crisis. As of present, the Philippine President is being asked to resign in order to save the country from further downfall. Obviously harmed by the above problems, different sectors of the society are divided over whether the President should stay or go away, and the youth of whom I am a legitimate part are also directly affected, so where is the Y-Generation at this political crossroad?
As always, I and my fellow youth cannot remain neutral because we have a hand in choosing the direction our country will go. The current affairs may be dismal, but we youth react to it by describing it as an opportune time for a revolution. The ’86 generation of youth participated actively in deposing a dictator in the First People Power. The cellular phone on our hands is tucked there for more reasons than the usual, and we may just replicate what we did in the Second People Power—getting mobilized through the amazing text messaging. At best, we cannot let the interesting times fly away as we sleep comfortably, because we are not a useless bunch of brats but a powerful force in shaping our country’s history.
For most of us, the best solution the youth can do is to be always vigilant as social developments unfold. I see some of my colleagues rallying on the streets or formulating analysis of the situation—the rest of us cannot remain silent. If it helps to interpret the constitution in EDSA yet again, the youth will be there. The youth before did just that when they deem the congress paralyzed; we will do it in that forum or someplace else should necessity arise.
The greatest contribution of the Filipino youth in these moments is helping paddle the boat of this nation. After all, should the boat sink or get lost in the middle of nowhere, we are all doomed. The future indeed lies in our hands, and we do not refer to our cellphones only. The shaping of the Philippines’ future is happening now, and we cannot wait for our youth to vanish to do our civil obligation—to be forever involved at the costs.

out of the woman’s box: a feminist literary criticism of dekada ‘70

Chito Roño’s Dekada ’70 (Star Cinema, 2002) is the story of a middle-class mother raising a brood of five boys amid the turbulent Martial Law era. Being a housewife and caring mother was everything Amanda Bartolome (Vilma Santos) surrendered herself to doing all along, primarily because her bourgeois husband (Christopher de Leon) dominated the family. This was until her eldest (Piolo Pascual) became a full-pledged New People’s Army member and her consciousness was inevitably dragged into the turmoil of her son’s rebel living and of her time’s dictatorial mode. From an apolitical woman, she turned into a socially engaged individual.
An aspect of the highly intricate feminist theory is the empowerment of women just as Amanda was empowered in the novel and, later, in its cinematic adaptation. The patriarchal hegemony views the planet as “a man’s world,” thereby the illusion of male dominance over women proliferates just because women are weaker in terms of physiology or physical strength. Over time, the assigned roles to both sexes—while just socially constructed—were made somewhat permanent, limiting the opportunities of women to spring out of the box. This is the case in question for feminists: the accordance of equality and equity for both sexes as well as for all genders.
The film represents women as capable of getting empowered upon realization that it’s a woman’s world, too. The husband-submissive Amanda learns and applies to life that she can win a case against Julian Sr. (or any man for that matter) as did her career-driven daughter-in-law (Dimples Romana) and that women have responsibility to the country as was exemplified by her other daughter-in-law, the rebel Mara (Ana Capri). Women like Amanda lived and have been living as domestic slaves to their husbands, having made to believe that they best settle for homebound careers like babysitting and cooking. The film leads women to imagine a possibility of breaking the custom-built chain of home and partake an active role in nation-building like excelling in politics, business, science or letters. In the beginning, the film comments on the conventional household roles women assume in the society, but as Amanda awakens from complacency to support, for instance, Jules’ rebel cause, Dekada ’70 already subverts the idea that Amanda (or any other woman) should embrace inferiority as opposed to man’s pronounced superiority.
The novel was written in the early ‘80s and its screenplay, in the early part of the millennium. While the two texts materialized with twenty years of distance between them, the expressed cultural views about women in general hardly changed. Women then and now are seen in stereotypes: the cause of man’s downfall, the she-devil, the second sex, the bimbo, the Maria Clara, goddess personified, ad infinitum. In the case of our heroine, Amanda is the Blessed Virgin Mary ever attendant to her Messianic son Jules and a devout follower of the Father, Jules Sr.
Master-slave is the best description of the relationship between the men and women of the film. However, the turning of the table through the insight of Amanda’s initiation to social life is a telling fact that women cannot stay in the stuffy, coffin-like box because they deserve to take a significant part in revolutionizing the society. Women only tolerate their submissiveness to men because of patriarchal ideology, but the film’s enlightening moral should let them know their bodies and roles better than the usual and imagined. Time for the social constructs to be radicalized by women themselves.

filipino professionals piracy as a neocolonialist policy for first world countries

