# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Copy of Alfonso Manalastas, _Country of Nothings_-1

# data[].attributes.body
At the height of news such as death, seen as imperative to be within public knowledge and scrutiny, information is manifestly shunned from the people. By and large, there is media silencing, especially on death. There thrives cyclically the fake news that leads to chaos and mayhem. This poem is an invitation. It invites readers to never back down, disallow ignorance.

# data[].attributes.body
The poem enforces its message through the elements of the dramatic situation, the language, and its reflection on world realities.

# data[].attributes.body
First, the dramatic situation in “The Country of Nothings” situates the readers as the swell in death rate is broadcasted.

# data[].attributes.body
But in later parts, further information is absent. Its antecedent, the coverage of the deaths broadcasted on headlines are out of sight. “When you turn on the TV and find nothing,” it is said.

# data[].attributes.body
Second, the persona employs language through imagery, figures of speech, symbolism, and intentional formatting. With imagery, sensory words clarify situations through visualization.

# data[].attributes.body
In the fifth stanza, the static sounds of the TV are similar to hum, its purring and murmuring trills, not so completely quiet nor still.

# data[].attributes.body
It is worse than total silence. During the increasing deaths, the public only knows the basic details. Moreover, the absence of further information is much more petrifying to the persona than knowing nothing from the start.

# data[].attributes.body
Arao, D. A. (2021, November 7). Press freedom is no joke in the Philippines. East Asia Forum. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/11/07/press-freedom-is-no-joke-in-the-philippines/

Mendiola, R. (2020, December 24). PH ranks third with most journalists killed in 2020, new report finds — Across the Islands. Asian Journal. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.asianjournal.com/philippines/across-the-islands/ph-ranks-third-with-most-journalists-killed-in-2020-new-report-finds/

Muster Definition & Meaning. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muster

Myth Definition & Meaning. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myth

Ortuoste, J. (2022, November 9). PH rank plummets in 2022 World Press Freedom Index. Manila Standard. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/pop-goes-the-world-by-jenny-ortuoste/314276571/ph-rank-plummets-in-2022-world-press-freedom-index.html

Popioco, M. (2021, December 24). Filipino journalists can only take risks equal to their protections. Lowy Institute. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/filipino-journalists-can-only-take-risks-equal-their-protections

Tuquero, L. (2022, February 26). 51% of Filipinos find it difficult to spot fake news on media – SWS. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/sws-survey-fake-news-december-2021/

# data[].attributes.body
ABS-CBN Shutdown Candles (PhilStar, 2020) Retrieved March 21, 2023 from

https://media.philstar.com/photos/2020/05/05/abs-cbn-shutdown-candles_2020-05-05_20-04-56.jpg

COVID-19 Crisis in the Philippines (CNN Philippines) Retrieved March 21, 2023 from

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EeZt3k8XgAM_D3-.png

Newspaper With Old Grunge Vintage (IStockPhoto) Retrieved March 21, 2023, from

https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1125726743/photo/newspaper-with-old-grunge-vintage-unreadable-paper-texture-background.jpg?s=170667a&w=0&k=20&c=pnIv6PwLntF4bmlfcOZubWA8j6n26AChVFX_fPpGl6Y=

# data[].attributes.body
Name: TONI Mary Antonette G. Riotoc
Section: 12 - Holland

Word Count: 1494 words

# data[].attributes.body
The use of figures of speech enables authors to write profound meanings for the poem. Together with the depth comes the readers’ understanding through analysis and observance of comparisons, exaggerations, irony, and the like.

# data[].attributes.body
For example, “headlines looking more and more like obituaries” is a simile. Obituaries enlist the names of the dead. Meanwhile, headlines are the gist of highly publicized news. Thus the simile emphasizes the importance of broadcasting the deaths to the public.

# data[].attributes.body
Another figure of speech is personification, “if written words could stutter, is this how they sound?” It highlights the imagery stated earlier where shared information to the public becomes unclear.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
The rising number of deaths appears vague in the lack of updates.

# data[].attributes.body
Meanwhile, those disseminating the information create stammering sounds because of the difficulty in imparting and transmitting later. Thus, it prompts them to halt circulation.

# data[].attributes.body
The emblematic symbolism used is the TV. In a few stanzas, the TV is a shared attribute. Undeniably, television is the more accessible media source. It optically delivers entertainment and information with visual images and audio. It symbolizes and embodies the mass media. Throughout the overall text, it is observed that mass media was subdued. “You turn on the TV and find nothing.” It was repressed.

# data[].attributes.body
The author deliberately formats the poem by the indentation of each stanza’s second line. Often, indents indicate a continuation of the previous thought. And if we combine all the indented lines into one stanza, it can be viewed as an extension of the poem.

# data[].attributes.body
It encapsulates the dramatic situation. But it also places the reader, you, as a witness. As the witness, they are alive despite the circumstances on the street. Yet, in the future, the reader may be subject to it themselves. The phrase “conks out” is akin to falling into slumber, and death is said to be a permanent slumber.

