Rewritten in a postmodern technique of magic realism: Our household was troubled by the uncanny: my grandmother, who passed away last week at the age of seventy, still exists within our presence. Her voice is still imminent amongst the whispers of the wind. As the leaves of the Black Mulberry tree make subtle movements, herContinue reading “The Women’s Baths by Ulfat al-Idlibi”
Category Archives: Read
Essay on Robin Hemley & Mohezin Tejani
Reading Hemley’s essay, helped in grasping one’s cultural consciousness and its present undergoing change due to modernity. “Before we left for Manila again, Pakoran’s daughter Susan handed Laurie a short essay she’d written in her native language. Laurie had asked Susan to write the essay, not because he wanted to encourage her as a buddingContinue reading “Essay on Robin Hemley & Mohezin Tejani”
Robert Hass: On Poetic Relevancy
Robert Hass in his book Twentieth Century Pleasures: Prose on poetry essay emphasizes the importance of what is necessary in poetry writing. In the chapter named βOne Body: Some Notes on Formβ, he argues that everyday experiences and practices are the most efficient to use on oneβs own writing of form. He induces that theContinue reading “Robert Hass: On Poetic Relevancy”
Platoβs Republic: A Dialogue of Ethical Politics
Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Platoβs Republic focused on the argument of what constitutes the being of a good person. It also tackles the definition of Justice and reflects this question on both the political and personal aspects of a human being. His strategy was to develop ideas on the primary notion of the ideal society, politics, and justiceContinue reading “Platoβs Republic: A Dialogue of Ethical Politics”
The Hierarchic Existence of Society
The Bread of Salt by N.V.M. Gonzales The Bread of Salt is an enlightening short story written by Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzales, a Filipino National Artist. The story revolves around the narrator, a young boy who learns about the realistic prevalence of social classes in a hard way. In short, it is a storyContinue reading “The Hierarchic Existence of Society”
Modernism over Colonialism
Ananta Pramoedya Toerβs βThis Earth of Mankindβ Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β βThis Earth of Mankindβ is a story that speaks of the conflict between modernism and colonialism amongst the Dutch and Indonesian relations. A story consisting ofΒ both the rapid change and the stagnant ideals of the characters, it is a story that conflicts on the issues ofContinue reading “Modernism over Colonialism”
A Letter to Ki no Tsurayuki
Dear Tsurayuki, I wonder what itβs like to be like you, an author, a poet, and a courtier of the Heian period in Japan. I always wonder what itβs like to be like youβstill famous after more than a thousand years because of your literary works. To be honest, I want to be like you,Continue reading “A Letter to Ki no Tsurayuki”
Sa Aking Panalangin
A Concept of what it means to be a Filipino… For my great Southeast Asian novel, I choose Philippines as my designated country. I want to write about my own country through the lenses of the Filipinos who are struggling with poverty, crime, and injustice. I hope to exhibit these problems in a way thatContinue reading “Sa Aking Panalangin”
Aspects of Faith
God and What it means to have Faith Undoubtedly, Faith is a belief that is worthwhile to living a better life. It is a power, a sense of awareness that makes everything betterβthe world becomes comprehensible. Faith pushes us to be better, faith makes us want to do better. Connected to this, when we startContinue reading “Aspects of Faith”
The Ostracism of Oneβs Own Norms
Upon reading Gustave Flaubertβs βMadame Bovary,” Henrik Ibsenβs βA Dollβs House,” and Miguel de Cervantesβs βDon Quixote,” I noticed one similar circumstance that all of the protagonists encountered. All of the protagonists: Emma Bovary, Nora Helmer, and Don Quixote de la Mancha chose to reject the notions of their present society as they embrace toContinue reading “The Ostracism of Oneβs Own Norms”
