A REFLECTION PAPER

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

In the Subject GE1804

Rizal’s Life and Works

To be submitted to:

Justine Vance Catumal

Submitted by:

Alemania, Christine Anne J

Baldonado, Camelle P.

Belgira, Jesiel Mae

Canindo, Ma. Therese

Capuno, Jessa Mae

Gener, Joyce D.

Patron, Mark Anthony T.

Pedros, Maria Mae N.

26 September 2019
 ABSTRACT

Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) is not merely an attack on the Spanish colonial regime. It is a

charter nationalism. It calls on the Filipino to recover his self-confidence, to appreciate his own worth,

to return to the heritage of his ancestors, to assert himself as the equal of the Spaniard. It is a romantic

novel, book of feeling, work of the heart, and contains freshness, color, humor, lightness and wit

despite that it depicts the sufferings of the Filipino people under the Spanish rule.

This novel helped awaken the Filipinos to fight for their freedom and stand with their right.

It had made me realized that war does not necessarily have to end through means of violence, it could

always be ended peacefully, through words and maybe even forgiveness. Words are far stronger than

any gun. Vengeance is not ours, it’s God. Evilness is at every corner but thou shall not fear because

good will always prevail.

 Chapter 1: Social Gathering

Setting

Captain Tiago’s house

Characters

Don Santiago Delos Santos “Capitan Tiago”

He is considered one of the most hospitable men in the town. He is also known as the father

of Maria Clara

Friar Damaso Vardolagas

A Franciscan friar and the former parish curate of San Diego. He is known as notorious

character that speaks with harsh words and has been a cruel priest during his stay in the town

Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin

Son of Filipino businessman, Don Rafael Ibarra, He studied in Europe for seven years

Dona Victorina

She is a woman who is ashamed of being a Filipino

Summary

In late October, Don Santiago de los Santos, who is known as Captain Tiago, throws a large

dinner party in Manila. He is very wealthy and, as such, the party takes place in his impressive home,

to which people eagerly flock so as not to miss an important social event. As the guests mill about,

groups of soldiers, European travelers, and priests speak to one another. An old lieutenant in the Civil

Guard engages in conversation with a quiet but argumentatively cunning Dominican friar named Fray

Sibyla, a loudmouthed Franciscan friar named Fray Dámaso, and two civilians, one of whom has just

arrived in the Philippines for the first time. Authoritatively speaking over the others, Fray Dámaso

lectures this newcomer about the nature of “indios,” or native Filipinos.

Father Dámaso explains to his listeners that his first post in the Philippines was in a small

town, where he worked for three years. He boasts that he made strong connections with the

townspeople, who he claims loved and respected him. When he was transferred three years later to

the town of San Diego, he explains, the town was sad to see him go. He then spent the next twenty

years in San Diego, and though he still doesn’t understand very much Tagalog—the country’s native

language—he believes himself a good preacher who intimately knows the townspeople. Because of

this, he is upset that when he recently ceased to be San Diego’s friar, only “a few old women and a

few tertiary brothers saw [him] off.”

Continuing his rant, Father Dámaso says that “indios are very lazy.” The foreigner who is new

to the Philippines challenges this notion, asking, “Are these natives truly indolent by nature, or is it,

as a foreign traveler has said, that we make excuses for our own indolence, our backwardness, and our

colonial system by calling them indolent?” As Dámaso refutes this idea, Father Sibyla steps in and puts

him back on track, underhandedly prodding what he intuits is a sensitive issue by asking the boisterous

priest why he left San Diego after twenty years.

 For the first time all evening, Fray Dámaso falls silent before slamming his fist into his chair

and cryptically shouting, “Either there is religion or there isn’t, and that’s that, either priests are free

or they aren’t! The country is being lost…it is lost!” When Sibyla asks what he means, Dámaso says,

“The governors support the heretics against God’s own ministers!” This seems to unnerve the

lieutenant, who begins to stand and asks Dámaso to clarify. “I mean that when a priest tosses the body

of a heretic out of his cemetery, no one, not even the king himself, has the right to interfere, and has

even less right to impose punishment,” Dámaso says without explanation. He then references a “little

general,” before trailing off, which angers the lieutenant. The lieutenant, a member of the

government’s Civil Guard, yells his support of the Spanish king’s representative in the Philippines,

whom Dámaso has insulted.

