Psychological Literary Analysis on Hands

Psychological Literary Analysis on Hands

In Hands, Anderson treats Wing Biddlebaum's problem very tactfully. Described as fat, frightened, and nervous, the old man seems too feeble to be dangerous. His bald forehead — noticed because his nervous hands fiddle about arranging non-existent hair — suggests his loss of strength and virility. Even the description of the former teacher's caressing of his students sounds quite possibly innocent. The picture of Adolph Myers with the boys of his school is similar to the dream which Wing tries to describe to George, a "pastoral golden age" in which clean-limbed young men gathered about the feet of an old man who talked to them.

Wing has not realized this dream. It was because a half-witted boy imagined forbidden things. Adolph Myers was driven from a Pennsylvania town in the night. He was growled at by the saloon keeper to keep his hands by himself. Here, Anderson criticizes how cruel the people are as it hounds anything intelligible for them.

The former teacher was estranged and terrified. Wing’s life turned into a nightmare. The fact that George Willard never comes, that in fact nothing really happens in the story, underpins our cognizance of the old man's downfall and disillusion. His life no longer has any climaxes. His is still all the while and doesn’t unfold.

Hands is about – yes – hands of Wing Biddlebaum "an imprisoned bird," an image reinforced not only by his nickname but by the reader's last glance of him, picking up bread crumbs from the floor. As in so many of the Winesburg stories, its setting is night, suggesting the dark misery of the lives of Anderson's characters. As Wing kneels on the floor, he is described as being "like a priest engaged in some service of his church." This image, plus the old man's persecution by society and his desire to show his love for others by the laying on of his hands, may make Wing seem to be a Christ-like figure.

Although "Hands" is the story of Wing Biddlebaum, we are also introduced to George Willard, the young reporter who appears in many of the Winesburg tales. Like Wing, George has creative impulses, but at this point, as Wing tells George, "You are afraid of dreams. You want to be like others in town here . . . You must begin to dream . . . You must shut your ears to the roaring of the voices." For the time being, however, George is afraid to forget the voices, to be different. He has wondered, for example, about Wing's secret, has realized that there is something wrong in Wing's life, but has decided, "I don't want to know what it is." As the book develops, George will get more involved with other people, will begin to get below the surface of life, and will decide to be different and flee Winesburg so that he can become a writer.

Another change that also seems effective occurs in the sentence, "He raised the hands [changed from "his hands"] to caress the boy." This change makes Wing's hands a personification with a will of their own and thus conveys the helplessness of a man controlled by his compulsions. In this helplessness lies the power of the story; "Hands" haunts us because we recognize in Wing Biddlebaum our own helplessness and we see how thoughtlessly society can persecute what it does not understand. Perhaps we see ourselves in both Wing and in the society that has ruined his life.

Source: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/w/winesburg-ohio/summary-and-analysis/hands

