Portrait of a Great Man
By: Manuel A. Viray
Author's background:
Manuel A. Viray (1917-1995) was a Filipino writer and poet. He has compiled poetry anthologies, essays on Philippine literature. He worked in the foreign service corp of the Philippine government.
His works include Shawl from Kashmir and Other Stories and Wounded Stag: 54 Poems.
Source: answers.com
Vocabulary:
Capricious - given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
Snarled - say something in an angry, bad-tempered voice.
Placate - make (someone) less angry or hostile.
Commissioner - is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission.
Subordinates - a person under the authority or control of another within an organization.
Integration - the action or process of integrating.
- the intermixing of people or groups previously segregated.
Bureaucracy - a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made than by elected representatives.
Incessant - continuing without pause or interruption.
Discomfiture - a feeling of unease or embarrassment; awkwardness.
Allay - Disminish or put at rest.
Decry - publicly denounce.
Jurisprudence - the theory or philosophy of law.
source: www.google.com.ph
Characters:
Dr. Rufino T. Ventanilla
Perez
Villalva
Del Mundo
Zabala
Mr. Montalbo
Serafin
Lita
Juan Tuviera y Sibulsibul
Setting:
The story took place in the Philippines, Dr. Ventanilla's office building.
The weather, to the east, where the sun, intruder of sleep and stolen love, slowly rising.
Dr. Ventanilla is a Doctor, always in a hurry and never takes the time to appreciate the small stuff.
The shows him encountering several things that make him realize how he has been living and he ends up a changed man in the end.
Exposition:
The story starts off with Dr. Ventanilla and Serafin, his chauffeur, left the snarled traffic the streets of Avenida Rizal. Speeding along the Mabini Avenue, for them to arrive to the venue, in Dr. Ventanilla's office building. The story goes on with Dr. Ventanilla's capricious mood of the city.
Rising Action:
It shows here that Dr. Ventanilla enters his office every day, full of papers on his desk, stressed and tired of his everyday work. Being the highest position in the building.
Climax:
When Dr. Ventanilla got a message from his superior, the Commissioner, firing him. Fired and got transferred into to another department.
Falling Action:
This is where Dr. Ventanilla where being conversed by Perez and Marcos about how Dr. Ventanilla's unhappy life is, about his job, his Homelife, and a lot more. How he could've done his job properly, distribution of works etc.
Ending:
In the end, Perez got appointed Commissioner to succeed Dr. Ventanilla. Now relaxing in the luxurious car.
Symbolism:
The Symbolism showed in the story was the title itself "Portrait of a Great Man" it is somehow Ironic how the story shows this Grumpy guy, easily annoyed and doesn't even appreaciate small things. The paragraph stolen love, where Dr. Ventanilla has a lot of stress, where he can only rest when sleeping.
Theme:
The Theme of the story is about how someone can handle the stress in his everyday for having the wrong choice, a wrong life decision.
Lesson:
The lesson of the story is, you must learn how to choose the right path of the way you're living. It affects your daily life, your mental status, and your everything. Make good decision in making your Career in the future.
