SPA Creative Writing

An insight into the world of OFW youth

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

The Masque of the Red Death

An important story by Edgar Allan Poe, written in 1842.

THE "Red Death" had long devastated the country.

No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal --the redness and the horror of blood.

There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.

But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys.

This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself.

In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the "Red Death."

It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence. It was a voluptuous scene, that masquerade.

But first let me tell of the rooms in which it was held. There were seven --an imperial suite. In many palaces, however, such suites form a long and straight vista, while the folding doors slide back nearly to the walls on either hand, so that the view of the whole extent is scarcely impeded. Here the case was very different; as might have been expected from the duke's love of the bizarre.

The apartments were so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one at a time. There was a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each turn a novel effect. To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, a tall and narrow Gothic window looked out upon a closed corridor which pursued the windings of the suite.

These windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue --and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was green throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was furnished and lighted with orange --the fifth with white --the sixth with violet. The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material and hue.

But in this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet --a deep blood color. Now in no one of the seven apartments was there any lamp or candelabrum, amid the profusion of golden ornaments that lay scattered to and fro or depended from the roof. There was no light of any kind emanating from lamp or candle within the suite of chambers.

But in the corridors that followed the suite, there stood, opposite to each window, a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire that protected its rays through the tinted glass and so glaringly illumined the room. And thus were produced a multitude of gaudy and fantastic appearances. But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all.

It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to hearken to the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation.

But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly, and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty minutes, (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies,) there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and meditation as before.

But, in spite of these things, it was a gay and magnificent revel. The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not. It was necessary to hear and see and touch him to be sure that he was not. He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fete; and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque.

There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm --much of what has been since seen in "Hernani." There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust.

To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams. And these --the dreams --writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps. And, anon, there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away --they have endured but an instant --and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart.

And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many-tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods.

But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who venture; for the night is waning away; and there flows a ruddier light through the blood-colored panes; and the blackness of the sable drapery appals; and to him whose foot falls upon the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a muffled peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who indulge in the more remote gaieties of the other apartments.

But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart of life. And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before. But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock; and thus it happened, perhaps, that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of the thoughtful among those who revelled.

And thus, too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise --then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust. In an assembly of phantasms such as I have painted, it may well be supposed that no ordinary appearance could have excited such sensation.

In truth the masquerade license of the night was nearly unlimited; but the figure in question had out-Heroded Herod, and gone beyond the bounds of even the prince's indefinite decorum. There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made.

The whole company, indeed, seemed now deeply to feel that in the costume and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed. The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revellers around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death.

His vesture was dabbled in blood --and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror. When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image (which with a slow and solemn movement, as if more fully to sustain its role, stalked to and fro among the waltzers) he was seen to be convulsed, in the first moment with a strong shudder either of terror or distaste; but, in the next, his brow reddened with rage. "Who dares?" he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him --"who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him --that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!"

It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered these words. They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly --for the prince was a bold and robust man, and the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand. It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side.

At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who at the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and stately step, made closer approach to the speaker. But from a certain nameless awe with which the mad assumptions of the mummer had inspired the whole party, there were found none who put forth hand to seize him; so that, unimpeded, he passed within a yard of the prince's person; and, while the vast assembly, as if with one impulse, shrank from the centres of the rooms to the walls, he made his way uninterruptedly, but with the same solemn and measured step which had distinguished him from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple --through the purple to the green --through the green to the orange --through this again to the white --and even thence to the violet, ere a decided movement had been made to arrest him.

It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all. He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer.

There was a sharp cry --and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero. Then, summoning the wild courage of despair, a throng of the revellers at once threw themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave-cerements and corpse-like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form.

And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death.

