ESGUERRA RUSSEL, R.

LITERARY CRITICISM

IV BSE – ENGLISH

MAY DAY EVE

BY: NICK JOAQUIN

Nick Joaquin is the author of so many books, novels, short stories, etc. And one

of his known work is the “May Day Eve”. Nick Joaquin, by name of Nicomedes

Joaquin, he was born year born May 4, 1917, Paco, Manila, Phil.— and he died April

29, 2004, at San Juan, Phil. He is a Filipino novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, and

biographer whose works present the diverse heritage of the Filipino people.

The short story in the May Day Eve about. In older days, the old people

commanded that the dancing should stop at ten o’clock. The girls guided upstairs to

the bedrooms, while men gathering around and wish to have a good night. They are

quietly drunk, and they want to have some waltz and polka-ed, they don’t want to sleep

yet, it was a May Eve. Some people serenade their neighbours. An old woman named

Anastasia, still pigtail and chases them off to bed. Anastasia scared some girls, she told

to them that if they are not afraid, go lean to the mirror. Agueda was the one who

wants to try.

The old woman tells her the instruction, she told her that she must take a candle,

then go in the darkroom with a mirror, and close her eyes. She will saw her future man

that she will marry, a man will go to his left shoulder, and if hat, all things do not go

right and Devil may appear. It was a real danger, but Agueda still wants to try. When

she closed her eyes, and it was a terrifying experience for her, she felt that she cannot

open her eyes and cannot go away in that place, and she instantly opened her eyes.

Her child asked her, she said that he saw an old face, and she said that he saw a

devil. He had curly hair and a scar, but the scar was alike to her child’s father’s scar. As

well as the moustaches and he bowed to her with greying head. The man talked to

Agueda, he said that he liked her. He said that he wants her to dance the polka with her.
It was Badoy Mintoya, he was very drunk it that May Eve. Badoy was mad at Agueda,

she treats his friends like enemies. He wants an act of revenge, he is not done yet to her.

Don Badoy also try stand in the mirror, he was already sixty years old. He believes in

that when he lights a candle in front of the mirror he will saw his wife, but there was a

consequence. Wicked boys who play this will make their life in danger and can see the

horror. At first, Badoy didn’t believe it, but when his Grandpa revealed that he saw

witches, he believed in it. Now, nothing save a name on a stone; save stone in a

graveyard, nothing was left of the young girl who had flamed so vividly in a mirror one

wild May Day midnight, long, long ago.

Plato’s Theories about his book “The Republic X”.

Thereafter Socrates returns to the subject of poetry and claims that the measures

introduced to exclude imitative poetry from the just city seem clearly justified

now. Poetry is to be censored since the poets may not know which is; thus, may lead

the soul into astray. Socrates proceeds to discuss imitation. He explains what it is by

distinguishing several levels of imitation through the example of a couch: there is the

Form of the couch, the particular couch, and a painting of a couch. The products of

imitation are far removed from the truth. Poets, like painters are imitators who produce

imitations without knowledge of the truth. Socrates argues that if poets had knowledge

of the truth, they would want to be people who do great things rather than remain

poets. Socrates doubts the poet’s capacity to teach virtue since he only imitates images

of it. The poet’s knowledge is inferior to that of the maker of other products and the

maker’s knowledge is inferior to that of the users.

Therefore, according to Plato, literature is just an imitation. The literature of life. In

particular of the imitation of life. In the story of the May Day Eve by Nick Joaquin. The

character named Agueda is a liberated woman in her time. Assumes that in the mirror

she can be able to see his future husband. Even if it’s dark she continuously went to the

mirror and tried to ask the mirror about his future husband. Well in that time Filipino’s

during the Spanish-era lived in Intramuros are very religious and yet they still believe in

superstitious belief. What happened? Agueda insist to see her future husband and there
Badoy appeared drunk. Nick Joaquin imitated some traditions from other story and

applied it into his short story entitled, May Day Eve.

Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologica. Therefore, the first signification

whereby words signify things belong to the first sense, the historical or literal. Since the

literal sense is that which the author intends and since the author of Holy Writ is God,

who by one act comprehends all things by His intellect, it is not unfitting. If, even

according to the literal sense, one word in Holy Writ should have several senses.

Discusses about literal term. Thomas Aquinas discusses about, “Taking things in a literal

sense.”

Because for Spiritual seekers are faced with a terrible dilemma, knowing the true

meaning of what is really being said. Be it a conversation or reading an inspirational or

apparently humorous story, knowing the real meaning determines the value gained and

the outcome. If you try to find a hidden meaning to everything, then you will get lost in

your imagination and create ideas that have little relation to the reality of the situation.

This will keep you living in illusions and banging your head on the wall far too often

trying to find out where you went wrong.

If you take everything literally, you will miss the true value and meaning. There are

times when taking things literally is the correct method while a profound insight beyond

the surface is equally as often the only way to true comprehension.

