Rhea is a self-confessed harry potter addict..=) She is the modern nerd of the group.. Studious but always on the go!... Her wit and charm are considered as her best assets.
Favorite expression: "kaya yan"
LITERARY ANALYSIS OF THE THEME OF “MOONLIGHT”
By: Rhea D. Bueno
In the short story “Moonlight,” Guy de Maupassant writes about the beauty of love which Abbe Marignan fails to see and understand by using Moonlight as its symbolic figure.
In his reflections, Abbe Marignan habitually asks, “Now, why has God done that?” The priest’s quest for an answer mirrors the shadow of his doubts about the will of God and his blindness on the purpose behind that will.
Guy de Maupassant develops the theme around the character of Abbe Marignan who also grows as the story reaches its peak and his skepticisms gone. This internal conflict of the central character is effective in bringing out the author’s purpose of communicating to the readers the will of God for love to prevail among His people. Thereby, opposition to that commandment is a manifestation of enmity to God Himself.
Oftentimes, we think that we already know well enough about life and our existence. This supposition leads to a predominant feeling of indifference towards the principles of other people.
This situation is accentuated in the short story “Moonlight” with Abbe Marignan as the single preeminent character.
Guy de Maupassant effectively used the moonlight to describe the attributes of true love which lies hidden in the dark not until someone who has an earnest desire, search for it.
Just as the flowers bloom on spring time, and so is love between two individuals when the time is ripe for it to be nurtured.
This concept of love is elucidated in the magnificence of moonlight at night (…with the enchantment of the moonlight) which is not noticed by many but for the few who understand its significance, it means not just personal bliss but helping God in accomplishing His purpose-for us to understand and appreciate the beauty of love.
HISTORICAL-BIOGRAPHICAL CRITICISM OF “THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO”
By: Rhea D. Bueno
There were many incidents in the life of Edgar Allan Poe which may help us understand the story “The Cask of Amontillado.”
The story is about Montresor and Fortunato. Montresor, who is the speaker in the story, is described as a deranged man who seeks revenge for the insults he received from Fortunato, a well-known man who drank too much.
This story was probably conceptualized by Edgar Allan Poe upon hearing the duel between Lieut. Robert F. Massie and Captain Green wherein the latter killed Lieut. Massie in a sword fight because of his dislike to him. In this account, we can say that Poe used the incident between the two officers as the basis of the whole story. In addition, this duel will also lead us to the idea that Poe used the two central characters in the story-Montresor and Fortunato, as a personification of the two officers.
Looking at the first part of the story, Montresor said that he had received thousand injuries and the last one, an insult from Fortunato. Careful reading of the story will make the readers understand what this insult is—that Fortunato prides himself of his connoisseurship in wine which insulted Montresor for he, himself is a wine expert.
On the last part of the story, Montresor said that “It was not the cry of a drunken man,” this alone will tell us that Fortunato is completely aware of what Montresor is doing to him, and which therefore proves that he is not completely drunk.
Considered as the master of suspense, “The Cask of Amontillado” is another product of Edgar Allan Poe’s brilliance, a story in the horror genre which is creatively told in the first person point of view. This suspense is elucidated in the following lines: “A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back.”
Lastly, the title tells much about Poe. The imagery of wine created by ‘Amontillado’ refers to the alcoholism of Edgar Allan Poe himself. The ‘casket’, on the other hand, may refer to the barrels of wine before which are usually deposited in catacombs, a characteristic which can be attributed to the early times.
A CRITICISM OF JOSE JASON L. CHANCOCO’S “KU TURION SI KULAKOG” USING PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH
By: Rhea D. Bueno
The Bicolano children’s story entitled “Ku Turion si Kulakog” by Jose Jason L. Chancoco has underlying psychological considerations built on Filipino culture and tradition. These psychological issues are manifested by the characters in the story, particularly by the central character Bornok in his attitude toward circumcision (a procedure in which some or the entire foreskin from the penis is removed).
The story commences in a specific season: Summer, the time in the Philippines when young boys are circumcised, traditionally on Holy Saturday (Sabado de Gloria). This is followed by Bornok’s excitement and happiness for the coming of summer which signifies the end of the school term. Apparently, this kind of attitude is common among children of Bornok’s age because it would mean more time for playing with friends and a relief from school works. However, it is noticeable in the subsequent paragraphs that Bornok exhibits anxiety when his father told him to get circumcised the following day (“Biglang nagpundung magkaun si Bornok, nagdakulu pati su mag mata”). This behavior is understandable among young boys who are about to undergo the ritual which is viewed in the Philippines as a pre-adolescent or adolescent rite of passage. This fear is usually rooted at the thought of the barber’s blade (labaha), the wooden contraption carved from a branch of the guava tree and the tormenting pain associated with it.
