21st Century Literature in Various Regions - Life and Works of Jose Garcia Villa

Jose Garcia Villa

 Jose Garcia Villa was a Filipino literary critic, poet, painter, and short story
writer. He was born on August 5, 1908 in Manila.
 He gained both local and international recognition for his works. He was named
as the National Artist for Literature in 1973, and he was also a recipient of the
Guggenheim Fellowship.
 During his college years, he wrote Man Songs, a collection of controversial poems
that was considered too bold by the University of the Philippines and became the
ground for his suspension from the said institution.
 Some of his well-known literary works are "Mir-i-nisa" (won in the Philippines
Free Press in 1929), and "Footnote to Youth" (published in 1933).

Jose Garcia Villa as a Poet

 As a poet, Jose Garcia Villa is known for introducing the reversed consonance
rhyme scheme. According to Villa, in this method, the last sounded consonants of
the last syllable, or the last principal consonant of a word, are reversed for the
corresponding rhyme. Thus, a rhyme for lightwould be words such as tile, tall,
tale, etc.
 He is also known for his comma poems, where he employed a comma after every
word.
 He used the pseudonym Doveglion, which is derived from dove, eagle, lion.
 He died on July 7, 1997.

Analyzing a writer's works will help you understand and identify his or her contributions
to Philippine literature.

Example:

One of Jose Garcia Villa's well-known works is "Footnote to Youth."

a. Setting
The short story is set in a small town.

b. Plot

 Exposition
Dodong, a seventeen-year-old boy, tells his parents that he wants to marry his
girlfriend Teang.
 Rising Action
Teang secretly regrets marrying Dodong at a young age. She wonders what can
happen if she has married Lucio, who is nine years older than Dodong.
 Climax
Dodong wonders why life does not get to fulfill all of a youth’s dreams.
  Falling Action
Blas tells Dodong about his plan to marry Tona.
 Conclusion
Dodong wants to keep Blas from marrying Tona, but he cannot do anything about
it. He feels sorry for Blas.

c. Theme
The story focuses on the consequences of marrying at an early age and starting a family.

Explanation:

In the story "Footnote to Youth," Dodong is the symbol for the Filipino youth. His
decision to marry his love interest, Teang, at the age of seventeen demonstrates the
passion of teenagers when it comes to relationships.

Those of the younger generation usually strive for new pursuits to learn things on their
own, often rejecting their elders’ guidance. From the story, it is depicted that lessons are
learned through experience. Dodong, as well as Teang, had many realizations when he
became a parent.

……….

 In analyzing a literary work, make sure that you read it

thoroughly and analyze it well.
 Study the background of the author, as this will give you insights regarding
the setting of the story and the historical and/or social influences of the time and
place in which the author lived.
 Analyze the concepts presented in the literary work by relating them to
practices and traditions in the Philippines or in the place used as the setting
of the story.

Carlos P. Romulo

 Carlos P. Romulo was a Filipino diplomat, statesman, journalist, and soldier. He

was born on January 14, 1898 in Intramuros, Manila and grew up in Camiling,
Tarlac.
 He was the first Filipino journalist who was awarded with the Pulitzer Prize in
Journalism. He was also the first Asian who served as the president of the United
Nations General Assembly.
 "I am a Filipino" is one of the many essays written by Carlos P. Romulo. It was
published in The Philippines Herald in August 1941.
 He also wrote the book entitled I Saw the Fall of the Philippines, in which he
narrated his personal experiences as an aide-de-camp to General Douglas
MacArthur in Corregidor. This book was followed by a sequel, I See the
Philippines Rise, a journalistic account of the Philippine War in 1944.
  Among his other famous literary works are Mother America: A Living Story of
Democracy, a discussion of his political ideals about American democracy in the
Philippines, and I Walked with Heroes, his autobiography.
 He was conferred as National Artist for Literature in 1982.
 He died on December 15, 1985.

