Historical-biographical Analysis of A Child of Sorrow

A Child of Sorrow
by Zoilo Galang

Summary:
The novel was set in Merrytown one summer vacation in the month of April.The tragic story revolves around the two lovers, Lucio Soliman who is obsessed with books, and Rosa Garcia, a beautiful and decent woman. Their story tussles with many challenges and hindrances such as the opposition of Rosa's family to their relationship, however the end is still unfavorable to them both. The marriage of  Rosa and the selfish Oscar Ramirez foments a tragedy.

Lucio was having his vacation that time when he met Rosa, whom he suddenly felt with something inconclusive. The feeling was also true with Rosa.When they met again, Lucio decided of confessing his love to the woman. He spent most of his vacation time with her. However, the time came that he needs to go back to his hometown. Leaving was hard for the two lovers, but they remained strong, until Lucio knew that Rosa was about to be married to Oscar. She wasn't happy about marrying a selfish man. The anxiety she felt resulted to her death which also brought despair to Lucio.

Biography:
A Child of lugubriousness Author: Zoilo Galang was born on June 27, 1895 in Bacolor, Pampanga. Zoilo Galang grew up in Spanish culture, however his perceptions changed when the Americans came. He went to school at the Bacolor Elementary School and then went to Manila to study at the Escuela de Derecho, the country’s eminent law school where he graduated in 1919. A self-starter, he learned typing and stenography in English and Spanish all by himself. Attracted to the English language, he took special courses at the University of the Philippines in 1925, then went to Columbia University for further studies in Literature.He authored “A Child of Sorrow”, the first English novel written by a Filipino. This was later made into a movie in 1930. Other notable works include "Nadia", "For Dreams Must Die", "Springtime", "Leaders of the Philippines", "Glimpses of the World", "Life and Success", "Master of Destiny", "Unisophy" and "Barrio Life".


Historical-Biographical Analysis:

There are examples of historical and biographical influence on the novel. The years when Zoilo stays in Bacolor, Pampanga gives a clear description of simplicity to the life of the novel’s main character, Lucio Soliman. Galang shows the usual kind of romantic relationship which is conservative, old fashioned.The name of the governor, Ishmael, can be traced in the Bible. The Ishmael in the Bible is an outcast and is excluded by people. Even in Zoilo Galang’s A Child of sorrow, Ishmael, the governor is not liked by most people. When we talk about history, the attitude of the governor represents Governor Honorio Ventura, the Civil Governor in Pampanga in 1916 to 1922.

Sources:

http://economic-times-daily-beast.blogspot.com/2013/12/child-of-sorrow-book-report.html

http://viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com/2009/08/155-zoilo-galang-kapampangan.html
https://mylitcrit.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/a-child-of-sorrow-by-zoilo-galang-analysis-biographicalhistorical-approach/

Formalist View of The Sick Rose

                             

The Sick Rose

BY WILLIAM BLAKE

O Rose thou art sick. 

The invisible worm, 

That flies in the night 

In the howling storm: 

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy:

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

*Formalist View*

     The poem, "The Sick Rose" has two stanzas with four lines each. Meter is free; and there are rhyming words in the second and fourth line of each stanza ("worm"-"storm";"joy"-"destroy"). In the first line 'O Rose thou art sick', the speaker is talking to a rose. Lines three and four have enjambment, and these two lines describe the 'invisible worm' or depict its action. The second stanza tells us about what happens to the worm; it 'has found out thy bed'. The antecedent "thy" refers to the "rose" in the first stanza. The second line 'of crimson joy' modifies the word "bed", considering also that there is an enjambment. The last two lines show what the worm has done to the rose. The antecedent "his" which refers to the worm with the 'dark secret love' destroyed the life of the rose.

Point of View: The poem carries a third person point of view, and the speaker is omniscient since he knows everything all throughout the story. The narrator was even able to give comment to the character, 'thou art sick'.

Setting:  The lines 'That flies in the night' ;'In the howling storm:'; 'Has found out thy bed', reveals something about the setting of the story, which can be considered as paradoxical to reality. Of course when you hear the word "rose", the very first picture that would come into your mind is "rose in a vase" or "rose in the garden". The title, however, depicts its condition, 'The Sick Rose', whereby we can infer that the literal rose might be withered or something. 

Characters:The poem has two characters: the rose and the worm, and also has a foil(minor character) who is the speaker himself. The flat characters are physically described in the poem, "the sick rose", and "the invisible worm". The foil is the one that points out the characteristics of the protagonist as observed in the poem.

Symbols: There are private symbols in the poem which can be understood only through the context. For example, the word "rose" may suggest a deeper meaning than a flower only. The "worm" also, being described as invisible, is technically a symbol for something or somebody. Lastly, "crimson" prior to the word "joy" is not just mainly a modifier of the word, but it connotes something unusual.   

Theme: In "The Sick Rose", William Blake concludes that "a dark, secret love could destroy a life."