O, Apostrophe!: The apostrophe as sign in Merlie Alunan's Amina among the angels

Date of Publication

2008

Document Type

Bachelor's Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Literature

Subject Categories

Comparative Literature

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Literature

Thesis Adviser

Shirley O. Lua

Defense Panel Member

Ronald Baytan
Dinah Sianturi Roma
Anne Frances N. Sangil

Abstract/Summary

This study examines the functions of the apostrophe in selected poems from Merlie Alunan's Amina Among the Angels. Although it is an understudied trope, the apostrophe remains a vital part of poetics as it contributes to the process of interpretation in poems. Using the theory of Structuralist literary critic Jonathan Culler, this study explores how the apostrophe intensifies emotion, asserts the poetic voice, develops an I-Thou relationship between the addressee, and depicts the special temporality of writing. It also studies the relationship between the apostrophe and the element of tone. In analyzing the poetic diction, images, and structure of Alunan's poems, this study finds that the apostrophe serves as a way to enhance and explore her poetry's themes of loss, memory, and life and death. It also works to explicate the character of the persona and his or her relationship with the addressee, and contributes to the development and setting of tone.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Print

Accession Number

TU15441

Shelf Location

Archives, The Learning Commons, 12F, Henry Sy Sr. Hall

Physical Description

[1], 70 leaves ; 28 cm.

Keywords

Apostrophe (Rhetorics); Poetics

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