Post-Modern Analysis on Moulin Rouge

Post-Modern Analysis on Moulin Rouge

SYNOPSIS

In the year 1900, a depressed writer named Christian begins writing on his typewriter ("Nature Boy"). One year earlier, Christian moved to the Montmartre district of Paris to become a writer among members of the area's Bohemian movement. He encounters performers led by Toulouse-Lautrec; his writing skills allow them to finish their proposed show, "Spectacular Spectacular", that they wish to sell to Harold Zidler, owner of the Moulin Rouge. The group arrives at the Moulin Rouge as Zidler and his "Diamond Dog Dancers" perform for the audience ("Lady Marmalade/Zidler's Rap (Can Can)/Smells Like Teen Spirit"). Toulouse arranges for Christian to see Satine, the star courtesan, in her private quarters to present the work, unaware that Zidler is promising Satine to the wealthy and unscrupulous Duke of Monroth, a potential investor in the cabaret ("Sparkling Diamonds" medley). Satine mistakes Christian for the Duke, and dances with him before retiring to her private chamber with him to discuss things privately ("Rhythm of the Night), but soon learns he is just a writer; by this time Christian has fallen in love with her ("Your Song"). The Duke interrupts them; Christian and Satine claim they were practicing lines for "Spectacular Spectacular". With Zidler's help, Toulouse and the rest of the troupe pitch the show to the Duke with an improvised plot about an evil maharajah attempting to woo an Indian courtesan who loves a poor sitar player ("The Pitch (Spectacular Spectacular)"). The Duke backs the show on the condition that only he may see Satine. Satine contemplates on Christian and her longing to leave the Moulin Rouge to become "a real actress" ("One Day I'll Fly Away"). Christian goes back to Satine to convince her that she loves him ("Elephant Love Medley"). As the cabaret is converted to a theater, Christian and Satine continue seeing each other under the pretense of rehearsing Satine's lines. The Duke becomes jealous and warns Zidler that he may stop financing the show; Zidler arranges for Satine to dine with the Duke that evening, but she falls ill from tuberculosis ("Górecki"). Zidler makes excuses to the Duke, claiming that Satine has gone to confession ("Like a Virgin"). Zidler learns that Satine does not have long to live. Satine tells Christian that their relationship endangers the show, but he counters by writing a secret love song to affirm their love ("Come What May"). As the Duke watches Christian rehearsing with Satine, Nini, a jealous performer, points out that the play is a metaphor for Christian, Satine and the Duke. Enraged, the Duke demands the ending be changed so that the courtesan ends up with the maharajah; Satine offers to spend the night with the Duke to keep the original ending. At the Duke's quarters, Satine sees Christian on the streets below, and realizes she cannot go through with this ("El Tango de Roxanne: "Roxanne/Tanguera"). The Duke tries to rape her, but she is saved by Le Chocolat, one of the cabaret dancers, and reunited with Christian, who urges her to run away with him. The Duke tells Zidler he will have Christian killed if Satine is not his. Zidler reiterates this warning to Satine, but when she refuses to return, he finally informs her she is dying ("A Fool to Believe"). Satine tells Christian they can no longer see each other as she will be staying with the Duke ("The Show Must Go On"). Christian tries following her, but is denied entry to the Moulin Rouge, and becomes depressed, even though Toulouse insists that Satine loves him. The night of the show, Christian sneaks into the Moulin Rouge, intending to pay Satine to return his love just as the Duke paid for her ("Hindi Sad Diamonds"). He catches Satine before she steps on stage and demands she tell him she does not love him. Suddenly they find themselves in the spotlight; Zidler convinces the audience that Christian is the disguised sitar player. Christian denounces Satine and walks off the stage. From the rafters, Toulouse cries out, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return", spurring Satine to sing the song Christian wrote to express their love. Christian returns to the stage, joining her in the song. The Duke's bodyguard tries to kill Christian, but is thwarted, while the Duke's own attempt is stopped by Zidler. The Duke storms out of the cabaret as Christian and Satine complete their song ("Come What May (Reprise)", "Coup d'État (Finale)"). After the curtain closes, Satine succumbs to tuberculosis. She and Christian affirm their love before she dies. A year later the Moulin Rouge has closed down, and Christian is writing the tale of his love for Satine, a "love that will live forever" ("Nature Boy (Reprise)").

ANALYSIS

Playfulness.  The musical element seems over-enforced and hyperbolic, as if it is making fun of the musical genre, when in fact it is a musical. The camera work reflects chaos and action as it whip pans and cuts from character to character and produces a comical effect. The use of dance is different to other parts of the film. In the tango scene the dancing is intense and serious, here it is comical, almost slapstick, as if “Moulin Rouge” is trying to be a parody of a musical. The “Sound of Music” scene is another jibe at musicals, as Christian effectively makes up the title song on the spot.

Sense of Time. Though Moulin Rouge doesn’t involve time bending, there is an altered sense of time as the story of the Moulin Rouge is Christian’s reflection on his past and often contains flashbacks of his father. Christian is writing the film as it is happening, so the film seems like a work of fiction, instead of his life, however he is a fictional character and therefore his life is fictional.

Characters. There is the sense of mixing of genres, not just as the film combines musical with drama, comedy etc. but also because the actors are primarily actors not singers. Kylie Monogue plays herself in the guise of the “green fairy” and this along with other elements such as the singing moon and Zidler flying around the Moulin add a very fantasy-like animation quality to the film. They subtract from the realism and make “Moulin Rouge” seem much more like a story or fabrication.

Style. The film is visually flamboyant with the details of the set and costume, the intense colors and the Bohemian utopia of the Moulin Rouge and Satine’s Golden Elephant. In some ways this film could be seen as style over substance, as most of the key scenes (Elephant love medley, Can-can, the tango…) revolve around the visual quality of the costume and set, as well as the auditory quality of the modern music juxtaposed with the 19th century setting.

Intertextuality. “Moulin Rouge” is almost a pop culture bricolage, taking popular music (David Bowie, Madonna etc) and including lines such as “All you need is love” and “The show must go on.” The Elephant Love Medley is purely a combination of popular love songs. There is also the idea of a show within a show, as the musical is about the characters trying to create “Spectacular Spectacular”; a musical for the stage of the Moulin Rouge.

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/TheBevan/moulin-rouge-and-postmodernism

Marxist Literary Analysis on Pangako Sa’yo (First two weeks)

Marxist Literary Analysis on Pangako Sa’yo (First two weeks)

And Amor and Eduardo fell in love with each other.  While the latter is living in a simple home almost looking like a shack, the latter lives like a king in a castle sort of home. Despite having an arrogant mother who wants only the best (rich enough) girl for her son, Eduardo still managed to fight the love he has for Amor. It was shown how Eduardo and Amor have struggled for the love they so long keep because the social classes they belong at. Here, shown is that differing social classes doesn’t matter anymore to Eduardo. Real love is rare, so it’s worth fighting for. The rich is for both the rich and poor. The poor is both for the poor and rich. No special pairings.

