Chapter Review of the

18 Chapter ‘Basilio’
th

in the Novel Noli Me

Tangere
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS IN THE SUBJECT RIZAL’S
LIFE AND WORKS

October 2022

Submitted By:

Melanie Castro
BSBA201-A

Submitted to:

Ms. Hershey Arata

This essay aims to demonstrate the significance of Rizal's writings and their current social

relevance. One of the reasons we study Rizal's writings is to remind us that many of the problems from the

Spanish era still exist today and that it is our duty as this nation's future generation to take action to address
them. Observing the connection between the past and the present, it is obvious that we were unable to

address the issue prior to being aware of its persistence. Both sides had justifications for their conduct. The

Filipinos rebelled because they knew the Spaniards were mistreating them, while the Spaniards did what

they did to repress the Filipino forces that opposed change in the nation. The Spanish sought to completely

transform the nation, bringing in a new administration and a new culture, but the Filipinos preferred to stay

as they were and uphold their traditional ways since, after all, this is their country. Even now, the Filipinos

refuse to change for any outsiders, despite the fact that change is unavoidable. This essay aims to

demonstrate the significance of Rizal's writings and their current social relevance. One of the reasons we

study Rizal's writings is to remind us that many of the problems from the Spanish era still exist today and

that it is our duty as this nation's future generation to take action to address them. Observing the connection

between the past and the present, it is obvious that we were unable to address the issue prior to being

aware of its persistence.

The characters involved in the chapter are: Ibarra, a Filipino-Spaniard and the lone ancestor of the

prosperous Spanish Don Rafael Ibarra, was born in Spain. Crispin and Basilio, Sisa’s

son.Once Basilio comes inside, Sisa sees that he’s bleeding from the forehead. He tells her that the chief

sexton ordered him to stay until ten but that he slipped away, defying the town’s curfew in order to come

home. On his way, two members of the Civil Guard spotted him and fired gunshots, and one of the bullets

grazed his forehead. He tells his mother that Crispín has stayed behind in the parish house, and changes

the subject when she asks if he’s still alive. He tells her about the accusations that Crispín is a thief, and she

believes him when he says these claims are false. Basilio goes to sleep while his mother prays. In his

dreams, he sees the chief sexton, the priest (Father Salví), and Crispín, who trembles in fright and looks for

a place to hide. Furious, the priest questions him and then viciously strikes him with his cane. Crispín tries

to run, but the chief sexton takes hold of him and the savage beating continues. Suddenly, Crispín swells

with rage and bites the priest’s hand. The priest drops the cane, but the sexton finds a walking stick and

slams it against Crispín’s head, knocking the boy unconscious. Angry that he’s been wounded, the priest

goes on caning the youngster, who no longer responds to the pain. Sisa wakes Basilio up and asks him why

he’s crying. Basilio lies about his dream, not wanting to divulge his terrible visions. After several moments,

he admits he no longer wants to be a sexton, instead proposing a new plan. The next day, he explains, he’ll

go get Crispín from the parish house and visit Ibarra, who he’s heard has returned from Spain and who he

thinks is probably a good man, given that he’s Don Rafael’s son. Basilio will ask Ibarra if he can work on his

farmland, and Crispín can study with Old Tasio. “What more do we have to fear from the priest?” he asks.

“Can he make us any poorer than we already are?” He tells Sisa that he has seen Tasio privately praying in

church when nobody is around to see. Sisa agrees to this plan, and the boy falls asleep happy.

A bleeding Basilio allegedly collapses into his mother's arms in chapter 17 according to my junior

high school professors. He claims that the sacristan mayor told him to leave his younger brother Crispin at

the convent. He tells his mother this. They both decide not to eat dinner. The priest had killed Crispin in

Basilio's dream after he had gone to sleep. Basilio was an optimistic and upbeat person despite his

challenges. Basilio shown maturity at a young age by comprehending the necessity of locating his family
after being raised by Selo and by being aware of his father's abuse of his mother. I gained a lot of

knowledge about my new, hectic schedule when I started college. I was so busy mingling that I neglected to

do a few crucial tasks. I learned a lot about managing my new, hectic schedule when I started college, but I

soon came to the conclusion that better planning was necessary if I wanted to succeed. Thus, many people

have similar aspirations as Basilio with regards of success in life. I can say that Basilio is important since he

showed and portrayed the oppressed Filipinos who experienced abuse and mistreatment and only wants

the best for their family. Before, it was believed that the mistreatment inflicted by the Spanish authority was

the reason why Filipinos committed such heinous crimes. A bad citizen is always the result of a bad

government. When it comes to staffing a country, according to my teacher, it has a domino effect. In order

to have a decent citizen, you must be able to provide their wants and guarantee their safety and importance

in their own nation.

