Dead Stars

By: Paz Marquez Benitez

Jessica E. Manantan

BSA4-AgExed
 The short story entitled Dead stars for me is a reminder that love is not based on

feelings. You can’t call it love if you fall into it suddenly, and expecting happiness to it. It

is infatuation. Infatuation is powerful, but short-lived. It can bring someone into thinking

that it is exactly what love is until one realize that it’s just an idea of love.

The story revolves around the love affair of Alfredo, Julia and Esperanza. Alfredo who’s

engaged to Esperanza for almost four years. Alfredo love Esperanza but his feelings

changed when Alfredo met Julia who’s the sister-in-law of the judge and fell in to her. She

became Alfredo’s dream, his sparkling star. Alfredo wished to be with Julia but he can’t

because he was engaged to the other girl and he is afraid of what will people say. He was

trap in his own complications in choosing what he needs to do and what he wants to have.

But he end up choosing Esperanza. After many years, he’s still wished to be with her until

they met again and he found himself merely infatuated with Julia when he deliberately

made a decision by choosing Esperanza. He regret that it has taken him far too long, many

years wasted to realized his feelings to Julia was just like a dead star. A star that sparks so

bright like Julia whom he love, but only to found out that there’s no longer sparks in the

star, the star didn’t exist anymore. If he realize his true feelings earlier, he can be truly

happy all those years with Esperanza.

This story is really interesting. Compare to the other story I read that has the same plot.

It doesn’t only focus on the idea of love, but also, being careful in everything you’ll enter

(Relationship, etc) and it shows how one conquers himself by understanding his true

feelings. In real life, this situation happens too. We also regret something. But remember,
mistakes are not that bad. Why? Because we learn from it and we’ll know what we’re

gonna do next time. (Salazar, 2015)

For me the short story is entitled Dead Stars because when stars die, the glow of it

diminishes then eventually vanishes like the feelings of Alfredo when he touches the hand

of Julia in Calle Luz which is the home town of Julia they see each other after 8 years

because Alfredo searching for a Lady name Brigada Samuy or Tandang Binday, he realizes

that the feelings that he had to her were gone. Everything happens for a reason like the

situation of forbidden love of Alfredo for Julia. The story shows not only a love but also

a struggles against the fate and the circumstances of life facing the main character which

is Alredo Salazar. Choosing something wanted to do and something you had to do. Alfredo

was uncertain and confused buy his decisions. He don’t know what is the correct between

doing what is right which is he need to marry Esperanza because she is his fiancé or, what

is in his heart which he want Julia Salas in his life even it’s not right. Alfredo struggles

against to the society because he is afraid to the reaction of the people around him about

his feeling to Julia even he is engaged to Esperanza, Alfredo also thinks of the people says

about his love to Esperanza and there was Alfredo who was fooling himself into thinking

that he was in love with a person. For me Alfredo is failed to find his satisfaction or

happiness in his relationship with Esperanza in almost a 4 years relationship. But there’s a

scenario that Julia discover about the wedding of Alfredo to Esperanza, Julia Salas

congratulated Alfedo knowing he is engaged. There’s a conversation between Alfredo And

Julia in Calle Real talking about the wedding in may which is the month of happiness Julia
said even she’s sad to the information she know that Alfedo will be marrying Esperanza in

May. Julia Salas choose the right thing to do, she adjust her shelf knowing that being

together with Alfredo is a sin. Sometimes people come into our life with a purpose,

teaching us for lessons by choosing the right thing to do, help you figure out whom you are

or who you want to become. People come in our life make us better person. Love is not

just in short period of time but forever. You don’t love by its figure love the person who

really she is. Entering a relationship is a serious thing we need to being careful in

everything. The story happens in real life. We do mistakes but in the end we regret the

thing we did and we learn from the mistakes we make and we know in ourselves how to

control. I really like the story because it’s realistic and I relate in whole story. The story

gave me a lesson in doing rights things.

 REFERENCE:

https://hanahsalazar.wordpress.com/2015/08/16/reflection-to-dead-stars/

SALAZAR, HR. 2015. Reflection to Dead Stars

God Sees the Truth but
Waits
By: Leo Tolstoy

Jessica E. Manantan

BSA4-AgExed
 I personally believe in Christianity, I believe in God, that’s why I really like the

part that the wife of Dimitrich was given a dream or a sign about what’s going to happen.

