Tuesday, August 11, 2009

A Review on Wedding Dance (Amador Daguio)


To bear children is very important element in creating a family and establishing better relationship between husband and wife; but it is something which Awiyao and Lumnay will never achieve. It is a story between two people belonging in one of the ethnic groups in the Philippines, the Ifugao. In order for us to better understand the story, we must understand their law. It states "A couple who wish to divorce due to infertility of either one of the partners is allowed by the law. A husband who divorces a wife without any valid reason will have to leave all properties to the children and the wife, this is another law." Though it was hard and painful, Awiyao wanted to have children so much that he divorced Lumnay and remarried another Ifugao named Madulimay. In the old Filipino culture, when people have not known anything about how fertility happens, a man questions another man’s masculinity if he does not have a child. In the case of Awiyao, though he feels that no one can replace Lumnay as the best wife, he still feels the need to divorce her just for him to have children who will follow him in the fields in the future. Lumnay asked why they should part if they’re love for each other is eternal. Why should they separate if there really is nothing wrong in their personal relationship?

I nearly burst into tears while I was reading the story. Daguio had shown the readers the great love Awiyao and Lumnay have for each other by heartbreaking lines they exchange while saying goodbye. Daguio had written a great love story with a great sense of ethnicity. He really showed people how rich culture Filipinos have.

In the story mentioned about Gangsas (gongs), which many ethnic groups in the Philippines play at a time of celebration. Women together with other men should dance around the fire at the sound of gongs while children sit and watch. The gangsas in the story is like a spirit calling Lumnay to take part in his ex-husband’s wedding. To her, hearing the gangsas is just like eating a poisoned apple, softly killing her, and taking away her soul. However in the end, the gangsas made Lumnay want to go to the wedding dance and question their law. She wanted to ask them why is it wrong to not bear children if you are married. Could they not stay the same way? They love each other anyway.

I like how Daguio constructed the story. It is very local, very nationalistic, no stain of western culture at all. If I were of another race, I’ll surely be more amazed and curious while reading the story. The story is very cultural from the way Awiyao opened the door and lit their fireplace up to the end where Lumnay ran into the woods and sit with their crops. It also mentioned about beads, and farm tools: the only worldly possession they have. Filipino life before was so simple yet so beautiful. If you would think about it, people in the ethnic group have a very different but astonishing way of living their lives. Now, youth could not live without computer as part of their school life; and gems, diamonds, and pearls are couples’ symbols of love for each other. In the story, the simple necklace made from beads is the symbol of their promise. See how simple they live in simplicity?

I needed to reread the last part because I was not able to understand it that much; but as I was reading it for the second time, I realized what the growing bean pods mean. At the last paragraph of the story states:
“The stretching of the bean pods full length from the hearts of the wilting petals would go on.”

In my opinion, Daguio meant that life still goes on. The hearts of the wilting petal symbolizes Lumnay’s broken heart. It means that though her heart is broken today, still her life goes on and there will be a new morning to face.
“She would be holding the bean flowers, soft in texture, silken almost, but moist where the dew got into them, silver to look at, silver on the light blue blooming whiteness, when the morning comes.”

Her painful experiences from getting out of the desolate memories she had while reminiscing Awiyao’s love will eventually fade and will transform her to a beautiful bean pod.
Though there is a huge gap between ethnic filipino groups from modernized Filipinos, surely the readers of the story could still relate a lot. Filipinos have great adoration of love stories relating to family crisis; and though the Wedding Dance by Amador Daguio is a simple one, it deserves a “vote of confidence”, for it stands up and shows the world how rich culture the Filipinos have.

13 comments:

  1. Nice Post!

    Can you also write the impact of American colonization of Philipines in the life of an ordinary citizen of Philipines.

    Thank you,
    Belson.

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  2. Thanks! (n_n) I'll think about that.. As of the moment, I am writing reviews regarding Philippine short stories, because it is a requirement for the course.. Haha! But that is a good idea.. Thanks so much!

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  3. thank you so much for the post, it inspires me so much that love should be eternal to both partner who love each other...:)

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  4. Sa palagay ko si Lumnay lang talaga ang totoong nagmamahal ng sobra2x sa estoryang to. Kasi kung mahal talaga ni Awiyao si Lumnay handa syang ipaglaban si Lumnay kahit isakripisyo pa nya ang kanyang pagkalalake. Kung gusto may paraan.lalo na sa taong pinakamamahal mo.

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  5. Sometimes a man's love is overshadowed by his pride especially if his social environment expects it from him.

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  6. I think the last paragraph talks about how maybe, it is Awiyao who is barren and not Lumnay. See, the growing bean pods symbolize fertility.

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  7. Thank you for such a beautiful post.

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  8. what do you think is the purpose of amador why he wrote the wedding dance?

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  9. what do you think is the purpose of amador why he wrote the wedding dance?

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  10. Amador Daguio has two-fold purpose in writing Wedding Dance. First, he exposes realities about the wedding culture of their tribe, together with the power of culture in the society and last,to give way to his subtle protest against leaving a wife due to tradition. He did that by magnifying Lumnay in the end. He insinuated that like the bean pods, Lumnay has a fertiled personality while Awiyao is morally barren.

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  11. OMG! How painful the story is! Lumnay is so helpless.. I can relate this story much because I am also a childless oneπŸ˜₯πŸ˜ͺπŸ˜–πŸ˜«. We did everything but God doesn't give us yet. Or if it is God's will, we can do nothing πŸ˜’πŸ˜”

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  12. How do the beans, the beads, and the spear contribute to the story? What do they represent in the life of the couple as well as the tribe?

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  13. 1.Comment in-depth on the nature of the nature of the relationship between Awiyao and Lumnay as "temporary couple. As member of the tribe, they must have a child to seal their marriage; otherwise, both of them will go back to the 'wedding dance' to find another mate. Is this sensible? How did Lumnay and Awiyao accept their fate?

    2. From your own point of view, describe the pain of losing your love one. Would you feel the same way Lumnay felt when Awiyao asked for a second chance?

    3.Justify the final sentence of the story: "Lumnay's fingers moved a long, long time among the growing bean pods."

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