Waray Literature and Kimball’s Critique of Contradictions in Eagleton’s Work

I

It was a sunny afternoon on May 6, 2026, when I made my way to the Leyte Samar Heritage Center at the University of the Philippines Tacloban. The Heritage Center is a two-story structure with smooth, bright white walls that stand out vividly against the blue sky. Its roof is covered in reddish-pink tiles or corrugated sheeting, and the main entrance features a striking gabled canopy supported by two light-colored pillars. Tall, arched windows with dark frames and louvered or grid-style panes run along the front and side walls, allowing light to filter in. Inside the building, I found Writing Literary History: Mode of Economic Production and Twentieth Century Waray Poetry by Jose Duke Bagulaya, in which he analyzes Waray literature using Terry Eagleton’s ideas.

II

According to Roger Kimball, Marxist academics such as Eagleton embody a paradox. They preach revolution and the destruction of capitalism while holding secure, privileged positions within Western universities. Even as Communist regimes collapsed worldwide, exposing Marxism’s practical and predictive failures, these scholars remained unaffected, retreating into obscure theories, jargon, and radical movements like deconstruction to maintain their stance. This shift turned humanities departments into spaces of intellectual conformity hostile to Western traditions.

Eagleton, a leading British Marxist critic at Oxford, blends influences from socialist thought, practical criticism, and Catholicism, though his work grew increasingly abstract and political over time. Moving from literary analysis to “critical theory,” he began treating literature merely as a reflection of ideology rather than studying it for its own merit. At the core of his work is the Marxist idea that economic structures determine culture – an idea he softens with complex terminology but never abandons.

Eagleton uses the term ideology flexibly. Defined neutrally as how beliefs connect to power yet always deployed negatively to describe ruling-class manipulation. He claims Marxism alone stands outside ideology to offer objective truth, allowing him to interpret all art and literature, from “The Waste Land” to works by George Eliot or Henry James, as symptoms of bourgeois crisis or false consciousness, denying individual genius or intrinsic value.

Ultimately, Eagleton views art and literature only as tools for social change, rejecting the liberal idea that art enriches human understanding or possesses its own validity. His major work The Ideology of the Aesthetic frames aesthetics through this political lens, surveying the history of ideas to argue that concepts of beauty and taste are rooted in power structures. For Kimball, Eagleton represents a critic who cares little for literature itself, using it instead to advance a rigid, utopian political vision detached from reality.

Eagleton’s The Ideology of the Aesthetic surveys major thinkers from Baumgarten to postmodernism but offers predictable coverage and flawed analysis. Though extensively researched, it fails as an introduction to aesthetic theory because Eagleton consistently interprets philosophy through a rigid Marxist lens, distorting ideas (such as Baumgarten’s focus on sensory knowledge or Schopenhauer’s metaphysical pessimism) into narratives of class conflict and oppression. His writing often becomes obscure and forced, as seen in highly abstract, psychologized readings of figures like Kant.

Central to his argument is the claim that the aesthetic is inherently contradictory: it promises freedom yet functions as a tool of ruling-class ideology, as coercive as law though experienced as voluntary. The critique rejects this framework, noting that Eagleton defines “contradictions” only against his own political model, not objective reality. Kimball concluded that the book is judged confused and unilluminating regarding art, serving primarily as an illustration of ideological reasoning rather than rigorous analysis.

Short Biography

Fhen M. was an academic writer at Cebu-Seoul Software International from 2010 to 2011, penning numerous essays, including a literary critique of Voltaire’s Candide. Notably, the novel features a pivotal encounter between its protagonist and a creole character with a maimed slave from a Suriname sugarcane mill. As a philosopher, Voltaire was a vocal critic of slavery in his writings. 

The Quiet Language of Beautiful Spaces

By Mushtariybegim Ozodbekova

When Homes Reflect the Soul

In a world where people spend much of their lives surrounded by stress, speed, and constant distraction, the spaces we live in quietly shape our emotions and thoughts. A home is more than walls and furniture; it is a reflection of personality, comfort, and inner peace. The way a space is designed can influence the human spirit just as deeply as art, music, or literature.

When people decorate their homes, they do more than arrange objects. They create atmosphere — a silent language of colors, textures, light, and memories. A carefully placed lamp, soft curtains moving with the wind, or the warmth of wooden furniture can transform an ordinary room into a place of emotional safety. Aesthetic spaces do not need luxury; they need harmony.