here's a paper i prepared when i turned 25. i'm uploading it for posterity purposes.
***
The exodus of Filipinos into foreign lands is an increasingly alarming phenomenon which distresses more this country that already agonizes over dismal political and economic (under)developments. While poverty in the Philippines and the conversely greener pastures abroad are the main reasons for the Filipino Diaspora, the Developed countries seem to fish into our troubled waters by recruiting more Filipinos to join their workers. It is not far-fetched then that this piracy (as opposed to the traditional sea banditry in terrorist lairs or the simulacrum-based audio/video postmodern stealing) is a neocolonialist policy for Western imperialists. The First World recruits Third World-based laborers in order to render Developing countries’ economies dependent to the former.
In the past, the first, Spain-bound expatriates in the likes of Jose Rizal and the rest of his ilustrado colleagues got to study in the mother country because they were way too capable of supporting scholarship,[1]as against the lesser fortunate indios who had to subsist in Catholic discourses taught languidly by friars. These expatriates acquired modern erudition their brilliance merited, as the ill-meaning conquistadors fiercely held on to their worldview that the monkeys they were ruling should be given the most mediocre education tolerable, in order to continue colonizing them.
The paradigm was subverted when the Americans took their turn to be kings of the islands. Instead of mimicking its predecessor Spain in teaching moral subservience and religious pedagogy, the United States encouraged sending off pensionados to the Land of Milk and Honey where the Filipino intellectuals would be trained professionally.[2]The ends would not be for the natives, nonetheless. When these scholars were fed enough Americanism to return to the archipelago as prototype Americans, they would think for and administer the country just like the colonizing Father. The superficial beauty of American benevolence was nothing but a new sheepskin covering the proverbial fox. The postwar must have bombed away the stubborn tentacles of what resembled colonialism, only to spawn—among new republics at that—the seeming subtle form of Western imperialism that is neocolonialism.
Invented in 1961, the term neocolonialism is defined in Merriam-Webster as “the economic and political policies by which a great power indirectly maintains or extends its influence over other areas or people.”[3]In the case of the Philippines, its colonizing father the U.S. continues to hound it with the multifaceted presence of White House expansionist policies, multinational corporations, Hollywood and MTV cultures, and the English mother tongue. The economic neocolonial policy of Uncle Sam does not merely rest on the establishment of leading capitalist companies like McDonald’s, Procter and Gamble or Coca-Cola;[4]the superpower has long imported Filipino laborers to help in American nation-building, from the lowly tuna-salmon canners in Alaska and pineapple pickers in Hawaii of old to the present-day teachers and healthcare workers across the states. Why the need for the U.S. to resort to neocolonialism? Because this is relatively met with fewer, openly remarked stings from the global community than when direct takeover is enacted, as when American troops refused to leave Iraq after the very recent fall of Saddam Hussein’s dissident regime.
According to the National Statistics Office, our 80 million-strong Third World nation has 3.99 million or 10.9% of its labor force registered “unemployed,” the highest jobless rate in Asia.[5]It is difficult when 5% of the populace has no work—people do the extreme from stealing food to wishing to become First World citizens—so a great number of Filipinos set their sight toward the lure of overseas employment. To be more statistical about it, a total of 7.4 million comprises the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) around the world. That means almost 10% of Pinoys are expatriates working as teachers, engineers, “nurses, caregivers, entertainers, seamen, doctors and domestic helpers.”[6]In true Pinoy fashion of self-mockery, local essayist Jessica Zafra presented a simple plan for world domination: for us to send our tsimays (maids) crisscrossing the globe and then holding domestic hostage of the powers-that-be.[7]But the Filipino Diaspora is more than just laughing matter, since generally, this capitalization on Developing countries’ human resources cements the West’s stature as First World, and manifests a new concept of master-slave relationship that is no different from feudal ties of old or current-day capitalist-laborer ties. All these to the detriment of professionals’ countries of origin, the Philippines included.
The West’s neocolonialist policy of pirating Filipino professionals is an answer to the growing need of Developed countries for healthcare workers to look after the sick and the elderly, for instance. In fact, the country “has been the top exporter of nurses and the second top exporter of doctors in the world for more than 30 years now.”[8]It is highly likely that these medical workers’ employers were too busy making money to supervise personally their patients. Besides, the employers can leave the care for the patients to the nurses and doctors since the former can pay for the services. And pay high, in contrast to the pittance of a salary that the healthcare workers are paid in the country. The demand for nurses and caregivers abroad—one million in U.S. in the next 15 years whereas hundreds of thousands in Canada and Europe—is predicted to continue for decades, according to the Alliance of Health Workers,[9]hence some medical doctors shift to nursing in the hope of getting hired as nurses in other countries, and nurses get employment as caregivers,[10]an obvious underemployment and deskilling which are a feature of neocolonialist ploy. Right now, half of the 50,000 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-trained caregivers “are now employed abroad.”[11]The accelerating pace of brain drain has contributed to the aggravation of what Health Alliance for Democracy termed as “national hemorrhage.”[12]
The bleak scenario in the medical profession is the same in the disciplines of teaching, engineering, and the like. For lack of better wages hereabouts, a significant number of teachers are forced to migrate to, say, New Zealand, Great Britain and the united States, where these teachers do not expect to teach mercifully in overcrowded, dilapidated classrooms or worse, under the tree shade, and be underpaid for all the zeal and talent they show in the educative process. Meanwhile, engineers are equally in demand in Developed countries if only for the tremendous help they give in literally building the nations (with infrastructures, skyscrapers, service and transport systems) they work in.
Data coming from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency point to the escalating number of migrant workers, with .6 million Filipinos finding work abroad in the first seven months of 2005.[13] Roughly 3, 000 citizens leave the native soil daily, which could mean that in a few years’ time, the country’s healthcare, education and engineering systems would collapse for lack of specialists in these fields. Owing to this, the quality of graduates we produce is jeopardized with our best teachers absent, our healthcare endangered with our very medical officers going export-oriented, and our civilization’s structures weakened with our own engineers building the empires of our neocolonizers.
The exodus of our professionals may, for one, be attributed to the lack of job opportunities around or if there are, these offer meager salaries inadequate to support the cost of living in the country. As a neocolonialist tactic, the West attracts our professionals with just what they want: stable, high-paying jobs that will remain a distant dream should our professionals stubbornly ground themselves in the Philippines. This economic hostage by the West is equated to the mythical Scylla and Charybdis: in this dilemma, we give away our nation-builders or the first World will cease pumping our economy. It is not a hidden fact that our OFWs’ remittances, the third largest in the world at 7.9 Billion,<[14] sustains the languishing Philippine economy as well as feeds the OFWs’ love ones home. Furthermore, the demand for OFWs reflects their comparative advantage skills-wise, although now threatened by stricter measures of foreign employment first in Japan, Malaysia[15]and South Korea.[16] This demand, however, likewise reflects neocolonialism in that our professionals get pirated; more professionals in the First World mean fortified and continued development in that side of the political universe, at our country’s expense. The West pirates them if only to exploit their brilliance for First World countries’ selfish ends. Some of our expatriate workers are even willing victims because they go undocumented just to land a job abroad. The neocolonialist ploy of economic hostage rears its ugly head when our workers disregard the hazards of leaving and of possible reversal of fortune (getting murdered like entertainer Maricris Sioson, scientist Victoria Suller, and nanny Delia Maga, or getting hostaged like Angelo dela Cruz and Roberto Tarongoy) just so they can feed the family.
The worsening political situation causes our professionals to seek more stable jobs abroad. With the government’s ineptitude toward providing more jobs, upgrading working conditions and keeping investors, our professionals join the bandwagon of Diaspora. Nonetheless, this political decay may just be a neocolonialist tactic by the First World nations to lure professionals into more politically smooth countries such as theirs. The U.S., for one, always casts a shadow in the political happenings of our Manila government. The intervention of our former colonizer decades after we gained (?) independence is an ironic take; while political bickering exacerbates our economic meltdown, the professionals are pushed into trying better deployment overseas. The neocolonizer’s intervention in our politics maneuvers our professionals to envision more beneficial work opportunities in more politically stable First World nations. In the end, instead of working for their own people, our professionals get enslaved by the neo-gods of the First World. With our professionals doing the dirty labor, the Developed countrymen can focus on trendy, more lucrative professions of the present such as information technology or other science-inclined disciplines—fields that premodern societies like the Philippines can pursue only in many, many years’ time. Our professionals are pirated to do menial work just so the First Worlders can man other developmental aspects that will entrench their progressive standing.
To resist this neocolonialist policy by the West, a government intervention should come in the way to stop the professionals piracy which depletes our pool of quality human resources. The national government is responsible in saving the Philippine politics and economy from complete deterioration, which admittedly pushed many to fly away. It must be able to persuade local and, if it cannot be helped, foreign investors into putting up businesses that will provide gainful employment for prospective workers. Also, the bureaucracy must be rid of massive corruption in order to earn the trust of these power players. These titanic jobs should not go off easily, but people in the government get their salary from the nation’s fund for them to perform their duties, so they might as well pay off what taxpayers deserve.
An appeal for nationalism and vigilance should also come into play because the least our citizens can do is flee a country in distress. While it will be difficult to restrict people from moving out, the fortified patriotic values and sense of national identity will help prevent the uprooting of our people to be transplanted somewhere else. The alienation, discrimination and loss of identity are the possible risks awaiting those who go transcultural, hence the plea not to heed the neocolonial piracy of professionals and to stay home where they can still take pride and honor in their lesser-paying jobs and find fulfillment nonetheless.
A demand for retribution from OFW-receiving countries should be considered because the country spends for the local professionalization of workers, only to be hired off abroad. “Ako ang nagsaing, iba ang kumain,” reads one of our proverbs, and we cannot let this happen to us because it is colonization all over again. With our weaker state, the First World continues to have us slavishly work at the mercy of their whip cracks. While it cannot be tolerated, the hiring of our professionals merits more remuneration for this manpower’s country of origin, whose money was spent in producing this competitive pool of human resources.
It is further recommended that other studies be conducted regarding the repercussions of professionals’ exodus into pirating First World countries in relation to the persistent evils of neocolonialism.

Bibliography:
Adraneda, Katherine and Mayen Jaymalin. “Gov’t hit on exodus of medical workers.” In Philippine Star, September 21, 2005.
Agoncillo, Teodoro. History of the Filipino People. Quezon City: Garotech Publishing, 1990.
Bloomberg. “Jobless rate drops to 10.9% in July.” In Philippine Star, September 16, 2005.
Crisostomo, Shiela. “WHO: RP must address exodus of health professionals.” In Philippine Star, September 20, 2005.
Ellis, Beth, senior ed. The World Almanac Book of Facts. New Jersey: WRC Media Company, 2001.
Gatdula, Donnabelle. “OFW remittances up 22% to $5.8B.” In Philippine Star, September 16, 2005.
Jaymalin, Mayen. “Workers in Korea face salary cuts.” In Philippine Star, September 19, 2005.
__________. “Malaysia also tightens hiring rules for foreign workers.” In Philippine Star, September 20, 2005
Mish, Frederick, ed. Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Massachusetts: Merriam Webster, Inc., 1995.
Zafra, Jessica. Twisted. Pasig City: Anvil, 1992.

[1] Agoncillo, Teodoro. History of the Filipino People. Quezon City: Garotech Publishing, 1990, 131.
[2]Ibid., 372.
[3]Mish, Frederick, ed. Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1995, 778.
[4]Ellis, Beth, senior ed. The World Almanac Book of Facts. New Jersey: WRC Media Company, 2001, 141-142.
[5] Bloomberg. “Jobless rate drops to 10.9% in July.” In Philippine Star, September 16, 2005, B-1.
[6]Gatdula, Donnabelle. “OFW remittances up 22% to $5.8B.” In Philippine Star, September 16, 2005, B-1.
[7]Zafra, Jessica. Twisted. Pasig City: Anvil, 1992.
[8] Adraneda, Katherine and Mayen Jaymalin. “Gov’t hit on exodus of medical workers.” In Philippine Star, September 21, 2005, A-28.
[9]Crisostomo, Shiela. “WHO: RP must address exodus of health professionals.” In Philippine Star, September 20, 2005, A-8.
[10] Adraneda, Katherine and Mayen Jaymalin. “Gov’t hit on exodus of medical workers.” In Philippine Star, September 21, 2005, A-28.
[11]Ibid.
[12]Ibid.

