Yesha Pineda

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Women of Wonders

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Five Literary Theories from Philippine Authors

What Must Be Believed In by Jose F. Lacaba The literary theory that this poem used is Cultural Studies because it can be interpreted as the experience of the author in his time, wherein he fought President Ferdinand Marcos and his S-based military dictatorship during martial law. He is telling us that instead of ghouls and ogres, we must fear our fellow people that surround us and are more than capable of doing evil things. "He finally learned what every educated man must believe in with all his heart and soul; That it is man that every man must fear and against man prayers are of no avail."

Force of Circumstance by Jose F. Lacaba This poem used Marxist Theory because it tackles the power abuse that the higher ups execute. The suspects were exempted by the punishment for their wrong doings which shows the struggle that the victim experienced. "When Maritess was released By the son of a congressman, Her boyfriend got drunk, The papers shivered with glee And the cops jerked themselves off."

Night of a Construction Worker by Lamberto E. Antonio Formalism is used in this poem because the meaning can be interpreted through the language, details and structure. In short, it has a meaning within its text. It can be interpreted as it is. "How can you fall asleep when each time you stretch on your back it seems the stars Are slowly swallowed up by the towering roof above?"

On the Death of a Newspaper Delivery Boy by Lamberto E. Antonio This poem used Practical Criticism because it can be interpreted as it is without regarding the author's background, date and place of writing and other information. The meaning of this poem can easily be understood. "Space crowded with ads - Newspaper delivery boy, victim of reckless driver, His head, like a loose coin, had rolled off."

Mareng Mensiya by Fanny A. Garcia The literary theory used in this poem is Reader-Response because the way we interpret this story contributes to its overall meaning. For example, this work can be explained through its moral lesson which is a person who is not related to you by blood can willingly help you, however, when jealousy becomes superior, it can overpower kindness and in the end, the only thing left is regret. "The narrator provides Mareng Mensiya the medicines and gives her love and respect. As time goes by, she gave her the cold treatment because she envy her the happy life of Mely while she is the one having the burden of taking care of Mareng Mensiya."

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"Minsan May Isang P*ta" by Mike Portes

"Minsan May Isang P*ta" is a Filipino short story written by an author named Mike Portes. It belongs to the contemporary era as it was originally published on November 22, 2014. Within the author's works, it is one of her most famous works, alongside "The Dove Files". In this essay, I will analyze this short story based on different categories.

According to the plot, "Minsan May Isang P"ta" can be interpreted in three ways. First, in symbolic manner, the main character who is a prostitute symbolizes our country, the Philippines who is being judged by her neighbors and is being abandoned by her children who are Filipinos. Secondly, in literal meaning, it depicts the life of a sex worker whose name is Pilipinas, who was abused by three foreigners which resulted in the judgment of the people around her and her children forgettign and financially abusing her. Lastly, metaphorically speaking, the protagonist was compared to the Philippines, the foreigners as Spain, America and Japan, and her children as the Filipino citizens.

Portes wrote this piece of literature with our nation as her inspiration. She is a Filipino woman, one of the children of the Philippines which is the protagonist and the center of attention. The environment is our country in which the author and the audience are citizens of. She made the atmosphere a little heavy and full of emotions in order for the readers to relate to the story.

"Minsan May Isang P*ta" is a detailed narrative of how the Philippines was the most beautiful among its neighboring countries that is why the three foreigners got interested in it and colonized it for hundreds of years. It narrares how the three nations made their lives toxic and at the same time, conducive. And eventually after many years, she managed to gain freedom. However, after being free, its children continuously abused her. In summary, this short story portrays the sufferings and struggles of our country in the hands of the foreigners and the Filipinos.

The problems presented in this short story is the fact that the main character is aware of the abuse and violence that she experiences but still wants it to happen again. Moreover, her children are not grateful for her sacrifices, instead, they financially abuse her and don't show remorse and concern for her. Specifically, the conflicts encountered by the Philippines are man vs. society and man vs. system.

"Minsan May Isang Puta" is a real and historical story inspired by the history and present of the Philippines. The main character is our country and the Filipinos are the secondary characters. The author presented them in a metaphoric manner wherein our nation was represented by a sex worker and the citizens were symbolized by the children.

This short story takes us to the reality of how some Filipinos fight each other and neglect their duties as a citizen. They abuse the treasures and beauty of the Philippines. They use them to their advantage. And only a few Filipinos have concern and unity. Portes wants to tell us about the sufferings and pain of our country not just because of the foreigners but also because of the citizens' greed and grudge. She wants us to realize our shortcomings and pay back the sacrifices of our nation. Indeed, it is crucial to study and value the history of our country for us to realize its importance and not take it for granted.

