Ang “Banaag at Sikat” ni Lope K. Santos

(Halaw sa sulat ni Nueva Mia Vida at Lope Bagtas)

Ang nobelang Banaag at Sikat ay itinuturing na isang muhon sa literaturang Pilipino, dahil ito ang kauna-unahang nobela sa Tagalog na tumalakay sa pag-ibig, pamilya, at sosyo-ekonomyang mga isyu mula sa punto de bista ng isang manunulat na may panlipunang kamalayan.
Ang tagpuan ng kwento ay sa Maynila noong 1906 kung saan makikita ang isang lipunang nasa krisis. Paglaon ng kwento, ang natuklasang bagong ideolohiyang sosyalismo ang gagamot sa mga sakit ng lipunan.
Si Delfin (ang bidang tauhan) ay isang mahirap na peryodista. Yakap niya ang ilang sosyalistang ideya kaugnay ng unyonismo at makauring pakikibaka. Si Felipe naman ay isang anak mayaman, radikal bagamat tipong anarkista. Nakatakdang ikasal si Delfin kay Meni, na anak ng isa sa pinakamayaman sa Maynila. Si Felipe naman ay may gusto sa mahiyaing si Tentay, anak ng isang manggagawa.
Pero magsasalubong ang kanilang mga buhay at mapopokus ang istorya kay Delfin at Meni. Nagkagustuhan ang dalawa. Naging malaking eskandalo ito sa mga mayayaman, laluna nang mabuntis si Meni. Dahil dito'y napahiya nang husto ang kanyang amang si Don Ramon. Inalisan ng pamana si Meni at lumipad si Don Ramon papuntang Amerika. Duon ay napatay siya ni Tikong, isang katulong na may matinding galit sa kanya. Babaligtarin sana ng pamilya ang desisyon ng ama para ibalik ang mana ni Meni pero sa kundisyong iiwan niya ang kanyang asawang si Delfin. Pero tumanggi si Meni. Ipinaglaban nina Meni at Delfin ang kanilang pag-ibig. Nagtapos ang kwento sa madamdaming pagtatalumpati ni Felipe hinggil sa napipintong pagbagsak ng burgesya.
Tunghayan natin ang pag-uusap sa pagitan nina Don Ramon, Delfin at Felipe:
"Nagpapasalamat po ako (ni Delfin), ang malumanay na pasimula na tugon--na magkaroon ng mga katalong gaya ninyo: matatanda, marami nang araw na naranasan, lupang natuntungan at bagay na napagkita. Abot ko rin naman ang aking kakaunti pang nalalaman ay hindi sukat upang sa inyo'y makapagpabagong akala.
Dalawang panahon po tayo: kayo ang kahapon, at kami ang bukas: dito sa ngayon tayo nagkatagpo, kaya ang nakita at nakikita na lamang ang mapagpapatakaran ng mga paghahaka natin, at ang hindi pa nakikita, ay hindi. Ang kahapo'y inyung-inyo, ang ngayo'y inyo pa rin, at kung bagaman may bahagi kami sa ngayon, ay munti lamang marahil. Nguni't inyo na sanang ipagparaya sa mga bata ang paghahanda ng bukas na hindi na inyo kundi amin.
Masasabi nga ninyong ang bayang manggagawa natin ay hindi pa binabagayan ng mga aral ng sosyalismo, dahil sa makaliligalig lamang sa kanila, kung sa bagay ay mga makapupong buti sa kalagayan ng manggagawang Aleman, Pranses, Kastila at iba pa. Ngunit, kailan pa ihahanda ang Pilipino upang may lakas na maisagupa sa nagbabala sa kanyang bagong-panahon ng mga malalaking pagawaan o gran industria? Antayin pa ba naming matatag na muna rito sa Pilipinas ang mga puhunang dayo, matibag na ang mga bunduk-bundok na mina at mapasukan ng mga makina ang lahat ng mga paggawa niyang ikinabubuhay ngayon? Talagang hindi pa nga nalalaman ng manggagawang Pilipino kung ano ang tinatawag na sosyalismo; kaya naman itinuturo namin. Kami'y may mga sadyang papulong na idinaraos at dinadaluhan ng ilang mga manggagawang hirang lamang. Ang katuturan ng sosyalismo ay di namin kinakain, ni ipinakakain nang buo, kundi unti-unti. Ang aming pagsasapi-sapi ay hindi nagtuturo sa manggagawa ng katamaran, kundi ng pag-uusig ng kanyang karapatan sa nagagawa.
Hindi kailangan sa amin ang bumaba pa ang halaga ng mga upahan ng pagpapagawa, kung gaya man lamang sa Belhika, sa Inglatera, sa Alemanya, sa Amerika, ay may mga kaluwagan sanang napapakinabang sa bayan ang manggagawa. Mayroon man lamang sana ritong mga sadyang kautusang nagtatanggol at nagkakalinga sa kanila kung naaapi't napapahamak; mga utos na nagbabawal sa masagwang pagtataas ng halaga ng mga unang kailangan ng mahirap, at iba pa. Gayon din kung dito disi'y may mga sadyang dagisunan ang mahihirap na mga tindahan at tahanang mura at libangang walang bayad ni katalunan.
Dito, na halos ang lahat na iya'y wala, ano ang ikapagsasabi ninyong magaang-magaan na ang buhay ng manggagawang Pilipino kaysa iba?
Saanman, may mamumuhunan at manggagawa, maylupa at magsasaka, panginoon at alila, mayaman at dukha, ang mga aral ng sosyalismo ay kailangan; sapagka't diyan kailanman namumugad ang pagkaapi ng mahihina at pagpapasasa ng iilan sa dugo ng karamihan. Dito kaya sa ati'y wala ng mga ito?" (May karugtong...)