[14] According to graphic data sourced from World Bank, picked up by the Philippine Star, September 16, 2005, B-1.
[15] Jaymalin, Mayen. “Malaysia also tightens hiring rules for foreign workers.” In Philippine Star, September 20, 2005, A-12.
[16] Jaymalin, Mayen. “Workers in Korea face salary cuts.” In Philippine Star, September 19, 2005, A-1.

mga himagsik sa maikling kuwentong “binyag-takas” ni lucila hosillos

Sinulat ng iskolar ng panitikang Hiligaynon na si Lucila Hosillos ang “Bunyag-Takas” noong 1969. Lumitaw ang sariling salin niya ritong pinamagatang “Binyag-Takas” sa Sugilanon: Mga Piling Maikling Kuwentong Hiligaynon na antolohiyang pinamatnugutan ng kapwa iskolar na si Rosario Cruz-Lucero at nilimbag naman ng De La Salle University Press noong 1991.
Gaya ng natitirang labindalawang kuwento sa antolohiya, tema ng “Binyag-Takas” ang pagbalikwas sa mga panlipunang salot na pumipigil sa hangarin ng mga Ilonggong makahulagpos mula sa kahirapan at pasakit. Katunayan, sa tema ng katarungang panlipunan umiikot ang paligsahang pinanalunan ng kuwento noong 1969 sa malawakang magasing Hiligaynon.
Sinasalamin ng “Binyag-Takas” ang sosyo-historikal na konteksto kung saan ito ipinanganak. Sa panahon bago ipatupad ni dating Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos ang Batas-Militar sa Pilipinas, nananalasa na sa buong bansa sa kabuuan at sa lalawigan ng Iloilo partikular ang kahirapan at kawalang-pagkakapantay-panlipunan. Bilang akdang nakisabay sa kilos-protesta ng panahong iyon, ibinunyag ng kuwento ang magkakatuligsang sistema sa pagitan ng panginoong maylupa at magsasaka, at sa pagitan ng pagtakas tungo sa kalayaan at sa kawalang-kakayanan ng kasalukuyang pulitikal at panlipunang sistemang putulin ang naghaharing kawalang katarungan. Kinulayan nga lamang ng may-akda ang kuwento ng dukhang sunud-sunuran lamang sa gusto ng panginoong kanyang pinagsasakahan ng pemenismo kung saan naasahan ng isang nagdadalagang anak ng magsasaka ang kanyang kutob at talino upang matakasan hindi lamang ang tangkang pangagagahasa sa kanya kundi pati na rin ang kadena ng paninilbihan ng buo niyang angkan. Sa bisa ng mga elementong nagsama-sama upang mabuo ang kuwento, makikita ang iba’t ibang mukha ng himagsik laban sa mga naisainstitusyon nang mga kumbensyon sa lipunan.

Marxistang Himagsik
Tinutuligsa ng kuwento ang piyudal na ugnayan ng panginoong maylupa at ng kanyang magsasaka. Sa kuwento, anak at asawa ng magsasaka ang may malay maghimagsik sa mga dagdag na gawaing “wala namang kabayaran, [pandaraya] sa pagkuwenta ng palay at [paghihigit sa] kanilang utang at mga babayaran.” Ang amang may mabuting ugali at “malambot ang puso” ay hindi “marunong tumutol sa may-ari…kahit nilalamangan na ang parte ng kanilang ani,” madalang mangatwiran at “[m]anapa’y piping hindi na marunong magsalita.” Maliban sa minsang pagtaga sa punong saging bilang pagtuligsa sa pahiwatig ng panginoong ipambayad-utang ang anak niyang dalagita, wala nang masasabing pagtuligsa ang ama. Ngunit ang desperasyong ito sa bahagi ng magsasaka ang siya mismong punto ng paghihimagsik ng akda, dahil sa pagpapadama rin sa mambabasa ng ganitong kawalang-pag-asa, naghihikayat itong baguhin ang sistemang panlipunan na namamayani sa kabila ng kasamaan. Hindi makatarungang pati buhay ng tao ay madamay pa sa kasalimuotan ng piyudal na hirarkiya kaya nga kahit nananahimik ang mga magulang bilang pag-ayon sa pagbabayad-utang sa pamamagitan ng komodipikasyon sa dalagita, siya mismo ang nakagawa ng paraan upang labanan ang manipulasyon ng panginoong maylupa.

Pemenistang Himagsik
Nabanggit na sa itaas na mas naisatinig ng mga babae sa kuwento ang panunuligsa sa mga lalaking pinaglilingkuran ng kanilang angkan. Halimbawa, “sumasang-ayon [ang dalagita] sa mga paglalait ng kanyang nanay” sa kabaitan ng tatay “na sanhi ng kahirapan ng kanilang buhay.” Ang pagpapakitang may malalakas at matatapang na babae sa “Binyag-Takas” ay pemenistang himagsik laban sa patriyarka na walang iba kundi ang naglatag ng mga institusyong panlipunan na siyang nagsasantabi sa mga babae at kanilang marapat na kontribusyon sa komunidad.
Inaayawan din ng akda ang napipintong komodipikasyon sa dalagita sa pamamagitan ng pagkakalansi sa paparating na senyorito habang naglalaba siya sa ilog. Sa pagkatuklas sa dahilan ng pananahimik ng mga magulang at kaugnayan nito sa pagsugod ng anak ng panginoon sa pinaglalabahan, nakapag-isip siya ng paraan upang matakasan ang masamang balak sa kanya ng lalaki na magbayad-puri siya. Mismong kalikasan ang sumaklolo sa kanya sa pamamagitan ng napagtaguang “nakalublob na sanga ng punong inyam” at paglusong sa tubig na nagsilbing pagbibinyag hindi lamang sa kanyang pagkadalaga kundi sa kanyang kalayaan.
Panghuli, ang pagyakap ng dalagita sa kanyang sekswalidad ay isang himagsik dahil siya, hindi mga lalaki, ang may malaking kontrol sa kanyang sarili. Nararamdaman niya ito sa mga pagbabago sa kanyang katawan, at kahit napapansin iyon ng mga binata pati na nga ang anak ng kanilang panginoon, hindi siya tahimik lang na tinatanggap ang mga pagtitig sa kanyang kagandahan. Siya ay “nagsusuot ng magandang-magandang damit at pustura siya.” Aktibo niyang pinangangalagaan ang kadalisayaan ng kanyang pagkababae bilang pagsalag sa maaaring masamang gawin sa kanya ng mga lalaki sa lipunan.

Himagsik ng Panitikan sa Wikang Bernakular Laban sa Mga Dominanteng Panitikan
Sa pagkakasulat ng “Binyag-Takas” sa bernakular na wikang Hiligaynon, pinapakita nitong buhay ang panitikan sa bernakular kahit pa isinasantabi ito ng mas dominante (dahil kanonikal) na mga panitikan sa Tagalog at, lalo na, sa Ingles. Sa bisa ng ganitong paggamit ng wikang bernakular, hindi ikinokompromiso ng manunulat at iba pang manunulat sa bernakular ang kanilang hangarin at kakayanang isiwalat ang kanilang damdamin, kaisipan, pagkakakilanlan at natatanging pagtingin sa mundo sa kanilang sariling wika. Dahil dito, nakakapaghimagsik sila sa mga wikang hiram dahil kailangan pang isalin ang kanilang gawa gaya ng nangyari sa “Binyag-Takas” upang maintindihan ng mas maraming mambabasa ang kuwento. Gayunpaman, tagumpay ang himagsik kung tutuusing lagi nang may nawawala sa pagsasalin dahil nasa orihinal na wika may buung-buong sustansyang makukuha mula sa “Binyag-Takas.”
Ang mga himagsik na nabanggit ang nagbibigay ng alternatibong katangian sa kwento ni Hosillos mula sa naitatag nang mga kumbensyon upang sa pagkamalas dito, mabukas sa mambabasa ang isang sariwang pagtingin sa mundo.

