Plot-4 (1) .Docx - 20241010 - 130447 - 0000

Story Review: The King's Decree by Jun Cruz Reyes
Student life is the focus of Jun Cruz Reyes' story. It revolves around the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of the main
character, Jojo. Reyes introduces Jojo as a student who is seen as a troublemaker by his teachers. It is clear in the story
that he is stubborn:
"Only he is stubborn. He enters my class drunk, as if mocking me, coming closer just to let me smell his breath." Besides
that, Jojo also enjoys provoking and testing the teacher’s abilities: "Not only that, sometimes he even tries to pester me in
class, thinking he could catch me unprepared for my lesson. I’ll pile up research work for him and he’ll back down." He often
skips class as well: "And he is always absent. Sometimes I don’t want to give him an excuse slip anymore."
Jojo reflects the students trapped in the concept of a repressive institutional system. He is one of those students who has
many things to say but no right to voice them, so he is forced to keep it all inside. Many times, he wants to shout out his
feelings, but he knows it’s not possible because he knows he won’t be heard. And even if he is heard, he knows it will still be
ignored.
"I really want to lash out. I want to confront her. I want to throw in her face all my grievances about the world. I’m used to
being as bold as I want to be. What’s so wrong with what I did at the chapel? Tess and I were just holding hands. Is that
wrong?"
That day, Mrs. Moral Character told him to come to her cubicle after lunch. She talked to him about his attitude. Even
though he was already irritated, he still forced himself to smile because he knew he wouldn’t win against the teacher. It’s
clearly narrated in the story that although Jojo is a rebellious student, he still manages to listen and give some level of
respect to his teacher. Jojo has an open mind, perhaps due to his being a teenager. He’s in a phase of questioning and
discovering the world.
I can say that he is a smart student because he is able to challenge his teachers. Aside from that, I can also say that he has
a broad perspective because he can form discourses in his mind related to discovery:
"Why don’t they want to see truths different from what they’ve grown up with? Why do they want everyone in the world to
be just like them? Is it because they think they’ve discovered the mine of intelligence and righteousness, leaving nothing
for us to discover? But isn’t what they call expertise just experience prolonged for twenty years?"
Indeed, studying is difficult. You have so many projects, papers, and other requirements to complete. That doesn’t even
include the time you spend enduring your terror teachers and those who only act like terrors. Then there are the annoying
classmates who pretend to be smart. In short, it’s about fitting in. It’s hard to fit into a world that contradicts the one you
want to live in. Perhaps this is Jojo’s problem. He has many things he wants to do in life. He has many things he wants to
prove to himself and to the people around him. But he doesn’t know where to start. He doesn’t know how to start. Because
he knows that the world he lives in won’t accept the actions he wants to take.
Aside from Jojo, Mrs. Moral Character is also brought to life in the story. She is Jojo’s teacher, representing all the teachers
in the story. She serves as Mr. Discipline, Mrs. Gles-Ing, and Mr. Mathematician in the story. In Reyes’ narration, the
different faces of teachers are shown: their perfectionism, moralism, and their intrusiveness into Jojo’s personal life.
Perfectionist: As Mrs. Moral Character, who teaches social science, she wants her students to always give correct and
well-founded answers during discussions: "Good. Now, you know that you don’t have any data to support your claim, which
I happen to have. You’re just spouting baseless speculations with no relevance in the scientific world. Our lesson is more
complicated than you thought. What you probably mean is the role of economic determinism in contemporary philosophy,
which is entirely wrong. Why don’t you use the power of elite approach? Behavioralism is the trend now in the West. Why
don’t you keep up?"
Moralist: There’s no doubt about it. She is called Mrs. Moral Character because she always preaches, earning her a
reputation for knowing everything:
Like Mrs. Moral Character, before starting the lesson, she first sermonizes about the virtue of honesty—how cheating is
bad, how it’s a mortal sin to help a panicked classmate who forgot the answer, how crib notes are a crime, and so on. It
seems she knows everything bad and forbidden in the world.
Intruder: Above all, she’s an intruder, meddling in other people’s lives, especially in personal matters, like when she
suddenly told Jojo: "They saw you in the chapel…"
As Jojo thought to himself: "What’s so wrong with what I did in the chapel? Tess and I were just holding hands. Is that
wrong? Maybe the real issue is why Mrs. Gles-Ing happened to pass by the chapel at that time of night."
Though this is the critique of the teacher in the story, I’m not saying that teachers are the ultimate "antagonist" in the
narrative. Indeed, there are many times when teachers are perfectionists because they want their students to learn.
Conclusion:
"The King's Decree" by Jun Cruz Reyes presents the realities of school life—the life of a rebellious student with rebellious
friends. A rebellious student who, even at a young age, already has a girlfriend. A rebellious student with equally rebellious
teachers. You can clearly see the current state of schools. Despite the limited actions of each character in the story, Reyes
has done justice in portraying realism in his work.
As a student, I can relate to what Jojo feels—a student who wants to break free from the chains of the traditional
education system. One who wants to be free, to express all grievances, not just to be heard but to be gladly received and
addressed. As a teacher, I also understand what the teacher characters in the story want to convey. That we, as teachers,
only want our students to learn and apply all the knowledge we provide them.
Still, there’s nothing we can do but follow the king’s decree.

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Story Review: The King's Decree by Jun Cruz Reyes

Still, there’s nothing we can do but follow the king’s decree.

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