The document provides background information on the author Maximo D. Ramos and analyzes his poem "Youth". It summarizes the poem in two stanzas, describing how the poem depicts the beauty and fulfillment of life from birth to death. It then analyzes various elements of the poem such as theme, genre, structure. It asks comprehension questions about the cyclic nature of life depicted and the meaning of lines in the poem. Finally, it explains how the title "Youth" connects to the poem's exploration of life's beginning and experiences during those times.

1. Region III – Central Luzon

2. AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND
MAXIMO D. RAMOS
San Narciso, Zambales
1910
Hugo H. Miller Memorial Scholar
M.A. in English at the Indiana University
former head of the English Department at the
Philippine Normal University (PNU)
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts of the
University of the East (UE)

3. WHY IS THE
TITLE OF
THE POEM
“YOUTH”?

4. Youth
maximo d. ramos
They have known the
tingling freshness
Of the coming forth
from God
The sweetness of
mother’s breast
The ringing
sinewiness of growth,
The fell of the loved
one’s cheek, the song
Of April suns and
showers…
And these will know
The quiet dimming
down of age
And the silent wonder
Of the going back
To God.

5. interpretation
The poem describes
the beauty and the
mystery of life as it
is endured by every
individual.

6. First stanza
The fulfilment of being given the chance to
see the light of the world for the first time
was beautifully described. Being born and
having been given the chance to live a life is
one great manifestation of God’s
graciousness and love. It is one’s first witness
of acceptance and care. Promises of fun and
wonderful memories are being savored in
the restless days of childhood, until such
time when one comes of age and gets the
chance to raise a family.

7. Second stanza
Unfolds another mystery of life. This is
somehow the moment when one finally
expresses content and enrichment of
one’s experiences of the life that he has
been given. He takes the final phase of
surrendering the life to be able to enter
a new one and reunite with the Giver,
and that is the greatest and the most
beautiful mystery of mankind.

8. Theme (subject/topic)
- Reality of Life and Death
Genre
- Descriptive Poem (describes the world of the speaker)
Point of View (speaker)
- Omniscient (all-knowing)
- Third person- speaker is unnamed/unidentified (a
detached observer). He/she reports on events and
lets the reader supply the meaning.
Structure
- Formal Structure (it has lines & stanzas)
Historical/Cultural Aspect
-Spanish Era/Cultural aspect of Filipinos in Religion

9. Figure of Speech
- The quiet dimming down of age (Metaphor)
Mood
- Mysterious – Life is like a rosary, full of mysteries
Tone
- Serious – talking about Life and Death is a serious matter
Language
- Euphony (pleasant words)
Death (instead of harsh words)
-The quiet dimming down of age
And the silent wonder
Of the going back
To God
Rhythm and Meter
- Free Verse (doesn’t have a pattern/required measurement)

10. *Paraphrase the poem.
-restatement of a text or passage, giving
meaning in another form; not an exact quote
They have known the tingling
freshness
Of the coming forth from God
The sweetness of mother’s breast
The ringing sinewiness of growth,
The fell of the loved one’s cheek, the
song
Of April suns and showers…
And these will know
The quiet dimming down of age
And the silent wonder
Of the going back
To God.
The feeling of purity and innocence
Having the life given from God
Experiencing the love and care of a mother
or a family
With pure strength of growth in the
childhood days
Meeting the love of your life and raising
your own family
Full of happiness, fun, and bittersweet
memories
Time of fulfilment and contentment will
come
From old age to calm and peaceful death
Speechless and wordless admiration
Of reuniting
With God.

11. The feeling of purity
and innocence
Having the life given
from God
Experiencing the love
and care of a mother or
a family
With pure strength of
growth in the
childhood days
Meeting the love of
their life and raising
their own family
Full of happiness, fun,
and bittersweet
memories
Time of fulfilment and
contentment will come
From old age to calm
and peaceful death
Speechless and
wordless admiration
Of reuniting
With God.

12. Comprehension check-up
1. There is a cyclic effect in the poem. Look
for it and give your analyses.
Of the coming forth from God
The ringing sinewiness of growth
The fell of the loved one’s cheek
The quiet dimming down of age
And the silent wonder
Of the going back
To God

13. 2. What is meant by the lines “To
have known the tingling freshness
of the coming forth from God.”
“The feeling of purity and innocence
Having the life given from God”
3. What is the theme of the poem?
- Reality of Life and Death

14. 4. What is the essence of tales to
children?
• tales establish children’s sense of wonder
• stir their imagination
• satisfy their hunger for adventure
• develop courage in children
• play a role in the emotional development of
children
• provide pleasure and enjoyment for
children
• touch moral and spiritual sense of values
• cultivate thinking and creativity

15. 5. What belief is reflected in the
piece? Does it reflect Filipino
culture? Why or why not?
- Belief about God is reflected in the
piece. Yes, it reflects Filipino culture
which is believing in God or the Superior
Being whatever religion we may belong.
The poem showed how life of an
individual starts from God and goes back
to God. The speaker in the poem believes
that God is the reason of our existence
here on earth, and I do believe it too.

16. WHY IS THE
TITLE OF
THE POEM
“YOUTH”?

17. Youth – connection to the poem
“All endings are also beginnings.”
For Maximo, youth is where it all
started, it is the beginning. And
for most people, youth is the
happiest part of their life, it is the
time when they are young, naïve,
free, and have all the time in the
world to grow and develop.

18. Life is a journey but it’s not
always about your destination.
Sometimes what really matters
are the experiences, places and
people you encounter along the
way. It’s not about how many
times you fell down, it’s about
how you stood back up again.
It’s about living life to the
fullest.

19. Like in a basketball
game, it is not
about winning or
losing. It is about
how you played the
game.

20. Like in an examination, it is
not about getting the highest
or lowest score. It is about
how you answered it and
learned from your mistakes.
Anyways the correct ones
are the ones being counted.
Mistakes are just for
improvements.

21. “Life is
what you
make it.”

22. My experience
The first time I read the poem, I already got that it
was all about life, but I did not understand some of the lines
until I had the chance to read it again and again, reflect on it,
and then analyze it.
I also found difficulty in understanding the word
“sinewiness” which means strength because it’s the first
time I encountered the word and I’m not familiar with it so I
have to look it up in the dictionary.
In general, I enjoyed reading the poem because it
showed me how beautiful the mystery of life is. Maximo D.
Ramos succeeded in making me, as a reader, feel
seriousness and at the same time be entertained and
appreciate the beauty, mystery, and wonder of life every
individual have, could, and would experience in this world.

23. reference
Saymo, Apolinario S. et. al.,
2004. Philippine Literature.
Bulacan: Trinitas Publishing,
Inc.