Virtue and Education free essay sample

The inspiring poems of Rizal proved his poetical genius that reflected about his life in his childhood memories including his experiences and insights about education, religion and colonial administration of Spain in the Philippine islands. In 1874-1877, he wrote poems of varied interest and perspectives about life : (1) My First Inspiration ; (2) In Memory of My Town; (3) Through Education the Mother Receives Light; (4) Intimate Alliance between Religion; and (5) A Farewell Dialogue of the Students. He also wrote poems that dealt with the Spanish interest such as : (1)The Heroism of Columbus; (2) Columbus and John II; (3) Great Solace in Great Misfortune; (4) The Triumphal Entry of the Catholic Monarch into Granada; (5) The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo; (6) The Departure: Hymn to Magellan’s Fleet; and (7) And He is Spanish Elcano, the First to Circum-navigate the World. This article inspires us of know the poetical achievements of Rizal on his nationalistic insights pertaining to education and youth. We will write a custom essay sample on Virtue and Education or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In contemporary time it is best appreciated about his works and writings on his idea to his poems: To the Philippine Youth ; Through Education the Mother Receives Light; and To the Filipino Youth. In Philippine Literature the nationalistic concept is best known in his writing â€Å" To the Philippine Youth† which was offered a prize for the best poem by a native sponsored by a society known as the Lyceum of Art and Literature in 1877 Memories of My Town When I recall the days That saw my childhood of yore Beside the verdant shore Of a murmuring lagoon; When I remember the sighs Of the breeze that on my brow Sweet and caressing did blow With coolness full of delight; When I look at the lily white Fills up with air violent And the stormy element On the sand doth meekly sleep; When sweet toxicating scent From the flowers I inhale Which at the dawn they exhale When at us it begins to peep; I sadly recall your face, Oh precious infancy, That a mother lovingly Did succeed to embellish. I remember a simple town; My cradle, joy and boon, Beside the cool lagoon The seat of all my wish. Oh, yes! With uncertain pace I trod your forest lands, And on your river banks A pleasant fun I found; At your rustic temple I prayed With a little boys simple faith And your auras flawless breath Filled my heart with joy profound. Saw I God in the grandeur Of your woods which for centuries stand; Never did I understand In your bosom what sorrows were; While I gazed on your azure sky Neither love nor tenderness Failed me, cause my happiness In the heart of nature rests there. Tender childhood, beautiful town, Rich fountain of happiness, Of harmonious melodies, That drive away my sorrow! Return thee to my heart, Bring back my gentle hours As do the birds when the flowrs Would again begin to blow! But, alas, adieu! Eer watch For your peace, joy and repose, Genius of good who kindly dispose Of his blessings with amour; Its for thee my fervent prayrs, Its for thee my constant desire Knowledge ever to acquire And may God keep your candour! Sa Aking mga Kababata Unang Tula ni Rizal. Sa edad 8, isunulat ni Rizal ang una niyang tula ng isinulat sa katutubong wika at pinamagatang SA AKING MGA KABATA. Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibig Sa langit salitang kaloob ng langit Sanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapi Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid Pagka’t ang salita’y isang kahatulan Sa bayan, sa nayot mga kaharian At ang isang tao’y katulad, kabagay Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan. Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda Kaya ang marapat pagyamanin kusa Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin, Sa Ingles, Kastila, at salitang anghel, Sapagkat ang Poong maalam tumingin Ang siyang naggagawad, nagbibigay sa atin. Ang salita nati’y tulad din sa iba Na may alfabeto at sariling letra, Na kaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwa Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una. The Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Education Translator unknown As the climbing ivy over lofty elm Creeps tortuously, together the adornment Of the verdant plain, embellishing Each other and together growing, But should the kindly elm refuse its aid The ivy would impotent and friendless wither; So is Education to Religion By spiritual alliance firmly bound. Through Religion, Education gains renown, and Woe to the impious mind that blindly spurning The sapient teachings of Religion, this Unpolluted