However, their love was meddled by the selfish wants of Eduardo’s mother. So here she comes, setting up Eduardo a date with the illegitimate daughter of the governor named Claudia. Desperate times call for desperate measures, as it seems for Eduardo’s mom. She even has publicly humiliated Amor in a set up engagement party for Eduardo and Claudia, thus Amor crying her eyes out believing that Eduardo betrayed her. But no one can blame Eduardo’s mother. After all, for the rich, it is must for their children to also marry the one of the same social class. :)

Structuralist Analysis on Maxi-peel TV Ad

Structuralist Analysis on Maxi-peel TV Ad

“Bakit??? Ayaw kuminis! Sinabon ko naman,” A teenage girl so worried after finding out she got a pimple on the cheek exclaimed in overreaction. That is how the Maxi-peel TV ad started. It might be absurd but this commercial shows that this is how teens react on the thing, or say, should do so. It influences the youth to look at having even a single pimple is grossly a big deal. Like it’s shameful. Unnatural. And – sinister. And so it proceeds with introducing the solution to the most dreaded dilemma of the youth.

With a solution in hand, Julia Montes appeared in camera wearing his beautiful smile and fair face. Perhaps, it’s saying that when the girl used Maxi-peel too, she’ll be fairer and pimple-less as the celebrity endorser. The advertisement is somewhat screaming at the face of the audience that if they want to look like Julia, they’ should apply to their faces what she applies to hers. Evidently, the artist’s power is used in this case for wider and greater market and that is needless to say a bigger income.

Feminist Analysis on The Virgin

Feminist Analysis on The Virgin

The story revolves around the main character Miss Mijares, a writer who has all the metaphors and symbols in her side coming handy to unveil his emotions. A dependable daughter also wishing love from others, especially a man to become her companion in life. However, being the eldest daughter in the family, she is expected to fulfill her duties to the family before anything else, especially tying the knot. Her extreme desire to have a man to live with was revealed in this segment of the story: "But neither love nor glory stood behind her, only the lurking, empty shadows, and nine years gone, nine years. In the room of her unburied dead, she held up her hands to the light, noting the thick, durable fingers, thinking in a mixture of shame and bitterness and guilt that they had never touched a man."

As shown in the short story, Miss Mijares was spent a considerable of her existence in achieving the burden put on her shoulders: obtaining a college diploma, sending her niece to school, and taking care of her mother. This is the role of the eldest daughter of the Filipino family as dictated by the society.

Going back to Miss Mijares’ man hunt, a certain scenario in the story shows her romantic feelings when she became angered upon knowing that the carpenter she is targeting has a family but felt relieved all of the sudden when the latter admitted he is not wed with his son’s mother. Evidently, it reveals Miss Mijares’ flare-up of hidden regard towards the carpenter who once offered something to Miss Mijares which she liked as suggested by her laughing as she received it. By and through this, it was confirmed that she really was attracted to the carpenter as implied by her reaction.

In addition, the inner struggle of Miss Mijares was shown in the story. Striving real hard to fit in the society as how women should be, she shelled her real self but was later uncovered (not literally hough). It might be so un-you in her case but she has to do so just to adhere to the societal norms for women.

Like almost all other women, Miss Mijares’ protests are implicit, growling inside her but too afraid to go out. Torn between her socially dictated self and the real she, this symbolic protest actually created confusion within her. However, the main character should not be caged by the society forever. As the story unfolds, she learned to be a woman, the one ready to stand for what she believes in, not what the society does. She was untethered from all the societal stuffs as implied in this paragraph:

"In her secret heart, Miss Mijares' young dreams fluttered faintly to life, seeming monstrous in the rain, near this man - seeming monstrous but also sweet and overwhelming. I must get away, she thought wildly, but he had moved and brushed against her, and where his touch had fallen, her flesh leaped, and she recalled how his hands had looked that first day, lain tenderly at the edge of her desk and about the wooden bird (that had looked like a moving, shining, dove) and she turned to him: with her ruffles wet and wilted, in the dark she turned to him."

In the conclusion of the short story, Miss Mijares has shooed out of captivity the Miss Mijares she has to be, not the one who is muffled and meddled by social expectations to a woman like her. It was further shown as she is already ready to surrender her virginity, an emblem of his self-respect and respect for the man it deserved.

Deconstruction Analysis on Design

Deconstruction Analysis on Design

THE POEM

Design by Robert Frost

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,

On a white heal-all, holding up a moth

Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth—

Assorted characters of death and blight

Mixed ready to begin the morning right,

Like the ingredients of a witches’ broth—

A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth.

And dead wings carried like a paper kite.

What had that flower to do with being white,

The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?

