A Literary Analysis of Jose Lacaba's Prometheus Unbound

The poem is a representation of a battle between men in power until the epilogue of the
poem. The book was written during the time or reign of tyrants whose words are laws
and rights of human being are being trampled. It is a time where humanity was least
experienced and seen. It went up to the extent where publishing books like the
Prometheus Unbound is akin to walking straight to death’s door, and even those
innocent people are being forced to walk through it on their own rather than facing the
cruelty and inhumane act of those people in power. Additionally, the people under
Marcos' rule were quiet and under control, afraid of being punished; however, like
Prometheus, he chose to speak the truth and set the people free. Ruben Cuevas, an
enigma of a man, wrote a masterpiece that would forever be etched in the history of the
Philippines for its mastery and influence throughout the Martial Law era to the present
day, even though it cost him his precious life. A year after Proclamation 1801, the
Martial Law, a man dared and succeeded in smuggling a seemingly unrelated poem
about Greek mythology that was actually a call to arms against the tyrannical
government. It was funny and brave that it was published under Focus Magazine, a
government-controlled publishing right. Inspectors were unaware of this, and media
censorship closely monitored it. Rather than Ruben Cuevas or Prometheus, Jose F.
Lacaba was the brave champion of Heaven's slaves. Furthermore, the poem reflects the
times in which it was written. It was what inspired the author to write this poem, which
was able to escape media censorship and express the truth. The author took a chance
and chose to spread the secret message, just like Prometheus did. It still reflects the
attitudes and beliefs of the time it was written, such as keeping quiet and allowing those
in positions of power to manipulate others, particularly the weak and ignorant.
To Lacaba, his journey in writing and publishing this poem went through risky and
bumpy process. Because Lacaba participated in protests and worked underground, he
was aware that spending every day under close police scrutiny was a gamble. He still
put his life in danger to share this poem with everyone, despite the fact that he was
already wanted. Lacaba submitted his poem to a university at first, but was turned down
because publishers were afraid to produce something that would enrage the dictator.
Nevertheless, Lacaba was fortunate that Focus Magazine did not enjoy their
compilations as much as they had anticipated. Perhaps this was because the manner in
which Lacaba composed the poem represented the pinnacle of what a work of literature
from the Marcosian era ought to be: It was in accordance with a set of guidelines that a
writer would never dare violate, or it would result in agonizing nights spent naked and
silenced by death. At first glance, this poem appeared to be a continuation of the story
or a look back at Prometheus after he was chained to Mt. Olympus for eternity as a
punishment for opposing Zeus. Like many of the radicals who were a part of the Marcos
regime, Prometheus lived in terrible conditions and was punished for the rest of his life
—his liver was eaten by a vulture during the day and his organ grew back at night—
eternally. This speaks volumes about the victims of military torture during the martial
law. After such a nightmare, those fortunate enough to be free must still be scarred for
life. The conventional classical or romantic poetry that the Marcosian era supported was
the inspiration for Lacaba's version of Prometheus Unbound. However, those who were
deprived of this luxury during dark times still did not receive the peace and justice for
which they fought. Consequently, four decades after the most horrific period in
Philippine history, no Marcos has been imprisoned to pay for all of their family's
atrocities. Especially if one is familiar with the legend of Prometheus, the titan who once
helped the gods accomplish their goals for the creation of the universe, it was neat,
straightforward, and not too difficult to understand. This poem stood out for its
metaphorical depiction of martyrs and the acrostic that shook Philippine society.
Because the acrostic was the only significant component, one need not discard the
poem's contents now that one examines it more closely. It would be a huge mistake to
disregard the message that Lacaba knowingly conveyed to the Filipino mass. Numerous
classical literary conventions are apparent throughout the poem when the piece's
structural format is examined. The poem has the same lyrical quality as if Prometheus
wrote it. The four-sextet stanza divides the acrostic into MARCOS, HITLER, DIKTAD,
and ORTUTA. Each of the four stanzas contains sestets that rhyme in the order
AA/BB/CC. In contrast to contemporary works, more and more movements chose to
break away from conventional rhymed and metered compositions by adapting free
verse schemes. This was typical of classical poems that used rhyme consistently. The
poem appears to have a lyrical rhythm that depicts Prometheus' thoughts as he suffers
on Mount Olympus, despite the absence of inner rhyme schemes or alliterations. The
poem also favors enjambment conventions, a poetic term for the continuation of a
sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next, in order to achieve the desired
rhythm. A caesura is a break in the middle of a line of poetry. The caesura was clearly
used in the line "Orion stirs."
The masterful continuous use of enjambment followed a complete pause in the middle
of the line. The vulture backs away from the strong, pure thrust of the burning spark.
