FULL NAME Nicomedes Marquez Joaquin EXPERTISE baroque Spanish-flavored Filipinistic literary pieces mostly in English language NOTABLE

LE WORKS The Woman Who Had Two Navels Cave and Shadows The Summer Solstice, and several more TRIVIA Multiawarded novelist and journalist Considered the most important Filipino writer in English

A ball was held in honor of young men returning from Europe. After the ball, the young men wandered out; the maidens proceeded to their sleeping chambers. Old Anastasia told the ladies of an enchanted ritual for one to see her future husband. But if anything would go wrong, the face of the devil should appear. Agueda, who was very bold and stubborn, still carried on with the ritual. Don Badoy Montoyas face appeared over her shoulders. Alas! He fell in love with Agueda at the mere sight of her. But Agueda resisted his advances and ran away. Agueda and Badoy retold the story of their meeting that took place on that faithful eve of May; Agueda to her daughter, Badoy to his grandson. But instead of revealing that they saw each others faces, Agueda claimed that it was the devil she had seen and Badoy claimed that he had caught a glimpse of the witch.

 The manner Badoy and Agueda described each other (Agueda being a witch and Badoy being a devil) as they were recalling the past is a testament to the hellish way they viewed their marriage. Agueda, despite the deep dislike she had developed for Badoy, still believed that since it was Badoy she had seen, she was fated to belong to Badoy; thus began a misleading kind of love. The marriage Badoy and Agueda had was dreadful. However, it really had been true love they shared. Unforunately, it was already too late when Badoy realized it and Agueda died not knowing how much she had meant to Badoy. Both of them were responsible for their collapsing marriage. Each held on to the hatred they had felt on that unforgettable eve of May; and this hatred clouded their minds and their hearts, consequently overshadowing their love for each other.

 Love has different facades and dimensions. Love and marriage are never absolute and happiness at ALL times is never guaranteed.

Anything and everything which started on the wrong foot would inevitably end amiss. Relationships are no exceptions. Love which is said to beat all odds could not do so if built on erroneous foundation.

 May Day Eve is definitely a literary masterpiece, an irony at its best. It is able to paint a rare dimension of a very complicated subject matter called love through the use of tale hardly having unexpected twists and turns. It goes beyond the conventional perception of love of man which is represented by flowers and chocolates, passionate words, warm hugs and a lot more sweet things in the world. It explores a greater depth exposing how love ironically brings pain and sorrow. May Day Eve does all of these while keeping the readers interested.

What is the May Day Eve? Explain the traditions that people celebrate during this day. May Day refers to first day of May and is traditionally a celebration of spring. Several cultures believe that spring is a gift from gods, thus festivities and gatherings are usually held. May Day also holds a mystic attribute, for it is also considered a time for divination and lovers. How do you describe the love between Agueda and Badoy? The love they had was true, but was clouded by their initial dislike for each other; hence, the love they shared was poorly manifested. What is the significance of mirror in the story as a way to explain the tradition? The mirror enables you at midnight to behold the face of the person fated to be yours. It serves as a clue to unlock the mystery of the past and the future, the departure and return, and the idealistic traces of what is "out there" and what is "at hand."

Explain the following literary devices used by Nick Joaquin in this narrative: a. the telescoping/uneven use of time frame Joaquin aimed to present a man and a woman holding on to love until the death, unveil the hazy romance of the old world and the silent consummation of their love, show the tragedy that Agueda and Badoy had undergone - the love that did not go away and was just covered up in the dust of time. b. the depiction of dark metaphors of witch and devil to describe love Joaquin wanted to provide the readers with a n insight of how Badoy and Agueda perceived their marriage to be a taste of hell. Instead of admitting that they saw their spouses in the mirror, they claimed that it was the witch/devil they saw for that was probably how each of them was to each other during their life together.

c. the use of lush and ornate language It mirrors the multifaceted emotional intensity of the era during which the characters lived. Joaquin not only used words that attract and enthrall but also breathes life into what seem to be non-living as well as consequently lending the work its delicious ambiguity and double meanings. d. the parallel structure of the opening and closing paragraphs The careful organization and development aids the readers to effectively analyze the story for the author to achieve his well-defined purpose. Joaquin chose to reiterate for amplification. This is because he intends to produce familiarity. He repeats exactly the description of the foul street towards the end of the story to encourage the reader to remember the mood and promote further conveyance. He wants the story to leave an impression that will last even after the literary piece has been put away.