An Analysis of Jose

Garcia Villa’s

Footnote to Youth

in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement of

the Course, English 10

Submitted by

JAMSY MARIE M. LAURON

Submitted to

MRS. MARY JANE E. CUTAMORA

A.Y. 2018- 2019

" You must triumph...now. Love must triumph...now. As long ago did youth and
love triumphed for Dodong. And then...life" - Footnote to Youth.

The short story “Footnote to Youth” by Jose Garcia Villa contains rushing
decisions and negative effects of getting married at the very young age. This claim is
supported by Mimetic Theory.

Marrying is not easy because there are many hardships like in life. You have to exert
more efforts to have a better life that’s why many parents are not in favor of marrying at
the young age. Marrying at the young age is what we called “Teenage Marriage” and it’s
very rampant now in our country, as what we view and see in our societies we cannot
deny the fact that teenage marriage which lead them to teenage pregnancy are really
growing quickly in a way that is difficult to control. Footnote to Youth, it’s a reality
because its happening.

Nowadays, many teenagers jump into marriage when they got pregnant and as well as
they really love each other because for them it is the only way or solution, without
asking some pieces of rational advices and good permission to their respective parents.
For them as what the characters did, as long as they mutually in love to each other its
easy for them to get married without knowing that in the medial and in the following
page of their life they will encounter some obstacles that will challenge them in the
future.

In our society, we are surrounded by young couple who are deeply in love to each
other to the point that they did something awful and did something that not suitable for
their ages because its only for married couples doings. Being part of the society, we
knew lots of people who get married at the young age even though they thought they
are at legal age, it is not still good enough especially that you are not still ready to face
and stand for the consequences that will come. In Philippines, marrying at the young
age became one of our traditions especially in rural areas because of their status of
living, for them the only solution is to get married at the young age. Many dreams of
youth are vanished just a blink of eye because of marrying at the young age, also does
being inlove at early age.

Footnote to Youth is the title of the story. It said that it is a footnote to youth because it
is a brief reminder for the Filipinos especially the youth of what a real life could be today
(Tormis, 2013)
 The word "mimetic" comes from the Greek word "mimesis," the act of imitation.
The mimetic theory of literary criticism places primary importance on how well a literary
work imitates life (Gleeson, 2018).

As I observed in our society especially in today’s generation, teenage marriage is still

standing high. The predominant elements on this story that will prove that it is still
happening and rampant to our society are the character, and setting.

The Character was also a great contributor because of their consistency in their
traits especially the father and son thing. Dodong wants to marry the girl he loved. He is
problematic over how he intends to talk to his father about marrying Teang, doing over
the possible responses his father would give, and at the same time convincing himself
that he is old enough to handle the responsibilities. Sooner he regretted it because his
son asks Dodong’s permission to get married, now he made the same mistakes that his
father did (Saulog, 2014).

“Blas was not Dodong’s only child. Many more children came. For six successive
years, a new child came along. Dodong did not want any more children. But they came.
It seemed that the coming of children could not helped. Dodong got angry with himself
sometimes. Teang did not complain, but the bearing of children told on her. She was
shapeless and thin now, even if she was young. There was interminable work to be
done. Cooking. Laundering. The house. The children. She cried sometimes, wishing
she had not married. She did not tell Dodong this, not wishing him to dislike her. Yet she
wished she had not married. Not even Dodong whom she loved. After of several of
months of living they got children. Teang realized “how hard being a young parent”.
There are responsibilities that they need to work hand in hand. Her regret of she had
done and think. She regrets so much of” (Tormis, 2013). As well as Dodong, he felt the
same way, regretting on marrying at the young age. There are many young couple
married who are regretting the life they entered, wishing that they did not done this and
hoping that they can turn back time.

When Dodong’s son grew, he follows the footsteps of his parent. Blas want to
marry also at the age of 17. He told his parents what his plans. Dodong have nothing to
do but he doesn’t want to blas to marry yet. But like Dodong before, his son also wants
to pursue what he wants. Footnote to Youth can be deriving also as an inheritance of
the family, this is because in the story, either good or bad things that happened to the
father will reflect to his son that both of them married in an early age. At the end, the
father and the son blamed themselves and they realized that the things happened in the
past will just be in the past and it cannot be rewind and be change again (Footnote to
Youth, 2016).
 We cannot deny the fact that we can also see the disappointment because the
youth of today is like Dodong who is apathetic about the real score in life and because
they say that they are mature, close mindedness are being seen for this. This study is
true to life and all or some of the youth are experiencing this kind of trouble. For
example at the provinces, because of lack of education and orientation of the parents
and siblings about responsible adulthood and parenthood, their siblings or children are
engaging to a lot of relationship and turn out to be marrying at the young. Because in
province, it is not wrong to marry at the young age but there is certain limitations. If the
man is mature enough to face life challenges to avoid consequences. He will get to
marry his partner provided that he has his parent’s consent, like Dodong.

