TASK 1:

#1. Supply the following biographical or historical details about Magdalena Jalandoni
mentioned by the writer as he characterized his subject. Quote parts of the essay to complete
this basic “biodata” of the Hiligaynon writer.
Address: Jaro, Ilo Ilo, City

Year of Birth: 1891

Parents: Gregorio Jalandoni and Francisca Gonzaga

Schooling: She studied at Colegio de San Jose

First experience of Publishing: At ten, she wrote her first corrido, Padre Juan and Beata
Maria. At 13, she has four the same genre, manuscripts of these were submitted by her
mother to La Editorial in Ilo Ilo City, which published them in 6”x8” softcover newsprint
edition.

Her body of literary works: She began writing at a young age wherein she already had her
poems published at the age of 12. Up to this date, her work consist of 37 novels, 5
autobiographies, 8 narrative poems, 6 corridos, 10 plays, 213 lyric poem, 132 short stories,
9 essays, and 10 melodramas.

Year of death: 1978

#2: How did the essay go beyond these biographical details? Plot the development of the
character of Jalandoni between the period of her birth and death.

Birth: She was born in 1891 in Jaro, IloIlo City, heiress to the incredible fortune of
Francisca Gonzaga and Gregorio Jalondoni. Her brother Luis was only three months when
their father died and she studied at Colegio de San Jose.

Growing Up: As a child, she would hear stories from her mother and that she would ask if
the happening and situations in the narrative were true. Having told that the storyteller
imagined the story, Magdelena got into writing. She began writing at a young age where in
she already had her poems published at the age of 12.
As a lady: When Magdalena was sixteen, she wrote her first novel, Mga Tunoc sang Isa ca
Bulac (Thorns of a Flower). It was becoming evident then that she would be a well known
writer. But writing was a male-dominated sphere, so Magdalena was prohibited by her
mother from producing more literatures. Despite of her mother’s dissapproval, she would
write at night and keep her notebooks under her clothes in her trunk. When she was 18,
her mother wanted her to get married. Magdalena out of obedience, agreed to marry the
man but she had one unust precondition, that he should write a novel within the year. So
Magdalena remained single and wrote 37 novels, 5 autobiographies, 8 narrative poems, 6
corridos, 10 plays, 213 lyric poem, 132 short stories, 9 essays, and 10 melodramas.

At 75: When she was 75, Magdalena wrote about this leitmotif of losses of losses and finds
in Juanita Cruz, her most mature novel according to scholar Lucila Hosillos. Concious of
the depreciating affluence of Jaro, she wrote about Juanita who is a binukot of her family,
a treasure kept by her father. She fell in love with a poor choirmaster Elias. Magdalena
wrote about an undying love whether filial, agape, nor eros it was a passion toward a
country finding golden meanings out its centuries of feasts.

At 80: Magdalena died at the age of 87. She remains the reina of Hiligaynon literature. No
one knows if she once had dreamt of herself as a reina for the feast of Candelaria, or if she
ever imagined of Jose Rizal escorting her down the plaza.

TASK 2: Answer the following questions:

1. What do you think inspired Jalandoni to become a writer? Point out specific details in the
essay that support your answer.
Growing up, she would hear stories from her mother and I think that is one of the crucial
reasons why Jalandoni got into wrting. She got hooked by the fact that the stories could
make one a “curious cat” and that she would ask whether the stories were real or not.
Besides her first love was Jose Rizal who is known for his novel and maybe was inspired by
him to become a writer.

2. How did her environment affect her writing?

During her days, wrting was a male-dominated sphere so her mother restricted her from
producing more literature but that did not stop her from doing it. She would write at night
and keep her notebooks under her clothes in her trunk.
From what can you infer from the text, what were the subjects Jalandoni wrote about? List
down the titles and subject matter of the more prominently mentioned works.
At ten, she wrote her first corrido, Padre Juan kag Beata Maria (Father Juan and Mother
Maria). When Magdalena was sixteen, almost ten years after her first love’s death, she wrote
her first novel, Mga Tunoc sang Isa ca Bulac (Thorns of a Flower). When she was 75,
Magdalena wrote about this leitmotif of losses and finds in Juanita Cruz, her most mature
novel according to scholar Lucila Hosillos.

3. From what you can infer from the text, how did her writing become Jalandoni's refuge from
the expression of resistence against her conservative society?

In the past women had restricted access to education, publishers, and distribution of their
works. Their lack of access to artistic training caused constraints on their creative work. Social
and literary-critical attitudes denigrated women’s writing so that if a woman writer wanted
to be published, she had to assume a male pseudonym and temper the over-aggressive or
overdefensive tone in her writing.

4. What do you think was the importance of Jose Rizal in the life and work of Jalandoni? How
was this aspect explored in the text?
The author introduced Jose Rizal as Magdalena's tragic first love. Also, his works and
contributions. Jalandoni looked up to Rizal all thoughout her life.

5. To what extent does the writer speculate about Jalandoni and her inner life? What are the
signs that he is attempting to to create something sensible out of Jalandoni's historical
persona?
Jalandoni, working within the material framework of production and consumption of her
time, has sown, through her novels, intimations of the Ilonggo woman’s fracture from gender
roles of her period, keeping her more in step with the emancipation of woman from the bind
of patriarchy, an emancipation that was beginning to gradually unfold during the author’s
lifetime.
6. The last line of the essay reads: "No one knows if she once had dreamt of herself as a reina
for the feast of Candelaria, or if she
ever imagined of Jose escorting her down the plaza." What does this imply about our
knowledge of Jalandoni, even after we have this
essay, or if we continue reading about her life?
Magdalena Jalondoni did not even dream of herself as a reina for the feast of Candelaria, or if
she ever imagined of Jose escorting her down the plaza. All she did was to write and be
inspired by Jose Rizal’s work and showed to people her masterpieces. During her lifetime she
had received many awards recognizing her contribution to the enrichment of Hiligaynon, her
native tongue and the genius that made her such a prolific writer.

TASK 3: The following statements from the text figuratively develop the idea that Jalandoni
looked up to Rizal all throughout her life.
How do these imply the writer’s devotion to the national hero? It represents what?

“His looks were ordinary; Filipinos, in fact, felt deceived when he once came home and
packaged himself as a doctor Aleman.
But he was gentle and perhaps, romantic that Magdalena heiress to the incredible fortune of
Francisca Gonzaga and Gregorio Jalandoni fell in love with him’.
I think it represents that whatever physical appearance one may have, as long as you have a
great personality, everyone will love you. Thus, Magdelena Jalondoni looked up to Jose Rizal
all throughout her life not because of his looks, but because of his literary works.

“Magdalena, out of obedience, agreed to marry the man of honorary stature; but she had one
unjust precondition,
that he should write a novel within the year.
It basically depicts that Magdelena did not want to marry so in order to avoid such event
from happening, she made an unjust precondition. As a result, Magdalena remained single
and wrote 37 novels, 5 autobiographies, 8 narrative poems, 6 corridos, 10 plays, 213 lyric
poems, 132 short stories, 9 essays, and 10 melodramas.
“Juanita was reunited with Elias in the end only to discover that he is involved in the
revolutionary movement against Spain.
He was killed in victorious battle and now, Juanita, or the old woman who tells the story, or
Magdalena confronts Elias monument at the plaza.”

It represents that love conquers everything, despite Elias being poor, it did not matter to
Juanita that she even abandoned her own family for Elias. But upon knowing that Elias was
part of the revolutionary movement against Spain and was killed in victorious battle, Juanita
was mad at him that she confronts his monument at the plaza.