Interpretation

The fact that Father Dámaso thinks he can generalize about the nature of “indios” indicates

his excessive confidence and lack of cultural compassion, considering that the term “indio” is a

derogatory term for Filipinos. Furthermore, his domineering character is evident by his authoritative

tendency take command of a conversation, lecturing newcomers instead of welcoming their questions.

It is clear right from the start, then, that priests are afforded an outsized amount of power in this

community.

Father Dámaso’s ignorance emerges in this moment, when he admits that he has spent 23

years in the Philippines but still doesn’t understand Tagalog, the native language. What’s more, his

disrespect for the community and people he claims to serve is painfully apparent in his apathy toward

learning Tagalog. Thus, it’s not hard to see that he’s more interested in appearing to be well-liked than

he is in actually taking the necessary measures to win the townspeople’s respect.

In this moment, Rizal uses the unnamed foreigner as a mouthpiece for his own political belief that

powerful colonial forces project their own expectations and shortcomings onto the people they try to

govern. Unfortunately, Father Dámaso is too wrapped up in his own self-image—his power and

importance—to acknowledge that Filipinos are respectable people; in order for him to feel

authoritative, Filipinos must be below him.

Reflections of the Issue to Modern Society

Some of the issues before are still present in today’s society, how people with power

downgrade indios. How they used this power for their own benefits and desires. No matter how we

analyse or think about it countless times it is really unfair how people in the same country we live

don’t have equality nor respect on one another. But despite all of this bad happenings in the end good

will always prevail because if there is darkness, there will always be light.

Personal Reflections

The novel was not heavy or dreading nor was it sugar coated. It was raw and real. It showcased

the truth, abuse of power, sorrow and greed. But despite the dark themes, it describes love of country

and family. For me, war is not necessarily ending the means of violence; it could always end peacefully,

through words and even forgiveness. There will always be evil people in this world but there will

always be good people as well. If you think all the world left is violence and hatred, words are far

stronger than any gun, good will always prevail. The title of this novel “Noli Me Tangere” means in

Filipino “Huwag Mo Akong Salingin”. Jose Rizal, our national hero wrote this novel in the year 1884;

he was in Madrid taking up medicine when he wrote this novel. When he finished his course

(Medicine), he went to Paris and continued writing this novel. In Berlin, Jose Rizal finished the last

part of the Noli. This novel was written to remind us the bad things that Jose Rizal experienced during

his time with the Spanish. From the very start of this novel, the first plan of our national hero was to
write this novel with the help of his countrymen who were suffering from the hands of the Spanish,

but suddenly he failed to do it with the help of his countrymen, because his countrymen lose their

hope in fulfilling their dreams to have freedom in the hands of the Spanish colonizers. Jose Rizal

didn’t give up and continued to write this novel without the help of his fellow Filipinos and he decided

to write it by himself only. The first chapter of this novel was entitled “Ang Paging”. In this chapter,

the lifestyle of Don Santiago de los Santos also known as Kapitan Tiago was stated. He was from

Binondo and the step father of Maria Clara according to this chapter. Also, the other characters were

Padre Sibyla, Padre Damaso, and Tenyente Guevarra.

According to this chapter, Kapitan Tiago invited the said characters to go to his house and

have a simple gathering, but suddenly it came to a fight between Padre Damaso and Tenyente

Guevarra. Padre Sibyla stopped the rivalry between the two. The second chapter was entitled “Ang

binatang si Crisostomo”. And in this chapter, Kapitan Tiago presented Don Crisostomo Ibarra to the

priest, the son of his deceased friend named Don Rafael Ibarra. The next chapters were also fantastic

as it antagonize the essence of the novel. I was amazed by the poeticism of every term and phrases of

the story that Rizal did. The overall impact of the story is all about the love, not only for romance, but

also for the love of country and family. As a Filipino, I’ve learned about the love for the family and

love for the country. Paternal love, example for this is the love of Crisostomo Ibarra to his Father.

