DEAD STARS

Paz Marquez - Benitez

Paz Marquez - Benitez

Born in 1894 in Lucena City,

Quezon. Born into the prominent
Marquez family of Quezon province,
she was among the first generation
of Filipino people trained in the
American education system which
used English as the medium of
instruction.
She graduated high school in
Tayabas High School now, Quezon
National High School and college
from
the
University
of
the
Philippines with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1912.
She was a member of the first
freshman class of the University of
the Philippines, graduating with a
Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912.

Two years after graduation, she married UP College of

Education Dean Francisco Bentez with whom she had four
children.
Mrquez-Bentez later became a teacher at the University of
the Philippines, who taught short-story writing and had
become an influential figure to many Filipino writers in the
English language, such as Loreto Paras-Sulit, Paz M. Latorena
Arturo Belleza Rotor,Bienvenido N. Santos and Francisco
Arcellana.
The annually held Paz Marquez-Benitez Lectures in the
Philippines honors her memory by focusing on the
contribution of Filipino women writers to Philippine Literature
in the English language. Though she only had one more
published short story after Dead Stars entitled "A Night In
The Hills", she made her mark in Philippine literature
because her work is considered the first modern Philippine
short story. For Marquez-Benitez, writing was a lifelong
occupation. In 1919 she founded "Woman's Home Journal",
the first women's magazine in the country.

"Filipino Love Stories", reportedly the first anthology of

Philippine stories in English by Filipinos, was compiled in
1928 by Marquez-Benitez from the works of her
students.
Marquez - Bentez authored the first Filipino modern
English language, Dead Stars, published in the
Philippine Herald in 1925.
When her husband died in 1951, she took over as
editor of the Philippine Journal of Education at UP. She
held the editorial post for over two decades. In 1995,
her daughter, Virginia Benitez-Licuanan wrote her
biography, "Paz Marquez-Benitez: One Woman's Life,
Letters, and Writings.
She became an influential figure to many Filipino writers
in the English language and was declared as the
mother of modern English-language short story.

Works

"A Night in The Hills" (1925, 7 pages)

Dead Stars (published in the Philippine
Herald in 1925)

DEAD STARS
Difficult Words

DIFFICULT WORDS:
1.Tranquil quiet and peaceful
2. Perfervid marked by overwrought or exaggerated
emotion
3.Tumultuous loud, excited, and emotional
4. Recalcitrant stubbornly refusing to obey rules or
orders
5. Incontrovertible not able to be doubted or questioned
6. Exuberant very lively, happy, or energetic
7. Fastidious very careful about how you do something

8. Desultory not having a plan or purpose

9. Hammock a swinging couch or bed usually made of
netting or canvas
10. Elusive hard to find or capture

11. Errant behaving wrongly

12. Saunter to walk along in a slow and relaxed manner
13. Piquant having a pleasant, spicy taste
14. Evasive not honest or direct
15. Tumult a state of noisy confusion or disorder

16. Quaint having an old-fashioned or unusual quality

or appearance that is usually attractive or appealing
17. Acrid bitter and unpleasant in taste or smell
18. Docket a list of the legal cases that will be tried in
a court of law
19. Peculiar not usual or normal
20. Acquisitive having a strong desire to own or
acquire more things

DEAD STARS
Elements

I. CHARACTERS

Alfredo Salazar son of Don Salazar, a man of 30

years of age, engaged to Esperanza but has a
deep feeling with Julia Salas
(protagonist-antagonist, dynamic)
Esperanza wife of Alfredo (antihero, dynamic)
Carmen Salazar Alfredos sister (typical)
Don Julian Salazar father of Alfredo (typical)
Judge Dionisio del Valle brother-in-law of Julia
Salas (typical)
Julia Salas Doa Adelas sister whom Alfredo fell
in love with (antiihero,dynamic)
Doa Adela Salas del Valle Judge Del Valles
wife (typical)

Vicente Carmens husband (flat)

Mr. Manalang mentioned in the story (flat)
Calixta note-carrier of Afredo and
Esperanza (flat)
Brigida Sumuy illusive woman whose
Alfredo is looking for in Sta. Cruz (flat)

II. Settings
Geographical Setting

I. Don Julians House

Martinezs yard (House of Judge del
Valle)

II. Don Julians house in Tanda (where

there are coconut plantation and
beach)
Church of Our Lady of Sorrow

III. Alfredos House

Calle Luz, Sta. Cruz (Julias hometown

Time Setting

I. Last week of February (when Alfredo

was only 30 years old)

II. Lenten Season

III. Eight years after (present time)

Occupational Setting
Alfredo Salazar is a lawyer

General Environment

A scenery of well-to-do families living in

big houses

III. Point of View

Third person Omniscient

The narrator was able to read the minds
of the characters. The narrator revealed
how each character is thinking and
feeling, and the narrator explained the
events according to hoe each character
would interpret them.

IV. Plot

IO
AC
T

IN
G

RI
S

Alfredo reminisce
how he met Julia
Salas

Julia Salas didnt want

Alfredo not to honor his
understanding with
Esperanza said goodbye

ON
TI
AC

EXPOSITION

G
IN
LL
FA

Alfredo realized how

he was in love with
Julia in spite of his
engagement with
Esperanza

The procession wherein Julia found out

Alfredos wedding which lead Afredo to a very
difficult situation, would he choose Julia whom
he loves? Or Esperanza whom he has ought to
marry?
CLIMAX

DENOUMENT

Alfredo and Esperanza got

married, after eight years, he
visited Julia and found out that
his love for her was like a
dead star.

V. Tone

The short story sways with sad tone as it

s characters have feelings that are left
unspoken.

VI. Style

FLASHBACK

VII. Irony
VERBAL
Was he being cheated by life?
Why would men so mismanage their lives?
Was he becoming a poet, or is there a poet lurking
in the heart of every man?
they say that May is the month of happiness

DRAMATIC
Esperenza have no idea with Alfredos feelings for
Julia (at first wherein the readers knew it first.)

SITUATIONAL
When Alfredo still chose to live and marry with
Esperanza

Biggest irony

The irony is that eight years later when

he visits Julia during a business trip in
Sta. Cruz, he realizes that his love and
passion for her has faded away just like
dead stars.
Its like the love you fell now may not be
the same love you felt back then just like
the stars you see at night they may be
shiny but it is only the leftover shine
travelling but theyre dead.

VIII. Conflict

Man vs. Himself

Man vs. Circumstances

IX. Symbol

the road is too broad, too trodden by

feet, too barren of mystery unable to
make decisions

like a carabao in a mud pool happy/

calm and placid

X. Movement

Abnormal

XI. Pace

Slow easy pace

XII. Theme/ Insight

Forbidden love that deals with humans

weaknesses

X. Use of Color

Typical scenery of a town

(of well-to-do families)
Lenten Season

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paz_M
%C3%A1rquez-Ben%C3%ADtez
http://www.nancycudis.com/2012/01/dea
d-stars-by-paz-marquez-benitez.htmlA
http://rizal.lib.admu.edu.ph/aliww/english
_pmbenitez.html
A