Arachne

The Story of Arachne is an example of the fine line that exists between pride and
arrogance. The author uses Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, and Arachne, a
simple mortal, to prove the importance of being humble. This is evident through the fact
that a mere mortal challenged a goddess who believed herself to be superior. Secondly,
Arachne was convinced that she was the best weaver, never showing modesty of her
talent. Lastly, Arachne was taught not to defy a god and yet did not care to go against
that.

Arachne had become so arrogant that she had the audacity to belittle Athenas
talent. She even dared to compare it to her own, saying that hers was superior. This
was discovered when the nymph said that her weaving was so excellent that it looked
like Athena herself had taught Arachne. This was when Arachne challenged Athena.

Athena was too proud to be challenged by a human. She thought that no mortal
could measure up to her status. The truth was that she truly felt threatened by Arachne.
She did not want to step up to the challenge and therefore gave her the opportunity to
back out of it.

Although it was admirable that Arachne challenged the authority and knowledge
of the goddess, it was her overconfidence that led her to her undesired fate. By putting
the talent of Athena under doubt, Arachne humiliated the goddess, who unto the other
mortals signified wisdom and therefore reverence. She learned a lesson that she wasnt
soon to forget. Therefore, learning never to cross the line that lies between a mortal and
a God.

In conclusion the theme of this story was not to build yourself up with confidence.
Athenas pride caused her to humiliate herself in front of the mortals. At the same time,
Arachne learned her lesson, and was condemned to a miserable life. This was a life in
which she was able to weave endlessly and as fate would have it.
 The characters are Arachne, Athena and the mortals. The exposition is: Arachne
was a popular weaver that skills aren’t like no other. Due to her efforts in weaving she
produced works of art that made the Goddess Athena want curious of her talent. The
rising action is: Goddess Athena challenged Arachne to a weaving contest, whereas the
loser will have to give up weaving forever.
The falling action is: Arachne lost to the Goddess and therefore declared the loser of the
contest. And this, Arachne wasn’t allowed to touch any spindle ever again. The
resolution is: By the Goddess’ pity she turned Arachne into a creature that’ll have the
ability to weave without a spindle.
The Good Bishop

The whole chapter is a direct analogy between M. Myriel and Jesus. In the  New
Testament, Jesus uses parables while he preaches. The Bible records forty-six of
them. And in this chapter, we witness Myriel using his own parables while talking ("He
was kind and indulgent, and talked rather than preached. ") to his flocks throughout
the diocese.

Jesus is, in the Bible, the Christ than any good Christian must follow. Victor
Hugo constructed the character of Myriel in order to personify the author's vision of
an ideal self which can serve as a shining example for us to emulate. Myriel is setting
the standard, a very high one, for the whole novel. Now, we can start to appreciate
why the author changed the order from his earlier drafts and placed first the book
dedicated to Bienvenu Myriel. The humble priest is the standard by which the actions
of all the other characters in the novel will be judged.

The title of the chapters mentions a "hard bishopric", although by reading the
chapter it may not be immediately clear what is hard about it. Travelling so much
around the diocese after having surrendered the means to pay for a convenient mode
of transportation certainly requires some efforts. Humbly facing the snickering from
local bourgeois necessitates a lot of character as well.

But finding the right words, the right examples, the right parables must be the
hardest. Facing stubbornly selfish people, it may require a lot of patience to deliver a
message of brotherly love and mutual support. Where one would tend to feel
frustrated, Myriel shows a lot of patience and understanding.

In order to understand the greatness of Myriel in the way he preaches to

people, one has to transpose his situation into our modern world. Myriel knows
the Good News of the Gospels and especially the practical applications into the
society of his time. We, modern progressives, also "know" about our need to
collaborate in order to create a more humane society, a sustainable economy, just
taxes, affordable health care, etc. But how effective are we when we approach a Fox-
News-fed Tea Party advocate? Are we, like Myriel, able to find the right words and
remain calm and patient when facing aggressive comebacks?