He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Creation

There is no greater joy than that of feeling oneself a creator. The triumph of life is expressed by creation.
-- Henri Bergson, French philosopher

Demonstration 4: Structured Poetry

Robert Frost is one of the most beloved and critically-acclaimed American poets of the 20th century. One statement attributed to him is "Writing poetry without rhyme or meter is like playing tennis without a net", in reference to his contemporary e.e. cummings and other poets who experimented with the form. The structure in his poetry is more spoken than read, but has established rhythm. I am citing one of his most commonly anthologized pieces, "The Road Not Taken."

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Demonstration 3: Free Verse Poetry

This is a poem by e.e. cummings (as the poet wanted to spell it), which shows content over the structural form. Its most famous anthologization was in the soundtrack of "Beauty and the Beast" TV series and recited by Vincent the Beast (Ron Perlman).

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me,i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain, has such small hands

Monday, April 10, 2006

Demonstration 2: Official Statement

This is one of my favorite statements (not my favorite piece of work, though) during my time working with Namfrel. This is an excellent sample of a statement from an organization, and particular quotes can be used for straight news-writing.

February 4, 2003

NAMFREL OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE DECISION OF CONGRESS
ON THE COMPLAINT FILED BY THE PEOPLE VS TANCANGCO MOVEMENT


Today we bear witness as another event unfolds in the history of our democracy, and celebrate that while we have lost this particular battle, we have won the greater war - against apathy and ignorance. The people have been reawakened, our people are now conscious of the enormous task and responsibility needed to make good governance a reality in the Philippines, in the words of Edmund Burke, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

We, men and women of good intent, are proud to be citizens of the Philippines, and even if the results in Congress were not favorable to our cause, we laud that our democracy has made this possible, and instead of dashing our hopes, it strengthens our conviction that Philippine democracy, and the common Filipino, are worthy of our vigilance, are worthy of our faith, are worthy of our sacrifice.

Almost twenty years ago, a man answered the question "Is the Filipino worth dying for?" by laying down his life on an airport tarmac, a martyr for truth, freedom, and democracy.

We are pleased that the conscience vote in Congress included those members of the Justice Committee who originally voted that our complaint was insufficient in substance because they have been convinced that the case was substantive enough to be referred back to their Committee for a full investigation.

We would therefore like to appeal to the members of Congress to allow the 93 representatives who were not able to vote on this matter to cast their vote and correspondingly explain such vote, even as Congress makes its appointment with history - to finally promulgate its decision on an impeachment complaint filed against an official of a constitutional body tasked to hold clean and honest elections in our country.

We make this appeal so that the constituents of these representatives would be able to fully appreciate the convictions of the men and women they have elected to represent them in Congress.

Rest assured, we will abide by what Congress, as the duly constituted body in cases of impeachment, will decide on this matter.

Amidst all of this, we in this cause - student, professional, laborer, employee, religious, academic, business - shall continue to strive to work to make Philippine democracy truly representative of the people, and in our own ways, continue to advocate for the implementation of clean, honest, orderly, and peaceful elections - a true reflection of the principle of "one citizen, one vote."

We will strive despite failure and criticism so that we may learn, in the words of Carlos P. Romulo, one Filipino statesman: "We are fallible. We certainly haven't attained perfection. But we can strive for it, and the virtue is in the striving."

We would therefore like to call on the Filipino people, in this state of reawakening, to continue to be vigilant, to consider all issues from all sides, and most importantly, to continue making a difference by taking positive action for our democracy.

"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." Together, let us bring our country from shadow into the light.


(Sgd)

JOSE S. CONCEPCION, JR.
National Chairman

BISHOP DINUALDO GUTIERREZ, D.D.
National Co-Chairman

On Writing, 1

My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.
--- Ernest Hemingway

Demonstration 1: Formal Essay

This is a sample of an expository essay, focus on content. Divsions are delineated into easily-read sections.

First delivered in 1991 to Peer Counselors of the School of the Holy Spirit, Quezon City.


