HUM014 speech by Jethro Bodoso

Jethro James I. Bodoso (HUM014-A15)

To our highly respected administrators, esteemed faculty members, especially to our professor in Philippine literature in English, Prof. Joahna Eduarte, the one responsible for this simple yet very inspiring event, fellow schoolmates, guests and friends – a lovely afternoon to all.

I’m Jethro Bodoso of Humanities014 section A15 and I’m here in front of you to deliver a short glimpse on poetry.

Poetry

What is Poetry? “The best words in their best order” as defined by one of the legendary poets, Samuel Coleridge. Is it really true? Before I made my speech for today, someone asked me, “Are you starting to appreciate poetry?” A big question mark was left in my mind; I asked myself “do I really have the rights to talk here in front of you?” Before, I don’t really love Poems, for me “they’re just a bunch of words”. When I heard lines of words that are flowery, highfaluting and too emotive, I felt it’s so boring or corny, as most of the teenagers say. However, when I have my Humanities014 – Philippine Literature in English, I was really enlightened by the teachings of our professor.

The great poet, William Wordsworth, defines Poetry as “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility”. Poetry is really a written feeling of a Poet, it is full of emotion, that’s why we feel different every time we had read a Poem, and this feeling depends on the mood and tone of the Persona, the speaker in the Poem. Poetry also makes use of symbols that we can convert it to images in our minds, that is to make Poems more real, and more felt. Cirilo Bautista said, Poetry remains to be cheap, but priceless means of humanizing human beings, of making them aware of the truths and values necessary to fulfill their potentials”. After I heard that definition, I started to wonder about my current view in Poetry. I’m taking up Mechanical Engineering; I’m confused why do we need to have literature subjects? Now I know, it’s because “Literature humanizes” and just like what Bautista said it makes us aware of the truths and values necessary to fulfill our potentials. While for me, most of our subjects are so difficult, very stressful and gives us a headache all the time; however Poetry is there for us to have bright days and to give us time to relax our minds and rest for a while from our hectic schedules.

So asking me the same question earlier, right now, “Are you starting to appreciate Poetry?” I will answer, YES I do, and I now appreciate Poetry. Poetry requires rhyme, the matching of final sounds in two or more words; it is used to add a musical sound to our poems. So Poetry is not just a bunch of words, before you make a poem you need to consider lots of things. Bautista further discussed that good poem has rich of multiplicity of meanings, BUT must not contradict each other; it must sustain, strengthen and support each other.

I’m now recommending Poetry to everyone, Poetry is very cheap yet priceless, anyone can afford Poetry, and everyone is welcome to make Poems and put your feelings into a written output. I just want to react on what is happening in the reality, when we watch news, we saw that they are arguing about the “National Artists Award”, lots of critics said that those who received the award are not worthy, while the awardees contradict what they say. Do you see how they fight for their dignity and their talent, because they had given their 100% self in this area, so let us support all of them and try to put ourselves in their position. Once again, a pleasant afternoon and GOD bless us all.

Tanaga

Most of you might be confused by now, what is Tanaga??? Prof. Eduarte introduce us this kind of poetry, it is like a Philippine version of haiku. Tanaga is a type of short Filipino poem, consisting of four lines with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each line --- that is to say a 7-7-7-7 Syllabic verse, with an AAAA rhyme scheme. 7-7-7-7 syllabic verse means that each line should have only 7 syllables while AAAA rhyme scheme means that each last word of lines have rhymes, all of them should be identical in sound (aural rhyme) or in structure (visual rhyme). Traditional Tanagas don’t have titles, it should speak for themselves, most are handed down by oral history, and contain proverbial forms, moral lessons, and snippets of a code of ethics. Poets test their skills at rhyme, meter, or rhythmic structure of verse, and metaphor through the tanaga, not only because is it rhymed and measured, but also it exacts skillful use of words to create a puzzle that demands some kind of an answer. It is almost considered a dying art form, but is currently being revived by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and National Commission of the Arts. Poetry groups, like the PinoyPoets, have been promoting Filipino poetry in English; the vernacular is also advocating the spread of this art form.

Modern Tanagas still uses the 7777 syllable count, but rhymes range from dual rhyme forms. Modern Tanagas have an option to have titles. Because Tanagas are very hard to decipher, it’s too short and sometimes uses lots of symbols, so for us to have a clue on what that particular Tanaga is all about, we can have a title for it.