ang katutubo at ang pagkamulat sa ang sandali ng mga mata

Para may tiyak at maayos na patutunguhan ang nobelang Ang Sandali ng mga Mata ni Alvin Yapan, ginawang banghay ang epikong Ibalon. Hitik din sa mga alamat, kuwentong-bayan at iba pang katutubong panitikan ang nobela hindi lamang para payamanin ang kuwento ng kontemporaryong panahon kundi para iparating din sa mambabasa ang isang postkolonyal na layunin ng may-akda. Sa kontemporaryong panahon kasi, mahirap magkaroon ng tunay na pagpapahalaga sa angking katutubo dahil una, may karanasang kolonyal ang mga Filipino at pangalawa, kahit na sa temporal na kahulugan ay malaya na ang ating bansa, may mga pananakop pa ring nakapangyayari gaya ng neokolonyalismo at imperyalismo kung saan nananalasa ang kolonyal na sensibilidad kaya nga nananatiling hindi buo ang pansariling pambayang pagkakakilanlan. Sa paggamit ng katutubong panitikan bilang framework ng kuwento ng isang maliit na bayan na alegorikal naman sa kasaysayan ng liping Bikolano sa partikular at sa Pilipinas sa pangkalahatan, sinusubok ng may-akda na makita ng mga mambabasa ang kanilang sarili hindi sa banyagang perspektibo bagkus ay sa isang postkolonyal na pagtingin: hindi man muling maisusulat ang ating kasaysayan sa isang dalisay na paraan i.e. wala ni kaunti mang bahid ng impluwensiya ng mga mananakop, maaari pa ring buuin ang identidad sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng mga prekolonyal at katutubong angkin sa kaso ng nobela at iba pang mga postkolonyal na diskurso. Mapasusubalian kung gayon ang ideyolohiyang walang alamat na mapanghahawakan ang kasalukuyang henerasyon ng mga kolonyal na lipi—natutuligsa ang patuloy na pananakop sa pamamagitan ng muling pagtingin at pagmamalaki sa sarili noong panahong busilak o puro pa ang kalinangan sa kapuluang ito.
Halimbawa rito ang prekolonyal na kuwento ng kabayanihan nina Baltog, Handyong at Bantong ng epikong Bikol na Ibalon. Kapag lumilitaw ang mga halimaw o ang mga sakuna para magbanta sa buhay ng mga tao sa bayan ng Ibalon, dumarating ang mga bayaning tagapagligtas gaya nina Baltog, Handyong at Bantong. Tuwing may susulpot na panganib, susulpot din ang mga bayani upang iligtas ang taumbayan. Handang isakripisyo ng mga bayani ang kanilang buhay para sa kapakanan ng bayan at sa bawat tagumpay nila, nagiging inspirasyon ang mga bayani upang magsumikap ang bayan na tularan ang mga pambihirang katangian ng mga ito para paunlarin ang pagkatao ng taumbayan.
Samantala, mistulang bayani naman si Esteban dahil siya ang tagapagsalaysay ng mga kuwento ng mga taga-Sagrada, na lagi na ay naisasapeligro sa kamatayan dahil sa mga salot na dumating sa kanilang buhay. Wala sanang maikukuwento hinggil sa mga taga-Sagrada kung hindi dahil kay Esteban. Ang mga taga-Sagrada kasi, tinugunan ang kanilang mga sakuna sa buhay sa pamamagitan ng pagmamanhid o pagtatatwa sa mga hirap at kirot na dulot ng katotohanan. Hnidi pa man, namamatay na sila. Iba si Esteban sapagkat dilat ang kanyang mga mata at nabuksan pa nga ang ikatlong mata upang makita ang iwinawaksi ng paningin ng iba pang mga tauhan. Naging saksi siya sa mga kaayaw-ayaw na mga karanasan ng taumbayan gaya ng pagguho ng mga Nueva, pagkagahasa kay Selya, pagkamatay ni Estela at marami pang iba. Samantalang patay ang mga tauhan sa nobela, buhay naman si Esteban upang ikuwento kay Boboy ang lahat niyang nasaksihang karanasan ng mga taong malalapit sa kanila.
Bayani rin si Nene dahil malaki ang ambag niya sa pagpapalago ng kanyang bayan. Siya ang napasimula ng pagpapaunlad sa pamamagitan ng paglulunsad ng mga makabagong negosyo gaya ng yelo, poultry at mga produktong Divisoria. Kahit na pinalaki siya sa mga pamahiing naging bilangguang mundo ng mga magulang, naglapit ang mga ito kay Nene sa kaalaman at kalikasan. Sa pagdami ng kaalaman ni Nene, kahusayan sa buhay ang bisa ng mga pamahiin kaya nga nakapagpasimula siya ng mga pagbabago sa Sagrada na nakabilanggo sa pamahiin at tradisyon. Sa hinalang ninakaw ang pinagkukunan ng lakas at ginhawa ng mga taga-Sagrada, tinuligsa ni Nene ang mga makapangyarihang Marcos na siyang umano’y dumukot sa tunay na Ina ng Bicolandia. Gaya ni Handyong na lumaban sa mga halimaw na nagsapeligro sa buhay ng mga taga-Ibalon, nilabanan din ni Nene ang hinihinalang dahilan ng pagkawala ng Ina ng Bicolandia. Hinabol ni Nene ang mga taong nagnanakaw imbes na pinamumunuan ang bansa kung paanong hinarap ni Handyong ang ahas na si Oryol na nagbago ng hitsurang diwata upang linlangin ang bayani. Sa paglamon ng dilim kay Nene sa harap ng El Pacto de Sangre, tila naisagawang muli ang pagsasandugo ng mga katutubo sa mga Kastila dahil nakikiayon sa mga mananakop ang mga taong ipinaglalaban niya datapwat hindi lumalaban para sa kanilang sarili. Mula noon, natulad na si Nene sa kapalaran ni Handyong na umibig sa kaaway na si Oryol: hindi na nalaman ang nagyari sa kanya sa piling ng hindi mawari kung kaaway o kaibigan o pareho.
Si Boboy naman ay mistulang si Bantong na huling bayani sa Ibalon. Habang namumuhay sa pamahiin ang mga taga-Sagrada, wala siyang paniniwala sa mga ito dahil namumuhay siya sa totoong daigdig at nagging saksi rin sa pagrupok ng iba pang tauhan. Kung paanong ipinagpatuloy ni Bantong ang sinundang laban na kay Handyong, si Boboy ang nagpatuloy sa laban ng inang si Nene na palaguin ang Sagrada. Nabalam lamang ito nang magpakamatay si Estelang kanyang kasintahan na ikinalungkot nito dahil tila napabayaan niyang umibig at magpabuntis sa iba si Estela habang pinakikibakahan si Rabot na walang iba kundi ang pakikipagsapalaran niya sa Maynila. Siya rin ang bayani ni Selya na nag-aaral ng abogasya upang magbigay-kaunlaran sa buhay ng lola.
Sa pagsasapapel ni Esteban ng kuwento ng mga Nueva at Sagrada, pagsusulat din ito ng epiko ng Ibalon para subuking manatili sa kamalayan ng taumbayan ang kuwento bago pa man makatuklaw ang ahas na si Oryol. Sa pamamagitan ng pagsulat ng natatanging saksi sa mga negatibong pagtugon ng mga tauhan, maaalis ang kamandag ng pagkalimot, pagtatatwa at pagkamanhid. Kahit masakit ang naging karanasan ng mga Nueva at taga-Sagrada, mahalaga na may pagtanggap sa mga pangyayaring masaklap man ay makapabibigay naman ng pantaong pag-unlad at ng kaunawaan sa tunay na kalikasan ng mundo. Kahit nagpapatuklaw kay Oryol ang mga tauhan gaya nina Bino, Selya, Estela at iba pa para lamang maiwasan ang hapdi ng karanasan, hinahamon ng may-akda sa pamamagitan ng pagkukuwento ng kanyang nasaksihan—ng pagtanggap sa katotohanan—na lumaya ang mga mambabasa sa mga pamahiin, pananatili sa kamangmangan at pagkatali sa iba’t ibang uri ng kamatayan. Hinihikayat na dumilat ang mga mata sa katotohanan upang mapaghandaan ang mga banta ng sakuna sa kaligtasan ng bayan.
Ipinahihiwatig ng pamagat na ang sandali ng mga mata ay maaaring nakapikit gaya ng ginawa ng mga sawimpalad sa nobela o dilat gaya ng kay Esteban. Kung nakapikit ang mga mata, nawawalan ito ng kapangyarihang makasaksi at magbantay upang mapaghandaan ang mga peligrong paparating. Kung nakapikit din, nagpapahiwatig ito ng kawalan ng pagkatanggap sa mga bagay na hindi maiiwasan gaya ng mga sakuna at ng pananatili sa kadiliman. Samantala, kung nakadilat naman ang mga mata, may kapangyarihan itong makasaksi at makita ang katotohanan. Nagbibigay ito ng kamulatan na may mga bagay na hindi matatakasan kaya nga dapat may pagtanggap upang maliwanagan.
Sa sandali ng mga mata ni Esteban sa pagsaksi sa buhay ng mga taga-Sagrada, may kapangyarihan siya na tagpi-tagpiin ang mga pangyayari sa kasalukuyan, nakalipas at kinabukasan, ang lumang panahon ng Bikol sa panahon ng epikong Ibalon pati na ang dimensyon ng mga namatay nang kaluluwa. Sa pagtatagpi-tagping ito, nagawa ng mga mata na pagkabit-kabitin at pag-ugnay-ugnayin ang mga pangyayari upang bigyang kahulugan ang mga ito. Nabuo ng mga mata ang kuwentong magkakaiba gaya noong Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig, mga sliraning agraryo pagkatapos ng Digmaan, panahon ng Batas Militar, ang Rebolusyong EDSA pati na ang Charter Change noong 1997. Kahit sala-salabid ang mga pangyayari, napag-ugnay-ugnay ng mga mata ang nasaksihan.
Ang mga mata sa nobela ang nagsabi at nagpaliwanag sa mga pangyayari sa daigdig. Kung tinatanggihan ng mga mata na makita ang mga ito, hindi tunay na namumuhay dahil ayaw masaktan sa katotohanan ng mga masasaksihang sakit at kirot na dulot ng buhay. Maginhawa ang pagpikit ngunit nagtatali ito sa tao sa huwad na daigdig. Kung pilit na lumalayo sa sandali ng mga mata, hindi masisilayan ang totoong mundo gaya ng mga nabigo sa nobela.
Ngunit dumilat si Esteban para masaksihan ang mga pangyayari sa mga taga-Sagrada. Dahil sa pagkamulat niya, nagkaroon siya ng kapangyarihang makita at matanggap ang mga kasawian kahit pa masakit. Napagtagni-tagni niya pa ang iba’t ibang kuwento upang maipahiwatig na unibersal ang karanasang pantao sa lahat ng panahon at lugar. Kung makikitang may kaisahan sa karanasan ang mga tao sa nakaraan, kasalukuyan at hinaharap, sa epiko man o sa tunay na buhay, makikitang sangkap talaga ng buhay ang dalamhati at hindi ito dapat ipagbulag-bulagan. Bagkus, dapat itong matanggap upang makausad at hindi matali sa palsong pamumuhay na pinamamayanian ng pamahiin. Dapat matanggap na ang nasasaksihan ng tunay na mulat na mga mata ay hindi huwad at siyang totohanang makapagpapalaya sa tao.

