NORMS OF MORALITY AS REFLECTED IN THE 19^TH CENTURY PHILIPPINE LITERATURE: A CONTENT ANALYSIS

Sharlene G. Gotico and Anna May Yap-Zerrudo

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to identify the norms of morality as reflected in the 19^th century Philippine literature. Content analysis was used in this study using the three approaches in literary analysis, namely Moral-Philosophical Approach, Feminism, and Historical-Biographical Approach. In moral-philosophical approach, the following are the norms of morality as depicted in Lopez-Jaena’s Between Kastila and Filipina: Temperance and Patience. In Marcelo H. Del Pilar’s To Josefa Gatmaitan, the following attributes can be seen: Courage, Fortitude, Simplicity and Virtue. Jose Rizal’s Letter to the Young Women of Malolos exemplified the following: Piety, Fortitude/Courage, Prudence, and Resoluteness. Using the Feminist Approach, women at that time were regarded as “second class citizens” in a highly-patriarchal Philippine society, taking secondary roles in the home and in other aspects of their lives. Using the historical-biographical approach the Filipinos were repressed in their intellect and creativity because of the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. Their struggles and pains in being writers at a time of colonization are evident in their works.

Keywords: norms, morality, Philippine literature, Spanish Colonization, feminist approach, moral-philosophical approach, historical-biographical approach, 19^th century literature