TIGSO by:
Errol Merquita
An Analysis
A literary piece written by Errol Merquita, a graduate of AB Social Science in University of the
Philippines, an award-winning poet from the country’s most prestigious literary award-giving bodies that
recognize exemplary works of Filipino writers, The Palanca Awards.
Originally, the word Tigso is a game known to be played consists of two groups which rules to
have defenders and attackers. Metaphorically, it is used as a title in this poem to relate to the main theme
of this narrative poetry which is war, chaos or anything that is tragic.
Elements of poetry can be determined from the start up until the end of the poem. Including the
structure, mood, theme, persona, rhyme, figurative language and rhyme scheme.
Stanzas do not consists the same number of lines, specifically, the first three stanzas were
quatrain, and there are more than 4 lines and more than 10 lines from the other 2 stanzas in the poem.
Rhyme scheme A – A, B – B is used in the 2nd stanza, and other stanzas utilize different rhyme scheme.
The speaker of the poem is an innocent child with an innocent view who has perceived his/her
experiences as a mere game of Tigso, which reflects on a metaphorically unique way of understanding the
narrative told. This can also be related to the observations of the writer from the past events or political
issues.
Repetition of words rito and roon is seen from the first stanza and the last stanza which may
emphasize chaos happening in the poem.
With the mood, considering its ending Ay noong hindi na nakita ang tatay ko, saan kaya siya
nagtatago? reflecting on a hopeful tone with the father’s return.
Imagery was utilized throughout the poem including visual, kinesthetic and auditory imageries.
Evident lines like tuwing may putukan, napapasigaw kami are selected lines which are auditory imagery.
Takbo rito, takbo roon, napapalipad ang mga manok are kinesthetic imageries. And other lines depicts
more on visualized aspects of the poem.
Figures of speech in the poem involve personification, metaphor and onomatopoeia. Since the
title relates to the message of the poem, it can be determined as a metaphor. Lines in the poem ratatatat,
ratatat and pakapakpak, bangbang is considered as onomatopoeias. And napapabalentong si kambing
and namumutla ang mga uwak are all considered as human activities possessed by animals, it is a
personification.
ANG BATA NGA DILI MATULOG
by: Macario D. Tiu
An analysis
The fictional short story Ang Bata nga Dili Matulog written by Macario D. Tiu, a homegrown
Mindanao scholar, historian, a community poet, famous writer and researcher for English and Visayan
story primarily fiction in verse. It educates readers about domestic abuse and the psychological
consequences it has on victims, especially women. The story centers on Tinang’s harrowing experience as
a victim of domestic abuse. Tinang, a mother of three children named; Junior, Theresa, and Belinda, fled
her house after suffering severe domestic abuse at the hands of her husband Berto. After evading capture
without knowing where she was going, she wound up caring for Bingbing, the boss’s daughter from the
eatery she had previously worked. An extra character, Minda, a maid like her who works for another
home.
The main character, Tinang, was abused by her husband Berto, who may be viewed as an
antagonist from her past experiences in an unknown province. She currently works for a man in Davao,
where the story took place.
The narrative begins with Tinang attempting to put the baby to sleep by turning out the lights and
scaring the child with tales of “mumu” a local name for various nocturnal creatures. Her horrific history
is also gradually revealed as the story progresses. The rising action started when she woke up 3 o’clock in
the morning, her room heard the disturbance when her boss, caused in the living room from a distance.
When Bingbing woke up, she called her mother attracting her father’s attention inside her [Link]
trauma she’s having has caused her to hide under her bed while her boss cautiously walking into the
room. The dramatic action of the story occurs when Bingbing, who defended her nanny by standing on
the door and pushed the person hiding behind the shadows away. The story comes to an unexpected
conclusion as a result, a kid shielding an adult woman from her fears.
The story was told in a Third Person’s Point of View because it can be observed that the
emotions, past experiences and thoughts of the characters are determined.
Man on Hole, in general, can be used to describe the plot. Even though she experienced domestic
violence, it was the trauma that kept her bound in dread for the rest of her life, unable to escape the deep
pit into which she had sunk. For various timelines, the battle consists of both Man vs. Man and Man vs.
Self. She fears being around drunk people and terrified by their mere sound as a result of the abuse, made
her struggle with her own thoughts. And Man vs. Man reflects to the person who caused her the trauma
which is her husband.
The story ended not having a clarity of what happened from the characters. It stopped when
Tinang was protected by Bingbing but it was not stated whether she has overcome her trauma, because it
did not have a clear resolution to the conflict of the story.
With the ending, I realized that a trauma lasts longer than any person can imagine. Just like a
physical scar from a deep cut takes time to heal, recovery from trauma is possible with time and treatment
only for those people who are strong enough to face their fears. There is always a silver lining to every
situation, and for trauma, it makes us better people.