ang indibidwal at lipunan sa tradisyunal, moderno, postmoderno at postkolonyal na panitikan

Sa panahong tradisyunal (panahong hindi pa nakakarating ang siyensiya sa dalampasigan ng ating bansa), ang lipunan noon ay may mga babaeng pari o “babaylan” at may mga aliping lalaki silang binansagang “asog,” isang panlipunang kondisyon na noong bago dumating ang mga Kastila, babae ang nasa posisyon ng kapangyarihan. Sa pagdating ng mga dayuhan, nagbago ito dahil hindi ito tumutugma sa macho at patriyarkal na sosyedad ng mga Kanluranin. Ang mga Kastila ang nagpasimuno ng mga kuwento sa mga aswang upang matakot ang mga indibidwal sa mga babaeng may kapangyarihan at para binyagan sa Kristiyanismo ang mga paganong katutubong Pilipino.
Sa panitikang tradisyunal, didaktiko o may natututunan ang indibidwal sa kuwento, ayon sa humanismo na natatangi sa kultura ng mga indibidwal ng lipunan. Pinapalaganap ito sa lipunan sa pamamagitan ng pagsasalita o tradisyong oral. Ang panitikang katutubo noon ay kinakanta sa mga ritwal at kapag may namatay, kung saan ang burol ay nakagawiang kakitaan ng presentasyon ng panitikan. Dahil dito, inakusahan ng mga dayuhan katulad ni Loarca na walang panitikan ang lipunang kinabibilangan ng mga indibidwal. Dahil din hindi ito naisatitik bagkus ay sinalita lamang, madaling nabura ng mga Kastila ang panitikang ito, pinararatangan ang panitikan ng mga Pilipino na may impluwensiya ng diyablo. Ang bugtong na isang pangkaisipang ehersisyo, may mistipikasyon sa una at kasunod ay kaliwanagan, at ang salawikain naman na tungkol sa praktikal na gabay sa buhay, ay mga uri ng tradisyunal na panitikang sariling atin ngunit naisantabi sa gilid-gilid ng pangmundong lipunan. Gayunpaman, ang mga awiting pampatulog ng bata, o ang mga bugtong at salawikain mula sa teksbuk na “Hulagpos,” pahina 3, gaya ng
“Puwit ng Ita
Sinusundot ng Kastila.” (Sagot: Palayok)

“Sa langit lumura
Sa mukha tumama.”

