4th essay...

Warn and Reflect

The people in the book are still very much like those who live among us during present times. Suicide is very common these days. People now tend to think that ending their life would end all their suffering when in fact, it really doesn’t. Mildred is just one of the few victims of the idea of killing one’s self. Whether it’s about money, dignity, family, or love, people would choose the alternative of ending their time on earth rather than looking for another possible solution.

Faber-like people are also seen in the real world today. It’s now very common to see a very knowledgeable person hide what he or she knows because of lack of courage. A simple example would be in a normal setting of a classroom. Due to the fear of committing a mistake in front of the whole class, a student would sit quietly in class and not participate at all even if he or she has ideas to share. Faber was also someone who was afraid to stand up for what he believed in. That kind of characteristic is also present in our world.

Books, in our time, value a lot. Whether it’s a forced reading in school or a leisure reading time, books have made a mark on the lives of people at present. We get ideas from them, and we learn a lot from the letters written on their flaps. This possibly has to be the only contrast I see between the world of Farenheit 451, where books are feared by most people in their population, and our world.

We have to be careful though. Technology is slowly taking over our world. What used to be read only in books can now be read in just a simple click of a mouse. For me, it’s a step to killing the magical books. One obvious proof would probably be the students. Instead of going to libraries for research, students now tend to just turn on the nearest computer and poof! Answers are there. We really have to be careful if we want to preserve the magic of books.

For me, the world of Farenheit 451 and our world are very much alike in a lot of ways. This book serves as a warning and a reflection material to all of us. It’s a warning to what may jeopardize our books. It’s a reflection to the people who are like Faber and Mildred.

3rd essay.. :)

(I took the risk of not literally answering the journal entry. This experience I'm about to share is something I'm still experiencing at present. I took the initiative to not give out names to avoid any problems in the future. I assure you that all words came out from real experiences. I am very sorry if ever I might offend anyone who's about to read this. Lastly, I hope you readers out there enjoy... )

Bullied Innocence

I enjoyed my educational tour, except during that time when my “enemy” who became my friend during the school year became my enemy once again. Just because of a simple misunderstanding, she chose to throw away all the trials and problems our friendship experienced. I remember that day clearly. It was the 4^th day of our educational tour in Manila. That day, we were scheduled for a tour in Corregidor. Due to a need for a boat ride, we were asked to be ready by 6:00 am. The girl who used to be my enemy was late and she was so close to being left by our bus. Good thing though, she arrived just at the right moment.

On our way to Corregidor, I was hanging out with my friends somewhere at the back of the boat. Out of nowhere, she approached me, pushed me to get my attention, and said, “Hey, was it true (na) you said you wanted the bus to leave me?” Of course, I was completely shocked. I explained to her but all I got was more accusations. At that point on, I knew I was dead, and our friendship? Our friendship had built its own grave. She wasn’t satisfied with just confronting and embarrassing me in front of our friends. She wanted to destroy me.

The whole day, she told all my batch mates the fake story. Not surprisingly, most of them believed her since she was the “popular Ms. Soccer girl” while in the meantime, I was the “loser Ms. Honor’s class girl”. That day, I felt like everyone was giving me mean, monstrous stares, and although I’m exaggerating, I know you all get the point. She didn’t stop there. All day long, she kept on talking about me and insulting me. What’s worse was that she made sure everyone heard it… including me.

The insults that hurt me the most are the ones I still remember up to this very point. One would be that time I walked with some friends. When I passed by her, she suddenly blurted out, “Look at her fats. They look huge.” Then one of her minions added, “They’re so solid. It’ll take a volcano to melt all that.” Another would be when our bus was slowly going uphill. “I know why we’re moving slow. It’s ‘cause someone here’s so heavy.” was what she said in a very loud voice. Luckily, someone got annoyed and shouted “stop (na beh)!” Still, her words have already done such a huge damage to me.

I wanted to punch her face, pull her mouth, and kick her head, but I didn’t. I knew that violence is never a solution to any problem. Instead, I just lay low and pretended she didn’t exist. It wasn’t easy, but I got through it. That day triggered my insecurities and my dreams of becoming thin like everyone else around me. That was also how my edtour got destroyed.

Hi. My name’s Francesca G. Fernandez. I’m a B.A. Psychology major, currently studying in UP Cebu. I’m 17 years old. Oh, and I’m fat. Being a part of the overweight/ obese category was never an easy task for any teenage girl like me. At modern times, we get insulted, harassed, bullied, and teased. Our enemies always include our weight in conversations about us. Whenever we pass by, people look at us with disgusted faces. All that wouldn’t matter if we only accepted ourselves and if someone’s always there for us. Unfortunately, society taught us to be ashamed of our appearances and as for my case, even my own mother insults me. Our lives aren’t that easy. Instead of helping us ease our love for food, people would rather make fun of us (with the exception of a very few people). That’s basically the reason why we all want to be like you, thin people; we want to fit in.

2nd essay...

Morality Class

I grew up with a very religious mother. She's the basic reason why I learned to pray, and she makes sure our family remains connected to our religious side by attending mass very Sunday. I never really questioned what my mother taught me until I reached my last year in high school. Having a Philosophy graduate as my teacher in our morality class, my brain was finally able to evaluate everything I did. At some part of the school year, we had a topic on sin. Because of this topic, my teacher made me realize how our actions affect other people around us. From my usual "I-don't-care-about-others" attitude, I am now starting to consider the people surrounding me.