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[johnmarkmedina]

I. THE GOD STEALER

Summary of The God Stealer

The God Stealer starts with Philip and Sam on their way from Manila to Baguio to the Ifugaos in order to find an idol; these idols that are either made of stone or wood and are very important to the natives who make them. Now, Philip once lived as an Ifugao but left and went to the city to live an urbanized life. After being converted to a Catholic, he then loses all sense of respect towards the practices that he once did as an Ifugao. He only went back to the mountains for the sole purpose of helping Sam, an American whom Philip owed for giving him a raise, to find an authentic idol to take with him back to the US.

Once they got to their destination, Philip’s grandfather threw a party to celebrate his reunion with him but Philip went straight to business only to find out that no Ifugao wanted to sell their idols because like what was mentioned earlier, these idols were of great importance to them. So, Philip decided to steal his grandfather’s idol as a last resort but unfortunately, his grandfather died the next day.

Filled with so much guilt, he decided to stay and leave city life for good because he felt responsible for his grandfather’s death. After that, Philip carves a new idol while Sam takes the stolen one back with him to America.

  Analysis

I don’t often read short stories much but as an artist, I can definitely tell when a masterpiece is made. When I finished the story, it gave me the impression that people may have been lacking in appreciation of our country’s culture. It was like it was meant to tell people that we should go astray like Philip because if we do, not only is it a sign of disrespect towards the culture and traditions that we have but basically the essence of being a Filipino.

I understand that being a country that has been colonized a lot of times and since that’s the case, there would be an influence towards how the countrymen would perceive the difference of the way of living in the city and in a place surrounded by nature. It seemed to me as an eye opener that we could still do more to show how much we respect our roots regardless of how we were brought up – be it in the city or somewhere more secluded like the people described in the story.

Although there were two main characters, there was more emphasis on Philip’s character development as it seemed to turn a full 360. All in all, the story served its purpose and I can see how this could influence people who have colonial mentality.

 References used

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ifugao

http://gabrielslibrary.blogspot.com/2010/04/god-stealer-fransico-sionil-jose.html

II. SIX FEET OF A COUNTRY Summary of Six Feet of a Country

The Six Feet of a Country is about a mix up that happened with Petrus’ brother. When Petrus’ brother died of exposure, Baas had to send his body for autopsy. Even though Petrus hated the idea so much, he had no choice but to give in to a white man’s orders. But he never gave up and kept on asking Baas to take his brother back in order for them to give him a proper burial. But Baas said that this was impossible and soon his wife urged him to give the authorities a call in order for Petrus to be convinced that there was no way to bring his brother back. All of this was a great burden to Baas because not only was he frustrated by handling a black boy’s dead body that wasn’t all related to him but also because he wanted to avoid anything that had to do with Petrus’ brother who was an illegal immigrant. But then, they find out that there was a way to bring the body back by paying twenty dollars. 

When they get the body back, they felt that the casket was heavier than usual only to find out that what was inside was a different person. Petrus was devastated and demanded to have his brother and money back. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Baas tried with his new found determination to get the body back, they didn’t prevail. Defeated, Baas is alone with his thoughts pitying how much effort they wasted.

Analysis

For me, this story was quite difficult to understand at first read but that just goes to show that one must play close attention to the story to be able to get a good grasp of what the message is about and what the author wants to say to its reader. On the surface, it may seem as if it’s just about the discrimination that black people experience on the contrary to the privilege that the narrator has. I think I can see that somehow, there could still be good relationships that could be salvaged amidst the racial segregation that occurred in the past. Yes, the difficulties that blacks have experienced greatly outnumber the good but the story somehow shows that there could be good relationships amongst different races. At first, the main character was very distant from Petrus and was unsympathetic to his situation for the most part just because he thinks of them as poor devils. He was very less concerned of how they would feel given that their position in the social hierarchy is pretty low. Though it may have taken a while, the main character that was white seemed to have developed a sense of attachment though barely towards Petrus and his brother. It’s relevant to this day because we are divided in so many ways – religion, race, social status or political standing. But if someone like Baas learned how to meet Petrus eye to eye despite the stereotypical discrimination that means that people now can still learn how to humble themselves and stop the hate. 

