Galaw ng Asoge & The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

I will admit, reading has never been a strong point for me, especially novels. True, I read the occasional webcomic and article, but a novel, not really. For HUMALIT however, I was tasked to read about two novels; one local and one foreign. Enter Galaw ng Asoge and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

Asoge in English is mercury, a curious metal that actually takes the form of liquid. The novel is a tricky one, very intricate and yet deliberate, just like mercury. The novel is full of signs and symbols used to portray the characters such as the ghost ship in Danakbunga and the eruption of Taal Volcano. Capturing the thoughts of characters and in a way manipulating them to their will. With these events, you somehow relate to the characters as they struggle with their lives as well as get an inkling as to what they are really capable of as well as thinking.

In the other side of things we have The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Díaz's portrait of a society that marries sex and violence with frightening casualness is funny as well as disturbing. Oscar's sister almost expects boyfriends to treat her badly; one brief childhood girlfriend of Oscar's, Maritza, "was a girl who seemed to delight in getting slapped around by her boyfriends", while his mother acquired boyfriends as a young woman only when her breasts became huge. The machismo of second-generation Dominican-American culture is an endless source of anguish to the young Oscar, and you know that his life is going to be brief because he's too gentle for it.

Theatre Appreciation

I've never been to a theatre before so this was all new to me. To answer it briefly, I did enjoy it. I thought it was a refreshing scene. The atmosphere of it all was great and I wouldn't mind watching another theatre production again.

The story is about an ailing father and his children. It revolved around the father's final days and how his children acted upon it, with his son, one way or another, slowly becoming a shadow of his father. The acting was amazing, you really felt the emotion of the characters, the despair, the sorrow as well as some funny moments within these serious scenes. All of which blended perfectly. Music was kept to a minimum and only played when the days or scenes passed in the production. The sound on the other hand was crisp because of the acoustics of the theatre. Every word was heard clearly. As for the production design, it could've been better, but it was satisfactory for how the story was portrayed. I just wish there were more locations other than the father's house.

Through Life and Back

In the summer of 1964, a boy and a girl meet backstage during a play taking place at the local church. He is a sort of Boy Scout, spending time away from his foster home at a summer camp; she is the only daughter in a family of six, playing a raven in the play. It is – in an odd sort of way – love at first sight, and the two begin a correspondence which will run the length of an entire year. Flash forward to the present – summer of 1965: both children have disappeared, and journeyed out into the wild to embrace their longings for adventure and each other. It is the story of their journey – in addition to the one led by their scout master and parents, respectively – that is conveyed in Wes Anderson’s quirky new film, Moonrise Kingdom.

In my opinion, the boy from Araby and Sam have very different ways of dealing with their love. Sam goes all out and does everything to ensure that his love with Suzy lasts while the boy from Araby thinks and thinks before acting upon it. As for me, I'm in between. I go for what I want and at the same time, I think a lot. It is true that we must seize every moment of our lives, but in my opinion, we should also think of the possible consequences of our actions.

I guess you could say the title is Moonrise Kingdom because it's a slice-of-life flick about growing up and being in love. Everyone goes through these feelings, and a moonrise represents the darkening before a beautiful dawn.

Mapping Myself to the World & Expectations

I. Mapping

1. San Juan City (place of birth)
2. Quezon City (place of growth)
3. Quezon City (current residence)
4. In the company of friends and family (place of joy)
5. The past (place of sorrow)
6. My mind (place of dreams)
7. In the company of friends (place of belonging)

II. Things I Know About Literature

1. It's historical
2. It's mythical
3. It's been with us for time in memorium
4. There is no boundaries
5. It's global

III. My Learning Challenge

1. To further immerse myself in literature
2. To gain an interest in literature
3. To improve my reading and writing skills