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I. TITLE

The title of the story Without Seeing the Dawn serves as the central idea of what the

story wants to convey to its readers. The title uncovers the story of each character that

died without seeing the dawn.

It was like a dead village after most of the people had departed. The valley that had once cradled thevillage on the slope lay like a clearing. The three mango trees stood upright like mushrooms and the talldoldol trees with fire-scarred branches stood gaunt and thin. Up the sward toward the edge of the bamboosstood the huts of the villagers like empty nests from which the birds had flown. On nights when the pale,watery moon rose from behind thin, smoky clouds, the dogs that have been left behind would howl andbark in the yards of the darkened houses.(ook !umber ", #hapter $%, &age '), &aragraph, *entences $-+

The Battle of the Great Soldiers is my suggested title for the novel. The title implies that agroup of men, who were once farmers, ecame soldiers in order to avenge the death of

their relatives and attain freedom that they were longing for from the hands of the

!apanese soldiers.

ucio and Intong the harelip, armed with rifles, watched on the slope behind the barrio chapel facing therice fields of uayahon. uben and las, also with rifles, sat beneath the waving stalks of the cornfield thatwas the approach from the barrio of akadon.(ook !umber ", #hapter ", &age "$, &aragraph , *entences $-"+

On the path facing /ono, Turing, who did not talk much, and another man, who always sang at the top ofhis voice when drunk, were set to watch.(ook !umber ", #hapter ", &age ""0, &aragraph $, *entence $+

ut if you were a soldier and came home to find that your brother or parents had been shot by the1apanese, your wife or sister raped, your children put to the bayonet or the sword, would that not be as biga reason for fighting again, hopeless though the cause might appear to be2(ook !umber ", #hapter ", &age ""0, &aragraph , *entence +

II. POINT OF VIEW

The point of view used in the novel is omniscient. The narrator relays to his readers what

each character does, feels and thin"s. #e also has the power to change every event in the

story and even the outcome of the story. $lso, the novel is in the third person o%ective

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where the narrator is %ust narrating what is going on through out the story as if he was not

in the story.

The boys looked at each other wonderingly and &oncing said, 3#arding is moving into his new house

because he is getting married tomorrow. I4ll tell you what we shall do. et us get up early and gra5ecarabaos before cockcrow so we can eat at the wedding feast. There will be meat and pork and chickenaplenty. They are going even going to kill 6gpang, I hear.7(ook !umber $, #hapter ), &age '), &aragraph $, *entences $-+

The story retains its omniscient point of view. Though it doesn&t shift, the narrator was still

ale to hold the novel together ecause the coherence of ideas was still visile in the story,

thus ma"ing the story complete.

8e could carry a fat sack of rice about as easily as the fecund women of his village carried their babies attheir hips.(ook !umber $, #hapter $, &age ', &aragraph $, *entence '+

8e had been gone a week and more, along with the other young men of the village, and already she haddespaired of seeing him again soon.(ook !umber $, #hapter "0, &age $', &aragraph , *entence $+

*he was still praying when she heard the first shot from the direction of the town.(ook !umber ", #hapter $%, &age ', &aragraph 9, *entence $+

III. DRAMATIC CONFLICT

The asic conflict in the novel is internal, which is man versus himself. $n e'ample of a

character who encountered this "ind of conflict was (arding. #e always had a hard time in

deciding what he was going to do in a situation. There is always a conflict etween what he

thin"s and what he really needs.

Tonight, however, #arding had a fear that his father would not understand the way he would talk. 8ewatched his father from the corners of his eyes. Tatay 1uan was silently eating large fistfuls of red ricewhich he first pressed into balls with his thick brown fingers. *ometimes he spat out the scales which hehad lodged between his tobacco-stained teeth. #arding wished now that his father was talkative, like:anong :arcelo the school teacher, perhaps, so that he would not find it so hard to say what he wanted.(ook !umber $, #hapter $, &age $0, &aragraph $, *entences $-+

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There were also e'ternal conflicts found in the story. The first "ind of e'ternal conflict is

man versus man where a character attles with another character physically or not.

;orgetting her mortal fear of the 1apanese, the girl bit the corporal on the cheek and, taking hold of his

short beard, pushed his face away. 8is eyes flashing dangerously, the 1apanese put his hand on the breastof her chemise and ripped away the thin cotton cloth, leaving her naked in his arms.

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36 wife must be obedient,7 continued !anay &ia in a flat, monotonous voice, the way she said her beads.3The husband is the head of the family and he has the right to have all his wishes obeyed. There is asaying that many milling supervisors will turn out molasses from good sugar-cane Auice. *o it is with thehouse. Two rulers will result in discord.7(ook !umber $, #hapter ', &age "=, &aragraph =, *entences $-+

They made ready to carry the loads of their sleds up into the new house but Tatay 1uan stopped them,saying, 3Bou, #arding, you carry the rice upstairs first of all. ice is the staff of life and it should bewelcomed as the first guest into your new house so that you shall not lack for something to eat while livingunder its roof.7 *o it was that #arding, carrying on his shoulder a sack of rice, was the first to climb up thestairs and push in the door of the new house.(ook !umber $, #hapter ), &age '), &aragraph ), *entences '-+

The title of the novel does suggest its theme. The novel %ust ended without the characters

attaining freedom and %ustice. They thought that they could achieve freedom in any way

they could do. Still they died without seeing the dawn.

