“We must underscore that the first principle of criticism is the pursuit of truth, as poetic truth is the truth of ideas, and experiences of a work of art”
A Literary Analysis from (sic) the Ilocano folk Song: “Pamulinawen”
By: Glydelle M. Raquiño
First off. Let’s get it from the critic’s unedited opening statement: “Folk songs shows how creative and historical our ancestors established in the past. It runs through our superstitious beliefs and culture that even though we were developed by different technologies and innovation it is still present in some areas in the Philippines.”
The critic has been published as an English major from the Cagayan State University, Carig Campus in Tuguegarao City.
In fairness to her, she admitted, in part, she is “a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies at Cagayan State University — Carig Campus. I am not yet a pro in terms of scholarly literature but, I still try my best to be good at this…”
She adds: “The ‘Pamulinawen’ Ilocano folk song is originally written by Jose A. Bragado, a writer and a poet who was born at Sanata, (sic) Ilocos Sur.
“He took up several courses in college, including Journalism and English. He has worked as News & Comics Editor and Literary Editor. He has published in the Bannawag magazine 20 novels, 65 short stories, 50 poems, 170 feature articles and essays, translated 5 novels from Filipino to Iloko; he has a lot edited and co-authored several books.
“He has published short stories in the Liwayway magazine. He wrote the life of Gabriela and Diego Silang for Balintataw, a radio program of Cecille Gidote-Alvarez at the DZRH. The drama ran for one month (provided by Academia authors catalog).
“This analysis is made because of the need of wider dissemination and appreciation by the younger generations – if only for the message of patriotism, love for kin and what the songs say of the community, the aspirations of the people, their laughter, their grief, and their dreams.
“Ilocanos take pride in their folk song Pamulinawen, among others they have in their chests, a song addressed to, a euphemism, and by the unique melody it has that one could remember by just hearing its tune.”
Now, quick to the basics.
Literary criticism, essentially an opinion, supported by evidence, relating to theme, style, setting or historical or political context, usually includes discussion of the work’s content and integrates the critic’s ideas with other insights gained from research.
Characteristics of a good critic are articulateness, preferably having the ability to use language with a high level of appeal and skill, impeccable grammar not concealed.
Sympathy, sensitivity and insight are important too. Form, style and medium are all considered by the critic.
The purpose of literary criticism is to broaden a reader’s understanding of an author’s work by summarizing, interpreting, and exploring its value.
After giving the text a close reading, a critic formulates a comprehensive literary analysis that can inform or challenge another reader’s understanding of the text.
There are many1types of literary criticism: the more common are traditional criticism, sociological criticism, new criticism, reader-response criticism, Feminist criticism, Marxist criticism, and media criticism.
Despite its rather negative-sounding name, literary “criticism” is not necessarily negative! Literary criticism is simply an in-depth critique of an author’s work that helps a researcher understand the work’s meaning, symbolism and/or origin.
Which raises the question: Did Bragado, an 86-year-old Ilocos Sur-born writer who now lives in Caloocan City in Metro Manila, write the folk song ‘Pamulinawen’ as the critic wants her readers to believe.
Or did he write a book whose title is ‘Pamulinawen’ but has nothing to do with the folk song which the critic apparently conveniently ignored or gave a lie to?
Certainly the two are islands apart and in between them are centuries.
The elements that make up a literary work are closely examined for their meaning and significance. Some of these elements are theme, character, and plot.
In the literary piece purported to be critiqued, the theme is the central topic, subject, or message within a narrative.
Themes, which are the unifying ideas, can be divided into two categories: a work’s thematic concept which is what readers “think the work is about” and its thematic statement being “what the work says about the subject.”
We find in the critic’s attempt an attempt to deceive the readers, not to mention her clear lack of scholarly research with her background as an English major, given her assertion that the folk song was originally written by Bragado, who was born on August 25, 1936 – makes him only 86 at the time the supposed criticism was uploaded.
Raquiño’s identification that the folk song was written by Bragado is a gross misrepresentation and a rather nauseous exercise at death’s door.
The folk song antedates the birthdate of Bragado, a former president of GUMIL Filipinas. He could not have written the folk song before he was born. Simple as that.
And, unless corrected before much longer, the presented literary criticism may be believed as dogma by generations with blinders and whatever else.
Instance, to declare without proper authorities that Bragado was the author of the Ilokano – sometimes spelled out Ilocano — folk song ‘Pamulinawen’ is deception at its highest rung.
That Bragado has a book titled Pamulinawen cannot by any measure mean that he was the one who wrote the lyrics of the folk song.
Bragado’s 10-chapter ‘Pamulinawen’ book, which does not even touch on the folk song but on a topic that is something else, translated by his wife Dr. Crispina Bragado into Pilipino (total 167 pages including glossary and pen sketches about the author and the translator, published by GUMIL Metro Manila in 1995), does not suggest the so-called Ilokano folk song Pamulinawen lyrics were written by Bragado, scores after the folk song was being sung by Ilokanos four generations earlier, and possibly even more, before Bragado saw the light of Ilocos Sur’s sunrise.
A folk song is a piece of music composed within the parameters of folk music.
These songs are usually about a particular group of people, an event, or an experience. They were traditionally performed on folk instruments, never written down, and had unknown origins
Folk music takes its name from the German word volk, which essentially means ‘the people’ – came to be used derisively to refer to the music of the uncultured class of people.
We must underscore that the first principle of criticism is the pursuit of truth, as poetic truth is the truth of ideas, and experiences of a work of art.
The definition of ‘truth’ must first be explained to further understand this question.
“Truth” is a fact or belief that is accepted as true. For something to be true, it has to be true for the public and individual, so this means it must be the same for everyone.
One must appreciate that literature, by its very nature, cannot perfectly resemble real life.
Literature, even strict nonfiction, is rarely a recounting of events as they actually happened. The author must see events and people through their own biased filter.
The literary analysis, if it may be called that, suffers from many green around the gills infirmities.
‘Pamulinawen’ is a simple modal melody and a lively song with a tempo of maximum 90 beats per minute and can be used double time at 180 BPM whose track runs three minutes and 26 seconds long with a time signature of four beats per bar.
The researcher could have asked Bragado (had the researcher been more sedulous, instead of just relying on what Bragado studied based on unverified academic credentials) if indeed he wrote/composed the folk song. which is different from the book ‘Pamulinawen’ he published.
There is something very wrong in the paper, a blatant error of fact.
What makes it even more queasy, which raises the roof, is that the attempting critic is a northerner like Bragado.
In this age of cellphones and the internet, the critic could have easily contacted Bragado before submitting the effort to whatever platform that did not have as much space and acceptable diligence to fact-check the material.
For any scholarly research, critics should go beyond reading the biodata of people and, to lengthen the material, include in their presentation the lyrics of a song professed to be critiqued.
In fairness to Bragado, we don’t suppose he was ever interviewed for the paper being analyzed and submitted to Academia titled “A literary analysis from (sic) the Ilocano folk song: Pamulinawen.”
And if he was, we don’t think he was indecorously impudent and had the barefaced amour propre to tell the “literary analyst” that he wrote the lyrics of the song sung by Ilocanos’ forefathers—Bragado’s included.
(HBC was executive council member of the literary committee of the NCCA and former president of GUMIL Filipinas [1995-1999], taught World Literature, among other courses, in the university. An honor graduate of San Beda College, where he eventually became coach of the school’s College of Arts and Sciences Debate Team)