What brought the kindred spider to that height,

Then steered the white moth thither in the night?

What but design of darkness to appall?—

If design govern in a thing so small.

ANALYSIS

The poem’s title carries a bit of ambiguity. As a sonnet, it is a design yet also about design which comes in a natural mini-drama involving a crazy mix of characters – a moth, spider and heal-all. The poem projects the show of a spider holding up a dead moth upon the heal-all, an herbaceous flower.

Centered on the events witnessed by the speaker, the sestet presents serial queries regarding the scene. It is an odd blend of ingredients boiling witches broth in a cauldron. Casually ghastly stemming from the speaker's use of paradoxical images, it is unfolded in understatement, painting an occurrence appearing to be ordinary as it is acted out on infinite occasions. The brutal death of the moth is imparted with appealing imagery while the predacious spider is described as "dimpled...fat and white". "Death and blight" is juxtaposed with the pastiness of the morning. "Dead wings" is directly compared with a "paper kite."

In the poem, the usually blue heal-all becomes an albino like a sort of fantastic modification ha staken place. The "snowdrop (note that it is white) spider," an oxymoronic figure, is at an uncommon height. And, of course, the "characters of death and blight" are all white. With all stuffs appearing downright abnormal, the scene is odd; whiteness was emphasized.

Pondering on the keenly observed scene, the speaker shifts from description to reflection in the sestet, perhaps seeking for some purpose to the eccentricities he has abruptly witnessed. All the questions in lines nine to twelve was sufficed with another question for an answer: "What but design of darkness to appall?" Since so much whiteness could not be accidental, it is maybe a suggestion that some creepy plan of nature has caused these seemingly random events. The poem ends with an "If" statement to qualify the answer given with a reservation previously. The last line seems initially to offer a glimmer of hope by negating the speaker's own suggestion.

This terminal utterance introduces a chilling note of doubt: that the seemingly insignificant events of nature simply play themselves out in a random fashion. Either conclusion drawn by the speaker - either that these encounters are random or that they are by design – is terrifying. But in reality, this alternative explanation is no less morbid, for it dismisses the previous notion of a predetermined fate for the possibility that is even more horrifying: that such minute scenes in nature are simply played out at random. More broadly, the suggestion may be that all life forms (human included) are connected and yet involved in a pattern of preying upon each other; another frightening suggestion.

The design of the poem is an Italian, or Petrarchan sonnet. The rhyme scheme is abba abba aca acc. The limited number of rhymes (3) focuses on the color white – the dominant rhyme-word of the poem. This focus on whiteness accentuates the appearance of innocence and the ostensibly benign nature of the exhibition before the speaker. The rhyme scheme helps create an awful, silent whiteness.

Does design really govern in very small things, such as his own creation - a sonnet? The speaker may be asking such question of design about his own poem. And it’s a yes as manifested in the tight structure of the intricately designed piece.

Fantastic Literary Analysis on Ratatouille

Fantastic Literary Analysis on Ratatouille

Ratatouille Plot Summary

A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family's wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely - and certainly unwanted - visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy's passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down.

Pure Marvelous. Events are supernatural, superhuman, and magical. There is no rational explanation.

In the movie, it is shown that rats can talk to one another, even to humans. They speak up what they have in mind and share what they feel to one another. However, contradictory to what the movie has presented, rats can’t really talk. All people know that. More so, in contrast to the movie, rats can’t really have a knack for cooking. In the first place, they can’t hold the ladle, turn on the gas range, or do whatever kitchen chore is out there. Rats, in shorts, don’t have humanlike behavior. They don’t feel like humans. They don’t think like humans. They don’t interact like humans. That is because they are not human.

Fantastic Marvelous. Supernatural event are eventually to be accepted as supernatural. Fear is turned to wonder.

One of the amazing scenes in the movie is when the clan of rats worked together to cook the dish to be served for all the queuing costumers in the bistro. This happened after all the chefs left the young cook as they discovered a downright filthy secret he has been keeping all those times: a rat is the one that instructs him to cook fabulous eatables. While it should be a disgust that should be felt upon knowing that notoriously dirty creatures were the ones doing all the kitchen stuffs, everything turned into an expanding feeling of awe and marvel sanitizing the whole grime-stricken truth. Suddenly, it became an anticipation whether the costumers would like the ratty food they eat.

Fantastic Uncanny. Supernatural events are eventually given a natural explanation. Reader’s hesitation is resolved that there is no explanation.

One of the supernatural abilities of Remy, a rat, in the movie is having an intense smelling sense. While some would think it not in that way, there is actually an explanation behind this. Since rats live in a rich, complex world of smell, every surface, every object, every whiff of air, contains different smells and information for them.

