Literary Analysis of Amado V. Hernandez's “Isang Dipang Langit” (an Arm's Length Piece of the Sky)

Literary Analysis of Amado V. Hernandez’s
“Isang Dipang Langit”
(An Arm’s Length Piece of the Sky)

By Manuel M. Avenido, Jr.
MA in Literature
Cebu Normal University
December 04, 2010

Philippines is gifted of numerous remarkable writers (fictionists, poets, essayists, dramatists, etc.) whose masterpieces still echo through ages. From Balagtas to Rizal to Nick Joaquin and even to the writers in this postmodern time, our country is at par in richness of literature to that of other countries.
For three centuries of colonization by Spain, our country has produced myriad literary writings with every drop of bloods and every life offered by our forefathers. History would say that most writings during the Spanish era here in our country were mostly about Filipino outcries for oppression and tyranny. Hence, it paved way to the birth of Rizal’s eternal novels: the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo - deemed to be the chief grounds to a huge and bloody revolution in Philippine history.
On the other hand, during the Japanese invasion in the country in the World War II, it is said that history repeated itself. Filipinos were battling against the oppression and occupation of the Japanese here in our country. Influenced by the fortitude of our heroes who fought against the Spaniards and inspired by the genius of our artists, many Filipino writers had emerged from silence and voiced out their grievances and uproars through beautiful poems, poignant essays, and satirical fictions and plays.
Among the renowned writers that time was Amado V. Hernandez, a work leader and freedom fighter and Philippine National Artist for Literature.

A True-Blooded Son of Arts: Knowing Hernandez

Amado V. Hernandez was born in Tondo, Manila on September 13, 1903. Most of his masterpieces centered on his social and political beliefs which was said to be brought by his experience as an intelligence officer for the underground guerilla resistance during the Japanese...