About the Essay I am a Filipino

 I am a Filipino is one of the valuable contributions of Carlos P. Romulo to

Philippine literature. Analyzing it would help one understand what he thinks of
the Filipino and what it means to be one.
 In the essay, the author speaks of the pride and dignity of the Filipino race, which
is something he wants the future generation to uphold and cultivate.
 The essay also explains the Filipino identity as a product of the fusion of Western
culture (Spanish and American) and Eastern culture (Japanese occupation and
Malayan roots).
 Carlos P. Romulo stresses that the fight for freedom sprung up from one’s pride
of being a Filipino. He takes pride in the bravery and sacrifices of the heroes who
fought for freedom like Lapu-Lapu , Diego Silang, Jose Rizal , Gregorio del Pilar,
Antonio Luna, and Manuel L. Quezon.
 He also emphasizes the beauty of the Philippines as blessed with bountiful
natural resources and colorful history and culture.

Summary
Carlos P. Romulo is a profound writer who wrote the essay I am a Filipino, which is one
of the great contributions to Philippine literature not only because it shows one’s love
for his country and freedom but also of being proud as a Filipino.

Francisco Arcellana

 Francisco Arcellana is a Filipino teacher and a contemporary writer. He is one of the

prominent Filipino fictionists in English.
 He is known for innovating and exploring new literary forms and experimenting with
different techniques in short story writing.
 He was a member of the group The Veronicans, which was composed of influential
Filipino writers who aimed to use sensible literature in order to create a greater impact
on the Philippines.
 He was also the first director of the University of the Philippines Creative Writing
Center.
 Some of his well-known literary works are the short stories "The Man Who Would Be
Poe," "Death in a Factory," "A Clown Remembers," "The Mats," and "Lina."
 In 1990, he was awarded as the National Artist for Literature.
 His short stories "Flowers of May," "Christmas Gift," and "The Mats," were adapted as
screenplays.
Analyzing a writer's literary works will help in identifying his contributions to Philippine
literature.

Example:

Below are details regarding Francisco Arcellana's "The Mats."

a. Setting
The short story is set in the afternoon until evening at the house of the Angeles family.

b. Plot

 Exposition
Mr. Angeles comes from a periodic inspection trip in Mariveles. During the trip,
he writes to his family and gets them excited about the exceptionally beautiful
and colorful mats he bought from an artist.
 Rising Action
Upon arriving, he gives the mats one by one to his children. Each mat is woven
with his child’s name and symbols. They are all happy to receive the mats.
 Climax
There are three mats that are to be unfolded. In a loud voice, he offers the three
mats to his dead children named Josefina, Victoria, and Concepcion.
 Falling Action
Nana Emilia, anguished, said he should not have bought mats for them, but Mr.
Angeles insists that they must be remembered.
 Conclusion
The children feel the tension and see the grief in the face of Mr. Angeles and the
sadness of Nana Emilia. The father unfolds the three mats in silence.
 c. Theme
Coping with the death of a loved one is a struggle. Commemorating his or her life
is painful, but it must be faced with courage and faith.
 Explanation:
 Francisco Arcellana presented the story using a distinct style. He focused on the
characters' actions and dialogues to reveal the innermost feelings and motives of
the characters, which set the dramatic tone of the short story.

Francisco Arcellana is a Filipino fictionist who demonstrated his craftsmanship in writing

great literary pieces such as "The Mats," a story that highlights Filipino family values and
pictures an interesting character coping with the death of loved ones. In this short story, he uses
writing techniques such as emphasizing the characters’ actions and dialogues to reveal their
inner motives and emotions.

N.V.M. Gonzalez

 Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez is an award-winning Filipino poet, essayist, fictionist,

journalist, editor, and teacher of creative writing.
 He is the first president of the Philippine Writers’ Association.
  He is also honored as one of the great Filipino writers who advanced literary traditions
and culture.
 He was a recipient of the following awards: The Republic Cultural Heritage Award, the
Jose Rizal Pro-Patria Award, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, and the
National Artist Award for Literature in 1997.
 Some of his published works are Seven Hills Away (1947), Children of the Ash-Covered
Loam and Other Stories (1954), and The Bamboo Dancers (1949), which appeared in
Russian translation in 1965 and 1974.
 Seven Hills Away is a collection of short stories that sketch the daily lives of the Filipino
kaingeros in his hometown province, Mindoro.
 The Bamboo Dancers is a diasporic novel that features the challenges faced by Filipinos
in America.

