Apo on the Wall by Bj Patino

There’s this man’s photo on the wall

Of my father’s office at home, you

Know, where father brings his work,

Where he doesn’t look strange

Still wearing his green uniform

And colored breast plates, where,

To prove that he works hard, he

Also brought a photo of his boss

Whom he calls Apo, so Apo could

You know, hang around on the wall

Behind him and look over his shoulders

To make sure he’s snappy and all.

Father snapped at me once, caught me

Sneaking around his office at home

Looking at the stuff on his wall- handguns,

Plaques, a sword, medals a rifle-

Told me that was no place for a boy

Only men, when he didn’t really

Have to tell me because, you know,

That photo of Apo on the wall was already

Looking at me around,

His eyes following me like he was

That scary Jesus in the hallway, saying

I know what you’re doing.

About the Poem

                      

              Apo on the wall by Bj Patino is a poem that talks about the narration of a child’s point of view about his rigorous Father and the hanging photo around the wall called “Apo”. The poem tells the reality of life during the reigning of Marcos alongside with the Martial Law. It is a reflection of the scenario of what and how the Filipinos experienced the tragic and traumatic event throughout the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines. “Apo on the wall” shows the real situation concerning with the different perspective between millennial and those who lived through Martial law. This masterpiece of Bj Patino advocates reasonably close to the realization of giving importance on looking back to our past, moving forward through our present and ensuring the success of our future.

Guide Questions

1) How would you describe the persona and the persona's father? How would describe their relationship? Would you say that your relationship with your father is similar or different? Explain.

                    The persona is a child that is curious about the picture of Apo on the wall. His father is strict and works for the government (he's a soldier). Their relationship is like a boss and employee because the persona needs to follow what his father wants in order for his father to become happy. our relationship with my father is similar but it's just that my father is not strict.

2) In lines 12-13 in the poem, there is the use of the words “snappy” and “snapped”, respectively. What do these words mean? How do they add to the poem in terms of sound? How do they add to your understanding of the relationship between the father and the son?

           Snappy means to be able to move quickly while being marked by vigor. On the other hand, snapped means to utter sharp biting words. These other words add to the poems sound by providing words that seem to be sounding similar. They aid me to understand that the father was rigorous even to his son by being particular about following the rules.

3) Who is Apo in the poem? Cite evidence to support your answer.

            Apo was the boss of child’s father in the poem from lines 7 to 9 (To prove that he works hard, he also brought a photo of his boss whom he calls Apo, so Apo could). Apo is powerful and he is none other than the famous Dictator himself, Ferdinand Marcos.

4) How would you describe the relationship between the persona’s father and Apo? What does this tells us about the father’s perspective about martial law?

            The relationship between the persona’s father and Apo is that of loyal servant and a king. This tells us that whatever Apo decided to do, the persona’s father will surely follow.

5) What kind of values does the persona’s father want to teach to his child, specifically, about what it means to be a man? Do you agree with this values? Why or why not?

           The values that the father want to teach his child is discipline and respect to the elders and to those who are much higher than you, even if they are not around. Yes, I will agree with these value because if we respect others, they will also respect us back. We need to follow the people who have authorities to avoid being reprimanded.

6) Why is Apo compared to the “scary” Jesus in the hallway? What do they seem to have in common?

          Apo, who is Ferdinand Marcos, is compared to the “scary” Jesus in the hallway because they are both powerful. “His eyes are following me like he was that scary Jesus in the hallway saying I know, I know what you are doing,” is the line that shows how powerful Apo is. 

7) What do the father, Apo, and the “scary” Jesus have in common? 

         Father is a snappy and loyal person to his Apo who is Ferdinand Marcos. Ferdinand Marcos is like Jesus who knows everything we do because of his power.

8) Read the last line of the poem. What does it mean? How does this regulate the persona’s behavior?

         This connotes the feeling of the Filipinos who were afraid over the power and authority Marcos’s dictatorship. Their fear is self-imposed prison that kept them from having their human rights, freedom of speech and voice of justice.

9) Do you think the persona’s perspective about martial law is the same as his father’s? Why or why not?

                       

          No, the narrator was clearly juvenile and shallow. His curiosity was all in. His father once told him: that was no place for a boy, only men. The narrator thought, it means so he doesn’t roam around and touch his father’s things that may injure him. But by analyzing that statement, it probably means more than that, isn’t it? At his young age, he can’t fully understand what his father was really trying to mean, he can only interpret them literally.

10) How does this poem provide the reader a glimpse of what martial law was like? How did the poem make you feel.

        It is a reflection of the scenario of what and how the Filipinos experienced the tragic and traumatic event throughout the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines. Apo on the wall shows the real situation concerning with the different perspective between millennial and those who lived through Martial Law.