“She’s The Man”

Directed by Andy Flickman

She really is the man!

''She's the Man” is an incredibly wacky comedy that I have gone nuts for.

Viola Johnson (Amanda Bynes) is exceptionally good at soccer, considering that

she’s a girl. She’s got a hunk boyfriend who’s also a soccer player and the girls’ soccer

team which she captained is constantly winning. Everything is going around smoothly…

then she makes a very bizarre decision when her school decides that they have no room

for the girls’ soccer team. She dumps up her boyfriend who agrees with the coach’s

decision of dissolving her team and not o let them try out, and plans to get back and

prove that a girl can beat them: By disguising as her twin brother and play soccer at his

new boarding school, who will be playing against her school for the first game of the

season. Her brother Sebastian (who will be absent without official leave, they call it

AWOL in US) as he tries o create a musical career in London. And that’s where the

situation starts to complicate for this exasperated soccer captain.

The boys in the dorm at first, thought that “Sebastian" is a little weird. However,

with the help of some gorgeous friends, she gets a reputation as a hit with beautiful

women. Then she begins to get the hang of being “the man”. But she still has to face

challenges like finding some time to take a shower when there's no one around and

explaining why she had tampons (They’re for nosebleeds, you know. a very effective

way to stop the blood. My nose bleeds easily.—Viola).

 Her roommate, Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum), captain of the Illyria soccer team,

offers to help her become good enough to be a starter for the coming game if she will put

in a good word for him with Olivia. Big problem: Olivia is fascinated with "Sebastian,"

especially after she reads the real Sebastian's lyrics. For the meantime, the twins' mother

expects them both at the Junior League carnival fund-raiser. Sebastian's pushy girlfriend

has to be kept at a distance so she does not figure out what is going on. Plus, there's the

coming big game.

Bynes is a very talented and charming actress with confidence of someone who is

a born comedienne. She handles the predictable complications well, from the quick

changes in the carnival's pranks to the faked grimace and moans when she gets hit in the

“crotch” with a soccer ball.

Director Andy Flickman wisely kept the energy high. The introduction, a soccer

game on the beach, sets a bright and energetic atmosphere that keeps things lively as all

of the characters and plot points come together for a happily ever after ending.

I have observed that some of the character’s names are somewhat similar to

Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”. Channing Tatum’s character was not named Count

Orsino yet the name Duke Orsino still exudes royalty and has almost the same meaning.

Sebastian’s school, Illyria comes from the name of the land where Olivia (of the Twelfth

Night) arrived after surviving a shipwreck. Indeed, the whole story really is inspired by

the Shakespearean play. The situation where Olivia disguises as her brother is akin to that

of Shakespeare’s.
 It is important to note that the movie is a Rated-PG13. Parents should know that

the film includes some crude language and some comic implied nudity. There are also

few brawls and scuffles. But one strength of the film is that while the characters talk a

great deal about who is "hot," the film's strong point of view is that the priority in

relationships is emotional intimacy, not the physical. Another strength of the movie is its

casual portrayal of inter-racial relationships. While at first an unattractive character

(Monique, played by Alex Breckenridge) is played for laughs, in the end, even she is

treated with respect and affection.

Families who see this movie should talk about what led Viola to change her

feelings about her ex-boyfriend and. What was the most important thing Viola learned? If

you wanted to pretend to be the opposite sex, what would be the hardest part? Teens

should also ponder about how important it was that Viola and Olivia valued themselves

enough to make sure that they only spent time with boys who would value them too.

And, it would be great if the viewers would put forth effort to read Shakespeare's

play and compare this movie to the play. It would be nice to find out, among other things,

how Malcolm's tarantula got the name "Malvolio."

 A Book Review

Outline

Introduction: A. A brief summary of the story

A1. Where it all began

A2. Being the “man”

A3. Bizarre love triangle

Development: B. The main actress

C. The director

D. The Shakespearean-inspired movie

E. The strengths and weaknesses of the story

F. The morals of the film

Conclusion: G. The comedy of Malvolio’s(the tarantula) name in

Shakespeare’s play
 “What Freedom Means”

After three hundred thirty three years of being enslaved by the colonial Spain,

subdued under America for several years, subjected to Japanese invasion for a few years,

training under America for proper handling of our own government (as if we’re that

ignorant, for Pete’s sake!), and subdued under the mandates of a dictator, we now had a

taste of freedom.

