FATHER SATURNINO URIOS UNIVERSITY

San Francisco St. Butuan City 8600, Region XIII Caraga, Philippines
Tel. Number 085-34130001 local 4853

CUENCA, April Tom O.

MIDTERM EXAM
REACTION PAPER ON ANGELA MANALANG GLORIA’S POEM ENTITLED
TO THE ONE I MARRIED

Angela Manalang Gloria’s poem, entitled “To the Man I Married,” is a pre-war poem that
metaphorically articulates how the speaker manifests her love for her husband by comparing her
need for him to her own need for the earth. The poem is an amalgamation of English and Italian
sonnet as it consists of both an octave and a sestet. The first part of the poem followed the
traditional form of an English sonnet as the speaker shares her profound feelings for her
husband. In contrast, the second part highlights only two quatrains and focuses on the couplet
to condense the message as the poem grows shorter. The poem starts with the speaker
addressing her husband as “her earth and all that earth implies,” which ultimately means that he
is everything to her. This claim alerts the readers to a metaphorical notion that her husband is
her earth which is the planet on which she lives. Because her husband is her earth, the speaker
declares that her need for the earth entails implications. The speaker then implies that her
husband supplies her necessities for life, including the air that she breaths, the fertile soil where
food grows, and the gravity that anchors her on the ground. Her husband strengthens her by
sharing his prosperity, devotion, and passion for her, just as the earth delivers the
aforementioned sustaining commodities. Even though the speaker and her husband have a solid
and fruitful relationship, the speaker asserts that their closeness is not enough to satisfy all her
needs as an individual because her needs also extend to the sky. The speaker clarifies that her
necessity for the sky does not diminish her love and appreciation for her husband because she
needs him no less than she needs the sky. Although her husband is her earth metaphorically,
the speaker cannot compare her love for him to the ocean as “no such love and no such ocean
can ever be.” The poem closes with the speaker declaring that she can only love her husband
finitely, the same way waves keep crashing against the shore, as those waves reflect “the blue
of everlasting skies.”

One of my reactions to the poem was realizing that we can be attached or married to
someone essential to our existence. The poem revolves around the fact that the husband is the
one that completes the speaker’s whole-being and someone that she cannot lose and live
without. I believe that we are a whole, complete person ourselves and do not need another
person to complete us. However, when we find the right person, we become more fulfilled
individuals. I believe this is the reason why the speaker says that her husband ‘completes’ her.
Just as her husband provides her with the necessities to live, such as air and water, he also
completes her by allowing her to become the person she wants to be. It helped me understand
that to complete someone, we have to let them be themselves and evolve into the individual they
aspire to be.
 Furthermore, I am amazed by how the poem empowers women as it debunks all the
norms or beliefs about women's roles in marriage. In our country, it is a common belief that
women should fully submit to their husbands to the extent that they are not allowed to think for
themselves; however, the speaker refutes this idea. Even though her husband has given her
everything she needs, the speaker tells him that she still yearns for the aspirations that she has
abandoned for the marriage. In the poem, the speaker clearly depicts that women should not
devote all of their time to their husbands and that marriage should not stop women from pursuing
their dreams and aspirations. The poem emphasizes the fact that love should not be restrictive
but rather should be supportive.

Even though the speaker stated that her love is only finite as it cannot compare to the
boundless sea, she clarifies this issue by reassuring her husband that her love for him is not less
than her ambition for more extraordinary things. With this, I was reminded that we all have
limitations as human beings, and the only person who can love beyond measure is our creator,
Jesus Christ. I agree with the speaker’s statement that love is finite because, after all, love, like
everything that exists in the universe, is finite. It’s finite in time as there will always be an end,
and it is limited in capacity as we cannot love an infinite number of people at the same time.
Every time we love, it is its own contained emotion and expression for that individual. I believe
that it does not get replaced with another love or new love. Love will fade and disappear on its
own, or it will continue to thrive and remain strong depending on our commitment and passion
for loving that person. The number of people we can love is infinite; however, the extent of how
much of ourselves we can offer to the person we love is finite as our human capacity to love has
limitations. Even though love has boundaries, the poem addresses this issue by presenting the
idea that lasting love is a partnership (as both parties should have an equal voice on all decisions
in the relationship) and a work in progress. To achieve it, both partners must do their part and
help each other.

In conclusion, I would recommend this poem to everyone that believes that love is a
partnership and that it can bind our energies and allow us to offer more to the people we love. I
would also recommend this poem to engaged couples as this poem can guide their vows to each
other and help them understand the value of supporting each other in marriage to make their
love last forever.

