Representation and the Philippine

Canon
Group 6
Oppression is a familiar word in the
Filipino vocabulary. There have been
many uses for this term, whether it
describes the oppression of the less
priviledged by the elite, or the
oppression in gender by a patriarchal
society.
In a way, Filipinos have always had
to face oppression is some form or
another, beginning with our own
history of colonization. Eventually,
these colonizers would become
conquerors and would pop up
themselves at our expense.
Oppression, and the struggle against it,
our commom themes in Philippine
Literature.
Oppression, as a topic would rise again
and again in Philippine Literature.
 This is Cirilo F.
Bautista, the one
who wrote the
“Third World
Geography” poem.
 He is a poet, fictionist, and
essayist with exceptional
achievements and significant
contributions to the
development of the country’s
literary arts.
Beacause of this, he was
acknowledged by the
nation at large as the
foremost writer of his
generation,
And entitle him as the
National Artist for
Literature 2014.
One of his most popular
works is the “Third
World Geography”.
THIRD WORLD GEOGRAPHY
By Cirilo F. Bautista
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.
1. 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
a. Metaphor
b. Personification
c. Simile
d. Hyperbole
2. 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
the sack, and tied its loose end. He goes
around carrying it on his back.”
a. It has been killed
b. It has been conquered
c. It has been stolen
d. It has been silenced
3. What are the “feathers” discussed in
the poem supposed to be a metaphor of?
a. The burden of government
b. The dashed hopes of people
c. The feathers of dead birds
d. The poverty in the country
4. “You kneel on parched earth and pray
for rice.” This implies that the people in
the poem are
a. Angry
b. Depressed
c. Hungry
d. Thirsty
5. The persona speaking in the poem is
a. A character in the poem
b. An unbiased observer
c. The author
d. The man who watches over the
country
6. Modified True or False: The poem is
written with a sarcastic tone. Explain
your answer from the lines from the
poem.
7. Describe the dramatic situation of the
poem in no more than four sentences
below.
8. List the allegorical elements in the
poem and what these could relate to.
9. 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.
10. What could the act of “getting up”
refer to in the final lines of the poem?
Discuss in no more than five sentences.
Answer

1. a. Hyperbole
2. c. It has been stolen
3. d. The poverty in the country
4. c. Hungry
5. c. The author
6. False, it wasn't written in a sarcastic tone.
It was written in a tone of hope. "The man
who watches over it has commanded all
hopes, placed them in sack and tied its loose
end." It paints a distinct picture of a poor
Philippines. The poem somehow reflects the
happenings during Martial Law. It also
speaks how the government is that time.
7. The dramatic situation of the poem is the
hunger and poverty in our country. It shows
how the government treats their people and
how abusive they are in their power. They
didn’t think what is the situation of their
people because they only think is their selves
and their money. In this poem the author
shows how abusive the government is in our
country.
8. "Only the wind hears your useless words" -
this shows how the government is made of
corruption and bad politics. The government
is aware of the needs of the people yet they
seem not to hear the cries of the people.
"Thinking of banana trees rotting in the
sunlight" - this symbolizes those poor people
who work so hard under the heat of the sun.
Those who live in poverty who experience so
much hardships."You kneel on the parched
earth and pray for rice." - this symbolizes the
issue on hunger. No one can plant rice on
parched earth, thus, no rice shall grow from
it. And no rice means there is nothing to eat.
9. In this poem it describe our society and the
politics, were people are suffering from
poverty. This shows how people suffer from
the hand of Marcos. It depicts the selfishness
of government, selfishness in human rights
and freedom. The message shows
hopelessness of the Filipinos. It also describe
how abusive the government is.
10. The act of getting up can be called
miracle that one day everything will change.
But only God knows how and when to
resolved those mentioned issues. The history
of these third world countries can be changed
and written in a better color under the
government of God's.
Group 6