Interior design has become an important part of modern life because people increasingly seek beauty in everyday experiences. In many cultures, homes carry traditions and personal identity through decoration. A traditional carpet, handmade ceramics, family photographs, or natural plants can preserve both memory and individuality within a living space. Through design, homes become stories without words.

In today’s digital age, aesthetic living spaces are often shared across social media platforms, inspiring millions of people around the world. Minimalist rooms, cozy reading corners, soft lighting, and natural colors have become symbols of calmness in a noisy world. Yet true aesthetic value does not come from trends alone — it comes from authenticity and emotional connection.

Beautiful spaces also affect mental well-being. Studies often show that organized and visually peaceful environments can reduce stress and improve concentration. Sunlight, open spaces, greenery, and balanced decoration contribute to emotional comfort and creativity. In this sense, interior design is not only about appearance, but also about human psychology and lifestyle.

At the same time, aesthetic living should remain personal rather than perfect. A home becomes meaningful not when it looks expensive, but when it feels alive with warmth, memories, and individuality. The most memorable spaces are often those filled with sincerity rather than decoration alone.

Mushtariybegim Ozodbekova is a student and aspiring writer from Uzbekistan. She enjoys exploring culture, aesthetics, and human emotion through reflective writing. Her work often focuses on the connection between beauty, identity, and everyday life.

This article was inspired by the idea that living spaces quietly influence human emotions and behavior. In a rapidly changing world, creating aesthetic and peaceful homes has become a way for people to reconnect with themselves and find comfort in ordinary moments.

The Evolution of Consciousness and the Struggle Against Ignorance

Awareness, ignorance, right, wrong, weakness, and power; all seem to have distinct definitions. Yet, upon deeper reflection, we realize these terms carry different meanings for every individual, nation, or tribe. Even through the passage of time, the perspective of a 12-year-old, an 18-year-old, and a 40-year-old toward these concepts undergoes a transformation. Our minds are in a constant state of evolution; had it been otherwise, humanity could never have survived the struggle for existence and would have perished in the early ages.
Humanity has always contemplated to measure the depth of its understanding and its connection with all phenomena—both perceivable and incomprehensible. Nevertheless, man has never been, and will never be, perfect. It is precisely this “imperfection” that is our greatest strength; for human society was formed and has endured to this day by relying on cooperation and the completion of one another.

In the past, power resided in a single hand, held by the tribal chief, often acquired through bloodshed or force. During the era of monarchies, this process continued in a more polished form, albeit seasoned with hypocrisy and politics. Eventually, humanity realized that power should not be the monopoly of a single individual or dynasty; the French Revolution stands as a brilliant example of this historical awakening. Power and wealth have always been a path between triumph or ruin, sought by humans to achieve goals that they deem “good” and others perceive as “evil.” When a person, relying on power, imposes their thoughts on the masses and meets their resistance with force, they perceive themselves as a righteous soul whom others seek to destroy. Democracy is the gift bestowed by God upon enlightened humans to liberate them from this cycle of tyranny.

The concepts of “good” and “bad” are represented differently in everyone’s mind. If you were to seat individuals from Asia, Africa, Europe, and America around a single table and ask them about a political leader or a famous figure, the likelihood of similarity in their answers would be slim. Each responds based on their society, level of literacy, and personal interests. Someone who has been raised from childhood with irrational premises and superstitions cannot be easily enlightened through logic.

In childhood, the human mind is like unshaped clay, molded by potters such as teachers, family, and society. Once this clay is fired in the kiln and turned into a jar, changing its shape becomes arduous. A person in their fourth decade of life who holds a heartfelt belief in superstitions might even sacrifice their life for these hollow beliefs, yet they will never accept that they have been deceived.

In this midst, the one who possesses the courage to trample upon their previous false beliefs and norms to break free from them is the very person whom dictators fear. They are like a white blood cell fighting the bacteria of ignorance within the body of society. Closed societies tend to keep the masses in a state of scientific poverty; for an empty mind can be filled with any claim, and superstition can be sold to them in place of science. But a mind filled with true knowledge has no room for nonsense—just as a cabinet overflowing with books cannot be filled with packs of cigarettes unless the books are discarded; and that is the definition of being a “sell-out.”

A “sell-out” is someone who possesses awareness and knowledge but, for the sake of personal gain, ignores their human duty to enlighten society and sells their soul to the demon of power and money. These individuals are far more debased than those who mislead others out of sheer ignorance.

Despite all this, light always triumphs over darkness. People will find the path of wisdom and shall overcome tyranny, lies, and ignorance. History bears witness that heroes of humanity have always risen to cast the oppressors down from the heights of power.
To the hope of a day when awareness replaces superstition, and all humans—regardless of race, skin color, or language—live alongside one another in peace and tranquility.

