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Literature under the American Colonization
Survey of the Philippine Literature in English (University of Southern Mindanao)
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Notes in ENGED 223
Literature under the American Colonization
-
During the first year of the American period, the languages used in writing
were Spanish and Tagalog and the dialects of the different regions, but
Spanish and Tagalog predominated.
-
In 1910, a new group started to write in English. Hence, Spanish, Tagalog,
the Vernaculars and finally, English, were the mediums used in literature
during these times.
-
While the three groups were one in their ideas and spirit, they differed in
their methods of reporting.
-
The writers in Tagalog continued in their lamentations on the conditions of
the country and their attempts to arouse love for one’s native tongue. The
writers in English imitated the themes and methods of the Americans.
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 Newspapers circulated during the American period
- These newspapers were published during the American period and were
primarily established to continue the fight for freedom after the defeat of the
Filipino forces against the Americans. These are:
1. El Nuevo Dia (The New Day) – established by Sergio Osmena in 1900.
American sensors banned this newspaper and threatened Osmena with
banishment.
2. El Grito del Pueblo (The Call of the Nation) – established by Pascual
Poblete in 1900.
3. El Renacimiento (The Rebirth) – The revolutionary newspaper edited by
Rafael Palma, who later on became UP President, was the pioneering
newspaper to publish works written in English Language.
- The Philippines Free Press founded by R. McCullough Dick & D. Theo
Rogers was the first privately owned publication to publish English works
of Filipino writers. They pay the Filipino writers when their work was
chosen to be published.
 Plays staged during the American period
1. Kahapon, Ngayon, Bukas (Yesterday, today and tomorrow) –
written by Aurelio Tolentino
2. Tanikalang Ginto – written by Juan Abad
3. Malaya – written by Tomas Remigio
4. Walang Sugat – written by Severino Reyes
 The Philippine Literature in English
-
-
Although the Filipinos were defeated in the Philippine-American War, or
Philippine Insurrection as termed by the Americans, they kept the flame of
nationalism burning as ever. Seeking to find a better solution other than
violent means, they resorted back to the pen. Peace movements started as
early as 1900 and many Filipinos started writing again “after the sword
was broken.”
The Filipinos, being lovers of languages and natural linguists, began using
this new medium to record their thoughts, sentiments, ideas and views,
dreams and fears as well as everyday life-matters. In short, a new weapon
was added to their arsenal.
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Three Periods:
1. Period of Re-orientation
2. Period of Imitation
3. Period of Self-Discovery and Growth
 Period of Re-orientation (1898-1910)
-
-
-
-
-
The Period of Re-orientation covered the early years of American period
and the landing of the Americans to Philippine shores including the
Philippine-American War. Even during the war, the Americans established
public school system in areas that have been pacified.
English language was used as medium of instruction in public schools as
early as
1900 in the Corregidor Island.
The first English teachers were the American soldiers stationed in various
areas. Later on, the professional teachers arrived via US Army transport
ship “USS Thomas” hence, these pioneering teachers were called
“Thomasites.” These Thomasites established numerous public
Elementary, Secondary and Tertiary schools throughout the archipelago.
They established the University of the Philippines with Murray Bartlett, a
Thomasite, as the First President; which was the first to use English
language in the higher education.
They also established Philippine School of Arts and Trades (which
became Polytechnic University of the Philippines), Philippine Normal
School (which became Philippine Normal University), Silliman University
and Xavier University, in the Visayas and Mindanao.
 Pioneer Filipino English Writers
1. Justo Juliano wrote “Sursum Corda” as the first literary work published in
English
in 1907.
2. Juan F. Salazar wrote “My Mother” and “Air Castles” which were published in
1909.
3. Proceso Sebastian wrote “To my Lady in Laoag” which was published in
1909.
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 Period of Imitation (1910-1924)
-
This period was characterized by the Filipino writers imitating the
American and English writers. The UP-College Folio, the school
publication of the University of the Philippines, published literary
compositions in English written by the pioneers in English poetry, essays
and short stories.
 Period of Imitation Poets
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Fernando Maramag wrote the “Rural Maid.”
