To a Foreigner by Mila Aguilar, Essay Example

This poem describes the author’s own perception of what being a foreigner entails. These profound sentiments expressed in poetic language, she confronts her Philippine dilemma.  In “To a Foreigner,” Mila D. Aguilar applies awesome imagery. This helped in bringing vivid pictures to the reader of a situation she was facing at the time. The poet communicated feelings in her words too.

Imagery being perceived as dominant literary feature in this poem was fully dispensed in each stanza. When imagery is applied the poet creates mental pictures that employ all the senses. In classical literature the poet employs metaphors in facilitating descriptions of scenes or communicate the feeling nature of the articulation.This was identified throughout the entire poem. Further in this text specific usage of image will be highlighted.

Essentially, there are seven distinct forms of imagery. These include visual (sight), gustatory (taste); auditory; (hearing); olfactory( smell); Kinesthetic (body movements) and organic related to personal experinces a character and tactile ( touch). Examples of the various types of imagery used in this poem are considered below.

This particular illustration could be considered organic imagery since it describes an experinces of character in the poem. In this poem she explained the brutality experienced byher comrade. It  was a political assault on persons who felt betrayed by the government. From the ideas portrayed they were once loyal, but due to corruption they deflected and are being punished. She uses the term comrade to express her solidarity to the victim and her own allegiance to the cause.

Beside immenseimagery metaphors intersperses the poem. This adheres to literary protocol when imagery is the focus of poetry rendition. Metaphors identify one object/feature as being the same as another. Emphatically, Aguilar identifies that no foreigner could ever understand the difficulties people in her environment encounter at the hands of the government. Further, she explained that they may not be able to internalize her anger of the government’s attitude towards comrades. The last two lines are highlighted as metaphors encompassed in visual imagery.

In reinforcing her predicament she was not afraid to express her anger by using the word‘hatred.’ It was preceded by the antecedent ocean depth in articulating the magnitude of her disgust and animosity toward the political system. This usage demonstrates the

In these lines while the poet did outline the situation she and her people were enduring she applied the feeling  literary technique here in expressing her dilemma using thrhetoricalquestion to open the audience into being touched by the brutality she was encountering. The reading audience at this point tis allowed to image the scenes, hear the cries and be touched by the pain of each moment’s torture. In some stages of the poem Aguilar seems to be applying a unique soliloquy strategy when she appears to be speaking to herself.

In this section of the poem while soliloquizing, Aguilar adapts graphic imagery in illustrating to the reading audience the government’s injustices to the comrade. In the poem, Aguilar becomes openly furious about the government. She mentions what she heard

He comrade being ambushed and killed. The graphic imagery is portrayed in highlighting the bullet to his young heart. Here the metaphor hear could be read mind indicating how the people called traitors were demoralized mentally.

It cannot be over emphasized that the impact of this poet’s impression upon the reader’s heart was superb. She allowed everyone to feel the bullet going through the heart. It was reinforced by telling how many they were too. Everyone has a heart so it might have been their hear too receiving the bullets and the pain

This essay made it quite clear that the author communicated her own experinces living in the Philippines. Angular was angry at the government and their brutality to citizens were considered traitors. The poem witness many atrocities and thereafter penned one significant incident involving a comrade. Imagery was the focus of her literary communication.

In summarizing the author’s role in the actual killing she described an acquaintance whom she witnessed experiencing serious atrocities from the government. This was considered extrajudicial killing. This friend was targeted and eventually killed by the brutal regime. In her opinion this was unjust and unfair and more importantly a violation of human rights. They were acting above and beyond the law. Citizens had no refuge because the government were in control of their live. According to report these brutal murder continue in the Philippines where people are just abducted and killed. They have no legal recourse.