The shadows aimed their revolvers at the family. And the leader made a slight gesture that in the pale light was I could not understand. A noise, accompanied by a swishing whip-like sound, shook the house. The bolo was pried loose from the farmer’s hand, followed by a resounding fall of a body on the floor. The woman lunged at the husband’s bloody body, now shaken by convulsive spasms. The oldest child began to cry.
“This fool was going to resist. One blow with the barrel of my gun and he’s down.”
(Our Father, when our enemies came to our town, I learned a lot of things that would have permanently eluded my understanding had the war spared us.
(I came to know that a man’s heart is like grass, dried in the heat of the sun, that could easily flare up once grazed by cinders. Forces of evil went on a rampage until they completely dominated everything. As forms of heroism emerged, monstrous greed spread its wings. Ignorance was crushed underneath, weighed down by an excess of money. Prosperity merely reinforced the urge to commit more evil. The heroic greatness of a few appeared as a small wick lamp barely visible in the darkness of indifference and treachery of many.
(Life, Our Father, was a patch of dark colors, but in each moment seen by eyes blessed by your goodness, this meaningless void manifested a design. Our Father, if I had, on some occasions, been blind to life’s grand design, then I ask you to forgive this humble creature.)
The shadows began to ransack the house. The glass dressers were shot and forcibly opened. Clothes were hastily strewn about, and wads of money stuck deep within the dresser were discovered one by one. Rummaging through the family’s things, the thieves stumbled upon a small pouch containing some pieces of jewelry that the family had gradually acquired. Even the father’s expensive clothes were thrown into a huge pile to be taken away.
(Our Father, in those dark moments in our nation’s history, I strove to ingrain in my mind that money was the slave of man and should do his bidding. And I struggled to accept that all Your blessings were not meant to be exclusively used for my family’s interests in the face of our neighbors’ massive poverty. I tried to help my fellowmen at all times. Another source of pain and suffering was my impisonment in the enemies’ garrison when I was taken prisoner and severely beaten. Thank you, Our Father, for through your help, my life was spared.
(For three years, Our Father, we suffered a living death. And if we survived these moments of danger, it was because of your goodness to us, your humble children.
(Meanwhile, we were gradually running out of palay stored in our granary as we gave it away to the starving people, our rice yet to be harvested was slowly disappearing. But in the midst of all these sufferings, I felt joy because I had been of help to the people. Such generosity, in turn, caused my family to experience extreme hunger until the time when during the ferocious battles between the enemies and the friends of the country, our hearts almost broke at the pitiful sight of our young children clamoring for food.)
The shadows had exhausted what they could loot.
The house was a total wreck, a garbage dump littered with various pieces of clothing and broken furniture.
The man was slowly recovering his consciousness.
The youngest child could not stop crying. And the oldest child had his mother in a tight embrace as he continued to sob.
The three other chldren remained in deep sleep.
The roosters had begun crowing in the early dawn.
The sound of the shadows’ footsteps continued to fade away.
(Our Father, dust I am and unto dust I shall return. My heart is at peace and my conscience is undisturbed.
(Money can always be earned, Our Father. Precious jewelry and expensive attire are superfluous wealth. The only thing that mattered is life and its place in the scheme of Life. If in my life there had been moments when I failed to see the truth that lay hidden behind the glittering image, I beg your forgiveness on this lowly creature, Our Father.
(It this is your punishment, my soul is on its knees in abject surrender.
(If this serves as a reminder, I prostrate myself in Your Presence.
(If this is the force of the water inundating the fields, leaving behind fertilizing elements, please restore my sight.
(And please forgive them for they know not what they were doing.)
The morning star began its gentle ascent into the firmament.
Anvil Plus
STUDY GUIDE
“Love in the Rice Fields”
1. Who is the narrator (the persona) in the story? What is the point of view of this narrator?
2. As the narrator, what are his limitations as far as the extent of his observations is concerned? Are there advantages in using this point of view? Explain.
3. Who are the main characters in this story? What details and images are used to describe them?
4. The story is, among other topics, about love. What kind of love is this? Are there other forms of love in the story?
5. What role does the race between Ore and Pastor play in the story? How is this race related to the story’s ending? Explain.
6. At another level, this story is a celebration of life in the barrio, an experience that is probably unfamiliar to most of us. But as the narrator describes them, what impressions about this life are created in your mind? Are they generally positive or negative? Explain.
7. Work in the field is extremely difficult and entails great physical strength. What actually happens when the farmers do prepare the soil for planting? Why does Pineda use this “unromantic” context for a love story?
8. Can we say that, contrary to myths about love as an extraordinary event taking place under extraordinary circumstances, love is a kind of “labor” just like any other human acivity? Explain.
9. In what specific ways can we consider this story “modern”? Explain by using details from the text, especially in the way characters are described, in the manner images and symbols, and even tone, are utilized.
