On the Day I Got My Brother's Report Card

"Still into wrestling?"
Asked she of the rattlesnake passion.
My shirt answered with the man,
Decorated in historical gold.
But that son of a gun,
Excellent in working,
Would attend her clinic,
Certified for slaying of deadly fishes.

"Why not [along Katipunan]?"
Inquired he who was called Jun.
Indeed wealth would pour
Like blood in an AP account
But I, a neighbor of the Eagles,
Am driven by a traditional debt.
I believe the value is consistent
With those in his blue-coded subject.

And the value was invoked
As I passed Mariano's room.
"If you'll be here, so will I,"
Her Silang-strong words proclaimed.
Is it nothing more than foolish nostalgia,
This circular, winding road I am taking?
My heart tells me to bring my best
To the birthplace of DJ-Kezon.

Before I fought, I flew.
May the sea welcome me back when I pass.

The Most Worthless Hero? (An Evaluation of Jason the Argonaut)

Greek mythology is full of fascinating characters. I find it brimming with beings that captivate the imagination: creatures such as three-headed dogs and cyclopes in love, and divinities that include a promiscuous king and a fiery goddess of wisdom. Aside from these extraordinary entities, I marvel at the humans. Tales of men who fight gallantly and achieve feats of glory—these give me much literary pleasure.

Lately, I have read of Jason. The story of the Argonauts' adventures had seemed too complicated before, but now I have revisited it. And I find that I am not as impressed with Jason as with other heroes I know. In fact, judging him by his peers in Greek mythology, I am disappointed in him. The reasons: as a warrior, Jason is weak in spirit; and as a lover, Jason is despicable.

The first standard that a character like Jason must be judged by is ability as a warrior. This is simply because he is one: like many big names in Greek mythology, Jason goes on a quest and struggles against obstacles. But in his adventures, Jason is weak-spirited. When the Argo sets sail, Jason weeps, and ‘turns his eyes away from the land of his birth’. After the Argonauts lose Idmon and Tiphys successively, Jason is despondent; he dampens Peleus’ encouraging speech with hopeless words that expect doom. And when Aeetes gives the deadly tasks that Jason must fulfill to gain the Golden Fleece, Jason’s eyes are ‘fixed on the floor’, and after being speechless for a time he can only answer in desperation.

As far as I know, the other big names of Greek mythology do not do such things in their adventures. When Achilles is discovered by Odysseus after being hidden, he accepts the recruitment into the Trojan War—even if he is only in his teenage years. In Troy, he never displays any signs of fear. Hercules, Jason’s own companion on the Argo, accepts the Twelve Tasks from Eurystheus without any complaint or intimidation. Theseus, on his first trip to Athens and his father, refuses the safer voyage by ship and travels on land. And when he arrives in Athens, he volunteers to be one of the sacrifices bound for Crete, and eventually kills the Minotaur in the labyrinth. Jason’s puny character doesn’t live up to these performances.

Jason, however, is not just a fighter. In the Argonautica, he is also a lover. While in Colchis, Jason enters into a relationship with Medea who adoringly helps him in his forthcoming challenges: Aeetes’ tasks as well as pursuit of the Argo, and Pelias’ reign of terror. After all this assistance, the right thing for Jason to do would be to repay Medea with his faithfulness. Alas, he does not. Setting Medea aside, he marries the princess of Corinth for ambitious, political purposes. When Medea is exiled for threatening the princess, Jason gives her nothing short of coldness. Among many things, he rebukes her for her ‘mischievous talk’, and claims that Aphrodite, not her, had saved him in the quest for the Fleece. I am horrified that Jason can even consider a woman other than Medea as the one to marry. And I am disgusted at the apathetic words he spoke unto a devasted woman.

Indeed, if Jason were compared to two famous lovers, he would look like a pathetic case. Odysseus appears to be his clear and distant superior. The king of Ithaca could have forgotten about his wife Penelope and stayed with a powerful witch—either Circe or Calypso. Instead, he perseveres to get back to his home, and reunite with Penelope. Odysseus faces so many obstacles in getting back to Ithaca, yet he remains faithful to his wife. Jason has only one obstacle between him and Medea, which he does not conquer—his own selfish ambition. Aeneas also comes to mind; one may point out that the founder of Rome also broke a lover’s heart, that of Dido queen of Carthilage. However, it was divine decree that moved Aeneas to leave Dido; Zeus had ordered him to leave Carthilage because he had a civilization to establish. Sadly, Jason left Medea of his own free will. This makes his actions all the more despicable.

What, then, do I make of Jason after pointing out all this? Do I view him as the most worthless hero in all of Greek mythology? No. I still make meaning out of his character, precisely because of his weaknesses. He is weak in spirit and erroneous as a lover, but are these not human traits? I can relate to Jason’s shortcomings because I, a human, know how it feels to have them—to be puny or misguided in love. And I can do more than just observe his weaknesses; I can try my best to avoid them, for my benefit and for others’. Therefore, I will grant the leader of the Argonauts a piece of glory. I will remember Jason, so that I can be reminded to be strong in will, and honorable in deed.