# data[].attributes.body
In the face of this unsettling possibility, readers can take action, reinforcing the overall message. The word muster can mean critically examine. Thus, despite “nothingness,” one can awaken and reflect on the absence of information despite the realities presented in demanding headlines.

# data[].attributes.body
Third, the poem deliberates on realities through a point-of-view device and the current context. The literary piece addresses the reader and includes them in the poem through the pronoun you. It reimagines the reader to do a few actions.

# data[].attributes.body
The second point of view culminates in the ability of the readers to partake, experience, and endure similar situations and feelings shared throughout the stanzas, especially the human grief. These lines project grief as sorrow due to loss or death, also the mention of the dead and expiration.

# data[].attributes.body
The pandemic spared no one. The contagion handicapped many. The quarantine protocols posed burdensome challenges. To ease the worry, the media took a seat on the central board. All information to disseminate emanates from it. Most of the news during the onset of COVID-19 was about the alarming cases, the unknown, the present variants, and the infected tolls. Besides this, there was a marked increase in cases of murdered journalists in early 2020 (Mendiola, 2020).

# data[].attributes.body
It parallels the first three stanzas. Somehow, death was ever present and happened daily. And most accessed information through media — noting terms TV and headlines. Media is an integral part of anyone and everyone’s daily life. Media’s role in the societal structure is embedded. Every decision made and action taken is intertwined with the media. It is vital to our lives.

# data[].attributes.body
Although there remains a risk, as shown in the last two stanzas. There are still days when information becomes unavailable to the public. The absence of information brings about failure to react nor call for action, “and from nothingness you muster nothing.”

# data[].attributes.body
The 21st century shows progress, especially in information exchange and communication. But there remain drawbacks amidst the advancements as well.

# data[].attributes.body
“you recount the dead until you fumble over the myth,”

# data[].attributes.body
There, myth is an “unfounded or false notion.” In a 2021 Social Weather Survey, 51% of Filipinos find difficulty in discerning between factual information and fake news (Tuquero, 2022). The poem unveils our society. In the thick of the hostilities and grievances towards rising death tolls, the public continues to be susceptible to misinformation, disinformation, or no information.

# data[].attributes.body
The formalist analysis comprehensively presented the message and the presented reality. The poem reflects the modern Philippine society and its ingrained issues of mass media repression, fake news tolerance, and shortfall of information. Most details of the parallelism of the poem and the society were mentioned earlier. Hence, in my understanding, “Country of Nothings” is relevant material. The poem is salient and may serve as an instrument to bear social applicability.

# data[].attributes.body
The Philippine Constitution recognizes freedom of speech and press freedom. In the midst of it, there are still compromises on the rights and privileges, the opportunities and immunities that persist. An instance is the cyber libel case filed against Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and the closure of ABS-CBN (Arao, 2021).

# data[].attributes.body
In the 20th World Press Freedom Index, the Philippines' global score is 41.84, a perilous area for journalists to practice their work (Ortuoste, 2022). Reports Without Borders gave the score as an offshoot of the pressure discoursed by the government on media networks. Harassment, aggravation, and intimidation are just a few misdemeanors journalists meet in performing their duties, documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists. In addition, a third of killed journalists received threats prior (Popioco, 2021). Present in the poem is a mirroring of fear in the suppression -

# data[].attributes.body
Living in hostile territory for journalists, seen as foes, is a reality to reckon with. Is it not a resounding death waiting to happen for them? This is where the challenge lies. Death held out, made longer. The victims are journalists and more, even those who are estranged from reporting and writing. They constitute the public who face the same danger and death. There was no information to safeguard them or ward off death.

# data[].attributes.body
The poem is an insight and discernment into the grief many experiences, especially in the dark years of COVID-19 as the poem was published last 2020. Similarly, there is much sorrow in the constant struggle against fake news and pining for transparencies. Society faces irony, the age of advancement and elevation, headway and progression. Yet we are in a stonewall, walking blindly. Society faces not the irony but also the challenges and provocations.

# data[].attributes.body
Societies are people. People have power. Let the power live in people.

# data[].attributes.body
I am a member of the public. As the poem uses the second point of view, it appears that the persona addresses us to bear everyone with awareness. With awareness comes consciousness, experience, and action. In this age, information must be within reach. With this knowledge, people must act in consciousness even in the presence of stumbling blocks like disinformation. We should envelope all these with a sense of responsibility.

# data[].attributes.body
It reverberates in me that the world appears more jaded. The rise in death tolls could be attributed to the pandemic or even the deaths of journalists — “you recount the dead until you fumble over the math.” The situation can appear more despairing as the defenders and custodians of information are imperiled, and a number disappeared, leaving the public with nothing. Nevertheless, realities equip me to take charge and face these trials, be part of the change.

# data[].attributes.body
The death of someone who took part in the challenge is never a death in vain nor a worthless aim. Their death is my awareness. My awareness breaks ground to move me. I am no longer a bystander. I am taking part in the challenge, and my life will be worth it.