Sources: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382932/plotsummary

Post-Colonial Analysis on Things Fall Apart

Post-Colonial Analysis on Things Fall Apart

PLOT SUMMARY

*Things Fall Apart is centered on the life of the protagonist of the novel, Okonkwo. As the novel develops Okonkwo accidentally kills a man and he and his family are exiled from Umuofia. During his exile white missionaries arrive in Umuofia and change the village. When Okonkwo returns to his village he sees the major transformations that Umuofia has undergone during his exile.

Unhappy with the change, Okonkwo and other villagers come together to drive the white missionaries out of their land. Their efforts are in vain as the missionaries send their messengers to abort the meeting. Okonkwo kills one of the messengers and in shock at his actions the villagers let the other messengers escape. The messengers report back to the missionaries and they take off to bring Okonkwo to justice only to find him dead.

ANALYSIS

The title Things Fall Apart obviously suggests the fall of Igbo culture as well as the fall of Okonkwo. The piece digs deeper into the dims of Igbo culture, also its glows. Though these flaws also add to the destruction of their culture, Igbo’s collapse was mainly ascribed to their incapacity and refusal to acquire English due to the belief of its minimal use to their everyday lives.

Similarly, the missionaries, whose arrival in the secluded land of Igbo prompted them that mankind also exists elsewhere, strongly influenced and controlled over the Igbos and their soil as they were modernized and well-educated.

Uncivilized people in dire need of their help. It’s how the missionaries find the Igbo. Hence, using their influence to spread their gospel and abolish Igbo traditional customs and beliefs, the missionaries harshly ruled over the Igbo land. Needless to say, the intruders are way superior to the Igbo tribe as evident in the novel.

Superior in comparison to Igbo, the missionaries have managed to make some convert to Christianity and serve as their messengers. The white men saw Igbo as a burden that they had to take care of by informing and educating them of things they did not know. The missionaries believed their culture to be morally superior to Igbo’s and this resulted to a discord between the two cultures.

Equally, the Igbo community has benefited a lot from the European colonialism. Education was introduced, thus lowering the illiteracy rate in the Igbo village and enlightened Igbos of today. The white men’s teaching of own culture to the Igbo society made them learn something new which they apply to their own though the transition is hard.

*On the other hand, as a consequence to the arrival of the white missionaries, the Igbo lost most of their solidarity values. Moreover, social coherence between the individual and society was lost, coupled with their traditional values and lifestyle. Because of the confused state of mind of Igbo not knowing whether to reject or embrace these changes, it ultimately led to their fall mainly because of their loyalty to the language.  

The arrival of white missionaries in Umuofia was to take over the ruling of it and because Igbo are a compassionate society that was also unsuspecting of the white men’s intentions, they welcomed them into their land and also gave them a piece of their land not knowing that these men will be the cause of the collapse of their culture.

Without culture Igbo society is as good as dead, hence the significance of Okonkwo’s death in the end. Like Okonkwo the Igbo committed suicide by not being suspicious of the white missionary’s intentions in their land or questioning his presence.

*taken from Things Fall Apart: An Analysis

of Pre and Post-Colonial Igbo Society

by Lame Maatla Kenalemang

Archetypal Literary Analysis on Biag ni Lam-ang

Archetypal Literary Analysis on Biag ni Lam-ang

Biag ni Lam-ang – this epic is epic. Filled with exciting adventures, fun-teemed experiences, heroic encounters, and a cornucopia of unpredictable occurrences, the story is absolutely worth all the reads. What adds more delight is a mighty, optimistic and – say – divine protagonist always triumphant in overcoming all the test of his grand journey, like he is an Achilles without an Achilles’ heel.

Lam-ang was born with a body too physically big and tall for a newborn. He was brought forth to the world literally great, so that means he’ll grow up greater than the excess (Saying this, I ain’t trying to be hyperbolic).  He could defeat anyone anytime wherever. He was born to be an unsurpassable, say, warrior, so no one can put him underneath the soles.

But this doesn’t mean he can be all alone in his adventure. No man is an island, right? Thus, our hero tags along two marvelous treasures – a dog and a rooster – rallying round for his every survival. Lam-ang’s having these two beings on his battles is an emblem of the need of companions in weaving the loose cannon streets of life.

Together with his also brave pets, Lam-ang faced his first [im)mortal combat as he looked for his dad pitilessly slain by Igorots. Hungry for vengeance, he made countless combats and content thereafter, paved his way homeward. On the way home, he passed through a river where some ladies were waiting to bathe him from head to toe.  All the filth was washed off but poisoned all the water-living animals there. This scene in the epic symbolizes a new start, leaving behind all the violence and past malfeasance, also moving forward and preparation for future encounters.

Lam-ang courted the gorgeous Ines as he reached home. Winning the heart of Ines has become his new challenge. With the helping hands of his comrades, he has pleased not only Ines but also her parents. There and then, they wed and Lam-ang’s adventure continued.

