1. What is the significance of the Haiyan dead? Why do the dead walk? What do they seek?

The significance of the poem was that it showed the catastrophic event that took over Tacloban
back in 2013. Super typhoon Haiyan changed the lives of the people with a high death toll and
massive destruction. The imagery used in the poem showed the great destruction of the super
typhoon. The “dead walk” in this case was about the victims from the youth to the elders to even
the animals. As the last line “the Haiyan dead will walk among us endlessly sleepless” suggests,
the victims remain in our memories because the calamity also took the country by surprise and
left a scar on us. Additionally, the “dead walk” could imply to those who survived the aftermath
of the super typhoon as they are still walking but are dead inside as they were traumatized and
they seek for their life before the destruction occurred. The poem serves as a memory for the
victims but also a reminder which shows that the same thing could happen again if the country is
not prepared for it.
2. Reflect: What emotions do you grapple with in the face of a natural disaster, such as
typhoon or earthquake, or even in the throes of a pandemic, such as Covid19? What
questions do you ask yourself, or raise to the heavens? Describe your emotions, using
images or metaphors to illustrate. Consider also, how can we deal with such things?
In the face of a disaster or even the pandemic, I would be fearful of what may possibly happen
like a prey hunted by its predator. When a prey knows it is being hunted, it would want to find an
escape route as soon as possible. However, during this time, the prey is fearful, and fear causes
confusion. The questions I would ask is “what would happen now and what would happen next”
and “would I even get through this.” These questions are what I would ask in a seemingly
hopeless situation because no one can really predict the outcome of the situations. I won’t know
what would really happen which is why being prepared is important. In these situations, it is
important to think logically but sometimes it would really be overwhelming and would
completely disorient one’s thoughts. In such cases, one should also be prepared mentally because
not thinking clearly might cause more damage like how the prey could possible escape death by
thinking clearly.