JOSE RIZAL Ta ke a gli mpse o f ri za l ’ s l if e
JOSE protasio RIZAL Mercado y Alonso realonda.
JOSE RIZAL
J
osÊ Rizal (June 19, 1861–December 30, 1896) was a man of intellectual power and artistic talent whom Filipinos honor as their national hero. He excelled at anything that he put his mind to: medicine, poetry, sketching, architecture, sociology, and more. Despite little evidence, he was martyred by Spanish colonial authorities on charges of conspiracy, sedition, and rebellion when he was only 35.
Rizal’s Education J
ose Rizal’s first teacher was his mother, who had taught him how to read and pray and who had en-
couraged him to write poetry. Later, private tutors taught the young Rizal Spanish and Latin, before he was sent to a private school in Binan.
W
hen he was 11 years old, Rizal entered the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. He earned excellent marks in subjects like philosophy, physics, chemistry, and natural history. At this school, he read novels; wrote prizewinning poetry (and even a melodrama—“Junto al Pasig”); and practiced drawing, painting, and clay modeling, all of which remained lifelong interests for him. Rizal eventually earned a land surveyor’s and assessor’s degree from the Ateneo Municipal while taking up Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas. Upon learning that his mother was going blind, Rizal opted to study ophthalmology at the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. He, however, was not able to complete the course because “he became politically isolated by adversaries among the faculty and clergy who demanded that he assimilate to their system.”
He also attended the University of Paris and, in 1887, completed his eye specialization course at the University of Heidelberg. It was also in that year that Rizal’s first novel was published (in Berlin). Rizal is said to have had the ability to master various skills, subjects, and languages. Our national hero was also a doctor, farmer, naturalist (he discovered the Draco rizali, a small lizard; Apogania rizali, a beetle; and the Rhacophorus rizali, a frog), writer, visual artist, athlete (martial arts, fencing, and pistol shooting), musician, and social scientist.
UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG, SPAIN
Noli Me Tangere a novel Tackles abouT The currenT siTuaTion back Then in The philippines when The spaniards invade The philippines for a very long Time..
Without the knowledge of his parents, Rizal traveled to Europe in May 1882. According to his biographer, Austin Craig, Rizal, “in order to obtain a better education, had had to leave his country stealthily like a fugitive from justice, and his family, to save themselves from persecution, were compelled to profess ignorance of his plans and movements. His name was entered in Santo Tomas at the opening of the new term, with the fees paid, and Paciano had gone to Manila pretending to be looking for this brother whom he had assisted out of the country.” Rizal earned a Licentiate in Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid, where he also took courses in philosophy and literature. It was in Madrid that he conceived of writing Noli Me Tangere.
UNIVERSITY OF STO. TOMAS, PHILIPPINES
ATENEO DE MUNICIPAL DE MANILA BEFORE, NOW ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY
Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? T
he Rizals is considered one of the biggest families during their time. Domingo Lam-co, the family paternal ascendants was a full blooded Chinese who came to the Philippines from Amoy, China in the closing years of the 17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name of de la Rosa. Researchers revealed that the Mercado—Rizal Family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malay and Even Negrito blood asides from Chinese. Jose Rizal came from a 13 member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and Teodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother.
1877. First Love: Segunda Katigbak–Teen-Age Puppy Love–Doesn’t Really Count
1888. Fifth Love: O SeiSan, Age 22, The Samurai’s Daughter
1891. Eighth Lov Boustead, Age 19, Heiress. She Ante Modern Pre-Nupti ment
1878. Second Love: Leonor Valenzuela–Imagined Love–A Chenggoy Concoction
1886. Sixth Love: Gertrude Beckett, Age 19, A Contemporary Pastime
1895. Ninth Lov phine Bracken, Ag Dulce Extran
1884. Fourth Love: Consuelo Ortiga Y Reyes, The Madrid Flirt
1889. Seventh Love: Suzanne Thill, Age 18, Clean Fun Re: The “Naughty Boy” Of Brussels
Great Love
ve: Nellie , The Rich edated The ial Agree-
ve: Josege 18, The njera
J
ose Rizal was never the preferred choice of Leonor Rivera’s mother, who confiscated all the correspondences between Leonor and Rizal till it frittered down to zero. Rizal was 18 going on 21 and was devoted to Leonor. But he was just then opening his eyes to Europe’s Enlightenment, where the women were pleasing and the men were gallant. Rizal really was in love with Leonor Rivera. He even invented a coded alphabet so that they could write sweet nothings to each other. But soon, Leonor faded in memory.