10. The carabao is a beast of burden oftentimes seen on the farm before the use of tractors. Point out the instances when these beasts are described in the story and explain why much attention has been given to them not only as part of the background but as an essential element in the story.
11. Discuss the significance of the narrator’s constant reference to Pilang’s fair legs. How old would this narrator be? Can you suggest a way of interpreting this fixation on a part of a young woman’s anatomy?
12. Look for some of the paintings of Fernando Amorsolo about life in the barrio. Do you see any similarities in the images decribed by Pineda and the pictures painted by Amorsolo? Explain.
“Dawn Breaking”
1. This is a short story with two parallel narratives both dealing with the experiences of the protagonist. The story begins with a bleak and dark image—that of a nightmare—that refers to his present situation. How does this opening scene anticipate the story’s ending? Explain.
2. From the series of impressions and details that the character shares with us, how will you describe him, where he is, the situation he finds himself in, and his actual condition? To what senses do the descriptive details appeal in order to create a dominant impression?
3. What is the effect of a very slow, gradual narration of the incidents that take place in the present? What does this say about the ability of Pineda to create a series of scenes and to draw the reader into the story? Explain.
4. The moon appears numerous times in the story—both in the forest and in the village. Explain the functions that the moon takes in order to not only reinforce the mood but to enrich the story? Illustrate.
5. In his evocation of life in the village, in those days of innocence, what details of time and place does Pineda use to recreate a whole way of life enjoyed by the poeple before war broke out? What is the general attitude of the central character towards this aspect of his past?
6. An important part of this past was the friendship formed. Who is Iro and what role will he event
ually play in the narrative?
7. Like his other stories, this text affords the reader glimpses of romantic love. What qualities of this love are expored by Pineda? Why is this theme crucial to the story?
8. How does the soldier meet his death? In the face of certain death, what qualtiies does the soldier display? What do these traits say about his character?
9. The relationship between the past and the present seems to be a theme in this story. How is this theme fleshed out? Explain how characters, mood and atmosphere, events, to name a few, help each other heighten the differences between the past and the present.
10. Why did Pineda choose this particular title? Death is darkness, a cessation of life. How would you explain the image of light in the title?
11. This is a war story. How does this story differ from other stories about war that you have read or films that have seen? Explain.
12. War as dehumanizing and destructive is an idea that informs this story. But war is still very much a part of life. After more than six decades, the Philippines and Japan are now perceived as allies in Asia’s complex geo-politics. What are your thoughts on this?
“The Measure of a Man”
1. As Kardo comes home, how is his general mood described? Enumerate the details used to give the reader a general impression of how he feels.
2. How does he relate with his younger sister who excitedly meets him? Is this consistent with what he feels? How does he relate to his parents who are waiting for him? What do these encounters further reveal about Kardo?
3. This story hides a terrible secret that needs to be revealed. Discuss the steps taken by Kardo to reveal the secret. Is the method of unfolding the secret hysterical? Too dramatic? Simple but effective?
4. What is the secret? How has this secret affected the way Kardo’s relates with this family? With the community?
5. This story deals with a necessary and terrible burden placed on any soldier. What is this burden? How does the story deal with the circumstances under which a soldier kills? Explain.
6. What is the significance of the scene between Kardo and his father? How do we know what the father’s feelings are after Kardo’s confession?
7. What is the mother’s response to his son’s deed? What does this response say about her religious faith? About the whole community gathered in the chapel?
8. Discuss the nature of forgiveness and reconciliation that the story depicts. Would you, like the characters in the story, forgive the sinner? Why?
9. What is the significance of the final scene as Kardo and Neneng walk towards her house? What is the role of the young boy?
10. Explain what you think is the meaning of the story’s title.
11. Of the characters, with whom do you identify the most? Why?
“My Country Is a Filipina”
1. The story is told “in medias res” (in the middle of things), when past events have already taken place. What is the scene with which the story begins? Decribe the opening scene. What impressions do we get as two men talk about a picture?
2. Who is the narrator? What do we know about him? What is his relationship with Arturo?
3. What are the first impressions of Arturo that the narrator has? How does Arturo explain his desire to join the guerilla movement? How does he do justice to a noble calling?
4. How are heroic deeds, revolving around love of country, related to another and more personal form of love? Explain.
5. What do these two types of love reveal about Arturo’s character? Explain.
6. The first letter is accompanied by the picture of a beautiful woman. What accompanies the second letter? Why is the truth initially withheld from the reader by the narrator? How does this technique of the author help build suspense?
7. How are the truths about Arturo—his life as a guerilla, his real identity before he joined the war, and his secret passion—revealed to the woman he loved, her father, and to the reader? Is this way of unravelling of his secrets effective? Explain.
8. The notion of class conflict appears in this story. How is this reality explored in the narrative? What do you think of the woman’s father? Do we see versions of him in our lives? Explain.