Carefully analyzing the works of a writer will help in determining what his works have
contributed to literature.

Example:

"Children of the Ash-Covered Loam" is a short story that depicts Filipino family
practices and beliefs in a rural setting.

a. Setting
The story is set in a provincial place where kaingin is a common practice.

b. Plot

 Exposition
The story begins one sunny afternoon when Tarang’s father arrives with a pig to
be taken care of by Tarang, a seven-year-old boy.
 Rising Action
Tia Orang, an old midwife, sees Tarang and tells him to inform his mother of her
passing by.
 Climax
Tatay and Nanay, Tarang’s parents, together with their neighbors are all set for
performing religious rites after kaingin (burning of trees). They believe that these
practices will take away all evil spirits and will give them a bountiful harvest.
Tatay lays the pullet’s neck and lets the streaks of blood drop on the ash-covered
loam.
 Falling Action
After the clearing of the land, Tia Orang visits the family and performs hilot on
Nanay and tells her that she is ready to bear a child. She also shares stories of evil
ones and spirits.
 Conclusion
Tarang, half-awake, hears the noise outside, gets up, and accidentally strikes a
tree stump with his big toe. The hurt does not concern him, for he is more
interested in seeing how life emerge from the land as the rice grains peek through
the dirt.
  c. Theme
Death forms new life. Death and new formations of life are recurring motifs in the
story. When a living thing dies, a new life emerges. The story paints a cycle of life
and death for the family. The kainginpractice and the killing of the pullet as a
ritual are some forms of deaths that the family believes will bring new life like a
bountiful harvest and another child.
 Explanation:
 The use of words such as kaingin, hilot, Nanay, and Tatay is part of N.V.M.
Gonzalez's writing style, as even his other works showcase terms that are unique
to the setting of the story. Analyzing a story will help readers see details such as
this that will give them ideas regarding the writer's contributions to Philippine
literature.
 N.V.M. Gonzalez is known as a local colorist writer. Local color is a literary
technique that features the unique regional traditions of people and emphasizes
the ordinary events in their lives. This is used by N.V.M Gonzalez to present the
sociocultural dimensions of Filipino families and farmers in the provinces. In
"Children of the Ash-Covered Loam," words that show local color
include kaingin, hilot, Nanay, and Tatay.

Edith L. Tiempo

 Edith L. Tiempo was a Filipino writer in English. She was a poet, fiction writer, and
literary critic.
 She was known for using intricate and witty representations to portray significant
human experiences.
 Some of her well known poems are "The Return," a poem that describes the
characteristics of old age, "Lament for the Littlest Fellow," a poem that presents a
metaphor to describe the plight of a submissive wife under her domineering husband,
and "Bonsai," a poem that gives a look at how tangible objects could be keepers of
memories and emotions.
 As a fictionist, she was known for her moral profoundness. One of her remarkable short
stories, "The Black Monkey," won third prize in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award.
"The Black Monkey," which is set during the time when guerrillas were fighting against
the Japanese during World War II, narrates the tormenting encounter of a woman with a
monkey.
 She also wrote the novel A Blade of Fern, which depicts the problems of Filipino miners
of Nibucal in southern Philippines.
 She was awarded as the National Artist for Literature in 1999.
 She founded with her husband the Silliman University National Writers Workshop,
which produced great young writers of her time.
 Analyzing the literary work of a writer would help in determining what her
contributions are to literature.
 Example:
 Below is an excerpt of Edith L. Tiempo's poem "The Return."
 The Return

If the dead years could shake their skinny legs and run
As once he had circled this house in thirty counts,
 he would go thru this door among those old friends and they would not shun
Him and the tales he would tell, tales that would
bear more than the spare
Testimony of willed wit and his grey hairs.
 And he would live in the whispers and locked heads.
Wheeling around and around turning back was where he started:
The turn to the pasture, a swift streak under a boy’s running;
The swing, up a few times and he had all the earth he wanted;
The tower trees, and not so tall as he had
imagined;
The rocking chair on the porch, you pushed it and it started rocking,
Rocking, and abruptly stopped. He, too, stopped in the doorway, chagrined.
He would go among them but he would not tell, he could be smart,
He, an old man cracking the bones of his embarrassment apart.
 The excerpts cited in this material are copyrighted by their respective authors.
Quipper ensures that the use of these works has permission from their authors
and this effort is ongoing. Should you have concerns regarding the proper use of
these works, or if you have not received communication from us regarding this
matter, please let us know immediately.

