ENGLISH

BY: ESTRELLA D. ALFON

Estrella D. Alfon
 PERSONAL LIFE

 Estrella Alfon was born in San Nicolas, Cebu City on March 27, 1917.
Even if her parents were shoe keepers, she managed to attend college to
study medicine.
 During her college, she was mistakenly diagnosed with tuberculosis. She
was sent to a sanitarium to be quarantined and decided to resign from her
premedical education. She had the Associate of Arts degree instead.
 Her children are: Alan Rivera, Esmeralda "Mimi" Rivera, Brian Alfon,
Estrella "Twinkie" Alfon, and Rita "Daday" Alfon (deceased). She has 10
grandchildren. She died on December 28, 1983, due to a heart attack
which she suffered on-stage during the Awards night of the Manila Film
Festival.
PROFESSION & ACHIEVEMENTS

 She was a nude storywriter, playwright, and journalist. In spite of being a

proud Cebuana, she wrote almost exclusively in English.
 Her first story, “Grey Confetti” was published in 1935.
 She was the only female member of the Veronicans’, an Avant Garde
group of writers in the 1930s led by Francisco Arcellana and H.R.
Ocampo, she was also regarded as their muse. The Veronicans are
recognized as the first group of Filipino writers to write almost exclusively
in English and were formed prior to the World War II. She is also
reportedly the most prolific Filipina writer prior to World War II.
 She was a regular contributor to Manila-based national magazines, she
had several stories cited in Jose Garcia Villa’s annual honor rolls.
 In the 1950s, her short story, "Fairy Tale for the City", was condemned
by the Catholic League of the Philippines as being "obscene". She was
even brought to court on these charges. While many of her fellow writers
did stand by her, many did not. These events hurt her deeply.
 In spite of having only an A.A. degree, she was eventually appointed as
a professor of Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines,
Manila. She was a member of the U.P. Writers Club, she held the
National Fellowship in Fiction post at the U.P. Creative Writing Center in
1979.
 She would also serve on the Philippine Board of Tourism in the 1970s.
 1940: A collection of her early short stories, “Dear Esmeralda,” won
Honorable Mention in the Commonwealth Literary Award.
 1961-1962: Four of her one-act plays won all the prizes in the Arena
Theater Play Writing Contest: “Losers Keepers” (first prize), “Strangers”
(second prize), “Rice” (third prize), and “Beggar” (fourth prize).
 1961-1962: Won top prize in the Palanca Contest for “With Patches of
Many Hues.”
 1974: Second place Palanca Award for her short story, "The White Dress“
 1979: National Fellowship in Fiction post at the U.P. Creative Writing
Center.
 In the 1950s, her short story, "Fairy Tale for the City", was condemned by
the Catholic League of the Philippines as being "obscene". She was even
brought to court on these charges. While many of her fellow writers did
stand by her, many did not. These events hurt her deeply.
 In spite of having only an A.A. degree, she was eventually appointed as
a professor of Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines,
Manila. She was a member of the U.P. Writers Club, she held the
National Fellowship in Fiction post at the U.P. Creative Writing Center
in 1979.
 She would also serve on the Philippine Board of Tourism in the 1970s.
ESTRELLA ALFON’S STORIES

 MAGNIFICENCE
 SERVANT GIRL
 ENGLISH
 GREY CONFETTI
 THE WHITE DRESS
 OTHER STORIES OF ESTRELLA
 DESCRIPTION : Title & Characters

 ENGLISH
A foreign a language that widespread in the Philippines during the
American Occupation.
 CHARACTERS OF THE STORY “ENGLISH”
 Marco
The man who works in a bodega(warehouse) of copra who strive to self-
studying reading and understanding English. The husband of Marcela.
The father of Paul and Vicente.
 Marcela
Kind and loving wife of Marco. Mother of Paul and Vicente.
 Paul
Their oldest son, who was born after their two years in marriage. Loves
to play marble than studying, which resulted into his failure in studies
and in the same grade with his younger brother Vicente.
 Vicente
The youngest son, who had Marcela’s brownness and her round face
and more intelligent than Paul.
 Rafael
A boy whose dwarfish look belief his twelve years and was in the sixth
grade. A distant cousin of Marco’s sons. Who taunts Paul for being in
only the same grade as Vicente which Paul calls him Pa-ing because he
is irritated by him.
 Martin
A pare (best friend), and a coworker of Marco for two years in bodega
of copra (crop warehouse). Who is fund of reading secretly an English
newspaper with Marco and translating it in Visayan and Spanish
language.
 Bale-carriers
People who works to carry a bale or a bundle of hay, cotton and etc.
 DIFFICULT WORDS

