Chapter 3:

Summary:

Jose Rizal was born on June 19 1861 to Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo, The seventh of
eleventh children and the younger of two boys, he was born in the town of Calamba , in the
province of Laguna. According to Guillermo Tolentino, who made that best Rizal statues this
country has ever seen, Rizal was about five feet three inches tall. Furthermore, according to a
1957 article by Angel Aden, Rizal’s coats had the following measurements: shoulder width, 16”;
armpit, 17”; collar base to the hem, 31’; arm length, 24 3/4 , and chest, about 37”. Jose Rizal
came from a 13 member family consisting of his parents as well as an elder brother and nine
sisters, as follows: Saturnina the eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo family, Paciano the only
brother of Jose Rizal, Narcisa the third child, Olympia the fourth child, Lucia the fifth child,
Maria the sixth child, Conception the eight child, Josefa the ninth child, Trinidad the tenth child,
Soledad the youngest child. In 1892, Jose Rizal began a new novel in Tagalog, He realized that
in order to reach a wider readership in hid country, he gad to write in his native tongue. Most
quoted line isn't the most quoted line from Rizal’s many poems that from “Sa Aking Mga
Kabata" that goes, “Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika/masahol pa sa hayop at
malansang isda”. Did Rizal write this poem at 8 years old? Did Rizal write this poem at all?
Chapter 3:

Reflection

This chapter is here where Rizal lived and was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba
Laguna when his parents were Frenchman Francis Mercado and Teodora. Because Rizal became
a free country because he fought, not because he had a weapon because he used his weapons,
Rizal was a brave man because he was not afraid to fight, he was one of the people to follow
man because he's a good role model. He is a good leader in a country because you will never see
him give up and despair because he has shown that he is capable and capable of all of us.
Chapter 4:

Summary:

Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Biñan. It was a typical schooling that a son of an
ilustrado family received during his time, characterized by the four R’s- reading, writing,
arithmetic, and religion. Instruction was rigid and strict. Knowledge was forced into the minds of
the pupils by means of the tedious memory method aided by the teacher’s whip. Despite the
defects of the Spanish system of elementary education, Rizal was able to acquire the necessary
instruction preparatory for college work in Manila. It may be said that Rizal, who was born a
physical weakling, rose to become an intellectual giant not because of, but rather in spite of, the
outmoded and backward system of instruction obtaining in the Philippines during the last
decades of Spanish regime. The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was a remarkable
woman of good character and fine culture. On her lap, he learned at the age of three the alphabet
and the prayers. "My mother," wrote Rizal in his student memoirs, "taught me how to read and to
say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to God."

As tutor, Doña Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding. It was she who first
discovered that her son had a talent for poetry. Accordingly, she encouraged him to write poems.
To lighten the monotony of memorizing the ABC’s and to stimulate her son’s imagination, she
related many stories.

As Jose grew older, his parents employed private tutors to give him lessons at home. The first
was Maestro Celestino and the second, Maestro Lucas Padua. Later, an old man named Leon
Monroy, a former classmate of Rizal’s father, became the boy’s tutor. This old teacher lived at
the Rizal home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he did not lived long. He
died five months

One Sunday afternoon in June , 1869, Jose, after kissing the hands of his parents and a tearful
parting from his sister, left Calamba for Biñan. He was accompanied by Paciano , who acted as
his second father. The two brothers rode in a carromata, reaching their destination after one and
one-half hours’ drive. They proceeded to their aunt’s house, where Jose was to lodge. It was
almost night when they arrived, and the moon was about to rise.

That same night, Jose, with his cousin named Leandro, went sightseeing in the town. Instead of
enjoying the sights, Jose became depressed because of homesickness. "In the moonlight," he
recounted, "I remembered my home town, my idolized mother, and my solicitous sisters. Ah,
how sweet to me was Calamba, my own town, in spite of the fact that was not as wealthy as
Biñan. “Jose described his teacher in Biñan as follows: "He was tall, thin, long-necked, with
sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward, and he used to wear a sinamay shirt, woven by the
skilled hands of the women of Batangas. He knew by the heart the grammars by Nebrija and
Gainza. Add to this severity that in my judgement was exaggerated and you have a picture,
perhaps vague, that I have made of him, but I remember only this."

The two boys wrestled furiously in the classroom, much to the glee of their classmates. Jose,
having learned the art of wrestling from his athletic Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. For this
feat, he became popular among his classmates.

After the class in the afternoon, a classmate named Andres Salandanan challenged him to an
arm-wrestling match. They went to a sidewalk of a house and wrestled with their arms. Jose,
having the weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk.

Jose had a very vivid imagination and a very keen sense of observation. At the age of seven he
traveled with his father for the first time to Manila and thence to Antipolo to fulfill the promise
of a pilgrimage made by his mother at the time of his birth. They embarked in a Casco, a very
ponderous vessel commonly used in the Philippines. It was the first trip on the lake that Jose
could recollect. As darkness fell he spent the hours by the katig, admiring the grandeur of the
water and the stillness of the night, although he was seized with a superstitious fear when he saw
a water snake entwine itself around the bamboo beams of the katig. With what joy did he see the
sun at the daybreak as its luminous rays shone upon the glistening surface of the wide lake,
producing a brilliant effect! With what joy did he talk to his father, for he had not uttered a word
during the night!

