Perez, Marnelli P.

BM701a
Life and Works of Rizal

03 Activity 2

Read 03 Handout 1 and answer the following questions:

1. What can you say about the poem’s manner/style of writing?

Rizal’s poem, “To The Filipino Youth” is a poem that worth reading for. It’s style of
writing is in a literary style wherein the writer wants to express whatever he wants to say, his choice of
words, how he wants to motivate people thru his writing.

2. What do you think is the message trying to convey?

The poem’s message is indicated to the Filipino Youth. In the poem, Rizal advocated to
the Filipino youth to rise and wake up. He wants to free our motherland to the hands of the people who
wants to conquer the Philippines. And in order to do that, he mentioned that the youth will be the hope
and the salvation of the country. He wants us to use our knowledge and intelligence to fight our
freedom. How our abilities and skills became a weapon thru the abusive Spaniards. Simply speaking,
Rizal wants to communicate through his poem the means of making peaceful process to achieve
freedom.

3. How can you relate the poem's message with Rizal's experience of both Spanish brutality and his
literary achievements?

The poem’s message is to fight for our freedom through the Spanish brutality. It is somehow
related to the Spanish brutality because he experienced it literally. When he was studying on UST, he
experienced discrimination because he was an Indio. He also experienced the strictness of the friars and
the unbiased treat of the Spanish. I have learned through our discussion that when he was joined a
contest, he didn’t win because he was not a Spaniard even though his work are excellent. In the poem,
he wants the youth to show their talent, and with Rizal, despite being discriminate and unbiased treat,
he still shows his talent in writing. On the other hand, the poem’s message and Rizal literary
achievement is also related because the poem To The Filipino Youth is a literary poem and it is his one of
his achievement. He managed to open the eyes of the people who will read his poem. And that’s why he
said that the Pen is mightier that the sword. Even at a young age, he can see that you need to be
knowledgeable enough to know what is happening to our country and education is the key to that. In
order to be a knowledgeable and intelligent, we need to pursue our education.