It was like God was giving them a warning about something bad and I personally relate to

this because it has happened to me too. The feeling that your creator is warning you because

He cares about you makes me feel loved and overwhelmed knowing that there’s someone

looking out for you. But of course most of the time we don’t listen to the signs that’s given

to us. We resist – we think sometimes that it’s just ridiculous, sometimes we think it’s just

nothing, but most of the time we just like to go our own way.

Waiting will never be easy especially if you don’t know what you’re waiting for.

This story, for me, is a proof that if you trust God, things will go into place. Things will be

out of your control but God will take over. It also showed that if you don’t listen to the

signs God has given you, you’ll definitely face the consequences. It may took a long time

for justice to be served for Ivan Dmitrich, but since he trusted God when it happened in the

last days of his life, it happened swiftly – the bad thing is he wasn’t alive anymore when it

was time for him to be released.

The story may or may not true but it gave a lot of lessons for us readers. We may

never know the real reason why Ivan was already taken by God and hasn’t had the chance

to enjoy his freedom in this world- but we never really know what God’s true purpose are

when He gives us trials, sometimes it may appear to us to be unfair but most of the time

when we break through those trials we always come out better and stronger than we were

before. Trusting God doesn’t mean you’ll be exempted from the problems of the world, it
means that through those problems and trials God will be with you and you’ll never be

alone. ( Introvert Pilot, 2017)

For me the title of the story God Sees the Truth but Waits by Leo Tolstoy is suitable

for the story we need to understand and analyze the story properly first and read the story

well before we realize why the title is “God Sees the Truth but Waits. The title is God Sees

the Truth but Waits because in the story only God knows the true story behind that

Aksionov is innocent but He still let Aksionov be imprisoned for twenty-six years before

giving him freedom even Aksionov is innocent. The story is interesting that the readers

must need to finish the story to know what are the real message behind the story. The story

also shows that no matter how bad a person may it can change and still make a new or

better life, the story shows us many lessons and always believed in God. It focuses on how

Aksionov will deal with his enemy which is Makar in to the jail that even they are enemy,

he still protect. Makar to not get a punishment in to the jail because Makar dug a hole to

scape in the jail. Aksionov save Makar by saying lies to save Makar in to the authorities,

Makar confess to Aksionov that he is the murderer, the real one who killed the merchant.

In the story God used Makar to test the faith of Aksionov in Him even Aksionov struggles

in the jail and loosing his family but then Aksionov proved his faith in God until his last

breath. Aksionov have still good traits for the people around him, he is strong that he can

control his emotions even he is down. Aksionov prayed a lot because he is in down

situation, Aksionov keep on praying, pleaded to God. I love this story so much. The story
have a lessons that leave in the heart and mind of the readers. Don’t forget God because he

is the reason why we live. I like the characters because they have good traits on what they

will do on the situation in the story. It gives moral lessons to us, for our lives. Not when

we is in down situation we blame God. I’m related to this story and I gathered lessons in

the story that makes me want to be a better person even I struggles in life the faith I have

in God is still there. In real life there’s a time that we feel so down in what happens to us

but always remember that God let us face the situations that we will become a better person.

Because we know that God is the powerful that lives in our own heart, guiding us on our

path.
 REFERENCE:

https://introvertpilot.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/god-sees-the-truth-but-waits-reflection/

INTROVERTPILOT. 2017. God Sees the Truth but Waits (Reflection)

 Bread of Salt
By: Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzales

Jessica E. Manantan

BSA4-AgExed
 Bread of Salt, as if often noted, is Gonzalez's loving homage to Joyce's Araby. Both

short stories feature young adolescents infatuated with a girl who is oblivious to them.

Moreover, this puppy love ends in a searing instance of humiliation and realization; made

all the more painful by the fact that even in that instant of pain, the girl is ignorant of their

feelings. Bread of Salt casts this theme though in distinctly Filipino terms.