Noli Me Tangere Synopsis

Dr. Jose Rizal

A Biographical Sketch BY TEOFILO H. MONTEMAYOR

JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished families.
His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal called "a model of fathers," came from Biñan, Laguna; while his mother, Teodora Alonzo y Quintos, a highly cultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal called "loving and prudent mother," was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila. At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write, he already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family and relatives by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he wrote a Tagalog poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on the love of one’s language. In 1877, at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of "excellent" from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In the same year, he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas, while at the same time took courses leading to the degree of surveyor and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He finished the latter course on March 21, 1877 and passed the Surveyor’s examination on May 21, 1878; but because of his age, 17, he was not granted license to practice the profession until December 30, 1881. In 1878, he enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop in his studies when he felt that the Filipino students were being discriminated upon by their Dominican tutors. On May 3, 1882, he sailed for Spain where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. On June 21, 1884, at the age of 23, he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine and on June 19,1885, at the age of 24, he finished his course in Philosophy and Letters with a grade of "excellent."
Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22 languages. These include Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other native dialects. A versatile genius, he was an architect, artists, businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, opthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist, psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian.
He was an expert swordsman and a good shot. In the hope of securing political and social reforms for his country and at the same time educate his countrymen, Rizal, the greatest apostle of Filipino nationalism, published, while in Europe, several works with highly nationalistic and revolutionary tendencies. In March 1887, his daring book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of the Spanish clergy, was published in Berlin; in 1890 he reprinted in Paris, Morga’s SUCCESSOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS with his annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilization worthy to be proud of even long before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil; on September 18, 1891, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, his second novel and a sequel to the NOLI and more revolutionary and tragic than the latter, was printed in Ghent. Because of his fearless exposures of the injustices committed by the civil and clerical officials, Rizal provoked the animosity of those in power. This led himself, his relatives and countrymen into trouble with the Spanish officials of the country. As a consequence, he and those who had contacts with him, were shadowed; the authorities were not only finding faults but even fabricating charges to pin him down. Thus, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago from July 6, 1892 to July 15, 1892 on a charge that anti-friar pamphlets were found in the luggage of his sister Lucia who arrive with him from Hong Kong. While a political exile in Dapitan, he engaged in agriculture, fishing and business; he maintained and operated a hospital; he conducted classes- taught his pupils the English and Spanish languages, the arts.
The sciences, vocational courses including agriculture, surveying, sculpturing, and painting, as well as the art of self defense; he did some researches and collected specimens; he entered into correspondence with renowned men of letters and sciences abroad; and with the help of his pupils, he constructed water dam and a relief map of Mindanao - both considered remarkable engineering feats. His sincerity and friendliness won for him the trust and confidence of even those assigned to guard him; his good manners and warm personality were found irresistible by women of all races with whom he had personal contacts; his intelligence and humility gained for him the respect and admiration of prominent men of other nations; while his undaunted courage and determination to uplift the welfare of his people were feared by his enemies.
When the Philippine Revolution started on August 26, 1896, his enemies lost no time in pressing him down. They were able to enlist witnesses that linked him with the revolt and these were never allowed to be confronted by him. Thus, from November 3, 1986, to the date of his execution, he was again committed to Fort Santiago. In his prison cell, he wrote an untitled poem, now known as "Ultimo Adios" which is considered a masterpiece and a living document expressing not only the hero’s great love of country but also that of all Filipinos. After a mock trial, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with varied activities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who treat him as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan Field.

