21 Century Literature: Unit II Philippine Literature From The Region

21st Century Literature
Unit II
Philippine Literature from the Region
What are the things we need to consider
before marrying?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• Jose Garcia Villa is a Filipino poet, critic,
short story writer and painter. He was
born on August 5, 1908 in Manila.
• He gained both local and international
recognition for his works.
• He was named as the National Artist for
Literature in 1973, and was also a
recipient of Guggenheim Fellowship.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• During his college years, he wrote Man Songs, a collection of controversial poems
that was considered too bold by the University of the Philippines and became the
ground for his suspension from the said institution.
• Some of his well-known literary works are “Mir-i-nisa” (won in the Philippines
Free Press in 1929), and “Footnote to Youth” (published in 1933).
• He used the pseudonym Doveglion, which is derived from dove, eagle, lion.
• He died on July 7, 1997.
VOCABULARY WORDS
1. TREMOLOUS - trembling
2. AWE - reverential fear or wonder
3. RESENTMENT - indignant or bitter
feelings
4. FIDGET - to move or act restlessly
5. VIRILITY - vigorous or strong
6. QUERULOUS - complaining or peevish
AN ANALYSIS
• In Jose Garica Villa’s Footnote to Youth, he
tackles the responsibilities and realities that
come with marriage and the family life. In
it, he narrates the story of Dodong, wherein
we are introduced to Dodong when he is
seventeen and seeking to marry his love
Teang.
An Analysis:
• A footnote is simply defined as a note at the foot of the page. It is often used to
give additional information to the reader regarding certain words or phrases in the
text.
• And yet the author includes no actual footnotes in the story. As such, Jose Garcia
Villa is obviously trying to put forth certain themes and messages regarding youth
and life through the use of a short story.
• The message that comes forth to the reader through the reading of the story, then,
is what we may refer to as his footnote.
• However, an interesting alternative suggestion may lie within the story itself,
particularly with the worm depicted in the story. The worm is described as blindly
marching towards Dodong’s foot, which is exactly how we could also describe
Dodong and his choices in this story.
SETTING:
The story is set in a regular Filipina family with
traditional value system and beliefs. The characters are
representative of the culture of the place and the
relationships stay honest to the authentic reality of the
time and place.
SYMBOLISM
The story symbolizes youth as overzealous and
emotional. It is an age of rash decisions and
unstoppable desires. On the other hand, marriage
and middle age are symbolized with responsibilities,
anxiety and regrets. The family structure is designed
to alleviate such anxiety and build a platform for
mutual understanding and care.
CONFLICT
• There is friction between two generations: the old traditions
and young aspirations. This conflict is heightened because of
lack of clear communication and understanding.
• The story depicts the same between Dudong and his father
and later between Dudong and his son. The obstinacy of
youth and the resolution of the past generations are shown to
confront each other at various points in the story.
MESSAGE
The clear message of the story is the need
for calm and patience before making life-
altering decisions. It encourages the young
to not let hormones and emotions get the
better of them and then rue the
consequences.
MESSAGE
It calls attention to the longevity of life and
not letting youthful mistakes become the
burden of old age. It also speaks about the
trials of marriage and that it demands
sacrifices which one should be willing to
offer if the marriage is based on trust and
love.
THEMES
Family
Love and Desire
Responsibilities
Trust
Youth
Further Reading
FAMILY
• The story depicts how the family
makes a decision after consultation
and deliberation. It speaks about
young people discussing their wishes
with their elders and asking for
permission and guidance. This
tradition is also under assault as every
individual wants to follow his/her own
desire and that happens both in the
case of Duding and Blas
LOVE AND DESIRE
• The characters highlight the strength
of l0nging that can alter our
perceptions of reality. We all need
companionship and love and end up
making emotional decisions to
acquire the same. Irrespective of age
and maturity, we end making
decisions governed by our need for
love and desire than based on reason
RESPONSIBILITIES
• The characters learn that
discharging one’s responsibilities
at various phases of life is not as
easy as it may seem at first. As
young people we may overlook
this fact but we cannot escape
such responsibilities when we
become part of a family and have
children.
RESPONSIBILITIES
• The same happened with Teang
and Dudong who realize that their
decision was rushed and
immature. They both recognize
the enormity of a marital decision
and that one should reach a
particular age to consider taking
up such a huge responsibility.
TRUST
• Even in tough situations what
people count upon is the trust of
their loved ones. The same is
true for Teang and Dudong. They
experience a complete
transformation of life together
as they build a family together.
TRUST
• Both of them carry certain regrets
and in the case of Teang, she even
considers the prospect of marrying
Lucio. However, even when they
have doubts, they remain loyal
and committed to each other.
They always find their way back to
each other no matter how trying
the situations.
YOUTH
• The central theme of the story is
around the excitement of youthful
age. Dudong, Teang, Tena and
Blas, all are driven by youthful
energy and are captivated by such
desires. They are oblivious to the
serious side of life as they think
marriage is all find and play.
YOUTH
• The reality is that when we are young
we often lack the maturity and
patience to think deeply about our
decisions. Such haste often ends up
becoming regrets which we have to
endure for the rest of our lives. Hence,
the big lesson is to be patient and
reflect on our choices before make life
long or long term decisions like
marriage etc.

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