NESTY MARIE E.

ALMONIA
CHAPTER 15

In this chapter felt how patriotic Rizal was. I felt the great love that
he had for the country where we can define Patriotism as supporting
and being responsible for your family, your community, and all levels of
government with your willingness to work, to volunteer, to pay your
share of taxes and pay with your life if need be. It means the majority
rules, but the majority protects the rights of the minority. It means
respecting your neighbor’s opinion, but not letting yourself be run over
by it. It means thinking for yourself, but also seriously working to
educate yourself. To be patriotic, you need to learn and understand
where the biases in information you receive are coming from. Is the
information objective, or captured by special interests on the left or
right, or in between? I volunteer, I pay my taxes without griping, I
vote, I obey the law. I read something of real intellectual value
everyday – generally in economics, finance or ecology (and I am no
intellectual nor academic). I do not wear my patriotism on my shoulder
wrapped in a flag, nor do I run around with a gun (although I own
several), but I try to practice patriotism honestly, knowledgeably and
quietly every day.
CHAPTER 16

Life is beautiful but not always easy Jose Rizal was a proof to this. It
has problems too, and the challenge lies in facing them with courage,
letting the beauty of life act like a painkiller, making the pain bearable
during trying times by providing hope. Happiness and sorrow, victory
and defeat, day and night are just two sides of the coin. Similarly, life
is full of moments of joy, pleasure, success, and comfort punctuated by
misery, defeat, failures, and problems. There is no human being on
Earth that is strong, powerful, wise, or rich who has not experienced
struggle, suffering, or failure. No doubt, life is beautiful, and every
moment is a celebration of being alive, but one should always be ready
to face adversity and challenges. A person who has not encountered
difficulties in life can never achieve success. Difficulties test the
courage, patience, perseverance, and true character of a human being.
Adversity and hardships make a person strong and ready to face the
challenges of life with equanimity. There is no doubt that there can be
no gain without pain. It is only when one toils and sweats it out that
success is nourished and sustained. Thus, life should not be just a bed
of roses; thorns are also a part of it and should be accepted by us just
as we accept the beautiful side of life. The thorns remind one of how
success and happiness can be evasive and instead of feeling
disappointed and disheartened rather remember that the pain of
thorns is short-lived, and the beauty of life would soon overcome the
prick of thorns. Those who are under the impression that life is a bed
of roses are disillusioned soon and become victims of depression and
frustration. One who faces difficulties with courage and accepts
success without letting it go to their head is the one who experience
real happiness, contentment, and peace in life.
CHAPTER 17

Rizal who sought justice for the people he loved made me think, People
deserve justice and fairness, no matter where they come from or the
color of their skin. The term justice means the quality of righteousness
and to uphold the fairness of a cause. There has been crime passed on
which still takes place now, lives have been lost and people have been
injured and still haven’t received justice. Justice is supposed to bring a
rational point to laws that are above our control. Fairness and justice
can bring people to peace. Justice gives the world a chance to stay in a
civilized matter for the better outcome. Life isn’t always fair but as an
individual , we should know that we all deserve equal rights. Even
though justice and fairness are relatable terms, there is a distinct
difference. Fairness is a quality of being fair without having any
judgment towards the individual but justice is simply what the person
deserves. Aristotle once mentioned that the most fundamental
principle of justice is “equals should be treated equally and unequal
unequally.” He means everyone shall be treated the same unless there
is a significant difference. For example, if African Americans had to
use a different water fountain than White people just because of the
color of their skin, that means this was unjust and an act of
discrimination. Race or skin color doesn’t change the fact that we are
all human. Another example, if women and men have the same job but
the men make more just because they are men means this is unfair
because they complete the same amount of work.
CHAPTER 18

The lesson that I got from this chapter was more from Rizal’s
relationship with Boustead Don’t rush love. It will come and it will find
you. It might not be at the time you want it to be, but it will come in
the exact moment you are ready. I’ve learned that we sometimes get so
busy trying to find someone to complete us, that we forget to realize
that we are already whole. Love yourself first so that it never comes
down to you needing someone to love you. And always be grateful for
the love that comes your way, even if it doesn’t stay forever. Let go of
love gracefully and never allow it to cause hate or bitterness. take it in,
give it out, and accept how people offer it. And remember that the
people in your life won’t be here forever. Spend time with them today,
right now. Tell them you love them, but more importantly, show them
that you do.
CHAPTER 19

