Philippine National Pride in Claro M. Recto’s “Soul of the Race”

Literature is the inexhaustible riches of the past. It contains the ideas handed down through the centuries which have influenced the way Philippines developed its society and civilization. The diversity and richness of Philippine literature evolved along with the country’s history and culture. This inherent heritage is given life in the creative non-fiction where a great deal of historical writing is mirrored and from which people preserve the experiences of the past in a cohesive and beautiful manner. Philippine history and government would cover the important events of the past in daily newspapers but they don’t describe nor picture in details the feelings, thought, dreams and actual life of the Filipinos. This study analyzed Claro M. Recto’s “Souls of the Race”, originally written in Spanish as “El Alma de la Raza” and was translated by Nick Joaquin. It reflects significant events in the Philippines after World War II. In the syntheses of the work- national pride is revealed, bringing the Philippines stand out on the frontier of challenges under foreign culture. Moreover, this study worked on the realm of the figurative language making the investigation of the poem an intelligent operation of expressions.