When he found out that the burial of his father was unjust. Well, if I was in the side of Crisostomo, I

will give the blessings of what my father deserved a decent burial for the last time. Another is the love

of Sisa to his sons, Basilio and Crispin, until the last breath of her life, she was still thinking to his

sons. I realized that love for the family is really unconditional. Additional issues on our political

framework are as dingy as a man who never admitted in his life. I feel sorry for our political pioneers

that the reason that they are our pioneers is on the grounds that they are for the general population,

and trusted by the general population.

 In any case, sadly, when all is said in done, our pioneers need to audit their Rizal Course there

are wiped away by the enticement that cash is the foundation of all underhanded. These issues should

be reacted as quickly as time permits in light of the fact that on the off chance that it is not replied,

we can’t offer a brilliant new morning to all future Filipinos and even to future individuals. The issues

of the past up to the present must arrive at an end. As an understudy, I immovably trust that

“Enormous things come in little bundles.” If just that each under study that take-up Rizal course won’t

overlook every one of the lessons learned, I clearly guarantee the Philippines will soon open that

entryway, the shut entryway in a path to a whole new nation, the Philippines.

Imapact of Noli Me tangere to our current Society

Rizal wrote the novel to open the eyes of our countrymen, to let them truly see all the

oppression our country was going through and that it was time to fight back. Rizal’s “Noli Me

Tangere” is a priceless gem and inspiration for the present and future generations, who are too

apprehensive in freely expressing themselves in the most subtle but dangerous ways. For the

Philippine government today and in the years to come, let it remind them that serving the Filipinos is

not a privilege; but a sincere commitment to be honest and selfless at all times. Last but not the least;

bureaucracy must not be a role model of inefficiency; but a prototype of excellence and integrity.

Problems that are present in our current society

When we relate the story of Noli Me Tangere in the society today the chapter 1 in the story

tells how Padre Damaso think that Filipinos are uneducated and they considered low key in Spaniard

days. In today’s generation some people especially to the rich they can control everything using their

power to make a sin that’s why many people are thirst for justice that they deserve to be. Poor people

in today’s society may insult some of us because they have no power to protect themselves they have

no enough money to pay justice because in society today justice pay to make the sin will win, when
they need help it’s so hard that our society now begging for the right justice that they deserved, begging

for the attention to the government expecting that they will listen the poor concerns, expecting that

today’s society will not loss hope by accepting them that they are humans that need respect in this

society, we pray that all individual especially to the rich and poor that we need to unite helping each

other to protect and to convey society that doing bad is not the answer to win the fight the answer is

the love and respect each other and every one of us Noli Me Tangere stories may educate us that good

will win the fight.

Development of Nationalism, Patriotism, and Volunteerism

Nationalism is simply love of country with all its inhabitants. A state of awareness that a nation

does exist and is made of people who owe allegiance not only to a tribe, clan or region nor to any

religious or political entity. It implies to a person that his country is the most superior among other

countries and he will defend it no matter what. We Filipino must love our own country but we must

not hate other people in other countries, because we all know that God made us. Patriotism is a

devotion to one’s country for no other reason than being a citizen of that country. They love both

countries even though they’re not a citizenship in the said country. Patriotism is the willingness and

determination to lay down one’s life for the fatherland the constant resolve to sacrifice one’s life and

limb for the preservation of the state. Volunteerism is an expression of people’s willingness and

capacity to freely help others and improve their society. There are so many volunteerisms in our

country such as “bayanihan”, “bayanihan” is a tradition of our country to help people carry and

transfer their house it is called “kubo”. And the other is a community help like tree planting to prevent

flash floods.
IV. References

Novels of Jose Rizal (2015, August) Retrieved from.

http://rizalnovels.blogspot.com/2015/08/chapter-summary-of-noli-me-tangere.html

Noli Me Tangere Chapter 1. Retrieved from. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/noli-me-

tangere/chapter-1-a-gathering