Finally

One final exam down, one more to go before I finally have the second chapter of my well-deserved summer vacation. I'm really excited about that one. The thing I'm not really looking forward to, however, is my grades in the test that I just took in Literature. Boy, I was very unprepared! Thus, all the thoughts in my mind made up a gargantuan heap of brainless ideas resulting to the lack of organization and sensibility of my answers to the essay questions.

It all started because I did not have a book to guide me. I was supposed to buy one yesterday but my sister went home from my grandma's and told me she was going to the mall so I thought, "Why not let her buy the book for me?" Unfortunately, this was the beginning of my end. Somewhere in my big head, I already had anticipated that this plan would fail---and it did. I did not know what I was thinking back then; perhaps I had hoped that my sister wouldn't screw it up. But the heck, it was late and I was tired. I went back to my old self, the one with the battle cry: "Come what may."

Ha! Alas, the final exams were handed to us. As my fingertips felt the intermediate size bond paper graze dishearteningly, I touched my forehead, then the middle of my chest, left and right shoulder, asking for His guidance. I thought it helped out, because of the reason that I was able to answer all of the questions. But I hope that this divine intervention would transcend into the heart of Mrs. Benitez, that she may have the kindness (or the pity, whichever works) to give me a passing mark.

After the tedious exam, I managed to at least find time to write this post, to take my mind off of the prior events. Now I focus with Math, where I actually am doing well at. One more hurdle to overcome, and I FINALLY get to relax and have some me-time.

Whew

Looks like it wasn't the end of the world at all.

Outlook: May 21, 2011

Haven't written in here for a while, but I finally found some time now. Anyway, it's May 21, 2011---supposedly the end of the world. I'm still waiting for what's about to come, for "experts" in this much-celebrated incident claim that it would happen at exactly 6pm (or 2am of May 22 here in the Philippines.) There are a lot of theories regarding this day, whether it involves planetary alignment or biblical evidence. But regardless of all these explanations and taking into account that this event may not even happen at all, I can't help but to ask: What would I do if the world ended today? Or better yet, what's next?

Perhaps I should, before anything else, make a brief evaluation of how my life turned out to be. A lot of things flow endlessly into my thoughts when reminiscing about my whole life. Memories, although some of them just mere fragments now, from my childhood to my adolescence constantly affect my well-being.

My childhood, to say the least, was unorthodox. It was not your usual kiddie life, both from a personal and family-related standpoint. I hadn't had a lot of friends back then, so I sort of created some of my own. Yep, that's right, i had imaginary friends. "We" would go all night playing toys, doing karate, and pretending to be Power Rangers. They were, as I retrospectively think about it now, created because my parents were experiencing a lack of stability. They were facing a lot of problems and were always arguing, so they eventually decided to go separate ways. That is why I was very close to my grandma, but that's another story.

Then there was my high school experience, which happens to be the most memorable since it was more recent and proved to be a transition phase in my life. This part was where I found new friends, undergone puberty, and had the most fun. Also, I became a bit more conscious about how I looked during this phase, for in high school, image was everything. I lost weight and dressed better to get the girls. And indeed, I did get one and I'm proud to say that were still together for more than a year now, a feat that is relatively impressive considering how fast-paced life is in this generation.

Now that I am a certified young adult studying in college, I could say my life has been blessed with a lot of good things. My family isn't at all perfect, but they are always there whenever I am fazed by a difficult predicament and they never fail to make me laugh. My friends, who I've from time to time disappointed with my "I'm-not-exactly-sociable" attitude, have always been there to have fun with me and help me at times. I'd like to believe I'm healthy and happy with what I do, and compared to the other unfortunate people facing bigger problems in this society, I am one lucky bastard. I have made a lot of mistakes but with these, I have learned numerous lessons involving the ways to live, laugh, and love.

With the reminiscing out of the way, I would not really know what to do if the world ended today. To tell you the truth, I would probably just do nothing, because if you think about it, there really isn't any chance for anyone to survive if such a catastrophe occurred (which I hope would not, at least not yet.)

The mere mention of the inevitability of death in this situation brings about a new feeling: fear. Don't get me wrong, I've felt fear before, but with something as intimidating as this whole thing would yield the most imposing fear in me. I can imagine everyone having mixed feelings of grief, panic, confusion, and fear if this event must happen.

As of now however, people here in my community do not, in any way, show a sense of urgency. This "May 21, 2011" prophecy created a lot of noise, but not of the kind that involves the feelings I mentioned, but rather, signs of sarcasm, doubt, and satire. I overheard some people in the streets saying how ridiculous this whole thing is, how it would be an "epic fail." The world wide web feasted on this, saying on blogs, videos, or wall posts how they are waiting for something to happen. This transformation in the way of thinking of people is most probably brought about by the advancements of the world. Clearly, most of the people with knowledge of this prediction are not at all worried. But then again, can we blame them?

Suppose that the world did end today, at least I got to write this blog. And what may come next, no one knows. It's just about how this Day of Reckoning would present itself, if it ever would. The events that would or would not occur will definitely draw in a new outlook in life for me. If it would not happen, I hope to become a better person, whichever way. If it would, perhaps I would not even have a chance have an outlook.

