Polytechnic University of the Philippines

GEED 10013:
Buhay at mga Sinulat ni Rizal

Name: Instructor:
Course, Year, and Section: Assignment #:
Assessment Lesson 7

1. What were Rizal’s views on the impending revolution? Explain your answer and provide
evidence from the excerpt.

Dr. Jose Rizal was a patriot respected by many revolutionaries. Dr. Pio Valenzuela went to Dapitan to
see if Rizal approved the resolution of a secret society called Katipunan. Rizal was delighted for the fact
that seeds grow because the resolutions were just, patriotic, and timely. He approved and suggested
that they be complied as early as possible. However, there were one aspect he did not approve.

Rizal does not approve of having a revolution without arms. This was stated in the excerpt on page
59 where Rizal responded to Valenzuela when he brought the idea up. His response says “This I do not
approve. A revolution without arms should never be started against an armed nation. Its consequences
will be fatal and disastrous to the country. The Filipinos will necessarily have to lose owing to lack of
arms.” Rizal evidently want the revolution to succeed and take advantage of the weakened Spain. It was
also stated in the excerpt that the latter was weakened by the revolution of Cuba, making the resolution
timely.

Moreover, Rizal deeply approved of the overall resolution. He deeply wants his fellow countrymen
to have freedom from the grasp of a tyrant government. This was showed in the excerpt after
Valenzuela showed the list passed resolutions in which, the principal chiefs of the association were
present. The list includes the separation of the Philippines from Spain by force of arms. The only way to
achieve this, however, was for our country to be under the protection and help of Japan.

2. What did Rizal learn from the history of Cuba and his intensions of going there?

As been stated from the excerpt, the revolution of Cuba weakened Spain. This was one of the
reasons Rizal perceived that the Katipunan’s resolution was timely. Through Cuba’s history, the country
paid multiple struggles for multiple failures. According to the excerpt, Cuba counts with the help and
protection of the United States merely because they are paying dearly for the mentioned struggles and
failures. Rizal compared this situation to the situation of our country, that it is difficult to stage a second
revolution when the first fails.

Additionally, Rizal had written a letter to the Minister of War of Spain, Marcelo de Azcarraga.
Through it, he was trying to apply for a post as military doctor in Cuba. This, however, concerned
Valenzuela because the general-in-chief of the Spanish of the Spanish troops in Cuba might shoot Rizal
due to the issue of Hacienda de Calamba. Rizal, on the other hand responded that he might also shoot
the said general-in-chief and asked for a revolver. Rizal also stated that his intention in applying was to
study the war in a practical way.

According to the excerpt, Rizal said that he would go through the Cuban soldiery if he thought he
would find there, solutions which would remedy the bad situation in the Philippines. As per my
assumption, Rizal made the right choice because as they say it, experience is the best teacher. He also
stated that he could return to the Philippines when necessity arose. When that happens, he would apply
the solutions he might find in Cuba. If ever Rizal wasn’t killed, perhaps, he might have found a proper
strategy or solution we can use against the Spaniards and claim victory even without the help of the
Americans.

3. What were Rizal’s warning in dealing with the rich and influential Filipinos?

Rizal liked the idea that the seeds grow, and more Filipinos are fighting for their freedom, in
which the Katipunan is one major example. There were those however, who does not understand what
they were fighting for. This includes some population of the rich and influential Filipinos. It was stated in
the excerpt that Rizal tried to borrow a loan from a rich Filipino amounting P200,000. The purpose for it
was to buy firearms and munition. Unfortunately, the rich Filipino refused Rizal the loan.

Rizal asked Valenzuela if there were many members of Katipunan that belonged to a high
society in Manila and in the provinces. Valenzuela responded that there were none. There were a
hundred, however, from the middle class and the rest were poor. Despite this, Rizal suggested that
there is no other remedy but to attract all the rich and influential persons of Manila and the provinces to
the association. He also warned Valenzuela that if the association failed to attract the aristocratic
Filipinos to the Katipunan, these Filipinos will be their worst enemies.

According to the excerpt, Rizal went on to say that when the aristocrat Filipinos saw the
association without firearms, these aristocrats won’t be on their side. They would go over to the Spain’s
side to persecute you. Apparently, given that they are wealthy Filipinos, they would win over
Valenzuela’s soldiers. Situations like this, unfortunately, shows that Filipinos lack unity which is evident
from different parts of our history. From way back to Gabriela Silang’s time to the current generation,
Filipinos always seem divided. Given Rizal’s optimism, though, also proves that there is hope despite
these arguments and disputes over fellow Filipinos. There were, after all, certain chunks of our history
that shows how strong we become when unified.

B. Utilizing the principles introduced in the lesson, write an essay that applies the idea of difference,
context, and process. There should be at least three paragraphs in which each paragraph is focused on
one principle with supporting evidence from the discussion above.

Difference, as defined in the module, is the recognition of the gap that separates our own age
from all the previous ages. This was the first principle introduced in the module. A good example of this
is how our generation perceives things differently compared to the past generations like Rizal’s time.
Women now are more liberated and more empowered that they are not only to stay home as
housewives. Moreover, failure to take this into consideration leads to anacronisms which is the
unthinking assumption that people in the past behaved and thought the same as we do today.

The second principle discussed in the module was context. It is where we must always situate
our subject of inquiry in its setting. This requires us to always position our subject of investigation within
the context of its setting. This explains that we must investigate the subject of context because it might
have a different interpretation to a certain setting that one person is not familiar of. It is important to
consider the context rather than depending on assumptions.
 Lastly, the third principle discussed in the given module was process. It is defined as the
relationship between events over time which endows them with more significance than if they were
viewed in isolation. This explains that we must take into account the big picture or the generalness of a
certain thing or event as part of a developing process. Apart from it, it is believed as the link between
events throughout time. This explains that everything is connected and seeing it wholly gives greater
relevance rather than examining it by part.