Color change and Camouflage Technique

Topic: Animal Symbolism for Death


Personally, I find the cycle of life and death rather fascinating. Fascinating in a sense that it is still a complete mystery how some invisible hand is able to find and pinpoint a balance between the two. In this world, people are born, they live and they die—and are never to be heard of again. Though that may sound a bit too frank and disturbing, one cannot deny that it is the inevitable truth. We all come to that point where we would leave this world, and some new generation would take our place in the future.

So if that’s all there is to it, what exactly is the point of living?

I think that there are two significances of living and life, in general. These are: for us to develop a steady peace of mind and an intellectual satisfaction, and for us to influence and touch the lives of the people around us. We should learn to accept the truth about life and death, and adapt ourselves around it. 

One animal that is very good in adapting and blending is the chameleon. The chameleon’s ability to blend its whole body in different surroundings is a great way of explaining how a person should be able to adjust to any situation that he or she might encounter. He or she shouldn’t give up too easily especially when faced with hardships and trials. This color change and camouflage technique of a chameleon may also mirror the fact that people are also expected to empathize with the people around them. It shouldn’t always be about one person or the other; it must be about the welfare of everyone.

Midsummer by Manuel Arguillas

Midsummer is one of Manuel Arguillas’ many descriptive works. It tells of the shy interaction between a peasant boy and a peasant girl at an isolated village well.


One hot day in summer, a young man drove his cart and bull, and headed towards a nearby village well. He stopped midway as he sees a young woman whose grace and looks immediately caught his fancy. Thinking that the girl didn't notice him, the man hesitated to talk to her and waited for his turn. Only after the girl got her second pail of water did the two manage to strike up a conversation. The story ends with the girl inviting the guy to stop by her house.


What I like about this 1933 story is that it portrayed a wonderful picture of the simplicity and honesty of the rural folk life. It was able to note that although the youthfulness and vibrancy of the two main characters and the seemingly deathly barrenness of the story’s setting are somewhat in contrast, these elements work well together and are able to complement each other successfully. 

Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston

The short excerpt that I read from the memoir, Woman Warrior depicted the autobiography of Maxine Hong Kingston, as well as some of the old Chinese folktales that she grew up with. It showed us a clear picture of what her life was like throughout her years.


At a very early age, Kingston already had to put up with the constant gender discrimination that she got from both the people that she calls her family and the society that she lives in. She would continually hear hurtful stuff like, “Feeding girls is like feeding cowbirds” or “There’s no profit in raising girls. Better to raise geese than girls.” This continued to the point that it made Kingston, her sister and every girl want to become a boy. But she had to look past this ordeal so she could deal with other problems like, poverty and imperialism. She took it upon herself to avenge her family; she struggled to take back her family’s farm from Chinese communists, and her family’s laundry in New York.


The courage and drive of Maxine Hong Kingston is very inspiring. I find it very endearing that she was willing to look past the sufferings she got from her own family in order to help them. She showed home much she yearned to get the love and acceptance from her family and society. In a way, she became a true woman warrior because she was able to let her ideographs to be heard, not thru violence or killing but thru words.