Noli Me Tangere:The Synopsis

Crisostomo Ibarra is the heir of a wealthy clan. He returns to the Philippines after studying for seven years abroad. He hears news/gossip about the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra. Don Rafael was sent to prison in connection with the death of a tax collector. Since Don Rafael stopped receiving holy communion for a long time, he was refused a Catholic/Christian burial by Padre Damaso, the parish priest of their town.
Crisostomo (let's just call him Ibarra from hereon) sees the lack of progress in his town and decides to build a school to teach and prepare his townspeople. Tandang Tacio (the old philosopher) notes that there have been many attempts to build a school in the past, but all these had failed. Padre Salvi opposes the plan because he is secretly worried that the school project will threaten the power he wields over their town.
Ibarra almost gets killed while he is laying the cornerstone of the school, but Elias saved him. Elias is the mysterious fellow who also saved Ibarra previously.
With so many powerful enemies, Ibarra eventually gets implicated in a staged revolution, and is hunted down by the guardia civil. Maria Clara, Ibarra's sweetheart, unwittingly adds to Ibarra's woes when she switches Ibarra's letter with another letter that reveals her true nature.
The guardia civil catch up with Ibarra, and drizzle him and Elias with bullets near the lake. Ibarra survives and buries Elias in the forest owned by the clan of Ibarra. The guardia civil think Ibarra drowned and died in the lake and promptly leave the scene.
Maria Clara thinks Ibarra really died, gets depressed, and enters the nunnery. She does not follow the advice of Padre Damaso to marry Linares.

BECAUSE WE ARE SO POOR

Juan Rulfo(1918)

Juan Rulfo (20 May 1917 – 7 January 1986) was a Mexican novelist, short story writer, and photographer. One of Latin America's most esteemed authors, Rulfo's reputation rests on two slim books, the novel Pedro Páramo (1955), and El llano en llamas (1953, The Burning Plain), a collection of short stories that includes his admired tale "¡Diles que no me maten!" ("Tell Them Not to Kill Me!"). He was named alongside Jorge Luis Borges as the best Spanish-language writer of the 20th century in a poll conducted by Editorial Alfaguara in 1999. He is the father of director Juan Carlos Rulfo.

I
Everything was going from bad to worse around here. Last week my Aunt Jacinta died, and on Saturday, after we’d buried her and weren’t feeling so quite so bad, it started to rain. That made my father angry, because the whole barley crop was drying in the sun, and the storm came up so fast we didn’t have a chance to get nay of it under cover. All we could was huddle under the lean to, watching the rain destroy the whole crop.
II
And just yesterday, when my sister Tacha was twelve years old, we found out that the river carried away the cow my father gave her for her birthday. The river started to rise three nights ago before dawn. I was sound asleep, but it made so much noise dragging at its bank that I woke up and jumped out of bed, with the covers on my head, as if I’d dreamed that the roof were caving in. Afterward, I went back to bed because I knew it was just the sound of the river, and pretty soon it put me to asleep again.
III
When I got, the sky was full of black clouds, and the noise of the river was even louder. It sounded close, and it had the rotten smell floodwater has, like the stink of a trash fire.
IV
By the time I went to take a look, the river was already up over its banks. It was rising little by little all along the street and running into the house of that woman they call The Drum. You could hear the splash of the water going into the corral and out the gate. The Drum was hurrying back and forth, throwing her chickens into the street so they could find someplace to hide, where the current wouldn’t reach them.
V
Over on the other side near the bend, the river must have carried off the tamarind tree at the edge of my aunt Jacinta’s corral, because you couldn’t see it any more. It was the only tamarind in the village, so everybody knows it is the biggest flood that’s come down the river in years....