Lam-ang was tested to prove that his precious love for Ines after a splendid wedding banquet. Full of vigor and enthusiasm, he braved the abyss of a sea to capture the colossal shell but ended up being grumbled by a large voracious shark as projected in his hunch. But of course, the story won’t end with the lead character dead. In short he was revived.

With all his bravery, heroism, and headship, Lam-ang, with his precious pets, finished every game on their favor. Epic indeed.

Historical-Biographical Analysis on "A Child of Sorrow"

The novel "A Child of Sorrow" by Zoilo Galang

Biography

Zoilo Galang was born in Bacolor on 27 June 1895 and his young life was spent in that bucolic town, famed for its writers and artists. He went to school at the Bacolor Elementary School and then went to Manila to study at the Escuela de Derecho, the country’s eminent law school where he graduated in 1919. A self-starter, he learned typing and stenography in English and Spanish all by himself. Attracted to the English language, he took special courses at the University of the Philippines in 1925, then went to Columbia University for further studies in Literature.

          He was soon writing books of fiction, biography and philosophy, and his output was prodigious. His early poems saw print on the Kapampangan paper, “E Mangabiran". He authored “A Child of Sorrow”, the first English novel written by a Filipino. This was later made into a movie in 1930. Other notable works include "Nadia", "For Dreams Must Die", "Springtime", "Leaders of the Philippines", "Glimpses of the World", "Life and Success", "Master of Destiny", "Unisophy" and "Barrio Life".

          But his greatest opus undoubtedly is the Encyclopedia of the Philippines, which began as a 10 volume set when first printed. Galang himself, edited and wrote entries for the book set which covered Philippine literature, biography, commerce and industry, art, education, religion, government, science, history and builders of the new Philippines. The Encyclopedia of the Philippines came with a general information and index.

         A second edition, destroyed by fire, was published in 1948. So positive was the response to Galang’s work that the encyclopedia project was expanded to 20 volumes in a later 1949 printing. There has been no new printing since 1958.

Summary

It was summertime in April when Lucio and Camilo had prepared for their give way and went to Merry town, where they notice lots of joy in frank things. Lucio also erudite some traits or personalities of some mickle in Merry town. Like how a Governor Pancho Ismael can be so screw up or how an Oscar Ramirez be an intelligent yet selfish guy, that he did not have any hatred because he met a Rosa Garcia who was beautiful interior and out.

           After Lucio's meeting with Rosa, he developed a judgement for her, something he cannot describe, and something he hasn't experienced before.  After a hardly (prenominal) days, Lucio met Rosa again, confessing his feelings for her, and they've become partners afterwards Rosa said that she matte the same way. Lucio spent close of his time with Rosa when he was at Merry town but, the time came that his vacation in Merry town was over and he needed to go back to his provincial town.  It was very(prenominal) hard for Rosa and Lucio but he promised that he would not forget her and he would be back when he knows he may not be able to leave.  At first, Lucio got very blue and lifeless after his separation, but then, with some with Rosa, both Lucio and Rosa was able to accept that Lucio has to leave with the promise to not forget about her and to think about her all the time. The separation caused the two  sorrows beyond word-description. Though far away from each other, the two tried to keep in touch by sending letters to one another. Time passed and Lucio grew to be a fine, young man. He was the man looked up to in his town for alertness of mind and calmness of disposition for he was  a born leader.

  
          Lucio was elected president of The Rising Generation and continued to spur to greater heights. One day, Lucio received an invitation from Rosa to attend their Garden day and it was the first time the two saw sight of each other after the summer vacation of Lucio has ended. Again, Lucio marveled at the beauty of Rosa. The governor treted hm coldly but he paid no mind to it. What is important to him is his Rosa sitting beside him. The two enjoyed the time while they are together for they know that they will again part ways.

          Oscar confessed his love for Rosa to Governor Pancho Ismael, who is Rosa's father and wished to be married to her. The next day, it was announced that Rosa will be married to Oscar. The news reached Lucio But Rosa denied it. She is not willing to marry any man unless it is Lucio. Rosa tried her best to not be wedded to Oscar but Oscar Sexually harassed her, leaving her no choice. Dignity and purity is the most important thing for an individual especially to a lady like Rosa and that is what Oscar took away from her.

         Lucio felt very broken and was enraged upon hearing the news but he know he can do nothing about it. " what is past is past. Let us now consider the present. That's the only way we can live happily--- by burning the bridges of the unfortunate past behind us and looking ahead with glowing hopes. 

         Rosa knew, by that time, who her father is and wrote a letter to Lucio saying that no matter what happens he will always be her one and only true love; that only Lucio makes her live and that she will remember always and will cherish all their memories. Lucio told himself that f he failed in love, he'll be successful in something else. That was his determination. Lucio endured all injury done against him and little by little his sorrows vanished and recovered from the shock. Time healed all wounds but the scars are still there.