 Endeavored
To seriously or continually try to do something.
 Regaled
To give a pleasure or amusement.
 Thrust
To push someone or something with force.
 Maguey
Any of various fleshy leaved agaves such as the century plant.
 Tug
To pull something with a quick forceful movement.
 Admonition
A gently or friendly reproof.
 Brusquely
Taking or behaving in a very direct to avoid disagreement.
 Dreg
Sediment contained in a liquid or precipitated.
 Amicably
Showing a polite and friendly desire to avoid disagreement and argument.
 Loitering
To remain in an area when you do not have a particular reason to be there.
 Enthralled
To hold the attention of someone by being very exciting, interesting or
beautiful.
 Shrugged
To raise and lower your shoulder usually to show that you do not know or
care about something.
 Genuflection
To obey someone with power in a way that is seen as weak.
 Riddance
The action of getting rid of a troublesome or unwanted person or thing.
 Hemp
A plant that is used to make thick ropes and some drugs.
 Cask
A container that is shaped like a barrel.
 Reproaches
An expression of rebuke or disapproval.
 Taunt
To reproach or challenge in a mocking or insulting manner.
 Intuition
Something that is known or understood without proof or evidence.
 Tinkled
To make or cause to make a light, clear ringing sound.
 Stout
A person or a thing that is somewhat fat or heavy build.
 Mischief
A playful behavior or troublemaking.
 Dwarfish
A person who is of unusually or abnormally small stature.
 Glee
Great delight.
 PLOT

 Exposition
The story opens with a man named Marco who is trying to
read a magazine but could not pronounce it very well. He was
on a crowded street where he thought that people who will be
laughing looking at him trying his best to utter the words. He
was looking at the different people passing by. Then, he went
to his workplace, bodega and reminisce his struggle while he
was not a pasador.
 Conflict
The conflict of the story was Man vs. Himself as Marco, the
protagonist, was trying hard to fit in the society he was in. He
was trying to learn English language for the sake of himself
and for his two son, Paul and Vicente. He was eager to learn
the words even though it was hard, and even though people
will laugh at him. He was afraid that the people might see the
magazine he bought from the newspaper boy so he tried to
hide it. This show that he was not confident of himself in
learning English.
 Rising Action
When Martin, his best friend, saw the magazine, his workmates
gather towards him and surrounded him but he immediately
reasons out that his niece ordered him to buy a magazine. He then
followed Martin, who brought the paper, and tried reading it aloud.
They spent the whole break time sharing their learning in English,
agreed to some words and disagreed to some words at the same
time. After the work, they went home together. At home, Marco’s
family was also trying to adapt to speaking in English. He always
shares some stories in the English language during meals, and
point to some objects and say it names. His two son is learning to
him. He taught them some English words and tried his best to
explain what it means.
 Climax
Marco was sorry for his son Paul because he was the same grade
with his younger brother, Vicente. He may blame Paul for his failed
marks because he likes to play very much, but deep inside he knows
that he was also the blame for not teaching him. He was ashamed of
himself for not knowing even simple things like school supplies. His
two son were now in school and he was delighted. He always read
books to them and ask them some questions. Rafael, a distant cousin
of his two son, taught Marco a lesson and somehow also disgraced
him in front of his sons. Rafael easily read the book that Marco was
trying so hard to utter and was amazed by the English phrases Rafael
uttered in his mouth. Rafael then asked Marco some questions and
when he couldn’t answer it, he shouted to Marco that Paul can’t
passed because Marco doesn’t know something in himself.
 Falling Action
Marco went back to his work and taught of what Rafael asked.
He then asked Martin of how much was 16 x 89? But both of them
can’t get it. He just forgets what Rafael said. He then uttered some
English sentence and was happy.
 Resolution
His workmates gather around them listening to Marco and Martin
speaking some English sentence. They also laughed as Marco
included a dialect expression in an English sentence. Marco then
flushed to their laughter and told them to go back to work.
 SUMMARY

Estrella Alfon’s “English” is a short story that talks about the harsh
society that paralyzes those who are in the lower social class and how
a man named Marco, struggles to fit in this society. The story begins
with Marco hurrying to work, barely noticing the people around him as
he walked by uttering English words to himself. As Marco arrived from
work, he can’t help but remember his times in the bodega when he
was not yet a pesador. Then, Marco and Martin read an English paper
together barely understanding what it meant. Soon, Marco went
home, and taught his sons some basic “English”. A few moments later,
Rafael arrived and made Marco realize something. That he doesn’t
need to conform society; he only need to appreciate what we really
have.
 THEME

CONFORMITY : What do we know?

LESSON AND REFLECTION

In relation to the story, we should accept as to who we

are but that should not stop us from learning new
things that can also help us reach our goals. In this
society we should accept constructive criticism; listen
to others opinion and suggestion for our betterment.
In our society conformity is the norm. it doesn’t
necessarily means it’s a bad thing but there should be
limitation for it. Let discouragement harden your
determination, never your heart.