An Analysis of a 21st Century Philippine Literature entitled
Third World Geography by Cirilo F. Bautista
Past and Present. The past is the shadow of the present. No matter what has happened in the past, good or bad, it is one of the factors of who we are today. Regardless of what we have gone through, it wouldn’t change a thing because it made us strong and problem-proof, so we are confident that if it ever happens again, we know what to do and what not to do.
BACKGROUND
Biographical / Authorial information:
Name of the author
Dr. Cirilo F. Bautista
His/her region and province
National Capital Region – Manila
Educational and Family background
He got his basic education from Legarda Elementary School (1st Honorable Mention, 1954) and Victorino Mapa High School (Valedictorian, 1959). He received his degrees in AB Literature from the University of Santo Tomas (magna cum laude, 1963), MA Literature from St. Louis University, Baguio (magna cum laude, 1968), and Doctor of Arts in Language and Literature from De La Salle University-Manila (1990). He received a fellowship to attend the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa (1968–1969).
His father is Claro Cruz Bautista, a foreman in a cigarette factory and his mother is Victoria Manuel Francisco, doing domestic chores for their neighbors. His sister worked as a wrapper of sweets in a confectionery shop, while his brother served as a draftsman to an architect. Cirilo Bautista was married to Rosemarie Bautista and had three children.
List of Awards and Year
- 1968 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for his The Cave and Other Poems (Collected Poems), Ritual (Short Story), and The Man Who Made a Covenant with the Wind (Short Story)
- 1969 Honorary Fellow in Creative Writing at University of Iowa, U.S.
- 1970 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for his The Archipelago (Epic Poem)
- 1973 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for his Charts (Collected Poems)
- 1975 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for his Telex Moon (Epic Poem)
- 1975 Most Outstanding Alumnus Award for Literature, Graduate School, Saint Louis University
- 1979 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for his CrossWorks (Collected Poems)
- 1980 Fernando Maria Guerrero Award for Literature, University of Santo Tomas Alumni Association
- 1981 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for his The Past Eight Years (Essay)
- 1982 Most Outstanding Alumnus Award for Literature from the Alumni Association of the College of Arts and Letters, University of Santo Tomas
- 1982 Pablo Roman Prize for his Novel-in-Progress entitled Reconstruction
- 1983 Most Outstanding Alumnus Award for Literature, Mapa High School Alumni Association
- 1992 Included in The Oxford Companion to the English Language, edited by Tom MacArthur, Oxford University Press
- 1993 First Prize in the Poetry contest sponsored by the Dyaryo Filipino with his Ilang Aeta Mula Sa Botolan (Poem)
- 1993 Included in The Traveler’s Guide to Asian Literature
- 1993 Makata ng Taon sponsored by the Komisyon ng mga Wikang Pilipinas for his Ulat Buhat Sa Bulkan (Poem)
- 1993 Palanca Award for Tagalog Poetry
- 1995 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards Hall of Famer – given to those who have won First Prizes in the Palanca Literary Contests in more than five times
- 1996 Gawad Manuel L. Quezon by the Quezon City Government in connection with the Quezon Day Celebrations
- 1996 Included in Who’s Who in the World at New Providence, New Jersey, U.S.
- 1996 Most Outstanding Achievement Award in Literature by the Philets-Artlets Centennial Alumni Association of the University of Santo Tomas
- 1997 Adopted Son of Iligan City by virtue of Executive Order #98 signed by Mayor Alejo Yanes
- 1997 Gawad Balagtas by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas
- 1998 First Prize in Epic Writing English Category of the National Centennial Commission's Literary Contests, sponsored by the Philippine Government
- 1998 Knight Commander of Rizal by the Order of the Knights of Rizal
- 1999 Gintong Aklat Award by the Book Development Association of the Philippines
- 1999 National Book Award given by the Manila Critics Circle
- 2001 Diwa ng Lahi, Gawad Antonio Villegas at Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan in the field of literature by the City of Manila
- 2001 First Annual Dove Award by the College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University-Manila
- 2002 St. Miguel Febres Cordero Research Award, S.Y. 2002 – 2003 given by De La Salle University-Manila
- 2012 Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Gawad CCP Para sa Sining Awardee
- 2013 National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCAA) Achievement Awardee
List of Works and Year Published
Poetry
- Summer Suns (with Albert Casuga, 1963)
- The Cave and Other Poems (1968)
- The Archipelago (1970)
- Charts (1973)
- Telex (1981)
- Sugat ng Salita (1985)
- Kirot ng Kataga (1995)
- Sunlight on Broken Stones (2000)
- Tinik sa Dila: Isang Katipunan ng mga Tula (2003)
- The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus (2001)
- Believe and Betray: New and Collected Poems (2007)
- Third World Geography
- Pedagogic (2008)
Fiction
- Stories (1990)
- Galaw ng Asoge (2004)
Literary Theory and Cultural Studies
- Breaking Signs (1990)
- Words and Battlefields: A Theoria On The Poem (1998)
- The Estrella D. Alfon Anthology Vol. I – Short Stories (2000)
- Bullets And Roses: The Poetry of Amado V. Hernandez / A Bilingual Edition (translated Into English and with a Critical Introduction) (2002)
Ideologies and beliefs
“For artists, art does not just imitate life,” Cirilo F. Bautista said, surrounded by the words he savored and the people he loved. “Art becomes the life.”
