NICOLE M.

NIALA BSED ENGLISH 2SE

GE 215
The Life and Works of Rizal

Prof. Kendi Arsitio

November 2021
 Lesson 1
Rizal’s Family, Childhood, and Early Education
Activity
Go to a plaza/park/elementary school/high school near you. Take a picture of the
monuments and identify at least one. Try to know the story of the hero represented by
the monument. Give a simple narration or with the aid of video presentation.

Melchora Aquino de
Ramos

Analysis
1. Using the criteria of a hero. Analyze how someone in the monument deserves
to be called a hero?

Melchora Aquino de Ramos

Melchora Aquino de Ramos is one of the most renowned name in our history being

the woman who largely contributed in the Philippine Revolution when she was already at

her 80s. When the Philippine revolution began in 1896 as Spaniards became more

possessive with the country and their savageness increased, she joined the revolution to

provide medical care headquarters for the Katipuneros. She was already a widow at that

time and ran a store so she could provide for her six children. Her store became the

assembly point for secret meetings of Katipuneros and the medical place where the

wounded Katipuneros seek medication. Due to her behind the scenes heroics she was
later called as the Mother of Katipunan and became known to any as Tandang Sora.

Andres Bonifacio, the leader of the Katipunan, consulted her several times for his large

decision making for the organization (Aquilizan, 2010). When the Spaniards knew about

her involvement with the revolution and the encouragement she provided them, they

arrested her and was questioned on where they might find Bonifacio, the Katipunan

leader. However, Melchora never told them Bonifacio’s whereabouts so they exiled her

to the Mariana Islands. She was only able to came back when the US took over the

Philippines in 1898.

Melchora Aquino has all the qualities of a hero. Her invaluable contribution to the

cause of the Philippine revolution, she risks her life, for the aim of the revolution. Her

contribution made a huge impact in helping the Katipuneros in journey towards attaining

independence. She may not have the strength to fight physically in the revolution but her

intelligence and her properties helped the Katipuneros rise on their feet

Application
Brush up

1. Characterize the following persons briefly in object

a. Francisco Mercado

Francisco Mercado was the hardworking father of Rizal. His character is the same

as a pillar. There have been many obstacles that happened in their family. His daughter

Concha died, Paciano was eyed for his writing regarding the friars, and Rizal was being

ridiculed because of his novels. Nevertheless, he stood strong for his family like a pillar

who supports the house so it would not collapse under their own weight.
 b. Teodora Alonso

Teodora Alonso was a loving mother and an intelligent woman. I can compare her

to a lamp. A lamp gives us light and warmth and Teodora as a mother was very loving to

his children and she gives light to his children through his intelligence. She was the first

teacher of Rizal whom Rizal learned many important things that made an impact to his as

a person.

c. Paciano

Paciano was the older brother of Rizal who influenced Rizal in many

things. He served as Rizal's guardian while the latter was studying in Spain.

I can compare his character to a cemented road because when he was not

able to take the examinations courtesy of the friars, he helped his father in

farming and managing their business. He became the second father to his

sibling and he guided Rizal all throughout his studies in Ateneo. He was the

person who supported Rizal when he was in Spain. He was the road for

Rizal to become an influencial person then and even now in terms of

academic success and for his goals in the country.

 Lesson 2
Rizal’s Higher Education and Life Abroad

Activity

Rizal on Stamps

Design two postage stamps commemorating Rizal or one his works. The two
stamps need not show Rizal’s portrait. Consider what aspect of Rizal, his works, travels abroad
or education you would like to emphasize. Consider also the sizes, shapes (rectangular, square,
circular, or oblong), and orientations (portrait or landscape).

Analysis
1. Write a description and explanation of each design of postage stamps you
made in your activity. Include the details, such as the approximate size of the
stamp in millimeters and the color or colors to be used.

This postage stamp highlights Rizal’s novel which is the Noli Me

Tangere and its years of being one of the most renowned fictional

books, from 1887 until now, based on the lives of the Filipino

people during the Spanish colonization in the Philippines. The color is reddish because
in our Philippine flag if the red field is above the blue field, our country is in a state of war

and during the Spanish era, we were constantly under war for our liberty, to save those

who are enslaved by the Spaniards. Furthermore, coconut and bamboos are on the side

of the postage since these trees have significant meanings in our nationality as a Filipino.

