What the Greeks have taught me?

“Greece, once overcome, overcame her wild conqueror, and brought the arts into rustic Latium.”

-Horace (65 - 8 BC)-

At the beginning of Greek literature stand the two monumental works of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey. The figure of Homer is shrouded in mystery. The Iliad is the famous story about the Trojan War. It centers on the person of Achilles, who embodied the Greek heroic ideal. While the Iliad is pure tragedy, the Odyssey is a mixture of tragedy and comedy. It is the story of Odysseus, one of the warriors at Troy. After ten years fighting the war, he spends another ten years sailing back home to his wife and family. During his ten-year voyage, he loses all of his comrades and ships and makes his way home to Ithaca disguised as a beggar.

Both of these works were based on ancient legends. The stories are told in language that is simple, direct, and eloquent. Both are as fascinatingly readable today as they were in ancient Greece.

Fate & Destiny

One of the things I learned from Iliad is about “Fate & Destiny.” Before, I thought fate is something that one can never change. But as we tackle the misconceptions between these two, I found out that destiny is something one can change. Fate is given by gods and goddesses. In classical and European mythology, there are three goddesses dispensing fate, the “Fates” known as Moirae in Greek mythology, they determine the events of the mystic spinning of threads that represent individual human destinies. Clotho spins the thread of life. Lachesis measures the length of the thread. Atropos cuts the thread. Fate implies no choice but with destiny, the entity is participating in achieving an outcome.

Greek Women

What are the roles of women in Greece?

As we explore more about the Greek culture, I found the answers. Women are controlled by the men in their lives. Their fathers control them before they get married. Their spouses control them once they get married. The Greek women did not know or meet their fiancé until the dowry and betrothal had been agreed to. One example is when King Tyndareus arranged Agamemnom’s and Clytemnestra’s wedding. Clytemnestra becomes a submissive wife and is not allowed to interfere with her husband’s decisions.

In the epic poem “Odyssey,” Penelope is a faithful wife to her husband. After longing for Odysseus’s disappearance, she remained true that only one man owns her heart. Loyalty is treasured. For us teenagers, it is like, it takes only a minute to get crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes lifetime to forget someone. They may be physically apart but not their hearts.

Greek Children

Children love their parents so much. Paris exhibited this. He still loves his father who adopted him when he was still a baby, after how many years of hiding the truth from him. Other children will be mad at their parents (not the biological ones) who raised them if they found out about their true identities. Instead, Paris became thankful and did not mind why his father hid the truth.

In “Odyssey,” Thelemacus searched for his father. He did not want to die without meeting Odysseus. He had a faith that his father could possibly be alive.

Character is associated with a host of sport values such as teamwork, loyalty, self sacrifice, perseverance, work ethic, and mental toughness. Truly, these two epic poems give us lessons in life that we could apply.

MIGHTY “A”

Achilles, in Greek mythology, greatest of the Greek warriors in the Trojan War. Patroclus, Achilles’s friend and companion, was killed by the Trojan Prince Hector. Afterward the grief-stricken Achilles returned to battle, slew Hector, and dragged his body in triumph behind his chariot. Achilles gave it to Priam at his earnest entreaty. This part of the “The Iliad” is horrifying. I could not imagine the scene in true life. Who would do such a thing like that! Being a hero is not ending the life of one’s enemy. But rather, doing what is best for the sake of the people. He killed Hector because he wanted to avenge the death of Patroclus. If I were Patroclus, I would only pity Achilles for doing it. What is the use??? It will not take back Patroclus’s life. And because of that action of his, he died on Paris’s hands. I conclude that war or dangerous adventure is the hero's normal occupation. The appearance of heroes in literature marks a revolution in thought that occurred when poets and their audiences turned their attention away from immortal gods to mortal men, who suffer pain and death, but in defiance of this live gallantly and fully, and create, through their own efforts, a moment's glory that survives in the memory of their descendants. They are the first human beings in literature, and the novelty of their experiences has a perennial freshness.

SUPERWOMAN

“The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.”