Cirilo F. Bautista: I always say, “Poetry is not about things as they are, but about things as they are imagined. One must know the distinction between prose and poetry. The prose is about how things are. Poetry is about how things are seen, imagined, or perceived. There’s some kind of change in you when you try to shift from prose to poetry because each one has its own appropriate materials, systems, and techniques.”
Bautista said “I grew up in a basically ‘linguistic’ environment, in the sense that my environment was filled with literature—starting with cheap local magazines like Liwayway, or the newspapers I found lying around,” Bautista recalled so this means he believes that he is really connected to words where he can be a successful writer. In his elementary days, instead of playing with friends like most kids do, he chose to spend his time feeding his curious fascination with words. It was upon entering elementary school that he discovered his true affection for literature and the message it brings. Being a voracious reader, Bautista turned out to be an excellent student.
Textual information:
“Third World Geography” by Cirilo Bautista was released in 2006. It was included in his ‘Believe and Betray: New and Collected Poems’.
Sociocultural information:
“Third World Geography” depicts the life of every Filipino during Martial Law. The Philippines was in the hands of Ferdinand Marcos at that time and it is said that his era was seen to be one of the most oppressive periods in Philippine history. During the Martial Law, people suffered and pleaded to have food to eat, to have a voice to speak out all their sentiment and concern to the government, and to have proper treatment for humans. But at that time, the government is deaf and showed no concern to the tirades and rants of society and people didn’t obtain all the rights that a human must-have. During the era of dictatorship, Filipinos are praying for miracles but only the wind hears the words. Even if they begged for freedom, the government wouldn’t show any interest in the complaints. The prayer of the Filipinos became useless. The government didn’t even worry for the people in the country.
“Third World” is a phrase that has been used historically to describe a class of economically developing nations, an underdeveloped country, or a low and middle-income country. Countries that are included here are characterized by high rates of poverty, economic and political instability, and high mortality rates. They are identified as countries with substandard and underperforming conditions in certain fields that are in great need of development. The Philippines is considered a ‘Third World Country’ because of the problems such as corruption, unemployment, crimes, and poverty that hinders it to be part of developed countries.
COPY OF THE LITERARY TEXT
THIRD WORLD GEOGRAPHY
A country without miracles
sits heavy on the map,
thinking of banana trees rotting
in the sunlight.
The man who watches over it
has commandeered all hopes,
placed them in a sack,
and tied its loose end.
He goes around carrying it
on his back.
When asked what is inside,
he says, “Just a handful of feathers,
just a handful of feathers.”
That’s how light the burden
of government is in peace time–
any tyrant can turn it into a metaphor.
You kneel on the parched earth
and pray for rice. Only the wind
hears your useless words.
The country without miracles
tries to get up from the page,
but the bold ink and sharp colors
hold it down.
ANALYSIS
Literary Genre
Poetry is a literary genre that evokes emotions and experiences through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm in an imaginative way. Although it is a form of self – expression that knows no bounds, it can be divided into different genres: lyric, narrative, romantic, dramatic, and epic poem.
“Third World Geography” is an example of dramatic poetry. Dramatic poetry encompasses a highly emotional story that is written in verse and meant to be recited, it usually tells a story or refers to a specific situation. “Third World Geography” is indeed a dramatic poem because it has numerous dramatic situations. One example is oppression, it has been seen in many instances in our history, and it is natural that our literature reflects our engagement in this reality. It creates dramatic situations that lead to a greater understanding of the issues at hand and how it affects our lives. This poem presents a situation that is allegorical or not literal but rather representative of other ideas or personalities. The author, Cirilo Bautista, uses personification as a figure of speech to give some non – human objects human qualities. It showcases both his skill as a writer and his relevance.
Process Questions / Analysis Guides
The figure of speech used in the lines “A country without miracles sits heavy on the map, thinking of banana trees rotting in the sunlight is __________.
