PHILIPPINES

Mga Ibong Mandaragit

By Amado V. Hernandez

Sa kalagitnaan ng 1944, kung saan humihina na ang

hukbo ng mga Hapones sa digmaan, napagpasiyahan nilang atakihin ang Sampitan at tinangkang
agawin din ang Infanta mula sa mga gerilyang Pilipino. Nagkaroon ng digmaan at halos
mapulbos ang mga Pilipino gerilya.
May ilan-ilan namang nakaligtas mula sa madugong digmaan at salakayan. Isa sa mga ito ay si
Mando. Nilakbay niya ang kagubatan upang makaligtas nang tuluyan sa mga sundalong Hapon.
Sa gubat ay nakita niya rin ang dalawa pang gerilyang nakaligtas, sina Martin at Karyo.
Ang tatlo ay nagpasiyang magtungo sa bahay ni Tata Matyas na isang gerilya rin noong
kaniyang kabataan. Pinatuloy sila nito sa kaniyang tahanan. Habang naghahapunan sina Martin
at Karyo, nag-uusap naman sina Tata Matyas at Mando tungkol sa nobela ni Jose Rizal na El
Filibusterismo at Noli Me Tangere.
Ayon kay Tata Matyas, totoo ang mga kayamanang iniwan ni Rizal. Dahil dito ay nakumbinsi
rin ang tatlo na totoo nga ito. Hinanap nilang tatlo kung nasaan ang iniwang kayaman ni Simoun
na mula sa mga nobela ni Rizal.
Nakita nila ang kayamanan sa karagatan ng Atimonan. Gayunman, nasawi naman si Karyo dahil
sa pating na sumalakay sa kanila. Si Martin naman ay pinaslang ni Mando dahil sa kasakiman
nito at nais masolo ang kayamanan.
Reaction:
Mga Ibong Mandaragit is a novel and a masterpiece of a Filipino writer and also asocial activist,
Amado V. Hernandez that focuses on how our country has no equality setting that intelligence,
wealth, and power was based only on how others see you with your physical self that led to some
Filipinos being much more powerful than others leading their feet to selfishness regardless on
your history. That was the time when the Philippines was at the arms of Japanese occupation and
how Amado’s experience as a guerrilla intelligence officer led him to write this kind of novel.
 As I’ve read the novel, realizing that the novel acts as a sequel to Jose Rizal's historic Noli Me
Tangereand El filibusterismo. Understanding the story, Mando was sent out to a test by Tata
Matyas to get the wealth of Simoun that was thrown in the sea by Padre Florentino with the help
of two other guerrillas. As they went to the Pacific Ocean, the only test I assumed Tata Matyas
gave Mando was his greediness because on the time Mando found the wealth as mentioned also
in Rizal’s work , leaving the two guerrillas dead because of a shark attack and how he managed
to kill the other. After knowing that Mando was not that knowledgeable enough to interpret
things, he decided to go to different countries to study. Symbolizes that back in the old days, you
can be superior to others just by how the society defines you based on your physical self and
color perhaps. Further reading the novel, Mando made an association named Kampilan that
focuses on battling against the higher level individuals within the government using the reality in
every people and the true state of the people that were inferior to some. Knowing that some
superior individual in the story like Don Segundo and his members were having a conversation
of selling illegal weapons, gambling yet they kept their image safe by hiding in the dark and even
though Mando discovered their dirty truths, he still can’t do anything for he was inferior to them.

JAPAN

The Two Frogs: A Japanese Folktale

By Andrew Lang
 This is
the story of two frogs from Japan. They lived far apart from one another, in two different cities.
One of them lived in a ditch on a sea coast in Osaka. The other frog was from Kyoto and he
resided in a clear stream that flowed through the city.
Both frogs were separated and miles apart. They had never seen or heard of each other. One day
a thought struck both of them - they desired to see something outside of their own world. The
frog from Osaka wanted to see how Kyoto looked like and the Kyoto frog was excited to visit
Osaka. Thus, one fine day the two frogs set off on their respective journeys, wishing to make
their dream come true.
Both the frogs started from opposite ends of the road that connected Osaka and Kyoto. The
journey was long and tiresome. The frogs faced many difficulties before they came across a
mountain that had to be crossed to continue their journey.
It took a tremendous amount of effort for both of them to climb up the mountain. When they
reached the top, they both saw each other. Each frog was surprised to see another frog at the top
of a mountain! The frogs remained silent for a few moments and then jumped into a
conversation. It was yet again a surprise to them when they discovered that both the frogs had the
same wish — that of visiting their neighboring country and know more about it. The frogs then
decided that they should rest for some time before continuing on their journey.
"How I wish we could be much bigger. That way we could have seen the towns from here", said
the frog from Osaka.
The frog from Kyoto thought for some time. An idea struck him and he was delighted.

Reaction:
A Tale of Two Frogs is a folktale that provides valuable life lessons in character values in taking
responsibility and being resourceful against all odds. Those that never give up often find
themselves handsomely rewarded for their persistence. In the end the lazy frog develops a
greater appreciation and newfound respect for her sister's always positive, "it's-not-over-till-it's-
over" outlook on life.

SINGAPORE

Rice Bowl
 By Su-chen Christine Lim

Young, passionate and idealistic, Sister Marie

rejects the conformity of her first love, Paul Tan, the police inspector. She embraces the
liberalism of her second love, Hans Kuhn, the American missionary, and leads a group of
students to question the values of a nation gripped by fear of the government and loss of their
rice bowl. They organize a protest march against the Vietnam War, which leads to a riot,
detention and deportation of the workers she tries to help. Ser Mei, her student and the daughter
of a prostitute, meets a tragic death.

Reaction:
Rice Bowl is a powerfully written novel about the complexity of living and loving in Singapore,
drawing into its boundaries the little explored areas of human relationships, threading its way
through those tentative awakening emotions which now lie raw and exposed.

CHINA

Journey to The West

By Wu Cheng'en
The plot revolves around Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who travels west to India with his four
disciples, including the famous monkey king Sun Wukong, in search for holy scriptures. The
other protagonists are the half-pig and half-monk Zhu Bajie and the water monster Sha Wujing.
Xuanzang’s noble steed is a white horse that used to be a river dragon.
The story dates back to a historically documented India trip: A monk named Xuanzang traveled
to India in search of holy scriptures, more precisely the Mahayana, in the seventh century. With
history at its base, the author Wu Cheng’en weaves a legend full of Buddhism and Taoism,
heroes, demons, divine figures, supernatural power, and kung-fu. The fabulous monkey king is a
classic trickster figure, equal parts arrogant, impatient, funny, upright, and brave.

Reaction:
Wu Cheng-en’s novel “Journey to the West” became the beginning of the the fantastic epic
genre. The author’s narration about the adventures of Sun Wukong - the king of monkeys -
became one of the most favorite in China and one of the most known abroad. The main hero of
the novel is Monkey, a very powerful and colorful character. In his vivid narration, the writer
cruelly derides and castigates the state system, public orders, and customs in ancient China. He
condemns the parasitism and hypocrisy of the ruling classes, as well as the cruelty, self-interest,
and egoism of the rich. Human oppression, impoverished workers, and the harmful power of
gold were not unique to China. Therefore, Wu Cheng-en’s satire has had much wider value.