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21 CENTURY LITERATURE FROM

THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD
2ND SEMESTER, AY 2022-2023
MS.MARIA JESSA TENERO
LESSON OBJECTIVES
To identify the literary elements in the short
story Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez

To describe the motives of the main characters

in the short story

To create a character representation of the

main characters using social media platform
DEAD STARS
First modern short
story written in
English by a Filipino.

Published in The
Philippine Herald in
1925.
PAZ MARQUEZ-BENITEZ

March 3, 1894- November 10, 1983

Filipina writer and educator Paz Marquez-Benitez

was born in Lucena, Tayabas.

Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Philippines

(1912)
Professor at the UP English Department from 1916 to
1951.
 PAZ MARQUEZ-BENITEZ
-among the first generation of Filipinos trained in the American education
system which used English as the medium of instruction.

-founded "Woman's Home Journal" in 1919– the first women's magazine in

the country.

-compiled "Filipino Love Stories," in 1928– the first anthology of Philippine

stories in English by Filipinos, from the works of her students.

She and her husband founded the Philippine Educational Magazine in 1918.
Dead Stars
An allegory
criticizing the effects of
Paz marquez-benitez American imperialism
on the Philippines, and
how it comes at the cost
of Filipino heritage.
HAVE YOU READ
DEAD STARS?
 GUESS THE character
The note carrier of
Calixta
Esperanza and Alfredo
Salazar
 GUESS THE YEAR
In which year was DEAD
1925
STARS written
 GUESS THE SETTING
H ouse The place where Alfredo
of Judge first met Julia.

Del Valle
 GUESS THE WORD
A word in Spanish that
Esperanza means HOPE.
Elements of Short Story
Characters
Setting
Plot Can you describe or define
Conflict each element?
Point of View
Theme
Elements of Short Story Talk about each character:

Characters Esperanza
Setting Alfredo Salazar
Julia Salas
Plot Judge Del Valle
Don Julian
Conflict Calixta
Point of View Carmen
Dona Adela
Theme Dionicio
Vicente
Elements of Short Story Talk about each setting:

Characters
House of Don Julian
Setting/s
House of Judge Del Valle
Plot Calle Real
Our Lady of Sorrow Church
Conflict Calle Luz, Sta. Cruz

Point of View
Theme
Elements of Short Story
Talk about the story flow:
Characters
Setting/s
Plot
Conflict
Point of View
Theme
 EXPOSITION
Carmen: Papa, when will the long table be set?
Don Julian: I don’t know yet. Alfredo is not very specific, but I
understand Esperanza wants it to be next month.
Carmen: Why is he not a bit more decided, I wonder. He is over thirty,
is he not? And still a bachelor! Esperanza must be tired waiting.
Don Julian: She does not seem to be in much of a hurry either.
Carmen: How can a woman be in a hurry when the man does not
hurry her?
 RISING ACTION
Alfredo: I apologize for calling you Ms. Del Valle. I thought that you were
the judge’s sister.
Julia: That is nothing, Each time I was about to correct you, but I
remembered a similar experience I had once before. A man named
Manalang–I kept calling him Manalo. After the tenth time or so, the
young man rose from his seat and said suddenly, ‘Pardon me, but my
name is Manalang, Manalang.’ You know, I never forgave him!”
Alfredo: (laughed)
Julia: “The best thing to do under the circumstances, I have found out,”
she pursued, “is to pretend not to hear, and to let the other person find
out his mistake without help.”
RISING ACTION
Alfredo: Up here I find–something–
Julia: Amusement?
Alfredo: No; youth–its spirit–
Julia: Are you so old?
Alfredo: And heart’s desire. Down there, the road is too broad, too trodden by feet, too
barren of mystery.
Julia: Mystery-that is so brief.
Alfredo: Not in some. Not in you.
Julia: You have known me a few weeks; so the mystery.
Alfredo: I could study you all my life and still not find it.
Julia: So long?
Alfredo: “I should like to.
 RISING ACTION
Alfredo: I should like to see your hometown.
Julia: There is nothing to see–little crooked streets, bunut roofs with ferns growing on them, and
sometimes squashes.”
Alfredo: Nothing? There is you.
Julia: Oh, me? But I am here.
Alfredo: I will not go, of course, until you are there.
Julia: Will you come? You will find it dull. There isn’t even one American there! Well–Americans are
rather essential to my entertainment (laughed).
Julia: We live on Calle Luz, a little street with trees.
Alfredo: Could I find that?
Julia: If you don’t ask for Miss del Valle,”
Alfredo: I’ll inquire about–”
Julia: What?”
Alfredo: The house of the prettiest girl in the town.
 Climax
Julia: Mr. Salazar,”----- “I wish to congratulate you.”
Alfredo; “For what?”
Julia: For your approaching wedding. “I should have offered congratulations long before, but you know mere visitors
are slow about getting the news,”
Alfredo: “Are weddings interesting to you?”
Julia: “When they are of friends, yes.”
Alfredo: “Would you come if I asked you?”
Julia: When is it going to be?”
Alfredo: May,”
Julia: “May is the month of happiness they say,”
Alfredo: They say,” — “Would you come?”
Julia: “Why not? If you will ask me,
Alfredo: “Then I ask you.”
Julia: Then I will be there.”
Alfredo: “Julita, did you ever have to choose between something you wanted to do and something you
had to do?”
 Conversation of Alfredo & esperanza
Alfredo: Well, what of it?
Esperanza: “She is not married to him,” Besides, she should have thought of us. Nanay practically
brought her up. We never thought she would turn out bad.
Alfredo: What had Calixta done? Homely, middle-aged Calixta? You are very positive about her
badness.
Esperanza: “But do you approve?”
Alfredo: Of what?
Esperanza: What she did.
Alfredo: No,
Esperanza: Well?
Alfredo: All I say is that it is not necessarily wicked.”
Esperanza: Why shouldn’t it be? You talked like an–immoral man. I did not know that your ideas were
like that.
Alfredo: My ideas?
Esperanza: “She has injured us. She was ungrateful.”
Alfredo: “The trouble with you, Esperanza, is that you are–”
Esperanza: “Why do you get angry? I do not understand you at all! I think I know why you
have been indifferent to me lately. I am not blind, or deaf; I see and hear what perhaps
some are trying to keep from me. Why don’t you speak out frankly before it is too late? You need not
think of me and of what people will say.
Alfredo: Yes
Esperanza: “What do you mean?” Whatever my shortcomings, and no doubt they are many in your
eyes, I have never gone out of my way, of my place, to find a man.”
Alfredo: Esperanza–
Esperanza: If you mean you want to take back your word, if you are tired of–why don’t you tell me you
are tired of me?
Falling action
Alfredo married Esperanza, he was not unhappy in his marriage.
DENOUEMENT
Gently–was it experimentally? –he pressed her hand at
parting; but his own felt undisturbed and emotionless. Did
she still care? The answer to the question hardly interested
him.