Lament for the littlest fellow

Playwright: Jethro James I. Bodoso (HUM014-A15)

Lament for the Littlest Fellow

Edith L. Tiempo

The littlest fellow was a marmoset.

He held the bars and blinked his old man’s eyes.

You said he knew us, and took my arms and set

My fingers around the bars, with coaxing mimicries

Of squeak and twitter. “Now he thinks you are

Another marmoset in a cage.” A proud denial

Set you to laughing, shutting back a question far

Into my mind, something enormous and final.

The question was unasked but there is an answer.

Sometimes in your sleeping face upon the pillow,

I would catch our own little truant unaware;

He had fled from our pain and the dark room of our

rage,

But I would snatch him back from yesterday and

tomorrow.

You wake, and I bruise my hands on the living cage.

Characters:

Marmoset

Wife

Husband

Scene 1: Zoo

[C: on the right part, is a big cage with a marmoset inside, while on the left part are the couple facing the cage]

Marmoset: (holding the bars of his cage while having eye-to-eye contact with the couple)

Husband: I think the marmoset knows us. Look he keeps on staring at us and keeps blinking his big wide eyes.

Wife: What are you saying? That this small creepy creature knows us? How? And why? (She’s now starting to get confuse on what her husband is saying)

Husband: (He holds his wife’s hands and forcefully put it around the bars)

Wife: (she’s now totally confused of what’s happening) Wait! What are you doing to me??? I’m not a marmoset to treat me like that! Stop it! Will you?

Marmoset: (makes lots of noises, coaxing mimicries of squeak and twitter, as if he’s having a party inside his cage because he now have a companion)

Husband: Now he thinks you are another marmoset in a cage.

Wife: What are you saying?! No! I’m not a marmoset! And never will!!! (Really confuse and problematic at this point, her forehead wrinkles because of lots of confusions)

Husband: (laughing at her, as if he’s bullying his own wife)

Wife: (“Why he’s telling me I’m a marmoset? Why he keeps on forcing me that I’m a marmoset? Oh no, I can’t really understand him.”)

[The couple will go home; however, the wife seems still in the zoo, because in her head she can’t erase the big question mark that her husband made.]

Scene 2: Bedroom

[C: They will now enter the room, walking ahead is the husband, followed by his wife, as if the husband is supreme over his wife. R: the cage with the marmoset inside, however, even though he’s at the stage, he’s no longer part of the next scenes, he is just inside the mind of the wife, STILL thinking why her husband told her that she’s a marmoset.]

Husband: (undresses himself, taking off his socks, shoes, accessories seriously, and just throw them around)

Wife: (helps her husband undressing himself, collecting all the scattered belongings of her husband, like his socks and shoes, as if she’s a slave working for him)

Marmoset: (quiet and just observing the actions of the couple)

[They are now going to bed, to have enough sleep, so the lights are dim, the sensuality and intensity of heat inside the room rise, because we all know they are married couples and they are currently enjoying their privacy]

Husband: (Taps “kinakalabit” his wife and asking for something. “Nangangalabit” means something different here; we all know what it is)

Wife: Please not now, I’m very tired due to long hours of our trip and side-seeing in the Zoo today. There’s still tomorrow, isn’t?

Husband: I WANT IT NOW… You can’t reject my request, you should obey me!

Wife: Please, I don’t want to argue with you tonight, we need to have rest.

Husband: No (now loosing his patience) you should not disobey me my littlest fellow, because you rejected what I’m asking from you, you’ll suffer the consequences! (Now acting as if he’s revenging to a person who did a terrible sin to him, because he now thinks that his masculinity was offended and his wife is now gaining superiority over him.)

[A large black cloth was raised to cover the entire stage and to block the next scenes]

Wife: (screaming due to pain because she was forced by her husband to do a sexual intercourse or “Marital Rape”)

Marmoset: (going crazy inside his cage, as if he also feels the pain of the wife)

[The cloth was being lowered slowly and then it will be completely removed.]

Husband: (as the cloth is being lowered the husband leaves the room for a while to attend his personal needs and to escape from what he had done)

[A very slow and gloomy instrumental music is being played, to made the feelings of sadness and pain of the wife more intense and to make it more realistic]

Wife: (is now at the center of the bed, her hair is disorganize and her clothes are scattered all over the room; crying and staring at the air, as if she’s crazy and out of her mind; covered with blanket and positioned like a baby, embracing her knees; due to the pain she suffered earlier)

Marmoset: (is now again quiet, but seems mourning or very sad and about to cry as if one of his family or another marmoset died or suffering to an injury)