         While Lucio is trying his best to move-on from Rosa, Rosa on the other hand does the opposite. Though married to Oscar, it is Lucio who she's thinking all the time. After several years, it is still him and will always be him. The marriage of Rosa to Oscar did not go well that caused Rosa to be sick. Time came that Rosa was dying and she summoned Lucio to come visit her.  Lucio answered to the summon and went to Rosa. Rosa then died at the arms of the man she truly loves.

          The novel ended by seeing Lucio at the grave of Rosa still lamenting and and reading a letter to her and by the people pointing to him saying, "There is the child of sorrow". 

Analysis

“I wish to depict conditions as they exist and reflect them in my writings. In fact, "A Child of Sorrow" is a fragmentary page of real life, with a distinct morale and personality.”

Such were the first two sentences in the preface of Zoilo Galang’s “A Child of Sorrow,” the first English novel by a Filipino writer. By and through this, indeed, the masterpiece mirrors the life and times of the author and the history that goes along with the lapse of his existence. Unlike JK Rowling who is fixated in writing fantastic novels, Galang lets his pen shed the ink of reality as it exist. As he said, “There is no doubt but that we are all after truth and sincerity, and not dream and fantasy.”

As desired by Galang, love is the main theme of the novel.  Aside from the fact that his chosen theme was within the social context, and the economic and political life of people, his decision on the novel’s theme was greatly influenced by the Sentimentalist Movement in Europe dating back mid-18th to 19th century. Centered on feelings and emotions, physical appreciation of God, nature and other people, rather than logic and reason, this European ideology hugely affected not only the literary taste of Galang but also the majority of classical scribes

This novel starring Lucio and Rosa was set in one of the rural and sequestered plains of Central Luzon, called the Fertile Valley. The place, without doubt, refers to the Galang’s town of origin, Bacolor, Pampanga, one of the provinces of the region Central Luzon. Being that the rustic town is located in the Rice Granary of the Philippines, it was described as “where the rice fields yielded the cup of joy to the industrious farmers, and where the harvest filled aplenty the barns of the poor.”

The time Zoilo spent dwelling in the rural town of Bacolor, Pampanga clearly defines the plain life of the novel’s protagonist, Lucio. Zoilo’s way of living portrays the milieu in which the novel happens. Lucio’s journey from the Spanish regime to the spring time of Filipinos’ cognitive supremacy in Commonwealth period, as well as the dull farm living in Fertile Valley and Merry Town, tours the readers to the time of Zoilo Galang. It allows “them to live through his thinking, beliefs, culture, and code of ethics albeit for a short period of time.” Moreover, unveiling the usually rustic and conservative kind of romance, Galang has shown that during that time Filipinos were traditionalist and old-fashioned.

It was said in Galang biography that the bucolic town where he came from is the haven of writers and artists. Unsurprisingly, Galang has gotten a knack in writing. In the novel, this fact was revealed by Lucio Soliman, who happens to be an avid scribe.

Mimetic Analysis on "The Lady and Her Five Suitors"

STORY SUMMARY

A lady’s lover is put into jail. To get him out she invites all the important people of state to her house. The Kazi, Wali, Wazir and King are tricked into her home as they all desire her. She gets the Wali write a release note for her lover. They are put into a cabinet because they each time fear the next one to be the lady’s husband. The carpenter is locked up because he has a dispute with the lady over the size of the cabinet. The lady leaves the city with her lover. The five suitors are released by the neighbours after urinating on each other.

The wife of a merchant loves a man when her husband is away. One day this man is cast into prison because of a quarrel he had. The woman clads herself in the most beautiful clothes and goes to magistrate. She brings a paper to testify against the imprisonment of her ‘brother’. The magistrate immediately falls in love with her. He will let him go if she comes to his house, but she invites the Wali to hers. He accepts. Then she goes to the Kazi telling of a Wali who has imprisoned her brother. The Kazi falls in love with her and promises her to let him go. She also invites him to her house. Then she goes to the Wazir asking for the release of her brother. The Wazir want to have his will on her and he is also invited to her home.  Finally she goes to the King of the city. After telling her story he is pierced with the arrows of love. He invites her to his palace, but she says he would do much more honour entering her home. The lady goes to a carpenter to ask him to make a cabinet with five compartments, each with a door for locking up. Next she lets four gowns be dyed and prepares food and drink.

The Kazi comes first to her home and he is put on one of the gowns. After a while there is a tapping on the door and the lady says it is her husband and takes the Kazi to the lowest compartment to hide him. When she opens the doors there is the Wali. She asks him to write a letter to free her ‘brother’ from the gaol which he does. He is asked to put on the second gown. Then there is another tapping on the door and again she says it is her husband. The Wali is put into the second compartment. When she opens the door it is the Wazir, they play a bit with each other and he is given the third gown. Then there is another knock on the door. She puts the Wazir in the third compartment and opens the door. The King has arrived and after some talk desires her. His rich robes are exchanged for the fourth gown. But another knocking is at the door. She again says it is her husband and locks the King up in the fourth compartment. The carpenter enters her house. She tells him the top compartment is too strait. The carpenter disagrees and to prove himself goes into the fifth compartment, upon which she closes it. Then the lady goes to the treasurer with the letter the Wali wrote to release her lover. They both leave the city.