The young moon had set, and from the uninviting cot he
could see one half of a star-studded sky.
So that was all over.
HOW DID THE STORY END?

If you are a co-author of this story,

how would you like it to end?
ARRANGE THE EVENTS IN ORDER
A. He had gone neighboring with Don Julian to Judge Del Valle’s house. He met Julia Salas. All
the time he was calling her Mrs. Del Valle which led him to embarrassment. Coming to the
judge’s house became often.Then he realized he was in love with Julia in spite his
engagement with Esperanza.
B. After the procession for The Lady of Sorrows, Alfredo caught up with Julia. It was when Julia
found out about Alfredo’s wedding so he congratulated him. Alfredo needs to make a very
difficult decision.
C. Alfredo and Esperanza got married. After eight years, he was searching for a lady named
Brigida Samuy-a lady important for his defense in the court-in Sta. Cruz, Julia’s hometown. He
went to Julia’s house and he found her there. Still unmarried. And he realized that his love for
Julia was like a Dead Star. It was nonexistent.
D. Julia didn’t want Alfredo not to honor his understanding with Esperanza. She said goodbye. He
went home to Esperanza. And there, the last word has been said.
E. At Don Julian’s house Carmen was asking Don Julian about Alfredo and Esperanza. Alfredo
reminisces how he met Julia Salas.
Elements of Short Story
Characters
Setting/s
Plot Talk about the conflict in the
Conflict story.

Point of View
Theme
Elements of Short Story
Characters
Setting/s
Plot What point of view/narration is
Conflict used?

Point of View Cite evidence from the story.

Theme
Elements of Short Story
Characters
Setting/s
Plot What word/s serve as the theme
Conflict of this story?

Point of View Reflect on the theme.

Theme
DEAD STARS
If you had the
chance of choosing
between what you
want and what is
right –what will you
choose? Why?
 Focus on characters
With your group, create a facebook account for the ff.
Characters: Esperanza, Alfredo, and Julia.

Show how these characters’ Facebook profile and posts

would look like if they lived in the 21st century. Your
focus is to create either a direct or indirect
characterization for these characters.

Imagine that their situation (Esperanza, Julia, & Alfredo)

is happening at present. Have at least 3 days of postings.
The facebook account will be shown in class.
CHARACTERS
CHARACTERIZATION
 CHARACTERIZATION
• the way an author introduces, describes
or develops the character/s

DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

“Bill was short and fat, and his bald spot was
widening with every passing year.”

“'Jane is a cruel person.”

 INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

-it shows rather than tells what the

character is

There are five main methods of indirect

characterization: speech, thoughts,
effect, action, and looks.
 INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
SPEECH

“My life is a perfect graveyard

of buried hopes,” she said.
 INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
THOUGHTS

He hadn’t ceased looking at Daisy, and I

think he revalued everything in his house
according to the measure of response it
drew from her well-loved eyes.
 INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
EFFECT

The instant her voice broke off ceasing to compel my

attention, my belief, I felt the basic insincerity of what she
had said. It made me uneasy, as though the whole
evening had been a trick of some sort to exact a
contributory emotion from me.
 INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
ACTION

“He walked around the block and people skirted his path,
for he was in the habit of staring or kicking a cat or dog
that passes by.”
 INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
LOOKS

Two shining arrogant eyes had established

dominance over his face and gave him the
appearance of always leaning aggressively
forward.