Jerome B.

Agnes Submission: 10/11/21

A-302 BSIT Ms. Janina Rosemae Lacar

Reflection Paper

Rizal Law, also known as Republic Act 1425, is the teaching of Jose

Rizal's works and writings. Senator Jose P. Laurel, who supported the

Rizal Law, said that since Jose Rizal was the founder of Philippine

nationalism and has made significant contributions to the current

state of our country, it is only fair that our youth, as well as all

citizens of the country, learn about and imbibe the great ideals for

which he died. This is not only because it is the past and we are

required to learn about it in school, but also because the power

struggles that occurred during his tenure are relevant to our current

political experiences. Given this knowledge, it will pose dangers in

the same way as any literary work will, owing to its openness to

interpretation. However, I believe it is the educator's responsibility

to better nuance how this literature's lessons are received by his or

her students. When it comes to interpretations, it should always be

approached with due reverence for the source and intellectual

compassion. It is therefore still realistic to teach Rizal's works

because his tale provides us with a timeless prism by which we can

assess our current realities, ensuring that we do not neglect the

essentials of our nationalism and are not blinded by our own

prejudices. According to what I've learned from the papers or readings

that our professor assigned us to read and review, I believe it is

safe to take this course that our congress has mandated because there

is nothing wrong with taking it and it also serves to honor how

awesome our national hero is.

Patriotism denotes proud devotion and loyalty to one's country, while

nationalism denotes our desire to achieve our freedom and political

independence, particularly by a country under the control of a foreign

power.

Nationalism involves the desire to attain freedom

and p o l i t i c a l independence, especially by a country under foreign

lower, while patriotism denotes proud devotion and loyalty to one’s

nation. Jose Rizal’s life, works, and writings especially his novels

essentially, if not perfectly, radiate these traits or one thing,

the subject helps us to understand our country better. He can

learn much from the way Rizal faced various challenges in life. Is

controversial figure in his time, he encountered serious

dilemmas and predicaments but responded decently and high mindedly.

Through the crucial decisions he made in his life, we can

s e n s e h i s priorities and convictions which manifest how noble,

selfless, and great the n a t i o n a l h e r o w a s . F o r e x a m p l e , h i s

many resolutions exemplified the

aphorism that in this life there are things more important than

personal feeling and happiness

Dr. Jose Rizal is regarded as our country's national hero. However, we

are aware that certain Filipinos do not regard him as a national hero.

Perhaps it was because he didn't fight with swords like the rest of

the Filipino heroes did. To be honest, I agree in the phrase "the pen

is mightier than the sword" and not everything can be dealt with

violently. Instead of using his strength and power to inform the

Filipino people, he used his intellect. Many Filipinos believe that

learning Rizal's life and works is no longer important for us to

understand.

Rizal became a writer and a leading figure in the Filipino Propaganda

Movement, which pushed for political changes in the Spanish colony.

After the Philippine Revolution, which was sparked in part by his

writings, he was executed by the Spanish colonial government for the

crime of rebellion.

he academic subject on the life, works, and writings of Jose Rizal

was not m an da te d by l aw f or n ot hi ng . Fa r fr om b ei ng I ’m

p ra ct ic al , th e co ur se interesting offers many benefits that

some contemporary academic unde clare that the subject, especially

when taught properly, is more beneficial than many subjects in

various curricula. Jose Rizal course, as a history subject,

is full of historical information from which one could base

his decisions in life. In various ways, the subject, for instance,

teaches that being educated is avital ingredient for a person or

country to be really free and successful. The past helps us understand

who we are. We comprehensively define ourselves not only in terms of

where we are going, but also where we come from. Our heredity, past

behaviors, and old habits as a nation are all significant clues and

determinants to our present situation. Interestingly, the life of

a very important national historical figure like Jose Rizal

contributes much to shedding light on our collective experience and

identity as Filipino. R i z a l a l s o t r i e d h i s h a n d a t p a i n t i n g

a n d s c u l p t u r e . H i s m o s t f a m o u s sculptural work was "The

Triumph of Science over Death", a clay sculpture of a naked young

woman with overflowing hair, standing on a skull while b e a r i n g

a torch held high. The woman symbolized the ignorance

o f humankind during the Dark Ages, while the torch she bore

symbolized the enlightenment science brings over the whole world.

