21st-Century PDF

PRELUDES By: Daryll Delgado A man died singing. He had sung a total of three songs before he heaved his last breath and collapsed on a chair. It happened on the Municipal Hall. The time was three in the afternoon. The sun was high. Heat seeped into people's b...

PRELUDES By: Daryll Delgado A man died singing. He had sung a total of three songs before he heaved his last breath and collapsed on a chair. It happened on the Municipal Hall. The time was three in the afternoon. The sun was high. Heat seeped into people's bones. Tuba warmed their blood even more. Someone’s ninth death anniversary was being celebrated. Another man’s life in that party ended. It ended on a high note. At that very moment, Nenita, the wife, was at home, picking leaves for a medicinal brew. Earlier that day, Nenita had been lying on the sofa, slipping in and out of an afternoon sleep she should not have heeded, embracing Willie Revillame in her dreams. She had no plans of taking a nap. She had just wanted to catch a glimpse of Willie after she sent off her grandson for the city, just before she resumed her cooking. At the sala, she opened the window to let some breeze in. But the air was so dry. Outside it was very quiet. Everyone was at the Hall, to attend the ninth death anniversary of the juez. Most of them bore the judge a grudge, but they were all there anyway, eager to see what kind of feast his children had prepared. The children had all come home from America and Europe for this very important occasion in the dead man’s journey. Nenita herself did not mind the judge really, even if she had always found him rather severe. It was the wife whom Nenita did not feel very comfortable with. There had been some very important rumors involving the judge’s wife that Nenita did not care so much for. As soon as Nenita was certain that her grandson had left, she positioned the electric fan in front of her, sat on the sofa and turned on the TV to catch the last segment of her favorite show. The next thing she knew, Willie Revillame was pulling her arms, soothing her words of condolences, before handing her some cash and offering and offering his left cheek for a kiss. Nenita then remembered that she also had to prepare the medicinal tea her husband needed to take with his dinner. she heard her husband’s voice again, his singing voice. She realized that the sound was coming all the way from the Hall. She used to feel slighted whenever her siblings-in-law recalled with such intense, exaggerated regret, the way their brilliant brother squandered his money and his talent, and oh, all the wrong decision to marry Nenita. Nenita knew that her husband was happy the way he was. She took him back every time his affairs with other women turned sour. She took care of him when he started getting sick. People say her husband went to Manila with the judge’s widow last time when he squandered his money. She could have prepared him then that other brew her herbalista friend had suggested at the time, the one that would make his ball shrink, give him hallucinations, make his blood boil until his veins popped. But she didn’t of course. She did buy and continued to keep the packet of dried purple leaves. She did know that she would never use the herbs, even if she wanted to keep, see, touch and feel the soft lump of leaves in her palm. She derived some sense of security, a very calming sense of power, in knowing that she had that little packet hidden in one of the kitchen drawers. She listened more closely to her husband’s singing. He was singing popular Spanish song now, about kissing someone for the last time. She started imagining herself as young woman, dancing with this beautiful, dark man who eventually became her husband. After that, all was quiet again. Nenita gathered the leaves and went back inside the house. Just as well, because it was starting to be very, intolerably, hot outside, certainly hot enough to boil an old man’s blood and pop his veins, she thought. § Chekhov’s Gun - According to the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, “If in the first act, you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise, don’t put it there”. § When used as a literary device, symbolism means to imbue objects with a certain meaning that is different from their original meaning or function. John Iremil Erine Teodoro is born on November 14, 1973 in Maybato Norte, San Jose de Buenavista, Antique, Philippines. He is a Filipino writer, literary critic and cultural scholar. He is also considered as to be a leading pioneer in Philippine gay literature and the most published author in Kinaray-a, the evidence are his two poems “Kung ang Tula ay Pwedeng Ipambili ng Lalake” and “Anghel sang Capiz.” ANG BABOY by John Iremil E. Teodoro Sugot takon nga mangin baboy Kon ang tangkal ko mga butkun mo. Basta damogan mo lang ako Kang imo nga yuhum kag haruk Aga, hapon. Dali man lang ako patambukun. Ang pangako mo man lang Nga indi ako pagpabay-an Amo ang bitamina nga akun Ginatomar. Kag kon gabii gani Ang mga apuhap mo man lang Sa akun likod kag dughan Ang makapahuraguk kanakun.  