Other poets include:
Juan F. Salazar
Jose M. Hernandez
Vicente del Fierro
Francisco Tonogbanua
Maximo Kalaw
Vidal A. Tan
Francisco Africa
Victoriano Yamzon
 Period of Imitation Essay writers
1.
2.
3.
4.
Essay was a Filipino literary genre that was born in the Period of Imitation.
The following essayists wrote Formal essays which were truly scholarly,
full of sobriety, substance and structure. Pioneers in formal essay include:
Carlos P. Romulo
Jorge C. Bocobo
Mauro Mendez
Vicente Hilario
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Informal essay writers also emerged and they are composed of:
Ignacio Manlapaz
Godofredo Rivera
Federico Mangahas
Francisco B. Icasiano
Salvador P. Lopez
Jose Lansang
Amado G. Dayrit
-
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 Period of Imitation Short Stories
Short story as a literary genre was brought along by the Americans.
Filipinos readily adopted short story because as a form of relaxation and
entertainment, it proved to be worthwhile for one can read such in just a
short while.
- There were even Filipino (Tagalog) and other vernacular versions of them.
By and large, short stories began to be published in various school
newspapers and periodicals.
- Many Filipino writers became popular during this period due to their
masterful works.
Notable writers include:
1. Paz Marquez Benitez who wrote the “Dead Stars” which stand out as
model of perfection in character delineation, local color, plot and message.
o She also became the editor of Women’s Journal, the first literary
magazine in English published in the Philippines
2. Bernardo P. Garcia wrote the poem “George Washington.”
3. Eulogio B. Rodriguez was a research writer of UP College of Liberal Arts
who won Villamor Prize in the Provincial History Competition
4. Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion wrote the award-winning poem “Azucena.”
5. Procopio Solidum wrote “Never mind and Other Poems.”
6. Lorenzo E. Paredes wrote the first poetry anthology “Reminiscenses.”
7. Zoilo Galang published his first volume of essay entitled “Life and
Success.”
8. Eliseo Quirino and Vicente Hilario wrote the essay “Thinking for
Ourselves.”
9. Zoilo Galang published the first anthology of short stories in “Tales
of the Philippines.”
10. Rodolfo Dato published his anthology “Filipino Poetry.”
11. Carlos P. Romulo published a collection of plays entitled “Daughters for
Sale and other Plays.”
-
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 Period of Self-Discovery and Growth (1925-1941)
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In this period Filipino writers acquired mastery of the English Language.
Evidently, they began to write confidently and competently. They wrote in
free verse, sonnets, odes, elegies and
others. They
even
started to write novels and dramas.
 Period of Self-Discovery and Growth Poetry
1. The Philippine Writers Association was organized in 1925.
2. Luis Dato wrote “Manila: A Collection of Verses”
3. Marcelo De Gracia Concepcion wrote “Bamboo Flute”
4. Aurelio S. Alvero wrote “Moon shadows on the Water”
5. Pablo Laslo edited the “English-German Anthology of Filipino Poets”
6. Luis Dato published “My Book of Verses”
7. Rafael Zulueta da Costa wrote “First Leaves”
8. Aurelio S. Alvero wrote “Nuances”
9. Abelardo Subido wrote the sonnet “Soft Night”
10. Rafael Zulueta da Costa won the Commonwealth Literary Contest
with his compilation “Like the Molave and other Poems”
11. Jose Garcia Villa published “Poems by Doveglion” and he also
published his books in the US.
 Period of Self-Discovery and Growth Short Story
-
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Aside from poetry, short story has likewise flourished during this time.
Numerous short story writers were motivated due to incentives given by
publications.
Short story became the most popular literary genre during this time.
Popular short story writers during this time include:
Paz Marquez Benitez published her first short story anthology
“Filipino Love Stories.”
Jose Garcia Villa published “Philippine Short Stories.” He won
first place the Philippine Free Press short story writing contest with
his “Mir-i-nisa.”
Manuel Arguilla won the Commonwealth Literary Contest for short
story with his “How my Brother Leon brought home a Wife.”