PEACE IN THE WORLD

I wonder when peace will dawn upon the world,

so that even flower petals may freely live upon their bloom,

so that children may have their childhood,

and enjoy the embrace of their mothers.

When will hatred among people cease,

when will one person stop taking freedom from another,

why do all these divisions exist,

wouldn’t we all be better without them?

Every day, boats of pain sail across the world,

the sound of sirens destroying hopes, wishes, and dreams,

wars have never brought good to anyone,

so why are they still so close to us?

I call upon all the people of the world,

do not make each other targets,

share love, freedom, and peace,

let every touch reflect love.

Wars bring only darkness,

they take away happiness, joy, and all that is good,

heavy sounds tear through our ears,

because sick minds rule this world.

Why sow the seeds of evil,

instead of love, which we need so much,

let children have their freedom,

for your wars do not concern them.

So many tears have been shed because of cursed war,

will it ever stop?

Will peace finally take its rightful place…

People, be human,

do not close your hearts, nor your eyes.

Live for peace, leave evil behind,

let the sun shine upon us all,

let the clouds of pain finally disappear,

because we all want only one thing: our freedom.

 Danijela Ćuk

 Croatia

Interpretation of the Female Image in the Works of Cho‘lpon and Hamza 

Hamida Nazarova Teacher of Uzbek Language and Literature Scientific Supervisor: Normat Yo‘ldoshev 

If we look at the works of Abdulhamid Cho‘lpon, we can see the richness and diversity of his creativity. His depictions of nature and human emotions attract every reader deeply. Cho‘lpon wrote poems and stories about topics connected with every person’s life. His novel “Night and Day” and many other stories reflect important social and moral issues. 

Cho‘lpon especially described the difficult condition of Uzbek women of that period, the injustice and humiliation they faced, and society’s silence toward such oppression. In many of his works women are insulted, oppressed, and treated unfairly. Fathers often looked at their daughters as objects and sacrificed them for their own interests or reputation. This shows how tragic the condition of women was at that time. 

One of the brightest examples is the novel “Night and Day.” In this work Cho‘lpon truthfully portrays characters such as the innocent and simple Zebi and Qurvonbibi, whose life passes in darkness because of ignorance and oppression. 

Zebi is an Uzbek girl who completely submits herself to the environment around her. The writer presents her naturally, without exaggeration. Like Qurvonbibi, she spends her whole life within four walls. Although she has no education or special knowledge, her innocence and simplicity make the reader admire her. 

Throughout the novel Zebi experiences many hardships. Fate punishes her mercilessly for crimes she never committed. However, despite all the suffering, her inner purity and moral beauty never change. In many literary works heroes grow and change over time, but Zebi remains the same innocent and sincere girl from beginning to end. Her suffering only increases, yet her spiritual beauty becomes even stronger. 

When imagining Zebi, one sees a modest, innocent, and honorable Uzbek girl. She does not know deceit, trickery, or rebellion. She accepts injustice silently and represents the traditional image of an Uzbek woman of that era. 

During the same period Hamza Hakimzoda Niyoziy was also creating literary works. The themes in Cho‘lpon and Hamza’s works are very similar: criticism of ignorance, encouragement of enlightenment, and love for the nation and homeland. While Cho‘lpon described the suffering of oppressed women, Hamza encouraged women to become educated and enlightened, to free themselves from ignorance and darkness. 

In his poems Hamza wrote: 

“The time has come to reveal yourself, Break your chains and scatter them everywhere.” In the novel “New Happiness” he encourages people to seek knowledge and education:

“Study and gain knowledge, Drink from the fountain of enlightenment, Free your tongue from ignorance, Live with concern for your nation.” 

In Cho‘lpon’s works women suffer physically and spiritually, while in Hamza’s works women struggle for their freedom and dignity. In the drama “Poisonous Life or Victims of Love,” the heroine Maryam refuses to accept injustice and even chooses death instead of surrendering to oppression. 

Maryam and Mahmud are educated young people who dream of bringing enlightenment to society. Maryam especially believes that women and men together should guide the nation from darkness toward light. However, the conservative environment destroys their dreams, and in the end they sacrifice themselves as a form of protest against the unjust system. 

Cho‘lpon’s stories such as “Tulip in the Snow,” “Breakfast,” “The Baker’s Daughter,” and “In Moonlit Nights” also reveal the patience, sincerity, and simplicity of Uzbek women. In “Tulip in the Snow,” the fate of the young girl Sharofatxon resembles the tragic fate of Maryam. She is forced to marry an old religious leader against her will. 

