Rizal

Chapter 4

Topic: Higher Education & Life Abroad

Guide Questions:
1. Compare Rizal’s education in Ateneo & UST?
Don Francisco sent Dr. Jose Rizal to enroll in Ateneo Municipal in June 1872. Run by the Jesuits  
 Congregation (Society of Jesus) Ateneo upheld religious instructions, advance education, rigid
 discipline, physical culture and cultivation of the arts like music, drawing and painting. Classes at
 Ateneo were divided into two groups, which constantly competed against each other. One group
 named Roman Empire. Comprised the interns (boarders) while the other one the Carthoginian Empire,
 consisted of externs (non-boarders) within an empire. Members were also in continuous competition as
 they vied for the top ranks called dignitaries-Emperor, being the highest position followed by Tribune,
 Decurion, Centurion, and Standard-Bearer respectively. Initially placed at the tail of the class as a new
 comer, Jose was soon continually promoted-that just after a month, he had become an Emperor,
 receiving a religious picture as a prize. Some of his priest professors at the Ateneo were Jose Bech, a
 man with mood swings and somewhat a lunatic and uneven humor. Francisco de Paula Sanchez, an
 upright, earnest, and caring teacher whom Rizal considered as his best professor. While in 177, Rizal
 enrollled in University of Sto. Tomas, taking the course on Philosophy and Letters. At the same time,
 however, he took the Ateneo a land surveyor and assessors degree a vocational course. After a year
 at UST, Jose changed his course to Medicine to be able to cure the deteriorating eyesight of his
 mother. Rizal was being discriminated by the Dominican professors against Filipino students, he
 nonetheless stopped attending the classes at UST in 1882. It is worthwhile to note that another reason
 for Rizal not completing medicine at UST was that the method of instruction was obsolete and
 repressive. Rizal had taken 19 subjects in UST and finished them with varied grades, ranging from
 excellent to fair. Notably, he got excellent in all his subjects in Philosophy course.

2. Assess Rizal’s aims & reasons for studying abroad.

Rizal decided to study abroad for many reasons. The main reason was so he could concentrate in  
 studying and attain a high standard education. Rizal left for Spain to pursue a medical degree. Rizal
 had a personal reason as well as an altruistic reason for his decision to study abroad. He wanted to
 become an ophthalmologist or an eye specialist in order to cure her mother from an eye ailment. He
also wanted to study cultures, laws and government of European countries in order to help his
 countrymen. 
3. Make a summary of Rizal’s first travel abroad.
After finishing the 4th year of medical course in the University of Sto. Tomas, Rizal decided to complete 
 his studies id Spain. Aside from completing his studies in Spain, Rizalian his “secret mission” was to
 observe keenly the life and culture, languages and customs, industries, commerce and government
 and laws of the European nations in order to prepare himself in the mighty task of deliberating his
 oppresses people from Spanish tyranny. On his way to Madrid, Rizal had many stopovers. He first
 disembarked and visited the town of Singapore. Onboard the steamship “Djemnah” he passed through
 Punta de Gales, Colombo and Aden, En route to Marseilles, he went across the historic waterway of
 Suez Canal and visited the Harian City of Naples. He left Marseilles, France for Barcelona in an
 express train. Rizal then left Barcelona in the fall of 1882 established himself in Madrid, the Capital of
 Spain. During his first summer vacation in Madrid, Rizal went to Paris, gay capitol of France. Rizal
went also to Germany in order to specialize in ophthalmology. He reluctantly left gay Paris for Germany
 and arrived in Heidelberg. With his friend Maximo Viola who loaned him some amount to cover the
 printing of the Noli Me Tangere, Rizal had a Grand Europe tour, in which he visited various places.

4. Make a summary of Rizal’s second travel abroad.

On February 123, 1888 Rizal sailed to Hong Kong on bard “Zafiro” andn just stayed inside the ship
 during it’s short stop at Amoy. Among other things, Rizal experienced in Hong Kong noisy fire-crackers
 laden since Chinese New Year and the marathon luriat party. From Hong Kong he reached Yokohama,
Japan on February 28 and proceeded to Tokyo the next day. Rizal was amused by the Japanese girl
 called “O-Sei-San” but because Rizal loved his mission more than “O-Sei-San,” Rizal boarded the
 “Belgic” on April 13,1888. On May 6 Rizal went to Oakland and he had visited also the States of Utah,
 Colorado, Nebrasica, Illinois, and finally reached New York on May 17. On board the ship “City of
 Rome,” Rizal manually copied and annotated Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, a rare book
 available in British Museum. In his 10-month stay in London, he had short visits in Paris, Madrid, and
 Barcelona. In Spain he met Marcelo H. Del Pilar for the first time. Del Pilar was one of the renowned
 members of the Propaganada Movement. Leaving London for good, he went to Paris in 1889. Rizal
 frequented the bibliotheque Nationale, working on his annotation of Sucesos. After celebrating the
 Yuletide season In Paris 1889, Rizal left Paris for Brussels on January 28,1890. In Belgium, Rizal
 busied himself with writing the Fili and contributing for La Solidaridad using the pen names Dimas
 Alang and Laong Laan. Rizal traveled to Madrid in August 1870. Along with his lawyer, Marcelo H. Del
 Pilar, he tried to seek justice for his family but could not find any influential Spaniards who could help
 him. In Biarritz, he continued to work on his El Fili and completed his manuscript on March 29, the eve
 his departure for Paris. Rizal went to Ghent in July 1891 because the cost of printing in the place was
 cheaper. In October 1891, Rizal left Europe for Hong Kong on board the ship “ Melbourne” on which
he began writing his third novel. He arrived on Hong Kong on November 20, and resided at No.-5D’
 Aguilar Street No. 2 Rednaxela Terrace. In March1892, he went to Sandakan (East Malaysia) abroad
 “Menom” to negotiate with British authorities concerning the founding of Filipino Colony in North
 Borneo. Rizal was board back in Hong Kong in April 1892.