An Analyzation of 'Children of the City' by Amadis Ma. Guerrero
Title:
Children of the City by Amadis Ma. Guerrero
Theme:
The harsh conditions of living during the Marcos era.
Characters:
Victor - The protagonist and a dynamic character. Once an innocent boy but was tainted by the harsh reality of life.
Tatang - Victor's father that stood up for what's right for the people. He is a static character.
Mother - Victor's conservative mother that wanted nothing to do with strikes and protests. She would rather be safe than sorry. She is a flat character.
Tio Pedring - He pushed Victor in becoming a newsboy to earn money. He is also a flat character.
Nacio - Victor's only friend in the business who taught him the ropes of Manila. He is also a flat character.
Newsboys - Victor's colleagues in the business who despised him. They are stock characters.
Summary:
The story tells us about a boy, named Victor, who grew up during the Martial Law era. The writer takes us through Victor's life from when he briefly spent time with his father to the aftermath of his passing. It was written through the boy's point of view that shows his innocence and purity and how that changed through time and experience.
His father, which Victor calls Tatang, was a worker at the dock that was revolting against the government at that time. A few months pass, the strike would end fatally due to three six-by-six trucks running over the strikers and the police shooting a few and killing five men all-in-all. Not long after his father's death, life went downhill for Victor. He dropped out of school, his mom found a new man that was everything except respectable, and he was forced to work for his uncle. He was given the work of a newsboy, selling newspapers to the masses for a few cents and waging a few pesos for when he has sold his bundle. He excelled in the job even though selling newspapers in the busy streets of Manila was hard for a little boy. However trying to get along with the community inside the business was even harder. Victor was a good child and the veteran newsboys weren't; they were the opposite of him. They smoked cigarettes, their tongues were sharp, and they were violent, all of which the poor boy wasn't. He did make one friend though, and that was Nacio. He was a very cheerful kid and was friendly enough to a newbie. Victor's happiness was cut short when he found out that Nacio died due to getting hit by a car and leaving him alone in the streets. Though he was great a newsboy, the others resented him. The clash of personalities was a hindrance to Victor as they were jealous of how successful he could sell his bundle while also getting frustrated with why can't he get along with them because of his values. The emotion his colleagues felt reached the maximum peak and they couldn't help but beat him up. They were softened up by police and Victor and the other newsboys united by a cigarette offer that Victor surprisingly did not refuse.
Life during the Martial era was no joke. Every day was a constant battle between life and death with no guarantee. Victor's life was a symbol of the life of a normal citizen during those times. Living was no easy task especially if you are a minority. His case wasn't the worst but a huge portion of society did not have easy lives. During those times, it was a case of survival of the fittest. The story goes to show that that period in the Philippines was a low point for the lives of people. Ironically, no one was safe from the government if you opposed them even if keeping the citizens safe is their priority. From the story, people with positions in the government and military were the ones who were living easy lives. It was true though, you were prioritized if you had a position a neglected if you were a regular person. Also, child labor was present in the story and that reflected the issues the Marcos' were accused of when building infrastructures.
The Marcos era was a truly scary time that you really had no freedom, especially free speech. The story portrayed how hard life was and how far you had to go just to be able to live through the night. No one, except the higher ups, was safe. Children, women, and men alike had to face daily problems and it felt like living was a burden to them because of how oppressive the government was. That brief period in the Philippine history was regrettably memorable for everyone because of the harsh and cruel society and government.
Children of the City by Amadis Ma. Guerrero
Theme:
The harsh conditions of living during the Marcos era.
Characters:
Victor - The protagonist and a dynamic character. Once an innocent boy but was tainted by the harsh reality of life.
Tatang - Victor's father that stood up for what's right for the people. He is a static character.
Mother - Victor's conservative mother that wanted nothing to do with strikes and protests. She would rather be safe than sorry. She is a flat character.
Tio Pedring - He pushed Victor in becoming a newsboy to earn money. He is also a flat character.
Nacio - Victor's only friend in the business who taught him the ropes of Manila. He is also a flat character.
Newsboys - Victor's colleagues in the business who despised him. They are stock characters.
Summary:
The story tells us about a boy, named Victor, who grew up during the Martial Law era. The writer takes us through Victor's life from when he briefly spent time with his father to the aftermath of his passing. It was written through the boy's point of view that shows his innocence and purity and how that changed through time and experience.
His father, which Victor calls Tatang, was a worker at the dock that was revolting against the government at that time. A few months pass, the strike would end fatally due to three six-by-six trucks running over the strikers and the police shooting a few and killing five men all-in-all. Not long after his father's death, life went downhill for Victor. He dropped out of school, his mom found a new man that was everything except respectable, and he was forced to work for his uncle. He was given the work of a newsboy, selling newspapers to the masses for a few cents and waging a few pesos for when he has sold his bundle. He excelled in the job even though selling newspapers in the busy streets of Manila was hard for a little boy. However trying to get along with the community inside the business was even harder. Victor was a good child and the veteran newsboys weren't; they were the opposite of him. They smoked cigarettes, their tongues were sharp, and they were violent, all of which the poor boy wasn't. He did make one friend though, and that was Nacio. He was a very cheerful kid and was friendly enough to a newbie. Victor's happiness was cut short when he found out that Nacio died due to getting hit by a car and leaving him alone in the streets. Though he was great a newsboy, the others resented him. The clash of personalities was a hindrance to Victor as they were jealous of how successful he could sell his bundle while also getting frustrated with why can't he get along with them because of his values. The emotion his colleagues felt reached the maximum peak and they couldn't help but beat him up. They were softened up by police and Victor and the other newsboys united by a cigarette offer that Victor surprisingly did not refuse.
Life during the Martial era was no joke. Every day was a constant battle between life and death with no guarantee. Victor's life was a symbol of the life of a normal citizen during those times. Living was no easy task especially if you are a minority. His case wasn't the worst but a huge portion of society did not have easy lives. During those times, it was a case of survival of the fittest. The story goes to show that that period in the Philippines was a low point for the lives of people. Ironically, no one was safe from the government if you opposed them even if keeping the citizens safe is their priority. From the story, people with positions in the government and military were the ones who were living easy lives. It was true though, you were prioritized if you had a position a neglected if you were a regular person. Also, child labor was present in the story and that reflected the issues the Marcos' were accused of when building infrastructures.
The Marcos era was a truly scary time that you really had no freedom, especially free speech. The story portrayed how hard life was and how far you had to go just to be able to live through the night. No one, except the higher ups, was safe. Children, women, and men alike had to face daily problems and it felt like living was a burden to them because of how oppressive the government was. That brief period in the Philippine history was regrettably memorable for everyone because of the harsh and cruel society and government.
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