If we can transpose our current struggle in the sphere of political and social
discourse back into Myriel's times, who must have been facing similar difficulties, then
we may understand both how great a soul Myriel's was, and how timeless the notions
that Hugo writes about are.
At Ako’y Inanod

The characters are Loloy, Pepita, Pepita’s brother, Sonia, Ester, Fe, Prospera
and Risa. The setting is one night at the Letoil Parlor. The plot: when the two boys met
at the Letoil Parlor but Loloy, instead of greeting his bestfriend, looked down like a sign
of shamefulness to him after they have met each other’s eyes. After that shameful
moment of Loloy, he said to himself that his bestfriend will soon to know why he had hid
himself for the past few months. Loloy started to write a letter narrating what really
happened to him and that the letter could answer why he went far away from his
bestfriend whom he calls Kid. Loloy started to narrate first in the letter on how they two
became bestfriends, he stated there his weakness to women's flirtatious actions
towards him and his bestfriend's fear of them. Kid advised him to stay away from them
for him to avoid temptation but due to his stubbornness he disobeyed him and because
of that disobedience they didn't have time to do what they usually do together in school
but they would still go out together at night, go to movie theaters together while smoking
some cigars. He also frequently visits his bestfriend's parents whom he call "Tiyo and
Tiya" and his Tiya would enthusiastically listen to his story-telling session using some
books printed in Bisaya. Because of his fondness of reading he also has the talent to
write but unfortunately stopped because he prioritizes his girls than his talent. One day,
while he was in Kid's house, a girl named Pepita suddenly sat in front of him and asked
"Loloy, nkaramdam ka na ng. . . tunay na pag-ibig" and it took him a while to respond to
it because he saw in Pepita's eyes what she felt for him. Pepita walked out from his
sight after he stupidly answered her question. One morning in July, Loloy tried to look
for his bestfriend but saw Pepita instead and asked her where Kid was at. Pepita
answered him coldly which caused him to ask if she was mad at him. Pepita did not
answer it and ran towards the house leading upstairs. When he finally got there with her
he asked her again if she was mad at him and this what Pepita answered:

"Galit ako sayo Loloy, galit! Kung marunong ka lang sanang umunawa, di ako
magagalit. Minahal kita, ngunit di mo ako iniibig. Bakit, di ba ako nararapat sa'yo? Di ba
ako kapantay nina Sonia, Ester, Fe, Prospera, at Risa sa ganda at talino? Sino ka ba na
ayaw umibig sa akin? may araw din, Loloy, ikaw ang magagalit at maiinggit sa akin.
Magsisisi ka rin, magsisisi!"

The denouement is after Pepita's love confession to Loloy. Loloy was strucked by
this sudden emotion. His weakness; a woman. Because of that confession, Loloy was
carried away of the emotion and had the urge to kiss her. He wanted to run and escape
from that scene but he felt that it was useless, so they did 'the thing' and he saw that
Pepita smiled.
Divided by Two

Theirs is apparently not a happy marriage, Belle and her husband’s. The
bitterness within the context of their living together must be something almost akin to
the relationship of Badoy and Agueda in Nick Joaquin’s May Day Evefor Belle and her
husband live together but seem to inhabit different worlds apart from the home they
share and the community in which they live. Inside themselves, a complex array of
thoughts and emotions stir, torturing them all and complicating all their lives. Divide by
Two by Francisco Arcellana is not just a peep into a moment of a married couple – it is
a trickily structured short story, an artistic execution of the Iceberg Theory.
The story utilizes only one proper noun to address one of the important characters –
Belle. But the story revolves around Belle, her husband and their couple neighbors.

One social implication that the story provides is prevalent behavior of most
individuals today - wearing masks. We tend to be a different person depending on
where we are, what situation we are in and how people react. Hypocrites, who blame
others for their mistakes and resist better changes in themselves, are flourishing in our
society because we think taht we can get away with our problems by running away from
them or acting like they aren't there. Another social implication would be the never-
ending competition in life. One must have more, more, more. We think of how we could
benefit from every opportunity even if our dignity and integrity are neglected. These are
actually happening in reality. We must learn to set our own boundaries and control
ourselves because freedom is the right to do what is moral.

