ELLA CLAIRE L.

ABRERA AB-COM1

Noli Me Tangere is a novel written by the Filipino political activist, author, and National

hero Jose P. Rizal. It was published in 1887. The book talks about the unmasking of truth in the

brutality and corruption during the Spanish rule in the Philippines. It was written in Spanish.

This novel talks about a panoramic view of every level of society in the Philippines back then.

The characters of the novel represent the kinds or different personalities of people. There

are social climbers, people who abuse their power, family devotion, self-sacrifice, and unity and

faithfulness. Jose Rizal even portrait himself as the protagonist, where the story of the novel was

based on the people and experiences that he has encountered in the country and in the Spanish

ruling.

Noli Me Tangere became one of the instruments of Filipino Nationalism that leads to the

1896 Philippine Revolution. It aims to enlighten the people about what is happening in the

country. The novel awakens the awareness of Filipinos in the issues of the country and helped in

establishing the basis to aspire to independence.

The novel was banned during Rizal’s time because the Spanish rulers at that time thinks

that it is against them, yet it only shows the truth in their ruling. In the present, it is already

accessible to everyone and is even required to teach in the students then let them read the Rizal’s

works. One reason of this is that even in the present time, we can learn of what happen in the

past and apply some of those in the modern times to attain nationalism and to lift the Filipinos’

rights in the country.