Meanwhile the five in the cabinet stayed within for three days wthout food or drink. They cannot hold their water and urinate over each other. When they complain they know who the others are in the cabinet, except for the King, because he remains silent. Then the neighbours break into the house to see what is going on in the house. When they see the cabinet with the voices coming out they fear there is are Jinni inside it and want to set the thing on fire. But the Kazi screams not to. They are released and shown in the attires the lady prepared for them.

ANALYSIS

As this piece is a component story of the literary compilation Arabian Nights, it is needless to say then that “The Lady and her Five Suitors” is about a faithless woman.

In the poem the unnamed wife of a merchant has fallen in love with a young man when his husband was in a distant place, maybe to search for a greener pasture. This scenario mirrors the reality that women (and also men) find it easy to cheat on their partners while the latter are out of sight. While it can be the best time to show that love knows no distance, some take it as an opportunity to betray their partners. Maybe cheating in this case is an effect of loneliness but, yes, it can’t always be a valid reason. Somehow, it shows that distance between two hearts is what reveals the gravity of faithfulness toward each other.

As I said in the previous paragraph, the married lady fell in love with a young man. The using of the adjective ‘young’ to describe the man who caught the lady’s heart makes it imperative that theirs was a May-December affair. Being that the lady has already tied the knot with someone, we can say that she is way older than the young man. This pretty much happens in real life. Age is not an issue anymore. The sight of an old man tickling his teen-aged girl (or otherwise) has become normal in the society we breathe on. If you love someone, the question ‘how old are you’ is not brought up anymore, like it’s love – love all the way.

Now, it was told in the story that the young man has been put into jail and the lady, desperately wanting her beau to get out of prison, invited all the important people of the state to her house. The Kazir, Wali, Wazir and King (the big four) are tricked into her home as they all want, and she has gotten the Wali write a release letter for her lover. The lady, as it appears, is a believer of the proverb, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Especially that the one who is involved in the problem is a loved one, the lady does all she can do – already becoming deviant – for the release of the young man. It happens in real life when people are in a situation where they are running out of options, thus what becomes viable are the most extreme ones. Truth be told, sometimes, if they are sandwiched with myriad problems that involve the ones they love, what becomes their resort is doing crimes, usually stealing. Moreover, the lady in the story has used her charm to lure his lustful preys, the big four, and, again, it does happen in the chaotic world of reality.

Also projected in the story is the physical attraction among men. All four of them have found their way to the lady’s home as her beauty has captivated them all. I might be stereotyping but most men are like that. Beauty matters.

And so there it goes. I might have missed to point out something, but that’s all – at least for me. 

Analysis on the Poem "The Sick Rose"

Analysis on the Poem “The Sick Rose” Using Formalism Approach

by Stephen Calixton

The Sick Rose

by William Blake

O Rose thou art sick. 

The invisible worm, 

That flies in the night 

In the howling storm: 

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy:

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

At first glance, I thought the poem is about a failing relationship since  rose is conventionally one of the many symbols for love. However, upon noticing that it is written as “Rose” (proper noun) I came into conclusion that Rose in this poem is somehow the name of a maiden - maybe a loved one or a child inflicted by a death-causing disease caused by The invisible worm. In the second line of the first stanza, the author indirectly says that a virus - which looks like a worm when looked through a microscope - is the culprit of Rose’s torment. The virus is the sexually transmitted disease syphilis widespread during 1974 in England, the home of Blake. Describing the virus as something that flies in the night in the howling storm, the poem tells that syphilis was acquired one  night by Rose. The word howling in the last line of the first stanza gives the night an ominous ambiance. However, some literary critics believe that it refers to the moans and groans in the verge on of an intense sex. In the first line of the last stanza, it was confirmed that word ‘howling’ really refers to the lustful joy.  But since the that night she was infected of a sexual disease, we can have a paradoxical combination joy and isolation. The act of making love has maybe caused her happiness, but it also gave her life’s greatest grief. The lines Has found out thy bed | Of crimson joy, in addition, also gives the readers an idea that the woman is in the grave state of gloom that night, so she “flies” under the dusk to find momentary joy - coital joy. In the last two lines of the poem, as the story unfolds, it is told that what destroys her life was “his” secret love - his referring to his beau or husband. Maybe, her husband has another woman. From here, I can infer that Rose wants to revenge to her beau by having sex with another man, believing it can bring about satisfaction if she does so. Unfortunately, that “another man” is infected of syphilis, thus the supposed-to-be sweet revenge turned into a disaster.