Diane Joyce G.

Cabrera G12 STEM-Ptolemy EAPP

Compare and Contrast

"Liham ni Pinay mula sa Brunei” emphasizes “feminism”. Promoting equality in

terms of workload’s dissemination between married couples. In this poem, the double
standard that women are experiencing in our society can be seen. It has been an issue for
ages, and it is still prominent up until the present. Women are facing unrealistic expectations;
they are expected to be hands-on housekeepers even if they do have work, whereas men
won't encounter such treatment.

On the other hand, “Liham ni Pinay mula sa Japan” tackles the prostitution of
Filipinos in Japan. They are being fooled into being prostitutes by being promised to be
entertainers without knowing that “entertainer” has other meanings. They are given hope that
they can use their talents in another motherland and that their dreams are within reach;
however, life can really be unfair. After sponsoring them to enhance their talents, they are
being taken to Japan. Instead of becoming singers, they are satisfying men’s desires.
Furthermore, they put up with the behavior and persisted in being proud even after what
occurred, as long as no one knew what they had gone through, out of a desire to avoid the
humiliation that comes with it.

The similarities between the two poems are that the characters are both strong
females who didn’t let their hardships lower their worth. They made an attempt or an act to
change the course of their lives by taking the risk of going overseas to work. Although both
show courageous acts, they still differ. The first poem illustrates gaining freedom from the
unfair treatment of her irresponsible husband, while in the second poem, she keeps her worth
by not being affected by what she has encountered abroad. Moreover, they differ in the
outcomes of the risk they’ve taken; the first poem found happiness overseas, but the second
poem’s outcome contradicts it. To conclude, both poems tackle evident issues that our
country is facing and needs to have necessary actions to be resolved.
 Narrate

The University of Hawaii at Manoa's retired professor Ruth Elynia S. Mabanglo was
born on March 30, 1949. She was in charge of organizing the program for Filipino and
Philippine literature. "The Ballad of Lola Amonita" and "Balada ni Lola Amonita" were two
of her most recent works, appearing in Babaylan: An Anthology of Filipina and Filipina
American Writers, edited by Nick Carbó and Eileen Tabios and released by Aunt Lute Books
in 2000. One of her works were the poems “Liham ni Pinay mula sa Brunei” and “Liham ni
Pinay mula sa Japan”.

In the first poem entitled "Liham ni Pinay mula sa Brunei", the woman is a mother
and a teacher where her spouse is irresponsible. She is a slave of household choirs and serves
her husband with all her care. She restlessly prepares his coffee, underwear and towels.
Furthermore, even though the food is not enough to feed her family, her husband still
complains. As if her mouth is sealed, she can't speak for her side.

From these continuous acts, she got tired and hoped to go abroad. Also, to provide
sufficient needs to her children, she sacrificed and worked away from her family. Since then
she realized that her efforts to take care of her partner shouldn't have been made. She should
have let her spouse do those things. In the end, she is free and won’t have to worry about her
children's necessity.

For the second poem, Liham ni Pinay mula sa Japan. The woman is once a child
who is full of dreams. She started pursuing her dreams by auditioning in different fields.
Creating money from her hobbies. However life isn't a fantasy, her dreams aren't within
reach. Even her parents laugh at her singing and dancing. Making her confidence turn to
shame eventually. Slowly, her burning passion started to decline but her desire to move and
sing with the rhythm continues to exist. Fortunately her sister supported her, making her feel
alive once again.

As she aspires to become a singer in Japan, she encounters sexual harassment. That
is when she realized that the job she had taken wasn’t what she expected. The job is to
entertain men, not to be a singer. She talked about it to her sister and tried to stop at her job.
But she failed to obtain it. She then continued the job and swallowed the pride she had left.
She endured the touches of the customers and became obedient to their commands.

She realized that fate is cruel and not really giving. Then she longed for her home and
wished to go back and forget what had occurred. She goes home with her head high, even
after what happened. For her, as long as no one knows what she has experienced, she can
keep her pride and be proud of her luxuries as she goes back to her home.

5 Caused and Effects

Pinay’s Letter In Brunei

1. Cause: The husband’s negligence to his responsibilities.

Effect: Insufficient necessities for the family.

2.Cause: The husband’s frequent visit to bar activities.

Effect: The wife’s longing for her husband’s love and touch

3.Cause: The wife’s restless house chores.

Effect: The wife began to have the desire to escape and wanted freedom from the tiring

chores.

4. Cause: Continuous request of food of the children.

Effect: The woman decided to work overseas.

5. Cause: The peace and comfort that the woman experienced abroad.

Effect: The woman realized her worth and left her husband.

Pinay’s Letter In Japan

1. Cause: The woman’s desire to become a singer.

Effect: She auditioned in a lot of TV programs.

2. Cause: The woman’s failure to obtain her dreams.

Effect: The woman’s burning passion started to decline.

3. Cause: The woman’s huge desire to become a singer

Effect: The woman got fooled and became a prostitute in Japan.

4. Cause: The woman didn’t want others to know her job in Japan.

Effect: She continued her job even at the expense of her pride and dignity.

5. Cause: The woman encountered a lot of hardships overseas.

Effect: The woman longing for her homeland.

Women Descriptions and Struggles in each Poem

The woman in the poem “Liham ni Pinay mula sa Brunei” is courageous mother who
not only plays a role of a mother and wife but also a teacher. She is an inspirational woman
who depicts a strong woman power. She is a selfless mother who sacrificed and took a risk in
working overseas to provide her children’s needs.

The unequal distribution of home obligations or chores is the main hardship that the
character in this poem has gone through. The "double standard" that women are supposed to
work and provide care is something the character had to deal with. Additionally, she felt
lonely and even more bored with her daily routines, which included doing housework, as a
result of her husband's lack of interest. She grew weary of these routine actions and yearned
for a change or independence from the societal standard.
 The overall theme of this poem is the double standard that women encounter in
society. A woman's freedom is strongly impacted by gender roles. Even though they have
jobs, they are required to perform housework. A woman feels tension and loneliness as a
result. This poem provides a comprehensive view of the state of women and the social norms
that need to be changed.

While the poem “Liham ni Pinay mula sa Japan” depicts an unfortunate woman
who’s dreams have been tarnished. She is a talented woman who’s full of dreams and
reaching for fame. She is also a courageous woman that takes risks to provide better life for
herself.

The woman's desperation to succeed as a singer is seen as a weakness and attacked.

The character was duped regarding the job she would perform abroad. Instead of being a
vocalist, she became a men's sex indulgence. Because of the shame she will encounter if it is
discovered, she swallows her pride. She experiences difficulties as a migrant in that nation,
exposing her vulnerabilities.

In conclusion, this poem discusses the sex slavery that Filipinos are experiencing in
Japan. This puts the situation in a broader context and illustrates the experiences of Filipinos
whose dreams have turned into nightmares.

2 Problems & Solutions in each Poems

Pinay’s Letter In Brunei

Problems:

1. Double Standard: The woman is expected to be a hands-on housewife even when she also
has a job whereas man aren’t.

2. Lack of communication: In the poem, it show that the woman often don’t speak up for
herself and lets her husband continue to be irresponsible.

Solution:
1. Give equal treatments and workloads regardless of gender.

2 Communicate to each other and discuss the issues that are bothering them.

Pinay’s Letter In Japan

Problems:

1. Work frauds: In this poem, the character is scammed about the real description of her job.

2. Pride: It can be seen in the poem that she doesn’t want her story to be known to others.

Solution:

1. Fact check: check the job’s validity thoroughly.

2. Prioritize safety: don’t mind what other people has to say and focus on how to resolve the
problem.