The Pretenders
By: F. Sionil Jose
Reading this book at first is really boring, especially for me, definitely not a book worm of novels. Reading the Choragus really gave me this craving to read it more. This novel has it’s practical side shown on the scenes of business, family, relationship with other people and also the political side. It’s a very typical Filipino story. The emotional side of it is the love story of the poor man (Antonio Samson) and the rich woman(Carmen Villa). The rich girl fell in love with a poor guy. You can see the transformation of the character formed also through the plot of the story. Tony being poor transformed his perception of things as the same level of the elites. He was formed to be that “tony character” at first he was thinking on why on earth that rich girl chose him. The next idea is that his comparison of the rich and poor. Himself being poor again through the characters and the plot the idea of him being a poor is reversed into him being rich, the impact of the characters and the plot make his character much more intensified. The pressure is on his personality.
Reading this book makes you think of topics out of nowhere, while reading it, some of the phrases really created a question in my mind. One that i really like is when Tony said that “Poverty is degrading”. This phrase already lost is value. Always used, but only in this novel that i thought of it differently. Poverty doesn’t always mean financial instability. Many times that you can experience it personally, we are human beings too normal to be judgmental. But i think all happening to us is really like a domino effect. We have poverty inside making us more judgmental, making us more human. Tony’s character is alive not only in the book but realistically it is existing. Other characters in the story unconsciously exists in our lives.

"Laughter"

Maningning Miclat.

first stanza;

the woman is guarded by laughter to still be on going w/ her life

second stanza;

a point where there is a begging for the guy to stay...

begging for the laughter to stay...

third stanza;

eventhough it's so much pain in the leaving "part" still she will be strong and faithful to what she is doing, basically faithful to the laughter.

fourth stanza;

reminiscing of the moments makes her much more stronger...

fifth stanza;

a continued part of the events in the 4th stanza...

sixth stanza;

the part where here is the irresponsible guy, not thinking what would the girl would feel if he does that.

seventh stanza;

the guy is gone... no sisgns of the laughter...

eighth stanza;

eventhough the guy left, the girl is still laughing not because the guy left but the memoirs being left to her...

SO: this poem shows sarcasms and irony.

SERVANT GIRL- As i was reading it, literally I'm confused of the writing itself not because it's deep but the grammar is too shallow. As i read and read and read, The next day i asked mam why is that the grammar is like not right? Mam looked at me indifferently and told me" Of course it was the servant girl who's talkin'!

I go ah.. that's it, hell no! That's why.. so i tried reading it again.. imagining all the things happenin' and i said these girl has the genes. IT'S LIKE FOR A SERVANT GIRL SHE IS A LITTLE BIT CLEVER. Comparing her to our recent maid. He is a gay, i really had fun being with a gay maid. Everythin' he/she is doin' is really funny... As the servant girl she is fun but a little bit sassy.

Nick Joaquin
The transfer of the Philippines to United States control in 1898 resulted in a dramatic increase in literacy and, consequently, literary production. A variety of new literary journals began to be published. English-language Filipino novels, short stories, and poems were first published in book form in the 1920s. Many Filipino authors have had distinguished writing careers. Their works typically explore the Filipino cultural identity in the context of social and political issues. Filipino authors often write in more than one literary form and in more than one language. Major English-language works include The Woman Who Had Two Navels (1972) and A Question of Heroes (1977) by Nick Joaquin;
-(SOURCE:Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.)

Francisco Sionil Jose

His novels , short fictions, novellas, novels, verse and non-fiction are really extraordinary tht could literally capture the readers minds and heart. Giving him awards like the 1980 Ramon Magsaysay Award for journalism, literature and creative communication arts , 2001 National artist award for literature, 2004 Pablo Neruda Centennial Award.

-(SOURCE:The Rosales Novels, Solidaridad Publishing House, 531 PadreFaura, Ermita, Manila Philippines)

No Filpino novelist in English has written as adeptly, movingly, and in a language that is its own sole, freshly created universe about the fiipino’s quest for a just, moral orer: His fiction defne a shining vision of today’s Filipino: a future tht is more fair, more just more caring and ultimately more creative

-(SOURCE:EDTORIAL, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

(SOURCE:Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.)

Literally literature is a written work of art examples are novels short fictions, novellas, novels, verse and non-fiction etc. Personally as I read those things, seeng those thick pages it gives me the creeps. Like looking on a vast ocean it fears you without knowing at the most deeest part of t you can see a paradise. Simply amazing.