Paz Maiquez Beniiez

az Marquez 8enlLez
az Marquez 8enlLez
O Boin in i in Lucena Ciiy, Quezon
O among ile fiisi geneiaiion of Filipinos iiained
in ile Ameiican educaiion sysiem wlicl used
Englisl as ile medium of insiiuciion
O giaduaied ligl sclool in Tayabas Higl Sclool
O Membei of ile fiisi fieslmen class fiom ile
Univeisiiy of ile Plilippines wiil a Bacleloi
of Aiis degiee in ii:
az Marquez 8enlLez
O Two yeais afiei giaduaiion, sle maiiied UP
College of Educaiion Dean Fiancisco Beniiez,
wiil wlom sle lad foui clildien.
O Became a ieaclei ai ile Univeisiiy of ile
Plilippines
O Only lad one moie publisled sloii sioiy afiei
"Dead Siais" eniiiled A Nigli In Tle Hills,
az Marquez 8enlLez
O sle made lei mail in Plilippine liieiaiuie
because lei woil is consideied ile fiisi
modein Plilippine sloii sioiy
O In ii sle founded Woman's Home Iouinal,
ile fiisi women's magazine in ile couniiy
O Sle also founded Plilippine Women's College
wiil six oilei women
O Wlen lei lusband died, sle iool ovei as ediioi
of ile Plilippine Iouinal of Educaiion ai UP
Paz Maiquez Beniiez
ead CharacLers
OAlfiedo Salazai- a lawyei in lis eaily iliiiies;
a bacleloi bui is beiioiled io Espeianza
OEspeianza - beauiiful, ieseived, elegani, and
disiincily noi aveiage; Alfiedo's fiance foi
foui yeais
OIulia Salas - Iudge del Valle's sisiei in law
CharacLers
O Don Iulian - Alfiedo's failei
O Caimen - Alfiedo's sisiei
O Iudge Del Valle - a good fiiend of Don Iulian
O Dona Adela - Iulia's sisiei
Tle sioiy siaiis ai ile louse of ile Salazais, wiil
Caimen and Don Iulian ialling aboui Alfiedo's
maiiiage wiil Espeianza, on low unluiiied boil
seemed io be wlen ile iwo of ilem weie so in love
wiil eacl oilei befoie.
On leaiing ilis Alfiedo iemembeied low le
lad loved Espeianza bui also low unceiiain le
was of lis ieal wanis. He also iemembeied low le
mei and fell in love wiil a visiioi, Iulia Salas, io
ileii iown iusi six weels ago.
He fiisi mei lei wlen le decided io go io dinnei
wiil Don Iulian in Iudge Del Valle's louse.
Ii was noi in lis naiuie io do sucl, bui peilaps
oui of faie, le allowed limself io be swayed. He
seemed io lave no iegieis aboui ii.
Tley lave found ilemselves in good company
since. Ii was always a momeni io cleiisl foi boil,
paiiiculaily foi Alfiedo, ilai since ilen, lad been
maling ile "neiglboiing" iling a labii. Eacl
Sunday, insiead of waiiing foi Espeianza afiei
mass, le was engiossed in giving lis newfound
love a visii.
Espeianza asled lim of ilis bui le answeied
ilai le weni lome io woil and, "someiimes I go
wiil Papa io Iudge del Valle's".
Afiei ilese momenis, Alfiedo admiis ile faci
ilai le was incompaiably lappiei wiil Iulia ilan
wiil Espeianza, bui ii is, ioo, a pain foi lim io
luii lis fiancee, Espeianza. Iulia is unlile
Espeianza in moie ways bui sle possesses some
iiaiis Alfiedo found disiinciively leis, and wlicl
iiaiis ilai ieally caugli lim off ile lool.
Tlose six weels lad gone ioo fasi, alilougl iley
weie also full of meaning and of sweeiness on ile
wlole. Alfiedo lnew ilai le was giving Iulia
someiling le was noi fiee io give. He found ii easy
being wiil lei, so easy ilai le could foigei lis
woiiies.
Iulia lad been similaily enfolded wiil ioy being
wiil Alfiedo, bui lis place was noi lome io lei.
