Philippine Literature: Rich and Diverse, Evolved with History

Philippine Literature is a diverse and rich group of works that has evolved side-by-side with the country’s history. Literature had started with fables and legends made by the ancient Filipinos long before the arrival of Spanish influence. The main themes of Philippine literature focus on the country’s pre-colonial cultural traditions and the socio-political histories of its colonial and contemporary traditions. It is not a secret that many Filipinos are unfamiliar with much of the country's literary heritage, especially those that were written long before the Spaniards arrived in our country.

This is due to the fact that the stories of ancient time were not written, but rather passed on from generation to generation through word of mouth. Only during 1521 did the early Filipinos became acquainted with literature due to the influence of the Spaniards on us. But the literature that the Filipinos became acquainted with are not Philippine-made, rather, they were works of Spanish authors.

So successful were the efforts of colonists to blot out the memory of the country's largely oral past that present-day Filipino writers, artists and journalists are trying to correct this inequity by recognizing the country's wealth of ethnic traditions and disseminating them in schools through mass media.

Get quality help now

RhizMan

Verified writer

Proficient in: History

4.9 (247)

“ Rhizman is absolutely amazing at what he does . I highly recommend him if you need an assignment done ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

The rise of nationalistic pride in the 1960s and 1970s also helped bring about this change of attitude among a new breed of Filipinos concerned about the "Filipino identity." Philippine literature is written in Spanish, English, Tagalog, and/or other native Philippine Languages. Why do we need to study Philippine Literature?

Whatever nationality you are it is always very important to study the literature of your country.

In doing so you are not only learning about the historical aspects of your land, but you are also keeping alive the thoughts, beliefs and cultural variations of your ancestors that differentiate your country from the rest of the world. A country's literature also tells us about its civilization in a form other than straight fact.

World Literature

Assignement:
1. Sample of poem (short); five stanzas (min)
Ciquain-(Greek) 5 lines
Quatrain- 4 lines
Sestet- 6 lines
Octave- 8 lines
Two play -2 lines
*gist- summary

*Literature- (tag.) Panitikan
*Wika- (tag.) Balarila
*Pilipino writers- Filipinologist

Literature means:
1. Deals with the ideals, thoughts, and emotion’s of man. 2. Anything that is ever written.
3. (Greek) Litera- Letters
(French) Belles Leteres – Letters
4. It is the best form of understanding a human nature fully and to know a nation completely 5. We learn from the innermost feelings and thoughts of people. *Records of man’s experience consider as the story of man. *ideas- personal feelings, thoughts

*thoughts- usually think; product of the creativity of mind.

Kinds of literature:
Novel NovelletsSpeeches
LyricsEssays
PoemShort stories
MythsDrama
InstructionsMedical instructions

*Figurative of speech or figurative language
Ex: methapor
Literature means:
1. A faithful reproduction of life
Ex: dejavu- replication on that is happening in our life.
Why? because it is a product, complementary, and documentary of life processes. 2. It illuminates life
* Enlighten; inspiration
* Realization
* Pursuation
* Discovery
* Motivation
* Experiences
3. Life’s story including struggles, ideals, failures, sacrifices, and happiness. *ideals- norms; what we normally follow.
* Literary genre: fiction, non- fiction
4. Appeals to man’s higher thinking
- Reasoning, interpretation
5. Means emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and creative thinking. 6. Entertains and gives pleasures.
-happiness
-start to cry
- when we are motivated
7. One of the seven arts.
1. music, dance, theater, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature
2. divided into two: visual, performing

June 26, 2012
Qualities of good literature:
1. Artistry- if it appeals to your own sense of beauty.
- Debatable- different opinion
2. Intellectual value- when we start asking questions
- stimulates our mind to think
- stimulates thoughts and enriches mental life by contemplating
- start use of creative thinking.
3. Suggestiveness- suggest us to be imaginative
- Use of our imagination
4. Spiritual value- helps us to lift our spirit
- It elevates your spirit by bringing out more values
- following ethical standard of life
5. Permanence- it is read again and again
6. Universality- timeless and timely
* Timely – always applicable

Several ways of studying literature:
* It has thematic value – we learn from the theme
* It has its own topic , theme, and subject matter
* For entertainment value – to give pleasure
* For the richness of its plot
* Plot – the storyline
* For the comparison with other works
* We gain more ideas
* Dilution of granture- we start to imagine
* For the ideas it contains
* For its emotional power
* For the author’s unique use of language
* Unique use of language (ex: poem)
* Use of figurative language
* Reflection of life itself

Poetry means:
* Literary attempts to share a lot of personal experience and feelings * Subject matter poet personal life and people around it
* Disturbing insights or ideas
* Different understanding or interpretation
* The language is fresh, timely, and images.
* Gives reader delights

Basic definition of the poetry:
* Is a concentrated thoughts
* It is a kind of word music (lyrics)
* Expresses only senses
* Five senses:
* Visual-sightoptics
* Haptics tactile- touch
* Olfactory- smell
* Gustatory – taste
* Aural auditory –hearing
* Answers our demand for rhythm
* Observatory plus imagination