These are the problems on most of the teens nowadays; they always think that
they can be independent, they already knew everything and they don’t need their
parents anymore to guide them. Well, those ideas are definitely wrong and can bring
their life into complete tragic.

The settings, it is the most predominant because it states the situation of a

family living in poverty and it let the reader feel how to be there in the certain situation
and how does it feel by emphasizing the characteristics of the environment in a poverty
line (Saulog, 2014). The setting itself has a great impact because the story definitely
empathizes the situations of a Filipino person and it is appealing for us because we are
at the poverty line.

According to UNICEF (2005) marriage before the age of 18 is a reality for many young
children. In many parts of the world, parents encourage the marriage while they are still
children in hopes that the marriage will benefit them both financially and socially, while
also relieving financially and socially while also relieving financial burdens on the family.

Well, here in the Philippines especially in rural areas who suffered poverty line the most,
they are practicing a tradition of marrying at early age. Not just in rural areas but also
here in urban areas that is rampant in early marriage. I have many people I knew who
are jumping in marrying at the young age because they loved each other like my four
cousins. They are rushing the time on marrying early because of what they felt and as
what the story happened, many more children came, their life was wasted instead they
will fulfill being single and young, they are carrying and caring babies and regretted at
the end.

If we pictured out our society now, there are lots of early marriage out there that they
just followed what they feel without thinking what will be the challenges they might
encounter in the future, when everyone knows that marriage is a lifetime commitment
they just go with the flow of their feelings that lead them on regrets because they follow
their sentiments when at the end it can just fall everything.

The setting, theme, and characters are most likely the same setting as today’s
generation. It also indicates the sources or the cause why youth act this way. It
furthermore adds comment, whether it is a positive or negative, on today’s generation. It
gives a warning for those apathetic youth that one’s committed mistake because of their
stubbornness.

“YOUTH will TRIUMPH LOVE will TRIUMPH next will be the LIFE” – this line
from the story, there has a little reflected formed. Teenagers show their behavior as an
affectionate individual in the world of love. Mostly, they give everything in the name of
love not knowing that they are just only one of the victims. They are being hot and
aggressive will soon lead to early marriage. To raise a family is not just an easy job to
do, sooner or later they come to realize how different to be a father and mother and the
choice they have chosen. The real scenario of LIFE will reveal. Villa’s Footnote to
Youth is a simple story yet has a great impact in today’s generation; considering that
there are so many young people nowadays who are having family at a wrong time and
at the wrong age (Morales, 2010).

According to the work’s view of life- Teenage marriage is the most common
problem of the youth these days. Love and being in love encompasses many things in
life that we have to keep in mind. Being married at the young age is something that
many people should consider because with everything that’s been happening in our
society we might just regret it. Indeed, marriage is a holy sacrament that is to be taken
seriously and responsibilities by two people who have witnessed their love grow.
Eagerness of youth is in terms of what they want and when they want it. So true in the
community. Yet, this very young and too eager generation do not yet know or too far
away from the realization of the possible outcomes of their very subjective decisions in
life.

Dodong wanted to ask questions and somebody to answer him. He wanted to be

wise about many things. One of them was, “Why life did not fulfill all of the Youth’s
dreams. Why it must be so. Why one was forsaken… after love”.

We all know that when we enter to the kingdom of love we cannot stop are
feeling and cannot dictate our heart to stop and not to love. We are born with love and
were born to love and to be loved, but we have the right time for everything. One of the
reasons why youth didn’t fulfill their dreams because of their militant love, which they
cannot break off their feelings. Some youths making decisions to go after of love while
their dreams are left behind. They choose to live in love than to live full of dreams. Yes,
we can find happiness in love but it is still difference when it comes to achieving your
dreams. Youth must be done something to be proud of to everyone.

Well, Dodong never couldn’t find the answer for that and maybe that question
was not to be answered. It must be so to make youth Youth. Youth must be dreamfully
sweet.

Footnote to Youth story explains the life a youth who get married earlier without
planning what will happen ahead. The evidences are Teenage Pregnancy, problematic,
regrets, poverty line, many more children came, realized how hard being a young
parent, bring life into complete tragic and losing dreams. There are lots of negative
effects on rushing decisions and getting married at a young age.

The findings or effects are they are living in regrets, living in poverty line because
both Dodong and Teang don’t had a stable job or job that can gave them big incomes,
Teang started to be shapeless because of many household chores and giving of birth,
Dodong started to hate himself and their eldest son Blas wanted to follow the footstep of
his parents in marrying at the early age.

Being one of the youth, there are many things that I should be taken into
consideration before marrying of course including my readiness to take the
responsibilities of raising a family and being able to respond to our needs. Because
marriage is not a move that I can cancel when they feel like doing so. The story brought
to me many lessons, as I should be wise in any decisions I am making because once it
is wrong it can ruin everything. Don’t make any decision that I didn’t even do any
processes like evaluating if it is really right or wrong, thinking about of what
consequences I will be face and how I will prove myself that I can stand of what
consequences are without any regrets.

