A Critical Analysis of the Poem Dead Stars by H.O Santos using Formalist Approach

First and foremost, the composition is in a structure of a poem. It is a three-stanza poem consisting of four lines each. It begins with the speaker introducing the dilemma he experienced. Then, it talks about what-if possibilities if he had gone on a different path. Finally, it ends with a concluding statement stating why exactly the outcome occurred. The plot primarily involves the main character(the speaker) pondering the possibilities of a decision he did not derive before. Apparently, he feels regretful for his past actions. He believes that if he made the correct decision, he would have never experienced misery. Meanwhile, although the plot is quite a tip of an iceberg because of the structure's brevity, the message is perfectly presented as a poem as it focuses on the personal interpretation of audiences. 

The poem includes three main parts that relate to the message. I call them the three R's; regret, recreation, resolve. The first one involves the "regret," wherein the speaker re-imagines how it would have affected his current situation if he had only had "told her." Here, he ponders about the peace he would have attained, only if he had done otherwise. The speaker then expands on this during the next part, the "recreation." In this part, he recreates situations in his life, in the context of his unfulfilled desire; the what-if possibilities. Lastly, the speaker then moves on to the "resolve." Here he concludes that all these probabilities are inevitably unfeasible. They could only happen in a world wherein he knew about the dead stars. These sections relate to the message as it dissects it into a more comprehensive prospect for the audience.

The story follows a first-person POV. Therefore, the one narrating is the one who experienced these situations first-hand, the lead persona. This resolve is because of the use of the pronoun "I" in the whole narration. Furthermore,  the manner of expression concerns a first-person perspective. Thus, it is evident that the narrator of this composition is the lead persona experiencing the situations first-hand.

The main character is the speaker in the composition. Meanwhile, the minor characters include two people; Venus and Mars. Both may represent the love interests of the speaker. I think the dilemma the main character experienced primarily involves these two. The "unfulfillment" of the main character may pertain to the untold love for one of them. In my opinion, the speaker regrets not telling the truth to Mars, for he would have known about the dead stars. Then, it would have led to a different situation wherein he gave full attention to Venus. 

As the poem expresses extreme brevity, the setting focuses more on time. It primarily emphasizes the past and the present. Both of which pertain to the "wrong" decision and the regret of that decision. The past mainly involved the accumulation of the situations wherein the speaker experiences the dilemma. The present then symbolizes the result of those decisions. It is also when the speaker realizes about "dead stars," which leads to his regret, recreation, and resolve.

The author seems to be using creative language to express his message sophisticatedly yet graspable. He makes use of figurative language, specifically, metaphors in explaining the "what-if" situations. One application is "Venus instead of Mars." He also uses symbolism to relate to the readers about the importance of various matters. One example is "stars," which symbolize love. In addition, he makes use of unique vocabulary as well as nontraditional technique. All these creative uses of language function as an individualizer for the author and a method for more engaging compositions.