Jay T.

Solitana
2012-78821
Socio 101
Prof. Justine Kristel Villegas
Reflection Paper on the Movie:
FRONT OF THE CLASS
Suffering from the curse of Tourettes syndrome is the biggest private
trouble of Brad who is the main character in the movie. All his life he had been
receiving discrimination and different treatment from the society he is living in
making him feel like he is completely different from everybody else. He may be
able to stand others perception about him but being unaccepted by his own father
who is part of the main support system, his family, to whom he should get his
strength is very painful and unfortunate. His situation had greatly affected all
aspects of his life such as being in a regular school where he was bullied because of
the sounds he is unable to control, being turned down countless times in applying
for a job where he has the burning passion to teach young minds, unable to get a
special treatment like when he was taking an examination for masters degree and
a lot of other instances that he just shrugged his shoulders off as he didnt want to
dwell on those things and just want to remain positive in life expecting that he will
find his place in the society soon. On the other hand, the private trouble that his
family has faced is not different from what Brad is going through. His mom, dad and
brother simply wanted to have their loved one be accepted and treated just like a
normal functional member of the society who is capable of doing the things anyone
can do. There are times in the story that they had conflicts with other people
especially if they see that Brad is being discriminated be it in school, at work or
even during leisure time where his brother was mad when the owner of the golf club
wanted Brad to get out of the place because of the unusual sounds he is producing.
One of the most apparent public issue that was shown in the movie is the
unacceptance of the society of differently-abled individuals as its functional
members. Some still believe that these people are incapable of doing things that a
normal person can do because of their disability. The society dictates the standards
on what a capable individual would qualify for a job considering all aspects including
physical and normalcy. If a normative aspect of a person deviates from what is
considered to be the usual or the correct way of doing things, then this will be
labeled as abnormality and therefore may subject to societys criticism and
judgment. This kind of treatment among the members of the differently-abled
community is still observable at present although some companies are stretching
their qualifications to accommodate these individuals especially if the disability they
have would not hinder them from performing the demands of their work. Another
public issue that most families experience is the lack of confidence and support to
their loved ones with disability. A lot consider their differently-abled family member
as shameful especially when they are being embarrassed to others because of the
abnormality being shown in public. They felt that their reputation and face are
being dragged by the disability of the member of their family. With this, they choose
to dissociate their selves from the person to prevent any future embarrassment that

may happen. Disability also hinders some individuals to find their romantic
happiness. There are a lot of cases where normative and the physical aspect of a
person are superficially judged rather than getting to know the individual on a
deeper level. Because of this preconceived notion, some romantic partners decide
to end the blossoming relationship as they have a fear that they will not be
accepted by their families and eventually a larger group of people they know, which
is the society in general.
I can say that it is a wonderful and inspirational movie which touched my
heart the entire time while watching it. I felt like I can relate so much to the main
character who had never given up on his dreams despites the countless obstacles
and adversities that he hurdled along the way. Its true that if you want to reach for
your dreams, you should have the courage to chase it and that was what Brad did.
He never stopped in finally being a teacher and he kept his positive outlook in life
knowing that God has better plans for him. He persevered and worked hard until he
got the fruit of his hard work.
This movie has also opened up my eyes and mind to the personal struggles
that differently abled individuals experience throughout their life in the society they
are living in. Its true that if you look through the bigger picture, these private
troubles are somewhat shared by a larger group of the society making it a public
concern. The stigma that we put on differently abled individuals clearly shows how
cruel and judgmental the society to where we are part of. They may be few that
completely understand the situation of differently-abled individuals but we cant
deny that huge percentage of the population has unaccepted these individuals in
some sectors of the society including the basic unit which is the family.

