Batangas State University Gov. Pablo Borbon Main II: Republic of The Philippines
Batangas State University Gov. Pablo Borbon Main II: Republic of The Philippines
Batangas State University Gov. Pablo Borbon Main II: Republic of The Philippines
LITERARY REFLECTION
Lit. 102 – ASEAN LITERATURE
A.Y. 2021-2022; 1st Semester
Needs
Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Outstanding
Improvement
CRITERIA
2 7 10
4
Spelling is correct.
1. What is the underlying meaning of the poem? Reflect and give your own personal point about
it.
I can relate this poem to a story of a man of struggles. A man whose life enough is hard, full of
challenges and obstacles. This poem describes this man as a lone submarine fighting for dear life
on a deep, dark ocean. Traveling without a set destination, drifting along with the waves. The
man tries to live his life despite how hard and painful it may seem, trying to have a positive
outlook and hope for better things. He lives and builds and then lives again and builds things that
he was hoping for. It was his routine. But life is not that easy. Every time he stops, there is
something that is waiting for him. A storm. A storm that was ready to trample the things that he
has worked on, the things that he built. He stumbles and tries to look for help. But in the raging
storm, there was no one to help him because the others were also busy trying to save their own
lives. Once the storm subsides and he can see the debris of his work everywhere, he tries to stand
up and put it back together. But the truth is, it was not the first time that the storm has knocked
down his works. It happens now and then as if it was a part of his routine. But one day while
looking at the debris of his works, he had thought of something. What if he tries something new
and gets out of his usual routine. In the poem there was a line where the author said ‘Once I was
at the equator, trying to slice the earth in half’, this was just like what the man had thought. What
if’s was circling his mind. “What if for once, I let myself be free and less miserable?”, “What if
for once I try to explore and get out of this submarine?” He made up his mind and tries to get up
and explore. He had set up a new goal. He was ready. But then something pulled him back into
the deep, dark ocean. Someone held onto his hands and said “If you do that friend, we would fall
and won’t have any place to live.” With that, he was back again at the deep ocean. What do you
think would have happened if no one pulled him back? If no one held his hand? If that was the
case, he might have had found a new world, where his what if’s will be answered. But he stayed,
and let himself be submerged again into the deepest part of the ocean.