"Licks at the chains that mock Emancipation's breath" is another poem that makes use
of enjambment. The poem's diction was also easy to understand because it avoided
using too grandiose or pretentious words and instead used words from everyday
speech. It is important to keep in mind that Lacaba was attempting to connect with the
people in the only way he could—through words—and that the purpose was to appeal
to the general public rather than just literary scholars. He was speaking to the general
public rather than a select few, so his delivery was appropriate. After that, a character
who is enraged and has a burning desire to overthrow oppression sets the tone. The
readers are moved to want to start an uprising against those in power who claim to be
gods by this, which is both sympathetic and powerful. The image of a betrayed
Prometheus left to perish in Mount Olympus for all time conveys to us the cathartic
experience of a tragedy. There was both fear and compassion.
In addition, the reader is fooled into thinking that Prometheus is ranting and saying, "I
am rage!" because their sense of hearing is misdirected. I'm enraged! I'm furious! The
preceding line also makes use of repetition to bring attention to the fact that the persona
in the poem was going through such a strong emotion. This ferocity was reiterated in
the line "Reeks of death, death, death." From the very beginning of the original
Prometheus Unbound, Aeschylus made it clear that a martyr like him would rather serve
the pompous and self-centered Zeus than be chained and punished for eternity. The
poem is the result of combining literary works from different times into one intertextual
space, which seems to work for both environments. Now that we have looked at the
images and allusions that are used in the poem, we can see that there are a lot of them
reiterated this ferocity.
As was mentioned earlier, Lacaba viewed this poem as a game, a bet in which his life
was on the line, and it's clear that he was having fun when the first line is a pun on
"Martial Law tonight." Mars was a good representation of the poem's theme, which is
about volitional rage and war. Artemis, the goddess of good hunting and fertility, was
mentioned in the second line, but she was "out of sight," implying that these truths were
not seen anywhere during this regime. By the second stanza, the vulture was used as a
symbol for those who eat the bound and trampled. These vultures enjoy making fun of
Prometheus' suffering and mocking those who are chained. At the time, emancipation
was symbolized by hearing its scream for air, and even the act of breathing was as
painful as death. Death was the price of freedom. The third stanza focuses more on
Death and makes an appeal to it. The persona was determined to use the "flaming
sword of love" to defeat even death itself. This martyr is actually fueled by his love for
the cause he is willingly suffering for, despite his hatred for the god he worships. He
sees that humanity deserves better than that. Love is higher than hatred—love for the
people he holds so dearly that he cannot witness their oppression. Orion, the light of
heaven and the one who pursued Taurus, also known as "the bull of heaven," was
another mythological figure mentioned. The god mentioned in the final stanza and its
final line was Prometheus, "who dared to resist," not the powerful Zeus. Prometheus
Unbound as a whole was filled with powerful imagery that depicts the situation of the
Filipino people, who fought tirelessly for democracy and the end of tyranny. This poem
reads like a letter to the general public encouraging us to get up, shake our fists, and
resist. Enough with bowing to self-proclaimed leaders who, in reality, serve only
themselves. It is truly admirable that this poem had the audacity to criticize a
government whose hands are slashed, and it should be celebrated even as de facto
martial law once more poses a threat to the people's freedom. This is a timeless tale
about characters like Prometheus who chose to fight for what humanity, for what the
people deserve, despite repeatedly being subjected to mental and physical torture. This
poem was powerful on the day it was published 40 years ago, and it is still powerful
today.
The anthem "MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR TUTA," which is still sung at protests
today, has never really left the core of the Filipino uprising. Since that day, Lacaba has
composed a hymn in support of those who oppose the corrupt Marcos family's
oligarchic power. In the past, this poem has shattered the seemingly impenetrable
barrier of media censorship. This is a celebration of the power writers have when their
talents are put to use on something as brave and deadly as this. Leaving behind this
nightmare is disrespectful to the sacrifices these martyrs made and downplays the
difficulties they faced in fighting for those who are afraid and careless. Although this
poem is a Ruben Cuevas myth of Prometheus that picked up where Percy Bysshe
Shelley left off, it was published during martial law as it is purposely connected. The
poem represented everything Marcosian poetry valued.
He began to take an active role and participate in a movement revealing the truth during
that time period based on his experiences and what he witnessed as being a critical
stance against the regime and the system it perpetuated. Similar to Prometheus, the
author took a risk and chose to spread the hidden message in order to help the people
meet their needs. Prometheus gave up himself in exchange for goods. Despite the fact
that, in the end, he was still able to survive, and Lacaba’s work "Prometheus Unbound"
became one of the first and most significant contexts in legal media in which Ferdinand
Marcos and his regime were defeated under martial law. This work was proud to be a
part of a century-old Philippine protest writing tradition that criticizes trickery in literature.
Even after all of this took place, the significant aspects of it continued to serve as an
inspiration and a meaningful work due to its transparency, which brings the future into
significant life changes. In fact, the attitudes and beliefs of the time when it was written
were still visible to those who were inexperienced and ignorant. But, nowadays, people
are well-informed about the truth, so we see a lot of rallies and campaigns to fight for
the truth and justice.

Group Members:
Maclinic, Glophima M.
Monchiguing, Zephaniah O.
Tangguingan, Jean T.