To The Philippine Youth

by Dr. José Rizal Thou, whose voice divine

(English version of “A La Juventud Filipina”)
Hold high the brow serene,
O youth, where now you stand;
Let the bright sheen
Of your grace be seen,
Fair hope of my fatherland!
Come now, thou genius grand,
And bring down inspiration;
With thy mighty hand,
Swifter than the wind's violation,
Raise the eager mind to higher station.
Come down with pleasing light
of art and science to the fight,
O youth, and there untie
The chains that heavy lie,
Your spirit free to blight.
See how in flaming zone
Amid the shadows thrown,
The Spaniard'a holy hand
A crown's resplendent band
Proffers to this Indian land.
Thou, who now wouldst rise
On wings of rich emprise,
Seeking from Olympian skies
Songs of sweetest strain,
Softer than ambrosial rain;
Rivals Philomel's refrain
And with varied line
Through the night benign
Frees mortality from pain;
Thou, who by sharp strife
Wakest thy mind to life;
And the memory bright
Of thy genius' light
Makest immortal in its strength;
And thou, in accents clear
Of Phoebus, to Apelles dear;
Or by the brush's magic art
Takest from nature's store a part,
To fig it on the simple canvas' length;
Go forth, and then the sacred fire
Of thy genius to the laurel may aspire;
To spread around the fame,
And in victory acclaim,
Through wider spheres the human name.
Day, O happy day,
Fair Filipinas, for thy land!
So bless the Power to-day
That places in thy way
This favor and this fortune grand!
SOURCE: htps://www.kapitbisig.com/philippines/poems-writen-
by-dr-jose-rizal-to-the-philippine-youth

ANALYSIS: COME TO THINK OF IT!

1. From the above poem, write down Dr. Rizal’s message for the youth. Break it down in
five
(5)
1. Dr. Jose Rizal wanted the Filipino youth to use their capabilities, talents and skills to
stand out not only for their own praise and success but also for the praise and success of
their own motherland, the Philippines.
2. Dr. Jose Rizal wanted the Filipino youth to build up their abilities and use them to help
those who are in need. 
3. Dr. Jose Rizal is challenging us to do the same as what he did in his time. We don’t need
to get physical to fight for what is right, as much as possible no blood shedding, no chaos.
4. The message of Dr. Jose Rizal calls the youth to seek the beauty of poetry and music,
which he himself values greatly as essentials in every manner of life.
5. Dr. Jose Rizal wrote the poem to encourage the youth to be proud of being who they are
and the first step to do that is to use their mother tongue or native language in
communicating or speaking.
2. What do you think made Dr. Rizal said that “The Youth is the Hope of our Fatherland?”

I think Dr. Jose Rizal said, "The Youth is the Hope of Our Fatherland" because he
believed that the youth were important because they could bring social reform and improve the
condition of society. We cannot make do without the youth of a country. Furthermore, the nation
requires their participation to achieve its goals and to help in taking the country towards
progress. And his strong belief in the power of the younger generations serves as an inspiration
for the youth to contribute to the betterment of the country.
B. Footnote to Youth
By: Jose Garcia Villa
The sun was salmon and hazy in the west. Dodong thought to himself he would tell his
father about Teang when he got home, after he had unhitched the carabao from the plow, and led
it to its shed and fed it. He was hesitant about saying it, he wanted his father to know. What he
had to say was of serious importance as it would mark a climacteric in his
life. Dodong finally decided to tell it, but a thought came to him that his father might refuse
to consider it.

His father was a silent hardworking farmer, who chewed areca nut, which he had learned
to do from his mother, Dodong’s grandmother. He wished as he looked at her that he had a sister
who could help his mother in the housework. I will tell him. I will tell it to him. The ground was
broken up into many fresh wounds and fragrant with a sweetish earthy smell. Many slender soft
worm emerged from the further rows and then burrowed again deeper into the soil. A short
colorless worm marched blindly to Dodong’s foot and crawled clammily over it. Dodong got
tickled and jerked his foot, flinging the worm into the
air. Dodong did not bother to look where into the air, but thought of his age, seventeen, and
he said to himself he was not young anymore.