Paz Latorena wrote “Sunset”
Jose Lansang wrote “Broken Parasol”
Sinai C. Hamada wrote “Talanata’s Wife”
Fausto Dugenio wrote “Wanderlust”
Amado G. Dayrit wrote “His Gift” and “Yesterday”
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9. Amador T. Daguio wrote “The Woman who looked out of the Window”
10. Arturo B. Rotor
11. Osmundo Sta. Romana
 Period of Self-Discovery and Growth Essay
-
The essay during this period was greatly improved in quality and quantity.
There have been improvements on the subject, content and style of writing
essays. During this period, various Filipino essayists were classified
according to:
1. Political, social, and reflective essays.
- These essays were opinions and viewpoints by the essayists using their
newspaper columns which appeared regularly hence, they were very
popular during this time.
2. Critical essays. These essays were serious treatment of various issues
during this period. As these essayists regularly appear in various
newspaper columns, they became very popular during this time. The
critical essayists during this time include: Salvador P. Lopez, I.V. Mallari,
Ignacio Manlapaz, Jose Garcia Villa, Arturo
B. Rotor, Leopoldo Y., and YabesMaximo Soliven wrote the prize-winning
essay
entitled, “They Called it Brotherhood.”
3. Personal or familiar essays. These essays were casual and light in
terms of the mood they were written. They provided sort of entertainment
and relaxation for the readers. Popular essayists of this kind include:
Francisco “Mang Kiko” B. Icasiano, Alfredo E. Litiatco, Solomon V.
Arnaldo, Amado G. Dayrit, and Consuelo Gar Catuca.
 Period of Self-Discovery and Growth Notable Essays
1. “Literature and Society” was written by Salvador P. Lopez. This is a
collection of critical reflections and serious essays. It won first place in the
Commonwealth Literary Contest in essay.
2. “The Filipino Way of Life” was written by Camilo Osias. This is a series
of essays on the Filipino way of life as drawn from history, folkways,
philosophy, and psychology of the Philippines.
3. “Mang Kiko” was a reprint of Francisco B. Icasiano’s essays in the
“Sunday Times Magazine” under the column “From my Nipa Hut.” It is an
essay of the common tao and is written with humor and sympathy.
4. “I am a Filipino” was an editorial essay written by Carlos P. Romulo
printed in the “Philippines Herald” magazine. It was published in his book
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“My Brother Americans” in New York by Double Day & Company in
1945.
 Period of Self-Discovery and Growth Drama
-
The University of the Philippines introduced playwriting as a course.
UP established the UP Little Theater and provided incentives for
playwrights who wrote plays.
o Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero became director of UP Theater and
popularized drama performances in the country.
o He founded the UP Mobile Theater which performed in
various place throughout the country.
o The UP Mobile Theater also performed in various universities
worldwide.
Some of the notable dramas during this period include:
1. Daughters for Sale and other Plays written by Carlos P. Romulo
2. The Radiant Symbol written by Jorge Bocobo
3. The Husband of Mrs. Cruz & A Daughter of Destiny written by Vidal A.
Tan
4. The Waves written by Hilarion Vibal
5. The Oil Lamp & The Earthquake written by Augusto C. Catanjal
6. The Land of our Fathers written by Severino Montano
7. Panday Pira, the Cannon Maker written by Jose M. Hernandez
8. 13 Plays was a collection of plays written by Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
 Period of Self-Discovery and Growth Biography
1.
2.
3.
4.
Writing biography and autobiography became fashionable during this period.
Some notable biographies during this period include:
Quezon was a biography written about Manuel L. Quezon by I.P.
Caballero and Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion.
The Great Malayan was a biography which won the Commonwealth
Literary Contest for biography about Rizal. It was written by Carlos
Quirino, the most famous biographer of this period.
Quezon, the Man of destiny was another biography written about
Manuel L. Quezon by Carlos Quirino, the most famous biographer of
the period.
The Birth of Discontent was an autobiography written by I.V. Mallari.
