Write a short biographical essay that compare your early childhood with Rizal’s own.
(3-4 paragraph)
Answer (1)
Answer:Growing up in a small barangay in the Philippines, my early childhood was filled with simple joys that shaped who I am today. I remember running barefoot through the rice fields near our nipa hut, chasing dragonflies with my cousins under the hot sun, while my lola called us in for merienda usually suman with a mug of hot tsokolate. We didn’t have much; my parents were farmers, and I’d often help them plant rice, getting muddy but feeling proud to contribute. At night, I’d sit by a gas lamp, listening to my tatay tell stories about the aswang in the nearby balete tree, sparking my love for stories and imagination, even if I’d sometimes sleep with one eye open.Jose Rizal’s early childhood, on the other hand, was quite different, shaped by his family’s wealth and education in Calamba, Laguna. Born in 1861, Rizal grew up in a well-off family with a big house, surrounded by books and the beauty of Mount Makiling, which he often sketched. His mother, Teodora Alonso, taught him to read at age three, starting with the alphabet and prayers, and by five, he was already reading Spanish books like El Amigo de los Niños. Unlike my muddy field adventures, Rizal’s days were filled with formal lessons his family hired tutors, and he learned not just reading but also poetry, which he started writing at eight, like his first poem Sa Aking Mga Kababata.Comparing our childhoods, Rizal and I both developed a love for learning, but in different ways. My education was informal stories from my tatay and lessons from a small barrio school where we shared books. Rizal had a head start with his family’s resources, giving him access to a structured education that nurtured his genius early on. Yet, we both found wonder in our surroundings me in the fields and folklore, him in nature and literature. Those early years, though worlds apart in privilege, planted seeds of curiosity that grew as we did.Looking back, I see how our childhoods reflect the Philippines of our times mine a humble, rural life full of community, and Rizal’s a more privileged one that set him on a path to become a national hero. Both experiences, though, show how family and environment shape who we become, whether through muddy fields or a library of books. I often wonder how my simple upbringing compares to Rizal’s, but I like to think a we’d both agree on one thing those early days taught us to dream big, no matter where we started.
