Thoughts to Live By: A Lion's Heart

Thoughts to Live By: A Lion's Heart: "Achilles is a son to King Peleus and Thetis. He is a cousin to Patroclus. He is invincible, immortal and thirsts for great glory. As a war..."

Thoughts to Live By: EPIC WIN :)

Thoughts to Live By: EPIC WIN :): "Iliad and Odyssey are two of the most famous epics ever written by Homer. They are still well-known until today for it has..."

EPIC WIN :)

Iliad and Odyssey are two of the most famous epics ever written by Homer. They are still well-known until today for it has thrills related to adventure, enigma, and love. Both of them portrays about Greek literature wherein it displays the traditions, customs and beliefs of the Greeks.

In our lesson about these stories, if a royal blood dies, his body must be cremated. If not, it is a disgrace for them; it is like degrading their status from kings to slaves. Greeks also believes in polytheism, which means the belief in many gods. Just like when Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter for a god to favor their horde. The gods also choose their own side. They are to decide what will be the fate of the side they chose. For instance, when Hector and Achilles fought. Apollo favored Hector that’s why Hector was able to defend himself from the mighty Achilles but, Athena favored Achilles so she found a way to deceive Hector and finally killed him. These just show that Greeks really base their lives depending on their gods plan. They should respect the decision whether good or bad.

Hence, I conclude that the Greek culture is based on their belief in gods/ goddesses. There should be no questions on why this literature of the Greeks is still well known. It is because we are fond of reading and discussing them in our school that for me, it helped us students to understand and accept other peoples’ culture.

A Lion's Heart

Achilles is a son to King Peleus and Thetis. He is a cousin to Patroclus. He is invincible, immortal and thirsts for great glory.
As a warrior, Achilles is brutal and merciless. He fears no one even the gods. When Patroclus was killed by Hector, who thought that it was him, Achilles revenged the death of his cousin knowing that if he kills Hector, his fate is to die. At that moment, he is unstoppable. This shows his anger and thirst for revenge and GLORY. As Hector and him fights, Hector never misses his target but Achilles seems to be INVINCIBLE, it’s because of the armor made by Hephaestus, these lines will prove it:

Achilles attacked as well, heart full of savage anger,
covering his chest with that richly decorated shield,
his shining four-ridge helmet nodding on his head,
the golden plumes Hephaestus had set there. (22.405-408.229)

And no doubt, He won the battle against Hector. Over dead Hector, godlike Achilles cried out:

Die there!
As for my own death, I accept
whenever Zeus and the immortal gods
see fit to bring it to me (22.474-477.231)

These show why he is merciless. He just let Hector die and as he say these words…

He cut through the tendons behind both feet, from heel to ankle,
threaded them with ox-hide thongs, and then tied these
onto his chariot, leaving the head to drag behind.
He climbed up into his chariot, brought on the splendid armour,
then lashed his horses. (22.513-518.231)

Again, these proves that he is merciless, at the same time, showing his brutality.

Achilles shows brutality, merciless and dauntless acts which causes everyone to fear him. But for me, he is really a great and courageous warrior because, even though he knew that he will die if he’ll kill Hector, he still didn’t’ abstain from the bloody battle that will take place. :)))

Teodora Alonzo: Patriotic, Wife, a Hero

When offered pension by the US government, she said

"The Rizals offer their lives to their mother country because of their inherent patriotism and not because of money"

A man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities are some characteristics of a hero, But really, Is there a need for us to have a hero in today’s society? In my opinion, I must say YES! If one will just be vigilant of what is happening around, children needs an epitome that will guide them to the right path, for the next generation will reap what they sown.

Being a hero doesn’t really mean that you have to be a man, sometimes, it can be the opposite gender. A good example of a Filipina hero would be Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonzo. As a wife, she wished only the best for her children, she sent them to school for a brighter future. But life is just too cruel. During those times, the Philippines was conquered by the Spaniards. Teodora was one of the many Filipinos who suffered inferior to them. They accused her of false charges. The Spaniards put her to jail in spite of her innocence. Knowing that the Spaniards were after Rizal, Teodora didn’t stop her son. But instead, she became Rizal’s inspiration to continue his cause for freedom. In 1891, Teodora joined her son and kept a house in Dapitan where RIzal was in exiled. After Rizal was made a national hero, the legislature of the Philippines offered her a lifetime pension as a token of gratitude which she respectfully refused.

A hero for me doesn’t mean you have to be physically strong. In my opinion, for someone to be a hero, he or she must set a good example to others. One must help the needy, must know how to fight for his right as a human. Teodora Alonzo, though a woman, fight for her own family. And in times of plight, instead of being quiet, she inspired other people to continue what they know is right for the better of the country. So, does your “hero” helped today’s society? Or is he or she really a hero? If you do not know the answer….better start thinking. :))

Everyone is Welcome in TUMCS

Nowadays, we students thirst for knowledge. That is why the Taytay United Methodist Christian School was built to help students discover their hidden talents, nourish their skills and be God fearing.

Twenty six years of its hard work, patience and perseverance. The TUMCS helps each child to strive for academic excellence, thus, most of the graduates here bring home the bacon from a lot of prestigious universities like University of the Philippines. Awards like Magna or Suma Cumluade are just a piece of cake for the students that graduated in this school. This shows how smart Tumcsians are. Now that they have achieved their dreams with flying colors, they never forget to stay humble and thank God for their blessings.

As a student, let us not destroy this stature of the school. Hence, let us get our act together and bring more awards to our Alma Mater. Let's get started !

Learning: Listen, Practice and Apply!

As our teacher gives us the printed copy of our errors on grammar, my first impression was “this is going to be a long day”. She said that, to hid the identity of the person who committed the error, just keep quiet. That’s what all of us did. The moment I saw the paper, I took a glance on the pages to see if my errors were there. As I look on the sentences, I honestly laughed on some of them but I stopped because I know that it is wrong to laugh at someone’s error. Most common errors I saw were about “subject verb agreement”. And some of them were randomized like, “I “becomes “You” in the next sentence. I realized that we were having a hard time in applying the lessons taught to us by the teacher thus, it resulted to some common if not the most basic rule in English grammar.

In school, we were practiced to apply the lessons we learned in grammar through writing, blogging and making some essays. Sometimes in seat works, assignments, quizzes and projects too. For me, every word said by the teacher is important so, I make sure to take down notes especially when rules on grammar were being discussed. If in case I will be applying the rules, I will first study and try to understand their uses in a sentence. If my grammar is organized, it will be easier for the readers to understand what I want to impart them. And also, it is not messy or confusing.

To improve my writing skills, I will practice how to use different parts of speech properly. With this, I can avoid common errors. I will also read the dictionary and try to use some uncommon words in a conversation. With this practice, I can widen the use of my vocabulary. Writing something about current events makes me feel updated so, I will use my vacant time making some brief essays about the things happening around. Reading books is also important; it is like providing the mind with nourishment. It encourages us to think, it increases our hunger for knowledge and our thirst to learn more. It also makes our imagination work.