Unlike Maryam, Sharofatxon does not resist injustice. She obeys her parents and submits to destiny. This difference can be explained by education and awareness. Maryam becomes educated and develops her worldview, while Sharofatxon remains powerless because of ignorance and lack of opportunity. 

The title “Tulip in the Snow” itself carries symbolic meaning. The tulip symbolizes a young girl in the spring of her life, while snow symbolizes coldness, old age, and tragedy. The story criticizes a society in which young girls are sacrificed to old men in the name of tradition and blind respect. 

The image of the old Eshon creates strong anger in the reader. Even though he is very old, society praises him when he takes the young bride. This demonstrates the deep ignorance and injustice of that period. 

A father giving away his daughter like an object naturally creates hatred toward such behavior. Girls, just like boys, have the right to happiness, freedom, and a meaningful life. The reason for such oppression was ignorance and lack of education. 

Education and morality play an important role in human life. An educated person can resist cruelty and protect oppressed people. Unfortunately, in the past many people had no opportunity to receive education, while wealthy people spent their money on pleasure instead of knowledge. Ignorance brought selfishness, cruelty, and indifference, which became the main causes of women’s suffering. 

References: 1. Qosimov B., Yusupov Sh., Dolimov U., Rizayev Sh., Ahmedov S. Uzbek Literature of the National Awakening Period. 2. Sultonxo‘jayeva Sh. The Skill of Creating Characters in Cho‘lpon’s Stories. 3. Haqqul Ibrohim. Two Articles about Cho‘lpon. 4. Cho‘lpon A. Night and Day. 5. Niyoziy H. Poems for Uzbek Women. 6. Niyoziy H. Poisonous Life or Victims of Love. 7. Niyoziy H. New Happiness.

Ι do not belong…

All your life they teach how u must do, think, act, love, live, smile

All the years of education they teach how u must be present, dress, talk, feel…

All the time at your job they teach u how u behave, how u must sit, react, claim, interfere, communicate…

All that faces they teach me..make me feel that i do not belong

I do not belong in half truth

I do not belong in that small garden

I do not belong in the words that was never said

I do not belong in small boxes that keep the smile of the morning

I do not belong in shoutting and builing  .

I don’t belong in love, i never get

I do not belong in the incertain possibilities

But i do belong in myself

And in the possibility of climbing a big mountain

Maybe never go to the top..

But  i do belong in my dreams..

The Walls

Once upon a time there was a girl called Love. She was so kind and generous and very curious about the world outside of the Walls.

Love, was staying in a beautiful city but her parents was very affraid because she was so sensitive and small, so they keep her inside the

Walls.

Love, she has a beautiful room with so many toys and books and she had a teacher that she visited her 4 days per week to do their homework. It was very interested onthe outside world and she often asked questions to the teacher:

_What exist behind the Walls?

The teacher never responded clearly.she was always say things with no sense.

The sky is blue. The trees are green.There are big houses and red flowers.

One night, Love was trying to sleep and then a strange insect come to her room.

Zzzzzzz

Zzzzzz

Are you a mosquito?

She asked the insect…

Noo , I am a libelule.I am the savage libelule but the wind make me loose my path.i lost my sisters.my sisters love me

They will come back for me.

Are you coming outside of the Walls??

Please tell me,what exist out there..

Love, asked the little insect.

Have you ever see the night without stars?

Noo, responded the little girl

Have you ever see a bird without wings??

Noo, responded the little girl

So, that is behind the Walls.

Sadness and fear.

No place to stay and play.

Because the Love walk away since several years ago!!

But i don’t understand…

I am Love and i never walk away…

In fact i never had the chance to get out of those Walls!!!

She responded in a very serious way.

Then, if you are The Love.

I must educate you .

I have no time , my sisters will come soon for me. We are happy only when we’re all together.

If you are The Love, You must be free.

You must overcome those Walls.

You must go deep and receive before you take. But you must always give freely.

Each time you give love, a libelule is born.

We need so many libelules to keep this world, in harmony, full of light and full of hope.

If you are the Love, no Matter what,you will stay in the heart of Humans and animals. You Will try every day and night.

Because only Love can bring happiness to faces of human, only love can bring back the light to the stars…only Love can bring the wings to the birds.

If you are the Love, only You , You can destroy those Walls!!!!!

The Love is a huge energy, full of light and compassion.

Nobody can stop her, if she make wishes.

If you’re the true Love, this world will be in peace, happy,and healthy again.