Writing Assignment: A Historical Filipino Hero - Tandang Sora (Essay Sample)

(Student’s name)
(Professor’s name)
History
3 January 2018
Tandang Sora
Born on January 6, 1812, Melchora Aquino De Ramos was the only daughter of Juan and Valentina Aquino. Though her parents could not afford to send her to school, Melchora did not allow that to hold her back. She may not have been afforded the privilege and opportunity to attend school, however Melchora was highly literate, and exceptionally intelligent. Additionally, Melchora was an accomplished vocalist, who sang at church, and performed at local events. When she reached adulthood, Melchora married a village chief, Fulgencio Ramos. The couple had six children, the youngest only seven years old when Fulgencio passed away. As a single parent, Melchora had to make ends meet, raising her six children on her own. She opened a sari-sari store, working hard to support her family, ensuring that her children all received a good education.
Melchora was already eighty-four years old when the revolution in the Philippines came to a head in 1896. Though she was but an ordinary woman of average means, Paraiso writes that Melchora earned the affectionate and honorary titles of Tandang Sora, and Mother of the Katipunan. Melchora’s heart was wide open to serving her people, and she utilized her every resource to contribute to their cause. Her store became a designated spot for clandestine meetings held by the Katipunan soldiers, who turned to Tandang Sora as children to a mother. Tandang Sora provided not only medical care, food, and shelter to her beloved people, but the moral support she offered fueled their hearts and spirits, as well. She showered them with warm words of encouragement, and prayed for their well-being, safety and success.
When the Spanish colonial government learned of Melchora’s activities, they arrested her, and demanded that she reveal the whereabouts of the Katipunan leader, Andres Bonifacio. Melchora refused to cooperate with the Spaniards, and for that she was exiled to the Mariana Islands. In 1898, under American leadership, Tandang Sora returned home. Tandang Sora died at the age of one hundred and seven, on March 2, 1919. Tandand Sora died a heroine, and she was honored by being featured on the one-hundred-peso bill, in addition to a city district and city street bearing her revered name.
Tandang Sora was an ordinary, everyday woman, with no unusual means or resources. Her greatest assets were her personality and character. Her claim to fame is not what she had, but what she gave, and what she did. She used her every resource to further the cause she valued, and to stand up for what she believed in. Tandang Sora exemplified the meaning of giving. She opened her heart to the Katipunan soldiers, who put their lives on the line for the sake of their nation. The soldiers of the Katipunan knew that they could turn to the Mother of the Katipunan, as like a true mother, sh...