REGION IV SOUTHERN TAGALOG

A NIGHT IN THE HILLS

PAZ MAQUEZ BENITEZ
Born in 1894 in Lucena City, Quezon. Marquez - Bentez authored the first Filipino
modern English language short story, Dead Stars, published in the Philippine Herald in
1925. 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. "Marquez" Benitez. 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. Also in the same year, she
and other six women who were prominent members of Manila's social elites, namely
Clara Aragon, Concepcion Aragon, Francisca Tirona Benitez, Carolina Ocampo Palma,
Mercedes Rivera, and Socorro Marquez Zaballero, founded the Philippine Women's
College now Philippine Women's University. "Filipino Love Stories", reportedly the first
anthology of Philippine stories in English by Filipinos, was compiled in 1928 by MarquezBenitez from the works of her students.
VOCABULARY
1. PLATEAU an elevated area.
2. ELOQUENTLY- marked by forceful
and fluent expression.
3. HITCH catch or fasten.
4. NOSTALGIA - is a sentimentality for
the past, typically for a period or

place
with
happy
associations.
5. FRAIL physically weak.

personal

SETTINGS
1. Intramuros
2. Rosario street
3. Laguna

CHARACTERS
1. GERARDO LUNA a salesman in a jewelry shop
2. GERARDOS WIFE
3. ATE SOTERA- Gerardo was a younger brother to the former mistress of her also
younger brother.
4. PEREGRINA Gerardos lover
5. AMBO- gatherer of orchids.
6. YOUNG MAN

PLOT
a) Introduction
Gerardo Luna is being introduced, with the mention of his secret long-time dream
of going to the forest.
b) Rising Action
He tells her wife about such dream, but she brushes it off; thus, he forgets about
that dream. Then she dies.
c) Climax
The peak of this short story is when Gerardo is finally in the forest, and he
experiences things that he has never though the forest has.
d)

Falling action

Things start to fall when Gerardo realizes that the forest is not exactly what he
has always dreamed.
e)

Denouement
When he goes back home, Gerardo feels he should get back to reality.

SYNOPSIS
Gerardo Luna, a jewelry store salesman in his 30s, has always dreamed to go to the
forest which he regards as a beautiful place. One day, when Ambo, an orchid gatherer
who buys some jewelry for his wifes store, tells Gerardo about living in the forest for
weeks at a time, the latter gets more interested, and tells his wife about it. However, his
wife is eyeing only the business aspect of such idea. Hence, he never mentions his
dream again.
Then Gerardos wife dies. At last, he can fulfill his long-time dream especially that
Ambo has come again, with stories regarding newly opened public land on a forest
plateau. So, the two of them plan to go to the forest.
Before actually going to the planned trip, Gerardos Ate Tere is not so keen on the
idea. She wants him to marry Peregrina who will surely take him the minute he proposes.
CONFLICT
The conflict here is Internal, that of Man vs. Himself. Gerardo has always dreamed
of going to the forest, and he has kept this within himself.
LESSONS

Think a lot of times before making a decisions or doing something. So that you
wont regret anything.

Be contended for what you have. Because you dont know that there are people
wishing to have what you already had.

THE SMALL KEY

PAZ LATORENA

Boac, Marinduque
1907-1956
University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas
Herald Mid-Week Magazine
The Small Key

SETTING: The setting is in the farm

CHARACTERS

Pedro Buhay - husband of Soledad, also known as Indo.

Soledad - wife of Pedro Buhay, also known as Choleng.
Tia Maria aunt of Indo and Choleng.
Dr. Santos - doctor of Soledad.

