There is Not Only You

- originally written by Dara Kanlagna.

About Dara Kanlagna

- Lao national artist
- feminist writer; most of her literary works deals with women, gender issues and the promotion of
equal/ better living standard for women.
- Was a school teacher until she began writing year 1958.
- All through her life, she engages in social works especially for the benefits of children and
women. Until her retirement in 2001, she continued to write about social issues.

IN 2010, Dara received the Southeast Asia Writers Award for her book collection “Hak dok... chung bok
ma” whereas she explained that she wrote the poems to depict the truth of life, and in particular the lives
of women, who so often have to struggle for real equality in society.

Kasama sa mga naisulat nya ay ang There is not only you kung saan isinulat nya ito in honour of her
mother, who raised her and her thirteen siblings with great patience and determination amid hardship and
poverty and provided them with a good education despite being illiterate herself.

Kaya kung titignan natin, sinasalamin sa poem ang kalagayan ng isang ina sa pagbuhay sa kanyang mga
anak.

Following the objectives intended for the first poem, kailangan daw natin itong I-analyze.

Mood

 Pessimistic
Theme

 Sacrifice

Literary Approaches

 Feminism
 Historical Approach
 It is estimated that around 50,000 Laotians, most of them are civilians, especially children,
have been killed or injured by US bombs. This war, called Secret war, waged from 1964 to
1975.

Characters:

 Widowed woman - primary character in the poem or the antagonist

 Descendants- tertiary character
 Remote Mother- foil character

Point of View:

 Second and third person point of view

Figurative language:
• Hyperbole - “While feeding your kids you were helped by ten”

Style:
• Free verse- no defined meter, no consistent rhyme
scheme, and no specified length or formal
requirements
Narrative poem:
• Tells a story
• The poem contains the story of people in the society
• The poem contains the history of war in Laos
*Digging Deep into the Poem
If we were to read and understand the context of the poem, we’ll notice how the author speaks to the
subject (yung widowed).

On the first paragraph, ni introduce pa lang yung widowed. AT kung paanong ang tingin niya’y walang
makakagawa ng kaya niya bilang isang ina (read stanza 1)

Then later on, makikita natin na parang pinagsasabihan ng author yung subject na hindi ka kasing hirap
ng sinasabi mo kumpara sa ibang mga nanay na kaialangan pang paghirapan nang husto ang kanilang
pang-araw-araw na buhay para lang sa kanilang mga anak.

Based sa second paragraph until the end, ikinukumpara ng author yung pagiging “poor” na sitwasyon ng
widow doon sa mga remote women.
*sa laos, ang , merit making o good deeds ay parang good karma. Na kapag gumawa ka ng
Mabuti, later on may gagawin din sayong Mabuti.

At sa last line nga, sabi ng author,

Could you please clarify what level of their poor lives?
This is comparing sa sinasabi ni widow na mahirap daw ang buhay nya. Na kung mahirap
maging byudo pero may tumutulong, paano na lang silang walang wala talaga.

Ano ang mahihinuha natin sa mensahe ng poem if ikokonek natin sa tunay na buhay?
Katulad nga ng title, there is not only you-walang nag-iisang ikaw.
Tayong lahat ay pare-pareho sa magkakaibang paraan.
Lahat tayo ay pare-parehong nahihirapan sa magkakaibang bagay. Katulad sa widow, hirap sya na
wala syang asawa, pero sa isang banda ay mayroon namang nakatutulong sa kanya. Unlike sa
remote women, hirap din pero di nabanggit na may natulong.

So para sa akin, ang message ng poem hindi lang bilang sa mga magulang, kundi sa mga anak, sa
ating lahat ay wag tayong maging selfish sa dinadala ng iba. Maging conscious tayo sa bigat na
dalahin ng iba, though hind isa pag invalidate- ano mang hirap ng sitwasyon mayroon tayo ay
siguradong mayroon paring mas mahirap ang kalagayan kaysa sa atin.