An Essay about Nick Joaquin's "A Heritage of Smallness"

14 6702
Avatar for charmingcherry08
4 years ago

Nick Joaquin is a famous Filipino writer who usually wrote about history. And, he has this essay about the Philippines in which he explain its smallness compared to the states and countries. Not literally the smallness in size, but he mentioned a lot in every way such as in culture, way of living, and adaptation to modernization.

In his essay, he mentioned how we are divided into groups. He compared how America divides its people into towns and states. But, in the Philippines, we have provinces, municipalities, barangays, and even barrios. To this matter, he pointed out how Filipino leaders coand does not handle their people effectively that they needed to divide us into countable numbers. We are also aware of the colonization in our country centuries ago. Even if we fought for freedom and had it back to us, it is like we are still a prisoner of the richest countries to the world. He also emphasized the smallness of the Philippines when it talks about the economical agenda. He mentioned how we cannot adapt too effortlessly into better productions and how we find difficulty in going with the flow of modernization. We are too afraid of going beyond our limits because we are also feeling the smallness towards our works and ourselves deep down. He put this on a situation where some of our crafts were just small pottery and miniature artworks and it stopped there. Also, Mexico and Tokyo were also prone to earthquakes but still constructed taller buildings and better infrastructures, that the Philippines don't have. He added also how Filipinos woke up early in the morning to work and end late at night. The working hours were also compared to the working hours in other countries where they work less but have more earnings than Filipinos who work for hours but have less.

The spotlight was also pointed to the Filipino's mindset on being contented with having a little and does not look to a wider and broader opportunity that awaits them. It is something that will make someone bothered. This is a situation many Filipinos were still facing. We are known for being contented with what we have, even if it is not as much as the others have. There, we forget how to work harder and try other better opportunities. To support this claim, Nick mentioned on his work two concepts that is only happening in the Philippines: the “Tingi system” and “isang kahig, isang tuka”. The “tingi system” is about buying a certain product by piece — for example is buying just a stick of cigarette instead of buying a box of it, buying a piece of banana, and buying a head of garlic instead instead of buying it per dozen or per kilo. That is how it works. Buying stuffs by pieces instead of buying them by dozen, carton, box, or buying bulks of it. And the other is the “isang kahig, isang tuka”, which is eventually a norm to Filipinos. You work for a day to provide the basic needs of your family just for day too. It is more of surviving the day. This is a sad reality to the life of most Filipinos.

Looking around today, hearing the news, and scrolling up and down on social media, I can see that the smallness is still embedded in the Philippines, but not as worse as before. We had improvements, and still having little by little. We adapt modernization better now, just like the others outside this country. The sociological relation to the other countries were blooming and somewhat helps the country to work on its competitiveness to the production industry. The infrastuctures are getting better and you can see the improvements too in the industrial and agricultural sectors as well. But, poverty is still present. The “tingi system” and “isang kahig, isang tuka” concepts will never be erased in this country and specially to the people. Maybe it will, someday, but it will took a long processing and more improvements to this country. The economical standard should be changes in the next decades before it the smallness could finally be just part of our country’s history.

Written by: @charmingcherry08

——————————

——————————

Sponsors of charmingcherry08
empty
empty
empty

9
$ 0.54
$ 0.54 from @TheRandomRewarder
Sponsors of charmingcherry08
empty
empty
empty
Avatar for charmingcherry08
4 years ago

Comments

Indeed, positive, I remember my student years because the study was never given simply, and had to "twist" 25 hours a day. In the last course, it became a little easier because I found a good service https://edusson.com/order-essaywhere you can order essays online for students. Since I was constantly looking for second jobs it turned out to be much more effective than spending time on writing homework and do not have time to work and free earnings. I think it is worth reconsidering the education system that can work better. Otherwise, the best years will be lost to studying and the future to finding a job!

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Good post, very well written. If you need help writing an equally good post, article, or research paper, we will help you https://paperwritingservices.reviews/buyessay-org-review/ the result will surprise you!

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Essay writing is the most common assignment given to students in university or schools.<a href="https://www.globalassignmenthelp.com/ca/essay-writing"> Essay Writing services </a>, also helps to complete their homework/ assignment on time. There is some time when student is tired and looks for homework help from an expert. However, there are some people who believe that homework does not help students learn.

$ 0.00
2 years ago

There are many best essay writing service reviews online. While some are positive and some are negative, it is important to read reviews of several essay writing services before you choose one. You want to see whether the service delivers on time, whether there are hidden fees, and if the work is 100% original.

$ 0.00
2 years ago

In a country like Australia, where the language and culture are different, finding a good essay writing service australia can be a difficult task. You can hire the service of an essay writer to get the grade you need. You can even get money back guarantee from such companies. To know more about their services, read on. Here are some things to look for in an essay writing service:

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Discovering this writing service has been a game-changer for me! Balancing work, family, and studies can be overwhelming, but with their help, I've regained control of my academic journey. The writers are exceptionally skilled and have a knack for producing top-notch essays that consistently earn high grades. Their attention to detail and commitment to meeting deadlines are truly commendable. Plus, the entire process is seamless and confidential, giving me peace of mind. If you're seeking reliable, professional assistance with pay for essay https://essayshark.com/ , look no further. Investing in their service is investing in your academic success!

$ 0.00
11 months ago

Much thanks to you for such and supportive data. I attempt to learn everything about papers and about the guidelines for composing great articles, however the entirety of my endeavors end in disappointment and all together not to gamble with my grades when I want hnd assignment. I go to trained professionals. I accept that everybody ought to do what he truly enjoys, and probably the explanation that I can't compose is that I could do without to make it happen, so believing an expert is the best choice.

$ 0.00
2 years ago

You deserve all the very appreciation because you, yourself being so very intelligent as well as knowledgeable are yet so very humble as well as generous that you just keep helping others with all the knowledge you have. Thanksgivings for all your sharing of knowledge.

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Thank you so much.

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Thanks for the very helpful information. Now I'm looking for an article on how to properly summarize. There is a lot of information and you need to study everything, much easier to contact the summarize helper. You can find a link here https://www.summarizing.biz/ They have great prices. You can get a discount on your first order. There is also a loyalty system

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Where do you think is his origin?

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Quite an interesting piece. I like the title "Heritage of Smallness" from your review I can tell that it really has substance. For me, this heritage made a Filipino unique apart from other races in the world. We adapt, improvise, develop, but it is still there because this is Philippines. I hope you are familiar with Becoming Filipino - that famous Canadian blogger, he loves every aspect of the Philippines and I think we should be too.

$ 0.00
4 years ago

I love every aspect of being a Filipino and the way of living here in our country. Even if, like what I mentioned above, we have this smallness compared to some other country in the world. Thank you for dropping your thought about this. Awww, I appreciate it because you are the only person who commented on this one.

$ 0.00
4 years ago

Hahah! I noticed it too.. Good morning!

$ 0.00
4 years ago