Jose Rizal, the Quest for Filipino

Independence, and the Search for Ultimate

Reality and Meaning
Mark DeStephano, S.J., Ph.D., Saint Peter’s University, Jersey City, N.J. 07306 U.S.A.

Cindy Y. Torres
Emelyn Q. Abillar
Nelyjeane D. Napone
Kylie Lagrosas
Christian V. Villame
Don Edell Pabingwit
INTRODUCTION

Josè Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was a national hero and one of the most
revered individuals in Philippine history. He was a multifaceted intellectual and political
activist. Jose Rizal was best known for his political writings, which served as the impetus for
the Philippine Revolution. Instead of using force or aggression, he used his novels, essays,
and articles to show his love for the Philippines. He fought for our freedom in an incredibly
silent but powerful way, which led to his execution by the Spanish colonizers.

THE EARLY LIFE AND UPBRINGING

Josè Rizal was a gifted young boy who spent his youth being raised as a devoted Roman
Catholic. The young Rizal was raised in an intellectually stimulating environment and began
his schooling at home under the tutelage of his cultured mother before moving on to private
tutors. The mother of Rizal Doña Teodora spent two years in jail after being wrongly accused
of poisoning. Rizal was a very talented student, particularly in the humanities. From an early
age, he excelled in literary contests. As a result of his outstanding linguistic skills, he
eventually mastered 22 languages and dialects. Rizal studied at the Ateneo de Manila under
the tutelage of Spanish Jesuits. His Greek instructor in Spain claimed that he had never had a
student who performed as well as Rizal.

What I like about it was despite a young age Rizal was very independent and went to a
prestigious school in Ateneo de Manila and outstand many activities and won numerous
scholastic and religious medals. I’ll rate this story a 9 out of 10 because I pity his mother of
falsely accused.

UNIVERSITY STUDIES AND AWAKENING NATIONALISM

This topic is about Rizal’s studies in universities around his life and how he has applied them
to realize and idealize nationalism.

I particularly am intrigued of how smart Rizal is, even at a young age; At the age of 11, Rizal
enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In courses like philosophy, physics, chemistry,
and natural history, he received top grades. At this school, he studied books, produced poems
that won awards (and even a melodrama called "Junto al Pasig"), and developed his lifelong
talents in drawing, painting, and clay modeling.

Rizal eventually graduated from the Ateneo Municipal with a degree in land surveying and
appraisal while studying philosophy and letters at the University of Santo Tomas. Rizal
decided to enroll in the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery's ophthalmology program after
learning that his mother was losing her vision. But due to "political isolation" brought on by
faculty and clergy opponents who insisted he assimilate to their system; he was unable to
finish the course.

In May 1882, Rizal visited Europe without telling his parents. Austin Craig, Rizal's
biographer, writes that Rizal "had to leave his country stealthily like a fugitive from justice in
order to obtain a better education, and his family, to save themselves from persecution, were
forced to profess ignorance of his plans and movements." At the start of the new semester, his
name was entered in Santo Tomas, and the fees had been paid. Paciano had traveled to
Manila while pretending to be looking for the brother he had helped while abroad.

At the Universidad Central de Madrid, where he also studied philosophy and literature, Rizal
obtained a Licentiate in Medicine. He had the idea for Noli Me Tangere while he was in
Madrid. He also studied at the University of Paris and finished his eye-specific training at the
University of Heidelberg in 1887. Additionally, Rizal's debut novel was published in that
year.

Rizal is credited with having the capacity to grasp a wide range of abilities, disciplines, and
languages. In addition to being our nation's most revered figure, he was also a physician,
farmer, naturalist (he named the Draco rizali, a small lizard; Apogania rizali, a beetle; and
Rhacophorus rizali, a frog), writer, visual artist, athlete (in fencing, martial arts, and pistol
shooting), musician, and social scientist.

These knowledges allowed him to get into learning the backgrounds and sceneries of the
natures of politics, this allowed Rizal to formulate his own depictions of how a future
Philippines would be without the guise and watchful deliverance of the Spaniards. For that,
he began by writing novels, but not without careful caution, he formulated words with
different meaning and understandings fit to go under the watchful nature of the Spanish eye
and to capsulate the eyes and imaginations of the enslaved Filipinos.
Inspiration is his biggest weapon that he managed to capture and learn through his university
studies and with that he made pen and paper into dire weapons of Filipino culture, tradition
and survivability.

