Arabel Joie G.

Arevalo
2014-04176
English 10: Reaction Paper

April 24, 2015

Kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan

Kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan. This was one of the most notable lines Dr. Jose Rizal
ever said to the Filipinos before he died. It shows how much trust and faith he put on our
generation to be the instrument of the big change he was hoping for. But that was more than 120
years ago. In the span of 120 years, a lot of things have changed and advanced. If you live in this
generation, you would think twice if its still right to say that our youth today is our hope for
tomorrow. You would get disheartened by the things that the youth today prioritizes, instead of
doing well in their studies or helping out with their parents at home. If Jose Rizal were to
resurrect and go back to check on the Philippines progress today and how true what he said
before was, Im pretty sure he would choose to go back under the ground with intense
disappointment.
Education without borders. This is the advocacy of Childhope Philippines. According to
their website childhopeasia.hope, they are a non-government organization that aims to protect the
rights of children, especially the street children, and give them the education they rightly
deserve. One of their projects teaches street children of their basic rights as a human and how to
protect themselves from people who abuse them just because of their condition. This is a small
first step to persuade children in undergoing a proper education in school, where they would
learn a handful of useful things and achieve their dreams of becoming one of the men in suits and
briefcases one day.

At first glance, the looks just like any other picture. I actually showed this ad to my
friends and they didnt know what was off in the picture until after a few seconds. The picture
shows an accurate depiction of how a typical city in the Philippines looks like. The picture is
divided into two sectors: the huge buildings and infrastructure that could signify none other than
wealth and an informal settlers area that represents the poverty that we see almost everywhere in
our country. The one weird thing about this picture is a long ladder that goes up from the
informal settlers area to the big city. The division of the two sectors also says something about
its social structure. The city is located at the top and the informal settlers area at the bottom and
the ladder emphasizes how you have to go up in order to reach a comfortable, wealthy life which
is the city. Living and working in the city is something that people regard highly while the
informal settlers are something that people look down upon.
Let us focus on the one thing thats off in this picture: the ladder. The ladder connects an
informal settlers area to the city. What could this signify? One would get the idea of a poor child
wanting to be like one of the man in suits and briefcases when he grows up, hence the ladder
connecting his house to the city. We all know that not all of the children today are given their
right to study, no matter how badly they want it. Most parents choose to have their children work
for them instead of paying for fees that is attached to this institution called the school. The ladder
signifies a poor childs dream to work in the city and earn big to alleviate his family from
poverty that he has grown so used to and tired of.
What are some other things that we could note about the ladder, aside from its location?
The ladder seems to be feeble and very unstable. It looks like something that was done with only
a limited resources and a lack of knowledge in making ladders. We could also note the length of

the ladder that connects to the city. The designer couldve used a much shorter ladder and it still
would make sense because it were still a ladder.
The weakness of the ladder could represent the harsh journey that a child from a poor
family goes through in an attempt to finish his education and work a better life. That anytime, he
might feel discouraged by the people around him or by himself to pursue the dream he wanted
for himself and his family. That he has a lot to worry about and due to the problems he carry with
him, this unstable ladder might not be able to carry the weight of him and his problems and could
break anytime and lose the only thing that connects him to his dreams. The length, meanwhile,
represents how long this journey is. For a poor child, with limited amount of money to pay for
school fees and no connections to the government that could get him into his dream university, it
is a much longer ride compared to an average person. But if he endured all of these obstacles
along the way and managed to get across the other side, everything would be worth it.
Lets look at the picture in its entirety. Below it, we could see a body of river where the
informal settlers reside. There is nothing wrong about that since riversides are usually where
informal settlers build a community in. The water is also murky, especially on the side near the
houses. Also, nothing wrong about it. But this murky water could be the representation of a result
of not giving a child the education he deserves. We are all aware of how polluted our bodies of
water is, especially the ones near a community of informal settlers. The reason why they keep
throwing their wastes on the rivers is because they are not well-informed of the possible dangers
of pollution. Yes, they have an idea on what pollution is and yes, they know that what theyre
doing is actually contributing to pollution. But this idea is just a mere gist of a much bigger
problem, and that is something that they are not taught about. Having a child go to school, a
more in-depth explanation regarding pollution will be taught to them. Elementary students tend

to not take these things seriously but as they grow older and mature (and continue to go to
school), they will realize the detrimental effects pollution has to the environment and their senses
will be awakened. Who knows, maybe one day, they would be the ones to pioneer platforms and
programs against pollution because they themselves saw and experienced its effects firsthand.
Did you notice anything about the weather in the picture? The weather tells us of an
oncoming rain, hence the dark clouds that cover the sky. Dont you find it odd how the weather
could be so cloudy, when in fact, the message the ad is sending is positive? Why is there no ray
of sunshine to show that, in the end of all these hardships, the climb to the ladder would be all
worth it? Does this tell us of how only a little fraction of these people make it to the top? Does
this signify how hopeless this case in the Philippines is, since more and more children think of
education as a privilege, not as a right? Does this signify the impending doom the education in
our country is about to face?
The message that the ad is trying to deliver is clear: Education is the key to eradicating
poverty. Everybody should be given the right to pursue their dreams and lift themselves up from
poverty. Sadly, not all people are given this right because of a lot of factors that are mostly
connected to poverty. Most people dont get to step into universities because of high tuition fees
they cant afford that they choose to stop and work instead. It is instilled in their minds that
education is something only for the privileged ones. We should erase this notion of education
being a privilege because it is a right. It is a right that we all must fight for.

WORKS CITED:

"Projects & Activities." ChildHope Philippines. WordPress. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.