Despite the fact that he was not personally involved in its

preparation or execution, he finally approved of its objectives, which

contributed to Philippine independence. He is widely recognized as one

of the Philippines' greatest heroes, and an officially named National

Heroes Committee has recommended that he be so honored. Anyone who has

ever encountered colonialism and how the capitalist country that

governs the colony imposes rules and regulations that are not always

fair should learn about Jose Rizal's life. However, no statute,

executive order, or decree designating any Filipino historical figure

as a national hero has been passed or published. He wrote the novels

Noli Me Tángere and El filibusterismo, as well as a series of poems

and essays. Because of the massive and comprehensive documents written

by and about him, José Rizal's life is one of the most well-documented

of 19th-century Filipinos. Since he was a daily diarist and prolific

letter writer, almost everything in his brief life is recorded

somewhere, and much of the content has survived. However, because of

Rizal's habit of jumping from one language to another, his biographers

have had trouble interpreting his writings. I won’t change anything

from his work. All of his work was an eye opening to all Filipino that

time.

Dr. Jose Rizal is known as the national hero of our country. But we

know that there are some Filipinos who do not consider him as our

national hero. Maybe it was because he did not fight using swords just

like what the other Filipino heroes did. Honestly, I somehow believe

in the saying “the pen is mightier than the sword” because not

everything should be dealt with violence. He used his intelligence

instead of strength and power to let the Filipino people know the

truth. Many Filipinos say that studying the life and works of Rizal is

not that necessary for us nowadays. However, I still find it important

and I think it has a great impact on our modern society. Studying

Rizal is not just about being able to know and read his novels and

other literary works, but it is also about understanding how those

works helped in fighting against the colonizers in the past. We get to

learn the importance of his novels, essays, and other literary works
which is not only for entertainment. According to the reading, Rizal’s

two famous novels, Noli Me Tangre and El Filibusterismo, are inspiring

source of patriotism of the youth. It somehow inspired the Filipino

people, especially the youths, that they can show their love for the

country in different ways, not just through fighting physically. Rizal

might not be one of the people who used violence to fight

for our country but he still sacrificed his life by creating those

literary works which gave light to the minds of the Filipinos of what

is happening in our country. He stated his oppositions and other ideas

in his literary works. A specific example of this is he mentioned that

the idea of

purgatory, which is a Catholic doctrine, is absent from the bible

(Noli Me Tangere, page 72). He used nonviolent actions and I can say

that this way of his is what made him different from the other heroes.

Studying the history of our nation might be boring for some but we

should always remember that what happened in the past is the result of

what we are today. In the present time, we are now free from the

countries or nations who colonized us. This was made possible through

the hard works of our heroes and other people who stood for our

country and empower the future generations with his ideas and values

and hopefully preserve our national identity and keep our freedom by

reading and studying his works and finding the message of his novels

thus boosting the Nationalism of the people of this country, also our

patriotism so we can keep our devotion to this country and keep it

united as one.

Russel, C. E., & Rodriguez, E. B. (2019). Revival: The Hero of

the Filipinos (1924). Routledge.

https://www.routledge.com/Revival-The-Hero-of-the-Filipinos-
 1924-The-Story-of-Jose-Rizal-Poet/Russell-

Rodriguez/p/book/9781138568617

Ako nga pala si Ginoong Jerome Agnes, Pinanganak noong January 1985, Isang Philippine

Historian.

B. Was our pre-colonial country a nation? Why or why not? 

 Initially the Philippines revolution has become most famous events in the national history
because it's highlighting the problem regarding to the conception that reflect to the relationship
between the educated illustrados and inarticulate masses. Because in the illustrados highlights
occurs documents behind, while in the masses it shown the grunts and pawns in the revolution.
Wherein the pre-colonial in the Philippine society has a patron-client relationship with other
which they allowed to draw and mobilize war troops. Since it is revolution wherein emphasize
the body and soul not just only individual personality behind in circumstances but included the
conception that has describe as a “time”. Moreover, John
Schumacher eloborated the illustrados wherein is the created basis for the Filipino history that
would undermine and overthrow the Spanish narrative that command Filipino loyality to Spain
under moral sanctions that's why everything in the revolution has been development at all. 

D. What did Jose Rizal want to accomplish when he learned about our pre-colonial
country?  
 
Apart from being known as an expert in the field of medicine, a poet, and an essayist, Rizal
exhibited other amazing talents. He knew how to paint, sketch, and make sculptures. Because
he lived in Europe for about 10 years, he also became a polyglot – conversant in 22 languages.
Aside from poetry and creative writing, Rizal had varying degrees of expertise in architecture,
sociology, anthropology, fencing, martial arts, and economics to name a few. Rizal had been
very vocal against the Spanish government, but in a peaceful and progressive manner. For him,
“the pen was mightier than the sword.” And through his writings, he exposed the corruption and
wrongdoings of government officials as well as the Spanish friars. While in Barcelona, Rizal
contributed essays, poems, allegories, and editorials to the Spanish newspaper, La Solidaridad.
Most of his writings, both in his essays and editorials, centered on individual rights and freedom,
specifically for the Filipino people. As part of his reforms, he even called for the inclusion of the
Philippines to become a province of Spain.