Medina, Prince John E.

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Life and Works of Rizal

Rizal: Reformist or Revolutionary

A man dressed in a black suit and a white vest was walking away from his prison
cell. While tied at his elbows followed by bayonet-armed guards, he remains calm and
unafraid while holding a rosary in his hands. It was around seven o' clock and he arrived
in a field with firing squad and peninsular troops waiting for him. This is an execution. The
firing squad prepared and aligned, with one of the rifles was loaded with a live bullet. The
squad commander shouted the signal, implying the start of the shooting. The firing squad
started shooting, hitting his chest, making him weak, and eventually fell face up uttering
his last words. It was Jose Rizal. His fight against Spaniards never end as he left essays,
poems, and novels, particularly Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, which opened the
eyes of the Filipinos to the manhandling of Spanish government, sparking revolution.
Although Rizal fought against inequality and abuse of power from the government through
his pen, he is revolutionary by heart and by soul.
Revolutionary: The Definition
A revolutionary person fearlessly advocates radical change. Revolutionary ideas
challenge the status quo and willing to upset the natural order to achieve their goals.1 By
being revolutionary, a person advocates, engaged in, or promotes political revolution.
However, in revolution, it may or may not involve violence, a track Rizal was chosen.
The Plans of Rizal

1
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/revolutionary