Carlos vs. Manuel

Carlos Bulosan and Manuel Arguilla are both very good writers because they've both captured the eyes of foreign readers at a time where Filipinos are discriminated. They both used the english language in writing. They were both Ilokanos. They both died young. If they have many common things, then who is better in terms of writing?

I first read Carlos Bulosan's story “My Father Goes To Court” and I understood it the first time I read the story. Maybe it's because of the simplicity of the words, it's interesting and it's a comedy. I had a good time reading Carlos' piece of work. I find it really interesting. After that, I read Manuel Arguilla's story “How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife” which, I had some difficulties in understanding. The words are too descriptive that it tends to pile up in my mind and never got to visualize what was happening. I also got confused in the first part of the story. I didn't know who was talking. The first, it was Baldo, then it was Leon. I even thought that Labang was a human being until I read that Labang has horns. I didn't find the story interesting because unlike “My Father Goes To Court”, “How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife”'s plot can happen on any normal day. A very simple plot can really get confusing because the reader might think that “this is it?”. If they read Carlos' story, they'll get the plot.
Carlos' Bulosan's work is simple but interesting while Manuel Arguilla's story is simple but not that interesting. Manuel Arguilla is known to make the readers visualize the things that is happening to the story. That's good enough but his stories like “How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife” and “Midsummer” have such very simple plots that happen everyday, which makes his story less interesting. In the other hand, Carlos Bulosan can still make the readers imagine what is happening like on what he did in his story “My Father Goes To Court” when the sister got pregnant and then suddenly a frog jumps out and almost burned the house down. He didn't get too descriptive unlike Manuel Arguilla who gets too descriptive especially in the details of something.

Manuel Arguilla's stories are clearly focused on love stories. Maybe that's why his “visualizing technique” doesn't work on all readers because love stories doesn't need to be that descriptive about the details. I remember in midsummer how he described the girl in the story “Midsummer” when she got her shirt wet. Manuel Arguilla described what she looked in every little detail. He didn't need to describe fully what she looked but what can I do? That's just Manuel's style of writing. I wonder why he didn't write a story that isn't a love story. Let's say like a comedy. Maybe there is a non-love story that Manuel wrote that I haven't read yet.
If I'll make a conclusion based on what I've read, I'd pick Carlos Bulosan simply because it's interesting.

the rich, the poor, and the just

I think that the story “My Father Goes To Court” is an interesting story because there are many archetypes that is seen here like the rich and the poor, the happy and the sorrowful, the good and the bad, the unfair and the just, etc. If this story is written a long time ago in another country where Filipinos are badly discriminated, and is written by a Filipino, this piece of work must be great because Americans read it despite their bitter look at the Filipinos. I think that the physical story of “My Father Goes To Court” tells the people about a poor family being happy despite the many hindrances that came to them, and a rich family that isn't happy despite the many riches they had. When the poor family was accused for stealing the spirit of the food by the rich family, the Father of the poor family paid the rich family by paying them the spirit of the money, which is funny and sounds kinda lawful at the same time.

I think the story was made because most of the rich people has power and discriminates the poor because they think that the poor has no power. They think that the poor people are all foolish and the rich ones are always the wise. They always think that if they are wise and have power, they make the rules. This can be seen everyday. The powerful and the rich always triumphs over the weak and the poor. Most of the people think like that. That's why the poor are always afraid of the rich. Although many people believe that some people are “more equal” than the others, there are still people who thinks that people are made equally. In the poor father's case, he thinks like that and that's what made him have the courage to stand up against the rich man. The rich man thought that he can trick the poor family because he thought that all poor people are the same: they are all foolish. That's the rich man's downfall. The poor father outsmarted him.
Although the story is somewhat comedic because of all the laughing and the sub-stories like the sister getting pregnant and almost burned the house down, I think the author wanted to tell all the people, especially the Americans, that nothing good will result if the Americans keep discriminating the Filipinos. The neighbors of the poor family is placed by the author to represent the other Americans who didn't discriminate the poor family, which are the Filipinos. What happened to the poor family and the neighbors? They laughed and laughed. It means that they are happy. The rich family is placed by the author to represent the powerful Americans who discriminate. The judge was placed by the author possibly to represent God. God is just so the judge in the story dismissed the case when the father paid the rich by spirit. Spirit for spirit. It's just like tooth for tooth, which is written in the bible.
It really is true that there will be no good result by discriminating. If the people could just get along with each other, then there will be no problem.

What is being a Filipino for me

Being a filipino for me is a great thing because filipinos work all around the world. Some filipinos are actors in hollywood, some are very famous wrestlers, some are doctors who are on duty 24/7, some are even secretaries of the most powerful people in the world. Our soldiers, despite their bad reputation, are actually the ones who train the most elite soldiers in the world like navy SEALs of the US. Those navy SEALs train here in the forests of the philippines trained by our very own soldiers.

Although most countries think of the Philippines as a lowly country, there are still nice places here that other people consider as paradise. For example, foreigners like our women especially the ones who look like a maid. Famous actors like Robert DeNiro always come here in the Philippines in one of our very great beaches.

Filipinos are great people. There's this person who invented a car that runs with water as its gasoline. Other Filipinos invented the flourescent lightbulb, the stoplight, etc. There's even this one Filipino kid, that invented this device that greatly reduces pollution when inserted in the car's mufflers.

One time we were playing an online game where we play with people all around the world. All the Filipinos play good because they are challenging. The foreigners play bad. That's why many online games that allow you to play all around the world made one server where only Filipinos can play, which is a bad thing because by that, we can't kick foreign ass anymore.

I think that being a Filipino is so great beacause many filipino wannabees are jealous with the real filipinos. Filipinos rock!