Book Report in Developmental Reading

Book report in Developmental Reading

Title of the book: Sherds by Francisco Sionil Jose

Characters:

        Peter Gregory Golangco- A professor of aesthetics, fourth generation of Chinese-Filipino, great artist

        Betty Sy- PG’s former student, currently dean at University somewhere in Manila, had a long standing affair with PG.

        Guia Espiritu- Student assistant of PG and protégé in grooming

        Ecco Espiritu- Younger brother of Guia

        Sisang- PG’s house maid

        Gorio- PG’s driver

        Teroy- PG’s gardener

Synopsis:

        PG (Peter Gregory) Golangco regained his consciousness at almost nine in the evening but he can still identify the shapes of the people, houses and landscape itself. He remembered that he was with Guia, the gunfire and the hammer blown on his head. As he touch his face he found a blob of clay at his mouth after that he stood up and look for Guia. He touches his temple and look at his hand and he found a clotted blood.

He glanced at his rolex and saw that it was six in the evening of January 8. PG remembered that he left the atelier at sixth of January and he notice that he was unconscious for almost 2 days.

 He went down the valley without the help of his cane. Below the valley he saw the village where he left his Strada. Ecco arrived and said that they were looking for PG and they thought that he was already dead. He left Ecco and gave all his money and just left a one thousand, the foods the back of the strada and his rolex. PG went back to New Manila that was owned by Golangco’s since fifties.

PG finished his architecture degree at Manila and his master’s degree in arts at University of California during Martial law at the Philippines. He returned to Manila after Marcos was gone at the urging of Betty Sy. PG was the favorite of his father because he was an artist though he was strained by Polio.

Gorio opened the door and said that they were 2 days worried. He easily went to the atelier and look for his terra cotta statue of Guia but it was not there.

        When PG was thirty, Betty was his student. They become best friends and it mature into something fundamental. Betty married an American classmate and got divorced. Betty convinced him to go back to the Philippines.

        The first semester of his third year he notice a girl in a front row with darker skin tone with bright eyes. As he calls the entire name he found out that the girl is Guia Espiritu the only freshmen student. He asks why Guia attend his class and she answered that because PG had a Ph.D at the Berkeley.

PG was fourth-generation Chinese Filipino; his family was engage with banking, real estate, manufacturing and distillery. The other Golangco’s was land grabbers, jueteng operator and they were toadied to Marcos.

Guia was from the barrio Ramot in Central Luzon, her parents was already dead and she and her brother were currently residing at Sampaloc Manila. She’s having her part time job at Elysium but she and her brother got fired because his brother was accused of getting PG’s Palm personal digital assistant.

Guia work as PG’s secretary, they always talk about arts and he saw that there is a possibility that Guia will become her protégé. PG decided to buy her all the materials needed for her art work that she never had before, after familiarizing herself with brush, palette and oils she paint a girl with a sparkling smile with a mountain at the back, she said that the she was the girl in the painting and at the mountains she climbed together with her father to get firewood. PG said that Guia has a style and melancholy, at the first glance he thinks that it was a happy picture but as he observe it he sensed melancholy.

During the semestral break PG is schedule to have a seminar at Bangkok and Kyoto. When they went to Bangkok, Betty decide to go with them and when they were going to leave she notice that one piece of her earring is missing so she got angry. To make her calm, PG promised that when they back to Manila they will go to Bulgari to get another carrat and replace her earring as his Christmas gift.

Betty insists to go to Kyoto because she is the dean and the next semester was coming but it’s just her excuse, the real reason is she doesn’t want to go with Guia. Guia and PG go to Kyoto to attend the seminar. There is only one room vacant at the hotel so they decided to sleep at the same room but different sides. Guia can’t sleep because she was not comfortable with the room. PG suggest to her that clear her mind so she can be able to sleep. While PG was in the middle of his sleep, he heard a girl crying and he saw that Guia was crying while sleeping. He decided to wake Guia, Guia push him and he lay at the floor. After Guia realize that it was PG she stands up and help PG to stand.

It was dawn when PG, Guia and Gorio go to Ramot with the foods prepared by Sisang and when they reach Ramot, Guia pointed out the mountains and PG remembered that they had family reunion at that place before. They were escorted by four women and when they reach the mountain side, Guia gave something to the women and he thinks that it was money.

Before starting to get clay they offer atang and betel nut. The clay was compressed terra cotta. It had impurities and Guia saw a thin rim sticking out and PG said that be careful. After they dug it PG recognize it as pre-Hispanic Pottery in burial sites in Palawan. He said that it was Guia’s heritage.

Betty, Guia and PG attend gala opening at Solidaridad. Betty spoke very first and she described the pottery from before up to present. After that PG showed his work and a young bearded man ask him that much of art is derivative and he asks PG again if he believes in social protest, PG said that he’s not interested in politics and he is an artist and needs freedom. And then the man said that art is all political then PG said that art thrives on freedom then an old woman said that freedom is a political condition. PG got angry on what they said that he is free to express himself because he came from Golangco family.