P.S. Please don't end yet my dear Earth:)

Imagery and Intensity: An Analysis of Factory Town and Naturally

Most figures of speech shed a picture in a reader’s mind. These pictures created or suggested by the poet are called 'images'. To participate fully in the world of poem, a reader must understand how the poet uses imagery to convey more than what is actually said or literally meant.The poems discussed in this thesis, Naturally and Factory Town, employ vivid imagery to intensify the theme, which is the harsh condition of workers.
To be able to understand clearly, the two poems should be analyzed individually.
In Naturally, the persona of the poem is a rich man, as suggested by several lines in the poem including lines 9, “And I ride the Benz...” and line 19 “a quickquick highhigh lifelife.” This persona admits his wrongdoings against the workers, as he says in the first line how he “fears the workers” and later on describes why he does.
The first stanza mentions how these people “writhe in bristling grass and wormy mud: out with dawn, back with dusk; Depart with seed, and return with fat-busting fruit.” This describes the environment of the workers.
In the second stanza, a clearer description of the labor the workers carry out comes to play. Here it is shown how they labor even if they are experiencing “head-splitting noise and threatening saws” at “boiling point” and how they depend on “slimy cassava” and “age-rusty water taps” for energy.
In the third stanza, the workers manufacture a car, a Benz, as the persona rides on it with style, “festooned with striped tags and python copper coiling monsters.” The workers are seen to be clapping, which is a sign of fulfillment resulted by the manufactured car, but with “blistered hands.” This explains the toil they have done and how it affected their physical condition.
The fourth stanza gives a take on the workers’ shelter. Their “hives” are made out of “broken bones of fallen mates.” This line signifies that their refuge was probably passed on to them by their predecessors, who were probably also workers, their “mates.”The persona then “drones” in these “hives” and turns them into state-houses, colleges, and makes them official.
These four stanzas and the first two lines of the last stanza include the persona’s reaction towards these, how he “eats the fruit,” “rides in the Benz,” and even “whores their daughters.” A clear image of how he admits his actions.
The last stanza is where the reader sees the reason for the persona’s actions. He desires to have a “quickquick highhigh lifelife,” a life that is the exact opposite of the life of the workers, to “break the bond” between him and these people. All the actions mentioned now make sense because of this statement, he “fears” the workers because he knows what they are capable of.
Factory Town, similar to the first poem, also deals with the harsh conditions a worker faces. In lines 1-9, workers from a factory were “vomited” from their job, suggesting that they were probably expelled or not wanted anymore. The next lines showed imagery on how the workers felt after, “their feet whispered wearily,” “reaching for love.” Then in the next four lines, the workers are “in defiance of their fragmentary careers…with heavy hearts.” This could mean that they did not know what to do any more since they lost their jobs. In their hearts, they resist having incomplete careers.
Then, Bulosan gives a flashback of sorts in lines 14-25 as he states “the longest years of their (the workers’) lives,” the years when they were still working. Line 18 mentions that the workers, after the “whistle of four o’clock,” went “home heavy with fatigue and hunger and love.” This statement alone transpires as if the workers were treated like slaves, and they wanted to go home badly. Lines 23 to 24 adds more brutality to this, by using words like “serpent-like whip,” “bleeding,” “disease,” and “death.”
The remaing part of Factory Town shifts back to the present, showing perhaps new workers, the young man with “hands unsteady with nervousness,” and “the lengthening line of voiceless men.” Their future is somehow foretold in the last line, saying they “will never be men again,” possibly suggesting that these men would also be treated cruelly.
The descriptions mentioned in the two poems clearly represent the workers’ situation, be it physically and emotionally.
In the two poems, the environment is described intensely, with words referring to brutality or pain. An example of this would be in the poem Naturally, where the workers “writhe” in grass. The word “writhe” per se is a very negative connotation as it literally means to twist, as in pain. And to describe twisting in pain in an environment as gentle in people’s mind as grass would truly be saying a lot.
Another case is how the authors describe the physical well-being of the workers. In Factory Town, it was revealed how the workers would go home “heavy with fatigue.” This gives a hint of how these people were treated. But the more interesting thing is it was immediately followed by statements like “blocked the skies,” “black smokes,” and “serpent-like whip of life within bleeding, scarred with disease and death.” These images solidified the assumption that indeed, the workers were ill-treated.
But most importantly, the imagery found in the two poems create a view of how the workers are inferior in the society. In Bulosan’s poem, chimneys of the factory were described to be “gigantic,” which connotes power and superiority, while the men were said to be “voiceless,” which connotes weakness and inferiority.In Bukenya’s poem, the persona describes himself as a “drone,” which is a male bee which does not make honey in the workers’ “hives.” This presents a meaning that the persona is superior, and all the other workers in the “hives,” have to work for him.
The various images mentioned above clearly merge all the parts of the poem together and create a certain vibe of darkness, which is a direct representation of how the workers are treated in Naturally and Factory Town. With the theme intensified in the two poems, it is safe to say that without the various images found in them, all elements that constitute the poems would not be entirely effective.