Explanation:

Old age is the subject of the given poem. This poem describes the life of an old man who
loved to travel in his youth. The phrases dead years, skinny legs, and thirty
counts denote the physical weakness and isolation that the old man feels. The old man
wants to visit his friends to bond with them and share to them his travel stories and
experiences. Hopelessly, he sees only the things associated with old age: irritability and
illness, rocking chair, pasture, and the tower tree.

The themes or messages of the poem are:

 Time is irreversible, and memories can only be remembered and cherished.

 Old people face physical weakness and emotional challenges such as feelings of
isolation, sadness, and frustration.
 Old age is an inevitable period in human growth and development.

Author’s Style
Edith L. Tiempo used a very contemplative style in writing the poem "The Return." The
theme and the subject of the poem are very serious. Her narrative tone and vivid visual
imagery allow readers to think deeply about old age and evoke emotions of nostalgia and
sadness from the old man’s perspective.

Edith L. Tiempo is one of the foremost Filipino contemporary writers in English who is
known for her style and substance. Her language is considered descriptive but without
scrupulous detailing. Her literary works are hailed for their artistic representation of
significant human experiences.
F. Sionil Jose

 Francisco Sionil Jose, widely known as F. Sionil Jose, was born on December 3, 1924
in Rosales, Pangasinan.
 His life and most of his works are influenced by Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
 He edited various literary and journalistic publications, and he founded the Philippine
PEN, an organization of poets, playwrights, and novelists.
 He opened Solidaridad Publishing House in 1965. A year after, he founded Solidarity, a
magazine that produces content mainly focused on "current affairs, ideas, and the arts."
 He was a recipient of numerous awards. Some of which are the Ramon Magsaysay Award
for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communications in 1980, the Pablo Neruda
Centennial Award in 2004, and the Officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters in
2014.
 He was conferred as National Artist for Literature in 2001.

F. Sionil Jose's Literary Works

 F. Sionil Jose’s are generally written in English and are translated to more than twenty
languages and produced worldwide.
 Among his most celebrated works is the Rosales Saga. It is a series of novels that are set
from the Spanish colonial period to the proclamation of Martial Law in the 1970s. This
saga includes the following novels: Po-on, Tree, The Pretenders, Mass, and My Brother,
My Executioner.
 He has also written several short stories, including the notable "The God Stealer". It is a
story about the friendship of Philip Latak, an Ifugao, and Sam Christie, an American who
wanted to buy a bulol, a sculpture of an Ifugao god. The story depicts the relationship
and truths about the colonizer and the colony.
 Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories is a compilation of short stories about pre-
Hispanic Philippine society.
 In 2004, he published the children’s book The Molave and Other Children’s Stories.
 To identify a writer's contributions to Philippine literature, it is important to
analyze and take a close look at his literary works.
 Example:
 In a nutshell, F. Sionil Jose’s "The God Stealer" tells the story of Philip Latak and
Sam Christie. Philip was residing in the city for years against his family’s wishes.
Sam, his colleague, was an American who wanted a bulol, an Ifugao god
sculpture, as a souvenir before he gets back to Boston. Philip stole his
grandfather’s bulol for Sam, as he felt indebted to repay Sam’s kindness. Then
Philip’s grandfather died, and he no longer wanted to come with Sam back in the
city.
 Explanation:
 The story tackles one of the many effects of colonization, that is, losing one’s
identity. Philip represents the Philippines, while Sam represents America.
Philip’s way of offering the bulol to Sam out of gratitude shows how he tried to
denounce his roots by embracing a new one, thus losing himself in the process.