9. In the story, the woman hardly speaks—she is captured in a photograph, she barely opens her mouth as she listens of Arturo’s story, as tears streamed down her face. What can you say regarding this depiction of the woman? Is this a familiar way of portraying women? If so, what could have been the socio-cultural reasons for the prevalence of this female stereotype?
10. What, for you, are the interrelated meanings of the story? Explain.
11. How do you explain the last section in the story which describes a cemetery for the fallen soldiers? How does this ending strengthen the story’s themes?
12. In your own lives, how do you demonstrate your love of country? Please specify.
“A Wedding in the Big House”
1. The opening scene shows a group of people from the village, joking and bantering among themselves, coming to the big house for a wedding. How does this opening serve as the introduction to the interrelated themes that the writer will explore in the story? Explain.
2. Who is the narrator? Does he play an important role in the story? If he does, in what precise ways? Explain.
3. What is the figure of speech where human qualities are attributed to places or inanimate objects? How is this figure of speech used in this story? Is this image effectively used?
4. More than any story in this anthology, this text offers insights into the meaning of “class” as a socio-economic concept. How are the people from the lower class depicted? How are the people from the upper class depicted? Do these depictions shatter certain sterotypes we have about the rich and the poor? Explain.
5. Like Pineda’s other stories, this text holds a secret that is revealed as the story is about to end. What techniques does Pineda use in order to hint at the secret through characters, dialogues, gestures, etc.? Enumerate these details.
6. What is the relationship between the narrator and Anita? Between the narrator and Terong? Illustrate your answer from the text.
7. The traditional theme of unrequited love, or love that is not fuliflled, is explored in at least three ways in the story. What are these manifestations?
8. In the case of Alfonso and Isabel, how does the wedding of Arturo and Anita relate to the older characters’ love? Explain.
9. How are the women in the story depicted? How are the men’s strengths and weaknesses shown? Do these depictions succeed in creating believable characters?
10. How is the image of the old house smiling related to the themes of love and class? Explain.
11. What commentary about the rich and their use of power is embodied in the story? Do you think class antagonism can really be reconciled through love and marriage? Explain.
12. In numerous teleseryes and films about love between a rich character and a poor one, how is this class antagonism eventually resolved? Does this frequently happen in real life? Prove your answer.
“Oh My Jesus … By Thy Crown of Thorns”
1. The title is taken from a novena for the dead, where Jesus, Mary, and various saints are invoked, imploring their help for the soul of the deceased. Based on your knowldege, what does a crown mean? In the Bible, which characters have been described as wearing a crown?
2. Describe the makeshift altar that the narrator and his friend see when they attend the last day of prayers. What deeper ideas are symbolized by the details at the altar?
3. The episode featuring Ka Nene and her children seems unimportant. But upon closer examination, we see how this incident strengthens the initial belief of both the narrator and his cousin Edo, Nanang Hina’s son, about women who marry and suffer the consequences. What is this initial belief?
4. The reader gets to know the dead woman through the recollection of both the narrator and Edo. What insights does the reader get from the men’s recollections? What qualities of a mot
her are revealed in the men’s stories?
5. Although the actual war was over when the story took place, this period in our history occupies an important place in the narrative. In what ways does the war play an important role in clarifying the themes?
6. Describe the episode between Tonyo and Minang. The reader has to read between the lines to understand that in a few sentences, Pineda succeeds in telling a love story with a happy ending. What is the story? Discuss.
7. Do you agree that “those who have gone ahead are full of regret, while those left behind struggle to get ahead”? What is the purpose of using that saying in the story? Are you aware of other sayings that express a similar idea?
8. How would you interpret the last scene in the story? Are you prepared for that ending? Why or why not? Explain.
9. Enumerate instances where the opposition between life and death, between light and darkness, between hope and despair, between youth and old age, among others, is fleshed out through characters and images. What is the purpose of highlighting these oppositions?
10. A story usually plots the movement undergone by a character as he journeys from ignorance to knowledge, from despair to hope, from rebellion to acceptance. Is this the case in this story? Explain. How are these oppositions reconciled in the image of the “crown of thorns”?
11. What is the significance of naming the dead mother Regina? Explain.
12. The story is seen not through Edo, the son, but through Edo’s cousin, the narrator. Would the story have been more effective if Edo or a neighbor had been used as a point of view? Why or why not? Explain.
“Each Withered Flower”
1. The pastoral is an important genre which focuses its attention, in the West, on the lives of shepherds and shepherdesses as they work and play amidst rural scenes of indescribale loveliness and peace. Pineda has drawn on the conventions of the pastoral in the way he has used idyllic scenes from rural life as the context of his stories. Instead of young people frolicking merrily, this story features a farmer and his wife and a tragedy that befalls them. As the story opens, how is nature described? What mood is created by using these details and impressions?
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