Reflection
Spanish Colonial Period (1565-1898)
In this lesson, I have gained an understanding of how deep the Spaniards
influenced us Filipinos. The Spanish colonization had the longest period of time among
the other colonial period therefore, their practices, culture, tradition, language, literature,
region, and other impacts have been thoroughly rooted in our characters and also
contributed in shaping us to what we are today. The Spaniards really brought a lot of
changes, this includes not only the positive influences but also the negative aspects.
Our country and the Filipinos lived through a lot of suffering under the rule of the
Spaniards. I learned that during those time, they imposed numerous control and
jurisdiction unto the natives. One of these is the use of the Spanish language in
communication as well as writing literature. It was strictly ordered to speak Spanish as
the medium for speaking and writing, the natives had no choice but to follow since they
would be heavily punished otherwise. In addition, speaking of punishments, slavery and
discrimination was notorious under the reigns of Spaniards.
The religion that we Filipinos have today, which is Catholicism, was also
introduced back in the Spanish colonization. The use of religion played a significant part
in the Philippines' governance during this period. It is where the Spanish influence is the
strongest since we still widely use this religion up to this day. Catholicism also paved
way for the rise of publications of various religious materials. Our culture and tradition is
greatly influenced by this religion as we put great importance on celebrations on the day
of a saint, our Jesus Christ, and God. One example of this is the Christmas season, we
celebrate this yearly and it cannot be missed.
In addition, I also gained insight that during the Spanish colonial period, there
were also emergence of other types of literatures. These are the books: among the notable
publications are “Doctrina Cristiana” and “Urbana at Felisa”, folk songs: modified songs
based on native filipino songs, recreational plays: poetic plays such as the cenaculo and
zarzuela, novels: lengthy and complex fictitious prose, and newspapers that are still
present in today time.
All in all, in my view, the Spanish period really have brought a lot benefits for this
country albeit our forefathers underwent distress and endured agony. Although this
colonization left a negative impression to our people, they still made a huge impact on
our lives that we acknowledge and use today. We should still appreciate the excellent
things that they have taught us. It is part of our history, part of who we are, and we should
embrace it.
Reflection
American Colonial Period (1910-1945)
The Spaniards who had colonized Philippines for more than 300 years were
defeated by the Filipino revolutionaries. The Filipinos ultimately experienced a brief
period of independence, but this was short-lived because the Americans initiated a war,
forcing the Filipinos to submit once more. The military struggle for independence came
to an end in 1901 with Emilio Aguinaldo's surrender, the country's first president. The
late President Aguinaldo pledged allegiance to America but remained steadfast in his
support for the Philippines' independence, kept the torch of nationalism ablaze, and
turned once more to writing in search of a better resolution than using force.
I learned that during this period, the Filipinos produced works of literature in
various genres, including essays, novels, news, short stories, plays, and poetry, in which
their love for their nation and desire for independence were amply expressed.
Consequently, the people's nationalism was unfazed. In addition, Filipino writers were
involved in all types of writing throughout the period of their apprenticeship, however the
majority of their works were criticized as imitations of English and American models.
Hence, this period was distinguished by the Filipino writers' imitations of the American
and English writers.
Furthermore, many aspiring Filipino writers chose the English language as their
medium of writing language due to the presence of American literary works and the
arrival of American teachers who encouraged them. Along with the arrival of English
language, a new education system was introduced. Every child, no matter the gender,
from age 7 was required to register in schools located in their own town or province and
the students were given free school materials. This led to improvement of literacy rate of
Filipinos and increased the numbers of natives who can speak English fluently.
From my standpoint, overall, the English Colonial Period had paved way for the
development of the Filipinos and their country. There were numerous positive impacts
that the Americans brought. The economy and political structure were improved,
resulting in more political and economic participation among the Filipinos.
Improvements in public health, welfare, transportation, and communication—particularly
in our literature, which we can still clearly see and use today—all occurred under
American control. Among the colonial periods, I think that the American rule was better
than the others. I am quite grateful that they implemented a lot of things that benefitted
my country. Moreover, I acknowledge the period of American colonization.
Reflection
Japanese Colonial Period (1942-1945)
Although, the period of Japanese Colonization did not last that long, it was the
most gruesome time back then because it was considered the darkest period in Philippine
history and its literature. A lot of events occurred, may it be a tragedy or a benefit.
Everything escalated quickly and these left a permanent impact on the lives of Filipino
people.
Because of this lesson, I was made aware how our forefathers went through
troubling times. The Japanese imposed strict regulations and forced the Filipinos to learn
Japanese, so Japanese slang and idioms made their way into the lexicon and literature of
the Tagalog language. Since there was no such thing as press or speech freedom at that
period, various types of writing were severely restricted and heavily under the watch of
Japanese police. In addition, the use of English language was prohibited in almost all
publications, only Tagalog and the vernaculars were permitted. Anyone who attempted to
use English when speaking or in writing had faced dire consequences.
With these restrictions, Filipinos were not willing to trust and accept the Japanese
colonizers. According to the novelist Victoria Abelardo, there were not many printed
literary works, and those that were published were for the most part depressing,
pessimistic and bitter. However, aside from these negative impacts of the Japanese
colonization period, there are also few distinguishable good aspects that they had
influenced us and we still use today; And that is, the emergence of new types of poetry
which are Haiku, a free verse poem that has 17 syllables divided into 3 lines. And tanaga,
a poem that is very similar to haiku but have more syllables and it uses simile, metaphor
and personification. Also thriving during this time were Tagalog short stories, the
popularity of opera and classical music, and the emergence of other literary forms like the
essay and the autobiography that are still being used today.
After learning about the Japanese colonization period, I think that this is the least
favorable period in my opinion. Even with the positive influences the Japanese brought, I
still dislike the fact that there were numerous Filipinos who suffered and died in their
hands. They had the shortest time of colonization in the Philippines compared to Spanish
and American but they nevertheless managed to bring a lot of drastic changes to the lives
of our ancestors. However, if not for their influence on our literature, it won’t be the same
as today. Let us embrace their contribution, that they made our literature rich in essence
and in value.