F. Sionil Jose is among the most widely read Filipino writers in English whose novels
and short stories depict a wide scope of social underpinnings and struggles of the
Filipino masses. He is the country’s most influential living writer who employs realism
through his narrative techniques and styles.

Personal Life
 Lumbera, who was called Beny when he was a young boy, was born in Lipa, Batangas on
April 11, 1932. His parents had passed away before he turned five.
 Beny and his older sister were raised by Eusebia Teru, their paternal grandmother.
 When Eusebia died, Beny came to live with his godparents, Enrique and Amanda
Lumbera.
 Beny showed natural aptitude for English. In sixth grade, his writing impressed his
teacher so much that she once asked him, in an accusatory tone, if he did write his
composition himself. In his third year in high school, his teacher gave him difficult works
of literature to read.
 Lumbera took a degree in journalism at the University of Santo Tomas in 1950 and
graduated cum laude in 1954. A year before his graduation, his first published work, the
poem “Frigid Moon,” appeared in the Sunday magazine of the Manila Chronicle.
 On a full scholarship granted by the Fulbright Committee, Lumbera obtained his masters
and doctorate degrees at Indiana University.

Literary Background
Lumbera writes in English and Filipino. Below are some of his works.

Poetry Collections
Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (1993)
Balaybay: Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang (2002)

Critical Works
Abot Tanaw: Sulyap at Suri sa Nagbabagong Kultura at Lipunan (1987)
Writing the Nation/Pag-Akda ng Bansa (2000)
Tagalog Poetry, 1570–1898: Tradition and Influences in Its Development (2001)

Librettos
Tales of the Manuvu (1977)
Rama Hari (1980)
Sa Sariling Bayan: Apat na Dulang May Musika (2003)

 Lumbera is a strong advocate of the Filipino language. According to him, the gap
between the well-educated Filipinos and the majority cannot be bridged until Filipino
becomes their true lingua franca.
 Lumbera has received numerous awards for his work. The most notable ones were the
Special Prize from the Palanca Awards for his poetry collection Sunog sa Lipa at Iba
Pang Tula in 1975, the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and
Creative Communication Arts in 1993, and the Philippine Centennial Literary Prize for
Drama in 1998.
 Lumbera received the title of National Artist for Literature in 2006.
 A Eulogy of Roaches
by Bienvenido Lumbera
 Blessed are the cockroaches.
 In this country they are
the citizens who last.
They need no police
to promulgate their peace
because they tolerate
each other’s smell or greed.
 Friends to dark and filth,
they do not choose their meat.
Although they neither sow
nor reap, a daily feast
is laid for them in rooms
and kitchens of their pick.
 The roaches do not spin,
and neither do they weave.
But note the russet coat
the sluggards wear: clothed
at birth, roaches require
no roachy charity.
 They settle where they wish
and have no rent to pay.
Eviction is a word
quite meaningless to them
who do not have to own
their dingy crack of wall.
 Not knowing dearth or taxes,
they increase and multiply.
Survival is assured
even the jobless roach;
his opportunities
pile up where garbage grows.
 Dying is brief and cheap
and thus cannot affright.
A whiff of toxic mist,
an agile heel, a stick
—the swift descent of pain
is also final death.
 Their annals may be short,
but when the simple poor
have starved to simple death,
roaches still circulate
in cupboards of the rich,
 the strong, the wise, the dead.
 (Reproduced by permission of National Artist, Dr. Bienvenido S. Lumbera.)
Analysis of the Poem
Published in 1965, “A Eulogy of Roaches” is a piece of Bagay poetry. Its subject, the
roaches, represents a deeper meaning. However, the poet merely focuses on giving
precise visual images of the subject and not on explicitly stating its representations.

The poet uses imagery, a literary technique in which figurative language is used to
appeal to the reader’s physical senses. An example is the poet’s description of roaches as
“friends to dark and filth.”

Also, the poet uses juxtaposition, a literary technique in which two (or more) ideas are
placed side by side for comparison and contrast. In the last two stanzas, the poet draws
both a comparison and a distinction between the roaches’ life and the life of the poor:
that the poor die simply of starvation, but the roaches still go on living their short lives
in the “cupboards of the rich, the strong, the wise, the dead.”

