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Survey of Philippine Literature in English

Reflective Paper # 1

CERVANTES, Ralph Raymond G.

BSEd Major in English Language and Literature 2-1

Ms. Rheydith G. Conte

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 Timeless and Eternal: An Everlasting Legacy
of Literature in the Bloodline of Society

Gateway to past and

into the future:
It allows us to learn and
reflect from our history
and (re)shape our future

Builds Connection: Teaches Lesson:

It shares stories, Literature: It tackles social,
information, knowledge, Its impact to the political, historical, and
and shared identity world psychological issues

An Inspiration: Preservation:
Learning:
It inspires humanity It preserves culture,
We get to know and
of the good reflected values, morals, and
understand the
from texts our shared history
world and its people

“Literature, the embodiment of life, the epitome of living”

Figure 1: Reflection Paper Paradigm

The influence of literature may become more pronounced in the present. A

substantial quantity of people is beginning to perceive literature as a way for them to take

control over their lives in a time when society is moving away from focusing on values.

Besides, people are also opening up to the idea that reading fiction can help create

empathy, which can lead to better understanding and acceptance of other cultures and

points of view. In an age where science is being used as a tool or weapon by

governments, literature may be humanity's defense against authority, democracy's

bulwark against tyranny, or kindness's antidote against hate. Literature is the bloodline of

humankind. The impact of literature on the present generation is the same as every other

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era. Literature can go through time; it has the ability to connect and speak to many

different generations with an unchanging message.

People all over the world are asking themselves the same question: what is the

importance of literature in today's society? One answer that comes up time and again is

that literature provides a way for people to connect with one another. It enables people of

different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs to come together and understand one another

on a deeper level. Literature gives us a chance to learn about ourselves, others, and the

world around us (Dubey). Literature is a reflection of humanity and a process for us to

understand each other wholly. Through listening to another person's voice, we can start

to figure out how that individual conceives. I believe that literature is robust because of its

purpose, and in a society, which is becoming increasingly disengaged from human

interaction, novels create a conversation. It becomes a vessel. The 130 million books

published worldwide are leads for the reader and produce a bridge for learning something

new.

Many people feel indifferent about the literature, and it has not impacted them in

any way, shape, or form. Others have found some inspiration when reading the literature,

but they cannot point out what exactly inspired them. Still, others may view all of these

books as useless because they can do nothing. They might even say that this literature

is a waste of money and there are better things to spend their time doing. This all depends

on how they will take it into consideration and also how it impacts their life. But if you think

about it, we would have no sense of history without the written word. Without literature,

we would have no way of learning about people's lives in places far away from us

(Ahmed). Readers of literature get to experience different ways of life and explore

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different points of view through books. Some books mirror society and enable us to

understand adequately the world we live in. Words are important. Reading can open

doors and minds; it can change lives and touch hearts.

When we look at the past ten or twenty years, one of the things that have been

noticeable in novels is how we have moved away from certain storylines, whereas before,

they might have been more popular. For example, one storyline which seems very

popular in books now is a father protagonist who falls into addiction, and his son goes off

traveling another country and writes about all his adventures. Another popular storyline

is a woman protagonist who has had a child, and then her husband dies, so she is left to

bring up the child on her own. These very romantic storylines are pretty popular in modern

fiction. It is fascinating to look at how an author has moved away from their main topics

in stories, but it is possible to see still that there are underlying messages.

We also need to look at books that were hugely popular in the past because they

have not disappeared entirely. "The Bible" is still one of the most read books around the

world. Every other day someone will pick up the book and start rereading it. This is

especially true for a book such as the Bible because it is a book that people have been

reading for thousands of years. One way to connect with the past and connect with future

generations is to examine how different authors have depicted a particular topic (Ahmed).

