The Childhood of Jose Rizal

The childhood of Jose Rizal can be characterized by his desire to learn, even frequenting the
church nearby his home to watch and observe people.

The childhood of Jose Rizal can be characterized by his desire to learn, even frequenting the
church nearby his home to watch and observe people but not to be religiously inclined.

Jose Rizal was not a physically blessed or strong. However, he had a strong will guided and
taught by his mother, his first teacher. He learned almost without the use of books. His mother
was the one who laid the foundation of his great knowledge achieved in such a short time. His
brilliance was also the character of the young Jose Rizal.

Jose Rizal learned his letters at the age of three, after insisting that he be taught to read and share
the lessons learned by his elder sister. Rizal even tried to spell out the words of his sister’s story
book with the use of a syllabary in such a way that one does when using a dictionary in a foreign
language. He also spent much of this time in a church nearby his house just watching or
observing the people coming in and out.

Three uncles who were brothers of his mother also had much influence on the early childhood of
Jose Rizal. The youngest uncle named Jose, took care of teaching regular lessons to Rizal. His
huge uncle Manuel developed his physique until he had a body of silk and steel and no longer a
skinny and sickly boy. The last uncle, Gregorio instilled in the mind of Rizal that it was not easy
to obtain something until you put effort into it.

There was a also a time when Rizal was able to draw a bird flying nearby without lifting the
pencil he was using from the paper till the picture he drew was finished. He can also draw a
running horse and a chasing dog. Clay and wax were the favorite play materials of Rizal. He
used these materials in forming modeled birds and butterflies. This animal molding activity also
started his study of nature.

Jose Rizal also owned a pony and used it to have long rides into the surrounding country which
was rich in scenery. He also took long walks together with his big black dog named Usman. He
also loved to play with the doves in his neighborhood. He learned about the myths and legends in
Laguna after sleeping through the nut in a little straw hut used by Laguna farmers during the
harvest season. Rizal was also good in hand tricks which he perfected to amaze the simple folk
and performed magic lantern exhibitions.

Even in his childhood, Rizal already knew how to respect the rights of others and requested his
elders to reason with him rather than get mad at him for small offenses. He became a welcome
companion for adults even at his young age since he respected their moods and was never a
hindrance to their activities.