Divide by Two is indeed tricky, its symbolisms vast and multifaceted. However,
one only needs to see how miscommunication and misunderstanding breaks human
relationships to get a glimpse of what people should avoid. This, among others, could
be the reason behind the story’s existence.
Summer Solstice

“Summer Solstice” is a short story that has received recognition both critical and
praising. Written by Nick Joaquin, the story takes place in 1850s Philippines during the
festival days of St. John. There is a pro-woman feel to the story, which has garnered a
lot of debate and attention considering the setting is in a time where women must be
submissive.

The Tatarin, or otherwise known as the Tadtarin, was a three day festival that
celebrated a ritual of fertility. This was done only by women. Many men frowned upon
the extravagant dances and plays surrounding the ritual. “Summer Solstice” is set
during the three days of the St. John’s festival. Lupeng, a Filipino woman who feels
closed to her womanhood, is married to Paeng, who is no doubt loyal to her. They have
three small boys and live a somewhat wealthy life as they have a carriage driver named
Entoy and a maid and cook named Amada. Guido is a cousin of Paeng’s who comes
back to the Philippines after studying in Europe. The story starts when the family is
enjoying the days of the St. John’s festival until Guido makes suggestive comments to
Lupeng, and even bending down to kiss her feet. This makes her leave abruptly and
have a discussion with her husband the coming night.

Since the story takes place in the 1850s, women were repressed and felt shut in.
Lupeng may seem to be happy in her routine life, but she also feels angry. You can
notice this when she states to the children “Hush, hush I implore you! Now look: your
father has a headache, and so have I. So be quiet this instant — or no one goes to
Grandfather." It indeed sounds like she feels as though she has a duty that she must
carry on but she gets annoyed at her family because of her subdued state of
womanhood. Although she tries act horrified when Guido tells of her woman should be
adored rather than beneath their husbands, she contemplates and realizes she wants to
be the leader of the pack. External and internal conflicts are the stereotypes of
masculinity and feminine traits run rampant in the story. Women are supposed to look
after their husbands and children while the husbands work and wait for their supper. Not
only is this seen in the story but in daily life as well, which makes the story shocking to
readers since it is about women wanting to be free. Lupeng shatters the concept of the
suppressed woman when she gains control of her husband, who kisses her feet at the
end of story. This makes it seem as though the internal conflict was that women are the
ones who want to be the rulers of men, as seen in the Tatarin festival. The main theme
is St. John’s and Tatarin Festivals – The St. John’s festival is about men and their
fertility, which seems quite vulgar to Lupeng and makes her start to realize how she
wishes women could be seen in the same way. The Tatarin festival is the exact
opposite, showing women as leaders of fertility since they carry children. This festival is
the last trigger to make Lupeng feel as though she is stronger than a man and deserves
adoration. Symbolism is seen throughout the story such as:
Amada – When Lupeng rushes to find her cook, Amada, she sees her in a
compromising position on the bed which makes Lupeng blush and feel restrained about
her own sexuality. This is the first trigger for Lupeng before she announces she wants
admiration.
Guido’s Speech – When Paeng’s cousin Guido returns from Europe, he tells Lupeng of
his travels. He also says “I remember that you are a woman, yes. A beautiful woman.
And why not? Did you turn into some dreadful monster when you married? Did you stop
being a woman? Did you stop being beautiful? Then why should my eyes not tell you
what you are — just because you are married?" This makes Lupeng lash out and call it
simple comedy but it is also the second set off before she feels liberated. She takes his
words to heart as well as when he lowers himself to kiss her feet in appreciation.
My Brother, My Executioner

