Villaceran's Short Story Sinigang: Moral Values and Impact to 21st Century Learners

S I N I G A N G


This dish became a part of every Filipino cuisine.
It is a soup or stew that will make you 'mapapaasim-kilig'  by
its sour and savory taste.

Marie Aubrey J. Villaceran, a professor at the Department of English and Comparative Literature at the University of the Philippines, gives additional sense to Filipino's outstanding trait, eating together, which makes it very enjoyable and it is important to give value to the word family.

Sinigang is a short story written in 2001 by Marie Aubrey Villaceran. It narrates how Liza, the main character, deals with the issue of her father who had an extramarital affair with Sylvia, and consequently had a son, Lem.

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        Her story Sinigang taught me that nobody is perfect and even our parents make mistakes in life. Parents are people who are flawed like every other human being but they are the most precious gifts God has ever given to us.  A mother who never yells? A father who doesn't snore every night? I completely have the opposite of them and I'll call them real parents because they mess up sometimes but they have the humility to apologize and drop their imperfections. And Liza, the main character of the story, deals with and accept the issue of her father. No matter how loud the negative vibe is, she remained strong and she welcomes his father's fault and respects him. This story represents what most of the Filipino household goes through, from eating together to an extramarital affair.



Moral Values from the Story
        
FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness begins as an act of your will.

        In this story, I learned that it is difficult to forgive someone we trust. It can be our friends, classmates, or even family members like Liza's father. But if that person expresses honest regret and works to rebuild the trust lost after his or her betrayal, then it is our decision to forgive them because it is best for all and it releases the pain we carry.


ACCEPTANCE
Happiness can exist only in acceptance.

        Acceptance is essential to every human being. Liza understands her father and she accepts him. In my experience, I learned to accept small things (efforts) or a person and it took me less time and frustration it brought upon myself. Accepting a thing or a person for what they are is not easy, especially when you just met the person a while ago, but it makes us a good and more positive person in life. 


CONTENTED
A harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment.

        One wife is enough for a wise man. Liza's father didn't show the essence of being contented because maybe he's seeking and wanting for more than what he has which is wrong. I learned that we should be grateful for what we have and it's a bad habit of wanting more and more. And contentment is a great virtue that leads to the secret path of true happiness.


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As a 21st Century learner, the story Sinigang proves that life is beautiful but it is not easy. We need to survive from the heartaches, struggles, and challenges that life may give so that every moment is a celebration of being alive. There is no human being on Earth who didn't fail in his or her subjects in school, who didn't get nervous in a job interview, and who can't afford to buy expensive luxury cars. 

Life is a gift but it has challenges to face and to overcome by all. We need to accept and accomplish these challenges for us to succeed and to know how to live life in its true sense.




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