References:

Ideal, S. (2013, July 13). To the Man I married by Angela MANALANG-GLORIA (Filipino translation and
analysis ). Retrieved March 20, 2021, from http://worn-ideals.blogspot.com/2013/07/to-man-i-married-
by-angela-manalang.html
 MIDTERM EXAM
REACTION PAPER ON MANUEL ESTABILIO ARGUILLA’S SHORT STORY ENTITLED
HOW MY BROTHER LEON BROUGHT HOME A WIFE

Manuel Estabilio Arguilla’s short story, entitled “How My Brother Leon Brought Home a
Wife,” is a widely anthologized short story and is the main story in the collection “How My Brother
Leon Brought Home a Wife and Other Stories,” that won first prize in the Commonwealth Literary
Contest in 1940. This short story focused on how the brother of Baldo (known as Leon in the
tale) brought home his wife named Maria. The story was set during the 1930s at Nagrebcan, La
Union, where the author was born and raised. When reading the story, you will immediately
recognize the writer's love for his hometown as evocative imagery was evident in his description
of the beauty in Nagrebcan. The story starts with a short but direct description of Maria. “She
stepped down with delicate grace. She was lovely, tall; her nails were long but not painted,
fragrant like a morning when papayas are in bloom with a small dimple on her right cheek.” The
following paragraphs of the story sprang other descriptions of Baldo about Maria, and the
narrative is primarily based on whatever Maria looks, touches, sees, or does. In the story, Leon
and Maria face many challenges along the way as they took a somewhat surprising route back
home. The diversion was meant as a test for the father to see if Maria could accept the reality of
living in the countryside and endure the sacrifices she has made to meet her new family. As they
were getting closer to home, Maria was reminded that the countryside is different from the city,
which can be daunting; however, her fears did not stop her. She was able to appreciate her new
home's beauty and overcome her fears to be happy with Leon at his home. Upon arriving at
home, Maria was worried if Leon’s family will accept her despite her social status in life. The
story ends with Leon’s father asking Baldo questions about Maria and finally seeing her for what
she is. The story conveys how true love can surmount all challenges and that love conquers all.

One of my reactions to the poem is realizing that we should never judge a person by their
appearance or status in life. When Baldo first saw Maria, he was astonished as she was different
from them because she had a fancy name and a charming, beautiful appearance. “I knew then
that he had always called her Maria and that to us all she would be Maria; and in my mind, I said
‘Maria’ and it was a beautiful name.” Baldo thought that Maria would never accept and adjust to
their way of living in the countryside as she was accustomed to her comfortable life in the city.
However, despite the diversion and the test, Baldo’s family finally understood that Maria indeed
is a kind-hearted person and proved worthy of their recognition and approval as a new family
member. I believe that our social class in society should not define us and definitely should not
be a barrier in marriage. After all, love breaks down boundaries as true love means accepting
and embracing a person for who they truly are.
 In addition, the adversaries that Maria has overcome in the story taught me that no matter
how challenging circumstances and trials may come in a relationship, we should be ready to do
anything for the people we love. In this liberated world, having a solid and lasting relationship is
hard to find as people tend to understand one another at the beginning, but as things get worse,
people tend to focus on the mistakes, which quickly leads to separation. As Filipinos, we value
true love so much to the point that we willingly turn to sacrifice and withstand hardships just to
make ourselves and other people happy. If challenges and trials quickly destroy a relationship,
it is not true love, as true love should stand firm amid trouble. For me, Maria’s passion for Leon
was authentic and genuine because she was prepared to sacrifice anything just to be with him.
If we sincerely value and love someone, we should be ready to offer anything in our lives and
conquer obstacles that may come our way.

Furthermore, I noticed that our Filipino characteristics, values, and beliefs were revealed
throughout the story. When it comes to marriage or dating, it is a Filipino custom to meet the
family as a person’s relationship with their partner’s family will never last long without the family’s
approval and trust as Filipinos are very tough to impress. The very fact that Maria was able to
surpass the test is proof that she loves Leon dearly and is worthy of being his wife. Maria was
ready to give up things just to be happy with Leon, which reveals another common Filipino trait:
contentment. Filipinos are one of the happy people in the world because we know that happiness
is the essence of a life well-lived and derive happiness from the contentment of living a simple
life. Like the people living in the province, I believe Baldo’s family was content with their simple
life. Their joy of having a simple life reminded me that we should be happy with what we have,
no matter how little or abundant it is, as contentment makes us more appreciative and acceptant,
which are the qualities that Maria portrayed in the story.

In conclusion, I feel renewed after reading this short story as it taught me that we should
respect and accept one’s life and be willing to make sacrifices for the people we love. Ultimately,
it reminded me that social status should not be a hindrance if you genuinely love a person. I
would recommend this story to everyone because there are a lot of moral lessons that can help
them become a better person.

References:

Adofina, J., Endon, D., & Reyes J., (2013). A report on how my brother Leon brought home a wife. Retrieved
March 3, 2015 from http://www.slideshare.net/sicachi/how-my-brother-leon-brought-home-a-wife-28707267

Seasite NIU Edu. (n.d.). American colonial literature By MANUEL E Arguilla. Retrieved March 21, 2021, from
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Literature/Short%20Stories/How%20My%20Brother%20Leon%20
Brought%20Home%20A%20Wife.htm