In every decisions I make I should be responsible for it even though the result is not
good for me, I will accept it wholeheartedly and stand by my own feet being
independent in my life’s decisions. But in a way that I will not rush things because it will
make my life miserable someday, so I will be careful in judging about good and bad
parts of something what I will decide and take an actions. Be prudent in making
decisions because one decision could make a lifetime change. I will promise to myself
to be wise in decision making for me not to regret at the end because as they say “Nasa
huli ang pag-sisis”.Accepting my consequences is one of the good things because I will
allow myself to be in bad situation for me to learn and realize something good. I know
that it is too risky to allow myself in bad situation but I will be brave enough to face and
stand for it because I know that there is silver lining to come and found in every bad
situations to happen. It's normal for the teenagers to have mistaken since they are not
perfectly experience such problems bur we need also to think positive, and most of all
it's better to accept the reality than to deny that once in our life we've done something
wrong.

I already promised to my parents not to enter in any romantic relationship because I

know that love can wait and it will never runaway far from you but there is just a right
and perfect time for it because everything has the right time to be settled on. They will
realize that it is not easy to make a decision especially if it is in relation to our future. But
that doesn’t mean that I will not dealing with others, still I will deal for others to be
connected and have a good relationship to everyone.

Like in the story, we are living in a country of poverty line so I must be wise in handling
money and be thrifty because I know for sure that it can help me and save me in the
near future. Being in a poverty line it gives me motivation to work harder in my life. In
making a decision, we must think of it well, we need to plan slowly by slowly so that they
will not be blaming themselves if ever the result of the decision is not favorable for them.
The theme of the story helps the youth to do better things and made them realized how
important to decide especially when it comes to love.

The school PVMGOV taught me many things that are life’s lessons. As what I
said in my personal reflection the school taught me to be responsible enough for every
action I take and I commit. The school taught me to be an independent individual and
it’s a good thing because they already practicing us to stand on our own feet. To do and
keep what commitments I promised or said. Being a hardworking person was taught by
the school that I should give my best work in everything I do. The school also taught me
to be stewardship enough that every activities or action that I should protect it and being
responsible for something to happen. The school also taught me to be courageous that I
should give my best ability to do something that I know it is difficult or not easy to do
and helps me to go beyond to my capability because the school taught me to push
forward and don’t be afraid to face something new. The school also taught me to be
tolerance that they allow us to be in harm and practicing us to be in bad situations in a
way that they will not let us harm and also to accept others feelings, behaviors, and
beliefs because we are in a school of diversity. The school also taught me to have a
good relationship to others and allow us to experience and meet different people for us
to have a good relationship in CCCS community. In addition, the school taught us to be
wise in handling money or being cooperative person that we should save and not to
waste money.
Overall, the school taught me to be a good person or individual. Taught us that life is
beautiful, amazing and wonderful yet arduous and challenging if you are not ready to
face all consequences, if you do not have enough weapons to fight for the trials that you
might encounter. I have to exert more effort to have a better life so don't make a
decision that would make your life into so much complicated and rough especially that
you are still so young.

Youth especially in our societies must learned on how to planned the life and
what they need to do first before letting their selves enter in infinite and lifetime
relationship. Life is enjoyable if we do not make things complicated and rough, we just
need to enjoy in taking steps towards our another wonderful journey. Make a precise
decision; do not enter the kingdom of marriage and love at a very young age and
without a stable job to avoid regrets in life. Always remember, that God sets a right and
perfect time for everything.
 Bibliography

Footnote to Youth. (2016, April 23). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/footnote-to-

youth-essay

Gleeson, P. (2018, July 09). Mimetic Theory of Literary Criticism. Retrieved from
https://penandthepad.com/mimetic-theory-literary-criticism-5761846.html

Gultiano, S.(2004). Marrying Young. Transitions in the Filipino Adolescents’ Life Course.
Princeton.edu. 1-4.
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Morales, P. (2010, August 16). Filipino Writers in style: Jose Garcia Villa- Footnote to
Youth. Retrieved from http://signinandblogitout.blogspot.com/2010/08/jose-garcia-villa-
footnote-to-youth.html?m=1

Rodriguez, M.C.(2012). Reflection NS I Footnote to Youth By Jose Garcia Villa.

Retrieved from https://www.coursehero.com/file/25388713/REFLECTIONSdocx/

Tormis, R.(2013, October 18). Ancient Filipino Literature: Footnote to Youth.

Retrieved from http://rizatormis.blogspot.com/2013/10/footnote-to-youth.html?m=1

Saulog, A.J.(2014).Story Analysis: Story Analysis Footnote to Youth, The Mats, The
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UNICEF.(2005, April). EARLY MARRIAGE: A harmful Tradition Practice. UNICEF. 1-2.

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