The publishing of EL Filibusterismo gave me the thought of how good

Rizal as writer was. Writing and writing continuously makes a writer
more and more refined. If you survey the writings of a great writer
there may be a marked change from his early writing to his writing in
his mature years. You become a better and better painter as you paint
more and more pictures and you become a better and better writer as
you write more and more. Read good books daily and improve your
vocabulary. You can have a dictionary by your side and as you come
across a new word you can understand its meaning by consulting the
dictionary. Never read a book without understanding every word or
expression used in it. If you want to become a writer you can write
essays and poems and send them to various newspapers and magazines.
They may be rejected initially. But go on writing and sending your
articles to the newspapers and magazines. One day your article will be
published. You get recognition. Your future articles may be considered
for publication as you have already gained recognition. Perseverance
pays.
CHAPTER 20

Rizal who left Ghent and encountered German ladies who judged him.
Often in life, you must have heard, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’.
The phrase is self-explanatory and has a deep meaning behind it. It
means that we must not underestimate anyone based on their looks. In
fact, the deeds and characters of the person matter the most. There
are many reasons why we must never judge a book by its cover. This
first one is that you know nothing about someone just by their outward
appearance. It should never be the judge of someone’s character. For
instance, if you look at a good-looking person, you can only see their
skin color, physical traits, and maybe fashion. But what about beyond
that? You cannot solely make up your mind on their outward
appearance. What if the good-looking person turns out to be horrible in
nature? What if they lack any real talent or skill? Thus, you see how
outward appearances can be misleading. They are basically valueless
things so never judge someone on their face value. On the other hand,
something which may not possess beautiful features may have much
more value than something beautiful. In other words, the appearance
of someone is not equivalent to their worth. Thus, we must judge the
person on the basis of their personality and capabilities and not merely
external appearance.
CHAPTER 21

I believe in standing up for what is right, even when you are standing
alone. Rizal pave the way for our freedom. I used to believe in a
perfect nation . . . that the colonists cooperated peacefully with the
Native Americans, and that the Revolutionary War occurred without
the interference and manipulation of wealthy elites, that the Civil War
was just about slavery, and that all of our history has been defined by
the spanish dream, the Constitution, and the Declaration of
Independence. The truth is, though, that I don’t really believe any of
these things. Now, I know the truth of our history. I know about the
manipulation of the working classes, the ruthless monopolization of
industries, the atrocities Americans committed in the Philippines
during the turn of the 19th century, and the truth behind Norman
Rockwell’s WWII-era propaganda. But most of all, I know now that the
Civil Rights movement was not a time of peaceful talks and fine
speeches…it was a time of ground-breaking change, heartfelt and
devastating struggles, and, oftentimes, serious violence. I know that
lawmakers attempted to limit blacks’ right to vote with the Voting
Rights Act, and I know the abuse that the Little Rock 9 and the
Greensboro 4 suffered. Little did we know we are being slaves of our
own country.
CHAPTER 22

RIZAL – gave his all to help the people of Dapitan. We help each other
because of the different reasons. Some people help, because they just
cannot not to help the other people if they need help. The other people
help, because they wish to give some positive energy or just because
they must help. Sometimes we can help the others, because we are
sure, that they will think in a good way about as after that. We need to
improve our health, and to be sure, that someone needs us. When we
help, we also get the real benefits to our health. Are you interested in
it? Also, if you find, where it is possible to get the importance of
helping others essay or short speech on helping others, you have
chosen the right place. If you are wondering, why you should choose us,
the answer will be very simple. All of us can help other people and all
can be the part of the mechanism, which can change our life and make
it better. In any case, if you help other people, you become happier
than you were before and you can be sure, that people will help you too.
CHAPTER 23

The sacrifices of rizal melted everything in me. Sacrifice means a

gesture of giving up something that you love and possess for the sake
of others’ happiness or God’s happiness. Sacrifice might be made for
some human life or just as a belief or a ritual. Some people are always
ready to do whatever it will take to see others prosper in their lives.
Some are also willing to sacrifice their lives for others because of the
affection and love they have for one another and humanity. When you
are choosing to sacrifice for someone, then it is not by any obligation,
but that is something, which is done purely from the depth of your
heart. Making sacrifice is not that easy as many people presume it to
be. There are sometimes various serious consequences which follow a
sacrifice, and some people might have to live with the consequences of
their sacrifice for their entire life. Moreover, if you are choosing to do
sacrifice, then it should not be for any public popularity gains but
because your inner self-wants to do it. If you are doing it for public
popularity then later you would regret, and your real intentions will be
known to all. Your image will be hampered, and people will dislike your
guts. So, whenever you are doing sacrifice, then you must be sure that
you are ready and prepared. You should sacrifice by your heart.