Two Women: One Heart

Two Women: One Heart

          How would you feel if the person you love the most is leaving – and might never come back? Of course you would try to make them stay. And that’s what Creusa and Andromache did. They are two different women but they have the same heart of a loving wife.

          When Hector was about to go to war, Andromache begged him to stay. She pleaded him to stay with her and their son. But Hector knows that his country needs him so he broke his wife’s heart by leaving her in safety while he put his own self in the war zone.

          The same thing happened to Creusa and Aeneas. When Aeneas was about to go to the battle, Creusa beseeched him to stay with her and Ascanius. But Aeneas loves his homeland as much as he loves his family. He figured out that if he can save his country, he can save his family. So he left, thinking that what he is doing is for both his family and his country.

          Two great leaders- with their wives and sons. They chose to go to war to save their family and their country. They are both patriotic to their nation and their family.

          Two women who has sons. Their husbands are going to war for their nation. They know that when they leave – they may not be coming back. They try to stop them but they failed. All was left for them was hope – hope that Aeneas and Hector will come back.

Defeat and Victory

Defeat and Victory

        Troy burned down and Aeneas was torn between defending Troy and saving his race. If he chose to fight hopeless battle, he will die in his native soil and the Trojan bloodline will cease to exist. If he chose to escape with his family and other comrades, he will be able to save their race but Troy will be completely destroyed by the Greeks and all the Trojans in the city will be slaughtered. He chose the latter and journeyed to fulfill his prophecy – his hope of a new home.

          Aeneas sailed from Troy to Italy, with so many stopovers along the way. He went to Carthage and met Dido, who he loved but he was forced to leave her to find Italy and build his new city. He met friends and foes. He fought and won battles. He faced mortals and immortals.

          If Troy hadn’t burned down, Aeneas wouldn’t have to endure the long journey with so many obstacles laid for him. But if that didn’t happen he wouldn’t have found Italy and build his new home that will be the foundation of the great Roman Empire. He wouldn’t learn the lessons that shaped his life. His defeat – the fall of Troy – led to his victory.

Aeneas: The Mighty and The Brave

Aeneas: The Mighty and The Brave

            How would you feel if you woke up and saw your city burning? Your people screaming, running, struggling to escape their deaths? Terrified? Angry? Brave?

            Aeneas had experienced that. He slept at night with the hope of living the next day normally. But he woke before sunrise, and witnessed the carnage of his own city. He flee with his father, son and a few companions but without his beloved wife. How can you manage to save yourself knowing that the woman you love is still in a full-scale battle?

            I myself won’t be able to endure that. I might break down in the middle of my burning city. I might just kill myself and get it over with. But on the second thought, I might stay strong for my people – for my frail father and my innocent son.  I’ll never be sure on what I’ll do because I do not wish to be on Aeneas’ shoes at the moment.

            I felt pity for them, for they were slaughtered mercilessly by the deceitful Greeks. The Greeks accepted Sinon because they thought he was abused by his own kin. But he was the key to the Trojan’s destruction. One thing I really noticed is that Minerva contributed to the fall of the Trojans. The wooden horse was said to be an offering to her that’s why the Trojans brought it to their city. But then, the goddess knows it’s a coy but she didn’t let the Trojans know that. She let her jealousy against Venus destroy lives of innocent Trojans.

            On the brighter side, the annihilation of Troy lead to Aeneas adventures. He saw diverse cultures and met friends. But he also fought battles and confronted enemies. In spite of divine opposition, Aeneas’ destiny prevails. He was able to find Italy and will later on build his city that will be the foundation of Rome.

            I feel proud of Aeneas because he was able to withstand the blows fate and the gods gave him. There are times that he wanted to give up and defy fate but then his inner-self boosts his courage up. With the help of his father, son, companions and other gods, he was able to recover Troy’s pride and glory by defeating the Latins.

Special in A Simple Way

Special in A Simple Way

          Enigmatic smile? Mysterious identity?  What’s so valuable about Mona Lisa? I’m not contradicting others’ opinion but for me, Mona Lisa is just another painting.

          In my point of view, Mona Lisa’s smile is just a simple smile which every can do in their own way. There are no such different emotions from different angles because the portrait is two-dimensional; it looks the same in every angle.

          I think different speculations about the Mona Lisa were created because of too much analyzing. At first glance, you’ll see a plain lady smiling. At second glance, you’ll see that the lady is smiling even though the background is dramatically sad. If you will not say that the painting portrays Mona Lisa with her enigmatic smile, a non-artist will never know it.

          Maybe for the one who analyzed it, Mona Lisa’s smile is beautiful and mysterious. But that is his opinion. We should see it the ways our eyes capture it and not based on what we hear from other people.

          I think Mona Lisa is a simple painting that portrays a lady who smiles even if everything around her is melancholic. And for me, the message the painter is trying to show is that even though we have problems, we should smile once in a while and know that storms end with a rainbow.

Just Us

Just Us

          January 03, 2013. First day of classes for this year. We need a recorded conversation to put in our blogs and here it is.

It was already 5:04 PM and we were just walking around aimlessly. I told them that we’ll go to the town proper and when Toni asked me why, I told her that I need to buy some colored papers and index cards. Donna said that we should go and she’ll also buy food from seven-eleven. Then Toni said that she didn't bring money. Since we all know that Toni just brings her wallet once in a million years, I said that she always don’t have money.

While walking Toni told us that her godmother made iced tea last New Year and it tasted like scented candles. We laughed and asked her why. She said that it’s with jasmine. I said that scented candles are sometimes with jasmine and maybe that explains the resemblance. We went to the store and bought colored papers and index cards. We also went to seven-eleven to buy some food.

We figured out that we really don’t need to fake an interesting conversation between us. Because even though we've shared nonsense talks, nonsense laughs, and nonsense things, we know that this makes us what we are – teenagers living high school life with their best friends.