Magnaye, Patricia May G.

H091- Life and Works of Rizal

Reflection Paper: The Story of the Moth

The story talks about the two moths who are playing in the flame. It caught the attention
of Dr. Jose Rizal, wherein the death of the other moth became beautiful because the little moth
sacrifices his/ her life for a noble cause. With this story I have learned that it is okay to sacrifice
our lives if it is worth it, meaning we sacrifice our life for the better of the people just like what
Rizal did to his life. He doesn’t care if the Spaniards will kill him because of the novels that he
created so that the people will be awakened and not to be enslave to the Spaniards. He risks his
life, in order to create and to publish a book that will eventually will be the cause of his death. He
sacrifices his life for the sake of our race to be free again to the hands of the Spaniards by
publishing and spread the novel that he created against the Spaniards.

Basically, the lesson that I have learned in this story is that no matter what happens in the
future don’t be scared, just keep your faith and face the problems that you may encounter braver
so that even if you fall, you fall with dignity and you fall learning that you’ve fought well to the
problems that you encounter. Moreover, we need to follow our parent’s advice so that we can be
able to face the problems knowing that you did good or you follow the advice that your parents
gave to you, so that in the end you will not doubt yourself. If your parents told you to not do things
or to avoid doing it, just follow their order because in the end they are right, because they’ve been
doing it for the rest of their lives, they know that it is bad to do those things because you might
end up being hurt or worst you will end up dead. Just because your friends have done that and
nothing happened to them, then you will follow the things that they have done, you will not know
the karma that it brings. But lastly always remember that going beyond from the neutral ground
will always lead you to nowhere but, with your family alone.

All of these things that I realized in reading the story will help me to become a good person,
because I know how to follow my parent’s order and I also don’t disobey them. I can also help
other people who are afraid and disobeying their parents by giving some advices to them so that
they can be a good person to other people. I also realized to not depend on the people around you
like for example, your friends because it may lead us to the peer pressure wherein they tried to do
things thinking that they can easily get out of it after the first try. They think that they are strong
enough and different to other people, just because nothing happened at the first time, they tried
again and again until they got burned to the risk of getting hurt. Therefore, I am learning and will
be learning in the future throughout the experiences that I encountered and may be encountered in
the future.
 Magnaye, Patricia May G.
H091- Life and Works of Rizal

Reflection Paper: Sa Aking mga Kabata

I noticed in reading this beautiful poem that Rizal was created is that at the young age of
Jose Rizal, he created a poem that is relevant during the colonization of the Spaniards.
Furthermore, he knows the reality that our country is enslave to the Spaniards. In the first stanza
of the poem, Rizal emphasizes that if the nation’s people will embrace their own language, the
nation will surely pursue liberty. I think that Filipino people were not as one, because there are
Filipino people who prefer other language than our own, that’s why we will not be able to eliminate
the corruption in our country. The second stanza was most likely to be that Rizal really believed if
the nation will be proud and love their own language then we will develop a freedom from the
Spaniards. Lastly, the last stanza is referring to the alibata that we used to have was likely to be
removed or overthrown like a boat who are sailing in the stormy island.

I feel sad about this poem because the message of this is quite deep that we Filipinos
neglecting it. Rizal didn’t die for our country for nothing, yet we Filipino people forget it just like
we didn’t know Rizal. If we just cherish this poem and not neglect it, I think the Filipino people
would be rich just like the Americans because we are united, if we are united then everything is
possible. This poem symbolizes freedom, we just need to love our own language and not use other
languages because this is who we are. We don’t need to use other language because we have our
own, that the government to forget or to remove in our lives.

The only thing that comes up to my mind is the part where Rizal said “Ang hindi marunong
magmahal sa kanyang salita, mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda” it is something that we must
be aware because right now our government made an implementation on removing the Filipino as
a subject in the school. Also, the government wants the Filipino people to study mandarin than our
own language. Since, we Filipino came from different races or some of us were not really a
hundred percent Filipino, we must learn and love our own language. If it is not who will love our
own, then who will love it? As a Filipino we must not end and put a side on our own language
because Rizal died in order for us to be free from the hands of the Spaniards and what we Filipino
did? We love other country, we treat other culture of different countries just like our own, then our
own country.