Bienvenido S. Lumbera is a poet, critic, and librettist. He has made valuable

contributions in the development of Philippine literature especially in the vernacular
language. He has published works in English and Filipino and received numerous
awards including the National Artist for Literature title in 2006.

Virgilio S. Almario
Virgilio S. Almario, popularly known by his pen name Rio Alma, is a Filipino artist
known for his poetry and literary criticism. He was proclaimed National Artist for
Literature in 2003.

Almario, together with poets Rogelio Mangahas and Lamberto E. Antonio, pioneered
the second modernist movement in Filipino poetry. In his own words, he defines
modernist poetry as sparing, suggestive, and restrained in emotion; its vocabulary and
subject are immersed in the now. Among his poetry collections are Makinasyon at Ilang
Tula (1968), his very first collection; Peregrinasyon at Iba Pang Tula (1970), which
won first prize in poetry in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards; Doktrinang
Anakpawis (1979); Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo (1984); and Muli Sa Kandungan ng
Lupa (1994).

Almario’s earliest works of literary criticism were published in the Dawn, the weekly
organ of the University of the East. Some of those works were later included in Ang
Makata sa Panahon ng Makina(1982), now considered as the first book of literary
criticism in Filipino. His other critical works include Taludtod at Talinghaga (1965),
which tackles the traditional Tagalog prosody; and Balagtasismo Versus
Modernismo (1984), in which he presents the two main directions of the Tagalog Poetry.

Almario performed significant deeds in the field of Philippine literature. He founded the Galian
sa Arte at Tula (GAT) with the other poets Teo Antonio and Mike Bigornia in 1970; and the
Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), an organization of poets who write in Filipino,
in 1985. From 1986 to 1992, he served as chairman of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas
(UMPIL), considered to be the biggest umbrella organization of writers. From 1998 to 2001, he
served as executive director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). In
2013 he became the chairman of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF).

Example:

High Zoociety
Ni Rio Alma

Masdan ang tagak sa likod ng kalabaw,

Parang birheng-birheng manang
Na di-madapuan ng langaw
Sa ibabaw ng karosa patungong simbahan;

At ang mga dekadenteng gansa sa gilid ng lawa,

Maluluma ang mga donyang nakahilata
Habang ibinibilad ang kuto at muta.

Hayun ang mga maryakaprang paawit-awit,

Parang mga binibining umiikot ang puwit,
Sa bulwagang hitik sa masalapi’t makikisig;

At ang mga burukratang unggoy

Sa tuktok ng mala-palasyong kahoy,
Pulu-pulutong kung magpulong
Kung paanong mas lalapad ang papel at tumbong.

Naghahari’t matitikas na oso’t agila,

Nagkikikil lang ng kuko’t pangil tuwing umaga
Para isakmal sa karne’t isuob na barya
Kaya tumatambok ang tiyan at bulsa.

Samantala, matatalinong kuwago’y naghihilik,

Malalaki nga ang mata’y lagi namang pikit,
Marahil, bagong paraiso ang laman ng panaginip.

Di tulad ng buwayang laging abala

Sa paghanap ng kahit butiking mabiktima,
Bundat na’y lagi pa ring nakanganga.

Pero higit na mag-ingat sa hunyango’t ahas

Na sa damuhan ay nagkalat;
Tuwing maghuhunos ng kulay at balat,
Pakay ay kay-hirap madalumat.

(Reproduced by permission of National Artist, Virgilio S. Almario)

The excerpts cited in this material are copyrighted by their respective authors. Quipper
ensures that the use of these works has permission from their authors and this effort is
ongoing. Should you have concerns regarding the proper use of these works, or if you
have not received communication from us regarding this matter, please let us know
immediately.

Explanation:

The poem "High Zoociety" is part of the collection Doktrinang Anakpawis (1979).
Published during the martial law years (1972–1981), the poem and the rest of the
collection are considered committed poetry, that is, of social awareness and concern.
The title is a play on the term "High Society," which refers to the rich and powerful.

