Denise Beloro April 3, 2020

12 – Santi 21st Century Literature

Navigate.

Draw the dramatic situation of the poem.

Illustration 1.

LINO. HUSBAND, OFW. Jenny. Wife.

 Illustration 2.

Philip Ferdinand
Filipino tourist
Famous actor. Abused a Filipino
OFW.
Using your illustration as a guide, respond critically to the set of questions below.

1. Who is the person in the poem? Look at the first four lines of the poem. What do these tell
us about his/her attitude towards the people that he/she is seeing?

The person in the poem may refer to a post-colonial bystander or tourist. Considering the
perspective of the author as a Filipino, the persona is likely of similar nativity that had ties
with colonialism (Philippines being a past colony of Spain). However, it could also be
perceived that the persona is the author, J. Neil Garcia, himself. As he observes the city of
Amsterdam, he sorrowfully reminisces about the people—“the Creoles, the Natives, the
Others”—who had their lands and culture plundered by the colonial powers.

2. Examine the first line (“It is late in the hour of imperialism”) more closely. What does this
line mean literally and figuratively?

The line signifies the aftermath of imperialism or the rule of Western powers (post-
colonialism). In addition, it could indicate that persona feels remorse over the “lost memories”
of “the Creoles, the Natives, the Others”—they had soon forgotten about their former colonial
state as globalization rapidly takes over the period of colonialism, seemingly too late in hopes
for cultural recovery.

3. Who are “the Creoles, the Natives, the Others”? Why are these terms especially significant
in relation to the setting of the poem (Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands)? How is
the persona related to these people? Is he/she one with them, or on the other side? Justify
your answer.

“The Creoles, the Natives, the Others” refers to the people of the archipelago, namely
Indonesians, that were viewed as uncivilized and savage by the Western colonizers, such as
the Dutch. As aforementioned, the persona could be the author himself or simply an
individual that belonged to one of the countries situated in the Malay Archipelago—
Philippines, East Timor, Indonesia etc, all of which have been exploited for trade/their
resources. Therefore, it is more apparent that the persona does not side with the Dutch, as
emphasized by the lines 5-6, “They are here whom the Empire had divested of their
cinnamons, their diamonds, their posterities”, and line 10, “…the dank gardens of a savage
past”.
4. Fill the table below with three objects of metonymy and synecdoche in the poem and what
they represent or are associated with.

METONYMY

“the Empire” The Dutch/Western colonizers.

The natives/Indonesian people, who are
characterized as “impure”, “unclean” or
“the Creoles” “corrupt” (Creole, as in a person of mixed
descent), as opposed to the “pure” or
“chaste” image of the whites/the Dutch.
A marker of difference; the
natives/Indonesian people that were shunned
“the Others”
by the colonizers due to their disparate
cultural beliefs and appearances.

SYNECDOCHE

The natural resources from the archipelago of

“their cinnamons”
Indonesia/colonized countries.
The wealth from the archipelago of
“their diamonds”
Indonesia/colonized countries.

5. Look at the way the idea of nakedness and savagery is contrasted with clothing and
chastity. What is the persona seeking to establish with the contrast? How was this
connected to the people the persona encounters in the poem? Does he/she view clothing as
something positive?

The usage of contrast between nakedness and clothing suggests the way the colonizers
ridiculed the culture and appearance of the natives, believing that their Western standards are
far superior. The natives are misguided by the colonizers’ patronizing offers such as education
and enculturation. Moreover, line 7, “Pushed into the chaste habiliments of culture”, connotes
the fact that the natives were coerced into submission. By abiding to the colonizers’ rule, they
were stripped of their power and rights—nakedness (weak) versus clothing (powerful). With
these in mind, the persona does not view “clothing” positively.
6. Explore the literal and figurative significance of the last stanza. How can the memories of
the Creoles, Native and Others lift a city like Amsterdam from the sea?

The memories of the Creoles, Native and others or rather, the stolen wealth and lost posterities
allowed the globalized or cosmopolitan cities like the Amsterdam to prosper or “rise from the
sea”. In addition, the last line could suggest the trading aspect of the colonialism, in which
most native lands were seized to become trading ports (with the Malay Archipelago suiting
the colonizers’ geopolitical pursuits since its area was primarily surrounded by water,
providing easily accessible routes for trade and travel).

Reference:

 Milan streets
https://img.theculturetrip.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/sctp0144-shinkareva-italy-
milan-tortona.jpg
 Amsterdam streets
https://storage.needpix.com/rsynced_images/leidsestraat-183395_1280.jpg
 Geopolitics of Southeast Asia, Part 2: Malay Archipelago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFrLcRhMKnE