Writer's Note: I wrote this during my first year of college as the final paper for a world history class. The full title of my sumbission was "Resistance and Resilience: Filling in the Gaps of Filipino History That Our Textbooks are Missing." I had to stop at ten pages. History as we know it is written by the winners. This is a sentiment that many know and accept, because it usually proves to be true. However, the fact that historical accounts are generally told from the perspectives of those with greater power and prestige should not dismiss the validity or importance of other voices. There are so many lesser-shared narratives from the others, the “losers”, that reflect so much more than losing. These stories often demonstrate a vigor and durability that deserve an equal chance to be heard. In order to achieve a robust and genuine view of history, students must understand and analyze multiple points of view, which demands an open consideration of what the “losers” have to say. In the Pacific Ocean, there is a specific country in southeastern Asia that, in history textbooks from middle school to college, may receive a few brief acknowledgements for its existence at best. The Republic of the Philippines has a story much more intricate than its multiple despots may acknowledge. The story of this nation is regularly told only in relation to its experiences of colonization by other states rather than the rich history and complex culture that it contains in its own right. Discouragingly, the people of the Philippines are not unlikely to be depicted as submissive or weak--another race to be lumped under the all-encompassing label of Asian. However, despite the hurtful narratives and negative framing pushed onto them by the “winners” of history, Pinoys have proved to be strong, adaptable, capable, and resilient people through it all.
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Writer's Note: I wrote this in my senior year of high school for an assignment meant to analyze and imitate the writing style of Tim O'Brien in his novel, The Things They Carried. This piece is dedicated to my lola, who is my greatest inspiration and favorite story. In the springtime of nineteen sixty-five, she carried a leather suitcase onto a boat. It held only the essentials, only her most needed possessions. The suitcase contained her rosary, a comb, face cream, and a few practical clothes. Hygiene products would be rationed later on by the crew. In total, the things she had chosen to carry weighed about eleven pounds and seven ounces. In total, the things she had not chosen to carry were immeasurable. Those things were heavy. She wished she could pack them away too, but they remained heaped atop her shoulders and entangled in her mind.
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