ayon sa pagkakasunod, ay matigas at napanindigang magtagal upang maranasan ng lipunan ngayon ang panitikan tradisyunal.
Perspektibong Moderno
Sa pagbuwag ng Modernismo sa pader na nakapagitan sa “mataas” at “mababang” (popular) uri ng panitikan, ipinamukha nito sa indibidwal na sa lipunang kanyang kinabibilangan, nakasulong ang aksiyomatikong pinanghawakan din ng mga tagasunod ng Enlightenment: ang istabilisado, nauugnay, at nakikilalang sarili. Dahil ang agham ay totoo at panghabangbuhay, ito ay patnubay ng indibidwal para makamit ang pag-unlad at kabuuan; ginamit naman ang wika para ikalat ang kaalaman sa bawat indibidwal ng lipunan dahil ito ay rasyonal, malinaw at ‘di-nababagong instrumento ng agham. Ang Euro-Ingles na siyang namamayaning puwersa ng Modernidad ang nagsilang ng konsepto na lahat ay dapat maayos, siyentipiko, at nakakabuo ng pagkakakilanlan, kaya marapat na ang lipunan at ang mga indibidwal na kabahagi nito ay may manipestasyon ng Modernindad.
Lamang, dahil sa ang Pilipinas ay itinuturing na isang lipunang Oryental (dahil hindi Kanluranin), etsa-puwera ito (other) dahil hindi kakikitaan ng Modernindad: nahuhuli, piyudal, pre-moderno, pre-industriyal. Hindi makaangkop dito ang indibidwal sapagkat kakaiba (exotic) siya kumpara sa Oksidental—isang kawawang nilalang na nangangailangan ng sibilisasyon, otonomiya sa sarili, at kaayusan. Dulot nito, ang paggamit ng wikang siyentipiko sa panitikan ay isang paghubog sa indibidwal upang maiangkop niya ang kanyang sarili sa tipo ng modernong tao sa Kanluraning pananaw. Idagdag pa, hindi katanggap-tanggap na gumawa ng panitikang popular ang etsa-puwera dahil ito ay mapamahiin, barbariko, rebelde at kung gayon ay hindi nababagay sa konseptong Modernidad na gumamit man ng mga istilong pastiche, parodiya, bricolage, ironiya at ambiguity ay kakikitaan ng katuparan ng Utopia sa pamamagitan ng agham. Ang akdang “Gusali ng U.N.” ni Federico Licsi Espino, Jr (Hulagpos, p.112), isang pagkilala sa kakayanang makabuo ng pangmundong kaayusan sa pamamagitan ng isang mapag-isang institusyon gaya ng United Nations, ay isang malinaw na imahen ng modernismong gabay sa katiwasayan. Ang “Uuwi Na ang Nanay Kong si Darna!” (Hulagpos, p.452) ay may tema naman ng Overseas Filipino Workers phenomenon na sa sitwasyon ng mga premodernong bansa gaya ng Pilipinas, sa mga industrial, moderno at istabilisadong bansa makatatagpo ng siyentipikong kaunlaran at kaayusan.
Kapag nasa isang party, dapat umayon sa takbo ng batas ng lipunan. Kung hindi, tatawagin kang isang rebelde. Ang gumagawa ng mga batas na ito ay mga taong may kapangyarihan o may awtoridad para mapilitan ang mga indibidwal na sundin ito.
Perspektibong Postmoderno
Gayong gumamit pa rin ng mga istilong pastiche, parodiya, bricolage, kabalintunaan at ambiguity ang isang kilusang may bansag na “postmodernismo,” ito ay hindi sentralisado. May layunin ang postmodernismong maglapat ng dekonstruksiyon sa may-akda at sa kanyang paksa (subject), hamunin ang rason at agham at ituring ang huli bilang meta-narrative, gumamit ng master narrative at hatagan ng interogasyon ang kalikasan ng katotohanan at kapangyarihan. Sa pagdiriwang ng pragmentasyon at paggamit ng pagkakawatak upang magbuklod, ang postmodernismo ay esensyal na tumutuligsa sa moderno, sa pinatatag na “other,” sa Eurosentrismo, sa heteroseksismo, at sa diskriminasyon ng lahi—makikita sa panitikan higit kaysa ibang uri ng kilusan.
Ang lipunan sa postmodernong panitikan ay nagsisikap na hanguin ang indibidwal mula sa delusyon ng modernismong makapagbigay ng kaginhawaan sa sangkatauhan. Ginagawa ito ng lipunan para hamunin ang modernismo na nagsasaad na sa pamamagitan ng agham ang makakasagot ng lahat ng pangangailangan ng mga indibidwal. Dinakila ng mga modernista ang kanilang kilusan sa kanilang panitikan; dinadakila naman ng postmodernista ang kanilang plural na kilusan, mula pemenismo, queer theory, semiotics, at iba pa, bilang pagsubok sa liberasyon ng mga indibidwal na naisantabi dahil sa karakter na rebelde, bakla/tomboy, Magdalena, premoderno. Sa Pilipinas na hindi naman maituturing na moderno, namulaklak ang kilusan sa mga labag-sa-kaayusang panitikan. Halimbawa nito ang mga akdang “Ang Lohika ng mga Bula ng Sabon” ni Luna Sicat-Cleto (paghawak ng babae sa isang ‘di-mahawakang elemento, ang oras/sandali), “Kumain Ka Nang Kumain” ni Michael Coroza (ironiya ng pagkain na “subong-Jollibee kahit ulam ay asin”), at “Litel Mis Pilipings” (Hulagpos, p.248) ni Jim Pascual Agustin (isang paglalarawan ng babae bilang biktima ng komodipikasyon).
Sa Postmodernong panahon, sumiklab ang mga taong lumalaban sa mga kapitalista dahil sa hindi makatarungang mga kondisyong pampagawaang kabilang sila, kaya nagkaroon ng mga unyong paggawa na nag-organisa ng mga welga laban sa kanilang panginoon.
Perspektibong Postkolonyal
Ang postkolonyal na diskurso ng panitikan ay mga kasulatang na nagsasalita ng oposisyonal na kanmalayan ng mga taong ang mga pagkakakilanlan ay nagkabasag-basag, na ang mga kultura ay initsa-puwera ng mga pisikal at epistemolohikal na karahasan ng mga imperyalistang pananakop at kolonyal na mga sistema ng kaisipan. Ang mga lipunang Europeo ay kinakitaan ng malinaw na estado ng pag-unlad, mula mababa hanggang mataas na mga moda ng produksiyon o linear na mga kasaysayan, sapat sa kanila para masdan sa mas mapanlait na perspektibo ang “ibang” lipunan na kalaunan ay naging kolonya ng mga imperyalistang Europeo-Amerikano. Ang mga kolonyal na lipunan at mga indibidwal nito ay kabilang sa Oryental—eksotiko, ‘di-sibilisado, rebelde—at nangangailangan ng kulturalisasyon ng Oksidental, mula sa mga bokabularyo, institusyon, termino at iba pa, upang maging karapat-dapat na tawaging sibilisado at kompormista, kahit pa sa prosesong ito ay sisirain ang naitatag nang katutubong sibilisasyon at kahit pa hindi naman naitatanong mga Oryental kung kailangan nga nila ang tulong ng mga Kanluranin. Kalakip nito, ang mga Oryental ay nagiging Sub-Altern—isang mapanirang panawag sa mga ‘di-Kanluranin, na dahil sa heograpiya ng kanilang kapanganakan, wala silang karapatang magsalita dahil sa hindi akademiko, institusyonal, o siyentipiiko ang kanilang mga kaisipan. Ang mga ito ay hinamon ng postkolonyalismo, dahil sa pagsisikap ng mga kolonyal na kapangyarihan na lapatan ng globalisasyon ang mundo, naging matindi naman ang pangangailangan na kilalanin ang kultura ng mga naitapon sa mga gilid ng pinipilit gawing isang lipunan ang buong mundo. Ang mga dating kolonyal na lipunang gaya ng Pilipinas ay “disarticulated societies,” mga “Sub-Altern,” at sagot ng postkolonyalismo ang “cultural simultaneity” bilang pamamaraan ng artikulasyon ng mga Oryental. Naging proposisyon din ni Prof. Priscelina Patajo-Legasto ng Pamantasan ng Pilipinas, sa kanyang sanaysay na “Literature from the Margins” na magkaroon ng reteritoryalisasyon ng mga kultura, mula panitikan hanggang tradisyong katutubong Pilipino, sa napipintong globalisasyon na hindi iba kundi pagdakila sa Eurosentrikong lipunan na isinasakripisyo ang ‘di-Kanluraning lipunan.
Ang nobelang “Etsa-Puwera” ni Jun Cruz Reyes, bukod sa kanyang kagandahan bilang isang akdang pampanitikan, ay matagumpay na humabi ng kasaysayang sariling atin sa perspektibong katutubo, na naglaman ng mga karakter na etsa-puwera sa lipunan dahil sa kanilang etnikong ugat, pisikal na kapansanan, pagiging rebelde, pagkababae at iba pa, na sa tagapagkuwento ay mga bayaning hindi matatagpuan o sadyang binubura sa mga teksbuk pangkasaysayang nakasalig sa kolonyal na perspektibo.
Samantala, ang mga akdang “Laksa-laksa Bata Doon sa Bayan Namin” (Hulagpos, p.373) ni Rebecca T. Añonuevo (tumalakay sa mga batang Pilipino) at “Yumayapos ang Takipsilim” (Hulagpos, p.432) ni Genoveva Edroza-Matute (may ilang salitaang gumamit ng bernakular na wika) ay postkolonyal sa paggamit nila ng tema o wika na iba sa dominanteng perspektibong Kanluranin.
Ang analohiya ng buhay ng isang tao ay makikita sa Tradisyunal, Moderno, Postmoderno, at Postkolonyal. Sa Tradisyunal ay ipinapakita ang “baby stage.” Kinakausap tayo sa pagkanta para makatulog tayo. Sa Moderno naman, ipinapakita ang “chilhood stage,” kung saan ginagawa natin ang gusto ng ating mga magulang. Sa Postmoderno naman, ipinapakita ang “teenage stage;” dito, lumalaban tayo sa kagustuhan ng ating mga magulang, ipinaglalaban natin ang ating mga karapatan upang makuha ang ating mga gusto katulad ng mas matagal na “curfew,” kaya nagiging rebelde tayo. Sa Postkolonyal, tayo ay nagiging buung-buong tao dahil nagiging malaya tayong kilalanin ang ating mga sarili.

hanging around

How less complicated it would have been if one have only oneself to look after, without having to bother oneself of other people. One does not need to greet the acquaintances one meets along the way. One does not feel encumbered to share the problem of friends. One does not have to worry whether or not others live or die, since one has a life to worry to begin with. Absence of social connection oversimplifies everything. However, it also takes away the excitement out of life, for this setup ruins the very essence of a person as a social being.
And so it is not lost on me that it is inevitable to care for others, especially those who need extra attention because they are ill. It may seem easier if I just cared for myself, but sick people like the children I visit in the hospital incite pity that cannot just be ignored. It would have been heartless to see them cry in agony and not do anything about it, not even to grimace as they shriek in anguish. Painkillers may not really make the hurt go away all at once, but it surely provides some form of alleviation to keep them company as that appears to be a better pain reliever. Being with them to show that I care can make them feel that it’s not such a bad thing to be sick when people support all the way.
When one is sick, there is no way others can feel the excruciation one’s body is being punished of. Words fall short of description, and the contortions of the face and the body cannot adequately capture the graver, deeper torture one is experiencing. The misery must be enough for one to wish to end it all at once by dying. Death offers an escape from the torment, making it seem a lesser evil although in truth, it offers no better salvation than the slim hope one sustains when one is still alive and kicking. Since it is better to hang around in illness than to slip away altogether, it becomes more special to have someone to hang with.
And so this is what I feel when I forget myself, only to find it becoming more purposeful when I share it to others. I spend time with them in a lively talk, play with them when their condition allows them, and listen to them as they recount their woes and dreams. Whenever they hurt because of their plight, I cannot help but get hurt myself despite the fact that no amount of vicarious experience can quite put me in their exact misery. It does not matter; what is important is that I do not become altogether apathetic because that would have been too inhumane of someone in the face of others’ suffering. It is just too hard to be solely mindful of oneself when one can be mindful of others instead.
Feelings evoke not only human suffering but also human connection. People may feel ill, but this very condition may draw their fellowmen close for comfort. Only heartless people will endure others’ suffering without any real concern for mitigating this torture. I want to stay connected by hanging around with them, assuring them that things will hopefully get better. The opposite may happen, but nothing can replace the fact in the midst of the pain, each other’s hands are clasped in a symbolic picture of feeling for one another.

mga himagsik ni nick joaquin sa maikling kuwentong “may day eve”