It turns out that their family is having a hard time right now. So perhaps the reason Crispin was

suspected of stealing was just because they were impoverished. It is difficult to trust people in today's

environment, and when life is challenging, you are falsely accused of being wicked. Basilio therefore has

numerous aspirations, one of which is for his family, making his mother Sisa very content with him. I want

you to focus on a certain Bible verse. Dreams and ambitions are things you have longed for, as stated in

Proverbs 13:12: "Expectation postponed is making the heart sick, but the thing wanted is a tree of life."

There are times when you feel far removed from this place and like you're about to pass out because you

can't feel or experience it anymore. Some rise to continue getting there. Others have altered their

aspirations or objectives because they realize that they cannot be realized, that circumstances may have

changed, or that more crucial matters must take precedence. It is very sad to think that Basilio wasn’t able

to accomplish his dreams, which were not only for him but also for his brother and mother. If he were only

able to achieve all of it, that would really mean a lot to his family. However, this chapter made people realize

that, in spite of the hardships and challenges they will face throughout their journey, at the end of each day,

all the things they did will have been worth it. Filipinos suffered at the hands of the Spaniards; numerous

laws that violated their rights and restricted their freedom were passed. As a result, the Filipinos began to

react. They organized numerous revolts against the Spaniards, but only a small number of them were

successful. They worked so hard for their independence, even if it meant risking their lives for the nation,

demonstrating how patriotic Filipinos are. A good work by Rizal depicts the entire Philippines and its

circumstances during the Spanish rule. He ensured that everything was considered as well as the

perspectives of each party, including that of the Filipinos and the Spaniards. His books are now utilized to

teach young Filipinos about what happened in the country's past, how hard we battled for our freedom, and

how cruelly the Spanish treated us. The Ilustrados, who lived during the Spanish Empire, were renowned for

being well-educated. They started questioning the disparity in the current quo and did not simply accept

things as they were.

This book contains a lot of symbolism and historical events that helped the Filipino people start a

revolution and oust the Spanish colonizers during the time of Spanish colonization. Every character in Noli

Me Tangere plays a part in the struggle for Philippine independence, representing various roles in Philippine
society. Crisostomo Ibarra, a wealthy but rebellious character who fought for the freedom of the Spaniards,

served as Jose Rizal's representation of himself, while Elias, a poor but oppressed Spaniard, gave his life

so that Crisostomo could escape because he thought Crisostomo would have a better chance to fight the

Spaniards. The message conveyed by this type of narrative was that foreigners were the lone source of all

goodness and our best hope. Rizal wrote historical articles like On the indolence of the Filipinos and The

Philippines Within a Century as well as annotations to Dr. Antonio de Morga's historical book Sucesos de

las Islas Filipinas.

Noli Me Tangere is an eye opener not just for Filipinos but also to all people around the world. If we

are going to talk about its impact to our society Noli Me Tangere made a large impact to our nation.

According to Zeus Salazar, Rizal and the propagandists had a major influence on how we as a country view

history on a global scale. Before then, the Spaniards used to teach us the common version of history,

according to which it was dark before Spain arrived, and the Spaniards gave us the lovely Christian culture.

This kind of story convinced the populace that the single source of all goodness and our only hope were

foreigners. It allowed us to become aware of the injustices and cruelties and to be open-minded about them.

This gave us comfort in knowing that oppression will end in our culture. Because they don't want history to

be repeated, everyone will fight for what is right. In the novel, cruelty, power, and wealth were all discussed.

We may say that the majority of the subjects covered in the book are still relevant today. cruel treatment of

those who were murdered without a cause, as well as those who suffered cruelty and injustice at the hands

of powerful individuals.
References:

Villa, N. (2020). Noli Me Tangere Index of Chapter Summaries. Chapter 2.

https://doi.org/https://www.pinoywit.com/noli-me-tangere-index-chapter-summaries/

M. (2017). A Content Analysis of Noli Me Tangere. mindanaofilmsmil.

https://mindanaofilmsmil.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/the-philippines-journey-to-metamorphosis/#:~:text=Noli

%20Me%20Tangere%20is%20important%20to%20the%20Filipinos,of%20the%20Filipinos%20to%20want

%20freedom%20and%20independence.

(n.d.). Chapter 2: Crisostomo Ibarra. Kapit Bisig : World's Philippine Information Hub.

https://www.kapitbisig.com/philippines/noli-me-tangere-the-social-cancer-by-dr-jose-rizal-a-complete-

english-version-chapter-2-crisostomo-ibarra-english-version-of-noli-me-tangere_723.html

Clarisse, A. (2019, September 14). Noli Me Tangere: A Wake-Up Call Book of Revolution. Medium.

Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://amberclarisse0928.medium.com/noli-me-tangere-a-wake-up-

call-book-of-revolution-9268a46b13d6