The Benefit of Doubting Literature

Good evening Read Cash Users!

In this article I will be sharing you one of my reflections during our Readings in the Philippine History Class.

I hope you get something from here!

February 21, 2020, at one o’clock in the afternoon as the discussion begun, I have seen myself wonder in a four-corner classroom of what could have been the identity of our country if we failed to truly decode the message of our past, which is now our history.

As I've read the First Voyage of the World by Magellan , I was also astonished how great our historians are, for they did not just simply accepted what Antonio Pigafetta has fed us with his chronicle of the First Voyage of the World by Magellan. I realized the importance of analyzing a literature   carefully. Antonio’s chronicle only shows that a literature or documentary is truly dependent on the chronicler’s background and interpretation on a certain situation or event. Wherein, the chronicle was biased on many points, such as addressing that civilians were naked, however they were wearing “bahag” and that the community lives under the tree, but the truth is, most houses are made of bamboo for a reason that the Philippines is a tropical country and the way people live is based on the resources that are abundant to nature. It was actually a mind opener for everyone, to analyze, criticize and evaluate things fairly to know whether the information is true and reliable.

It is also fascinating how we, students hate to listen to history class where in fact it brings us different parts of the world just by reading. The next report brought us to Lumban, whereas the discovery of Laguna Copper-plate Inscription happened. The copper-plate did not instantly attract the attention of the public but with the help of Alfredo E. Evangelista who deciphered the meaning of the copperplate have made a great impact to our history as it is another evidence of how slavery ruled the country and is also pre-dated the arrival of Magellan to the Philippines. As the discussion goes on, the KKK and the Kartilya ng Katipunan caught my attention. Hearing all of the principles that was being lived by the Filipinos who are seeking for freedom then just gave me slap to my whole system. Almost all the citizens way back then was deprived of human rights while, I, a generation z individual who was born in the 21st century experiencing the luxury of freedom that our ancestors had fought for, is making me feel guilty of all the time I wasted that is not beneficial to the society, to our country and even to my countrymen. I was also touched when I heard the poem written by Andres Bonifacio of his declaration of love for our homeland which is entitled “Ang Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa”. The verses of Bonifacio’s poetry make every Filipino proud and honored to have a man like him to lead the way in fighting for our independence. His writings enlightened us that not only Rizal was the heroin of our freedom but also all the citizens who declared their stand to fight against the colonizers through joining the KKK movement.

I never knew that looking back to our history could be this amazing yet so heart breaking. From the deprivation of human rights, slavery and many more unjust rulings of the colonizers is definitely mind blowing. But despite all the sufferings, I guess there will always be an end to everything. 1898, when we attained freedom that was fought for with the lives of the Filipinos and 1946 when Emilio Aguinaldo Proclaimed the Independence of the Philippines. The declaration was short 2000-word document which summarized the reason behind the revolution against Spain, the war for independence and the future of the new republic under Aguinaldo’s governance that marked a great change to the Philippine history,

Studying history could also be this interesting since it shows the evolution of resources and the kind of government the Philippines had through the years. During the American era, the presence of political cartoons has been seen as early as the publication of Kalayaan and La Solidaridad where political cartoons serve as primers for engaging in the prevailing opinions of that time. One positive effect of political cartoon is that it becomes the representation of the current conditions of our country- it lets us see the problem. That is very beneficial for future generations will be able to have a glimpse of the past Philippine society through these cartoons. Eventually will serve as a study and reference tool for further generations.

Honestly speaking, as an Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering student, it seemed to me that GEC 12 is just a subject I need to take because it is part of the curriculum that I enrolled in, but as I sit and listen to all the literatures that was being served to me, I have come to realized that I am a citizen of the Philippines, the homeland that was fought for by the lives of my countrymen. It is my responsibility to know, learn and educate myself of all the things that makes up my identity as a Filipino.

Special thanks to @Ashma for motivating me to do more and I'm also glad to join "Get Sponsored !!" community

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