Oreo

a in-depth analysis of MACARTHUR by Bob-Ong

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Endgame

Overall MACARTHUR was a fantastic book and I highly recommend it to people who want action genre kinds of books, it is action packed right from the get go. It also shows how people change because of money, and how people change because they lose loved ones. Needy people rob because they are poor and they cannot afford the necessities they need. It shows us how the government can be involved too, by stealing the supposed money for the inferiors. Just like in the one situation in the text,  “Ba’t ka matatakot sa mga pulis? Mga kawatan din yon!. It means that even the people in authority are doing heinous acts. This book would open the eyes of people blinded by greed or hatred towards the destitute people since they would know how most of the impoverished people had it rough. And in conclusion, this story provides great basis on what people in dire circumstances do to keep on living on surviving, they are forced to commit several crimes and do immoral actions because of how hard it is to sustain their current lifestyle, where every part of the story provokes certain emotions such as anguish and sadness that immerse you in the feeling that you actually have done and experienced it, gives you insights as to why they do it, not for fun but for their forced situations while giving you awareness of the different issues in the Philippines concerning impoverished people.

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Challenges

Life is hard, this is an obvious fact. Sometimes you would not be fortunate enough to support your loved ones. But still, it does not change the fact that you would still do everything you can, even if sometimes it is wrong. You chose the choice that you think is right. A life in poverty is very difficult, not everyday you will have the chance to eat 3 times a day. You will choose to work rather than study. You really need to work day in and night out for your family to survive. This is the reality of life here in the Philippines.

This is what the text talks about, “FAMILY”. Family can be anyone, not just in blood, but in bond. They are the people who will be there when you need them. They will love and support you, no matter what or who you are. Even if you are a criminal, gangster, gay, lesbian etc. They will still forgive and accept you for what you really are. Even if you walked out the house just like Noel, at the end, he decided to go back to his family and his family happily accepted him. At the end of the day, all things will be gone, but love for family will not. 

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Airplane

The story “Macarthur” showed poverty as one of the conflicts of the story and led the characters of the story to steal just to sustain the needs of their family, it also pushed them to use drugs as a way to forget their problems for a short while. Poverty causes hindrances or problems to our society, and has a great impact in our lives as it limits the things we want to do or limit the future that you may have. 

Poverty can be a hindrance to your life such as your education , due to poverty you may have  limited access to education which can relate to the story of Noel. Noel struggles because his family has financial problems and he cannot continue his studies, that is when he is led to steal things to have money and also cause his family relationship to break.

People tend to do things that put them in a rough situation whenever they experience something hard or terrible in their life. The point is poverty can make you do things that you cannot even imagine yourself doing because you are desperate to have money to sustain the lives of your loved ones.

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Tropa

The characters that Bob Ong introduces to us are Cyrus, Noel, Voltron, and Jim. They are the main characters of the story. 4 different characters (names), same problem but in different situations. All of them have experienced the life of a poor.  Even though that is their situation they will still do everything for their loved ones including their friends. When one has a problem, all of them are ready to help. Like when Jim has financial problems, his wife and son almost left him to seek help from others, fortunately his friends immediately help him, without any question or doubt to him. They treat their friends' problems just like it was theirs. As the story goes on, their friendship becomes stronger and stronger. 

There are no problems that will break their friendship. They may not be smart, good, rich, etc. Even if one is a drug addict, a criminal, expelled in school, a gangster. Yet, they would still be together for each other. That is what true friendship is. They treat themselves just like brothers, like a family. For instance, when Cyrus' grandfather was sick due to kidney problems, Noel, Voltron, and Jim helped Cyrus to bring his grandfather to the hospital. Cyrus did everything for his grandfather to survive and also to fulfil his dream. Once his grandfather said, “Alam mo may awa ang Poon, pag sinuwerte tayo bibili ako ng telebisyon… yung colored”. This was his grandfather's dream, even if they are poor, they still dream high. This shows the hope that lies in our soul, even if people did not stand a chance, you would still go for it, for your loved ones and also for those who stayed with you throughout your journey.  But unfortunately, Cyrus did not fulfil his promise. Poverty can be a hindrance to your life such as your education , due to poverty you may have  limited access to education which can relate to the story of Noel. Noel struggles because his family has financial problems and he cannot continue his studies, that is when he is led to steal things to have money and also cause his family relationship to break. 

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Destituent

The Author, “Bob Ong”, which is his pseudonym, wrote this story explicitly well, it tackled how indigent people here in the Philippines make a living and how dangerous living in these poor urban areas are. The story mirrored reality extraordinarily well as it included the corrupt cops, drugs and much more, just like what is happening here in the Philippines. This book was also very emotionally investing and interesting, losing a loved one is not easy and this book shows exactly where Jim died because he encountered a gangster. His family members immediately cried, and his friends were very shocked by what happened. 

MACARTHUR also showed why impecunious people resort to buying or selling drugs. One of the events in this book was when Cyrus, the youngest one in the group, got into drugs because he wanted to forget the problems that he had as a poor person. As a result, he accidentally shot his grandfather with a handgun because he thought the one chasing him was a monster. He hallucinated because he got high on drugs, resulting in getting imprisoned by the cops.

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Exonerate

Poverty still remains a challenge in our society up to the present. The novel “Macarthur” by Bob Ong shows the different struggles and situations that Filipinos face in our society, especially those who belong to the urban poor class. The text is named “Macarthur” and is based on General Douglas Macarthur when he left the Philippines. The famous line that he said is “I shall return” and this story also revolved on that phrase. Noel , Cyrus , Voltron, and Jim are a group of friends that have different problems but can relate to each other. The novel showed their struggles such as having financial problems or employment problems. They also have a common habit which is using illegal drugs to forget their problem for the meantime, “in short”, they have a drug addiction problem, the novel shows how they help each other during hard times, and also defines the causes and effects of using the said drug, poverty has a great impact in our society because it pushes people to do things that would not have done otherwise, while also showing the realistic and sad reality of today's society.

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