- Barbara Kingsolver

What is a good woman? Is this depends on the clothes she wear? On the power she possesses? Who is a good woman?

We were asked to blog something about one woman who made a good impression to our history. The first thing that my classmates thought was that, they will write something about their mothers. For me, I really find it difficult to write something about my mom. I grew up without her.

I am still lucky despite that fact in my life. I may not have a “wonder mom,” but I will always have a “superwoman.” From my very first blog post, I emphasized how great my Lola Nina is. This time, I would like to acknowledge my Lola Abong.

Evelyn Gavarra. She has a short shiny black hair and has big round brown eyes. She cooks the best “sinigang” ever. She is not my biological grandmother—a guardian instead. We call her “Lola Abong.” Lola Abong was my mother’s guardian when my mom was still a child. She has been serving faithfully to our family for more than 30 years. Lola Abong never gets tired of reminding us to be a good person of God wants us to be like. My secrets are safe with her. She laughs with us even with the corniest joke I tell. She also loves to tell stories. One time, she shared something about her life. This how the story goes…

She was bought to the hospital for an operation many years ago, because of Endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that behaves like the cells lining the uterus (endometrium) grows in other areas of the body, causing pain, irregular bleeding, and possible infertility. The tissue growth (implant) typically occurs in the pelvic area, outside of the uterus, on the ovaries, bowel, rectum, bladder, and the delicate lining of the pelvis. However, the implants can occur in other areas of the body, too. I do not know anything about it; probably I was still an innocent child. She said that she saw herself with two lovely angels on her both left and right sides. These angels brought her in a very white place. “Heaven,” she thought. Her life is in a serious condition. At that very moment, she woke up from the successful operation. She knew that her mission on earth is not yet over. Until we came to her life, she said that God let her continue to live is because we have no parents to raise us at.

Lola Abong is one of my family’s blessings. When I asked her, why is she not leaving this family, the response I always get is, “Naging mabuti ang Lola Nina at Lolo ninyo sa akin. Kahit kalian, hindi nila akong tinuring na iba.”

There are many lessons in life that I learned from her. One is, treasuring the people I love. They will never be at my side forever. I would not be the “Sophie” I am today without her. She proved that, to become a mother, it does not require being the biological one. As soon as, one is giving the love and attention that the child needs, these are enough. Care, share, give, serve, are all under the powerful force, what we call LOVE.

MY SCHOOL; MY PRIDE

“A disciplined person is always punctual, does his work without being told and follows rules and regulations without being watched.”

I am a proud student of Taytay United Methodist Christian School. This is one of the things that TUMCS taught me. The school is known to be strict when it comes to discipline. Girls must tie back their hair and boys must follow the prescribed haircut. Not only that, when teachers say “deadline,” they really mean it. No excuses. The school trains every student to be responsible. Parents do admire the school for this. For the past twenty- six years, the school has proven its excellence in providing quality education. TUMCSians excel not only inside the school. Students have been garnering recognitions that we could be proud of. I can say that this institution has been a great part of my life. Here, I learned to value the people around me. Have discipline not only in school but also in my own community. Come and join me in stepping forward to a better change in this world. Thank you and God Bless us all!!!

Lessons behind the Brown Paper

Last time, our English teacher gave a list of some errors; some of us did in our blog entries. I had a nervous feeling when a sheet of brown paper was given to us. I was hoping that I do not owe any errors listed. Well, thank God I do not. Truth is, almost all of us found the errors quite funny. Many people have problems with grammar and grammar, struggling to use the correct words when writing. This applies to people of all ages, nationalities and prestige. Most errors were misused of some words, troublesome in using the tenses and many other more. But knowing the errors would be a great help! I would be able to distinguish what is correct from not. So, it would not be embarrassing to present my article next time I write. Knowing the correct grammar is really important not only in speaking but also in writing. There are some ways to improve grammar skills. English as a second language can be picked up for its' grammar by making a list of all the common contractions. It is better to have and use a dictionary and write in a notebook all the forms and study it daily. Internet is not only about facebook, twitter, myspace, tumblr etc. There are also lots of sites that would be a great help in improving one’s grammar skills and vocabulary. For example on this site, http://www.chompchomp.com; included in this site are interactive activities, grammar rules and hand-outs for students and teachers. It is called Grammar Bytes and is for late primary and intermediate classrooms. So when bored on facebook, why not try checking out this site!

