A literary piece by

Jose Garcia Villa

Entitled:

Footnote to
Youth

Who is Jose Garcia Villa?

He is a poet, a critic, a short
story writer, and a painter. Jose
Garcia Villla was born in
Singalong, Manila, on 05
August 1908. His parents were
Simeon Villa who is a personal
physician of revolutionary
General Emilio Aguinaldo, and
Guia Garcia. He graduated
from the UP High School in
1925 and enrolled in the premed course.

 A short biography prepared by the Foreign Service

Institute said Villa was first interested in painting but
turned to writing after reading Sherwood Anderson's
"Winesburg, Ohio."
Meanwhile, he devoted a good part of his time
writing short stories and poems. Soon he started
exerting his leadership among the UP writers.
His ideas on literature were provocative. He stirred
strong feelings. He was thought too individualistic. He
published his series of erotic poems, "Man Songs" in
1929. It was too bold for the staid UP administrators,
who summarily suspended Villa from the university.
He was even fined P70 for "obscenity" by the Manila
Court of First Instance.

List of his works

Short Story
Philippine Short Stories (1929)
best 25 stories of 1928
Footnote to Youth (1933)

Poems
Many Voices (1939)
Poems (1941)
Have Come Am Here (1941)
Selected Poems and New (1942)
A Doveglion Book of Philippine Poetry (1962)

Footnote to Youth

Elements of Short Story

Setting
Farm

Characters
Dodong
Teang
Blas
Tona

Point of View
Third person (central)

Plot

Exposition
Dodong was fully decided to marry
Taeang and intended to tell it to his
father

Plot

Complication
Taeang regretted to be married at their
early age.

Plot

Crises
Dodong has a question that he cant
answer Why life forsaken after love?

Plot

Climax
When Blas was at his eighteen years of
age, he asked permission to his father
Dodong to marry Tona

Plot

Denouement
Dodong was helpless. He couldnt do
anything but to give his consent.

Plot

Ending
Dodong was really feel sad and sorry for
his son.

Summary
Dudong is 17 year old young who is impatiently
waiting for his father to return home so that he can
tell him of his love for Teang and his desire to marry
her. He feels that at 17 he is a grown man and is
ready for the next important step in his life.
When he tells his father that he has asked Teang to
marry him and wants his blessing, there is a long
and cruel silence. His father asks if he must marry
her because Dudong is very young. Dudong resents
his father's question, and finally his father gives his
consent.

Nine months later, Dudong is waiting outside

while Teang gives birth to their first son,
Blas. He feels young and inexperienced, a
contrast to how he felt nine months ago.
Dudong did not want any more children,
but they came anyway. For the next six
years, Teang gave birth. Seven children in
all.

Teang did not complain. However her

body was now shapeless and thin
from bearing so many children and
from the hard work of caring for
them and the household.
Even
though she loved Dudong, she cried
and wished that she had not married
so young.

There had been another suitor, Lucio,

who was nine years older than
Dudong. She chose Dudong because
he was so much younger. Lucio had
married after she married Dudong,
however, he was childless. She
wonders if she had married Lucio,
would she be childless? She feels
that would have been a better lot in
life. But she loves Dudong, even

One night Dudong goes outside and

thinks about his life. He wants to
have the wisdom to know why life
does not fulfill Youth's dreams. Why
did life forsake you after love? He
never finds the answer.

When Blas turns 18, he comes home

and tells Dudong that he wants to
marry Tena. Dudong at this time is
only 36 years old, but he is portrayed
as a much older man. Dudong does
not want Blas to marry so young.

He asks the same question his father asked

him. Does Blas have to marry Tena? He does
not want him to make the same mistake he
did. Blas also reacts with resentment.
Dudong realizes that he is dealing with Youth
and Love, and they will triumph over this
situation. After that, comes real life. He gives
his consent, feeling sad and sorry for his son.

Theme
Enjoy being Youth
Responsibilities and Realities;
Decision Making

Evaluation Part

What is the full name of author of Footnote to

Youth? And give a little description about him.

Answer:
Jose Garcia Villa is a poet, a critic, a short
story writer, and a painter.

Name the main characters of the

literary piece

Answer:
Dodong, Taeang and Blas

What is a footnote?
Answer:
A footnote is simply defined as a note at
the foot of the page. It is often used to give
additional information to the reader
regarding certain words or phrases in the
text

THATS ALL
THANKYOU!
-Crisanta & Clarisse