LEADERSHIP

I. DEFINITION

Leadership is a process and a function of getting people together to work for a certain goal. It is an essential attribute of all social groups, because there is a greater need to work with others to attain one's goals rather than work on them oneself. When groups form, organization is needed to keep the group together working to reach the goal, or objective.

As a process, leadership answers three basic questions : Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? To answer these, leadership has four essential aspects :

It is a ROLE. Each person is unique. This uniqueness comes into play when a group is formed. Given a group need, leadership must meet the task with abilities and resources of the members. Specific qualities are needed to accomplish certain tasks.

It is a BEHAVIOR. How do people play out their roles? This shows in the relation of the real to the ideal, actions. Here we see how role performance meets role definition.

It is the ART and SCIENCE of INFLUENCE. Influence is the ability to affect the actions of persons towards a desired direction. In a sense, it is a form of power. Influence is the means by which a leader can keep the group working together for the goal. The uniqueness of each member is a major factor in determining how much influence/motivation a leader must exercise and of what kind.

It is a RELATIONSHIP. All aspects of interaction breed relationships. Otherwise, the social nature of humankind ceases to exist.

As a function, leadership is closely related to its processes, and is deeply rooted in the nature of man. While it is true that most men value their individuality and the freedom that goes with it, there is also the need for order and discipline when one interacts with others. Leadership is a function that arises when the individual members of each group settle among themselves which among them will arbitrate disputes according to the norms and conventions they have agreed upon.

II. QUALITIES

The qualities desired in a leader is dependent on the perceived need of the group and the personalities of each member. Both of these are contained within the context in which the leader and the group members belong. The context, or situation, is the nature of the world we live in at a given time -- culture, technology, amount of resources, pressing problems to be solved.

It is then, best to discuss leadership in Filipino terms when dealing with a Filipino audience. To translate, leadership becomes pamunuan as a function and pagkapinuno as a process. The root word is puno, either a tree or for our purposes the trunk or stem of a plant. The members then become the sanga or branches of the tree.

Let us then discuss pagkapinuno :

As a ROLE. The role of the trunk is to provide a link with the roots and to bring nutrients to the branches. The aim is growth, and that the branches would bear fruit to keep the tree's kind alive. A leader must maintain a vision of group goals while providing benefits to each member. This process may be called pagbabalik-ugat. To do this, a leader should have an awareness of oneself and the group. The goal must be paramount in the leader's mind, while also keeping the interests of the members at heart. The leader must continue communicating to the members, especially in the aspects of appreciation and constructive criticism. The trunk is also the first to chopped down. A leader must also have a sense of sacrifice and service in putting the interests of the group above one's own in times of crises.

As a BEHAVIOR. A trunk is largely rooted to the ground and keeps the plant together. But that doesn't mean a leader should always maintain his/her stand in the face of differences of opinion. A trunk is strong, but it also sways to the wind. A leader must be open-minded and sensitive, particularly to change. He/she must actively seek consensus when making decisions, while also having the initiative, assertiveness, and integrity to stand by opinions that may not be shared by the members but will do the group good. It is important to note that an inflexible trunk comes down.

As INFLUENCE. The trunk moves outward, vertically and horizontally. The tree pushes outward into the sun, while also gaining breadth at the base. The leader, by use of his/her influence, makes the group members work more thoroughly and more harmoniously. The group goal is achieved, and more goals can be conceived, planned, and implemented. In the growth cycle of a tree, there are times when growth is rapid and at times slow. The leader must maintain group morale by exercising his/her functions, and in being adaptable to the needs of the situation. At the same time, it is important for the leader to constantly seek development in the group so that more growth will be achieved by each member.

As a RELATIONSHIP. The trunk is intimately related to the branches through a series of biological processes. Though it is not required, intimacy with the group members helps a great deal. However, the leader must also have a sense of detachment and professionalism. The greatest test of the leader is not in doing the most in the group but rather promoting a spirit of growth by which other members become leaders. To wit, the branches bear fruit and the seeds they let fall grow to become new trees.