fountainhead forsakes. As the sprout, growing from the pompous vine, Proudly offers us its honeyed clusters While the generous and fresh’ning waters Of celestial virtue give new life To Education true, shedding On it warmth and light; because of them The vine smells sweet and gives delicious fruit. Without Religion, Human Education Is like unto a vessel struck by winds Which, sore beset, is of its helm deprived By the roaring blows and buffets of the dread Tempestuous Boreas [The north wind], who fiercely wields His power until he proudly sends her down Into the deep abysses of the angered sea. As heaven’s dew the meadow feeds and strengthens So that blooming flowers all the earth Embroider in the days of spring; so also If Religion holy nourishes Education with its doctrines, she Shall walk in joy and generosity Toward the Good, and everywhere bestrew The fragrant and luxuriant fruits of Virtue. REFLECTION : Rizal shared his thought about the importance of education to enlighten the nation which was useful to gain societal freedom for every nation. It may also provide us the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude to expand the horizon of our thoughts. However, this would not be enough to be properly educated. Rizal thought that there was really an intimate alliance between religion and good education. A man who was properly educated needed to apply what he learned on spiritual view rather than simply on material achievements. The result of good education always fulfilled a growing uprightness and valuable virtue within the bounce of spiritual and moral dimensions. There showed also be growing dignified fulfillment and application to the teachings of religion ,just like a vine which continually grow that would someday the fruit will become sweet and delicious. Without religion, human education may result to chaos and disorder in any civilized nation because people may no longer value freedom, respect, dignity and other good virtues that maintain societal order. It may result to a natural disaster just as the angered sea, which characterized the fierce winds that may, wrecked the vessel in the deep abysses. Rizal knew that religion had a profound effect to education, the educated must internalized the virtue of incorruptible life based on the ethical and moral standard of the society. To the Filipino Youth Raise your unruffled brow On this day, Filipino youth! Resplendent shines Your courage rich, Handsome hope of my motherland! Fly, grand genius And infuse them with noble sentiment That vigorously rushes, More rapid than the wind, Its virgin mind to the glorious goal. Descend to the arena With the pleasant light of arts and sciences, And unbind, Youth, The heavy chain That fetters your poetic genius. See that in the bright zone With pious and learned hand, Offers the son of this native land Resplendent crown. You who ascend On wings of your rich fantasy, Seeking from Olympus in the clouds Tenderest poetry, Sweeter than nectar and ambrosia; You of the celestial accent, Melodious rival of the nightingale, Who with varied melodies Dissipate the mortal’s bitter pain In the night serene; You who animate the hand rock With the impulse of your mind, And with prepotent hand makes eternal The pure memory Of the refulgent genius; And you, who with magic brushes Are wont to transfer to simple canvas The varied enchantment of Phoebus, beloved of Apollo divine, And the mantle of nature. Run! For the sacred flame Of the genius awaits to be crowned with laurels, Spreading fame With trumpet proclaiming O’er the wide sphere the mortal’s name. Day, oh happy day, Philippines genteel, for your soil! Bless the Almighty, Who with loving desire Sends you fortune and consolatio REFLECTION : At the age of eighteen years old, he wrote a poem entitled â€Å"To the Filipino Youth† which was submitted for the poetry contest by the Manila Lyceum of Art and Literature. This was dedicated to the Filipino youth that he won the first prize, a silver pen, feather-shaped and with a gold ribbon running through it. Rizal made this poem at the peak of the grandeur day of his life for him to experience the radiant growing intellect and wonderful life as a youth. He always wanted the youth to follow his ideals in the love their country. They could utilize the growing intellect on arts and sciences to b properly educated in their homeland . Where they trained to become wise and pious even from the shadows of the Spanish authority. Anyone of aspired for the success of life my always find the difficult and long road of sacrifices to reach the sweetness and glory of life. THROUGH EDUCATION OUR MOTHERLAND RECEIVES LIGHT The vital breath of prudent Education Instills a virtue of