Compare and Contrast

Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez

Stupid is Forever by Miriam Defensor Santiago

The short story “Dead Stars” is about a lawyer named Alfred Salazar who believes in true love
that is ever-changing. He falls in love with Esperanza which he considers his first love and
whom he courted for 3 years for them to officially get engaged. He soon meets Julia Salas, who
he falls in love with when he goes to meet her with Judge Del Valle, a friend of Alfred’s father.
He was so in love with her that he hid his engagement with Esperanza from her. When he found
out about Julia’s plan to go back to her native hometown, Alfred was afraid to lose her so he
decided to confront her about his feelings for her. After the church function, Alfred approached
Julia to confess his feelings for her but that’s when he learned that Julia already knew about their
engagement. She wished him a happy marriage and went away. On his way home, Esperanza
also reveals that she knew about Alfred’s feelings about Julia and urged him to cancel the
engagement. Yet the marriage went through and Alfred surrendered to reason. After 8 years,
Alfred was sent to Julia’s native hometown due to some work duties he head. On his arrival, he
could not contain himself and soon found reasons in order to look for Julia. He then finds Julia
who is still single and dreams of a different life if he was with her but he then sees that Julia has
changed. He could not figure out what exactly changed from her. He compared his ever-
changing lust to lights emitting from a dead star, long extinguished, yet seemingly still in their
appointed places in the heavens.
While “Stupid is Forever” is about Miriam Defensor’s one line jokes, comebacks and pick-up
lines that she used in her speeches about the pork-barrel scam, about Jojo Binay and about the
state governance in the Philippines.

The genre of Dead Stars is that it is a short story about love while Stupid is Forever is a humour
speech.

The setting of Dead Stars takes place in several different places such as Don Julian’s House also
his house in Tanda, Judge Del Valle’s House, Our Lady in Sorrow Church, Calle Realm, Calle
Luz, and Sta. Cruz. It also take place in time period of the Holy Week. The short story features a
cast of characters such as Alfredo Salazar, Don Julian, Esperanza, Julia Salsa, Judge Del Valle,
Carmen, Donna Adella, Calixta, Dionisio, Vicente, and Brigada Samuy. The plot of the short
story starts with the exposition where Alfredo remembers his first meeting with Julia Salas. The
Rising Action takes place when he went with his father to Judge Del Salle’s house to meet Julia
Salsa. It was here that Alfredo fell in love with Julia Salsa despite being engaged to Esperanza

Jeyrameel P. Pandiyan
11-Pascal
which became the plot’s conflict. The climax of the story was when Alfredo approached Julia at
the end of procession of The Lady of Sorrows. Alfredo attempted to confess his feelings to
prevent Julia from moving away but then Julia told Alfredo that she was aware of his
engagement with Esperanza and congratulated them. He was forced to choose between his
betrothed or his new found love. The falling action happens when Julia bids Alfredo farewell in
order for Alfredo to fulfil his engagement with Esperanza. Alfredo proceeds to back down and
returns to Esperanza. The conclusion to this story is that Alfredo and Esperanza got married and
had a family. After 8 years, he got the opportunity to visit Julia’s native hometown. He then
meets with Julia who still single and seemed to be lacking something that made her who she was.
It was here that Alfredo realized that his love was akin to seeing the light of a dead star. The
theme in this short story is unrequited love. Alfredo who desired a life with Julia had been only
seeing it in one way. He did not consider what Julia’s stand was on this. His unrequited love is
like seeing the light of dead stars.
Stupid is Forever is an interesting piece of literature since it doesn’t conform in any way to the
different genres or types of literature. It is simply a collection of lines used by Miriam Defensor
Santiago to refer/describe the actions of corrupt politicians. As it is a unique piece of literature, it
is difficult to dissect the elements it used aside from the constant irony she presents when
referring to the thoughts, ideas and actions of politicians. She also used pick-up lines which are
used in a way to gather the attention of people in a creative way. The book displays the
corruption used by or created by crooked politicians who only wish to make their pockets full in
a humorous way that make it seems nonchalant.

The structure of the literary work “Dead Stars”, is in a form of a narrative short story which is
told in a 3rd person perspective where we the readers, are mere observers of the unfolding story
while the structure of the literary work “Stupid is Forever”, is structured in a unique way in
which it highlights the punchlines, pick-up lines more which Miriam Defensor Santiago used in
her speeches. It consists merely of these types of line and no sort of story nor can dialogue be
found.

Jeyrameel P. Pandiyan
11-Pascal