Breaking the Norms: Analyzing the Use of Graphological Deviations in Merlinda Bobis’s Poetry
Shanely Mae Delos Santos, Dabyrose Ramos, Florrench Gabin
Received: 24 July 2026; Revised: 13 September 2026; Accepted: 19 September 2026; Published: 24 September 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.66074/C3K1X7V5B
Abstract
This study investigates the use of graphological deviations in the poetry of Merlinda Bobis to examine how visual features of poetic language function as semiotic resources in expressing identity, emotion, and postcolonial experience. Guided by Geoffrey Leech’s Foregrounding Theory, the study adopts a qualitative descriptive-stylistic research design complemented by thematic content analysis across ten purposively selected poems, including Detainee, Homecoming, Politics, and From Cell Nine. Operationalizing graphological deviation through strict exclusion criteria—specifically excluding standard poetic enjambment—the empirical analysis identified 38 total instantiations across six distinct categories: unusual lowercase, unconventional punctuation, deviant lineation, atypical spacing, repetition, and elongation. The findings reveal that orthographic subversions form the dominant visual cluster, with unusual lowercase letters (31.6%) and unconventional punctuation (26.3%) collectively accounting for 57.9% of all observed departures. These features operate as deliberate mechanisms of resistance to normative orthographic standards while reinforcing themes of humility, marginalization, and decolonized identity. Deviant lineation (21.1%)—characterized by mid-syntagm breaking and dislocated spatial arrangement—functions as visual prosody that reflects emotional and cultural dislocation experienced by postcolonial subjects. Less frequent deviations, including atypical spacing (10.5%), repetition (7.9%), and elongation (2.6%), selectively enrich visual rhythm, auditory intensity, and expressive emphasis. The study demonstrates that graphological deviation extends beyond visual ornamentation, operating as a meaningful stylistic tool for postcolonial identity performance. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate pedagogical relevance to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) by offering educators a practical framework for integrating visual close reading and culturally responsive approaches into contemporary Filipino literature instruction.
Keywords: graphological deviation, foregrounding theory, Merlinda Bobis, stylistics, postcolonial identity, visual prosody, linguistic resistance
Author Information: Agusan del Sur State University, Agusan del Sur, Philippines; fgabin24@gmail.com
Volume 2, Issue 3, September 2026