The coconut tree symbolized a true-blooded Filipino. The Filipinos are known to be

versatile and are good in multitasking. They can do different tasks by each body part they

have all at once. Like a coconut tree, each of its parts has certain uses that are beneficial

to man – making it called to be the “Tree of Life”. And it was named such, because like

an ordinary Filipino, it can be just as simple as you see it, but actually gives almost all the

basic needs of life. Meanwhile, because of its flexibility, endurance, and harmony with

nature, the Filipino character is similar to bamboo. It flexes in the wind yet can withstand

a hurricane. The Filipino country, like the bamboo, adapts to the forces of nature and

politics. Its size is 18x105 mm a popular size for postcards while the wave-like design as

the boarder could be referred to obstacles and trials in the noble. Lastly, I wanted put

something that is connected to me personally so I put my age as the centavo in the

postage stamp.

This postage stamp has the size of 74x105 mm so it is half the size of

the standard size for postcards. I decided to make it half its size

because what’s highlighted in the stamp are the builders of Rizal’s

character, knowledge, and where he experienced and observed many

discriminations among Filipinos and Spaniards. The pictures in the

stamp are Ateneo de Manila, Unibersidad de Sto Tomas, and Espanya. These were the
institutions and the places wherein Rizal used to study. They are the building blocks of

Rizal’s wide knowledge. It still has a wave-like boarder symbolizing obstacles and trials

in Rizal’s life. Furthermore, I decided to relate the color to the year Rizal walked and

studied -into these institutions. For Ateneo, 1872-1878. As a Tomasino, year 1877-1880.

And he went to Spain to widen his knowledge in medicine for four years, year 1882-1884.

Lastly, I again decided to put something personal to my postage stamp so I decided to

put my parents’ relationship, my mom was 18 when he met my father and they got into a

relationship for 7 years before marrying.

Application
A. Arrange the events below chronologically from Dr. Jose Rizal’s trip abroad. Use
the letters A to T for your answer. STRICTLY NO ERASURES

FIRST TRIP ABROAD SECOND TRIP ABROAD

1. E. 11. A.
2. J. 12. K.
3. H. 13. B.
4. O. 14. S.
5.T. 15. G.
6. L. 16. N.
7. R. 17. M.
8. F. 18. D.
9. C. 19. Q.
10. P. 20. I.

A. Sacrificing his happiness, Rizal had to carry his mission to Europe and resumed
his voyage leaving behind O-Sei-San.
B. Rizal left Paris for Belgium because the cost of living in Paris was very high.
C. Rizal and Viola spent fifteen delightful days in Geneva.
D. On September 18, 1891, El Filibusterismo came off the press.
E. When Rizal arrived in Barcelona, he had an unfavorable impression because he
thought it was ugly and dirty.
F. In his mood of homesickness, Rizal wrote on April 22, 1886, a fine poem “A las
Flores de Heidelberg.”
G. Dr. Jose Rizal wrote to Marcelo H. Del Pilar to remind the Filipinos in Madrid that
they did not come to Europe to gamble, but to work for their Fatherland’s freedom.
H. On August 23, 1883, Rizal wrote a poem, “A La Senorita,” which was dedicated to
Consuelo.
I. In Hong Kong, Rizal practiced his knowledge in ophthalmology and joined the clinic
of Dr. Lorenzo Marques.
J. In Progressive Barcelona, Rizal wrote a nationalistic essay entitled “Amor Patrio,”
his first article written in Spain’s soil.
K. After visiting the United States, Rizal live in London to study and annotate Morga’s
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
L. Rizal completed his studies and was conferred with Licentiate in Medicine and
Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters.
M. In Biarritz, Rizal’s marriage proposal to Nelly Bousted failed because he refused
to give up his Catholic faith and be converted to Protestantism.
N. While in Madrid, Rizal received a letter from Leonor announcing her forthcoming
marriage to an Englishman and asking for forgiveness.
O. While in Madrid, Rizal joined Circulo Hispano and wrote a poem entitled “Me Piden
Versos.”
P. From Geneva, Rizal went to Italy for a wonderful sojourn, then prepared to return
to the Philippines.
Q. After the publication of El Filibusterismo, Rizal left in Europe because life was
unbearable, and he wanted to see his family and country.
R. After his studies in Spain, he worked as an assistant to Dr. Louis de Wecker, a
leading ophthalmologist, where he rapidly improved his knowledge of
Ophthalmology.
S. In Brussels, Rizal became very busy writing his second novel, Noli's continuation
and wrote articles for La Solidaridad.
T. During his summer vacation, he visited Paris famous landmarks like Place de la
Concorde, Arch of Triumph, and Madelaine Church.