References used

http://avenidasfuneralchapel.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-ugly-pink-casket-veteran-and.html https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-14-006559-6  III. THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO Summary of the Cask of Amontillado

Montresor is angry at Fortunato for insulting him over and over and bringing shame to his name. Therefore, he decides that he must eliminate Fortunato from the world in order to avenge and bring back pride to his name and family emblem. He planned that he must use Fortunato’s weakness for wine in order to successfully kill him.When the two get together, Montresor piques Fortunato’s curiosity by tempting him to drink Amontillado with him. And since Fortunato was a huge chump for what he was hearing, he immediately went with Montresor to the catacombs to drink. When they got there, Montresor makes him drink a lot of alcohol and this made him very drunk on their journey. Once Fortunato was too weak, Montresor chained him in a tiny hole and built a wall of stones to trap him there and basically bury him alive. After 50 years, Montresor says that nobody has ever touched the place where Montresor was trapped. 

Analysis

I like this because it is the most interesting amongst the three stories that I have read and it may not be as deep as I expected it to be because of the plot but it was very entertaining. Aside from the personal rage that Montresor had against Fortunato, I fail to find the moral lesson that would be useful and timely. But even if I think that, I still feel like the charm of this story lies on its mysteriousness. Edgar Allan Poe is known for his goth style of writing and after some research, I found out that the author wasn’t actually inspired by a specific event but was rather intrigued by the thought of being buried alive. And as twisted as it may seem, again, I think that is its most charming point. The Cask of Amontillado reminded me of the famous quote from The Godfather, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” That’s what this story is basically about; you may never know who might eventually murder you given that people have the tendency to be quite deceiving. I don’t know if I should feel bad for the characters but I find them both too unreal and real at the same time because I know actual instances where people are betrayed to the point of murder in real life. Reality can truly be harsh because at the end of it all, you would really have to assess the people who you trust whether it be your friend or your family. 

References used

https://medium.com/enotes/writing-prompt-002-the-cask-of-amontillado-33059df30ea8http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/POE/cask.html  

[johnmarkmedina]

@scrawlsofarandomwriter Title:

Goal of Equality: Muslim Women’s fight between Islamic Law and Feminism

 Summary:

The first wife of a Muslim man has a very big pressure and responsibility behind her. She should maintain the quality of being the “ideal wife” to ensure that her husband should not switch its attention to the other wife of the husband because as written on the Qur’an, it is legal to have more wives for Muslim religion.

 Analysis:

If the husband has the power to manipulate his wives over their acts of being responsible, then we should respect those acts even it overlaps the boundary of religion. Not everyone has the capability to think how the Muslims follow their beliefs but this is an act of oppression that should not be tolerated unless being inside the religious circle. Source:

Muslim Women’s Quest for Equality: Between Islamic Law and Feminism https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/508085?seq=1 https://riadzany.blogspot.com/2014_08_01_archive.html

   Title:

Emotional Labor: Managing the quality of being a woman

 Summary:

Emotional labor is often used to manage the women’s dignity and quality to endure a certain downfall or pain just to maintain her quality infront of its husband and child. In the Muslim religion, Emotional Labor is a prominent act that the original wife should be outstanding in the family beside the other wife so that her original child will still choose her.

 Analysis:

Enduring the pain and downfall as a mother is a tough responsibility. Being strong in times of hardships not to be seen as week and coping up is for stronger women. It plays a major role or the “ideal wife” and to be the best one among all the wives of the husband and to be a role model to her children’s perspective.  

 Source:

http://beyondphilosophy.com/emotional-labor-employees-and-customer-experience/

   Title: Seek for freedom: Women Liberation

  Summary:

Woman Liberation is a group of women that sets their goal to show their hardships and struggle to set them free from being under their husbands umbrellas. It is a movement of group of fellow women who experienced the same pressure and oppression of their husbands.

 Analysis:

If 2 women are under the same men, they are still fighting for their rights in a signle organization. The group of women are still fighting for the settlement of their liberation. This stigma is still prominent in the generation today but others remain silent. Sometimes the religions creates boundaries and beliefs that are not beneficial to oneself. We just have to respect and treat them not apart from us.

 Source: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/11/16/lift-and-separate