The figure of speech used is Personification because it attributes human characteristics to something non – human. The country and banana trees are expressed in the poem as if they have human characteristics. The country without miracles is described as sitting heavily on the map which means that a country with no hope and causing nothing but trouble to the world is just good for nothing. On the other hand, in the following phrase, the banana trees are said to be thinking while rotting in the sunlight which means that the people are being hopeless and thinking that there is no more room for improvement or chance to make something better for the country.
What has happened to hope in the poem, as described by the lines “The man who watches over it has commandeered all hopes, placed them in a sack, and tied its loose end. He goes around carrying it on his back.”?
A selfish leader became the villain of his own country. He ruled over and stole all the hopes and dreams of his people that eventually shattered. It was all conquered and fully controlled by the oppressive leader. He doesn't even care about his people but only for himself only.
What are the “feathers” discussed in the poem supposed to be a metaphor of?
The selfish leader looks down on his people. He acts as if his people’s hopes and dreams are just something of little value and could be easily thrown away just like the lives lost during his reign. The hopes of people are dashed because of the false hopes created by the government through convincing them that hardships are “just a handful of feathers” that can be easily carried around. They solve the problems by replacing them with false fantasies and treat every problem lightly.
“You kneel on parched earth and pray for rice.” This implies that the people in the poem are __________.
The man in power is what they thought of as a leader and guiding light but they’re wrong. He is selfish and abusive. He let his people beg and pray for food to come to be eaten because of hungriness. The people cry despite no one listening to them. They had to endure so much suffering in order to achieve something.
The persona speaking in the poem is __________.
The persona in the poem is usually not the poet but is rather a character or a mask which the poet uses as his “voice” the poem. The persona can be a character in the poem who is involved in the dramatic situation that maybe he also experienced and expressed his feelings and shares them with other people in the form of poetry, or the persona can be an observer who is watching the situation unfold.
The poem is written with a sarcastic tone. Explain your answer with lines from the poem.
True, the poem is written with a sarcastic tone. The following are the lines that proves it:
a. “Just a handful of feathers, just a handful of feathers” – it seems like the selfish leader looks down on his people’s hopes and dreams in life and he carries those hardships easily that give people false hopes. He makes up stories to convince people that everything will be fine, but in fact, it will never be. He only does what is beneficial to him and ignores his people
b. “That’s how light the burden of government is in peace time—and tyrant can turn into a metaphor” – the selfish leader acts as if those were just something of little value and could be easily thrown away
c. “Only the wind hears your useless words” – the selfish leader doesn’t care about his people and he never listens to their cries
Describe the dramatic situation of the poem in no more than four sentences below.
The dramatic situation of the poem is the country suffers from poverty, hunger, and anguish because of the abusiveness and selfishness of its leader. He became deaf and showed no concern for the complaints and problems of society and didn’t even care about his people. He was incapable of assisting his citizens, he just did what he wanted, and even lied to his people to lighten the burden. People try to speak but no one listens or hears their words. They begged and prayed for miracles and clung onto it waiting for a day that everything will change and will be better. They suffer so much, they die in pain, and they can’t even fight for their own rights.
List the allegorical elements in the poem and what these could relate to.
Allegorical elements are used to symbolize something else that has hidden meaning. It also stands for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation. In the poem, the following are used:
a. “Only the wind hears your useless words” – the government is aware of the needs and complaints of its people but they seem not to hear it
b. “Thinking of banana trees rotting in the sunlight” – the people are working hard under the scorching sun but still experiencing poverty
c. “You kneel on the parched earth and pray for rice” – the people are hungry, they don’t have a place where they can plant to grow for food to eat
d. “Country” – the poem personifies the Philippines, trapped by its own weight, and is left to muse helplessly about its own decaying state
e. “The man who watches over it” – it refers to former President Ferdinand Marcos, his acts of “commandeering” hope and turning governance into seems like light-duty referring to his control over the information being released to the public at the time
f. “Feathers” – it refers to the weight of the duty the government has
Discuss in no more than five sentences how Bautista uses the idea of weight in the poem and how it affects the personalities in it.
The author uses the idea of weight with the lines “A country without miracles sits heavy on the map” and “The country without miracles tries to get up from the page, but the bold ink and sharp colors hold it down”. The line “He goes around carrying it on his back. When asked what is inside, he says, “Just a handful of feathers, just a handful of feathers” describes sarcastically the government carrying its burdens lightly. They do not carry any weight or responsibility for their country, it seems that they don’t really care about their people. The poem shows how corrupt and terrible politicians are.