"High Zoociety" has eight stanzas following this pattern of number of lines: 4-3-3-4-4-3-
3-4. It uses what is called in Tagalog poetry as "tugmang karaniwan," wherein the last
word of each line has the same sound. The second, fifth, and seventh stanzas use
"tugmang patinig," wherein the last words of the lines have the same vowel wound. On
the other hand, the rest of the stanzas use "tugmang katinig," wherein the last words of
the lines end in a consonant preceded by the same vowel sound. However, the poem has
no regular meter.

Virgilio S. Almario, or Rio Alma, is a Filipino artist known for his works of modernist poetry
and literary criticism on Filipino poetry, which are valuable contributions to Philippine
literature.

Alejandro R. Roces as a Filipino Writer

 Alejandro R. Roces was a Filipino literary writer. He was born on July 13, 1924.
 He was a playwright, an essayist, and a short story writer. He was also a columnist at
the Philippine Star, the Manila Times, and the Manila Chronicle.
 He attended the Ateneo de Manila University for his primary and secondary education
and the University of Arizona where he earned his degree in fine arts. He pursued further
studies at the following institutions: Far Eastern University (master’s degree); Ateneo de
Manila University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, St. Louis University, and
Tokyo University in Japan (doctorate).
 Alejandro R. Roces was known for his short story "We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers,"
a story about an American soldier in the Philippines who brags about his drinking habits,
but becomes overly drunk after drinking lambanog offered by a Filipino farmer.
 From 1961 to 1965, he served as the Secretary of Education under the regime of former
president Diosdado Macapagal. He has also served as chairman of the Movie and
Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) in 2001.
 His other literary works are "My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken," a story which talks
about two brothers who were arguing whether the chicken they caught was a hen or a
rooster; Something to Crow About, the first Filipino zarzuela in English about a man
named Kiko who earns a living by means of cockfighting; and Fiesta, a collection of
essays about various Philippine festivals.
 Alejandro R. Roces was conferred as National Artist for Literature in 2003.
 He died on May 23, 2011.
  Read the synopsis of “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken” below, one of
Alejandro R. Roces’ notable works.
 Synopsis:
 Kiko and his brother found a peculiar chicken. They argued whether it was a hen
or a rooster. Kiko believed that it was a rooster, while his brother thought
otherwise. Kiko’s brother emphasized that it could not be a rooster as the chicken
has neither wattles nor comb. Their parents took turns in looking at the chicken
and had different thoughts about it; thus, they ended up arguing like their
children. Kiko and his brother asked the chieftain about it, and he thought that it
was a bird of a different kind. They also asked Mr. Eduardo Cruz, someone who
studied poultry raising, and he suggested examining the insides of the chicken, to
which Kiko refused. They both agreed to bring the chicken to a cockpit and have
it fight with a rooster from Texas. However, the rooster performed a love dance
around the peculiar chicken. It turned out that the peculiar chicken was waiting
for a chance to attack. It stubbed its spur into the rooster, and won. Kiko’s
brother was convinced that the chicken was a rooster. However, when he was
holding the chicken, it suddenly quivered and laid an egg.

Humor is a literary device which aims to make the audience or readers laugh or be
amused. Alejandro R. Roces employed humor in most of his works. There are various
types of humor. Some of which are exaggeration/hyperbole, surprise, and sarcasm.

 Sarcasm – is a literary device used to mock. In the story, the chicken crowed and
Kiko triumphantly asked his brother if he heard it. Kiko then mocked his brother
by saying “I suppose you are going to tell me now that hens crow and that
carabaos fly.”
 Exaggeration/Hyperbole – is a literary device used to make an event appear
better or worse than what it really is. In the story, Kiko’s brother shared how they
were almost whipped for arguing too much.
 Surprise – is a literary device commonly found in unlikely situation or an
unexpected turn of events. As the brothers ran from the mob, Kiko’s brother was
convinced that the chicken was a rooster based on how it defeated its opponent,
until it laid an egg.

Alejandro R. Roces was best known for his short stories, "My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken" and
"We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers." He employed humor in most of his works, usually tackling the
Filipinos’ fascination of cockfighting.