Dodong unhitched the carabao leisurely and gave it a healthy tap on the hip. The beast
turned its head to look at him with dumb faithful eyes. Dodong gave it a slight push and the
animal walked alongside him to its shed. He placed bundles of grass before it and the carabao
began to eat. Dodong looked at it without interest.

Dodong started homeward thinking how he would break his news to his father. He
wanted to marry, Dodong did. He was seventeen, he had pimples on his face, then down on
his upper lip was dark-these meant he was no longer a boy. He was growing into a man – he
was a man. Dodong felt insolent and big at the thought of it, although he was by nature low in
stature. Thinking himself man – grown, Dodong felt he could do anything. He walked faster,
prodded by the thought of his virility. A small angled stone bled his foot, but he dismissed it
cursorily. He lifted his leg and looked at the hurt toe and then went on walking.

In the cool sundown, he thought wild young dreams of himself and Teang, his
girl. She had a small brown face and small black eyes and straight glossy hair. How desirable
she was to him. She made him want to touch her, to hold her. She made him dream even
during the day. Dodong tensed with desire and looked at the muscle of his arms. Dirty. This
fieldwork was healthy invigorating, but it begrimed you, smudged you terribly. He turned
back the way he had come, then marched obliquely to a creek. Dodong stripped himself and
laid his clothes, a gray under shirt and red kundiman shorts, on the grass. Then he went into
the water, wet his body over and rubbed at it vigorously. He was not long in bathing, then he
marched homeward again. The bath made him feel cool.

It was dusk when he reached home. The petroleum lamp on the ceiling was already
lighted and the low unvarnished square table was set for supper. He and his parents sat down
on the floor around the table to eat.

They had fried freshwater fish, and rice, but did not partake of the fruit. The bananas
were overripe and when one held the, they felt more fluid than solid. Dodong broke off a
piece of caked sugar, dipped it in his glass of water and ate it. He got another piece and
wanted some more, but he thought of leaving the remainder for his parents.
Dodong’s mother removed the dishes when they were through, and went with slow
careful steps and Dodong wanted to help her carry the dishes out. But he was tired and now,
felt lazy. He wished as he looked at her that he had a sister who could help his mother in the
housework. He pitied her, doing all the housework alone. His father remained in the room,
sucking a diseased tooth. It was paining him, again. Dodong knew, Dodong had told him
often and again to let the town dentist pull it out, but he was afraid, his father was. He did not tell
that to Dodong, but Dodong guessed it. Afterward, Dodong himself thought that if he had a
decayed tooth, he would be afraid to go to the dentist; he would not be any bolder than his father.

Dodong said while his mother was out that he was going to marry Teang. There, it
was out, what he had to say, and over which he done without som much thinking. He said it
without any effort at all and without self-consciousness. Dodong felt relieved and looked at
his father expectantly. A crescent moon outside shed its feeble light into the window, graying
the still black temples of his father. His father look old now.

“I am going to marry Teang,” Dodong said.

His father looked at him silently and stopped sucking the broken tooth. The silence
became intense and cruel, and Dodong was uncomfortable and then became very angry
because his father kept looking at him without uttering anything.

“I will marry Teang,” Dodong repeated. “I will marry Teang.”

His father kept gazing at him in flexible silence and Dodong fidgeted on his seat.

I asked her last night to marry me and she said…

“Yes. I want your permission… I… want… it…” There was an impatient clamor in
his voice, an exacting protest at his coldness, this indifference. Dodong looked at his father
sourly. He cracked his knuckles one by one, and the little sound it made broke dully the night
stillness.

“Must you marry, Dodong?”

Dodong resented his father’s question; his father himself had married early.
Dodong made a quick impassioned essay in his mind about selfishness, but later, he got
confused.
“You are very young, Dodong.”

“I’m seventeen.”

“That’s very young to get married at.”

“I… I want to marry… Teang’s a good girl…

“Tell your mother,” his father said.

“You tell her, Tatay.”