Why? Because in Europe, Rizal conveniently romanced other girls and forgot he was engaged to her. Eventually the Leonor Rivera-Rizal engagement did not survive the long-distance romance. In the end, it turned into an idealized one (reflected as Maria Clara in Rizal’s novel, Noli me Tangere), a painful love match doomed to fail from the very start. Yes, count this one as real love. As an engaged couple, they showed real affection for each other while it lasted.
Rizal’s Best W To the Filipino youth
R izal wrote this literary poem when he was still studying at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST). Originally written in Spanish (A la juventud filipina), Rizal submitted this piece for a poem contest organized for Filipinos by the Manila Lyceum of Art and Literature. At the age of 18, this work is beaming with strong messages to convince readers, the youth in particular, that they are the hope of the nation. He also stresses the importance of education to one’s future. Rizal won the first prize and was rewarded with a feather-shaped silver pen and a diploma.
Goodbye to Leonor
T his literary piece gives an insight into the romantic relationship
Noli Me Tangere O ne of the most sought-after books in Philippine literature until to-
day, is Rizal’s famous novel titled Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not). Driven by his undying love for his country, Rizal wrote the novel to expose the ills of Philippine society during the Spanish colonial era. At the time, the Spaniards prohibited the Filipinos from reading the controversial book because of the unlawful acts depicted in the novel. Yet they were not able to ban it completely and as more Filipinos read the book, it opened their eyes to the truth that they were being manhandled by the friars. In this revolutionary book, you’ll learn the story of Crisostomo Ibarra, how he dealt with Spanish authorities, and how he prepared for his revenge, as told in Rizal’s second book, El Filibusterismo.
of Rizal and his beloved, Leonor Rivera. The two met when in the province of Dagupan when Rivera was only 13-years-old. Rivera’s parents were not in favor of their relationship and though distance separated them, the two kept in touch by sending letters and photographs to each other. Rizal later found out that her lady love would soon tie the knot with Henry Kipping, and the news definitely disheartened him. The lonely, heartbreaking feelings he felt, resulted in this melancholic poem.
To the Young Women of Malolos
A ddressed to the Filipino women, Rizal’s letter entitled To The Young
Women of Malolos reflects his inheritance and issues reminders to Filipino women. In his letter, he addresses all kinds of Filipino women – mothers, wives, and even the single women. Throughout this literary piece, he highlights the qualities that Filipino mothers should possess, the duties of wives to their husbands and children, and a counsel on how young women should choose their lifetime partners. The idea behind this letter sparked after he was impressed by the women of Malolos who won the battle they fought. Rizal advises women to educate themselves, protect their dignity and honor, and live with good manners – setting up as a role model.
Works kundiman
A kundiman traditionally refers to a love song where a man serenades
the woman he loves. For scholars, this word was derived from the Tagalog phrase “Kung Hindi man” (if it should not be so) which suggests that people put their faith in a Higher Being who decides whether or not something is meant for them. But in Rizal’s literary work, he wrote a kundiman to profess his intense love for his motherland. This piece reflects his high hopes that one day, the Philippines would be free from treachery and injustice. At the time, the country faced great threats while he was in Europe. And, through this work, he voices his hopeful thoughts despite being far away from the country.
Junto al pasig
W hen translated into English, the title of this work means Beside
Pasig River. In response to the Jesuits’ request, Rizal wrote this oneact play in the Spanish language for the velada – a gala variety program during the principal feast days. The play centers around Leonido (a young Filipino who has a strong faith in the Virgin) and the Diwata/Satan, which symbolizes the Spanish oppression towards Filipinos. Its theme highlights Christianity, good vs. evil, and paganism. The Philippines’ national hero wrote it in honor of the Our Lady of Peace and Voyage of the UST, and the play was staged on December 8, 1880.
Mi ultimo adios
A fter being associated with the Katipuneros, Rizal was arrested
and later sentenced to death by firing squad for acts of sedition and rebellion. During his final days in Fort Santiago of Manila, Rizal bid farewell to his motherland and countrymen through letters. Mi último adiós or My Last Farewell is one of the few last works that Rizal wrote.
