On Text's Meaning:

1. A multitude gathered along with Wan Chai District in Hongkong to protest the new policy
there and to call to ban some products. Thousands of protesters were arrested. Multitude in this
sentence means a lot of people or a crowd. (2 pts.)
2. In the poem, Earnest Wish, identify the words that suggest the meaning of the word,
multitude. (5 pts.)
Another word that the poem used in place of “multitude” is “flock” or “blades”. The word
“multitude” and the similar words are referring to stars, leaves, birds, grass and cogon flowers.
Also, the phrase “Counting the multitude of stars” might mean counting all the front liners as
individuals who have their own lives.
3. The author used imagery in the poem, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic imagery.
Write the words from the poem that suggest each of these. (15 pts.)
Visual – multitude of stars, leaves, flock of birds, blades of grass, cogon flowers
Auditory – sound of breeze, rustling, chirping, buzzing, flapping
Kinesthetic – tend, rearrange, weed, harvest, do again
4. Discuss the structure of the poem, the stanza, lines, rhyme scheme. (8 pts.)
Each stanza of the poem is constructed to be the different types of imagery. The first one is all
about visuals, the second is auditory and the third is kinesthetic while the last one brings up the
parallels or metaphors for all the ideas mentioned before. There is no rhyming scheme but the
rhythm of the words is considered.
5. Discuss how the author presented the ideas of the poem up to the point where the message
was presented. (10 pts.)
The idea of the poem was to present each type of imagery for the first three stanzas. The
speaker talks about the beauty of nature and his/her role in it by using words that invoke our
visual, auditory and kinesthetic senses. Also, each stanza starts with “I will” as if to take a first
person view except for the last one using the words “Let us” in which, I think, the poem reveals
the identity of the speaker in the previous stanzas. The last stanza brings the ideas previously
mentioned in a whole new and socially relevant context of front liners in the pandemic. The
“Earnest Wish” is for us to give them the rest they deserve as humans who have a family
waiting for them back home.

On Knowing the Author's Context:

Lydia Sapitanan-Villanueva hails from the agricultural town of Imus, Cavite. Her parents were
farmers and her residence is in the midst of the agricultural property of her in-laws in
Malagasang 1A, City of Imus. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Southeast Asian Studies
from Centro Escolar University and Master of Arts in Teaching Language and Arts from
Philippine Normal University. She is currently the Vice-President and one of the founders of
School Paper Advisers Movement, Inc., a national non-profit organization of campus journalists
and advisers with members from elementary to college. She is also a CPD resource speaker for
Action Research.

Dr. Villanueva is a Master Teacher 1 since she joined Department of Education in 2016. During
the pandemic caused by Covid-19 and during community quarantine, Dr. Villanueva wrote
several poems including Earnest Wish. Her profound love for writing started during her primary
years. She always believes that experiences and surroundings play a strong influence on the
prolific mind of a writer. Write now or forget it forever drives her to write about her environment.

Reflect on the importance of a biographical context in understanding a text (5 pts. each):

1. Discuss the environment that surrounds the author while writing the poem. Prove your
answer.
Since she grew up in a town where she was surrounded by a lot of agricultural property, it would
make sense for her to write about leaves, grass, cogon flowers, clear breeze, butterflies and the
like. The stars that can be clearly seen in the sky in a rural town, rustling leaves and other
agricultural experiences are all personal to her, making them good sources for inspiration.
2. Discuss the occurring event in the society during that time that influences the author in writing
the poem.
As evidenced by her use of the word “front liners”, it was written during the pandemic caused by
COVID-19. It is a complicated and hard time for a lot us, especially for those fighting against the
virus. As a doctor of philosophy and master in arts, she makes this relevant event in society as
an opportunity to make art and at the same time, give a message to the world.
3. Discuss the message of the author in the poem.
The poem starts off as a deep appreciation of the beauty of nature. She makes use of sensory
words in order to immerse the readers, making us realize the bare humanity of what the
persona is experiencing. The third stanza then talks about our role in nature as its stewards –
propagating, caring and maintaining balance. And as the last stanza starts, the script is flipped
and recontextualized in order to introduce the social and political statement of the poem. It’s a
reminder that our front liners, while stewards of humanity, are humans themselves, deserving of
all the human experiences mentioned in the first and second stanzas.