After having o struggle to fight for our liberty, we are now free.

Or are we?

Have we really had our freedom?

What is freedom? Why is having perfect access to it so important to each one of

us?

The second question is far easier to answer that the first. We want to be free

because we feel more human when we can express freely who or what we are. On the

other hand, the true meaning of freedom is very much elusive to the grasp of a human

mind. It has been a while since I started to wonder on the meaning of freedom. I

researched; I read some quotations from famous people like Lincoln who are advocators

of democracy and freedom. Yet I still find their words inadequate.

Freedom, according to the 21st Century Reference Dictionary, Volume 1, is “a

condition of being unrestricted”. But it directly opposes the words of Darrow and

Lincoln. Clarence Darrow stated "You can only protect your liberties in this world by

protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free." Abraham Lincoln

also pointed out that” those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."

Simply stated, respect others and you would be respected. After all, it would be
impossible for all of us to enjoy unlimited freedom, unless we live on one island each.

We are free to do what we want, though we are restricted by the freedom of others.

Clearly, there are boundaries of having one’s freedom. Laws are there to curb

one’s liberty so that others can have theirs too. What if there are no laws and policies at

all? There would be no freedom at all.

Right now, I do believe that we have freedom. But we need to avoid the repetition

of historical events. I do not think we want to go back to being enslaved. We have to

protect our freedom.

When our ancestors fought for our freedom, I took great faith to muster courage

as great as theirs. They did everything for us, the younger generations, believing and

trusting that we would protect what they fought for—what they have won for us. Now

that we have received the gift of being liberated from colonial bondage, it is possible that

we have neglected our roles and have become indifferent to our responsibilities because

we are already free. In the end, we will probably be dependent to other countries and go

back to being enslaved by other nations because we have been indifferent to our duty to

our own country.

Freedom is having rights to do one’s responsibilities. Every one of us is

responsible for preserving our hard-earned independence. It all goes ask to the tired yet

always applicable words of the immortal John F. Kennedy. Do not ask what your country

can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
 What Freedom Means

Outline

Introduction: A. Are we really free?

Development B. What is freedom?

B1. The meaning is hard to come by.

B2. The interpretation of freedom by Darrow and Lincoln

C. Does freedom have boundaries?

Conclusion: D.What is our responsibility?

D1. We are free

D2. We are freed by our ancestors’ sacrifices

D3. We have the right to do our responsibilities

 “Reading into Writing II: A Book Review”

Reading into Writing II is a book intended for college students struggling with

paper works. It is also for students who intend to learn how to write a good paper without

encountering more than a few difficulties.

The book is somehow quite easy to understand for an average reader like me.

Several articles inside compiled in the book stirs one’s curiosity that even someone who

isn’t so fond of reading it would be interested in doing so.

The authors of the articles included have a certain aura of dignity in them that

even though their articles can already be considered historical (the book was published on

the year 1985), we still find them useful to analyze.

Another strength of the book is that it teaches us to analyze the concreteness and

the values communicated by the articles we read. While teaching us to be critically

analytic, it also helps us form our own style of writing.

The book is really a big help to students who are beginners in the field of writing.

It’s only minor impediment is that it sometimes gets so confusing. Because the book is

not up to date some data are not updated, and some very recent and important information

are not integrated.

The late Professor Concepcion Dadufalza of the University of Diliman certainly

deserves to be honored as she is now by the university she had served (the Concepcion

Dadufalza Award is named after her) , because it is apparent in her work that she
sympathized with how hard a student’s life can be. She really made it an effort for her

book to be student-friendly and to be an effective learning catalyst.

This book is apparently dedicated to the efficient and competent learning of

students like me.

 Reading into Writing: A Book Review

Outline

Introduction: A. The book’s target audience

Development: B. The strengths of the book

B1. It is easy to understand

B2. Its articles are written by distinguished authors

B3. It teaches how to analyze other articles

C. The weakness of the book

D. The author of the book: Prof. Concepcion Dadufalza

Conclusion: The book is devoted to learning competence of students