Introduction
In his Proslogion, his treatise
about the existence of God, Anselm, an 11th century Benedictine
monk, concluded that to exist in reality is greater than to exist merely in the
mind. He reasoned that a great being could not exist only in thought. Ergo,
anything that exists in reality is greater than the one that exists in mind
alone. This principle is quite true, even though Anselm’s and our time is a
century apart.
In literature, an unexpressed idea is useless. Ideas must be
expressed, be put in reality, in order to serve their purpose; to mirror the
depth of a culture and to manifest the creative genius of the race. Just
imagine Aristotle’s ideas being lock, unexpressed, inside his mind. Do you
think we’ll have his thoughts about literature (Poetics), ethics (Nichomachean
Ethics), transcended beings (Metaphysics), etc., if he did not expressed his
incomparable ideas about the things around him and put them into writings? Of course,
not! The importance of expressed idea than an idea locked inside the mind is then
clear. In Guillermo Castillo’s poem,
Ink, he articulated his notion of an unexpressed, chaotically expressed and properly
expressed idea.
Ink
Guillermo
Castillo
Ink
bottled in glass
prison
meaningless in
itself
black and mute
without a language
silent but
strongly urged
to speak.
Ink
chance-impressed
on white
inarticulate
unintelligible chaotic
welcome on the
bareness of white
but still
foreign
excommunicate.
But ink
pen-lifted
pen-impressed
on blank white
paper
Will-ordered
interprets
intensifies clarifies
expresses
Life.
Analysis
Ink
bottled in glass prison
meaningless in itself
black and mute without a language
silent but strongly urged
to speak.
The poem used the typical picture of
an ink’s bottle as its metaphor for the poet’s notion of idea (ink) inside the
mind (bottle). The idea of using ink as the metaphor of idea is quite practical
for a writer. Simply because this object is the one being used by a writer to
write his idea and also because it is the commonly seen object in a writer’s
desk. Through the years, it became the symbol of the writer’s weapon, together
with a pen, in his battle field which is in writing, (as we can remember the
classical image of Francisco Balagtas in the cover of his work; Florante at
Laura, holding a bottle of ink and a plumage, symbolizing his talent in
“thought arrangement”).
The bottled ink is described
as meaningless, so as an idea trapped
inside a bony skull of a writer. Idea is mind’s grasp of an essence. Its a
mental product of a rational mind that expresses the agent’s capability of
rationality. They were given and allotted, by the Almighty, to man, for them to
be used for the betterment of a society. That is their very purpose of
existence; to be used for the betterment of a society. Therefore an idea
confined in a dark corner of a mind opposes the nature and purpose of an idea.
And sooner or later it will cease to be an idea.
Yet a bottled ink is strongly urged to speak so as a trapped idea. Merchandise manufactured by a factory must be
consumed within a particular period of time. If a consumer failed to do so, the
product will expire and lead to nothingness; a bottled ink, remained unused for
months, will be dried-up and will be useless. Just like ideas that are produced
by the mind, it is really intended to be distributed to the entire human race.
It is not for the enjoyment of only one person, the one who posses it, but
rather for the greater number of person. If a bearer of idea failed to
distribute such idea, that idea will be lost until another person who is willing
to share with his community will be enlightened and will come up with that same
idea.
Ergo, unexpressed idea is meaningless in itself, black and mute without a language, for
it can not do anything but to rely to the willingness of the bottle to release
it. It explains that an idea is always there in our mind waiting to the releasing command of reason; to expose
it to the reality and be consumed by the thirsty mind of man.
Ink
chance-impressed on white
inarticulate unintelligible chaotic
welcome on the bareness of white
but still foreign
excommunicate.
Many persons expressed their ideas in a manner known only to
himself, or even sometimes, in a disordered way. This act still fails the
nature of idea; to be shared. Even though the person succeeded in accomplishing
the first stage of sharing the idea, which is to express it, the manner of
sharing it, is again, another matter to be considered.
One description of idea is that
which is a mental product; a product of a rational mind. Such product must
reflect the rationality of the mind. And one reflection of a rational mind is
order, as Plato kept on reminding as that order or organization of something
follows intelligence. The correctness, right order, consistency, legitimacy of
procedure, and justifiability of inference in presenting an idea are quite
important because through these other person will be able to understand the
idea that a person is trying to present. Just imagine a mosaic artist putting
mosaic pieces together in unthinking way; do you think any person will
appreciate the beauty that the mosaic artist wanted to show and share? Of course
not!
The poem stated a possible way of
presenting an idea (ink) in the real world (white; color of paper usually used
by writers); chance-impressed on white inarticulate
unintelligible chaotic, welcome on the bareness of white. Chance, in the
ancient Greece,
is oppose to order. Since order is the manifestation of intelligence, therefore
we can conclude that chance is oppose, also, to intelligence. Chance is rooted
in a simultaneous movement, chaotic movement as the Greek philosophers
described, and produced only chaos and disorder because it follows no plan or
intelligence; which is necessary for a thing to have order. Anything that is
based on chance produce nothing appreciative. And again the poem also showed
the probable reaction of people to whom the expressed idea is presented; still foreign, excommunicate. It is
clear that people will unwelcome such idea presented in such manner; for they
can not see any beauty and goodness in it (beauty and goodness are some of the
ends that man look for). Ergo, expressed idea in an unintelligible manner still
fails the nature of an idea.
But ink
pen-lifted pen-impressed
on blank white paper
Will-ordered
interprets intensifies clarifies
expresses
Life.
The latter part of the poem gave the
positive way of presenting an idea. It is the poet’s notion of an idea properly
presented (Will-ordered), with the
end that is entangled in it. While many persons presents their idea in a
chance-rely manner, some, fortunately, wrapped their ideas in an order-rely
manner. The end-product of such manner of presenting an idea is a work that interprets, intensifies, clarifies, and expresses Life.
How does Will-ordered make things clearer? When you say will ordered it
means that the order, where your work is based, is definitely ruled by the
will. And will relies only to the power of reason, of intelligence alone.
Anything that is done based on intelligence, manifest order. And
only things that manifest order through intelligence possess beauty and
goodness which are the desired end of man. Therefore these things are welcome
by people to whom they are presented. Because through these things they can
relate to what they see, feel and hear, in their surroundings, through a
clearer picture presented by these things. They can relate their life. Simply
because life is already deduced, deepened, explained, and communicated.
When an idea is shared, through the willingness to share it and
through the proper presentation of it, it manifest the greatest idea of all;
LIFE.
Note:
The possibility of using the word Ink in literal language in the poem is
undeniable (and focus the analysis to the
manner the ink is being used as a medium to express an idea). Yet the
writer prepared to stick to the possibility that the word Ink is used allegorically for the word Idea (and focus the analysis
to the manner the idea is express) for he can relate his knowledge more to
such possibility.
References:
Del Castillo and Medina. (1974). Philippine Literature:
From Ancient Times to the Present.
Philippines: Philippine Graphic Arts, Inc.
Glenn. (1950). Dialectics.
United States of America: B. Herder Book Co.
Guthrie, W.K.C. (1975). The Greek
Philosophers: From Thales to Aristotle
United States of America:
Harper & Row, Publishers
Papineau, David. (2004). Philosophy: the
Illustrated Guide to Understanding and Using Philosophy Today.
United Kingdom:
Duncan Baird Publishers Ltd
Recillo, Maria Luisa B. (2002). A Manual in
Literature.
Colegio
de San Juan de Letran-Calamba.
