Kabanata VII: Suyuan sa Isang Asotea (Chapter VII: Idyll on a Balcony)

Talasalitaan (Vocabulary Words):

 Karwahe – sasakyang hilahila ng kabayo (horse drawn carriage)

 Asotea – balkonahe o gilid ng bahay (balcony or side of the house)
 Masinsinan – seryoso (seriously)
 Sinariwa – inalala (remembered)
 Magtirik – maglagay (put)
 Bandido – tulisan, gumagawa ng masama (robber, criminal, offender)

Buod (Summary):
María Clara awaits Ibarra’s return with her father Tiago and Aunt Isabella. When alone, María
Clara nervously asks if Ibarra thought about her while he was in Europe to which he provides a long,
embellished answer. They discuss their childhood days and initial friendship, and the chapter ends
with María-Clara reading the letter that Ibarra wrote her before he left for his travels. In the letter,
Ibarra recounts the conversation he had with his father when the latter objected to the trip. After María-
Clara reads the letter, Ibarra’s mood changes and he is left more contemplative than before.
Analysis of the Chapter:
1. Maria is restless because she and Ibarra will meet.
2. Maria Clara and Ibarra talked in Asotea and exchanged childhood memories.
3. Ibarra left early because he will go to San Diego.
Lesson: Being sentimental or they value the things that gave to them and honest love.
Kabanata VIII: Mga Alaala (Chapter VIII: Memories)
Talasalitaan (Vocabulary Words):

 Kagalakan – kasiyahan (happiness)

 Kareta – kariton (cart)
 Baku-bako – sira sira (broken)
 Lumalatay – bumabakat (scar)
 Naparam – naglaho, nawala (disappeared)
 Marikit – Maganda (pretty, beautiful)
 Kamangmangan – walang alam (ignorant, lack of knowledge)

Buod (Summary):
Ibarra travels on a coach (kalesa) on the way to San Diego (Malabon) through the outskirts of Manila.
He recalls the startling memory of his 11-year-old self seeing a dead prisoner and life going on as if
nothing happened. He also remembers advice from an old priest, and the chapter ends with more
pastoral imagery.
Analysis of the Chapter:
1. Ibarra notices changes in streets that used to be unpaved and full of potholes.
2. He also noticed that a new botanical garden brings him back to the current moment, making him
think of his time in Europe.
Lesson: Slow progress
Kabanata IX: Mga Bagay-bagay Ukol sa Bayan (Chapter IX: Local Affairs)
Talasalitaan (Vocabulary Words):

 Beateryo – tinitirahan ng mga madre (a building inhabited by monks or nuns, monastery)

 Kumbento – simbahan (church)
 Paratang – bintang (allegation)
 Nagpahayag – nagsabi (proclaim, announce)

Buod (Summary):
Father Dámaso runs into María Clara and Isabel as they’re about to leave for the convent to get María
Clara’s things, intending to meet in private with Captain Tiago. Meanwhile, Father Sibyla meets with an
elderly, dying priest, telling him about the disagreement between Father Dámaso and Crisóstomo Ibarra
and Ibarra’s plans to marry María Clara. Father Sibyla feels that the church has little to worry about from
Ibarra, since he is wealthy and will be happy with María Clara, making him reluctant to risk putting his
happiness in danger, but the elder priest says that it’s just as well if Ibarra does create an open conflict
with the church since that can expose where the church is weak and allow them to weed out these
weaknesses.
Analysis of the Chapter:
1. Padre Damaso came to Kapitan Tiago’s house with angry emotion.
2. Maria Clara went to the convent to get her stuff.
3. Padre Sibyla goes to visit a very old priest who remains unnamed.
4. Kapitan Tyago gets confused about the agreement between Maria Clara and Ibarra’s marriage.
Kabanata X: Ang Bayan ng San Diego (Chapter X: The Town of San Diego)
Talasalitaan (Vocabulary Words):

 Kampanaryo – kampana (bell)

 Luntian – berde (green)
 Umuugoy – dumuduyan (swinging)
 Umalingasaw – umaamoy (smelling)
 Masigasig – masipag (hardworking)
 Manilenya – babaeng taga maynila (Manila girl)
 Giliw na giliw – sayang saya (joyful)

Buod (Summary):
Retells a legend surrounding the village of San Diego. An old Spaniard appeared and traded goods in
exchange for some land, then disappeared. Eventually, the villagers found him hanging from a tree in
the forest. He had been creepy while alive, but his suicide disturbed the villagers even more, so they rid
themselves of the goods he gave them. Nonetheless, shepherds and wanderers told stories of seeing
lights or hearing laments, while a young man who vowed to spend a night under the tree where the man
died, died himself of a fever he contracted the next day. A few months later, a young man appearing to
be a mestizo arrived and claimed to be the dead man’s son, earning a reputation for being hard-working
but cruel and violent. This man was the father of Rafael Ibarra, Crisóstomo’s father.
Analysis of the Chapter:
1. Town of San Diego originated from the Ibarra family.
2. When the town of San Diego landed, the Filipino priest was replaced by a Spanish priest.
Kabanata XI: Ang Mga Makapangyarihan (Chapter XI: Sovereignty)
Talasalitaan (Vocabulary Words):

 Alkalde – mayor
 Kura paroko – pinakamataas na pari sa simbahan (highest priest in the church)
 Alperes – opisyal ng militar (military officer)
 Hidwaan – pag-aaway (fight)

Buod (Summary):
Don Rafael, the father of Crisostomo Ibarra, is the richest in the town but not the most powerful. Even
Captain Tiago is not classified under the rulers. Despite their wealth and authority, and albeit respected
by some people, their enemies in the town are far greater. The true ruler is Friar Salve who took after
Friar Damaso, and the head of Guardia Civil – the Alperes. The two are recognized in the town as
‘casique’ (a local political boss in Spain). It is a no-brainer that the two had a conflict which is not shown
especially to the public since this will ruin their reputation.
Analysis of the Chapter:
1. The most powerful in the town of San Diego were:
a. Kura - Padre Salvi
b. Alperes
Lesson: Dominance of powers