enchanting power; She lifts the motherland to highest station And endless dazzling glories on her shower. And as the zephyrs gentle exhalation Revives the matrix of the fragrant flower, So education multiplies her gifts of grace; With prudent hand imparts them to the human race. For her a mortal-man will gladly part With all he has; will give his calm repose; For her are born all science and all art, That brows of men with laurel fair enclose. As from the towering mountains lofty heart The purest current of the streamlet flows, So education without stint or measure gives Security and peace to lands in which she lives. Where Education reigns on lofty seat Youth blossoms forth with vigor and agility; He error subjugates with solid feet, And is exalted by conceptions of nobility. She breaks the neck of vice and its deceit; Black crime turns pale at Her hostility; The barbarous nations She knows how to tame, From savages creates heroic fame. And as the spring doth sustenance bestow On all the plants, on bushes in the mead, Its placid plenty goes to overflow And endlessly with lavish love to feed The banks by which it wanders, gliding slow, Supplying beauteous natures every need; So he who prudent Education doth procure The towering heights of honor will secure. From out his lips the water, crystal pure, Of perfect virtue shall not cease to go. With careful doctrines of his faith made sure, The powers of evil he will overthrow, Like foaming waves that never long endure, But perish on the shore at every blow; And from his good example other men shall learn Their upward steps toward the heavenly paths to turn. Within the breast of wretched humankind She lights the living flame of goodness bright; The hands of fiercest criminal doth bind; And in those breasts will surely pour delight Which seek her mystic benefits to find, Those souls She sets aflame with love of right. It is a noble fully-rounded Education That gives to life its surest consolation. And as the mighty rock aloft may tower Above the center of the stormy deep In scorn of storm, or fierce Souwesters power, Or fury of the waves that raging seep, Until, their first mad hatred spent, they cower, And, tired at last, subside and fall asleep, So he that takes wise Education by the hand, Invincible shall guide the reigns of motherland. On sapphires shall his service be engraved, A thousand honors to him by his land be granted: For in their bosoms will his noble sons have saved Luxuriant flowers his virtue had transplanted: And by the love of goodness ever lived, The lords and governors will see implanted To endless days, the Christian Education, Within their noble, faith-enrapture nation. And as in early morning we behold The ruby sun pour forth resplendent rays; And lovely dawn her scarlet and her gold, Her brilliant colors all about her sprays; So skillful noble Teaching doth unfold To living minds the joy of virtuous ways. She offers our dear motherland the light That leads us to immortal glorys height. REFLECTION: his poem proved that he valued education so much that may give the power of the country to survive from any forces( barbaric actions, deceits, hostility, vices and etc. ) in the struggles of societal freedom . Through education, it creates the virtue of power to human race. This gives security and peace to the motherland as the Filipinos would learn the sciences and arts as the basis to calm down the life of the society. Where education reigns pacifies the barbaric action of the nations . It may neutralized or ceased to exist on crimes and hostility including vices and deceits because of the enlightenment of mankind. The existence of prudent education provides the tranquility to a more dignified action just the existence on the natural flow of life . Education shall give a perfect virtue of man that may overthrow the power of evils and may step on heavenly path for its good action. Likewise, education provides goodness to humanity it sheds light for those who created destruction even from the hands of fiercest criminal. Furthermore, education may always survive even from the worst storm, hatred of men, and raging waves as a consequence the motherland becomes invincible to evil forces shall be tired and fall asleep in their raging emotions. This poem of Rizal had never thought that was applied to him heroic struggles in his later years of life. The struggle of human freedom was won because education provided the key role for thousands of men honored him. His education provided him the noble virtue that someday his country was free from the bondage of foreign oppressor. In contemporary time, education proves to be key role to produce of noble man that shades light for his family and country.