PLOT
Introduction
It was warm. The sun up above the sky that was all blue and tremendous. Pedro
Buhay, a prosperous farmer, was eating. He is in a hurry to get back to work.
Rising Action
When Pedro lift the coat containing the small key on the coats pocket.
Climax
When Pedro was on the backyard and saw burnt cloth.
Falling Action
When Pedro found out that the trunk was empty.
Denouement
Soledad was still ill and Pedro was trying not to be angry on Soledad.
SUMMARY
The story is about the couple, Pedro and Soledad, who are living in the farm.
Soledad saw a small key. It is obvious that Soledad fears the small key and Pedro values
it. It is the key to another trunk, the trunk containing the clothes of Pedros first wife.
Soledad opened the trunk. Immediately, Soledad felt angry and jealous. Because Pedro
still treasure the things of his first wife. Soledad burned all the clothes and garments
without consulting Pedro.
Pedro returns home to find Soledad in bed supposedly with a fever. It turns out she
does not. The next morning Pedro discovered a pile of ashes and a half burned panuelo.
He realizes what Soledad has done and rushes to look in the trunk to confirm it. And he
found out that the trunk was empty. Pedro is angry and bitter that this has happened
and he expects that Soledad will explain things later. He thinks that he will forgive her
because he loves her. Even Soledad did that out of love for him, it will always remain a
matter of some resentment toward her for doing it.
LESSON
A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world

HISTORY AND PHILLIPINE CULTURE

Horacio dela Costa S.J was born in Mauban, Quezon province in 1916. He was a
holder of an M.A. in Philosophy and Ph. D. in History. Being a Jesuit scholar, he acted as
a professor and chairman of the Department of History and Governance at the Ateneo De
Manila University. He was a winner in the Republic Heritage Award for historical writing
in 1965. He was also an assistant to the head of the Jesuit Order in 1971. The following
selection reveals the condition of historical studies.
Historical Development
1. Archeological remains, linguistic analysis and the findings of anthropologists confirm
the indications in our meager documentation that the earliest peoples of these islands
were considerably influenced by the cultures of the:

Hinduized empires of Southeast Asia and their Muslim successor states.

The Spanish influence
The Anglo-Saxon Influence
English the medium of instruction in our schools and the ordinary language of
social intercourse for over half a century.

2. Our cultural borrowings from abroad.

They were not merely deposited one top of the other like successive layers of
sediment, each remaining perfectly distinct from and unaffected by the others.
Example: The history of art: Spanish influence
Kundiman-is a genre of traditional Filipino love songs.
Corrido-is a popular narrative song and poetry form, a ballad.
Moro-moro-form of organized theatre; also known as Comedia
Town fiesta
Folk Catholicism
The novels of Rizal
3. The Piecemeal Process
We study historical development:
1. Continual stream of cultural influences
2. Filipino reacted to these influence by assimilating them into their cultural heritage.
3. Process of acculturation that resulting in significant differences within a
recognizably common culture.
-For our national culture is not what we had in the beginning, it is what we have today.
And what we have today is not what we had to begin with, it is also what we have made
our own. It is totality and only this totality, with all it diversity of parts and complexity of
structure, that we have any right to call the culture of the Filipinos.
-This is about as much as history in its present state of development among us can tell
us about our culture.
-In short, history is indeed something to say to us, but we must not expect it to say what
we please. It has a truth of its own which is objective and extra mental. We cannot invent
this truth; we must discover it.

SONG OF A CITY-DWELLER
N.V.M Gonzales
Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez was born in Romblon, Romblon. He wrote for
the Philippine Graphic and later edited two famous magazines named Saturday
Evening News magazine and the Manila Chronicles This Week. His first published
essay appeared in the Philippine Graphic and his first poem in Poetry in 1934.
Gonzales was granted the Republic Award for Outstanding Contribution
towards the Advancement of Filipino Culture in the field of English Literature in
1954 and his famous short story, Children of the Ash-Covered Loam was published
in 1954. In 1997, he was proclaimed National Artist of the Philippines. The works of
Gonzalez have been published in Filipino, English, Chinese, German, Russian and
Indonesian.
SONG OF A CITY-DWELLER
N.V.M Gonzales
Clear as lonely crystal,
Gray like doves
The waters of the lake
Have only silence for their voice;
So will my heart seek long for song
So will my dreams be lost like ghosts
Pale as lonely smoke,
Gray like doves.
INTERPRETATION:
We should conserve and protect our natural resources.
MY IDEAL UNIVERSITY
Maximo M. Kalaw is a famous writer from Lipa, Batangas. He was born on May 10,
1891. He studied at the Philippine Normal School and the University of the Philippines
wherein he became a Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and the Editor of Collegio Folio,
the first school paper in UP. He is a holder of a degree in bachelor of Laws and Doctor of
Philosophy in Political Science. He is also the first Filipino to teach in an American
University. In this selection, he emphasized the qualities of an ideal university.