Mystical stories, or even apparently mundane events may offer so much more than their

surface words convey. You will not understand the spiritual realms in the literal meaning

of words. However, how else can the teachings be conveyed but by words, this is the

dilemma. The skill of the intuitive person who can ‘know’ the hidden meaning of all

situations is one that anyone can develop. The first step is to know that there are many

levels of understanding to all stories.

If your interest is in spiritual growth and you have studied many ancient or great

texts, yet wisdom still evades you, the reason is that you have read and thought you

understood intellectually, but really only literally. Your literal understanding is not
 necessarily your taking the words at face value, it could be your personal subjective

interpretation which is fully in your imagination. People often confuse intuition with

imagination.

Therefore, the person knows the real truth should share the fruits of his/her

contemplation. You should share it because it will make changes the nature of the mind and

how others interact with the world. If it is especially profound, as a fellow being, you should

share it in the service of others, so that they will know the real truth behind any texts they’ve

read or in any situations and events.

Just like what happened in the story of “May Day Eve.” Agueda in the story tries to do

what does Anastasia had told the girls inside the room. She went into the mirror due to

curiosity that if she went there in the darkness of the night with candles, she will be able to

see his future husband.

According to Moses Maimonides, he discusses in his theory that it should the “Guide

of the perplexed.” It includes there the practice in the story is not literally came from the

author. But he just copied it. And that practice came from the deepest history from decades

now. Nick Joaquin applied that practice into his short story “May Day Eve.” Whatever a

writer wrote there it also included the writer’s opinion not just only the practice that he

knows and he’d read. It also includes the internal and external of both practices. In the story

of May Day Eve for the external ideas of Nick Joaquin, Agueda just went into the mirror

but she doesn’t believe in it. She was just curious if that superstitions said by Anastasia is

true.

In conclusion to this, Imitation is a common form of behavior that arises in a variety of

business domains. Imitation can spur productive innovation, or it can amplify the errors of

early movers. Thus, imitation can lead to large positive or negative outcomes for individual

firms and society as a whole. Therefore, if you take things literally you will never know the

truth behind everything.

 If you take everything literally, you will miss the true value and meaning. The skill of

the intuitive person who can ‘know’ the hidden meaning of all situations is one that anyone

can develop. The first step is to know that there are many levels of understanding to all

stories. The great block that must be overcome before intuitive understanding can be

developed is that when you think you understand or already know something that you are

currently being presented with, either in a conversation or reading, to sincerely accept that

you do not understand or know it at all.

The practical application is that when you think you know something already; you must

fight the mind and ego and allow yourself to be present and listen with the mind of the

curious child. Perhaps you will be proven correct in your knowledge, or perhaps you will

hear one or two words which make a big difference.

There is a reason that the mysteries are hidden, because in order to have value to the

seeker, they must be discovered inside the heart and mind of the seeker personally and

directly. If they are placed in the intellect and presented so simply that anyone could

understand, they would have no value because they came to easily and have only reached the

surface level.

Your intellect is a great asset however, like all things in the material realm, everything

has an equal potential of benefit or harm. The best way to control someone is to let them

think they are developing an asset while in fact they are developing a limitation. Who is

tricking you to develop your intellect in a way that limits rather than increases your

potential? Your parents? the government? the devil? You can have all sorts of ideas in your

imagination that will do you no benefit to dwell on. The answer will illude you until you

have conquered this limitation and developed your latent natural abilities to be able to truly

know with certainty.

Meanwhile, practice this exercise and always remember that the intellect your prize may

not be as helpful as you think for your ultimate potential.

 Therefore, in this sense. You should be the guide to all the people. That, they should

look on behind the things around them, the situations, the event, the book that they read.

You should share your meditation or your contemplations to them. And you’re responsible

for it. Because you’re the only living thing who knows the truth. And that is the fruits of

your contemplation. That contemplation and meditation gives you knowledge. The

knowledge you know should be shared for all.

Because sharing knowledge inculcates one to become better at what he does, while

driving him at the same time to contribute with his own insights. Sharing knowledge with

others gives more exposure and thus it gives the people an opportunity to identify as a

valuable expert.

It helps people to generate new ideas. They say two heads think better than one. When

different skills and experiences collide, eye-opening ideas and solutions emerge. The creative

energy of brains warming can generate faster and more relevant solutions to your current

assignments, supporting you in successfully achieving your tasks.

“Nothing will ever please me, no matter how excellent or beneficial, if I must retain the

knowledge of it to myself. And if wisdom were given me under the express condition that it

must be kept hidden and not uttered, I should refuse it. No good thing is pleasant to

possess, without friends to share it.” – Seneca

The idea that information should be open, free, flexible, in order to educate, empower,

and help others. To be human is to share. We have grown as a society and species because

we shared information both genetic information, as well as knowledge. Societies which

thrive are the ones that have open borders to knowledge. Societies which die are the ones

that are secretive, and don’t pass on knowledge.

Your duty is to guide others by sharing what you know to avoid taking literally things

they might not that one is just an imitation. To seek the truth behind everything.