Narciso, Sheinalyn D.

GREAT BOOKS
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Guide Questions:

1. What emotions did you feel while reading the selection?

I think that I have a biased perspective while reading the story, because ever since I

was young, we’ve always discussed The Prodigal Son. But I remember the feeling I had

the first time I read it. At first, I felt disappointment in the prodigal son, that he was not

able to appreciate his family and how fortunate he was in his life to have them. But then

as I saw how his life turned out and I felt pity toward him, because he could have been

so much happier if just stayed with his family. Then when the father saw his younger

son, I thought that I could empathize with the son’s feeling, of being found, and in a

way, saved from his life of hardship.

2. Did you feel sorry for the prodigal son? Anger? Resentment?

I felt disappointed in the prodigal son because he took for granted the blessings

he had in his life. He was impatient, and wanted to live independently, without knowing

how sheltered his life was to begin with. But in the end, I felt sorry for him, ending up the

life he had lived.

3. How did the father feel upon seeing his son?

The father felt relieved, and fortunate to have seen his son again. He did not show pain,

disappointment, or condescend his son upon seeing him, things I thought he would

have done the first time I read it. Instead he welcomed his son with open arms, and an

open heart.
Narciso, Sheinalyn D. GREAT BOOKS
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4. How did the older brother feel upon seeing his brother?

The older brother felt, mistreated. Because all this time he had been a faithful son to his

father, but never did his father treat him the way he treated his brother when he came

home.

5. How would you relate to these as a member of a family?

I think that the story is very real to how a family is. I can’t even count the how many

times I’ve disappointed and made my parents angry, and though they may scold and

punish me for it, after a while they treat me like nothing happened. I think that real

parents, just like the father in the story, are able to love their children unconditionally. I

can also feel for the older brother, because it is normal for siblings to feel mistreated.

But the truth is parents love their children all equally, its just that they have different

ways of showing them.