Arizo, Grace Lalaine D.

21st Century Literature

11 – Lychee Activity 4.2

[ACTIVITY 4.2.] KEEP GOING! – Critique Paper

1. How would you compare the two stories? In what ways are they similar or different?
› Both of the stories are similar in terms of the characters because there were
supernatural characters in "The First Visayan Man and Woman" which were Kaptan,
Maugayan, Sikalak, Sikabay, Sibu, and Samar. In the "Legend of Dumaguete", the
supernatural character was Santa Catalina. Another similarity between the two stories
is the plots because there was also a supernatural event in both of them. In "The First
Visayan Man and Woman", the supernatural event was when the bamboo split into half,
and then Sikabay and Silaklak stepped out from it. In the "Legend of Dumaguete", the
supernatural event was when Santa Catalina protected Dumaguete by sending a swarm
of bees as a weapon against the Moros. These characters and events do not really exist
in real life, thus considered fictional.
On the other hand, the two stories are different in their themes and morals. The theme
of "The First Visayan Man and Woman" was about obtaining and strengthening the
good relationships between families. In the "Legend of Dumaguete", the theme was
about the hope and faith that the people of Dumaguete had for Santa Catalina in
protecting and saving them against the bad. The morals of the two stories are also
different because the moral that we can get from "The First Visayan Man and Woman"
was about understanding our family or our partner whenever there's a quarrel
happening. We should not let our emotions control us, as the actions and words that we
could spit out of anger could lead to the loss of our loved ones. And on the "Legend of
Dumaguete", the moral that we can get is to learn to stand up against the oppressors or
the bad ones that intend to control us. We should be strong enough to face them, and
also we should strengthen our faith in our savior just like what the people of Dumaguete
did.
2. In these stories, how would you describe the relationship between humans and the
supernatural? How do the human characteristics interact with the divine beings?
› The supernatural beings' role in the stories are the powerful ones who can do
everything as they will. It can be either in a positive or negative way. The relationship
that supernatural beings have to humans is strongly bonded with hope, faith, trust, and
respect because the humans in the story look up to supernatural beings as high as a
God. They entrusted their life with supernatural beings, such as in the story Legend of
Dumaguete wherein the people pray, hope, and plead deeply to Santa Catalina for their
lives. And also in The First Visayan Man and Woman, the humans Sikalak and Sikabay
really respect their Lord which is Kaptan, that they even decided to make offsprings so
that they could take care of their Lord's bamboo tree.
3. What do the stories say about the beliefs and values of the Cebuano-speaking people?
› The story "The First Visayan Man and Woman" speaks for the strong belief of the
Cebuano-speaking people in their God. Based on the story, the Cebuano-speaking
people highly respect and have strong faith in their God just like what Silaklak and
Sikabay have in their creator. They are religious people and they value their spiritual
tradition the most. The story also speaks for the values of the Cebuano-speaking people
when it comes to the value of a family. Based on the story, they may be valuing the
strong bond and relationship of a family, to the point that no quarrels, struggles, or trials
could end up the relationship of a family even if it happens between them. They may
also value the teamwork of a family just to achieve their goal, such as what Sikalak,
Sikabay, and their children do to take care of Kaptan's garden.
4. These stories prove that Cebu has a rich religious and spiritual tradition. What important
events happened in the history of Cebu pertaining to the growth of religion? Support your
answer by citing historical research.
› The birth of the Sinulog Festival is an important event that happened in the history of
Cebu. In 1521, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan handed the statue of the
baby Jesus to Rajah Humabon of Cebu. This statue, the Santo Niño de Cebú, along with
its history was the reason for the birth of the Sinulog Festival. This event was one of the
most important events in the religious history of the Philippines as it paved the way to
the birth of Christianity in the Philippines. Because of this, Sinulog Festival is held in
celebration in Cebu city every year until today.
5. What lessons can we get from the two stories? Explain.
› The lessons that we can get from the two stories are first, being religious or having a
strong faith, and trust in our God. As a person whose religion is Christan, I believe that it
is really significant to have faith and trust in our Lord God especially when He challenges
us with different trials in our life because, in that way, He teaches us to be the stronger
and better version of ourselves. We should also strengthen our faith even if we are not
facing struggles in life, or when we are at the peak of euphoria when we already get the
things that we prayed for. I also learned from the story the importance of family
relationships because our family will be the last people we can hold on to, and the
people who will never leave us alone despite the quarrels and struggles between us.
They are the people who will forgive us no matter how big our mistakes are. They are
the people who will accept us when no one can. That's why keeping the family
relationship is a significant part of our life. Ang lastly, I learned that we should never
forget the people who helped and protected us when we are in need or in danger. We
should treasure those people who save us from the dark part of our life, and we should
be thankful for them. At least, we can express our gratitude for their kindness by paying
back the kindness that they gave so that we can help them when they are the ones who
need us.