21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

Group 4, St. Blaise

Application: Literary Devices

Read the story, "How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife" on
pages 43- 48 of your book. Identify the following literary devices
used in the story. Explain your answers. Your answers must have a
minimum of two sentences for each device.

A. Point of View (Lucky Manzano)

One of the main characters, Baldo, who is Leon's younger brother,
tells the story of "How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife"
from his perspective. He describes his sister-in-law Maria's
physical characteristics and how she came to blend in with their
family and their province in the first-person narrative. The
narrator also used first-person pronouns such as I, my, myself, and
we.

B. Persona (Nina Palcis & Michaella Vergara)

The person who is speaking through the voice of the narrator in this
short story is Baldo. The story revolves around the three leading
characters, Baldo, Leon, and Maria. And the story is about their
travel to Baldo's and Leon's hometown, Nagrebcan. Baldo's
feelings and thoughts are the only ones revealed throughout the
story, as he is the narrator. Manuel E. Arguilla wrote his story's
@reallygreatsite
persona as Baldo, the younger brother of Leon, who is married to
his wife, Maria. Baldo is the one instructed by their father to
challenge Maria, as she grew up as a city girl. Their father wanted
to see what kind of personality, manners, and attitude Maria has by
ordering Baldo to take the route of Waig instead of Camino Real.
Throughout their journey, Baldo was silent, and he only conveyed his
observations about Maria to the readers. When they arrive home,
Baldo talks to his father about Maria.
C. Tone (Brigitte Noval and Keisha Lopez)
As we read through the story, we identified two tones; serene and
casual. To begin with, we found it serene due to Arguilla's word
choice and writing style. For instance, when Baldo narrated what
Maria said and felt when she saw a certain star; "look, Noel, yonder
is our star!" Deep surprise and gladness were in her voice. Very low
in the west, almost touching the ragged edge of the bank, was the
star, the biggest and brightest in the sky.” Furthermore, this piece
also had a casual tone where the characters say a certain
dialogue in a relaxed, natural, or in an open manner. Baldo's inner
dialogue and his interactions with other characters indicate this;
“we came to the house of Lacay Julian and I spoke to Labang
loudly, but Moning did not come to the window, so I surmised she
must be eating with the rest of her family. And I thought of the food
being made ready at home and my mouth watered. We met the
twins, Urong and Celin, and I said "Hoy!" calling them by name.”

D. Mood (Angelica Samaniego and Uriel Pacheco)

The setting for Manuel E. Arguilla's short novella, How My Brother
Leon Brought Home a Wife, was Leon's hometown. The moment
when the sun is setting is when dusk is getting closer. There is no
mention of the weather being excellent or pleasant. And
disappointed and captivated best describe the narrative's
atmosphere. He was disappointed in the scenario where Labang's
@reallygreatsite
white coat was soaked and moist, and the pointed part seemed
like it was flattened by fire. Moreover, the narrator is captivated by
how alluring the sky was with its deep blue color and how the sun
was dipping into the beautiful sea.
E. Theme (Hazee Pecson)
The main themes of "How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife"
revolve around family and new experiences. Maria, Leon's wife, is
shown exploring Leon's home province and getting a taste of life as
it once was. The story highlights our differences because Leon was
raised in a country area while Maria was raised in a city. Maria
observed how others lived lives that were distinct from her own.
Through this, Maria gained new experiences that she had never had
before in a journey-like story that also showed the importance of
family. It is seen when Maria met Leon's family and saw the people
that are special in her husband's life. This short novella also left an
impression that we don't have to keep going down the same path
we always have and that we can try new things. Like Leon, who left
his home province to pursue a new life in the city, where he
eventually met Maria. This gives the theme of "new experiences" in
this story a double meaning. And this tale demonstrates how a brief
story can convey a distinct theme or idea that the readers can
appreciate and highlight different aspects of our lives.

Members:
BRIGITTE JOIE NOVAL (Leader)
ANGELICA SAMANIEGO
LUCKY MAE MANZANO
MA.MICHAELLA VERGARA
HAZEE FRANZESCA PECSON
NINA@reallygreatsite
CRISHELLE PALCIS
KEISHA REINELLE LOPEZ
URIEL PRESTHER PACHECO