I can clearly remember how our
teacher told us to voice out our preferred scope and limitation on defining
Asian literature. Hours of reading and rereading the writings of famous Asian
authors and finally, now, I am able to make up my own definition of Asian
Literature. Defining it from the works and texts that I have encountered, I
think it is fit to say that Asian literature is any published or printed copy
that is about Asia-its people, its geographic location, culture, practices,
beliefs, customs and traditions. It does not necessarily mean that for a piece
of literature to be qualified or labeled as ‘Asian’, the author should be Asian
or born in Asia too. The definition of Asian literature is not limited to that
area. Any work of any author of any race, nationality or place of birth can be
labeled as ‘Asian’ as long as it suits the definition and restrictions
mentioned above.
The moment we were able to clearly
set our limitations and boundaries in learning Asian Literature, we were then
assigned texts to read, familiarize and analyze. Even though I cannot remember all the authors and the titles of the
story, poems and Haiku that I have encountered in my English 175 (Survey of
Asian Literature) readings, there are two short stories that took space in my
memory and I feel like I will be remembering these stories and its lessons for
the rest of my existence.
The first story is The Drain by
Samad Said, translated by Dr. Solehah Ishak. I was impressed by the author’s
style of vividly describing the place, the occurrences, and the people and
their personalities. It is some kind of
a gross story because of its setting, but it is the kind whom I want to
continue reading until the last punctuation. It makes people realize that we
should not surrender to poverty. Some are rich and some are poor by birth, but
how you will die is your decision. You have a lifetime to change your life’s
situation. The story serves as a realization for us to get up and work, to stop
complaining and murmuring, and to do what you can do. It teaches us a lesson of
not being lazy and not to blaim someone else for your situation.
Another story that I’m sure placed
an irremovable mark of change in my life is The Taximan’s Story by Catherine
Lim. It exposed the reality of the world that many teenagers nowadays use
money, gadgets and fashion in measuring their dignity. In order to keep up with
the ever-changing trends and demands of society, many would just settle unto
selling their bodies, not thinking of their future and not even minding of
their parents who worked hard to send them to school in order to uplift their
dignity and moral. It is a harsh reality that what seemed valuable a century
back-education, purity and modesty is nowadays second only to wants and
popularity.
Lastly, there is also a poem that
gave me a lot of realizations. This poem is entitled Drinking alone by
moonlight, written by Li Po. It is an eye-opener that no matter how you think
your life is good, it would still be better if you have friends. No matter how
much you enjoy doing a certain thing, it would be more fun and enjoyable if you
do it with your friends. Happiness will not become joy if you don’t share it
with someone whom you dearly trust. The poem implies that drinking alone makes the
persona of the poem happy, it he would be joyful if only he has friends to
share his happiness too.
On the other hand, the poem too
implies that people have the innate characteristic of making the most of what he/she
has. In that case, the man no longer entertain the fact the he does not have
friends. He just bear in mind that he is happy of being alone, maybe it is a
form of his defense mechanism to escape from the reality. In the end, he was
still happy, because after all it is his decision to be happy since it is his
life.
What I like about these stories is
that I think it attains the ultimate goal of literature-to expose the current
situation to make people informed and aware on what to do and how to act. The
mentioned goal is just my own assigned purpose of literature, of course. With
no doubts, hesitations and filters, the stories are able to create a clear mental
picture of the harshness of the people around us and the situation. Moreover,
the stories seemed to challenge me to never give up, no matter how difficult
and how the world seems unfair, I just got to keep moving on, because after
all, life is what you make it. It also inculcated in my mind that life is a joy
ride. It would be happier if throughout your journey, you have friends and
loved ones to talk to and to share your happiness and sorrows with.
Meanwhile, after being exposed to
various texts, there are common themes that I found in the writings of the
various authors. Most of them talks about
the nature, or even mentioned any part of nature, may it be Haiku, Short Story
or Poem. For instance, in the poems My Cottage at Deep South Mountain, Climbing
the City Tower North of the River and River Village, the title itself give
importance or highlights nature.
On the other hand, another common
theme found in the story is loneliness and being sad for being left alone. This
theme is reflected, for example in the poem Missing her husband on an Autumn
Night by Wang Wei and Drinking Alone
by Moonlight, written by Li po, whose
title alone implies how sad it is to be alone. Even throughout the text, it is
implied to the readers that life is good but it can be better if it was spent
with someone dear to you, someone you love, and someone special, like your
husband or your friends.
All in all, I can really say that
Asian literature is good and has its different ‘taste’ or ‘effect’ compared to
literatures from other countries. I have appreciated this literature, maybe
because of the fact that I am an Asian which makes me capable of relating to
the context of the story, its setting, its characters and their personalities
and the problems encountered. In the said literature’s case, most problems
reflected were third world ones, since most countries in Asian are third world
countries.
Another things is that through
reading the works of Asian authors or works written regarding Asia and its
culture, I have been able to know more about my continent. There are some
practices that I was not familiar but because of the descriptions and its
impact on the story, I have been able to know the explanations on why things
happen the way they were- in an Asian way. For instance, by reading Mahamaya, I
came across the word ‘suttee’. From its implication in the story, I knew that
suttee was once a practice of Indian women to burn themselves with the curse of
their husband during the funeral. It is considered a privilege for them to be
given the opportunity to jump in the funeral pyre with their husband’s body. At
present times, this practice has been abolished because it is inhumane. I was
amazed by this fact when I knew about this.
Another idea or knowledge about Asia
that I have encountered is that men from India love voluptuous women which is
very different from the Western or even Philippine trend of beautiful and
stunning for being slim and skinny.
Those are just some of unfamiliar
concepts in Asia that I have encountered that I can hardly believe. All because
to reading Asian literature, I was able to make myself acquainted and familiar
with those practices. I even said to myself that I am not really that familiar with my own
continent, thanks to the literature, I was able to add new knowledge to my
previously learned facts and information.
To non-Asian people, it would be a
great experience to encounter some works that talk about Asia. This would lead
to appreciation of various cultures that will then result to respect of
tradition and their culture. Though at times some practices may seem ‘weird’ to
us, but through these literatures, understanding is promoted and we are taught
to be sensitive enough, with the knowledge that we cannot expect all traditions
and practices to be homogeneous.
Lastly, being able to read various
literature, from Western to Asian, will make you flexible enough, not only to
the realities of the world, but also to how the writers differ in style in
their expressing of ideas and even how the plot or idea is laid down. In this
sense, once we encounter varying forms of writing, our knowledge will no longer
be limited, hence, we can appreciate literature and writings in a deeper sense.
