David S.

Dayao Group B
Analysis of the Young Writer in a New Country
This paper analyzes the literary work of Villa entitled Young Writer in

a New Country. From the title itself, one can already see the American

influence by referring to the new country America. Introducing the story

with paragraph of reminiscing, Villa shows his talent in using imagery

when describing his homeland. He starts off this reminiscing with a

repetition of the phrase in the homeland I was young. He illustrates how

naive he used to be back in the Philippines not knowing about the outside

world and the socio-political issues that has been happening around him

around the globe. He uses this reminiscing to show how ideal he used to

be by describing his experiences in the homeland with such a positive

vibe. Through this technique, he was able to project to the readers his

ideal kind of homeland. Aside from this, he emphasizes his youth

throughout the first few paragraph by repeating the word young, 7 times.

Again, with the emphasis on his youth, he refers to his naivete, remaining

ideal and ignorant of conflicting issues occurring around him.

After reminiscing, he then proceeds to a description of the setting of

America. He allots this paragraph of imagery which narrates a variety of

descriptions of the scenery in America. Throughout this paragraph, it can

be observed that upon his arrival in America, the feeling of excitement

over all the new things around him can be felt by the reader of the story.

Moreover, the sudden and abrupt shifting of description of the setting tells

the readers of the attention span of a tourist in his first visit in America.

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 Villa suddenly explains why the writer felt young in his homeland.

His idealism remained and was proven with his belief in the sustainability

of his loved one for him. He believed that she could love him despite the

time and the distance he thought wrong.

After the writer gets his heart broken, he is now open to all the

realities and issues happening around him. His ideal America is now

forgotten and he is now open to the bitterness that suddenly floods over

his idealism. The idealism he saw back when he was young. Villa then

introduces David; a character of whom promises to him a sense of hope in

a world filled with oppression and pain. David who gives him a peak into

the promise land he once dreamed of. He was a character that could not

live in this world of his. David remained only to be a reminder against all

the other negative vibe around the writer.

But I know: Davids die poor. Even in my country Davids are

not many. Civilization does not want Davids: You got no
speed, David. You must be left behind.
Later on, Villa states of how his writing has helped him get over the

broken heart he has suffered from the past lady. Through his writing he

was able to release the luggage he has carried all that time. With the

comparison of his experience in his homeland, and the comparison of his

experience in the new world; he now was able to transition to a new kind

of person. With his broken heart, he was able to grow and develop himself

to what he turned to be. It is his growth that is narrated in this part of the

story that was a result of his writings.

It was then that my stories were born of the homeland

and the new land. Some of you may have read them there
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 were cool, afire with coolth. I, father of tales. Fathering
tales I became rooted to the new land. I became lover to
the desert. Three tales had healed me.
The story of Villa Young Writer in a New Country narrates to the

readers how he developed into the writer that he is seen today. His style

was questioned by some people, some has criticized him for it, and some

did not really take his work seriously. But after everything he has been

through, he was able to discredit all these negativities and been awarded

as the National Artist of the Philippines. With this award in mind, the

narration in the story shows the readers the experiences that molded Villa

into the National Artist that he is now. His idealism that blinded him from

the oppression and pain in the world, was the very same thing that

laminated him right back into hoping for a better future. In his second

narration on the setting of America, he now describes it a depressing

ambiance, one that leads the reader to believe that he has now accepted

the harshness of reality. He was no longer idealistic about the new things

that people saw in America; rather he now yearns for the comforting

embrace of his home country.

What I am trying to say is that I left the desert, the desert

of my white birth and now I want to return to it. I want it
to enfold me completely, I will surrender, I will never leave
it. But in the homeland, there I was youngDo you get
what I am driving you to see? I am crying for the desert, for
the peace of the desert.