The story deals with the two half brothers - Luis Asperri and Victor. Luis is the
biological, but illegitimate son of Don Vicente Asperri, the wealthiest landowner in there.
At a young age, Luis was taken by his father from his poor mother and his half-brother
Vic (a nickname for Victor), who both lived in Sipnget, Rosales, Pangasinan. His father
gave him all he needs. Luis studied in Manila and became a writer and editor of a left-
wing magazine. He often writes about issues about the peasants and sides to them.
When Luis returned to Sipnget for vacation after being unable to visit for years because
of studying and then now because of work he visited his grandfather and his mother, but
originally he decided to go back to visit his ailing father, Don Vicente. He planned to
stay for weeks even for a month but then he suddenly changed his mind when he
realized that the place had already changed a lot, his brother is not there and more over
his mother and grand father has gone believing that his father and all the rich people
should give up their wealth to the poor. He couldn’t take it. And, also there was the
Hukbalahap which is against the Japanese and the elite’s, he couldn’t take it anymore.
Before leaving first thing in the morning the next day he heard his father shout in
surprise and when he ran to look after him he saw the window glass of his father’s room
was broken and a stone wrapped in paper was on the floor, when his father picked it up
and then read the message it says that “he should give all he has to those who
deserves it better--- the poor.” Luis, stunned by what he saw was also wondering who
did it. He kept thinking but only one suspect is fitted with the situation. It’s his brother
Victor who is very best at using sling—sling was the best thing to use to throw a stone
trough the mansion’s security. After that, Luis fled off back to manila and then there was
a time that Victor came to him and asks for his support—just the same as to the
message his father got, back to Sipnget. Thus, the brothers had different personalities,
beliefs, views and status in life. They met again as both friends and foes. These are
their misunderstandings as brothers. Luis considers himself liberal. He is against the
goals of his brother which is to put down his status as a wealthy landowner for the
benefit of the poor. He returned to Rosales. He came home together with Trining, his
female cousin, who studies in the convent. In order for the Asperris to preserve their
wealth, Luis married Trining. After sometime, she got pregnant. But in Manila, Luis also
had an affair with his manager's daughter - Ester - which is also Trining's best friend.
But because they quarreled one night, Ester disappeared and was found out to be
dead. He then found out from his mother that his half-brother Victor became the
commander of Hukbalahap (hukbong bayan laban sa mga hapon) which is against rich
people and feudal landowners. At the end of the story, Victor warned them about the
Huks. He told him to leave the place. But they didn’t listen. Trining got shot and died.
Luis then revenged and fought for his status and for the death of his wife.

This story is a must read for everyone for it elaborates on the political structures
and some aspects of the Philippine history. It is also somewhat similar to Jose Rizal's
Noli me Tangere and el Filibusterismo. Reading it really requires full attention for them
to be able to grasp the meaning of the story. Although the theme tackles more on
political life of the rural people, readers can still be caught by romance in some
chapters, particularly to Luis, and his affection for 2 women, Trining and Ester. When
Trining died I felt sorry for both the main character and her. As said Luis took revenge
for his status and his wife so that settles it because I definitely like to have my revenge if
it was me. Good for Luis he is elite so he didn’t feel so down and he had the power to
do so. 
I was surprised to read the incest situation in the novel I couldn’t bring myself to believe
but the writer simply made it as if it was real. I fell thinking, are there many incest here in
our country just to preserve their pure elite blood? I felt being more understanding to
respect everyone’s choices for they have their own motives. My understanding of
people’s motives has now been clear to me that everything has a cause and that cause
might be good or bad but still we follow what we believe because we are humans we
can decide for our own. While reading I found some Filipino values depicted in the novel
and they we’re: the true love and respect of family members. Patience, dignity,
disciplines and being responsible—they were all shown with great passion. From what I
now observe in our system as Filipinos we must keep deep understanding between the
poor and the rich. Now we have this border that keeps our world apart that sparks a
revolution against each other. We must learn to understand, listen and share.
Juanita Cruz

Juanita Cruz revolved around the life of its eponymous heroine, who was a
delicate and extremely beautiful woman from an aristocratic, landowning family in Iloilo
City in central Philippines. It was easy to see why certain readers might be put off by
what appears at the surface to be a melodramatic story of a love affair between a
beautiful woman of means (Juanita/Nita/Inday) and a poor handsome seminarian with a
beautiful singing voice (Ely/Elias Navarro). Nita's materialist family was against the poor
guy so their love was kept a secret. The period of the novel was the latter part of the
nineteenth century, squarely in the Spanish era in the Philippines, at a time when
women from aristocratic families were not given free rein to choose their husband.
Arranged marriages were the norm, and Nita's family was bent on having her marry the
wealthy and influential Spanish governor's son. Nita rebelled against her parents and
brothers. She was persecuted and physically hurt by her father for her impertinence,
practically made an outcast by her own family when she was accused of losing her
virginity to her lover Ely, and consequently disinherited, divested of all of her family's
wealth and possessions. Thence she ran away.