Pamoso ang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining na si Nick Joaquin sa kanyang mga akdang sumasalamin sa kalagayan ng kapuluan ng Pilipinas noong Panahon ng mga Kastila. Isa sa mga obrang ito ang “May Day Eve,” isang kuwento ng mag-asawang nawala ang init ng pag-ibig sa isa’t isa paglaon ng oras. Bukod sa modernong istilong kapuri-puring nagamit ni Joaquin sa pagtakbo ng banghay, kapuri-puri rin ang mga kasalimuutang tinalakay sa akda. Para sa papel na ito, bibigyang-pansin ang masasalimuot na isyung nakaugnay sa sosyo-historikal na kontekstong pinagmulan ng kuwento.
Himagsik Laban sa Patriyarka
Larawan ng patriyarka ang lipunan simula pa noong bigyan ng mga Klasikong Griyego ng angat na kalagayan ang mga lalaki kumpara sa mga babae. Sa pagbalik-tanaw ni Nick Joaquin sa kasaysayan, ganito rin ang namamayaning ideyolohiya ngunit may mga pagkakataong mabubukas sa interpretasyong anti-patriyarka ang “May Day Eve.”
Isa na rito ang eksena kung saan habang inaalo ni Badoy si Agueda, kinagat ng huli ang kamay ng una. Ginawa niya ito dahil sa paghalik-halik ng binata sa kanya na mahihinuhang nagnanakaw ng pagkakataong mapagsamantalahan ang lumuluhang dalaga. Kahit mas malakas ang binata, hindi ito nakaalma nang bumaon na ang mga ngipin ng dalaga sa kanyang kamao. Dito makikita ang indikasyon na kahit lalaki pa si Badoy ay hindi magpapailalim ang babaeng si Agueda sa pananamantala ng mga lalaki sa pinakasensitibong mga kaganapan sa buhay ng mga babae.
Isa pa, kahit sa pagtagal ng buhay-may-asawa ay nawalan sina Badoy at Agueda ng pag-ibig sa isa’t isa, hindi siya tumulad sa istiryutipong mga maybahay na nanahimik na lang at ipinaubaya sa kapalaran ang pag-aasawa ng maling lalaki. Sa halip, ginamit niya ang paraan ng pagkukuwento bilang pananggalang upang makaraos sa mapait na karanasan niya sa piling ni Badoy. Ikinuwento niya sa kanyang anak kung paanong nagsimula ang pagkaakit ng mag-asawa sa isa’t isa upang sariwain ang mabuting aspeto ng kanilang pagkakasama. Ikinuwento rin niya rito ang pagkakakita umano ng demonyo sa salamin, isang uri ng therapy para huwag siyang bulagin ng magandang nakaraan at mamulat sa katotohanang nawalan na siya ng pag-ibig sa esposo. Samakatuwid, namumuhay si Agueda sa katotohanan at hindi sa palsong kamalayan ng patriyarka kung saan walang laya ang babae (malibang kamatayan) kahit hindi na siya nasisiyahan sa buhay-may-asawa. Himagsik ito laban sa patriyarka sa bisa ng pagkawala ng babae sa mga bilangguan ng lalaki.
Himagsik Laban sa Mga Pamahiin
Likas sa mga Filipino ang maniwala sa sangkatutak na mga pamahiin kahit pa sabihing isang pangunahing dahilan ito kung bakit hindi umuunlad ang bansa. Sa paniniwala sa mga bagay na walang siyentipikong basehan, nananatiling premoderno ang Pilipinas, walang pag-asang umusad sa kinasasadlakan niyang kalagayan. Ganito ang kinalabasan ng mapamahiing si Agueda: pinilit niyang alamin ang lihim ng salamin sa hatinggabi ng Mayo Uno. Kahit walang direktang ugnayan ang pagmaliw ng pag-ibig niya sa asawa at sa pamahiin, hindi maitatanggi na dahil sa pamahiin kaya sila nagkakilala at kaya hindi nagkakaroon ng pagtatapos ang istorya para sana makausad sa bukas. Himagsik ito laban sa pamahiin sa bisa ng karapatang kalimutan na ang maling paniniwala upang makasulong na nang minsanan.
Himagsik Laban sa Kalagayang Pulitikal
Dahil sa hindi nailarawan sa tagpuang pamanahon ng teksto ang noo’y namumuong pagkamulat makabansa sa totohanang buhay, tila apolitikal ang mga tauhan na hindi nakaugnay sa mas malaking aspeto ng lipunan. Oo nga at naipakitang sinuway ni Agueda ang kasanayang matulog na dahil malalim na ang gabi, hindi niya ito ginawa liban sa katotohanang oobserbahan niya ang bisa ng pamahiing makikita ang mapapangasawa sa salamin pagtuntong ng hatinggabi. Hindi ito nauugnay sa pulitika sa labas ng akda kung saan panahon na ng pagkagising ng paghahangad na lumaya sa pamamagitan ng himagsikan o na magkaroon ng reporma sa kolonyal na pamamalakad. Ang kabuuang pagkawala ng sensibilidad pampulitika sa akda ang magsasabing ironiko ang ikinikilos ng mga tauhan na mas mamatamisin pa yatang magligawan o bigyang-katuturan ang pananalamin sa gitna ng namumuong unos sa lipunan. Himagsik ito laban sa kalagayang pulitikal sa bisa ng pagtuligsa sa mga taong gaya nina Agueda at Badoy na walang pakialam sa interesanteng panahong kinalulugaran nila noong kalagitnaan ng 19 dantaon.
Himagsik Laban sa Kalagayang Panlipunan
Masasagot ang suliranin sa nagdaang parirala ng katotohanang elitista ang oryentasyon ni Badoy kaya hindi siya kakikitaan ng pagkabahala kung anuman ang nangyayari sa kapaligiran niya. Iilan lamang kasing miyembro ng nakaririwasa ang tunay na may pakikialam at iba pa rito ay nag-aalaala lamang kung paano maprepreserba ang kanilang kayamanan sakaling magkaroon ng mas malawakang panlipunang pagbabago. Sa kaso ni Agueda na dahil sa kahirapan ay hindi gaya ni Badoy na nag-aral sa Europa, isang himagsik ang nagawa niya nang mapakasal siya sa lalaking ito na angat ang estado sa buhay. Sa pagkakataong ito, hindi naging hadlang ang pagkakaiba sa estado ng babae at lalaki upang hindi sila mapag-isang-dibdib. Katunayan, himagsik ng nasa mababang-uri ang pagkakapantay sa mataas na uri sa bisa ng pagpapakasal niya rito.
Himagsik Laban sa Kolonyalismo
Isa sa mga hamon sa kolonyalismo ang buong pagkasakop sa indibidwal hanggang sa puntong hindi na nito makikilala anumang bahid ng kanyang pagkakakilanlan bago masakop. Hindi ito ang nangyari kay Badoy kahit isang paraan ng pananakop sa kanya ang paglisan sa bayang sinilangan upang matagpuan ang sarili sa bayang mananakop kung saan makakasanayan niya ang wikang mananakop, gawing mananakop, tradisyong mananakop at iba pa. Sa halip kasi na yakapin niya ang kultura ng mananakop sa ultimong desisyong mamalagi na sa Europa kung saan niya maaaring isagawa ang kanyang karera at kung saan siya maninirahan na panghabambuhay, bumalik pa rin siya sa Pilipinas dahil walang hihigit pang lokasyon maliban sa bayang pinagmulan. Sa bisa nito, himagsik ito sa kolonyalismo dahil may bahagi pa rin sa sinakop na indibidwal ang naghahangad balikan ang kanyang pagkakakilanlan.

woman, thou art loosed: a critical analysis on lu xun’s “mourning the dead”

