Chapter 5

• The New Society brought about some changes in the life of the Filipino people that lasted for ten years before martial law was finally repealed on January 2, 1981
• Poems written during this time of the Third Republic were romantic and revolutionary as the Philippines established a new country, which former President Marcos referred to as "the New Republic of the Philippines"
• Numerous Filipino songs addressed topics that are relevant to everyday life, such as grief, poverty, the desire for freedom, and the love of God, one's nation, and one's fellow human beings
• Literary pieces from the period

  • Isang Dipang Langit by Amado V. Hernandez
  • Ang Dapat Paniwalaan (What to Believe) by Jose F.Lacaba
  • Gabi ng Isang Piyon by Lamberto Antonio
  • The World is an Apple by Alberto Florentino
  • Another Invitation of the Pope to Visit Tondo by Emmanuel Torres
  • Valediction Sa Hillcrest by Rolando S. Tinio
  • Maganda pa ang Daigdig by Lázaro Francisco
  • Visiting Poverty by Emmanuel S. Torres
  • The Day the Dancers Came by Bienvenido N. Santos
  • Scent of Apples by Bienvenido Santos (short story)
  • Without Seeing the Dawn by Esteban Javellana (novel)
  • You Asked Me How Much I Love You by Benito Reyes (poetry)
• Amado V. Hernandez


  National Artist for Literature (September 13, 1903 – May 24, 1970), poet, playwright, and novelist, practiced "committed art" where the writer acts as the conscience of society and affirms the greatness of the human spirit in the face of inequity and oppression
• Amado V. Hernandez stripped Tagalog of its ornate character and wrote in prose closer to the colloquial than the "official" style permitted
• Mga Ibong Mandaragit, Amado V. Hernandez's first novel written while in prison, is the first Filipino socio-political novel that exposes the ills of the society as evident in the agrarian problems of the '50s
• Isang Dipang Langit


  A poem by Amado V. Hernandez about his experience in prison
• Ang Dapat Paniwalaan (What to Believe)

  A poem by Jose F. Lacaba about a man who was raised to believe in superstitions but later learned to fear people instead of supernatural beings
• Gabi ng Isang Piyon


  A narrative poem by Lamberto Antonio about the life of a Filipino laborer
• The World is an Apple


  A play by Alberto Florentino about the conflicts in the everyday lives of ordinary Filipinos
• This poem talks about a time during the Marcos regime when the pope came for a visit

  
• Squatters areas were whitewashed, possibly in order to "make an impression" on the Pope
• The Pope saw right through it, however, and insisted on meeting a family from the area
• The poem reflects the more realistic angle of the story, a mockery of the Church, in some ways, by alluding to doctrines
• The poem describes a visit by the pope that occurred under the Marcos administration

  
• White walling was done in squatter settlements, possibly to "impress" the Pope
• But, he immediately saw through it and insisted on meeting a local family
• By using doctrine-related references, the poem represents the story's more realistic perspective, which in some ways makes fun of the Church
• Valediction


  A farewell speech
• Themes in "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning"


  • Passion
  • Separation
  • Acceptance
• The speaker's affection for his significant other is the central theme of the poem
• The poem cautions against grief about separation, and affirms the special, particular love the speaker and his lover share
• The poem "Valediction sa Hillcrest" talks about the persona's reminisce of the current place he is staying in before he moves back to his original home
• The tone was bitter-sweet, rather than cheesy with all those 'memories' attached to it
• The poem "Valediction sa Hillcrest" (1958) has been baffling students when given as a standard text in literature classes in the Philippines
• The persona could have used these two languages (English and Tagalog) to point out that the character in this poem could be a balikbayan, a Filipino possibly whom lived in the States for a time or so, who would be now going back to his home land, which is the Philippines
• Remembrances, oo. Yung medyo malapot
• Dahil alam mo na, I'm quitting the place
• After two and a half years
• Di man nagkatiyempong mag-ugat, ika nga,
• Siyempre'y nagging attached, parang morning glory'ng Mahirap mapaknit sa alambreng trellis
• There's a flurry, ang gentle-gentle
• Pagwhoosh-whoosh ng paa ko,
• The snow melts right under: Nagtutubig parang asukal, Humuhulas, nagsesentimental
• The drapes? The washbowl? Sa double-decker Na pinaikot-ikot naming ni Kandaswamy To create space, hopeless, talagang impossible
• Of course, tuloy ang radiator sa paglagutok
• And the stone silence, nakakaiyak kung sumagot
• Bueno, let's get it over with
• It's a long walk to the depot