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INK

By: Guillermo Castillo


THEME:
USEFULNESS
MESSAGE OF THE STORY:
Dont judge a thing without trying
It reminds us that a certain thing should not be useful without a human that manipulates
it

Idea and Life, Chance and Order: An Analysis of the Castillos Poem Ink
Introduction
In his Proslogion, his treatise about the existence of God, Anselm, an 11 th century Benedictine
monk, concluded that to exist in reality is greater than to exist merely in the mind. He reasoned
that a great being could not exist only in thought. Ergo, anything that exists in reality is greater
than the one that exists in mind alone. This principle is quite true, even though Anselms and our
time is a century apart.
In literature, an unexpressed idea is useless. Ideas must be expressed, be put in reality, in order
to serve their purpose; to mirror the depth of a culture and to manifest the creative genius of the
race. Just imagine Aristotles ideas being lock, unexpressed, inside his mind. Do you think well
have his thoughts about literature (Poetics), ethics (Nichomachean Ethics), transcended beings
(Metaphysics), etc., if he did not expressed his incomparable ideas about the things around him
and put them into writings? Of course, not! The importance of expressed idea than an idea
locked inside the mind is then clear. In Guillermo Castillos poem, Ink, he articulated his notion of
an unexpressed, chaotically expressed and properly expressed idea.
Analysis
Ink
bottled in glass prison
meaningless in itself
black and mute without a language
silent but strongly urged
to speak.
The poem used the typical picture of an inks bottle as its metaphor for the poets notion of idea
(ink) inside the mind (bottle). The idea of using ink as the metaphor of idea is quite practical for a
writer. Simply because this object is the one being used by a writer to write his idea and also
because it is the commonly seen object in a writers desk. Through the years, it became the
symbol of the writers weapon, together with a pen, in his battle field which is in writing, (as we
can remember the classical image of Francisco Balagtas in the cover of his work; Florante at
Laura, holding a bottle of ink and a plumage, symbolizing his talent in thought arrangement).
The bottled ink is described as meaningless, so as an idea trapped inside a bony skull of a writer.
Idea is minds grasp of an essence. Its a mental product of a rational mind that expresses the
agents capability of rationality. They were given and allotted, by the Almighty, to man, for them
to be used for the betterment of a society. That is their very purpose of existence; to be used for
the betterment of a society. Therefore an idea confined in a dark corner of a mind opposes the
nature and purpose of an idea. And sooner or later it will cease to be an idea.
Yet a bottled ink is strongly urged to speak so as a trapped idea. Merchandise manufactured by a
factory must be consumed within a particular period of time. If a consumer failed to do so, the
product will expire and lead to nothingness; a bottled ink, remained unused for months, will be
dried-up and will be useless. Just like ideas that are produced by the mind, it is really intended to
be distributed to the entire human race. It is not for the enjoyment of only one person, the one
who posses it, but rather for the greater number of person. If a bearer of idea failed to distribute
such idea, that idea will be lost until another person who is willing to share with his community
will be enlightened and will come up with that same idea.
Ergo, unexpressed idea is meaningless in itself, black and mute without a language, for it can not
do anything but to rely to the willingness of the bottle to release it. It explains that an idea is
always there in our mind waiting to the releasing command of reason; to expose it to the reality
and be consumed by the thirsty mind of man.

Ink
chance-impressed on white
inarticulate unintelligible chaotic
welcome on the bareness of white
but still foreign
excommunicate.
Many persons expressed their ideas in a manner known only to himself, or even sometimes, in a
disordered way. This act still fails the nature of idea; to be shared. Even though the person
succeeded in accomplishing the first stage of sharing the idea, which is to express it, the manner
of sharing it, is again, another matter to be considered.
One description of idea is that which is a mental product; a product of a rational mind. Such
product must reflect the rationality of the mind. And one reflection of a rational mind is order, as
Plato kept on reminding as that order or organization of something follows intelligence. The
correctness, right order, consistency, legitimacy of procedure, and justifiability of inference in
presenting an idea are quite important because through these other person will be able to
understand the idea that a person is trying to present. Just imagine a mosaic artist putting
mosaic pieces together in unthinking way; do you think any person will appreciate the beauty
that the mosaic artist wanted to show and share? Of course not!
The poem stated a possible way of presenting an idea (ink) in the real world (white; color of
paper usually used by writers); chance-impressed on white inarticulate unintelligible chaotic,
welcome on the bareness of white. Chance, in the ancient Greece, is oppose to order. Since order
is the manifestation of intelligence, therefore we can conclude that chance is oppose, also, to
intelligence. Chance is rooted in a simultaneous movement, chaotic movement as the Greek
philosophers described, and produced only chaos and disorder because it follows no plan or
intelligence; which is necessary for a thing to have order. Anything that is based on chance
produce nothing appreciative. And again the poem also showed the probable reaction of people
to whom the expressed idea is presented; still foreign, excommunicate. It is clear that people will
unwelcome such idea presented in such manner; for they can not see any beauty and goodness
in it (beauty and goodness are some of the ends that man look for). Ergo, expressed idea in an
unintelligible manner still fails the nature of an idea.
But ink
pen-lifted pen-impressed
on blank white paper
Will-ordered
interprets intensifies clarifies
expresses
Life.
The latter part of the poem gave the positive way of presenting an idea. It is the poets notion of
an idea properly presented (Will-ordered), with the end that is entangled in it. While many
persons presents their idea in a chance-rely manner, some, fortunately, wrapped their ideas in
an order-rely manner. The end-product of such manner of presenting an idea is a work that
interprets, intensifies, clarifies, and expresses Life.
How does Will-ordered make things clearer? When you say will ordered it means that the order,
where your work is based, is definitely ruled by the will. And will relies only to the power of
reason, of intelligence alone.
Anything that is done based on intelligence, manifest order. And only things that manifest order
through intelligence possess beauty and goodness which are the desired end of man. Therefore
these things are welcome by people to whom they are presented. Because through these things
they can relate to what they see, feel and hear, in their surroundings, through a clearer picture
presented by these things. They can relate their life. Simply because life is already deduced,
deepened, explained, and communicated.
When an idea is shared, through the willingness to share it and through the proper presentation
of it, it manifest the greatest idea of all; LIFE.
Note:
The possibility of using the word Ink in literal language in the poem is undeniable (and focus the
analysis to the manner the ink is being used as a medium to express an idea). Yet the writer
prepared to stick to the possibility that the word Ink is used allegorically for the word Idea (and

focus the analysis to the manner the idea is express) for he can relate his knowledge more to
such possibility.
References:
Del Castillo and Medina. (1974). Philippine Literature:
From Ancient Times to the Present.
Philippines: Philippine Graphic Arts, Inc.
Glenn. (1950). Dialectics.
United States of America: B. Herder Book Co.
Guthrie, W.K.C. (1975). The Greek Philosophers: From Thales to Aristotle
United States of America: Harper & Row, Publishers
Papineau, David. (2004). Philosophy: the Illustrated Guide to Understanding and Using Philosophy
Today.
United Kingdom: Duncan Baird Publishers Ltd
Recillo, Maria Luisa B. (2002). A Manual in Literature.
Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba.

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