I think this piece of writing should be read because it shows the different hardships in life like poverty, sickness, etc. If you were able to read the short story, you will realize the pain that Rebo is experiencing due to his sickness called Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. In the story, it was shown how he slowly became bald and how he had hard time breathing. The other kind of hardship that was shown in the short story was poverty. It was shown in the story how Rebo’s father managed his inadequate P300-daily earning as a school teacher to provide for his family.
I think the one who should read this short story are the people who always encounter problems and hardships in their respective lives. With Rebo’s father’s situation, the readers could benefit by helping them face and go through the problems they are encountering. After reading the story, I also think the readers will definitely live their respective lives to the fullest. I think they will cherish their remaining time on earth. Like what was mentioned in the story, anything that Rebo wanted would be given to him immediately by his father—like when his father gave him a surprise birthday party even though it really was not his birthday and the other time when Rebo tried to convince his father to buy candies for him.
One weakness I saw in the story was the role of the father. I think the father’s role as a teacher was not given enough attention by the author of the story. There where only few scenes in the story that mentioned him being a teacher. I think if the author just gave the father’s role more attention, the readers could benefit by knowing the hardships of being a teacher like insufficient salaries and not enough respect given to them by most people. I think the different issues about teachers are the political statements that the story wants to convey to its readers.
On the other hand, a strength I saw in the story was Rebo’s “connection” with his beyblade toy.
“Wala na ang beyblade at ang may-ari nito. Payapa na silang nakahimlay sa loob ng kabaong. Magkasamang tutungo sa lugar na walang sakit, gutom, at walang hirap. Payapang magpapaikot at iikot.”
When the beyblade is being thrown inside the “arena” to be played against other beyblades, I think it is also what is happening to Rebo, who is trying to hang on and go through the most grueling moments of his life. And the end of the beyblade’s spin inside the arena signifies that it is also the end of Rebo’s four-year journey in life.
