the mats essay
The story given to our group is ‘The Mats”. And based on our discussions and group meetings, the interpretation we all agreed to make is the “reader-based interpretation”.
The Mats, authored by Francisco Arcellana, is a short story describing a very typical Filipino value – a deep perception of close family-ties and bonding. With this particular account, a man -depicted as a very loving and thoughtful father/husband- seems to continue to not able to go forward from the unfortunate departure of his 3 children.
The depiction of the family is in regards to a typical big Filipino family members with loved ones leading out roles in a really typical Philippine traditionalist life-style, that is; father/husband as the breadwinner and wife/mother while housewife and loving, obedient and obedient, compliant, acquiescent, subservient, docile, meek, dutiful, tractable children.
The fundamental plot of the story is all about the most memorable homecoming from the breadwinner in the family, the father, who came up home by his regular inspections that were celebrated everytime these took place. But in this particular inspection to the South, he “met a marvellous matweaver – a genuine artist” according to him.
This individual wrote a letter about this event to his friends and family that said “I shall have a surprise for you. I asked him to place a sleeping-mat for every among the family. He can using a number of colors and for each mat the dominant color is our individual birthstones. I know that the kids will be very satisfied. I know you will be. I can scarcely wait to show them to you” and when the letter appeared home, his family was so giddy and pumped up about the event. They will kept on referring to it and so they read the notification again and again if they could.
“Mats” played a large role within their own “family culture”. “They had such a cushion in the house, a single they almost never used, a mat more aged than any one of them. This mat had been given to Nana Emilia, the wife/mother, by her mother when she and Mr. Angeles, the husband/father, were hitched, and it turned out with these people ever since. It had served around the wedding night time, and had certainly not since been used other than on holidays. It was a very beautiful mat, not really meant to be ordinarily used. Completely green leaf borders, and a lot of gigantic red roses stiched into it. Nana Emilia often kept that mat in her trunk area. When any one of the family was taken unwell, the cushion was presented and the patient slept on it, had all this to him self. “
For us, that particular and special sparring floor was an emblem, synonymous with tranquillity and good health and a retreat from feeling ill. It was synonymous with healing and beauty and elegance because of its complex design and embroideries. All of us imagined that as a seriously lovely and beautiful cushion with the glowing woven term of the husband and wife.
But due to rarity of its use and where it’s practically usually applied, as a sleeping mat of your sick family member, it became “associated with disease in the friends and family, even significant illness”. Getting those mats because of all those happenings made this like a practice.
For us, even though it symbolizes good health and a refuge to be sick, additionally, it kind of depicts a symbol of covered up sorrow and agony as some of the children who had taken refuge on that particular pad died and were not fortunate enough to be revitalized by the healing powers from the mat.
Anyways, so if the night came, the father arrived and was with his family members again. Depicted in the tale was that just about every homecoming was celebrated and so we believe that during this time, you will find a huge dinner for the family. We can see them really happy pertaining to the foundation in the family has come back. We are able to imagine the a large number of stories becoming shared right now, the joyous laughters distributed upon the family table. The “pasalubongs” or “souvenirs” being reserve, fruits and whatnot.
Inspite of the momentous instant and hundreds of random balance topics becoming brought upon, all of them considered the amazing mats brought by the father, Mr. Angeles. We can really picture, basing prove background to be super mat-lovers, the excitement they had of seeing and becoming their respective mats. Much like one of each of our groupmates whom shared the similar feelings contained about every homecoming of his soldier daddy the super pleasure of getting the things guaranteed that are thought to have attained a tremendous selling price of magnificence and sentimental value. He said it felt extremely exciting to finally observe and get the promised items that his father informed them. It had been a different kind of excitement in comparison to normal emotions of excitement, because this kind of exhilaration, our groupmate said, was built upon months and months of waiting, just like in the account although we believe it was just for days, but nonetheless the likeness of the scenario is there.
So anyway heading back, when the period came to deliver the guaranteed ever fantastic mats weaved by a “real artist” while how the daddy described him, we can envision everybody had been so excited and are not able to wait for their particular respective glorious mats. We can even think about the children and even his wife affectionately bullying him to finally spread the mats.
