Useless Tongues

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 An Analysis of a 21st Century Philippine Literature entitled

Tongue of Angels

by Allan Popa



How can a loving God allow suffering?

Is it in the angels' longing to open their mouths and maybe speak words of comfort that salvation can be found?


BACKGROUND



        Allan Popa (from Virac , Catanduanes ) is an instructor, author and essayist of at least ten books Kabali a Basta (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2009) , Wandering the Durungawan (High Chair, 2009) and You: New and Piling Tula (UP Press, 2004). He is likewise an enthusiast of Latay sa Isipan: Mga Bagong Tulang Pilipino (UST Press, 2007). He graduated with a degree in BS Chemical Engineering from the University of the Philippines - Dark in 1994 and AB Creative Writing in Filipino in 2000 at a similar college. In 2006, he earned the MFA title in Creative Writing from De La Salle University just as the MFA Writing title at Washington University in St. Louis. Louis, Missouri in the USA in 2011. He won the Free Press Literary Award and the Manila Critics Circle National Book Award for Rawitdawit. In Missouri, he additionally won the Academy of American Poets Prize for the Norma Lowry Memorial Prize. Confronting the Ateneo de Manila University . He is likewise an individual from the High Chair.

List of  his Works and Year Published

➢ Drone : poems - (2013)

➢ Maaari : mga bago at piling tula - (2004)

➢ Kundi akala  - (2004)

➢ Laan  - (2013)

➢ Narkotiko at panganorin - (2018)

➢ Hunos : mga tula - (2000-2006)

➢ Damagan - (2018)

➢ Tongue Of Angels - (2003)


COPY OF THE LITERARY TEXT

 

Tongues of Angels

 

They unfold their wings.

The shadows they create

Fail to darken the earth.

 

They watch.

Without once batting an eye.

Without once turning their backs.

 

Without once shielding

Their faces with hands

They cannot lift from their trumpets.

 

Sometimes they are visited by the memory

Of voice. They long to open their mouths.

But cannot speak.

 

What is a tongue if not a piece

Of flesh that can never be swallowed

 

ANALYSIS

A. Literary Genre

             Poetry is a style of writing that uses a formal organization and that is often divided up into lines or stanzas, or it refers to something beautiful. An arrangement of words written or spoken: traditionally a rhythmical composition, sometimes rhymed, expressing experiences, ideas, or emotions in a style more concentrated, imaginative, and powerful than that of ordinary speech or prose: some poems are in meter, some in free verse.

           Tongues of Angels is an example of poetry. It uses a formal organization or stanzas. The poem does not have meter, rhyme scheme or any particular structure; it means it's a free verse. The author used his imaginative mind to come up with this kind poetry to express his idea and emotion to the readers.

B. Analysis Guides

Tongue is used in reference to a person’s style of speaking. Tongues of Angels is all about how angels wanted to speak or to comfort people who are sufferings.

Reader Response

Analyzing "tongues of angels" by Allan Popa makes the readers feel how it feels to suffer without doing any solution. The people of the earth keep questioning how God allows them to suffer. If you are in the position of the angels of god all you have to do is to pity them.

Tone

        The feelings that had been being expressed in the poem is pitiful. The poem reflects how the angels wanted to speak and help those people they are watching. So, Allan Popa conveys the suffering of the world via the reaction of the angels.

Point of View

           In the poem “Tongues of Angels”, Allan Popa himself is the one narrating the poem. So it uses third person’s point of view because it uses the word “they” and “their”. In other words, the voice of the telling appears to be the author.

Diction

       All of the stanzas of the poem are negative because at the last, it questioned "what is tongue if not a piece of flesh that can never be swallowed", means this poem leaves a big question that how can an angel help the suffering earth if they are unable to speak.

Style

       This poem is also composed of 3 lines in every stanza without rhyme scheme but full of informative statements that can realize and lighten people's mind.

Images and Symbols

           The image in the poem is the tongue. Tongue represents "a piece of flesh that can never be swallowed", that is similar to having a lump in the throat.

Sound Effects

       The poem is a free verse poem that has no set meter, no rhyme scheme or any particular structure.   

Theme

       The theme of the literature "Tongues of Angels" is about how angels wanted to speak but didn't have the power to do it.


C. Contextual Analysis

Biographical Context 

      The poem “Tongues of Angels” can be concluded in Biographical Context because Allan Popa graduated as a creative writer and received multiple awards. Because of his achievement he came up with this kind of poem entitled “Tongues of Angels”.


SUMMARY

The author wants to emphasize one question and that is How can a loving God allow suffering? It is said there that angels are forced to watch us and they are not allowed to speak for some reason. Their thoughts, opinions, and suggestions had never been heard. They are visited by the memory of voice or their conscience as they really want to speak but never be allowed. Instead of an answer we are left with the image of the tongue as “a piece of flesh that can never be swallowed”, which seems similar to having a lump in one’s throat. This ending is an emotional response to a question without an answer. Angel's are longing to open their mouths and speak words of comfort where salvation can be found.

We already saw how our world suffered via the reaction of the angels who were forced to watch. Angels are longing to their mouths but they are unable to speak. God is challenging to let us know and remind that the Lord is always there guiding us and not neglecting us. He will not give us a test if we do not pass because God will not let us suffer so we learn to turn to the Lord and turn to him.


REFERENCES

For you to find other information about the poem "Tongues of Angels" by Allan Popa here are some website links to add for your reference. The following are:

Online Sources:

Popa, Allan (2020). Six Poems. Retrieved from https://www.asymptotejournal.com/poetry/allan-popa-six-poems/

Thompson, Nathan A. (2020 Globe Media Asia).“There is a legend that says God is dreaming our lives for us”. Retrieved from https://southeastasiaglobe.com/poetry-philippines-southeast-asia-globe/ 

Popa, Allan (2012). Department of Fili Retrieved from https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=search&pto=aue&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=tl&sp=nmt4&u=https://www.ateneo.edu/ls/soh/filipino/faculty/popa-allan-c-phd&usg=ALkJrhhMPjbzoUUenJapDO3HeOu7NavtJg

Online Editor (2018). ‘Simplest words still create meaning in poetry’ – poet. Retrieved from https://varsitarian.net/literary/20180901/simplest-words-still-create-meaning-in-poetry-poet

Worldcat Identities (2020). Popa, Allan. Retrieved from http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n2016221656/

Information Unit (2008) 43 joins poetry talk workshop with Allan Popa, Lourd de Veyra. Retrieved from https://catanduanes.gov.ph/43-joins-poetry-talk-workshop-with-allan-popa-lourd-de-veyra/

CC BY-SA 3.0 (2020). Allan Popa. Retrieved from https://bcl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Popa

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Unknown13 December 2020 at 23:40

    Walang masamang mag aral ng ibang lengguwahe basta at wag kalilimutan ang wika na filipino
    - dianne excelle

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown27 January 2021 at 23:53

    There is nothing erroneous with learning Q language as long as you do not forget the Filipino language.
    -jherdie villan

    ReplyDelete

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