Poetry

Stages of Evolution and Development

Early Period (“Sa Aking Mga Kabata”) Middle Period / Adolescent Poetry –

dwelt on profound ideas about religion, classical education, martial exploits and heroism

Final Period – “poetic maturity”; expounded on nationalism as a virtue that could be develop as an ideology that lead to the building of national community

Sa Aking Mga Kabata

• A wonderful poem about asking a generation to embrace their own native language - originally written in Tagalog.

He emphasized the importance of having a native tongue, the existence of which is synonymous to freedom.

“One who doesn’t love his native tongue is worse than a putrid fish and a beast; and like a truly precious thing, it therefore deserves to be cherished”

Remembrance To My Hometown

• This poem was written when he was 15 years old.• It was about his memories of

Calamba.

It demonstrated his innate love of nature that ultimately developed to a greater love of nation.

• It demonstrated his innate love of nature that

ultimately developed to a greater love of nation.

To Education A literary achievement during his

Ateneo days. Education was compared to the

goddess of light, wisdom, hope, peace and truth; education was also compared to an eternal lighthouse.

Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education

Religion plays a significant role in the attainment of good education; without religion, education is directionless.

Through Education the Country Receives Light

•Enumerated the benefits a country

derives from education:

To the Filipino Youth• This poem titled “A la Juventud Filipina,”

which he wrote in 1879 at the age of 18, Rizal approved the idea of a Philippine identity different from that of Spain, but there he also acknowledges the the benefits that mother country had bestowed on the Philippines.

• This was the first poem ever written by a native Filipino and it aroused the nationalistic concept among the Filipinos.• Proved that an Indio was not only

equal but also more superior to the Spaniards in poetry writing

To the Philippines

Exalts the beauty of the Philippines

Hymn to LaborThis is to commemorate Lipa’s

elevation from a town to city. He stressed the role of children,

men and women in achieving country’s progress through the dignity of labor and industry.

Verses of Isagani

• The adversarial attitude of Rizal towards the

Spaniards is manifested in the lines of this poem.

My Retreat• It was longest poem of

Rizal – 120 lines or 24 stanzas

•Regarded as the autobiographical poem.

Most of the stanzas were his reflection about his life as an

exile.

He narrated his past experiences while in Europe, his involvement in Calamba agrarian affairs and some incidents leading to his exile.

My Last Farewell

• It was written in 4 objectives: –last will and testament –as Rizal’s autobiography

an appeal to the Filipinos to remember the heroes

• It was written in Fort Santiago. •Originally untitled•His friend Mariano Ponce

gave it the title of MI ULTIMO ADIOS.

Activity

• Choose one poem and be able to interpret it through drawing. This is to be submitted on Wednesday, in a short bondpaper