3rd Quarter | Week 2 | Discussion 2

 Give 1 Filipino literature that you like. Give a short description of what it is about. Why do you like it?

“Ang Langgam at Tipaklong” (The Ant and the Grasshopper) was the first Filipino Literature I read as a young child. Despite reading multiple works over the years, this storybook still stays close to my heart. It is a story about the lazy grasshopper who did nothing but frolic all day and the hardworking ant who always forages.

One day, the rain came. The grasshopper was washed away by the storm as the ant lays comfortably in his home. After the rain, the grasshopper has no food to eat because rain has swept away all the crops. In despair, he went to the ant to ask for food. Now, there are two versions of the ending of this story. In the Filipino version (the one I first read), the ant gave him food and nurtured him back to health. Meanwhile, in the original version, the ant only had enough food for himself, so the grasshopper could only starve to death. Either way, the grasshopper learned his lesson.

The moral of the story focuses on the importance of priorities and hard work. The ant is very meticulous in preparing for his future while the grasshopper lives without care. In the end, while the ant faces the calamity head-on, the grasshopper was left in shambles.

I can relate to this story on a deep level due to my innate laziness. However, with the future drawing near, I know that I shouldn’t be so passive. Currently, I am a grasshopper learning to become an ant. It is a hard transition, but I know that this is all for my future. I don’t want to be a grasshopper who begs for food because, in the real world, compassion is rare.

In the Filipino version, the grasshopper had his redemption so good for him. But, in reality, there is no such thing as a free meal. Only I can rely on myself.

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