“Dodong, you tell your Inay.”

“You tell her.”

“All right, Dodong.”

“All right, Dodong.”

“You will let me marry Teang?”

“Son, if that is your wish… of course…” There was a strange helpless light in his
father’s eyes. Dodong did not read it. Too absorbed was he in himself.

Dodong was immensely glad he has asserted himself. He lost his resentment for his
father, for a while, he even felt sorry for him about the pain I his tooth. Then he confined his
mind dreaming of Teang and himself. Sweet young dreams…

***

Dodong stood in the sweltering noon heat, sweating profusely so that

his camiseta was damp. He was still like a tree and his thoughts were confused. His mother
had told him not to leave the house, but he had left. He wanted to get out of it without clear
reason at all. He was afraid, he felt afraid of the house. It had seemingly caged him, to
compress his thoughts with severe tyranny. He was also afraid of Teang.

Teang was giving birth in the house; she face screams that chilled his blood. He did
not want her to scream like that. He began to wonder madly if the process of childbirth was
really painful. Some women, when they gave birth, did not cry.
 In a few moments he would be a father. .

“Father, father,” he whispered the word with awe, with strangeness. He was young, he
realized now contradicting himself of nine months ago. He was very young… He felt queer,
troubled, and uncomfortable. Dodong felt tired of standing. He sat down on a saw-horse with
his feet close together. He looked at his calloused toes. Then he thought, supposed he had ten
children…

The journey of thought came to a halt when he heard his mother’s voice from the
house. Somehow, he was ashamed to his mother of his youthful paternity. It made him feel
guilty, as if he had taken something not properly his.

“Come up, Dodong. It is over.”

Suddenly, he felt terribly embarrassed as he looked at her. Somehow, he was ashamed

to his mother of his youthful paternity. It made him feel guilty, as if he has taken something
not properly his. He dropped his eyes and pretended to dust off his kundiman shorts.

“Dodong,” his mother called again. “Dodong.”

He turned to look again and this time, he saw his father beside his mother.

“It is a boy.” His father said. He beckoned Dodong to come up.

Dodong felt more embarrassed and did not move. His parent’s eyes seemed to pierce
through him so he felt limp. He wanted to hide… or even run away from them
“Dodong, you come up. You come up,” his mother said. Dodong did not want to
come up. He’d rather stayed in the sun.

“Dodong… Dodong.”

“I’ll… come up.” Dodong traced the tremulous steps on the dry parched yard. He
ascended the bamboo steps slowly. His heart pounded mercilessly in him. Within, he avoided
his parent’s eyes. He walked ahead of them so that they should not see his face. He felt guilty
and untrue. He felt like crying. His eyes smarted and his chest wanted to burst. He wanted to
turn back, to go back to the yard. He wanted somebody to punish him.

“Son,” his father said.

And his mother: “Dodong...”

How kind their voices were. They flowed into him, making him strong.

“Teang?” Dodong said.

“She’s sleeping. But you go in…”

His father led him into the small sawali room. Dodong saw Teang, his wife, asleep
on the paper with her soft black hair around her face. He did not want her to look that pale.

Dodong wanted to touch her, to push away that stray wisp of hair that touched
her lips. But again that feeling of embarrassment came over him, and before his parent, he did
not want to be demonstrative.

The hilot was wrapping the child Dodong heard him cry. The thin voice touched
his heart. He could not control the swelling of happiness in him.

“You give him to me. You give him to me,” Dodong said.

***

Blas was not Dodong’s only child. Many more children came. For six successive
years, a new child came along. Dodong did not want any more children. But they came. It
seemed that the coming of children could not be helped. Dodong got angry with himself
sometimes. Teang did not complain, but the bearing of children tolled on her. She was
shapeless and thin even if she was young. There was interminable work that kept her tied
up. Cooking, laundering. The house. The children. She cried sometimes, wishing she had not
married young. She did not tell Dodong this, not wishing him to dislike her. Yet, she wished
she had not married. Not even Dodong whom she loved.