When they proceeded to Antipolo, he experienced the sweetest emotions upon seeing the gay
banks of the Pasig and the towns of Cainta and Taytay. In Antipolo he prayed, kneeling before
the image of the Virgin of Peace and Good Voyage, of whom he would later sing in elegant
verses. Then he saw Manila, the great metropolis , with its Chinese sores and European bazaars.
And visited his elder sister, Saturnina, in Santa Ana, who was a boarding student in the
Concordia College.
Chapter 4:

Reflection

Education deemed rather than unites. “True education makes for inequality; the inequality of
individuality, the Inequality of success, the glorious Inequality of talent, of genius, Individuals of
our society unintentionally receive different degrees of education indicates the class disparities
amongst the public. Hence, education divides the society. Education divides the society rather
than unites. This can be seen in developing nations where a middle-class family with low income
have to send their children to schools.

Every now and then my parents keep on telling me that my education should be In the number
one slot in my list of priorities. They keep on telling me that I should put a great deal on
finishing my studies. They say (like every parents say), it is the only thing they could leave to us
when they pass away. So, without thinking about it thoroughly, this idea was instilled in my
mind right away. But now that we were asked to write our Idea about education and relate it with
Riyals, this may serve as an opportunity for me to assess and reinforce this thought.
Chapter 5:

Summary:

His studies continued in UST until he was unhappy at the Dominican institution. After finishing
the 4th year of his medical course in UST, Rizal, being disgusted with the method of instruction
in the Dominican-owned University and the racial prejudice of Dominican professors against
Filipino student, decided to study abroad. He predicted that his decision of studying abroad
would not be favored by his parents; he did not asked their blessing. And aside from studying in
Spain he was on a secret mission. This mission was to observe keenly the life and culture,
languages and customs, industries and commerce, and government and laws of the European
nations in order to prepare himself in the great task of liberating his oppressed people from the
Spanish tyranny. The course to Spain is the start of Rizal’s travels. On the afternoon of May 15,
Rizal left Marseilles to proceed to Spain via train. He crossed the Pyrenees and stopped for a day
at the frontier town of Port Bou. After the passport inspection at Port Bou, Rizal continued his
trip by rail, finally reaching Barcelona on June 16, 1882. His first impression of Barcelona was
unfavorable. He thought of it as an ugly, dirty and its residents are inhospitable. Later, he
changed his impression and liked the city. He found it as a great city, with an atmosphere of
freedom and liberalism. He also found its people were open-hearted, hospitable, and courageous.
He enjoyed promenading along Las Rambles which was the famous street in Barcelona. Filipinos
in Barcelona were some of his classmates in Ateneo, welcomed him. They gave him a party at
café Plaza de Cataluña. After toasts, Rizal in turn gave them the latest news and gossips in the
Philippines. In Barcelona, Rizal wrote a nationalistic essay entitled “Amor Patrio” which was his
first written article on Spain’s soil. He then sent his article to Basilio Teodora Moran, publisher
of Diariong Tagalog. Basilio was deeply impressed by the article congratulated Rizal and asked
Rizal to publish more articles. While living in Barcelona, Rizal received bad news about the
cholera outbreak ravaging Manila and the provinces. Many people died and more were dying
daily. Sad news was that his beloved Leonor Rivera was getting thinner because of the absence
of her loved one. Also, Paciano advised Rizal to continue his medical course in Madrid. On
November 3, 1882, Rizal enrolled in the Universidad Central de Madrid. He took up took
courses—Medicine and Philosophy and Letters. Aside from the two major courses, he also
studied painting and sculpture in the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando; he took lessons in
French, German, and English under private instructors; and assiduously practiced fencing and
shooting in the Hall of Arms of Sanz y Carbonell. Rizal lived a simple life in Madrid and knew
that he came to Spain to study and prepare himself for the service of his fatherland. He budgets
his money and time and never wasted a peseta for gambling, wine and women. On Saturday
evening, he visits the home of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey who lived with his son and daughter. Don
Pablo has been city mayor of Manila. On June 1883, Rizal left Madrid to visit Paris. He stayed at
the Hotel de Paris but then moved to a cheaper hotel. Like all tourists, Rizal was charmingly
titillated by the attractive scenery of Paris such as the beautiful boulevards, the Opera House, the
Place de la Concorde, the Arch of Triumph, the Bois de Boulogne, the Madelaine Church, the
Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Column of Vendome, the Invalids, and the Versailes. Rizal closely
observed the French way of life and spending many hours at the museums. In Spain, he became
close with prominent Spanish liberal and republican Spaniards, who were mostly Masons. Rizal
was impressed by the way the Spanish Masons openly and freely criticized the government
policies and lambasted the friars. In March 1883, he joined the Masonic lodge called Acacia in
Madrid. His reason for joining was to secure Freemasonry’s aid in his fight against the friars in
the Philippines. Later he was transferred to Lodge Solidaridad where he became Master Mason.
Chapter 5:

Reflection

Someday I want to travel to other countries not to study like Rizal I will miss because I want to
see the cultures of other people in the country. And I want to experience different environments
and taste foods in other countries no matter my reason but I really want to make that happen in
my life before I get lost in this world. Mom and dad want to go around their country because that
was my dream for them and it is just as easy for me to realize how much they have loved and
cared for me since I was young. Like Rizal I was a kid who dreamed of fulfilling all of my
parents' dreams but I didn't know if it would come true but in Jesus name I could do that as long
as god helped guide me in my life decisions.