B. Do you agree that Dr. Jose P. Rizal advocated the Principle of Assimilation?
Defend your answer.

No, Rizal did not advocate the Principle of Assimilation which aims for the

Philippines to be a province of Spain in order for it to experience the same civil

liberties and rights as that of a Spanish citizen. It advocated moderate aims of legal

equality between Spaniards and Filipinos, Philippine representation in the Spanish

Court, free speech and association in secular public schools, and an end to the

annual obligation of forced labor. Though Rizal was a part of the movement, he

retired, according to Blumentritt, he already expressed that an assimilation to

Spain was a mistake. In his first letter dated Feb. 21, 1887, Rizal said: “The
 Filipinos had long wished for Hispanization and they were wrong in aspiring for it.

It is Spain and not the Philippines who ought to wish for the assimilation of the

country (Ladrido, 2017).”

Lesson 3
Rizal's Arrest, Exile, Imprisonment, and Related Events
Before and After Rizal's Death

Activity

Film Viewing:
Option 1: Jose Rizal, GMA Films, directed by Marilou Diaz Abaya
Option 2: Rizal sa Dapitan, directed by Tikoy Aquiluz

Watched Jose Rizal, directed by

Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Analysis
Make a Reflection based on the film and your understanding.

Awakened

Director Marilou Diaz-Abaya did an excellent job portraying the national hero’s life.

The film covered his life from childhood until his untimely death at the hands of the

Spaniards. There were flashbacks showing his early life as a student, a brother, and a

son. Aside from his life, it also showed us the lives of the Filipinos back then during the

regime of the Spaniards. Filipinos was enslaved. They were bound to obey every law and

every word of the Spanish friars and government even though they are oppressed with

their rights. The church even used their powers to get what they want. It was vividly seen

in the scenarios from the book Noli Me Tangere that was very real in the mind of Rizal.

His novels were eye openers for the Filipinos, they became aware of the situation and it

gave them courage to fight for their rights. It led to the founding of Katipunan that

aimed to revolt against Spaniards. Truly, his writings had a big impact in the lives of

his countrymen that is why the Spaniards despise him so much.

Cesar Montano’s portrayal of Rizal was exceptional, even I got teary eyed when

he celebrated Christmas with LT Taviel de Andrade and both drank and sang a Spanish

song. It was probably the saddest Christmas I have seen in my whole life, and it was from

a movie based on Rizal’s life. Somehow, they knew what was coming and they could no

longer stop it. Rizal life was depicted in his novel Noli Me Tangere and El Filibustirismo.

There are so many scenarios who are very similar to Rizal’s life. His books are still famous

until today due to the controversies that it unfolded. He is truly admirable for awakening
the Filipino’s eyes to the injustice, it gave them courage to fight for their rights, and he

only did this using pen and paper, no violence involved. Truly, pen is mightier than sword.

Though Rizal lived a short life, he did so many things that contributed to the

independence we are experiencing today. We owe it all to our heroes who fought for our

motherland, either by weapons or by pen. This movie helped me recognized the bravery

of the people, even those who are unnamed, who gave their last breath with the word

independence in their mind. We can learn so much in the past in this movie and it reminds

us to never forget what we are capable of, what Filipinos are capable of, to never

underestimate our people. The movie revives our patriotism and nationalism to our

country. I hope Rizal’s life made an impact or became an inspiration to all the students

out there to continuing to strive hard in order to graduate never minding their status in life.

