Philippine Literature - Sapay Koma by Jhoanna Lynn Cruz

 

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THE AUTHOR

    Prof. Jhoanna Lynn B. Cruz is a Dabawenya author and currently makes her home in Davao City with her two children. She graduated from De La Salle University-Manila with a master of arts in language and literature and also a master of fine arts in creative writing. Currently, she is an Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines Mindanao, teaching literature and creative writing. Also, Cruz is the president of the Davao Writers Guild and the regional coordinator of Southern Mindanao in the National Committee on Literary Arts. She is also a Ph.D. from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. She has also taught at De La Salle University and the University of the Cordilleras before teaching at the University of the Philippines Mindanao.

THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE REGION AT THE TIME OF WRITING

In the whole essay, we can notice different social and cultural contexts that the author mentioned

So here are some;

    First, we can notice there are cultural differences between Maria and Leon, especially with his family in the province, who continue to follow their traditions and beliefs. First, When Maria first came home to the region, she struggled to adjust to the new environment that surrounded her because Igorot culture was new to her. Also, Leon's family wants Maria to live up to their beliefs, which got too much for her to manage. There is a scene in the story in which Maria feels like she doesn't belong to the family because she cannot understand Igorot, so she struggles to communicate with Leon's family. It is said in the story that they use her husband if they want to share or get information about Maria. Also, it is displayed in the story that Leon's father is a man of few words, so that Maria couldn't communicate well with his father.

    Second, Also we can notice at the beginning of the story that their family Leon did not have an excellent first impression of Maria because of being a city girl. People in provinces are different from those in cities. Maria is also a city girl because she was born in Pasay City, a highly urbanized city compared to her husband Leon, who grew up in Benguet. We all know even today, discrimination in culture continues to exist. We can also see that they think of you as lowly because of simple living when you are from a province. And when you come from a city or urban, they think of you as a high and proud individual because of quality living, living in condominiums, subdivisions, and mansions, and using cars, trains, and buses for transportation.

    Lastly, the family of Leon always values their culture and traditions. Cordilleran tradition is very different from every tradition you can think. These are some that author mentioned in the story. They butcher dogs and serve them during special occasions, banging gongs at events like weddings and killing pigs for a traditional wedding feast. Also, there is a tradition of them that caught my attention. They do not allow siblings to get married in the same year, so the other must be married next year or the following year because it is said in the story that if they both marry within the same year, one of the marriages will fail.

 

THE SUMMARY

    The essay begins with the author remembering her love life back then with the man she loved but also disappeared sometime later. She drew their romance from the story "How my Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife." During their marriage, they thought of getting married because she was already carrying a half Igorot baby in her womb. Her boyfriend's parents disagreed with their wish to marry because he was still young. She still did her best, and the wedding went on, she spent it all, on the venue, on the food, and she said it was okay. Their wedding was simple, but for her, it was okay because she was budgeting. He felt that the parents of such a wife were against him. In short, they did not have a good relationship with each other. She experienced a lot of hardships, and she also experienced unequal treatment. Later, they decided to end their relationship, and she lived with her two children in Davao. She received a message from his mother-in-law to say hello to her and hoped that she was doing good and could go back in time. But it's too late. But she promised they would still be family even if they were far away.

    The story is about their different traditions and the struggle of couples for their families. It's all about sacrifice, love, and giving up. Well, love may not be spending your future with it, maybe  you can't imagine living your life without it. And show the world that the happiest relationship with your couple is never  the same personality, they have the same understanding of their differences.

  

LITERARY CONVENTIONS AND ELEMENTS

Diction: Formal

Style: How my brother brought home a wife by Manuel Arguilla serves as a cross-reference for the opening of the novel. It is both descriptive and narrative. telling the tale of marriage and a family.

Tone: Pessimistic, subjective, regretful

Perspective: first person's point of view 

Example: "The story of Argyra is a destructive depiction of the role that the family plays in marriage, so I always enjoy teaching the story of Argyra, but I was born  in the city of Pasay. As I grew up, I didn't know what the smell of papaya flowers was. "(Cruz).

Purpose: The purpose of the essay is to learn that not all stories have a happy ending, our lives are not like in fairy tales or in romance novels whereas the characters live happily ever after.

LITERARY CRITIC

Feminism Approach

            Points:

• Hardships of being a single mother.

• Degrading women as a result of their different traditions and families.

• The harsh reality of being a woman.

     The short essay presents a rebellious yet conforming to cultural and societal traditions, strong, modern female heroine. It is a moving story of Jhoanna Lynn Cruz's marriage. It gives insight into how her choices, personality, and identity as a woman were developed due to cultural and social exile. The story started by referencing Manuel Arguilla's piece "How My Brother Brought Home a Wife," which served as a jumping-off point. The young Igorot boy had given her a white papaya blossom flower on Valentine's Day, which led her to believe that he had read the book and had given her the gift to refer to it. 

    They kept their relationship a secret from his family for the first seven months of their relationship until she was finally disclosed at his elder brother's wedding. He had no clue she was already pregnant at the time. In defiance of better judgment, they married in secret based on 'Sukob's' belief, which his family did not embrace and was opposed by better perception. The difficulties and nightmares began when the couple eventually moved into the man's parents' house, which included the sacrifice of the dog Sapay Koma, the expectations of the relatives to be fed, the absence of the woman's identity as a mother and wife, and the omission of their family picture from "The Wedding Wall."