Natural Rights and How They Relate to U.S. Independence

Natural Rights and How They Relate to U.S. Independence When the authors of the U.S. Declaration of Independence spoke of all people being endowed with â€Å"unalienable Rights,† such as â€Å"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,† they were confirming their belief in the existence of â€Å"natural rights.† In modern society, every individual has two types of rights: Natural rights and legal rights. Natural rights are rights granted to all people by nature or God that cannot be denied or restricted by any government or individual. Natural rights are often said to be granted to people by â€Å"natural law.†Legal rights are rights granted by governments or legal systems. As such, they can also be modified, restricted or repealed. In the United States, legal rights are granted by the legislative bodies of the federal, state and local governments. The concept of a natural law establishing the existence of specific natural rights first appeared in ancient Greek philosophy and was referred to by Roman philosopher Cicero. It was later referred to in the Bible and further developed during the Middle Ages. Natural rights were cited during the Age of Enlightenment to oppose Absolutism - the divine right of kings. Today, some philosophers and political scientists contend that human rights are synonymous with natural rights. Others prefer to keep the terms separate in order to avoid the mistaken association of the aspects of human rights not typically applied to natural rights. For example, natural rights are considered to be beyond the powers of human governments to deny or protect. Jefferson, Locke, Natural Rights, and Independence. In drafting the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson justified demanding independence by citing several examples of ways in which England’s King George III had refused to recognize the natural rights of American colonists. Even with fighting between colonists and British troops already taking place on American soil, most members of Congress still hoped for a peaceful agreement with their motherland. In the first two paragraphs of that fateful document adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, Jefferson revealed his idea of natural rights in the often-quoted phrases, â€Å"all men are created equal,† â€Å"inalienable rights,† and â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† Educated during the Age of Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries, Jefferson adopted the beliefs of philosophers who used reason and science to explain human behavior. Like those thinkers, Jefferson believed universal adherence to the â€Å"laws of nature† to be the key to advancing humanity. Many historians agree that Jefferson drew most of his beliefs in the importance of natural rights he expressed in the Declaration of Independence from the Second Treatise of Government, written by renowned English philosopher John Locke in 1689, as England’s own Glorious Revolution was overthrowing the reign of King James II. The assertion is hard to deny because, in his paper, Locke wrote that all people are born with certain, God-given â€Å"inalienable† natural rights that governments can neither grant nor revoke, including â€Å"life, liberty, and property.† Locke also argued that along with land and belongings, â€Å"property† included the individual’s â€Å"self,† which included well being or happiness. Locke also believed that it was the single most important duty of governments to protect the God-given natural rights of their citizens. In return, Locke expected those citizens to follow the legal laws enacted by the government. Should the government break this â€Å"contract† with its citizens by enacting â€Å"a long train of abuses,† the citizens had the right to abolish and replace that government. By listing the â€Å"long train of abuses† committed by King George III against American colonists in the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson used Locke’s theory to justify the American Revolution. â€Å"We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.† – The Declaration of Independence. Natural Rights in a Time of Slavery? â€Å"All Men Are Created Equal† As by far the best-known phrase in the Declaration of Independence, â€Å"All Men Are Created Equal,† is often said to summarize both the reason for revolution, as well as the theory of natural rights. But with slavery being practiced throughout the American Colonies in 1776, did Jefferson – a life-long slave owner himself – really believe the immortal words he had written? Some of Jefferson’s fellow slave-owning separatists justified the obvious contradiction by explaining that only â€Å"civilized† people had natural rights, thus excluding slaves from eligibility. As for Jefferson, history shows that he had long believed the slave trade was morally wrong and attempted to denounce it in the Declaration of Independence. â€Å"He (King George) has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither,† he wrote in a draft of the document. However, Jefferson’s anti-slavery statement was removed from the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson later blamed the removal of his statement on influential delegates who represented merchants who were at the time dependent on the Transatlantic slave trade for their livelihoods. Other delegates may have feared the possible loss of their financial support for the expected Revolutionary War. Despite the fact that he continued to keep most of his slaves for years after the Revolution, many historians agree that Jefferson sided with Scottish philosopher, Francis Hutcheson, who had written, â€Å"Nature makes none masters, none slaves,† in expressing his belief that all people are born as moral equals. On the other hand, Jefferson had expressed his fear that suddenly freeing all of the slaves might result in a bitter race war ending in the virtual extermination of the former slaves. While slavery would persist in the United States until the end of the Civil War 89 years after issuance of the Declaration of Independence, many of the human equality and rights promised in the document continued to be denied to African Americans, other minorities, and women for years. Even today, for many Americans, the true meaning of equality and its related application of natural rights in areas such as racial profiling, gay rights, and gender-based discrimination remain an issue.