For instance, if you are looking at how writers portray motherhood, it may be possible to

see similarities in themes across time. One of the main phases in literature was around

300 A.D.; this was called the Christian era. This was because Christianity went through

this period and because writers started writing for Christians rather than for pagans or

non-Christians. This meant that there was a reconnection with the scriptures because

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they were going back to the Bible. That is why some of these books are still popular today

because they are based on what Jesus would have said. In fact, many of the stories exist

in slightly different formats. Also, if you look at some of the themes which are depicted in

the Bible, there is no real difference in them from those expressed in today's literature.

It is also difficult to estimate the importance of literature in this society, as it

provides innumerable benefits to humanity. Literature allows people to teach and learn

new skills, experience diverse lifestyles, and broaden their perspectives on the world

(Azcona). It also can act as a form of escapism for those who find their lives too miserable

or tedious. Since COVID-19 has now gripped almost all corners of our planet, there are

concerns among literary scholars that this pandemic may deprive many people of

experiencing literature, acting as a catalyst for more social unrest. There are also fears

that this pandemic may cause new forms of literature to arise in response (e.g., more

texts dealing with the experience of living with COVID-19). However, these concerns

seem less likely in part because there are already literary texts dealing with this pandemic.

In fact, some literary scholars have even suggested that COVID-19 may be too small a

plague to affect literature. There are various reasons for believing that the impact of

COVID-19 on literature might not be severe. First, while pandemics may affect people's

lives, they rarely (if ever) cause significant shifts in literary styles or themes. This is

because most cultures continue to produce new works even when facing ongoing

plagues. Second, it may be argued that the COVID-19 pandemic is a relatively small

plague. Only 1 in every ten people have been affected by this disease, and many of those

who are infected seem to experience minor if any symptoms. Thus, it seems unlikely that

the majority of people will feel the need to write stories about the effects of this particular

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disease, and even less likely that a new literary form will arise to deal with this subject.

Finally, it must be recognized that many texts already deal with themes related to the

COVID-19 pandemic (which some scholars claim is a non-pandemic in the first place).

In these present times wherein the Duterte administration has been a lot of

changes in Philippine politics and one of which is the influx of literature about politics that

has come into prominence. In this era wherein the fake news is one of the prevalent

issues of his time. According to the investigation of Rappler, various Filipino celebrities

and influencers get paid and gain hundreds of thousands over millions of pesos by

boosting Duterte's government propaganda, misleading information, malicious

allegations, red-tagging, and fraudulent systems that pollute the online environment and

cultivate online disinformation. The jeopardize possibilities in exacerbating the circulation

of various fake news were flying around in social media that have more far-reaching

outgrowths as the Philippines nears the 2022 elections, where the battleground

transformations online due to the coronavirus pandemic. It's a covenant to these

celebrities' and influencers' power, highlighting their role in contributing to scare-

mongering, whether intentionally or unintentionally, through trading their content space to

the highest bidder. To some extent, a veteran journalist Ellen Tordesillas narrates in a

Senate panel, penetrating the propagation of fake news in Duterte's regime; she also said

that Duterte is the number one source of misinformation. She also lamented how our

government officials use taxpayers' money to increase the vast amount of erroneous

information in social media and the public. His regime is one of the ultimate roots of hoax

news that was concocted to deceive the public. For instance, wherein President Duterte

has declared that there are 4 million drug addicts in the country. However, the Dangerous

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Drugs Board clinched the number at only 1.8 million, and they did not label them as

addicts but only drug users in general. Duterte also claimed that the United States Central

Intelligence Agency (CIA) wants to dethrone and annihilate him, but the U.S. embassy

denied it. Online media platforms have grown the setting for a copious critical and

alternative mark of journalism that the government seems to indulge in worry about in

recent years. Some media platforms feel fretted about the imposed threat in Duterte's

Regime, as he attacked and lambaste the mainstream media. However, one of the main

issues that arise is whether or not a myriad of books, articles, news, and many more that

tackles the factual history wherein allowing us to be more educated, or are they just

fueling our political biases? The benefit of enormous literature is that most of them are

easy reads, accessible, and written through the perspective of real-life events. They also

elaborate on different perspectives that we can relate to, like millennials, extrajudicial

killings, red-tagging, women's rights, and even the foul language used by Duterte in his

speeches. It can also help Filipinos grasp a deeper understanding of what is truly

happening in our country by being vigilant on the information that was spread through

social media and to the public. In a sense, these pieces of literature are more than just

writing about politics. They have helped us become more cognizant of what is indeed

happening in our country and in the world, which will be part of our history.

