Footnote to Youth by Jose Garcia Villa

1. A literary piece by
Jose Garcia Villa
Entitled:
Footnote to
Youth

2. Who is Jose Garcia Villa?
He is a poet, a critic, a short story
writer, and a painter. Jose Garcia Villla
was born in Singalong, Manila, on 05
August 1908. His parents were Simeon
Villa who is a personal physician of
revolutionary General Emilio
Aguinaldo, and Guia Garcia. He
graduated from the UP High School in
1925 and enrolled in the pre-med
course.

3. • A short biography prepared by the Foreign Service Institute
said Villa was first interested in painting but turned to writing
after reading Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, Ohio."
• Meanwhile, he devoted a good part of his time writing short
stories and poems. Soon he started exerting his leadership
among the UP writers.
• His ideas on literature were provocative. He stirred strong
feelings. He was thought too individualistic. He published his
series of erotic poems, "Man Songs" in 1929. It was too bold
for the staid UP administrators, who summarily suspended
Villa from the university. He was even fined P70 for
"obscenity" by the Manila Court of First Instance.

4. List of his works
Short Story
• Philippine Short Stories (1929)
best 25 stories of 1928
• Footnote to Youth (1933)
Poems
• Many Voices (1939)
• Poems (1941)
• Have Come Am Here (1941)
• Selected Poems and New (1942)
• A Doveglion Book of Philippine Poetry (1962)

6. Footnote to Youth

7. Elements of Short Story
• Setting
Farm
• Characters
Dodong
Teang
Blas
Tona
• Point of View
Third person (central)

8. Plot
• Exposition
– Dodong was fully decided to marry Taeang and
intended to tell it to his father…

9. • Complication
– Taeang regretted to be married at their early age.
Plot

10. • Crises
– Dodong has a question that he can’t answer…
“Why life forsaken after love?”
Plot

11. • Climax
– When Blas was at his eighteen years of age, he
asked permission to his father Dodong to marry
Tona…
Plot

12. • Denouement
– Dodong was helpless. He couldn’t do anything but
to give his consent.
Plot

13. • Ending
– Dodong was really feel sad and sorry for his son.
Plot

15. Summary
Dudong is 17 year old young who is impatiently waiting for
his father to return home so that he can tell him of his
love for Teang and his desire to marry her. He feels that
at 17 he is a grown man and is ready for the next
important step in his life.
When he tells his father that he has asked Teang to marry
him and wants his blessing, there is a long and cruel
silence. His father asks if he must marry her because
Dudong is very young. Dudong resents his father's
question, and finally his father gives his consent.

16. Nine months later, Dudong is waiting outside while
Teang gives birth to their first son, Blas. He feels
young and inexperienced, a contrast to how he felt
nine months ago. Dudong did not want any more
children, but they came anyway. For the next six
years, Teang gave birth. Seven children in all.

17. Teang did not complain. However her body was
now shapeless and thin from bearing so many
children and from the hard work of caring for
them and the household. Even though she
loved Dudong, she cried and wished that she
had not married so young.

18. There had been another suitor, Lucio, who was
nine years older than Dudong. She chose
Dudong because he was so much younger.
Lucio had married after she married Dudong,
however, he was childless. She wonders if she
had married Lucio, would she be childless?
She feels that would have been a better lot in
life. But she loves Dudong, even though life
has made her old and ugly.

19. One night Dudong goes outside and thinks about
his life. He wants to have the wisdom to know
why life does not fulfill Youth's dreams. Why
did life forsake you after love? He never finds
the answer.

20. When Blas turns 18, he comes home and tells
Dudong that he wants to marry Tena. Dudong
at this time is only 36 years old, but he is
portrayed as a much older man. Dudong does
not want Blas to marry so young.

21. He asks the same question his father asked him.
Does Blas have to marry Tena? He does not
want him to make the same mistake he did.
Blas also reacts with resentment.
Dudong realizes that he is dealing with Youth
and Love, and they will triumph over this
situation. After that, comes real life. He gives
his consent, feeling sad and sorry for his son.

22. Theme
• Enjoy being Youth
• Responsibilities and Realities;
• Decision Making

23. Evaluation Part

24. What is the full name of author of
Footnote to Youth? And give a little
description about him.
Answer:
Jose Garcia Villa is a poet, a critic, a short
story writer, and a painter.

25. Name the main characters of the
literary piece
Answer:
Dodong, Taeang and Blas

26. What is a footnote?
Answer:
A footnote is simply defined as a note at
the foot of the page. It is often used to give
additional information to the reader
regarding certain words or phrases in the
text

29. THAT’S ALL THANKYOU!

-Crisanta & Clarisse