An analysis of "Song of a Tear-Gassed Man"

An analysis of "Song of a Tear-Gassed Man"

Written by Cirilo Bautista, the poem, on the surface, looks to be a jumble of repetitive words, unrelated references, and a lot of tear gas. But if you take a closer look at each statement and stanza, you'll find that it actually paints a clear picture of what the author is trying to say.

First, let's look at where and when the story takes place. Obviously, this takes place in the Philippines, but the time period isn't immediately clear to us. However, if we read it carefully, we see mentions of words such as secret marshals and policemen, Amendment 6, a martial festival, and of course, tear gas. From here, we can see that the author wishes to convey a rally setting, more specifically during a time of martial law, as evidenced by the mention of secret marshals and policemen, as well as the 6th Amendment of the 1973 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, which states that the President can issue any decree should he/she judge the situation to be grave enough.

Next, it talks about things such as not having money, food, houses and running water, instead having only floods, garbage, and, again, a lot of tear gas. This can be seen as a sort of class divide, with the upper class experiencing the conveniences of life, while those below suffer from everyday problems. Even if the people were to cry out, it would do nothing, as nothing can come out of these tears. But the author implores the people to join him in his martial festival, so that they could get some of that refreshing tear gas.

Finally, there's this tear gas business. The author writes it in a way that seems painful and inconvenient on the surface. But when you stop to understand what it truly means, you'll see that the tear gas is a symbol of freedom for them. When one wishes to show their protest of something, they often are likely to go to a rally where they will be bombarded with tear gas to keep them at bay. By attending these rallies and getting bombarded by tear gas, the author feels free, He feels like he is making a difference, no matter how small it is.

All this said, I'd say the poem follows the Marxist Criticism literary theory. This theory shows a struggle between an oppressor and the oppressed, and examines class structures/systems, materialism and marginalization. These themes are explored throughout the poem, even having some lines that imply these. This piece was likely written as a call to the people, to join in the revolution that will finally free them from this oppressed state.

The meaning behind this poem really explores a side of the Philippines that was very influential, even to this day. But even if those times are behind us, who's to say there won't be something like this again. Then again, maybe if we get a taste of the tear gas, maybe we'll find out what it's like to be free again.