Jay T. Solitana
2012-7821
Prof. Melecio Fabros
Pan Pil 19
FAN LANGUAGE ( Wika ng Abaniko)
Posted 01:26am (Mla time) Feb 02, 2005
By Ambeth Ocampo
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A13 of the February 2, 2005 issue of the Philippine
Daily Inquirer
BEING typecast as a historical relic is an occupational hazard. My students probably
assume, from my lectures, that Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio were my classmates
in kindergarten. When I annotate some hazy old photographs, coaxing out a sense
of life in the late 19th-century Philippines, they marvel how I can do it if I hadn't
lived in the past.
I bring new light into required readings by highlighting lusty passages in "Noli Me
Tangere" and ask if the sexual undertones are really in the text or merely another
example of Ambeth Ocampo over-reading. In Chapter 25 Maria Clara and her friends
are wading in a river searching for heron's nests believed to make people who held
them invisible. Here was a brief description of Maria Clara that made me remember
Nick Joaquin who insisted that Rizal was so enamored of his tragic heroine that his
language turns mushy and romantic whenever Maria Clara enters the scene:
"At last, Maria Clara emerged from the bath accompanied by her friends, fresh as a
rose opening its petals with the first dew, covered with sparks of fire from the early
morning sun. Her first smile was for Crisostomo, and the first cloud on her brow for
Padre Salvi..."
A few paragraphs before earlier, we find the friar hiding in the bushes and this is
what he sees (quotations are from the translation by Soledad Lacson-Locsin):
"Their legs were wet up to the knees, the wide folds of their bathing skirts outlining
the gracious curves of their thighs. Their hair hung loose and their arms were bare.
They wore striped gay-colored blouses ... Pale and motionless, the religious Actaeon
watched this chaste Diana: his sunken eyes glistening at the sight of her beautifully

molded white arms, the graceful neck ending in a suggestion of a bosom. The
diminutive rosy feet playing in the water aroused strange sensations and feelings in
his impoverished, starved being and made him dream of new visions in his fevered
mind."
The above texts reflect what was considered sexually attractive in those days: bare
arms, a good neck or nape, tiny rosy feet. These appear very tame compared to the
present when you can find more flesh and steamy action in magazines or pirated
VCDs. Rizal's daring seems corny in comparison with Xerex Xaviera but one can see
that there is value in leaving some things to the imagination.
For many students raised on heavily edited high school texts (or chapter summaries
or, much worse, the badly drawn black-and-white komiks version) like the above,
are like a revelation. Rizal can be seen in a new light: he could be funny and he
could actually laugh, unlike all the glum and brooding monuments we have of him
all over the archipelago.
When people take the trouble to read through Rizal's texts, they get a revelation.
We can never shake off the national hero bit and that makes reading him an
imposition, an obligation of a good citizen. I tell my classes that Rizal's greatest
misfortune was becoming our national hero. If he had not been so exalted, maybe
more people would read him for pleasure and learn more about the past and
themselves.
There is something about the late 19th century that made things more interesting:
the use of codes and symbols, which probably made people more aware of things
below the surface. For example, the most common gadget Filipinos have these days
is the cell phone. It comes in all shapes and sizes. It comes in a rainbow of colors
and can be customized and accessorized into something mildly fashionable by
hanging charms on them or even putting them inside various sheaths from
something as ordinary as used eye or sunglass boxes to Louis Vuitton key holders
minus the keys. These things transmit voice, fax, e-mail and even pictures. What
would our history have been like if our heroes had the same gadgets a century ago?
Things were indirect then, social etiquette restrictive. In the wonderful opening
chapter of the "Noli," Rizal describes the living room segregated by sex, with men
on one side and women on the other. Ibarra says the women "open their mouths to
suppress yawns, but cover their faces instantly with their fans, scarcely making a
sound. Whatever attempts at conversation are ventured dwindle into monosyllables,
like the sounds one hears at night, caused by rats and lizards. Is it, perhaps the
different images of Our Lady hanging from the wall between the mirrors, which
makes them silent and assume a religious composure; or are the women here an
exception?"
A Filipino gentleman in Rizal's time would have to be conversant with the non-verbal
language used by women, and I don't mean text messaging. Communication was
discreetly made through the main feminine accessories of the time-not cell phones,
but fans and handkerchiefs. If a woman covered half her face with her fan, she
meant, "Follow me." If she counted the ribs it meant, "I want to talk to you" If she
carried the fan on the right hand, she was saying, "I want to have a lover," if on the

left, "I'm already taken." To fan herself briskly did not mean it was hot, but rather "I
have great love for you." To fan slowly was to say, "You mean nothing to me." And to
put the fan away meant, "I don't want to be courted." Worst was to close the fan
suddenly, which said, "I hate you."
So when you re-read the "Noli," look out for other clues and know that the women
once described as mahinhin were more daring than we think. If only they were not
so repressed.