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"Equality" by Maya Angelou

Issues about inequality have been going on for a long period of time. Many people experience this problem, especially black individuals who are mistreated by the people around them due to their complexion. And Maya Angelou, as a black woman, wrote a poem entitled "Equality". Its purpose is to spread and raise awareness about this topic. Its goal is also for people to realize the importance of having equality in our society. And for them to use their voice when they see a fellow citizen getting an unjust treatment. For example, in the stanza — "Take the blinders from your vision, take the paddings from your ears and confess you've heard me crying and admit you've seen my tears". These lines urge people to take action and speak up for the sake of the victims. Its theme is all about the desire or want to have equality among individuals in order for them to be free.

The issues being raised in this poem are the mindsets and opinions of the people. They see and hear others' struggles but they choose to ignore them. They see and hear the signs of people asking for help but they choose not to notice them on purpose. These shows that even though they are not the one who mistreats them, the act of intentionally ignoring them is actually worse. In presenting those issues, the author used a persuasive and interactive style to convince the readers to do a certain action. In today's time, there are still people who experience inequality. That is why the author was not entirely successful in persuading the audience.

The issues presented affected me in a way that I can relate to them. I would be a hypocrite if I say that I am kind at all times. To be honest, I also sometimes ignore people around me who are asking for help. Through this poem, I realized that I should not do that and instead help people to the best of my ability.

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INVOLVEMENT OF BRITAIN

In 1915, World War 1 occurred where over 30 nations were involved. But this post will focus on British revolutionaries who were fighting against the Ottoman Empire, the empire that Palestine first belonged to. The British made a deal with the Arabs that they would give them Palestine in exchange for their support in the war. They also promised the Jews their own country. However, after the war, Britain and France divided the Middle East by themselves wherein the former took control over Palestine. In conclusion, the British people had the upperhand in these events.

As a result, Britain started to control the Palestine area in 1917. Due to the Holocaust between 1941 and 1945 where six million Jews were killed, the survivors migrated to Palestine which the British allowed. But eventually, they stopped the people from coming. In 1948, Britain decided to leave the area and left the Jews and Palestinians to create countries of their own.

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UNITED NATIONS PARTITION PLAN

In 1947, the United Nations decided to release a partition plan regarding the country of Palestine. This plan suggested that they divide the area into three parts. 57% of the land became a Jewish State, 43% for the Arab-Palestinian State and the City of Jerusalem which is under international control.

The Jews accepted this decision and named their country Israel. This happened in 1948 where the new nation was born. However, the Arab countries didn't like this idea and rejected it which was why they started a war against Israelis.

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ARAB-ISRAELI WAR

•First Arab-Israeli War in 1948

It ended in 1949 wherein the Gaza Strip went to Egypt and the West Bank to Jordan. This resulted in the 1948 Palestinian Exodus where more than 700,000 Palestine people were forced to migrate out of their country and became refugees in other Arab countries.

•Second Arab-Israeli War in 1967

It is also called the June War or 6-day war. Israel won and they occupied the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Israelis started doing illegal settlements in the West Bank with the support of their government which goes against the UN Partition Plan.

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PEACE TALKS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization or PLO was formed. Their goal is for the Palestinians to have an independent country of their own.

In 1992, the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Robin recognized PLO and in return, the latter recognized Israel as a country.

Then, the 1993 Oslo Accords took place. It is a peace talk between Israel and PLO where the two mutually negotiated two-state solution. It resulted in the Palestine's limited self-governance in Gaza Strip and West Bank.

In 1994, the Prime Minister and the Palestinian National Authority President Yasser Arafat were awarded the Novel Peace Prize.

However, everything fell through when the Prime Minister was assassinated.

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THE CREATION OF HAMAS GROUP

In 1987, the Palestine formed the Hamas, a terrorist group who hated the PLO for being too secular. They boycott the election in 1996 and did suicide bombings in Israel.

In 2002, violent protests took place and more than 100 people died on the borders of both countries.

In 2006, they won the election against Fatah, a political party under PLO.

In 2007, the Fatah-Hamas Conflict or Battle of Gaza occurred. The Hamas took over Gaza and the PLO ruled the West Bank.

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NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL ATTACK AND ISRAEL'S COUNTERATTACK

The Hamas group executed a surprise land, sea and air attack in Israel, specifically in the Nova Music Festival which took place three miles from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. There were over 1,300 Israelis killed and over 150 people have been taken into Gaza as hostages.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that they are at war. They retaliated through Operation Iron Sword, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered. They cut the supplies of electricity, fuel, food and water for the "complete siege" of Gaza.

References:

https://youtu.be/CISbbt1x2dc?si=q_eh2Lkc8gaysjHm

https://youtu.be/ffRfIfGgjmw?si=JePdF0mVKLCaMJjj