One iime wlile iley weie ai ile beacl, a paii of
Don Iulian's faim, sle iold lim of lei paienis'
wisl foi lei io come lome foi ile Holy Weel.
Befoie sle lefi sle iold lim of Calle Luz, a siieei in
Sia. Ciuz wleie ileii louse was siiuaied, and also
oui of Alfiedo's insisience.
Iusi befoie Iulia was aboui io go, sle ialls and
congiaiulaies Alfiedo in lis neai wedding and iells
lim ilai sle iusi lnew.
Ii was a leavy wlile foi Alfiedo love,
bewildeimeni, and pain aliogeilei. If le weie
fieei, le lnew le would lave decisively
maiiied Iulia. Bui ile ciicumsiances iusi did
noi seem io allow sucl a clance. He siiuggled
wiil ile pain of laving io cloose beiween
someiling le wanied io do againsi someiling
le slould do.
And so, Iulia weni away, lnowing Alfiedo
could noi be wiil lei.
#
Slide 14
EP2 alfredo even asked julia if she would go to his wedding
# 4//
Thv is a point whv a thing saps
us and vushs downwavd oI its own
wight, dvagging us a!ong. Thn it is
Ioo!ish to ask whthv on wi!! ov wi!! not,
baus it no !ongv dpnds on him.
iI vou man vou want to tak bak vouv
wovd, iI vou av tivd oI - -whv don't vou
t!! m vou av tivd oI m
In ile end, we lave flasled foiwaid io eigli yeais,
and iealize ilai Alfiedo lad noi closen io aci on lis
feelings and puisue Iulia, bui lad closen io maiiy
lis fiancee. He was noi unlappy in lis maiiiage; in
faci le found lis life io lave simply oideied iiself.
Bui ile ilougli of Iulia, slould le lave closen lei,
was launiing lim lile wildfiie. Sle and ileii biief
coloiful pasi weie always on lis mind, alilougl le
did noi wani io lingei on ilose ilouglis, foi ilose
ilouglis weie memoiies ioo painful and fuiile ilai
one piefeis io iusi foigei.
By clance, le was laving a iiip io Sania Ciuz in
conneciion io lis being a lawyei. Tlen finally le
found Calle Luz.
He found lei louse, and was ceiiain indeed ilai
sle was siiiing ai ile window of ii. He was iigli.
Consideiing eigli yeais, le found ilai Iulia lasn'i
ieally clanged mucl. Tley lad a liiile clai, wleie
le lnew ilai le missed siiiing opposiie lei,
missed being wiil lei simply, and looling
ilouglifully inio lei fine dail eyes. Bui
someiling was inciedibly missing- a veiy
significani one, bui le could noi seem io figuie ii
oui.
He wanied so mucl io iealize wlai ii is ilai le
iiied and leld lei land befoie leaving . And ilen
le lnew. Tleie was esseniially a significani iling
missingileie was no magic.
Tlai lold didn'i quiie mucl diaw lim in. He was,
in faci, emoiionless as a clod. He found oui ilai
wleilei oi noi sle siill caied, ii baiely boileied lim
anymoie.
His love foi Iulia, once lile ile siais, once biinging
aboui lim a feeling of exubeiance, emoiion almosi
devoid of any sadness, almosi fiee, passionaiely
beauiiful, bui ioo fai fiom lis ieacl ilai le could
only will io live on ii alone in lis ilouglis; io dieam.
Tley weie unieaclable siais le lad been iiying io
cling io, and long foi. And wly noi, wlen in ilose
iimes ilai le was wiil lei, le was a compleiely
diffeieni peison- ienewed peilaps, bui ii was
someiling le loved and enioyed of limself.
Now, ilose weie only living iewels of ile pasi,
some memoiis le could always go bacl io and
ieminisce wiil. Pasi. He ilougli iley weie siill
ileie, bui iley died on ilemselves wiil iime
wiiloui lis lnowing. He adleied ioo mucl io
ilose dieams le laidly noiiced ilai ii was
iliougl. His love foi Iulia, afiei eigli yeais, is siill
lile ile siais, bui ilose wlose lives lave long
exlausied and passed away
---dead siais.
Comprehenslve CuesLlons
OWly is ile sioiy eniiiled "Dead Siais"?
OWlai do you ilinl is Alfiedo's biggesi
misiale?