What was apparent was that this was a very humanist novel in that it concerned
itself with the yearning for freedom and self-determination. The story traced a woman's
nascent feminism and nationalism coming into full force through her liberation from her
family's dogmatic materialism and patriarchal orientation. Her coming into a strong
sense of self and self-worth was delineated through careful pacing and slow expository
style that nonetheless exhibited its own tension and suspense. There were two aspects
of the novel that made it ultimately a modern one: its repetitiveness and the small
inconsistencies in the details of same stories retold by others. Different characters
narrated versions of the same stories to Nita or to other people, and either there were
redundancies in the stories being told (several times by different people) or there were
small details that were in conflict to what was previously narrated. At first the clunky
repetitiveness of the story made it ... well, clunky. But one realized that the repetitive
stories from various perspectives slowly filled the gaps, for Nita's (and the reader's)
benefit, of what went on in her home after she left it. Jalandoni may or may not be
mimicking the mechanism of fickle memory. Her writing style, as described by Hosillo,
certainly testified to this tendency. 

That non-intrusion was what made Juanita entirely believable and sympathetic.
Even if she admired her own beauty in the mirror, adorned by expensive clothes and
blinding jewelries of "diamond solitaires", her pride was true and without a touch of
narcissism and conceit. Even the dialogues between the two lovers were surprisingly
not as syrupy and pa-tweetums as the ones heard in current local drama serials shown
in TV.

From her secret love for a man to her "secret love" for country, Juanita Cruz was
an essay on the emergence of feminist and nationalist consciousness in an individual
who asserted her right and freedom to love as she pleases. 
Matthew Henson at the Top of the World

Matthew Henson lived to explore. He was born in 1866, at a time when young
black boys were lucky to have any formal education, much less see the world. He
started to learn the trades of the sea at age 13, and Captain Childs offered him an
education he could never get in school. After Captain Childs died, he met Robert E.
Peary, who asked him to join his expedition to Greenland. Ultimately, after multiple
attempts, Henson and Peary reached the North Pole.

Famed African-American explorer Matthew Henson was born in Charles County,

Maryland, in 1866. Explorer Robert Edwin Peary hired Henson as his valet for
expeditions. For more than two decades, they explored the Arctic, and on April 6, 1909,
Peary, Henson and the rest of their team made history, becoming the first people to
reach the North Pole—or at least they claimed to have. Henson died in New York City in
1955.

Although the emphasis of the story is on Henson's life and his part in reaching
the North Pole, there are other layers to the book: scientific study, and geography, as
well as Eskimo life and culture. The material at the back of the book rounds out the
opening discussion about post-Civil War life for blacks.

The literary merits present in this nonfiction text is intellectual value, which the
story is relevant to the society, permanence which lets the literary text endure through
the ages and the last one is universality which the story leaves a mark to a great
number of people, inspiring them and leaving a sense of realization.
Bonsai by Edith K. Tiempo

When love is great, when love is profound, it becomes more difficult to control.
And in the hands of people who are unable to control it, love overwhelms the person.
This is the destructive nature of love which is why the award-winning poet Edith Tiempo,
in her poem scaled down love into a “cupped hand size.”

The poem is an example of a work that is objective-correlative wherein the ideas

depicted are abstract. In this work of literature, love is the abstract idea.

In the first stanza, describes everything one loves as something that could be
folded into the smallest size so that one could “keep in a box/ Or a slit in a hollow post/
Or in my shoe.” The idea is to turn one large concept such as love into something that
“folds and keeps easy” so that one’s memory will not be cluttered. Memory stays with a
person forever but it is often unreliable which is why there is a need to simplify love if it
has become overwhelming so that it is easy to handle and quick to retrieve the
memories from the labyrinths of the mind.

Then there came the question in the next line that said, “All that I love?” The
interrogative statement was posed for self-examination which was, in the next stanza,
assured with the lines “Why, yes but for the moment-/ And for all time, both.” The two
lines are an oxymoron for love can be both temporal and eternal. It was like saying often
one remembers a lover but there are times when he does not.