    Her posture displayed an independent and aggressive attitude even before she married. She had previously been to his boyfriend's brother's wedding wearing a leopard-print dress with spaghetti straps, revealing her tattoo. As she felt the significance of her tattoo would be understood by the locals since it was already a part of the Cordilleras culture to adorn one's body with tattoos. It was already a gloomy element of reality that she would expose herself to scrutiny in a venerated and traditional environment that required guests to follow a dress code. She was aware that she was establishing first impressions of herself and was in a risky position. Despite being from the south and not speaking Ilocano, she carried herself nicely while wearing the costume and flaunting her tattoo. A typical Filipina will dress formally and modestly, especially while attending formal occasions. This is the first time Jhoanna's character displays hints of empowerment. 

    When they decided to get married, they would have gotten a quickie secret wedding after they got Leon's parents' approval. Unfortunately, they refused to give. They should have said "You shouldn't marry because he is too young," (and you are ten years older). "You shouldn't marry because he's still studying," for example (and you were even his teacher). "You shouldn't marry because he has a calling," for example (and you are snatching him from God). Or for God knows what reason. But instead, his mother said, “We can’t give you permission because his brother had just gotten married. In the theology of the Cordilleras, if siblings marry within the same year, one of the marriages will fail. The community will blame us if we allow you to marry.”

    But despite all the commotion, she still continues to fight for their decision. Despite being a self-proclaimed lesbian feminist. Despite all the tragic relationships she had had with women, she still believed that it was worth fighting for the right of a woman to love another woman. What's more, getting married to a very young man? Of course it's because of love.

    Jhoanna is a deemed professional university teacher who was his man's teacher. As a result, they were married 'against better judgment,' not by the young man's willful proposal, but by the premise that'she's pregnant.' Society holds that it is immoral for a woman to conceive without taking church vows, implying that a woman should marry as soon as she is impregnated by a man. Feminists would argue that a woman does not have to marry a man who impregnated her in order to be married. But, out of context, Jhoanna made improbable reasons for marrying against the wishes of society, but was certain that it was because of her love for the Igorot man.

    In the story, Jhoanna was the one who was hands-on in planning their wedding, from filling out the license, finding the Judge, buying things, reserving a restaurant, and paying for everything. When we all know it should be the man or his family who should plan the event before the wedding. And there she is. She never complains. And she was fully aware that Leon was still a student and that she was the mature one. She may have not got her dream wedding, but she remains happy. She defined the modern woman on a budget with no room for poise. And we can see how the character defied the gender roles imposed by society's customs. 

    'Sapay Koma' was a depressing account of her betrayal of a loving companion, a friend, and even a family member that she can consider. This was the beginning of how empowerment turned out to be oppression. She succumbed to the cries of her burning dog, how her wishes and hopes for her and their family began to fade. 

    Despite her concerns about her dog, she demonstrated how mature and noble she was as a wife and as a woman, as revealed in the passage

    ‘I wanted to show them that I respected their culture, even though in fact, I would never belong. Also, I was hoping that this way, Koma would forgive me for having failed him, for offering him as a sacrifice at the altar of my marriage. This way, we could be truly together.’

    She was denied the chance to see some relatives who paid visits to their house and saw herself as a "phantom of bliss." As a result, she was denied the opportunity to be introduced to these relatives. As a result, the next time she bought bread, she would dishonorably write her name as a Saussurean signifier. As a result, everybody who eats her bread will be aware that it came from her and that she does exist. 

    The wedding wall's enticing and ominous aspect contained enlarged and framed photographs of her in-laws' children and grandchildren's nuptials. It was no longer known as "The Wedding Wall." It had been turned into a wall with the words "Our Children and their Acceptable Spouses." It was their interpretation of Saussure's suggested signifier. The message was delivered with maximum clarity to Jhoanna and the other visitors.

    Because of how much this hurt her, she decided she would never be a part of the family again. This is the harsh reality of how women construct their identities with the approval of their families and spouses. She was weak and easily harmed. She needed her husband to stand up for her, to speak to his family on her behalf, because she couldn't. They overcame the acceptance hurdles, but their marriage began to deteriorate, and her husband sought solace elsewhere.

    On Christmas all of her purchases were for her children. She was adamant about starting her own Christmas tradition with them. She wanted to show them how happy they were. Despite the fact that she is a single mother to her children and does not have a husband on their side. 

    In this case, our first impressions about Jhoanna's demeanor proved correct. She has always been a self-sufficient person, both before and after their divorce. Her happiness was unrelated to a romantic relationship, which motivated her to become the courageous and self-sufficient woman she is today. She was bolstered not by anybody but by the traumatic and disappointing experience she had gone through. She persisted in becoming one for the sake of her children, in remembrance of Sapay Koma, and for the pupils, she has been teaching up to the current day.

CONNECTORS

Like other pieces of literature, Sapay Koma by Jhoanna Lynn Cruz also provides a lesson to the readers. The readers could reflect on the essay's events and even connect them to their daily lives and reality.

ARTISITIC RESPONSE

    Writing and singing a song is a great way to understand and reflect on what a text or anything you read wants to convey. This song is derived from the essay Sapay Koma written by Jhoanna Lynn Cruz. It contains recounting events in her life where it is full of trouble and pain, but in the end, she chooses peace and settles down. Even though the good things she wished for herself and her family did not happen, she ended up in a situation where she could be stronger and more independent. Although there are many issues and challenges in life that stand in the way of our goals, these are some of the ones that help us grow and alter our perspectives. Always keep in mind that there is a lesson to be learned from every situation.