Beowulf: The Legend

Beowulf begins with a history of the great Danish King Scyld (whose funeral is described in the Prologue). King Hrothgar, Scyld's great-grandson, is well loved by his people and successful in war. He builds a lavish hall, called Heorot, to house his vast army, and when the hall is finished, the Danish warriors gather under its roof to celebrate.
Grendel, a monster who lives at the bottom of a nearby mere, is provoked by the singing and celebrating of Hrothgar's followers. He appears at the hall late one night and kills thirty of the warriors in their sleep. For the next twelve years, the fear of Grendel's fury casts a shadow over the lives of the Danes. Hrothgar and his advisors can think of nothing to calm the monster's anger.
Beowulf, prince of the Geats, hears about Hrothgar's troubles, gathers fourteen of the bravest Geat warriors, and sets sail from his home in southern Sweden. The Geats are greeted by the members of Hrothgar's court, and Beowulf boasts to the king of his previous successes as a warrior, particularly his success in fighting sea monsters. Hrothgar welcomes the arrival of the Geats, hoping that Beowulf will live up to his reputation. During the banquet that follows Beowulf's arrival, Unferth, a Danish thane, voices doubt about Beowulf's past accomplishments, and Beowulf, in return, accuses Unferth of killing his brothers. Before the night ends, Hrothgar promises Beowulf great treasures if he meets with success against the monster.
Grendel appears on the night of the Geats' arrival at Heorot. Beowulf, true to his word, wrestles the monster barehanded.Click here to see the fight! He tears off the monster's arm at the shoulder, but Grendel escapes, only to die soon afterward at the bottom of his snake-infested mere. The Danish warriors, who have fled the hall in fear, return singing songs in praise of Beowulf's triumph. Hrothgar rewards Beowulf with a great store of treasures. After another banquet, the warriors of both the Geats and the Danes retire for the night.
Unknown to the warriors, however, Grendel's mother is plotting revenge (see "Grendel's Mother's Attack"). She arrives at the hall when all the warriors are sleeping and carries off Aeschere, Hrothgar's chief advisor along with her son's claw. (Click here to see the infamous claw!) Beowulf offers to dive to the bottom of the lake, find the monster and destroy her. He and his men follow the monster's tracks to the cliff overlooking the lake where Grendel's mother lives. They see Aeschere's bloody head sitting on the cliff. While preparing for battle, Beowulf asks Hrothgar to protect his warriors, and to send his treasures to his uncle, King Hygelac, if he doesn't return safely.
Before Beowulf goes into the sea, Unferth offers him his sword, Hrunting. During the ensuing battle Grendel's mother carries Beowulf to her underwater home. After a terrible fight, Beowulf kills the monster with a magical sword, probably put there by the Al-Weilder, that he finds on the wall of her home. He also finds Grendel's dead body, cuts off the head, and returns to land, where the Geat and Danish warriors are waiting expectantly. Beowulf has now abolished the race of evil monsters.
The warriors return to Hrothgar's court, where the Danes and Geats prepare a feast in celebration of the death of the monsters. Beowulf bids farewell to Hrothgar and tells the old king that if the Danes ever again need help he will gladly come to their assistance. Hrothgar presents Beowulf with more treasures, and they embrace, emotionally, like father and son.
The Geats sail home. After recounting the story of his battles with Grendel and Grendel's mother, Beowulf tells King Hygelac about the feud between Denmark and their enemies, the Heatho-bards. He describes the proposed peace settlement, in which Hrothgar will give his daughter Freawaru to Ingeld, king of the Heatho-bards, but predicts that the peace will not last long. Hygelac rewards Beowulf for his bravery with land, swords, and houses.
The meeting between Hygelac and Beowulf marks the end of the first part of the poem. In the next part, Hygelac is dead, and Beowulf has been king of the Geats for fifty years. A thief steals a jeweled cup from a sleeping dragon who avenges his loss by flying through the night burning down houses, including Beowulf's own hall and throne. Beowulf goes to the cave where the dragon lives, vowing to destroy it single-handedly. He's an old man now, and he is not as strong as he was when he fought Grendel. During the battle Beowulf breaks his sword against the dragon's side; the dragon, enraged, engulfs Beowulf in flames and wounds him in the neck. All of Beowulf's followers flee except Wiglaf, who rushes through the flames to assist the aging warrior. Wiglaf stabs the dragon with his sword, and Beowulf, in a final act of courage, cuts the dragon in half with his knife.
Yet the damage is done. Beowulf realizes that he's dying, that he has fought his last battle. He asks Wiglaf to bring him the dragon's storehouse of treasures; seeing the jewels and gold will make him feel that the effort has been worthwhile. He instructs Wiglaf to build a tomb to be known as "Beowulf's tower" on the edge of the sea. After Beowulf dies, Wiglaf admonishes the troops who deserted their leader when he was fighting against the dragon. He tells them that they have been untrue to the standards of bravery, courage, and loyalty that Beowulf has taught.
Wiglaf sends a messenger to a nearby camp of Geat soldiers with instructions to report the outcome of the battle. Wiglaf supervises the building of the funeral pyre. In keeping with Beowulf's instructions, the dragon's treasure is buried alongside Beowulf's ashes in the tomb. The poem ends as it began -- with the funeral of a great warrior.