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 Characters
Types of Characters:
1. Round Characters
- they recognize change with or adjust to circumstances
- benefits from experience and changes are reflected in (realization of
a new condition)
- often called the hero or heroine, and thus, the protagonist – moves against
the
antagonist
- dynamic - - undergo change and growth (e.g. simple wife to successful
career woman after she was deprived and exploited by a domineering
husband for twenty years)
2. Flat Characters
- do not grow because they may be stupid, insensitive, or lacking in
knowledge and insight
- static not dynamic
- highlight the development of round characters
- usually minor characters, though not all minor characters are necessarily flat
- may be prominent in detective stories where they focus more on
performance than on characters
- Shock character refers to characters in these repeating situations (e.g.
insensitive father, the interfering mother, the greedy politician, the resourceful
detective and the submissive or nagging wife)
-
-
stay flat as they only perform their roles and exhibit conventional
and unindividual traits
Stereotypes are stock characters possess no attitudes, except those of their
class.
they appear to have been cast from the same mold (e.g. that all
Muslims are terrorists or that all Hispanic people belong to a gang)
 Presentation of Characters (STEAL)
1. Speech (Dialogue)
What does the character say? How does the character speak?
Example:
“Hey, we can have lots of fun at camp this summer! I love being outside!”
(shows the character is upbeat and happy)
2. Thoughts
What is revealed through the character’s thoughts and feelings?
Example:
I wish it would stop raining. I am tired of sitting inside!
(shows the character is not happy about the situation)
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3. Effect on Others
What is revealed through the character’s effect on other
people? How other characters feel or behave in reaction to the
character? Example:
The boy glared at his sister as she ate his dessert.
(shows that the character is upset about his sister’s behavior and inability to
think of others)
4. Actions
What does the character do? How does the character behave?
Example:
The girl rode the lawn mower through the house and into the
garage. (shows the girl is not concerned with rules or safety)
5. Look or Description (Physical Description)
What does the character look like? How does the character
dress? Example:
The little girl left the game with slumped shoulders and a frown on her face.
(shows the little girl is not enjoying herself and is upset)
VII.
Plot
Cause
Effect
The old man died.
Then, the old woman died in grief.
This shows a set of actions to illustrate a plot. “The old man died; then the old
woman died in grief.”
The statement presents that one thing (grief) controls or overcomes the other
(the
desire to live).
Motivation and causation enter the sequence to form a plot.
If the second statement is simply “The old woman died,” motivation and
causation
are absent.
In a well plotted story, things precede or follow each other because effects
follow causes.
Plot is the logical sequence of events. It contrasts the development of actions.
This means to say one event controls or overcomes another event. In a good
story, nothing is irrelevant or accidental, everything is related and causative.
Structure describes how the writer arranges and places materials based on
the general ideas and purpose of the work.
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Plot is concerned with the conflict or conflicts, structure defines layout- the
way the story is shaped.
To study the structure is to study the arrangements (e.g. relationships between
two
people from their first introduction to falling in love or move from countryside
to falling in love) and the purposes for which they are made.
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Formal Structure
is an ideal pattern that moves from
beginning to end.
Real Structure
-most stories depart from formal
structure to real structure
example is a suspense story keeps
the
protagonist ignorant, but provide the
readers with abundant details to
increase tension about the outcome
-contains
structural
variations
to
increase the story’s impact
example a story may revolve around
such conflicts as poverty, age and
environment; at the end new
conflict
would arise
VIII.
Theme
Idea – refers to the result(s) of general and abstract thinking and may also
mean concept, thought, opinion and principle
In literary study, the consideration of ideas relates to meaning,
interpretation, explanation and significances
Must be phrased as assertions (e.g. one might say that the idea in
“The Fence” is hatred, but it would be difficult unless the assertion is
made such as this: “the story demonstrates the idea that hatred
destroys a meaningful and happy life.”
Theme – the major idea in the story
Also called as major or central idea
The theme of a fable is its moral, of a parable is its teaching and of a
piece of fiction id its view about life and how people behave
Not presented directly at all, one must extract it from the characters,
action and setting that make up the story
One must figure out the theme oneself
How to Find Ideas
1. Pause after finishing a passage.
2. Ask: What did the main character learn?
3. Jot down your ideas.
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Example:
Alexis learned to be strong from her mother.
She learned to think of others in a time of danger. – very important life’s
lesson
She learned that having a puppy made her very happy.
A Dog’s Tale
The theme of this passage is remembering always to think of others before
you think of yourself.
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