“Finally, after having a long time more than his stogie, Mr. Angeles rose coming from his seat at the head in the table and crossed the bedroom to the nook where his luggage had been piled. From the heap he disengaged a ponderous pack.
“Taking it under one arm, he walked for the middle of the area where the light was brightest. He fallen the pack and, twisting over and controlling himself on his toes, this individual strained at the cord that bound that. It was good, it would certainly not break, it would not cave in. He tried working with the knots. His fingers had been clumsy, that they had begun banging. “
Maybe because of their caring persistence, all of us thought the daddy was nervous and was shaking as a result of pressure they put on him. We located it sweet and funny. Anyway, the bundle was loose plus the mats were ready to always be distributed.
The daddy gave every person their particular mats with the respective titles on it, every single has their personal unique and intricate patterns that stand for what they do and what described them like a lyre intended for Marcelina, the eldest child, who was a music student like one among our groupmates also a pianist; Jose, the second child, experienced symbol of Aesculapius being a symbol intended for his becoming a medical student. The wife acquired a cushion woven in the centre was her name and beside this are stiched flowers –the cadena-de-amor – which we all thought are symbols of his wish to his partner. Cadena-de-amor is a symbol of chastity and purity therefore we believed maybe that was for what reason he considered to decorate his wife’s sparring floor like that. The husband/father received himself a great austere, which means simple, pad but of purple and gold, which usually we think these types of colors symbolize superiority and royalty since fathers will be metaphorically called “king of the castle”.
Once everybody received their particular mats, all of them bursted into complete happiness and appreciation. We can imagine the big laughs they were wearing now at the time, but the through the happiest hour of the nighttime Nana Emilia, the better half, noticed you will find mats which were left unopened yet. The girl wondered and exclaimed that “there a few more mats”. What our group thought was that because of her inquisitiveness, it captivated the tension from the story. For that reason the mood began to transform abruptly.
The father, Mr. Angeles, replied “Yes, Emilia, there are three even more mats to unfold. Different ones who aren’t here…” The moment we started to read these lines, we felt goosebumps inside us. We can see and imagine that every person just halted and started to feel seriously tensed because everybody knows what their daddy meant. You observe the extreme immediate change of Mr. Angeles’ face from being actually happy to being an empty, lifeless and directly face. We can picture out too Nana Emilia sweating such as a river because of the awkwardness and nerve-wracking scenario they were encountering at the moment. The lady couldn’t speak at all. Each of the children became automatic sculptures and mannequins only that they can breathe of nervousness.
Mr. Angeles slowly and gradually unfold the mats, plus the mats were empty, zero symbols or whatsoever although just obviously names from the unfortunate offsprings he dearly loved and couldn’t let it go yet. Every person knew the name “but somehow the name, the letters spelling the term, seemed odd to these people. “
As we were talking about this particular circumstance now with the story involving the group, all of us kind of felt too as though we were there at the moment sense the heavy pressured and tensed environment that was set around them. Then suddenly silence was broken and Nana Emilia “found her voice” and stated “You know, Jaime, you didn’t have got to”, her voice hurt and surely frightened. Mr. Angeles responded, “Do you think I’d ignored? Do you think I had formed forgotten them? Do you think I could forget these people? ” That’s exactly what shouted what they are called of the kids, who previously passed away, and dedicated them the rugs he bought for them. During our group discussion all of us agreed this was the most close situation at any time in the tale.
We can notice them sobbing and saturated because of the tears uncontrollably streaming from their eyes especially from Nana Emilia and their kids pleading their very own father to quit. Nana Emilia even asked him to avoid but Mr. Angeles, because what we envision and experience, even became more furious and said “Is this fair to forget all of them? Would it be just to overlook them? ” “His tone of voice had increased shrill, almost hysterical; it absolutely was also stern and miserable, and for some reason vindictive. Mister. Angeles experienced spoken practically as if this individual were a stranger. Also, he had used as if coming from a deep, grudgingly-silent, long-bewildered sorrow. ” The words cracked in silence.
As what the tale said and what we would ever guess, all of their faces were adhered to the confront of their daddy no matter how very much they wished to look away from him, what we should can see can be how tragic that night was and how the mood changed from really happy to incredibly scary and tensed. “There was a bad hush. ” Indeed, it had been the most unforgettable homecoming they will ever had.
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