Footnote to Youth

Title: Footnote to Youth

Author: Jose Garcia Villa

Author’s Background:
Jose Garcia Villa (August 5, 1908 – February 7, 1997) is considered as one of the finest contemporary poets regardless of race or language. Villa, who lived in Singalong, Manila, introduced the reversed consonance rime scheme, including the comma poems that made full use of the punctuation mark in an innovative, poetic way. The first of his poems “Have Come, Am Here” received critical recognition when it appeared in New York in 1942 that, soon enough, honors and fellowships were heaped on him: Guggenheim, Bollingen, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards. He used Doveglion (Dove, Eagle, Lion) as a pen name, the very characters he attributed to himself, and the same ones explored by e.e. cummings in the poem he wrote for Villa (Doveglion, Adventures in Value). Villa is also known for the tartness of his tongue.

Source: http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-artists-of-the-philippines/jose-garcia-villa/

Vocabulary:

climacteric - a critical period or event.
areca - a tropical Asian palm.
clammy -  unpleasantly damp and sticky or slimy to touch.
insolent - showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.
virility – manliness.
begrimed - blacken with ingrained dirt.
invigorating – making one feel strong, healthy, and full of energy.
unvarnished - not covered with varnish.
sweltering - uncomfortably hot.
paternity - the state of being someone's father.
interminable – endless.
querulous - complaining in a petulant or whining manner.
wistful - having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing.

Source: Oxford Dictionaries © Oxford University Press

Characters:

Dodong – The protagonist of the story. A young boy, son of a hard-working farmer. At the age of seventeen, he wanted to marry Teang, his girlfriend. Years later he will soon realize the consequence of his decision.
Dodong’s father – A hard-working farmer and father of Dodong. Like his son, He married his wife at a young age. This became one of the reasons that strengthened the resolve of Dodong to ask his parents for their permission to marry Teang.
Dodong’s mother – Mother of Dodong. She married with Dodong’s father at a young age.
Teang – The girlfriend of Dodong and wife in the latter part of the story. She feels a bit of regret for marrying Dodong in an early age because she realized the struggles and hardships of being a mom, but she does not say this to Dodong because she loves him even after that.
Blas – The first child of Dodong and Teang. At the age of eighteen, he followed the footsteps of his dad and wanted to marry Tona, his girlfriend, at an early age.
Lucio – Another suitor of Teang, although he is older than nine years by Dodong.
Tona – The girlfriend of Blas.

Setting:
Geographic Location: Philippines

Setting 1:
Location: Dodong’s family farm

Setting 2:
Location: Dodong’s house

Exposition:

It was on a sunset and Dodong was feeding the carabao. As he was doing so, he was thinking of whether he should finally tell to his father that he wants to marry Teang.

Rising Action:

As he finally got home. Their family had dinner. Once they finished, he waited for his mom to leave for a moment, then he will ask his father’s permission.

When he finally asked his father. His father asked him “Must you marry, Dodong?” a question that kind of angered him, as his father married his mother in an early age. But soon after his dad was ok with it.

Months later and Teang is finally giving birth to Dodong’s first child. Dodong went out of the house and was very worried of Teang because he is aware of the pain of giving birth. His parents soon called him and they went back to the house. Teang has finally gave birth to a boy. And they named him Blas.

That was not their only child. Teang would soon give birth to many more and because of this Dodong got angry with himself sometimes. This successive childbirths and household chores would soon take a toll on Teang’s body as she was shapeless and thin. Although she loves Dodong, she feels a bit of regret marrying him in a young age and she wonders what would have happened if she chose to marry Lucio, another suitor of hers that is older than Dodong by nine years. Would they have as many children as they have now? But yet she loved Dodong more even after all these years who got tired and querulous.

Dodong then contemplated about life and youth. “Life did not fulfill all of Youth’s dreams. Why must be so? Why one was forsaken… after love?” He cannot think of an answer and maybe it should not be answered. And so, he returned home denied of the answer he yearns for.

Climax:

When Blas was finally eighteen, he came home nervous. Blas was restless on his mat and Dodong heard it as he could not sleep. Then Blas finally asked his dad, if he can marry Tona. Blas was very determined to marry Tona. Dodong asked his son to follow him outside.

Falling Action:

Dodong was uncertain, he did not want his son to marry too early probably because he doesn’t want his son to suffer like him. “Must you marry?” he asked. “I will mary Tona” “You have objection, Itay?” Blas asked acridly. Dodong allowed his son to marry Tona because he believes that what his son is experiencing is youth. Soon after he will have to face life like him.

Ending:

Dodong looked at his son with grief. He felt extremely sad and sorry for him as he imagines that hardships that he will soon face with his decision.

Symbolisms:

Short colorless worm & small angled stone – This symbolizes as the hardships that Dodong would soon face but him being on his youth does not even notice it as he was blinded by his surging emotions to marry Teang.

Theme:

The story takes place in the Philippines and reflects the mindset of the Filipino youth. The situation in our country nowadays is that the youth tend to make rash decisions because they are overwhelmed by their emotions. This is why nowadays we see cases of teenage pregnancy, early marriage, premarital sex, drug abuse, etc.

Lesson:                                                                  

Rashness is what defines youth. It is at this stage when we feel adventurous and find excitement in things we haven’t explored yet. Therefore, it is impossible to remove the rashness of a youth, because these are the times when they are developing mentally and emotionally. And being emotionally overwhelmed is a common occurrence. In times like these, the youth needs proper guidance, and that guidance may only come from adults, especially from the youth’s guardian or parents. But when such guidance cannot be found. Another alternative is through education. Through education, we can achieve mental maturity and learn how to think logically and rationally.