A running image throughout the story is how the narrator, is similar in many ways to pan

de sal, the bread of salt. The similarity is physical: the bread is described as

diminutive,nut-brown and the size of my little fist, just as the narrator is still basically

only a boy. Note how the image of the narrator is quite similar to that of bread baking, I

could feel my body glow in the sun as though it had been instantly cast in bronze.

The similarity is also metaphorical: just as bread needs to bake in the fire to rise and be

ready, so too must the narrator undergo trials before he can be called a man. Indeed, a

crucial acknowledgement at the end of the story (after he has embarrassed himself before

Aida) is that the narrator admits that he is not yet baked, It was not quite five, and the

bread was not yet ready.

This acknowledgement though only comes at the end. For most of the story the narrator is

insistent on his maturity, that he has grown up enough for love. Thus his disdain for his

aunt, She was the sort you could depend on to say such vulgar things. Thus also his

constant need to excel, Quickly I raced through Alard. There is too his quiet pride in

being accepted into a big-boys club, the band, Pete pressed my arm. He had for some

time now been asking me to join the Minviluz Orchestra, his private band... My head
began to whirl. Taken together these acts have the quaint tone of a young lad insisting to

all around him that he is no longer a boy.

The object of all this effort is of course a girl, Aida. She is lovely and fair, the narrator's

vision of perfection, Their [other girls'] eyes glowed with envy, it seemed to me, for those

fair cheeks and the bobbed dark-brown hair which lineage had denied them Befitting

an adolescent fantasy, the narrator imagines that he and she share a secret language, a

codice of signs only apparent to them, She would perhaps never write me back. Neither

by post nor by hand would a reply reach me. But no matter; it would be a silence full of

voices.

But young fantasy ultimately collides with the reality that the affection is not mutual.

While Aida seems like a nice enough girl she doesn't see the narrator in a romantic light.

This epiphany hits the narrator when he is at his most vulnerable, when he is without

pretensions and is hungrily wolfing down the remains of the food from the party, The

sight of so much silver and china confused me. There was more food before us than I had

ever imagined... [I] also wrapped up a quantity of those egg-yolk things in several sheets

of napkin paper. None of my companions had thought of doing the same, and it was with

some pride that I slipped the packet under my shirt.

The humiliation of Aida seeing him pocketing food (really a slight affront in the greater

scheme of things) triggers an epiphany in the narrator; all affection for Aida is expunged

from him, I could not quite believe that she had seen me, and yet I was sure that she

knew what I had done, and I felt all ardor for her gone from me entirely.
What triggers this epiphany is that Aida saw him in an unguarded moment, she saw him

as he was and not as how he wished to appear. This clash between the affectation of

polished maturity and the reality of boyish exuberance is a theme developed throughout

the story and it climaxes in the narrator's loss of fire for Aida.

He, the narrator, has grown up though, if ever so slightly. With money he has earned

from his own toil, he insists on buying for himself some pandesal.

Bread of Salt is a classroom favorite of English teachers in the Philippines. What I enjoy

about it is the narrator's guileless tone; his infatuation runs pure and true. Gonzalez was

able to capture perfectly the inner thoughts of a childhood crush, where every word

unsaid and glance unheeded leads to a multiplicity of meanings in the mind of the

smitten.

This innocent fantasy is captured in some great lines, particularly: She would perhaps

never write me back. Neither by post nor by hand would a reply reach me. But no matter;

it would be a silence full of voices. (Conejos, 2012)

For me the story titled Bread of Salt because of the teenage boy who is not still

ready for the love he wanted. The story is all about a teenage boy who buys pan de sal or

‘bread of salt’ because of reason he wanted to see the house of the old Spaniards niece

named Aida, whom the he liked. Aida is schoolmate of the teenage boy, he would follow

her everyday in their school and at the same time also think about how he would confess

his feelings to Aida during their classes. In the middle of the story the boy joins Pete Saez’s
private band, Minviluz Orchestra because it was his dream to be violinist in the band, even

his grandmother did not want him to pursue his dream and the other reason is he wanted to

save some money to buy the thing he wanted to give to Aida. In the story one night, when

the band was performing, the boy took too much food because of hunger that is

embarrassing to Aida. After that scenario, he walked out in shame. After what he did that

Aida saw he was thinking that because of what he had done, there is no chance for Aida to

like him back. Then Pete led tell him to home and then they passed baker’s on the way.

