The Importance of Studying Philippine Literature in English

                                Relevance of Studying Philippine Literature

                           Philippine literature includes the legends of prehistory, and the colonial legacy of the Philippines. It denotes important person,places and things and mark the Philippine history through the years. It is also develop and valued more by many people because it inspires and guide on how to live the lives in an ultimate and right way. Reading and writing is arguably most widely practice way of communicating. It awakens the mind on how Filipino before try to dwell with different languages and try to learn and express their thoughts and feelings.

                                  Many important things can be learned in the study of Philippine literature in English. Studying Philippine literature in English is important because these are reflections of history. Works of art and literature are not separate from history. In fact, these are the complex intertwined along with the contradictions in the society in a given point in time. Works of art and literature do not stand by themselves. Writers and artists are not creators who fashion words and works. These texts and pieces of art are products of the political institutions and ideological attitude of the writers which are shaped by the social conditions.

                                  Studying Philippine literature in English gives us a brief and fleeting landscape of the literary milieu since after the World War II. We should also consider those writers who went against American domination in education. These writers carry with them an ideology that is anti-colonial and therefore, an assertion of genuine nationalism. Nationalism has different manifestations in different periods in history. The true affirmation of nationalism during the American colonial period is the seeking of genuine freedom and democracy.

                       Like other races of the world, we need to understand that we have a great and noble tradition which can serve as the means to assimilate other cultures.Through such a study, we will realize our literary limitations conditioned by certain historical factors and we can take steps to overcome them.

                       Perhaps one of the greatest things about literature, is choosing it. Selecting a book is like deciding what you would like to do during weekend. Depending on what you choose; it can be very social, like being with others; introverted like going to a movie; or gluttonous like going out to eat.

                       Above all, as Filipinos, who truly love and take pride in our own culture, we have to manifest our deep concern for our own literature and this we can do by studying the literature of our country.