Even if people do not see the positive impact of literature in the present today,

there is still value in reading. Reading literature today can be beneficial to one's mental

health at any age, regardless of race or religion. The reason why I read a variety of books

and any other literature today is that it will lend me a helping hand to understand my life

better as I grow older wholly. The significance of literature cannot be measured, but it

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gives one a deeper understanding of life and its origins. Other people may feel different

towards this, but it doesn't matter what other people think about it. I only know that reading

a good book can help improve your life and understand the world around you better.

Literature gets people from their comfort zone and makes them raise their

awareness. This is important in our present time as we try to make ourselves better. It

helps us in understanding what is wrong in our society today (Duhan). I believe that

literature plays a significant role in the world today because it is helping people make

themselves better by improving their mindset and reason for living. Literature is the

embodiment of language. It preserves culture, values, history, tradition, and our shared

destiny. The influence of literature in the present is limited to the reaches of society, and

it is generally positive (Duhan). Literature enables an individual to step back in time and

learn about life on Earth from the ones who walked before us. We gather a more

immeasurable perception of culture and have a more evident appreciation of them.

Through the ways history is recorded, we know through the forms of manuscripts and

through the speech itself. Modern society has reached a point where it deems literature

as an obsolete entity, one that people do not need or want anymore. In spite of this

societal sentiment, we must keep in mind that you cannot have a well-rounded human

being without exposure to books. The effects of reading can be seen in many places,

from classrooms and living rooms to offices and boardrooms. Reading opens up new

worlds for us; they transport us into landscapes and situations we might never otherwise

know about. Literature also teaches us to set standards for ourselves, which is an integral

part of living according to what a variety of literature teaches. The value of literature

asserts moral doctrines in the deepest and most accurate way that can be; it has no

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insistence about them but appeals to our reason and conscience. Moral truths are more

easily said than acted upon; they are beyond the power of school-craft to teach, local

custom to enforce; they are the outcome of calm and universal observation, of a

worldwide experience, which cannot be obtained in any other way. Literature has had a

significant impact on the advancement of society. It has formed civilizations, improved

political systems, and exhibited injustice. Literature provides us a comprehensive preview

of human experiences, enabling us to correlate on basic levels of desire and emotion.

Literature has undergone a fundamental change with the changing times and with the

increasing population. It does not have to be confined within limits due to space

constraints as previous generations did.

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References:

Ahmed, A. Literature and its influence on human life. HNB Garhwal Central

University Uttarakhand. Retrieved from http://data.conferenceworld.in/NCCW/P129-

134.pdf

Austin, S. (2020, November 13). The Importance of Literature in Modern Society.

Findcourses. Retrieved from https://www.findcourses.co.uk/inspiration/hobby-fun-

leisure-articles/the-importance-of-literature-in-modern-society-17411

Duhan, R. The relationship between literature and society. Language in India,

15(4). Retrieved from

http://www.languageinindia.com/april2015/roshiniliteraturesociety1.pdf

Elemia, C. (2020, January 30). Duterte is no. 1 source of fake news – veteran

journalist. Rappler. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/duterte-top-source-

fake-news-journalist-ellen-tordesillas

Elemia, C., Gonzales, G (2021, February 27). Stars, influencers get paid to boost

Duterte propaganda, fake news. Rappler, Retrieved from

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/celebrities-influencers-get-paid-to-

boost-duterte-propaganda-fake-news

Sander, E. (2021, February 26). Biblical literature. Britannica. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature

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