Tiempo even made love familiar and within reach by reducing it to things that
people use and hold dear such as “Son’s note, or Dad’s gaudy tie,/ A roto picture of a
young queen/ A blue Indian shawl, even/ A money bill.” By using these objects in the
poem, Tiempo portrayed the sublimation of love as something that is abstract like gas
penetrating the vast space surrounding two people into something that is concrete like a
solid object that one can hold unto and control.
 The next stanza tells about how when love is sublimated, it is made into
something positive. The lines, “A feat, this heart’s control/ Moment to moment/ To scale
all love down/ To a cupped hand size” pertain to one’s victory in sublimating and taking
hold of love so that it will not be destructive. A cupped hand was the metaphor
specifically used to convey the image of asking and giving love to another. It signifies
the lover’s basic needs, that which is “the need to love and be loved.”

In the line, “Till seashells are broken pieces” the mystery of how something so
vast such as the ocean can be heard from something so small such as a seashell. It is
the same with love, that something so vast and huge can be contained in a small thing
is a mystery.

The essence of the poem is that love is simplified and reduced so one can hold it
in one hand and pass it on to another. The literary merits present in the poem are
artistry, which the author successfully showed by adding a pinch of art in it using
metaphors, symbolism and such, suggestiveness which the poem’s ability to appeal to
the reader’s emotion, permanence which makes it timeless, universality which shows
that love is a universal truth and style which the author had given justice to by putting up
a creative literary text.
Style by Cirilo F. Bautista
I’m a Common Honeybee by Ambahan
Ibalong: Bikol’s Epic Fragment

The epic tells the story of three Bicol heroes. Baltog, a mighty warrior of
Batavara, came by chance upon the lush and virginal beauty of Ibalon. Extensive
inarea, rich in soil, and free form typhoons, Ibalon attracted Baltog's men to found a
kingdom. In the course of time, Ibalon became prosperous and peaceful.But one day,
the peace and prosperity of the land was threatened not by conquering strangers or
black men butby a huge man-eating wild boar. The ferocious beast destroyed the crops
and killed the people on its path. Vastareas in Ibalon were soon reduced to waste and
countless people were either killed or maimed. Baltog stooddumb-founded as he
surveyed the depredation wrought on his kingdom.One day, Baltog left his home alone,
planning to confront his enemy. Under the cover of night, he went to themuddy field to
wait for his enemy. Under the cover of night, he went to the muddy field to wait for his
enemy.After much waiting, when the moon was bright, the man-eating wild boar came
snorting, tearing crops as itwent along. Baltog hid under the bushes. When the boar
came within his reach, he sprang at it like a panther.Man and beast tumbled to the
ground in mortal combat. Fortunately, Baltog was able to pin down the beastand,
summoning all his strength, he finally subdued the boar. Baltog’s victory put an end to a
terror that hadravished his kingdom for a time.Ibalon, however, saw few years of peace.
One day, huge carabaos followed by winged sharks and giantcrocodiles rushed to
Ibalon. Every mortal was in fright: death and destruction took a heavy toll. The
mightyBaltog could no longer defend his kingdom, for the years had sapped his
strength. Defenseless Ibalon hadbecome an easy prey.Luck, however, was still with
Ibalon. On that day, Handiong, a mighty warrior of the neighboring kingdom,happened
to pass by Ibalon. Apprised of the plight of the people, Handiong came to their
rescue.Handiong and his brave seasoned men threw themselves at their stampeding
and winging wild enemies. Foruntold hours, Ibalon saw mortal combat. Blood flowed
freely over the land and the streams. One by one thebeasts were slain. Before sunset,
Handiong and his men emerged the victors.Only one monster escaped Handiong’s
mortal wrath; this was Oriol, the serpent who could transform itself intoa beautiful
woman. Handiong , however, repulsed the advances of the temptress. To save itself
from extinction,Oriol struck alliance with Handiong. Through its help, the salimaws or
evil spirits of the mountains were routedout. This last victory brought to an end the
second threat to Ibalon’s peaceful existence.Ibalon, under Handiong’s wise
administration, became rich and peaceful again. But Handiong was getting on inyears
and outside his domain, Rabut, was eyeing his kingdom. This monster was far more
terrible, for under itsspell, mortals could be changed into stones.Luck again was with
Ibalon. Handiong had mighty friend, a young warrior named Bantong.Bantong, in
command of a handful of men, trekked one day into the monster’s lair and found the
enemy takingits nap. With cat-like agility, Bantong came near his prey and with a mighty
stroke delivered mortal blows at themonster’s neck. The wounded monster writhed in
agony and in his struggle for breath, the earth shuddered andcracked and the waters of
the sea heaved and rolled landward.With the death throes of the monster over, the dust
clouds parted and Ibalon underwent great physical change.New islets began to dot the
waters near the peninsula; the Inarinan River changed its course; and a dark lakehad
replaced the mountain at Bato. Finally, a tall and perfect cone reared its head to lord
over the leveled ruins.This perfect cone is now known as the Mayon Volcano. 
Damon and Pythias