What could the act of “getting up” refer to in the final lines of the poem? Discuss in no more than five sentences.
The act of “getting up” refers to the countries that are hopeful for the actions of the government to do and implement to revive its country and people. However, the countries that are hopeless will fail to get up from its miserable state because of its inefficient and corrupt leaders who are not listening to the cries of its people.
Contextual Analysis
SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT
Using the sociocultural context, it can be concluded that the poem “Third World Geography” is all about the situation of the Philippines during the Marcos government wherein the birth of Martial Law happened. We all have seen in the poem how oppressive the government was at that time and how the Philippines is considered to be a “Third World Country”. During Martial Law, Marcos commandeered to arrest the writers and intellectuals to control the production of art and literature during his era, he was trying to reshape the country’s culture into one that would be favorable to his game. He tried to skew or twist the canon to favor him and his views by controlling these institutions and the people in them. Many intellectuals were forced to comply with the Marcos regime or be arrested. Filipinos suffer in different aspects but they still clung to their prayers that a day will come and everything will change.
SUMMARY
“Third World Geography” by Cirilo Bautista became an eye-opener for everyone. This poem shows how the society suffered from poverty, selfishness in human rights and freedom of the abusive government, and the hopelessness of the Filipinos. The government is deaf and shows no concern to the rants of the society and the human rights are not fair at that time. During the said era, Filipinos are praying for miracles but only the wind hears the words. Even if they begged for it, the government wouldn’t care and show no interest in the complaints. The prayer of the Filipinos became futile. The government didn’t even worry for the people in the country.
Oppression has been seen in many instances in our history and it is natural that our literature reflects our engagement with this reality. This poem, “Third World Geography” presents dramatic situations via a speaker in the poem or a persona. The persona in the poem is usually not the poet but is rather a character or a mask which the poet uses as his “voice” the poem. The persona can be a character in the poem who is involved in the dramatic situation or the persona can be an observer who is watching the situation unfold. Cirilo Bautista’s poem presents situations that are allegorical or not literal but rather representative of other ideas or personalities. He also uses personification as a figure of speech, giving some non – human objects human qualities. We have seen that the Marcos Era, where the Martial Law happened, is one of the most oppressive periods in Philippine history. The Philippines, being a “Third World Country”, suffered a lot at the hands of a tyrant. The happenings in the past are traumatic and full of chaos but we won’t be able to live today if we didn’t look back from it. This poem teaches us to be resilient and selfless, to not give up despite the world pushing us down. It made us realize that whatever the problem is, big or small, we can overcome it and be free from the burden that holds us to become better.
REFERENCES
Book
Sanchez, L. J., Agustin, R. T., Cuartero, J. M., & Lizada, M. A. (2016). 21st-century literature from the Philippines and the world (pp. 12–16) with Vibal Group, Inc.: Gregorio Araneta Ave., Quezon City.
Online Sources
Dr. Cirilo F. Bautista - De La Salle University. (2021). Retrieved 10 November 2021, from https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/university-fellows/dr-cirilo-f-bautista/
Cirilo Bautista biography, real name, age, weight, height, family, Wiki & more. (2021). Retrieved 10 November 2021, from https://arealnews.com/cirilo-bautista-biography/
Coldora, E. (2018). From humble beginnings to National Artist. Retrieved 10 November 2021, from https://varsitarian.net/literary/20180613/from-humble-beginnings-to-national-artist
National Artist for Literature Cirilo Bautista commemorated in zine collection - BusinessWorld Online. (2021). Retrieved 10 November 2021, from https://www.bworldonline.com/national-artist-for-literature-cirilo-bautista-commemorated-in-zine-collection/
Cirilo Bautista (2009). Retrieved 10 November 2021, from https://wpd.wiki/wiki/en/Cirilo_Bautista
National Artist for Literature Cirilo F. Bautista, 76, writes 30. (2018). Retrieved 10 November 2021, from https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/293547/national-artist-literature-cirilo-f-bautista-76-writes-30/
Baytan, R. (2021). Intensities of signs: An interview with the visionary Cirilo F. Bautista. Retrieved 10 November 2021, from https://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/lik/article/viewFile/5039/4545
Poetry (2021). Retrieved 11 November 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/art/poetry
Third World Geography by Cirilo F. Bautista. (2021). Retrieved 11 November 2021, from https://prezi.com/p/yzhdialmc9rl/third-world-geography-by-cirilo-f-bautista/
Third World Geography (2020). Retrieved 11 November 2021, from https://stem11malvar21stcenlit.blogspot.com/2020/10/third-world-geography.html
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