8 Stories (Reflection) By: Mikaela Meisenhalter

My Father Goes to Court

By: Carlos Bulusan

​The story is focused on a simple poor but a happy family that knows how to be contented.  The family in the story was described as a happy go lucky because despite the hardships they encounter in their everyday life, they can still laugh and enjoy their lives and can still survive the burdens caused by poverty. In this story, the rich family and the poor family had conflict with each other.  The rich man in this story is very selfish and is picky when it comes to socializing with others. There is a saying happy people will live longer not like the rich family in this story they became weak and sad. For me this story has a deeper meaning, not because you’re in a higher level, means you can do things through money even though it’s not anymore correct. Carlos Bulusan made this story to somehow explain and describe the discrimination not just in our country but it also happens worldwide.

May Day Eve

Nick Joaquin

​Life is filled with regrets. We always realize things when the most important  person or thing in our life is gone. We realize everything in the last part or  sometimes when it’s too late.  For Badoy and Agueda Montiya, they both lived  and loved with hate, resentment, regret. As the story continues, they both realized  that they brought up the negativity and the worst in them. They failed to realize that  fate is dictated by the people involved. Love is cannot be forced, it is only given or  received. Badoy and Agueda fell into the trap of the May Day Eve, wherein they saw it as fate, only to end up failing by the circumstances of their relationship.

Geyluv

By: Honorio Bartolome de Dios

​The flow of the story is not as usual as the other love story, this is very different when it comes to gender. It may not be normal for others but still they are still the same and they have the right. Because love knows no gender and also others like age, skin color, nationality, etc. love is love once you felt it. This story is about two friends. Benjie a Homosexual, and Mike.Mike fell in love with Benjie and getting jealous of the former girlfriend of Mike. In this story it tells that not because a person is not straight it must not be respected. Here, Benjie fell in love with mike but still, mike became his friend and they become intimately close. 

Footnote to Youth

By: Jose Garcia Villa

This story can make so many youth realize the things that are actually happening nowadays. In this story the young man wanted to marry early because he was only thinking about the love he feels to his partner not knowing that marrying is a big step in life and has a big change when it comes in living. Marrying is not that simple, it has many things to be considered. We must be physically, emotionally and psychologically ready for this chapter in life. We must always think about the other things to be considered because sometimes if love is only the reference when marrying, marriage doesn’t really work well. Especially when marrying early.  We must listen to our parents because the’ve been already there and they know everything about marriage. Footnote to Youth is the title because it is telling the readers specifically the youth to pay attention to the story and reflect.         

Magnificence

Estrella D. Alfon

“Ang gawaing mali ngmatanda, sa mata ng bata ay tama”

In this story, the things that an old person does will be always right and correct. They must stand as a good example for them to idolize and somehow follow. With the story, it shows a very negative example and took advantage of the innocent mind of a child. Parents must be attentive even though they are very busy with work, still must pay attention with the things around their children and what they are doing because you’ll never know what danger comes to your child.

“Because of you I will never be the same”

Through the experience that the daughter encountered it may never be gone to her mind. It ruined her childhood and she will carry it through her life and she may not be the same child just like before that experience. Her innocent mind was captivated and destroyed. Children that don’t understand everything in his or her surroundings must be guided and protected and we must not take advantage of it. 

How my brother Leon brought home a wife

By: Manuel E. Arguilla

Bringing home a woman that grew up in a city may be difficult because of so many things to adjust. Because of the beauty of the surroundings of your partner’s home town, a person may fall more in love with his or her love one. 

Mother’s Break

Merlina Bobis

A mothers love, sacrifice and struggle is difficult understand. Nobody can relate to how a mother gives specialty to her child, unless you yourself experience to be one. In this story it indicates how the mother experiences her heart broken because of losing a child. We must appreciate everything our mother gives us and give back the love she continuously gives us. 

Song of the tear-gassed man

Cirilio F. Bautista

People who are not in favor to the government, the people who wants to fight for their freedom, and the students who wanted to claim their rights in this Country may lead to a rally. As tear gas is used to a war, it is irritating to the eyes. And this song is more like a sarcastic one, enjoying the pain while its free and just be gazing nonchalantly in the nothingness before him.