The story of Damon and Pythias shows true friendship and self-sacrifice, as well
as concern for family, even in the face of death. Perhaps it's time to try to revive it.
Damon and Pythias endured either the father or the same despotic ruler as Damocles of
the sword hanging on a slender thread-fame, which is also in Baldwin's collection. This
tyrant was Dionysius I of Syracuse, an important city in Sicily, which was part of the
Greek area of Italy (Magna Graecia). As is true of the story of the Sword of Damocles,
we can look to Cicero for an ancient version. Cicero describes the friendship between
Damon and Pythias in his De Officiis III.

Dionysius was a cruel ruler, easy to run afoul of. Either Pythias or Damon, young
philosophers in the school of Pythagoras (the man who gave his name to a theorem
used in geometry), ran into trouble with the tyrant and wound up in prison. This was in
the 5th century. Two centuries earlier there had been a Greek named Draco, an
important law-giver in Athens, who had prescribed death as the penalty for theft. When
asked about his seemingly extreme punishments for relatively minor crimes, Draco said
he regretted there was no punishment more serious for more heinous crimes. Dionysius
must have agreed with Draco since execution appears to have been the intended fate of
the philosopher. It is, of course, remotely possible that the philosopher had engaged in
a serious crime, but it hasn't been reported, and the reputation of the tyrant is such that
it is easy to believe the worst.

Before the one young philosopher was scheduled to lose his life, he wanted to put his
family's affairs in order and asked leave to do so. Dionysius assumed he would run
away and initially said no, but then the other young philosopher said he would take his
friend's place in the prison, and, should the condemned man not return, he would forfeit
his own life. Dionysius agreed and was then greatly surprised when the condemned
man returned in time to face his own execution. Cicero doesn't indicate that Dionysius
released the two men, but he was duly impressed with the friendship exhibited between
the two men and wished he could join them as a third friend. Valerius Maximus, in the
1st century A.D. does say that Dionysius released them and kept them near him ever
after.
May Katwiran ang Katwiran by Rolando S. Tinio

It is a story about the senyor and the kasama. Where the senyor forced the
kasama to go with him to a journey to escape the local police because the senyor killed
a woman.

They passed through the woods and rivers of a certain place where they were mmet by
three tulisans. So what they did was they(the senyor and the kasama) changed clothes
so that the tulisans would rob the kasama because he was wearing rich mans clothes.

When the tulisans found their camp they took the kasama with them to the nearest town
while the senyor walked.The senyor was angry because he should be the one riding
with the tulisans. When he arrived at the town. The senyor found the kasama dead. The
three tulisans said that the kasama lied. He was wearing rich man's clothes but he was
not rich. He has no money.

The senyor told the tulisans that he was the rich man. and that he just forced the
kasama to go with him and to wear his clothes. the 3 tulisans were angry because of
what the senyor did to the kasama. so they just took the bag with all the money.
the senyor took out his gun and pointed it to the tulisans and when the tulisan dropped
the bag. the senyor riched for it and the three tulisans jumped him and beat the crap out
of him. But before the tulisan got the chance to finish him off a helicopter arrived and
gunned down the three tulisans. the senyor was saved together with his bag.
A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino: An Elegy in Three Scenes

The A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, known also as A Portrait of the Artist as
Filipino: An Elegy in Three Scenes is a literary play written
in English by Filipino National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin in 1950. It was described
as Joaquin’s “most popular play” as the "most important Filipino play in English",[5] and
as “probably the best-known Filipino play” Apart from being regarded also as the
“national play of the Philippines” because of its popularity, it also became one of the
important reads in English classes in the Philippines. Joaquin’s play was described by
Anita Gates, a reviewer from New York Times, as an "engaging, well plotted metaphor
for the passing of Old Manila.

