A Reflection on the Ritual

Ritual by Cirilio F. Bautista

STORY BY: CIRILO F. BAUTISTA PRESENTED BY: VIA RODEROS, LANCE

Take note of
Use of Flashbacks to reveal something about the

character
Light and Dark Imagery Ironies/Contradictions in the Story that would lead

to the central idea/ theme

Characters
Unnamed Narrator

- From the city and used to be poor

- Worked as a language and literature teacher in the

mountains where He met his friend Dayleg

- Had a wife named Luisa - Had brother named Roy

Characters
(Narrator) Can be assumed that he is engulfed in fear

because of his statement:

These two years I had tried to find peace, to re-order my life toward a more meaningful goal, but things eluded me. An indefinite fear was gnawing my mind.

Characters
Dayleg - From the mountains - Hunted (with the unnamed narrator) a sacred boar in the

sacred grove, not heeding the rules of his community

- Studied pedagogy and philosophy in the city and hopes

to breakaway from his the norms of his community

- Wanted to bring new knowledge/ civilization to his

community

Characters
Dayleg is blinded because: He acted rashly, even though he probably knew that

desecrating a holy symbol would probably serve no good purpose

Does not stop to consider the feelings of his tribe

Light Imagery

- the moment he was embraced by the light, the

single light that dangled from a single cord from the ceiling, I saw that the years...

Light Imagery

- the bright death masks of ancient mummery

the big, pot-bellied moon which on other nights I

might have found romantic but which now enwrapped me with a feeling of dread.
caught in the glare of the bright firelight, was a lone

man dancing

Light Imagery
the sun in its apex lighting the chunks of boars

flesh in harsh legs of luminance. . .

mouthing his antique incantation while the sun rose

higher and higher to surround his head with a crown of fierce light.

Dark Imagery
The world was a blanket of darkness. in the guise of images not brilliant in their

brokenness, which you can easily push into that cave of darkness called the Mind.
its two tusks were ivory in the fading light. . .

Emphasis on: Irony/Contradiction

Light Life New Knowledge/ Civilization Dayleg City Dark Death Rituals and Traditions

Narrator
Mountain

Irony
Dayleg

- wants to break away from his the norms of his

community
- Wants to enlighten his people
- In the end he returned to the old practices and

culture of his tribe community

Irony
The unnamed narrator

- He ran away because of his fears/inadequecies

- Although he was a stranger, he felt deeply affected by

what he did during his stay

- He was influenced by the character of Dayleg and he

returned to where he came from.

Irony

Character of Dayleg / City

Central Idea/ Theme

Character of the narrator / Village

Light Imagery

Dark Imagery

Dayleg is tribesman but wanted civilization for his people

In the end he went back to the practices of his tribe

Mans belief, practices and whole being reflects his roots. No matter where he goes, in the end he returns to where he came from

The narrator is afraid of going back to the city because of his doubts and fears

Light is associated with horror, Dark is associated with something bright

In the end he faced his fears and decided to go back to the city

Theme/ Central Idea

Reconciling the past/present, tradition/progress

Comparing/Contrasting
Dayleg

-Wants to bring about change or progress -Trying to improve his tribes future

Narrator -Does not want to move out of tradition -Haunted by his past

Both -Return to their roots -Are blinded by their beliefs/do not want to see things from other perspectives

Evidence
Narrator

-Luisa thinks he see things colored by his imagination -In the beginning of the story, it is also mentioned that he thinks he has been ensconced in his own world for too long
Dayleg -Inconsiderate of his tribes beliefs -Indifferent to women, prefers canned food

Ideas to highlight

the sun in its apex lighting the chunks of boars flesh in harsh legs of luminance, moving because the universe must complete its course.
The cat would eat fish but will not wet her feet.

Ritual: the Comfort Zone

Story meditates on the age-old problem of

reconciling the past and present, or combining tradition and progress

Both characters have beliefs that conflict with their

situations, both refuse to acknowledge their unjust attachment to their ideas