REACTION PAPER: TO THE FLOWERS OF HEIDELBERG

Jose Rizal wrote " To the Flowers of Heidelberg" in April of 1886. Rizal was inspired to write the poem
after taking a walk near the Neckar River. At the time he wrote the poem, he was homesick, and the flowers
reminded him of the ones blooming in their garden at home.
Heidelberg is one of the most romantic cities in Germany, thanks to its picturesque riverside location, its
beautiful old buildings and bridges, and the castle ruins that overlook the town center. The city is chock-full of
historic sites and attractions for tourists. Heidelberg lies at the point where the Neckar river emerges from the
hills of the Odenwald into the Rhine plain. Rizal described the place vividly in his poem.
He beautifully asked the flowers to go to his country to watch over his loved ones. He is also constantly
thinking of the warm weather in the Philippines in the cold springtime in Germany. At dawn he sings to the
flower’s native songs in exchange of their gift of natural perfume. And in the morning under the soft light of the
early sun he reflects still of his motherland where the same sun now is at its highest... as if he is connected with
his motherland through the sun.
He plucks the flower and preserve it in his book, and he asked the flower to go to his homeland to carry
his message of peace, prosperity, virtue to women and courage to men. When the flower reached the shore, he
asked it to kiss those he loves, honor and adore.
Though noble this may seem to be, Rizal in the last stanza reflected on its utter futility since the flower
will no longer be the same when it reaches the country. Its beauty and perfume, which should reflect Rizal's
intentions for the country, will long be gone.
Rizal used the flowers of Heidelberg as his symbol of his love for his motherland. The beauty of the
flowers is comparable to the way he looks at our country that anyone who will see the flower may get in touch
with Rizal's concern for his motherland. However, he realized what good will this do to the Philippines if he is
serving foreign lands and not his own.
His verses had a single symbol--The flowers of Heidelberg. But it symbolizes two realities. First, the
flowers' beauty symbolizes Rizal's love for his country, and second, the flowers' reduced quality refers to Rizal's
useless presence in another country.
Rizal expressed his liking for Germany while he was studying there. However, though he liked Germany,
the poem was his way of telling the Filipinos that his loyalty was still to the Philippines. His poem, To the Flowers
of Heidelberg is simply an expression of his sadness as he remembered his family whom he loves so much and
longing to be in the Philippines, a place he loves and deeply care about.

SUBMITTED BY: ANDREA MAE EJOR BSLM II-A