Ang Bayong kag Banga By: Flavio Zaragoza Cano Sugiran ta kamo, kag akon isaysay isa ka natabu sa isa ka lin-ay, matahum sing guya, sing lawas matibsul, bukad sang kabugaw, daw bukol sang doldol… Kong magka-agahon, nagasipit sang banga, kay siang magasag-ub sing tubig sa suba… Banga nia mabilog, kay diutay sing baba, matapuk sing buli kag dali mabuka. Sa amo nga ti-on, isa ka binata, kay sia man masag-ub sa pang-pang sang suba, iya nga nakit-an sang iya paglantaw ma-anyag nga lin-ay sang gugma gapukaw Dayon pinatindog bayong nga kawayan agud nga si Inday iya mabuligan… Apang sa hinali ang bayong napukan, nabu-ong and banga kay among natup-an… Gani mga nene, inyo gid amligan nga’ng inyo banga dili mapukanan agud sa gihapon kamo may sulodlan kag kamo may tubig nga sarang ma-imnan.  FIGURES OF SPEECH A figure of speech is a word or phrase using figurative language – language that has other meanings than its normal definition. It relies on implied or suggested meaning. Figures of speech make up a huge portion of the English language, making it more creative, more expressive and more interesting. COMMON EXAMPLES OF FIGURES OF SPEECH 1. Hyperbole – a figure of speech that utilizes extreme exaggeration to emphasize a certain quality or feature I have a million things to do. I’ll die if he doesn’t ask me on a date. This suitcase weighs a ton. 2. Paradox - a figure of speech that appears to be self-contradictory but actually reveals something truthful. You have to spend money to save it. What I’ve learned is that I know nothing. Things get worse before they get better. 3. Oxymoron – a figure of speech that connects two opposing ideas, usually in two-word phrases, to create a contradictory effect. Open secret Alone together True lies Controlled chaos Pretty ugly 4. Simile – a figure of speech in which two dissimilar things are compared to each other using the terms “like” or “as”. She’s as pretty as a picture. He’s strong like an ox. 5. Metaphor – a figure of speech that compares two different things without the use of the terms “like” or “as”. He is a fish out of water. She is a star in the sky. 6. Euphemism – a figure of speech that refers to figurative language designed to replace words or phrases that would otherwise be considered harsh, impolite or pleasant Last night, Joe’s grandfather passed away. Our company has decided to let you go. 7. Personification – a figure of speech that attributes human characteristics to something that is not human I heard the wind whistling.  The water danced across my window. 8. Alliteration - a sentence that consists of a series of words that have the same consonant sound at the beginning. Some popular examples of alliteration in a sentence include: She sells sea shells on the sea shore A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies 9. Onomatopoeia - This is a figure of speech that is used to express a sound. To be more precise, it involves the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the action or object referred to. The buzzing bee flew over my head The stone hit the water with a splash 10. Irony or sarcasm - a figure of speech in which the usage of words conveys the opposite of their literal meaning. These are often used in a humorous manner. Coming home to a big mess and saying, “it’s great to be back” Telling a rude customer to “have a nice day” 11. Apostrophe - It addresses the subject that is not present in the work. In this case, the object is absent or inanimate. Here are some of the examples of apostrophes. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are Welcome, O life! Alarm clock, please don’t fail me. Seven, you are my lucky number! 12. Assonance - Internal vowels in nearby words that are the same or comparable in sound. Here are a few examples of assonance in speech: How now, brown cow? The light of the fire is a sight 13. Synecdoche – a figure of speech in which a part represented the whole and conversely, thew whole is represented by the part. I have new wheels in the garage. He is known for his compassion for his hired hands. 14. Metonymy – a figure of speech in which the name of an object or concept is replaced with a word closely related to or suggested by the original The crown visited the Philippines last year. The White House showed strong support to the advocacies of differently-abled people.