Maria Monica Ana A.

Mendoza
BSEd- Eng 3

Short story: The Old Woman of the Candles by Kevin Piamonte

The short story titled, The Old Woman of the Candles by Kevin Piamonte, promotes Christian
tradition during the crucifixion and death of Christ that is usually held in April called “Holy
week”. The story started on Holy Thursday in Ibajay, Aklan where the big wooden house resides
and where everyone was getting ready to set out the Santo Entierro that was owned by Lola
Conching. Burt Macaraig is not practicing catholic tradition but Doray, his best friend, invited
him to spend his holy week in their province to help in the activities for the holy week. Later on,
Burt learned that the Santo Entierro protected Lola Conching’s house against “aswangs” on the
night of Jesus’ death. That night, Burt dreamed that the Santo Entierro was stolen. He rushed the
news to Lola Conching and hurriedly made their way into the church only to witness a miracle
on Easter Sunday.
This short story is well-written and engaging. Through the course of reading it, I’m starting to
get curious to the following events that are going to happen. The story’s start is good because it
laid out the mood of the story. From how they describe the settings, the details of the
surroundings and the first two words of the story already told what may happen. As I get to the
pre-middle part, I start to think that this story is somehow in the genre of horror because of Lola
Conching's story and her history with the war and the aswang that comes out on the night of
Good Friday, and as we get to the middle and the end of the story it showed it was not much of a
horror story but it was only thriller/religious. Thriller because of the suspense the stories of the
aswang made in the story and also because of the Santo mysteriouly disappearing and coming
back again. The story was religious because it tested the fate of the characters and the readers as
the story goes because the protagoinist questions the whole celebration and the only answers he
gets from the people are mythical and does not actually prove that it is true.
In conclusion the story was great, relatable and interesting because it was our culture that the
author laid out the story really well. Filipinos take their festivals, traditions and celebrations
seriously and that we should respect that. Moreover, Filipinos are loyal devotees to saints or any
religious figures. They feel at ease when they have something to believe. Devotion and the past
intertwine with one another. Lola Conching in the story was one of the victims of abuse during
the Japanese regime. For her, prayer is her only salvation from her past which she fears so much.
The readers of this story would give them an information about the culture and tradition of
religious activities in the Philippines. I believe this could help people to be considerate of the
times and respectful to people’s faith.

Poem: Medusa by Benilad Santos

The word Medusa means guardian and/or protector. In Greek Mythology, Medusa was once a
beautiful beauty who was the envy of all women and the most coveted by men. He had an affair
with Poseidon, the king of the sea, who was Athena's husband. Athena caught them so she
punished Medusa by changing the shape of her head. Athena turned all of Medusa's hair into
snakes and gave her a face that looked like stone.
In the poem written by Benilda S. Santos the power is Medusa and the speaker or persona of the
poem. In the beginning, Medusa seems to be being watched and exploited by the man described
as wearing pants and with hot breath. Medusa was looked at until she was broken and lost her
personality. Then Medusa took revenge and gained power over this man. The poem ends with
the lines, "Are you amazed at the flame of my revenge? Oh! You are my king and teacher,
Man!”
The theme of power can be seen in this work. First, if we look at the history of why Medusa
became a gorgon, we can see that power – Athena's power over Medusa – exists. Second, at the
beginning of the poem, the man seems to be asserting power over Medusa. The man on the left
was able to take Medusa's hair, crush her heart and turn it to stone, and so on. Thirdly, Medusa
was also able to show her power over the man. He was able to dry, scratch and kill the man with
his gaze. The poem shows Medusa's desire to gain power over the man who 'hurt' her in the
beginning. Another theme that can be seen is revenge. I associate Medusa as a victim of political
abuse. Politics is all about power. From the past, Spaniards, Japanese, and other colonizers, raped
women and children and abused their power. Athena, as someone who is powerful than Medusa,
cursed her. Athena’s curse and Poseidon’s abuse made Medusa crazy, and lost and broken from
the inside. Revenge was her only solution to be free from depression.

Essay: The World in a Train by Francisco Icasiano

Francisco Icasiano was a Filipino author who also went by the more extended name of Francisco
"Mang Kiko" Bayan Icasiano. His essays were satirical or comedic in style and tried to reflect
the culture of the common Tao people in the Philippines. The essays seemed to look at the
culture in the Philippines and, whilst comedic in style, presented opinion on what life was like in
the Philippines. The world in a train is an essay that is a part of mang kiko’s book entitled
‘Horizons from my Nipa hut’.
The World in a Train was written by the author based from his travel experience and met
Filipino passengers of different personality. First, three husky individuals who dusted their seats
furiously with their handkerchiefs. Second, a harmless-looking middle-aged man in green camisa
de chino who must have entered asleep. He was asleep in a corner seat, with his feet comfortably
planted on the opposite seat, all the while his head danced and dangled with the motion of the
train. Third, a family of eight composed of a short but efficient father, four very young children,
a mother, grandmother, and another woman must have been the efficient father's sister. They
distributed themselves on four benches and spread out both bundles on one bench and log
luncheon was ready at ten o'clock.
The first group who dusted their seats showed a personality of some people who are concerned
with hygiene knowing that the previous passengers, who seated on those seats, were people same
as them. This highlights the kind of character who freaks out in a slightest bit of dirt. To this day,
people in this modern age are delicate with just a touch of dirt. They are so concerned with what
they look. The second passenger sleeps on a corner with his feet on top a chair opposite to his
direction. This shows how Filipinos are lazy and enjoys life without a care in the world. The
family of eight showed a characteristic of a Filipino who cares for his or her family and its’
surrounding, and hospitable. This essay is a reflection of humanity of which we are part.