We should remember that Rizal once said that the youth is the hope of the nation, thus,

the more we are equipped with knowledge, the more we can contribute to our country

someday. Rizal may be long dead in flesh but he is immortalized not only in our history

but also in our minds and hearts.

Application
In the space below, answer the following questions in four or five
sentences.

1. How did he take his final sacrifice? To whom was it dedicated?

I believe his final sacrifice was for his dream of a strong sovereign united Filipino

people to be realized. He knew his sacrifice for the country will result to something that

would break the chain that was keeping us free from the Spaniards that is why he was
 more than willing to offer even his life. For him, he died a noble death for he was fighting

for the independence of his country without shedding even a single drop of blood. It was

all for his love for his country that he sought enlightenment, he sought knowledge. He died

knowing that his writings will live through even after his death and that his death will be

the trigger to strengthen the patriotism and nationalism of his countrymen.

2. In terms of his martyrdom, to whom did he make the most impact?

Rizal died a martyr to his illusion. In the movie Jose Rizal in 1998, there was a scene

wherein Donya Teodora told Rizal the story of the moth who died because of his love for the

light. It left Rizal a deep impression justifying it a noble death asserting that sacrificing one’s

life for something is worthwhile. That was the reason why Rizal rejected many revolutionaries

who offered to save him due to the story’s impression to him. Like the moth, he was fated to

die a martyr, in search for light which signifies as education and reform for his country.

Module Assessment
Write a biographical essay that compares your early childhood with Rizal’s childhood.

Flavors of the Youth

When I was a child, I always dreamed of becoming someone who creates an

impact to the lives of the people, probably the reason why I chose to take the path of how

to become a teacher, but originally, I wanted to become a lawyer. I always told myself

how awesome it is to fight against the injustice in the society especially the discrimination

in the financial statuses of the people. Pepe in his early age was a really bright child. He

started his education at home, his mother as his first mentor. He learned the alphabet

from his mother at the age of 3 and could read and write at age 5, meanwhile I started
mine in a nursery school, my parents never taught me how to count numbers and read in

English or Filipino because they work in a far away place so I was taught how to read and

write in the nursery school. Rizal’s home was filled with parental affection and sanctified

by prayers since he grew up in a God-centered family while I grew up with my rowdy

cousins, and aunts. Though I am not sad about that and I do not blame my parents for

missing some parts of my childhood because they are away working for my future. Aside

from my aunties and uncles I also have my nanny Madeth who tell me stories of her past

like how she met his boyfriend, Jerome. That’s probably one of the things Rizal and I have

in common in childhood. His nanny used to tell him stories as well but mostly about

creatures such as aswang, tikbalang, and terrible bearded Bombays who would come

with him when he doesn’t eat his supper.

During my childhood days I was also an active member of the church like Rizal. I

was a Lillie when I was young and when I turned thirteen, outr GKK president already let

me read the readings of the Gospel. Pepe was also very fond of reading and writing and

so am I. I joined different writing clubs in my junior and senior high school and I used to

offer academic service, writing poems, drama scripts, short stories, spoken poetries, and

many more and we all know Rizal has a God-given talent for the arts, aside from painting

and sculpting, he was an avid collector of books and has been writing ever since he was

a child since he was encouraged by his mother. One of his writings is his poem, “Sa Aking

Mga Kababata” (To my Fellow Children) which he wrote when he was eight and there

were articles saying that he wrote a Tagalog drama before he was eight that was staged

in Calamba in connection with the town fiesta.

 As a child, Pepe was already aware of the injustice that was happening around

between the Spaniards and the Filipinos. The cruelties and abuses he witnessed as a

boy such as the brutal acts of the Guadia Civil, the unjust tortures inflicted on innocent

Filipinos, and the execution of the three priests, Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora that

awakened his patriotism and inspired him to consecrate his life and talents to redeem the

oppressed Filipinos. I was well aware also with the injustice in our country when I was a

child wherein the rich and powerful holds the justice through money and connection

meanwhile the poor and downtrodden have no voice. I don’t know if I could still aim my

original dream of being a lawyer someday but I know as a teacher I could instill to my

students how to become a person with integrity and love for country and fellowmen. I will

start educating the children because as what Rizal said, the youth is the hope of our

nation.