Subalternity in the Cebuano poems of Michael Obenieta: A postcolonial approach to the study of the selected Cebuano poems of Michael Obenieta

Abstract

This study examines eleven Cebuano poems of Michael "Myke" Obenieta and reviews cultural-historical studies related to the concept of subalternity as an aspect of postcolonialism. The researcher examines the prevalent literary elements in each poem; discusses the subalterns. discourses in them; and ascertain the author's role in the Cebuano literary culture. The prevalent literary element in Myke's poems is imagery. Other literary elements present are similes, metaphors, personifications, and hyperboles which contribute to the effectiveness of imagery. The style of writing employed by the author is adopted from the Western way of writing — the free verse - although he uses the formal Cebuano language in presenting images of Cebuanos and the aspects of their everyday life. These eleven Cebuano poems contain symbols and images of subjugation, absorption, domination, and subordination which characterizes the Cebuanos as subalterns. The author is native of Cebu but he left the country to live in Kansas City for reasons not only for greener pastures but for a place where he could establish himself as a poet in the light of where he came from. Myke, as he explores the Cebuano culture and reflect them in these eleven poems, contribute to the development of the Cebuano literature; a new trend in the study of Cebuano literary culture.