Maraviles, Winzy Hannah B.
ENG 252 D3
AB- ENGLISH 2
Ms. Madellen C. Atillo
Language of Literary Text
Final Examination
I.
Introduction
Nicomedes Marquez Joaquin, more known as Nick Joaquin was a Filipino writer,
poet, dramatist, and journalist who mostly wrote novels and short stories in English
Language. He was given the title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature.
Nick Joaquin was born on May 4, 1917, in Paco, Manila and his mother, Salomé
Marquez was a public-school teacher, and his father was a colonel in the Philippine
Revolution. In their family there were 10 children and Nick was the 5th child. As his
mother was greatly educated, she also encouraged her children to take interest in
art. Though dropping out of school, Joaquin was a very strong-hearted and
dedicated person, and this was reflected even in his works, being a very educated
child whose bibliophilia was greatly encouraged by his parents. Under the pen name
Quijano de Manila, he wrote various works that reflected the Filipino ancestry.
II.
Synopsis

The Martyr
Being in love means never having to say you’re sorry
After all, at some point in your life
That love was the most important thing to you,
That love might be the one that you hoped would last forever,
That love made you believe that destiny does exist,
And that love made you question,
Why you were afraid to fall in love in the first place.
At that time in your life,
Everything just seemed so perfect,
Everything seemed so beautiful,
Everything seemed to glow for you,
And you were my everything.
I wouldn't even think twice about sacrificing
my own happiness for yours,
I was even willing to bare up this walled but crumpled heart of mine,
Just so I could be with you.
All I ever did was care for you.
All I ever did was to make you happy.
And all I ever did was love you.
Being in love means never having to say you’re sorry
But I needed to ask forgiveness from the one who was hurt the most…
Myself.

Happy Never After
How could I possibly stay awake
Despite knowing what horrors await me In this life full of lies and despair
Where the only hope that remains Is having you near me.
And yet,
However I push myself towards you,
The more I feel like we’re never meant to be,
The more we try to reach each other,
The more I feel so alone.
How could I possibly live my happily ever after
Without you by my side
Where even the fairy tales pale in comparison
for how much I feel for you
When will He finish this chapter?
Does it even end
Surely, any end is better than a one left hanging
For a simple No, might simply be the best answer
Rather than to face the agony of waiting
and fear of the unknown.
III.
Analyses of the Works
The Martyr
The Martyr is a love poem by Nick Joaquin that speaks about love. What you are
willing to do for love, what love is in essence of your journey in life and how love
will change your mind. In this poem, not only is the seemingly fantastical feeling
that love brings is spoken about but also the gaping hole it leaves when it is gone.
Being born in the time of conflict where his father fought together with Emilio
Aguinaldo in the Philippine Revolution, one might think that Joaquin would develop
a negative countenance. This is not entirely true as such Joaquin was a determined
child that pushed through despite the situation. It may also due to this upbringing
that in this poem, there is a slightly negative connotation in how Joaquin views
love. However, it may also be due to his upbringing that love, in his perspective, is
such a life changing concept so much that the subject of his love seemingly was
surrounded in a halo where the speaker is willing to bare his heart despite what
may happen. Joaquin seems to be a romantic, which can be seen in these two
poems that I chose which both have love as its theme. In this poem, it can be seen
that Joaquin chose an interesting start and end. Both the first and last sentences
contain the concept of ‘sorry’ and ‘forgiveness’, however how both of these words
are used create an entirely different feeling. In the first sentence, Joaquin writes
that being in love means you will never have to say you’re sorry despite that, the
last sentence is the speaker apologizing to himself. This creates a contrast between
his first and second message however it could also connotate that the speaker is no
longer in love if he is asking for forgiveness.
Happy Never After
This is poem is also about love. What differentiates this from the previous poem is
that this speaks about a love that is unfulfilled while the former speaks about a love
that no longer exists. This even made more obvious with the title which is a play on
words for a similar phrase of “Happily Ever After”, changing ‘ever’ to ‘never’ to
indicate that it is not happening.
Overall, the mood and tone for this poem is far more heavier which can be seen in
the use of words with heavier meanings such as despair and agony. The use of such
words creates a mood for this poem that is far darker. Not only that, but every
single line in this poem is increasingly sad as it goes. This creates the contrast from
how the speaker views the subject (of his affection) and their view of a future
without them. Joaquin likens the subject to a person that brings hope and light but
this seems to be unachievable due to a third party. Joaquin uses descriptions and
adjectives in order to fully express the emptions of the speaker but also create a
vivid image of what the speaker believes to be the future that awaits him without
the subject by their side.
In both of these novels, Joaquin likens love to be a chapter in a book or a point in
life that everyone will eventually go through. This can be seen in how Joaquin
writes “When will He finish this chapter? Does it even end”. One may believe that
this was simply an unrequited love but it isn’t only that, it is a love that is continues
to exist but is only existing in agony waiting of a chapter where an end is not
guaranteed.
It seems that rather than the despair of not being together of your love, the greater
despair is waiting for an answer that may never come. This build-up is written by
Joaquin amazingly. He first bombards the first few lines of heavy wording. Making
one mix-up what the main thought actually is.