T his is Rizal’s sequel to his first book, Noli Me Tángere. In El Filibusterismo (The Reign of the Greed), the novel exhibits a dark theme (as opposed to the hopeful atmosphere in the first novel) in which it depicts the country’s issues and how the protagonist attempts a reform. The story takes place 13 years after Noli Me Tángere, where revolutionary protagonist Crisostomo Ibarra is now under the guise of Simoun – a wealthy jewelry tycoon. Because the novel also portrays the abuse, corruption, and discrimination of the Spaniards towards Filipinos, it was also banned in the country at the time. Rizal dedicated his second novel to the GOMBURZA – the Filipino priests named Mariano Gomez, Jose Apolonio Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora who were executed on charges of subversion. The two novels of Rizal, now considered as his literary masterpieces, both indirectly sparked the Philippine Revolution.
El filibusterismo
n December 30, 1896, Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal, the greatest man of the Malayan race O was shot to death at Bagumbayan (present day Luneta or Rizal park), Manila, by a f ing squad of native soldiers, on the accusation of political conspiracy and sedition, and rebellion against the Spanish government in the Philippines.
Rizal monument
“”my last farewell”
e, firn,
beloved Country, treasured region of the sun, F arewell, Pearl of the sea of the Orient, our lost Eden!
To you eagerly I surrender this sad and gloomy life; And were it brighter, fresher, more florid, Even then I’d give it to you, for your sake alone.
In fields of battle, deliriously fighting, Others give you their lives, without doubt, without regret; The place matters not: where there’s cypress, laurel or lily, On a plank or open field, in combat or cruel martyrdom, It’s all the same if the home or country asks. I die when I see the sky has unfurled its colors And at last after a cloak of darkness announces the day; If you need scarlet to tint your dawn, Shed my blood, pour it as the moment comes, And may it be gilded by a reflection of the heaven’s newly-born light. My dreams, when scarcely an adolescent, My dreams, when a young man already full of life, Were to see you one day, jewel of the sea of the Orient, Dry those eyes of black, that forehead high, Without frown, without wrinkles, without stains of shame.
My lifelong dream, my deep burning desire, This soul that will soon depart cries out: Salud! To your health! Oh how beautiful to fall to give you flight, To die to give you life, to die under your sky, And in your enchanted land eternally sleep. If upon my grave one day you see appear, Amidst the dense grass, a simple humble flower, Place it near your lips and my soul you’ll kiss, And on my brow may I feel, under the cold tomb, The gentle blow of your tenderness, the warmth of your breath. Let the moon see me in a soft and tranquil light, Let the dawn send its fleeting radiance, Let the wind moan with its low murmur, And should a bird descend and rest on my cross, Let it sing its canticle of peace.
Let the burning sun evaporate the rains, And with my clamor behind, towards the sky may they turn pure; Let a friend mourn my early demise, And in the serene afternoons, when someone prays for me, O Country, pray to God also for my rest! Pray for all the unfortunate ones who died, For all who suffered torments unequaled, For our poor mothers who in their grief and bitterness cry, For orphans and widows, for prisoners in torture, And for yourself pray that your final redemption you’ll see. And when the cemetery is enveloped in dark night, And there, alone, only those who have gone remain in vigil, Disturb not their rest, nor the mystery, And should you hear chords from a zither or psaltery, It is I, beloved Country, singing to you. And when my grave, then by all forgotten, has not a cross nor stone to mark its place, Let men plow and with a spade scatter it, And before my ashes return to nothing, May they be the dust that carpets your fields. Then nothing matters, cast me in oblivion. Your atmosphere, your space and valleys I’ll cross. I will be a vibrant and clear note to your ears, Aroma, light, colors, murmur, moan, and song, Constantly repeating the essence of my faith. My idolized country, sorrow of my sorrows, Beloved Filipinas, hear my last good-bye. There I leave you all, my parents, my loves. I’ll go where there are no slaves, hangmen nor oppressors, Where faith doesn’t kill, where the one who reigns is God. Goodbye, dear parents, brother and sisters, fragments of my soul, Childhood friends in the home now lost, Give thanks that I rest from this wearisome day; Goodbye, sweet foreigner, my friend, my joy; Farewell, loved ones, to die is to rest.
EDITOR : ROSE BELLE SORIANO
In partial fulfilment of the Requirement in Life and Works of Rizal.
CREDITS : MR. BUÑA