Set in the Filipino world of pre-World War II Intramuros of Old Manila in October

1941, the play explores the many aspects of Philippine high society by telling the story
of the Marasigan sisters, Candida and Paula, and their father, the painter Don Lorenzo
Marasigan. Due to an artistic drought on Don Lorenzo's part, the family has to make
ends meet by relying on the financial support provided by their brother Manolo and
sister Pepang, who were urging them to sell the house. Later on, they also had to take a
male boarder, in the person of Tony Javier. Don Lorenzo, who refused to sell, donate,
or even exhibit his self-portrait in public, was only content in staying inside his room, a
stubbornness that already took a period of one year. The painting has attracted the
attention and curiosity of journalists such as a family friend named Bitoy Camacho, and
other obnoxious visitors pretending as art critics. When one of the daughters, Paula,
elopes with Tony, a journey of personal liberation is set in motion, which ends with a
restoration of family relations which had been strained due to the neediness of the
artist's family. She also felt regret after destroying the portrait.

The theme focuses on family conflict and the amalgamation of old Filipino

identity and cultural character with the arrival of contemporary and Western ideals.
Before the Second World War, many Filipino intellectuals and artists  – including
painters, as personified by Don Lorenzo Marasigan  – searched for cultural
enlightenment from Spain, the first imposer of colonialism and authority in the
Philippines. This group of Filipinos was acquainted with the Spanish
language and customs. After the split of Philippines from Spain, the United
States became the replacement model for cultural enhancement, where English
language and materialism became a part – as personified by the boarder Tony Javier  –
thus marginalizing native tongues and culture within the process. During this period, the
Philippines was also plagued by the looming war, frequent blackouts, and untrustworthy
characters of the existing nightlife in Old Manila.
Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio

Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio, a play written by Paul Dumol, is considered

by some as the first Philippine modernist play. It is about a beggar who is being
accused by a syndicate of committing an absurd crime: taking care of a
child. In addition, the play portrays the social and moral injustices that the poor
has been continually suffering from in this society of ours. It also reflects various
issues here in our country, such as the broken Philippine justice system and
crimes lead by poverty, which needs immediate response and action. The
literary intertext gives emphasis to the broken structure of our society which
contributes to the central theme of the three: “Poverty does not limit to the lack of
resources but it is also the deprivation of the dignity of the poor.”

It highlights the immediate judgement that the marginalized receives from

the people in our society who treats them not as their equals. This is evident in the
following text: “Unang Tagapagtanong: Magandang gabi, ginoo. SERAPIO: Magandang
gabi rin ho, (Sandaling tigil) mga ginoo…Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Silencio! Unang
Tagapagtanong: Huwag kang magsasalita habang kami’y nagsasalita. Ikalawang
Tagapagtanong: Bastos ang nagsasalita habang may nagsasalita pa. Unang
Tagapagtanong: Patawarin ho ninyo siya. Talagang ganyan ho ang walang kapangyarihan
tulad niya: mangmang at iyan nga ang suliranin ng mga maykapangyarihan, katulad
naming.”

This scene shows how the persecutors stripped Mang Serapio of his own right
to speak up. It shows how they have degraded him into someone who does not deserve
to be recognized as a human being; someone powerless. This scene could also be
reflected on the happenings of today’s society. People today react differently when
they see someone who does not dress or act like them. An example is when Badjaos
ask for alms from the people passing by them either give small amounts for the sake of
getting rid of them or they simply just ignore them andavoid any form of contact with
them. By reacting in such a way, the Badjaos are being stripped off of their own dignity
and self-esteem. Aside from that, the play also gives a spotlight on the social hierarchy
in our society.