36h, when aid comes,7 they sighed. 3y the time that aid arrives all that is left of us will be bones bleachedupon the side of the hills.7 Those whose loved ones had been killed cried, 3

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V. CHARACTERIZATION

There are aout + characters found in the story which had important roles and had ta"en

action in the story.

6t her side were Toria, &enang, ;lora, and 6licia, who glancing meaningfully at #arding, giggled and

whispered things into her ears, and she kept pinching their arms. On her right arm, wrapped in a piece of

coarse white paper, she carried her wedding terno, the long skirt and blouse which had been made by the

best dressmaker in the town.

(ook !umber $, #hapter ), &age '9, &aragraph $, *entences $-"+

The principal characters are drawn from a group of farmers. (arding is the most

convincing farmer among them ecause the author made him the most prominent and

well-"nown farmer in the story y descriing him thoroughly.

8e was only eighteen old but already he was tall, as wide as a house, and he had big strong arms like

those of the town blacksmith.

(ook !umber $, #hapter $, &age ', &aragraph $, *entence $+

On that warm late 6pril afternoon when the wide, waDy tobacco leaves drooped heavily beneath the fierce

heat of the &hilippine sun and the wind was asleep in the treetops, #arding, stripped to the waist, was

plowing a few more turns before the sun dipped behind the smoky-blue mountains of :a-asin to the west.

riskly he flicked the lead against the large black belly of 6gpang, the old bull carabao.

(ook !umber $, #hapter $, &age ', &aragraph "-", *entence $+

)en occupied the chief places in the novel ecause of (arding and his friends fighting in

the war. The author succeeded more in presenting the men ecause they had more of the

author&s focus of ideas or for short, they are more prominent than women. )en are also

most life-li"e ecause as of now, they still do all the hard wor" li"e in the story. nli"e

women, who used to stay at their homes and wait for their husands, now wor"s to earn a

living for their family.

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71ust shut yourselves up tonight as usual,7 uben said. 3

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Some of the characters do some surprising actions. (arding, who was a it childish at the

eginning of the story, was acting different when 1ucing gave irth to a child.

ucing4s belly had swollen like that of the poisonous fish called the oteteand it became difficult for her to

go to the river to bathe. #arding said that was all right because he would fetch water from the river and she

could bathe inside the toilet where the cold air would not touch her. 8e hovered about her like a mongrel

dog hungry for a pat on the head or a dry bone. Often, when he came home from the pasture grounds and

had tethered ag-o to a post under the house, he would proudly eDhibit a ripe papaya or the first atisof the

season saying, 3I got this because you like atisso much.7 6nd when she said that he was thoughtful he

would merely grunt and mumble something like a shy child. 8e cooked porridge or made chicken broth for

her at the slightest provocation, and ucing would ask gently, 3Eo I always look starved, #arding27

(ook !umber $, #hapter %, &age %, &aragraph ', *entences $-%+

The characters in the novel are round. *or e'ample, (arding who was once a peaceful

and loving person ecame a war frea" in the latter part of the story.

ut he had clutched her hand tighter in his enormous fists like a drowning man and grimly asserted, 3Bes,

yes. /od grant that or I won4t be responsible for what I might do.7

(ook !umber $, #hapter ", &age "', &aragraph ", *entence $+

3isten,7 said #arding softly. 3I did not want to Aoin at first, remember2 !ow that I am in I won4t be stopped

merely by foolish uncles, nor by you, either.7

(ook !umber ", #hapter =, &age "99, &aragraph 9, *entences $-'+

2icardo Suerte, also "nown as (arding, is my preferred hero of the story. #e is a tall man

who is very rave, strong and industrious. #e can e admired for his patriotism for his

village. nfortunately, he turned into a soldier of a guerilla. 3n the other hand, the villain of

the story is the !apanese. They can e admired ecause of their supremacy.

3!othing much,7 said ieutenant #astillo. 3ut you have awakened to find yourself a hero. Ten of the enemy

killed, ten rifles captured, plus one three-inch mortar, do not come everyday. Gverything is on the record. I

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sent a report to the head>uarters today and eDpect your promotion to staff sergeantship. #arding, it was a

lucky day for the guerillas when you decided to Aoin us. These men here swear that your personal bravery

and initiative were responsible for today4s signal victory. The whole countryside is bu55ing with your feat,

and if you were not married I swear that a do5en virgins would gladly take you to their beds.

(ook !umber ", #hapter $0, &age "0, &aragraph ), *entences $-=+

The officer gave a signal to the police. The police caught his arms and tied his wrists once more with a long

piece of wire. They passed the end of the wire through an iron ring in the ceiling and pulled until his arms

were stretched perpendicularly over his head. The officer rolled his sleeves and took the whip from the

police@ then he drew back his arm. #arding closed his eyes as the three cowhide lashes of the whip licked

out like three deadly snakes and enveloped his chest in their hot coils.

(ook !umber ", #hapter $), &age ''', &aragraph ", *entences $-+

There is a character in the story that is e'aggerated y the author and it is (arding. They

are also more villainous than people in the usual life.

8G