There had been another suitor, Lucio older than Dodong by nine years and that was
why she had chosen Dodong. Young Dodong who was only seventeen. Lucio had married
another. Lucio, she wondered, would she have born him children? Maybe not, either. That
was a better lot. But she loved Dodong… Dodong whom life have made ugly.

One night, as he lay beside his wife, he roe and went out of the house. He stood in the moonlight,
tired and querulous. He wanted to ask questions and somebody to answer him. He w anted to be
wise about many things. One of them was why life did not fulfill all of Youth's dreams. Why it
must be so? Why one was forsaken... after Love. Dodong would not find the
answer. Maybe the question was not to be answered. It must be so to make Youth. Youth.
Youth must be dreamfully sweet. Dreamfully sweet.

Dodong returned to the house humiliated by himself. He had wanted to know a little
wisdom but was denied it.

***

When Blas was eighteen he came home one night very flustered and happy. It was late
at night and Teang and the other children were asleep. Dodong heard Blas's steps, for he
could not sleep well of nights. He watched Blas undress in the dark and lie down softly. Blas
was restless on his mat and could not sleep. Dodong called him name and asked why he did
not sleep. Blas said he could not sleep. "You better go to sleep. It is late," Dodong said. Blas
raised himself on his elbow and muttered something in a low fluttering voice. Dodong did not
answer and tried to sleep.

"Itay ...," Blas called softly. Dodong stirred and asked him what it was. "I am going to
marry Tena.

“She accepted me tonight.” Dodong lay on the red pillow without moving.

"Itay, you think it over." Dodong lay silent.

"I love Tena and... I want her."

Dodong rose from his mat and told Blas to follow him. They descended to the yard,
where everything was still and quiet. The moonlight was cold and white.

"You want to marry Tena," Dodong said.

He did not want Blas to marry yet. Blas was very young. The life that would follow
marriage would be heard...

"Yes." "Must you marry?" Blas's voice stilled with resentment.

"I will marry Tena." Dodong kept silent, hurt.

"You have objections, Itay?" Blas asked acridly.

"Son... n-none..." (But truly, God, I don't want Blas to marry yet... not yet. I don't
want Blas to marry yet....) his thougths from deep inside, but he was helpless. He could not
do anything. Youth must triumph... now. Love must triumph... now. Afterwards... it will be
life. As long ago Youth and Love did triumph for Dodong... and then Life. Dodong looked
wistfully at his young son in the moonlight. He felt extremely sad and sorry for him. (END)

Source: GEMS. Readings in Philippine Literature textbook (p. 73-77)

ASSESSMENT:
Kindly answer the following questions below. Answer should exceed with five (5)
sentences, but not less than three (3).
 Parameters of Excellent Very Satisfactory Fair Needs
scoring the written satisfactory Improvement
output
5 4 3 2 1
Content/
Discussion
Clear use of
examples,
explanation, and
other
relevant details.

Writing mechanics
 Punctuation,
capitalization,
spelling,
consistent
grammar usage,
and readability of
writing.

Total Score

1. “Father, father,” he whispered the word with awe, with strangeness. He was young,
he realized now, contradicting himself of nine months comfortable…” From this part
of the story, what do you think was Dodong’s dilemma?

Dodong was suddenly faced with the dilemma when his eighteen-year-old son comes up
to him and asks to marry. From that part of the story he was having second thoughts about this
whole situation of becoming a father and having his own family. Then, later on, he ended up
imagining himself having ten children. Suppose he had ten children, what made him think that?
What was the matter with him? This meant to say that from the very start, he already knew
that he was still immature despite the fact that he was seventeen, an age that wouldn’t be
considered "young" anymore. It meant that he knew that he still couldn’t control himself, but
the fact that he was seventeen, unfortunately for him, beat all of the other reasons that anyone
could possibly think of, no matter how strong the reasoning would be.