Another interesting reality stressed in the story is the strong influence of the parents to their child’s motivation. When Bornok was threatened that Kulakog (a fictitious man who is believed to carry off a boy who doesn’t want to be circumcised) might get him if he refuse to undergo the ritual, he eventually submitted to his father’s advice, an act that any child will do in the verge of fear. Bornok’s decision to be circumcised was further established with a word from his mother that Dr. Handi Ong (the physician who will perform the procedure on Bornok) has ‘powers’ against kulakog, a manifestation of the perception that children take their parents’ words as “gospel truth.”
Furthermore, the story emphasizes the prevalence of a tightly knit peer group among children which is known as ‘barkada’ in the Philippines. This is evident in the friendship of Bornok, Kokoy and Tolongges. It is apparent in their attitudes that they are proud to undergo circumcision despite their fear of Tsong Iyat (the town barber). A psychological explanation for this is that circumcision is associated with factors such as masculinity, social cohesion with boys of the same age and self-identity. Therefore, when a boy refuses to adhere to such cultural norm, he ordinarily feels a deep sense of shame, a realization that he has not lived up to the standards of the society. This leads children to abandon their anxieties and conform to such kind of ‘genital mutilation’ practice on children.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE POEM “THE POISON TREE” USING STRUCTURALISM AND DECONSTRUCTION
By: Rhea D. Bueno
A careful reading of the poem “The Poison Tree” by William Blake will lead us to breakdown our analysis in three stages: verbal, textual and linguistic.
In the verbal stage, it is essential to look at the contradictions, paradox and metaphors used in the poem. In the first stanza, the author used three pairs of contradictory ideas. When he told his wrath, his wrath ended. Interestingly, when he did not tell about it, his wrath grew instead. Another apparent contradiction is the substitution of ‘foe’ to the word ‘friend’ which is one of the persona’s ways of telling the readers that his foe had been his friend once. Additionally, in the second stanza, the author used another contradiction: watered and sunned. In biology, water and sun are the two most important things that a plant needs in order to grow. Evidently, the author tries to convey how his anger continually grows as he tries to ‘keep his fears and tears’ within him. This situation further illustrates how he maintains and seems to nurture his anger unconsciously.
On the other hand, if we look at the title of the poem “The Poison Tree,” we can say that it is a paradox because of the words ‘poison’ and ‘tree.’ A poison signifies something which is extremely harmful and can lead to an unfortunate incident (worst is death) while a tree is generally known as the symbol for life. This paradox complements the emotions of the author himself—how he manages to smile despite the burning anger inside him.
The textual analysis of the poem will lead us to look at the rhyme scheme employed which is AABB, CCDD, EEFF, GGHH. This interesting pattern illustrates the author’s own style in communicating his ideas and feelings to the readers.
Finally, these observations will form the bases of the linguistic stage which is concerned with the interpretation of the poem. The binary oppositions mentioned above along with it is paradoxical title can make us conclude how the persona’s anger is associated to a tree. Clearly, anger continually grows like a tree if it is kept. However, if it is shown (which means being true to yourself), it easily ends.
Also, the last stanza of the poem is significant in justifying its title and revealing its message: (And into my garden stole, when the night had veild the pole…) The persona’s foe had finally found out about his anger which was kept for a long time behind ‘smiles and ‘deceitful wiles’. This realization brought gladness to the persona because it’s like freeing a bird from its cage and finally letting it fly over and away from you.
A GENRE CRITICISM OF THE POEM “DAFFODILS” BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
By: Rhea D. Bueno
The poem “Daffodils” revolves around the subject of nature and its unsurpassed beauty which are oftentimes missed by some people because of their busy lives. This message is communicated to us by Wordsworth through the use of figures of speech, continuous rhyme scheme and other symbolisms which all help the readers unravel the beauty of the poem.
If we take a look at its structure, the poem has a continuous rhyme scheme throughout (ABABCC, DEDEFF, GHGHII, JKJKLL) which is parallel to the seemingly unending expression of emotions in the poem.
The use of figures of speech is also noticeable in the first two stanzas of the poem. In the first line “I wondered lonely as a cloud…”, the use of simile and personification is evident. The poet assumes himself to be a cloud is a simile because of the use of as. On the other hand, when he imagined himself floating over the valleys and hills (as a cloud), he employs personification. In the second stanza, the poet claims that he saw ten thousand daffodils at a glance (Ten thousand saw I at a glance) which is a form of hyperbole. Alliteration is also apparent in the second line of the first stanza (…that floats on high o’er vales and hills). These figures of speech seem to give us a picture of the beauty of our nature which are overlooked by some.
The poet also made use of imagery (lakes, fields, trees, stars) to describe the daffodils. He even compared them to the Milky Way which is vast and magnificent.
Finally, the poem with its title “Daffodils,” convey the arrival of the spring season which can be associated to joy and tranquility brought by the beauty of nature. The poet then seems to communicate how this phenomenon is neglected by some because of their preoccupations in life.
nice rhea..+)
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