21ST CENTURY LITERATURE
Activity 2
NAME: ASTOVEZA, FRANCINE KYLE A.
GRADE/STRAND/SECTION: 12 - ABM 13A
Topic: What did you believe life was like when you were born in prior generations?
Then, do you intend to enjoy our writing or do you intend to create it?
Life back then, according to my parents and grandparents, was a peaceful
life. Since we are living in the province, someone can really describe the life of the
past generations as the most beautiful era. I agree with them. The world before
technology became more advanced was full of happiness and bright skies. Unlike
now, you can clearly see how technology has changed our world. Life was so
simple back then, no influence from social media. Back then, books were the
influencers. They are the inspiration.
My lolo is a talkative person. We, his granddaughters and grandsons, love
to listen to his stories every time. He loves to tell stories about how their lives went
before. Since my lola died when I was still young, my lolo became our storyteller of
what life was like back then. He would make us go with him when he visited his
little plantation of kamote, or sweet potato, on the outskirts of our town. On the
way there, he would tell us various stories about his life, like how much the value
of one peso was before. We could buy 1 kilo of kamote before for only a peso, but
now sweet potatoes' prices range from 40 to 50 pesos. He also loved to tell us the
story of how he and Lola survived and raised all their 11 children. I cannot imagine
how hard it would be if they were born in our generation. As for my mother and
father, they would tell me how they watched entertainment and read short stories,
komiks, and novels before. As for television, they don’t care that much about it,
maybe because they don’t have their own. They go to their neighbor's house when
they want to watch. Since there are no high-tech phones yet, they will need to go
to the library to do their research and also read novels and short stories. At some
times, they will buy newspapers to catch up with their favorite komiks . As I have
observed, from the novels I have read from their time, the way of portraying the
moral is not straight to the point. You really have to deeply understand the
characters and the scenes to know the story they want to convey. Unlike now,
when most of the novels and telenovelas have obvious plots, before, you really had
to be observant and not just read.
Sometimes when my parents and grandparents tell stories about the past, I
get jealous of how happy they lived. I’m thinking I should be happier because our
generation has more advanced technology. But no, I’m not happy. If I was born in
their generation, my dream would be to live on a large hectare of land, put a farm
there, and build my family there. My current ambition is to achieve financial
independence. For me, I would love to live in their generation. A time full of bright
skies. A life full of positive thoughts and away from a judgemental society. A world
that's not revolving around technology. Life back then was not easy, but at the
same time, it was not hard to survive. You got to enjoy living a simple life before,
but now, a simple life is only possible if you have money. Before, you also got to
enjoy weekends happily, not worrying about your money, but now, you need to
get overtime, extended days for work, and even work at weekends just to survive.
You are now living to work and not working to live the life you want. As for
choosing between reading or writing literary works from the past, I would choose
reading. As a book person, I love the smell of books. What I love more is the
content of the book. I love the way writers show their artistry. You can really feel
the emotions they want to convey. I also love how they use metaphors and other
figures of speech. I'd rather tell you a story about a book you've read than a movie
you've seen, which nowadays isn't very entertaining. If only I could go back in time,
when books were not that pricey and had a good story. But at the same time, if I
could live back then, I would love to create stories of my own. Although I am not
that good at writing, if I have to live in the past, I will have many inspirations and
stories to tell. Perhaps if I had been born in the past, I would have grown up in a
green town. I would grow plants, vegetables, and fruits in my backyard. I would
have a shelf in my living room full of interesting books. I would love to read, cook,
plant, and live with my family there. Away from the modern world, where social
media can change your way of life and beliefs about life.