2. What kind of bonding or relationship was confirmed between Dodong and his Father
in this part of the story, “Dodong thought to himself he would tell his father about Teang…
What he had to say was of serious importance as it would mark a climacteric
in his life.”?
During the conversation between Dodong and his father, Dodong wanted to have
permission to marry Teang. At first, his father did not respond; he just kept looking at him
without uttering anything. And when his father says, "Must you marry, Dodong?" "You are very
young, Dodong." I realized that his father, during their conversation, was concerned for Dodong
because Dodong was still young. But then his father decides to do what Dodongs makes him
happy. His father was just concerned to his son because marrying is not that easy.

3. What is the result of the Dodong’s unwise decision to marry early?

When Dodong decided to marry Teang, his decision was so sudden that he ended up
with his son doing the same thing. It was like the old stereotypical sayings, "History repeats
itself" and "An eye for an eye". Dodong did not consider the possibilities when he got married
at an early age. He just thought everything would be fine, that he could handle stuff, but the
consequences made their way into Dodong’s life. As a result of Dodong's unwise decision to
marry early, he realized the hardships of marrying at such an early age. And worse, because of
his unwise decision, his son ended up doing the same thing that Dodongs did.

4. Throughout the story, what does Jose Garcia Villa wants to exhibit in Dodong’s
character?
Throughout the story, Jose Garcia Villa was able to exhibit how Dodong would battle
himself every so often, whether he’d decide to act like a typical teenager or an adult, and
whether or not he really longs for his desires. They are seen from the following texts in the
story: "A short, colorless worm marched blindly to Dodong’s foot and crawled calmly over it."
Dodong got tickled and jerked his foot, flinging the worm into the air. Dodong did not bother to
look where it fell, but thought of his age, seventeen, and he said to himself, "He was not young
anymore." Here, instead of acting like any average teenager who’d rather scream and shout
about a worm crawling on his or her foot, he jerked it off his foot because he thought of his age,
thinking that he was no longer a child. 

5. In the story, what does Jose Garcia Villa wants to illustrate from the current generations of
the Philippines would be doing if they were in the positions of Dodong, Teang, Dodong’s
father, and Blas?
a. Dodong’s Character
The story centers at the character of Dodong. Dodong is the one who represents
the typical youth that experiencing a lot of uncertainties in life that make him realize
that he sacrifices his youth just for the sake of proving himself that he can manage his
own life because he is matured enough to face this life’s challenges. Whoever is in
Dodong’s position would be the cause for the entire situation, while the rest would not
have the ability to do anything but suffer the consequences of their choices.
b. Teang’s Character
Teang is the girl whom Dodong eventually marries. At around the same age as
Dodong, she is described as having a small brown face, small black eyes, and straight,
glossy hair. She has had many children with Dodong over the years, which has taken a
toll on her health and appearance. The same goes for Dodong. Whoever is in Taeng's
position, I believe they will face a lot of consequences as a result of their rash decision.
c. Dodong’s Father’s character
Dodong’s father is the one who advises Dodong to think hard before jumping
into a commitment like marriage. Maybe his father gave Dodongs' consent to marry
Teang because he only thought about the happiness of his son and not the
consequences of his son's marriage at a young age. And I don’t know if his father
became happy or sad to his decision. Whoever is in Dodong’s father's position, maybe
he will not stop advising his son. And always become a good father.
d. Blas’s Character
Blas was the eldest son of Dodong and Teang. When he turns 18, he also wants
to marry young but is advised by his father to weigh all the pros and cons. However, he
does not feel that he would repeat the mistakes of his parents. If someone is in the
position of Blas maybe they are not going to repeat what his father did mistake.
However, like father, like son, he ends up following the same route and marries his
sweetheart at 18 years of age.

6. What does the story is trying to tell?

The "Footnote to Youth" talks about the ignorance of youth, the phases of life, and fear
and inaction. The ignorance of youth means that the story portrays youth as a time of
ignorance and inevitable rash decisions. The story tells us that we need calm and patience
before making life-altering decisions. It encourages the young to not let hormones and
emotions get the better of them and then rue the consequences. People will always follow their
feelings without hesitation, and they will do anything to get what they want, especially young
people, only to regret it later. We should always think first before doing or taking an uncertain
step in our lives to avoid consequences which may come or even get worse due to wrong
decision making.