Lu Xun’s “Mourning the Dead” is a depiction of tragedy at its best. More tragic than the ill-fated love affair between Zijun and Juansheng itself is the very fact that almost every reader might be able to feel relation to and sympathy for the protagonists and their plight. While “Mourning the Dead” is mainly described as a plain love story gone awry, its subject is much more complicated, weaving issues like the daily life struggle in China, gentle feminist subversion, and the manner people treat those who are closest to them.
Right at the onset of the story, it is made obvious that Juansheng, the narrator, experiences an enormous deal of anguish on the story he is bent on sharing. With great fondness, Juansheng reflects on his romance with Zijun, depicting it as genuine and pure, saying that he had kept almost nothing and she completely understood him. While the reader sees the development of the romance between Juansheng and Zijun, it becomes known that the two are so much in love to the extent of moving in together out of wedlock. Zijun’s living in with a man not her husband was an act of feminism, from the same person who argued that “I belong to myself! None of them has any right to interfere in my life!” in the earlier part of the story.
Although Zijun shows gestures of inspiring courage throughout the story, she yields to the strain and vulnerability of modest domestic life in the long run. Her lifestyle begins to put pressure on her emotional condition, and a disguised look of dejection or an ice-cold smile was always plastered on her face. The abrupt change in Zijun’s demeanor was probably the driving force for Juansheng to fall out of love with her, if he was ever sincerely in love with her in the first place. Juansheng had turned sad over what was earlier a happy setup, beginning to realize that “for the better part of a year now, [he] had neglected every last essential of human life for the sake of love alone—blind love. First of all, [he had] forgotten about the business of making a living. A man has to be able to make a living before he can provide a place for love to dwell.” Juansheng’s description of his love for Zijun as blind begs for the question of whether he was ever truly in love with her in the first place, or if his passion was nothing but selfish love.
It does not matter too much whether or not Juansheng was unintentionally pretending to be in love with Zijun, since once he realized he did not love her any more, he could barely control the feeling, saying that “with every word [he] spoke, [he] composed a rough draft of hypocrisy in [his] heart, and as the pages rapidly accumulated, [he] found it increasingly difficult to breathe.” This ultimately drove him to decide to confess this new development to Zijun. Expectedly, Zijun was heartbroken, and she went back to her family, leaving Juansheng “[s]houldering the burden of emptiness” and one who was to die briefly after their estrangement. After discovering Zijun’s demise, Juansheng said that “she had been fated to destruction, engulfed by the truth of the loveless world [he] had given her,” which opens the question whether it would have been better for those involved if he just lied. Juansheng traded truth for vain existence and a certain feeling of guilt, which everyone can have sympathy with. After having gone through Lu Xun’s “Mourning the Dead,” the reader is left wondering over the true meaning behind the story: should truth be told however selfish the act is and no matter how things turn out, or should happiness of the people around be preserved for its own sake?
On a different level, “Mourning the Dead” can be read in terms of Zijun’s strong-willed womanhood against the grain of the Chinese society. The Chinese traditional values disapprove premarital relations which, in fact, are considered as one major offense. The Chinese place tremendous importance on family life as they frequently live in big family units. There is a heavy value placed in following traditional norms as well as in accepting societal rules regarding the importance of the conserved structure of the family. For instance, Chinese families traditionally favored sons over daughters since a husband could divorce his wife for her incapacity to produce him a male heir. Even love is not exempted from the rules of traditional Chinese standards. The Chinese frequently perceived love and passion as a possible threat to the political and social order. As a way of repressing these epidemics of passion, rules were implemented in order to control marriage, reproduction, inheritance and the position of women. In China, Confucian philosophy taught repression of family love and marriage was frequently perceived as a business. Strict regulations on sex were dominant in that only sex within marriage for reproductive purposes was permitted. Hence, premarital and extramarital relationships were strictly forbidden.
Many of these societal norms recur as dominant themes in the story. As has been mentioned, Juansheng lived in with his former late mistress Zijun. Their moving in together outside the sanctity of marriage was not only against the will of Zijun’s family but also against the norms of the society. In the beginning, their relationship was exciting and daring but it eventually turned bleak when Juansheng lost his job as a result of his morally scandalous affair and when he honestly confessed that he was no longer in love with her. Ultimately, Juansheng was left alone missing his former happy days with his illegitimate wife as Zijun dies being implicitly unable to endure the taboo placed on her by the society.
Whereas Zijun is the representation of the female consciousness, she also represented everything that China was opposed to, like women living and thinking for themselves and going against their families and societies. Nonetheless, while Lu Xun applies his modernism by presenting a strong-minded woman, he also cautions the readers on the possibilities once this woman rebels against the traditional Chinese rules. Analogizing the revolution of the youth out of the context in which “Mourning the Dead” was produced, Lu Xun appeared to be presenting risky Chinese consciousness, stating that an extreme breakaway from the traditional values spells disaster on the rebel. Whereas Zijun was a Chinese woman and most of her struggles were at the mercy of her certain cultural values, women across the globe can relate to many of her borne difficulties like the binary of being an independent woman and of pursuing the role assigned to her by the society. In the beginning of her relationship with Juansheng, Zijun was regarded as powerful for breaking away from her family and following her heart despite strict social dictates, but as the story progressed, she grew less and less powerful, assuming the role of an exhausted, weak housewife who missed her husband’s love and days of affection that previously empowered her. She appeared to regret over not being able to enjoy what married men and women can. Probably, Zijun’s strong choice before of moving in with a man not her husband shifted to a weak choice of an inability to suppress her passion. This double-bladed sword is likewise common in Western culture. On the one hand, a woman who embraces her sexuality is deemed a strong woman while on the other hand, her sexuality is used to steal her power as well as position her at the unfair judgment and scorn of men and society.
The theme of the pain and loneliness owing to the rejection of the beloved is another that women as well as men universally can relate to. When Juansheng told Zijun that he did not love her any more, she reacted in a language spoken everywhere: that of a broken heart. “[Juansheng] anticipated the worst, but when [he] had finished there was nothing but silence. Then an ashen pallor swept across Zijun’s face and she looked as though all her life had suddenly been drained out of her—then, just as suddenly, she revived and that childlike gleam began to sparkle in her eyes again. She looked around the room like a hungry child searching for its mother. Her frightened eyes constantly shifted her gaze as she desperately sought to avoid [his]. [He] could not bear to look at her any longer.” While she is in entirely dissimilar cultural and historical locations, every reader can relate precisely to Zijun’s experience and to the hurt that only one’s beloved can wreak havoc on one. No matter how potent one once thought of oneself, weakness invades one’s body and mind due to the agony generated by the lover.
While at first glance, Zijun as well as Juansheng encountered different experiences from real people having grown up under the suppressive Chinese traditional values, at closer examination they share the same feelings and situations experienced by people the world over.
In yet another level of interpretation and analysis, Lu Xun’s “Mourning the Dead” must be considered allegorical of the Chinese people in general in an attempt to understand the text as having been produced out of the context of a Third World country. The obvious plot of the “Mourning the Dead” is one about a young lovestruck couple who live in together. What needs to be emphasized thereafter is the underpinned factors they have and the statement Lu Xun tries to articulate via understated commentary.
One such source of influence often quoted by both Zijun and Juansheng is the statements of Western authors, specifically playwright Henrik Ibsen. The citation of Western authors is a come-on for the philosophy of Westernization that is the requirement to drift away from their Oriental tradition. The manner by which the couple will drift away from the tradition is by moving in together, although Lu Xun seems to reject this decision. It is revealed to the reader via the introduction made by Juansheng: “If I am able, I shall commit my sorrow and remorse to paper, for her sake as well as my own.” The use of that negative statement cultivates an atmosphere of negative sentiments that reappears towards the end of the story.
Understandably enough, the society around the couple does not approve of the decision: [Juansheng] was often conscious of the stares [they] attracted: some were inquisitive, others derisive, some lascivious, and still others downright contemptuous.” During this time, Zijun continues to be strong and dignified of their conduct. Nonetheless, Zijun is reduced to being a routine housewife, falling under the traditional role of women. Whereas previously, she made pronouncements on the tyranny of the family, now she has assumed a place within that tyranny yet anew, under a different tyrant. This hypocrisy, nonetheless, is Juansheng’s until he transfers it to Zijun who must carry it to her death.
Juansheng speaks recurrently of wishing a fresh start in life, and that the only “hope” to attain it at that period rests on his separation from Zijun. Juansheng wants to terminate his relationship with Zijun that has been outside the appreciation of their society and to reintegrate himself into that society. Nonetheless, he experiences difficulty in doing so. Lu Xun points out that in order to assimilate themselves in their surrounding society, they would need to possess the strength to succeed in their drift from the tradition. Since they have failed, no positive outcome came of their actions. Apart from not making an impression in the social construction of the Chinese people, they, at the end of their relationship, have no capacity of reinserting themselves into this society they broke away from. Their obvious lack of respect or concern for the values of that society merited their ostracism from that very society.
Zijun is an ideal example of Lu Xun’s pessimistic representation of a modern Chinese woman. However, the author only seemed to suggest that it was necessary for Zijun and Juansheng to take tiny steps to change their society. After all, Zijun was up against a society primarily organized around a masculine norm without giving adequate attention to the specificity of her and other Chinese women’s lives and experiences. Granted that she is an Oriental woman modernized by the West, she cannot single-handedly subvert the taboos of her society no matter how ill, rotten, outmoded and shackling these are. While Lu Xun attacked ideologies concerning women’s social position that had been unquestioned for millennia, he presented in “Mourning the Dead” a Nora figure—the protagonist in a play by Lu Xun’s much-revered Ibsen—with a hollow victory: Zijun eventually returned to her family after separating from Juansheng and died in the midst of social ridicule. Nevertheless, it could be read that Lu Xun did not produce a wild woman gone wrong to advance his propaganda: the championing of women’s rights and equality in a disdainfully traditional society, as chronicled in his stories populated by important, fondly fleshed-out female characters. As a victim of the conservative society, Lu Xun’s Zijun must be urging on the reader that some form of liberation of women as a whole should be undertaken, or their downfall will be replicated and preserved by the conspiratorial and misogynist ways of the traditional society.