Many people have a basic grasp of writing concepts, but want to learn to be better writers. To be a good writer, I think one must also be a good reader. There are lots of things we could learn from reading books. Reading authors that I love and learning from them encourage me to read and learn more. Understanding what I like to read will help me to understand what I like to write, and writing about what I love will usually be creating my best work. When done writing any article for the school newspaper, I let my uncle or an older trustworthy friend to evaluate my work. I always ask them to be honest in their opinions. Criticism may be the best way to open a room for improvement. I listen carefully to their suggestions. Listening does not mean I have to take every piece of their advice and change entirely my whole work. It means, keeping in mind and heart their opinion. I also watch American movies instead of watching the “Tagalog” ones. It helps improve my vocabulary.

Another thing is some experts suggest that habitual writing is the best way to improve writing skills and make a person a better writer. This is so true! Practice makes perfect.

BRING IT ON!

Last February 14, TUMCS started celebrating its 26^th founding anniversary. Foundation week is one of the most awaited events in TUMCS. There was this “Joint to Worship” wherein selected 3^rd and 4^th year students gathered in the chapel. Students and teachers were blessed by the Pastor’s message about God’s love. On the second day, a contest called “Mr. and Ms. INTRAMS” held. The contestants ramped wearing their sports attires. Top 10 candidates were given each question to be answered. By the end of the competition, Ms. Delgado and Mr. Francisco of III- Leah got the title. TUMCSians also showed off their skills in dancing. Students competed in ballroom, cheer dance and modern dance. It was a tough decision for the judges because everyone did their best. The juniors got the 1^st place in cheer dance and ballroom while the seniors, got the 1^st place in modern dance. On February 16, the ballgames started. The crowd was cheering on different teams. I could really say that the excitement was in the air whenever the team scores. I also observed that some players were greedy when it comes in handling the ball. Some were aggressive that causes other players to be injured. But other than that, I haven’t observed anything else more. Being sport is very important. In every competition, someone will always win. But what is important, you did your best for "God's Glory!!!"

The Olympic Games must not be an end in itself, they must be a means of creating a vast programme of physical education and sports competitions for all young people. Avery Brundage

FEARLESS!

Discrimination. Yes. Since the American Civil War the term 'discrimination' generally evolved in American English usage as an understanding of prejudicial treatment of an individual based solely on their race, later generalized as membership in a certain socially undesirable group or social category. An act or conduct for or against an individual based on preconceived personal biases. It can be positive or negative, through the promotion or the abuse of the person, respectively. Until now, discriminations are very much observed.

There are a million and one ways that one can be discriminated. Sexual discrimination and racial discrimination are the two main ones that I can think of. In the Philippine history, Spanish colony has made a big change in the country and has made contributed positive things and negative things. They were the first ones to discriminate Filipinos and called us, “Indio.” Now at the present times, the effects of those traumas have occurred from the cause. Some Filipino workers are being abused by the other races. We are all the same - therefore we should treat each other in the same way.

I have been discriminated before. But not totally, just being compared with other people and it sucks. I really do not want to be compared with anyone because I am unique. I am not them. Yes, it hurts to be discriminated. But it does not mean that one should not try to make a change. What did I do after being discriminated? Before I confronted the person, I thought carefully about what I am going to say. It is essential to stay calm and rational and remain in control of the situation. As you need to convey how their actions have made me feel, and explain that I want such conduct to stop. I chose not to keep quiet. I think not taking an action is the worst thing to do. Any kind of discrimination or bullying can rapidly diminish one’s self-esteem and ability to seek help. But one must take control of the situation. What does the bible say about discrimination?

Matthew 5:44

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

SPEAK UP. BE HEARD. If you don’t say a word, everything will stay the same way.