They ordered pan de sal or “Bread of Salt”, but the bread was still not ready. The pan de

sal that is still not ready for me symbolize the boy that he is not ready to face the life

because he still young, and we know that everything needs a process, he still young that

can’t understand the challenges in life. In the story the boy is not ready to be together with

Aida, the boy still young and there’s a lot more plans of God for him.
 REFERENCE:

http://www.litreact.com/reactions/bread-of-salt_gonzalez_conejos.html

CONEJOS, A. 2012. The Bread of Salt by N.V.M. Gonzales

Three Kisses
By: Ma. Elena Paulma

Jessica E. Manantan

BSA4-AgExed
 The Three Kisses is an honest and heartening love story unusually written in

today’s generation. While most stories nowadays are about young love, Elena Paulma

crafted this short story about old people who chose to marry for practical reasons.

The flow of the story was good although the order of the events might be a little confusing

for some since there were flashbacks and all. Nevertheless, it was able to deliver the desired

message.

The author’s writing style, as I judge it, is descriptive writing. She did not fail to paint a

picture for the readers. This can be seen at the very start of the short story when she

narrated, “Facing the bed was the window. Outside, the flower shrubs that lined the path

toward the entrance of the apartment building would be covered with December snow by

now…The half-light of the early morning filtered through the coral blue curtains…” She

used sensory details to pull the readers into the story. The author’s writing style is quite

beneficial in improving the piece since it adds drama to the story and heightened the mood,

making the readers bypass the somewhat negligible inactivity of the story.

The ending was brilliantly written. It connected the title to the story. The ‘three kisses’ is

the Belgian fashion of cheek-kissing. While in the bathroom, Ruben gave Nina three kisses

to tell her that he loves, respects and cares for her. Perhaps the three kisses were enough to

drown out Nina’s insecurity and shame about her body. The act of unraveling Nina’s robe

signifies their soul being unraveled and opened for each other. No more reservations, no
more turning back. As their lips touched, two different cultures were integrated and attuned

because of love.

Overall, the aspects of this story seem to harmonize, resulting to an award-winning

masterpiece. The theme, plot, characterization and writing style are superb. Although some

may argue that the story is unrelatable because the characters are old, I think that the story

is not that far off. We, in some ways, can relate to it because it is happening in our society

and people in this generation tend to be hasty and reckless about major decisions like

marriage. So Elena Paulma’s Three Kisses is perfect even for young people because it

serves as a warning of what may happen, although the story ended on a positive note.

(Catubay, 2017)

Three Kisses by: Ma. Elena Paulma for me, show what is the real happening in our

society nowadays. Marrying foreigners is not the key to escape poverty. Marriage is the

legally or formally recognized union of two people as a partner in a personal relationship,

marriage is not a simple thing for me marry the person you love that you want in your life

not because of the money they have. The story leave a message about the problems in

marriage, the characters adjust their personalities for both of them because they have a

different country which make them have a different cultures. For me the story is

educational story that teach us about life, the main characters choose to marry each other

to not be alone in getting older. But the story shows how the true love is. True love exist

even without the money, even there’s a imperfections in the personalities of each other if

you love the person, you still love her for who she really are. The story use’s many
symbolisms on how the characters show their loves to each other. It also shows how

marriage works facing the struggles together make the relationship stronger. And the

meaning of the title of the story for me is the respect of Ruben to Nina. The story shows

how Ruben love Nina despite of her imperfections, the symbolism warm in the end of the

story is the love of Ruben into Nina. The Story is sweet and a warm that makes readers feel

excited to finish the story it also realistic story and at the same time for the message to the

Filipinos that not all have a happy ending like in the story of Ruben and Nina.
 REFERENCE:

https://lestweforgetblogs.wordpress.com/2017/10/20/lit-analysis-ma-elena-paulmas-

three-kisses/

CATUBAY, FM. 2017. Lit Analysis: Ma. Elena Paulma’s “Three Kisses”