SRUDIES IN MADRID

This topic gives details on Rizal’s adventure and the things he learned while he was in
Madrid, studying at a place and government he wishes would be removed from ruling his
country.

At the Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain, he enrolled in a medical course. He went to

France in June 1883 to look at how medicine was done there.

After spending three months in France, Rizal returned to Madrid and considered writing a
book that detailed Spain's colonial history with the Philippines. With the release of the
German edition of the novel Noli Me Tangere in March 1887, this concept came to fruition.

Rizal participated actively in the Propaganda movement, which was made up of Filipinos
living in Spain and tried to draw attention to the issues of the Spanish colony in the
Philippines. He published essays in Manila and abroad, met with expatriates to discuss their
obligations to the nation, and urged the Spanish government to enact reforms in the
Philippines, such as allowing press freedom and giving Filipino’s representation in the
Spanish Cortes.

After spending five years in Europe, Rizal arrived back in Manila in August 1887. However,
the friars' uproar over Noli Me Tangere met his return home with hostility. An edict
prohibiting the ownership and reading of the book was issued by the Manila Archbishop, and
it was later strengthened by the governor-general. Six months later, Rizal departed Manila for
Hong Kong under pressure from the Spanish government as well as his family and friends to
leave the nation to escape further persecution.

I really learned a lot about how Rizal got his knowledge, it surprises me how different he is to
modern Filipinos, such desire for knowledge, the hunger for something more than just being
ruled by the Spaniards is such an incredible foot of will, determination and struggle, but then
again, there is a reason why he is our national hero. To travel the rest of the world while
thinking of his country and family, to be able to have the power to strike without weapon is
most intriguing and something I would like to learn myself.
CLERICAL ABUSES AND CRISIS OF FAITH

The book contains history of the Philippines and our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Some of
the events on this book were familiar to me since I watched the movie Jose Rizal 1998. In
this book, we can encounter how Rizal outsmarted the Spaniards with his unique fighting
methods through literary works, arts and showing more Filipino culture. Additionally, we can
witness some perception of the novels and especially Rizal's very own point of view.

My honest opinion, the contents of the book are understandable and in my own comparison,
it is easy to comprehend rather than other books that are more complicated to read and the
thoughts were not direct to the point. It always amazed me when I encounter new words
during reading a book because I might use them sooner to improve my vocabulary.

I disliked the book a little where the part for me when I read it, it was a little bit challenging
for me since those new words I encountered was complicated for me to understand and all I
have to do is to have a dictionary by my side. But then I took the challenge to the next level
that’s why I am able to understand the topic one by one. I have no negative comments about
the contents since for me it was understandable.

The clerical abuse topic discusses about the era were the Spaniards abuse the Filipinos in
1565 to 1898. The book also mentioned about the two novels Rizal made which is Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterimo based on a past chaotic event that alerts the Spaniards which
they considered the two novels as a threat to their reputation. As Rizal observed the Spaniards
abuse, he assumed to claim a fact that “We should confess that there (in the Philippines)
laziness truly and positively exists” which he referred that to the Spaniard because instead our
country is peaceful yet it was mistreated and they lose our motivation to live since they were
abused controlled. Also Rizal stated that since the Spaniards felt the power of being a
dominant upon controlling the Filipinos since they looked Filipinos as slave for them. In the
novel we can also encounter Fr. Damaso told Ibarra that “The native are so lazy!” but Ibarra
just returned to Philippines because he studied from Europe. As these abuses continue, Rizal
went outrage by those religious orders especially the time where his father was befallen.

Meanwhile, in the crisis of faith, the topic is about when Rizal has doubts on his religion
which is the Roman Catholic. Rizal during his younger years, at the Jesuits, Ateneo de
Manila, we all knows how good he is. He always attended Roman Catholic activities such as
prayed the rosary, attending daily Mass and participated in sodalities or known as association
of a Roman Catholic religious guild or brotherhood. With all of those activities, Rizal even
received many awards for his religious involvement. We all knew that Rizal witnessed the
abusive Spaniards to Filipinos, especially to his family mistreatment in the hands of
Dominican landowners. As time goes by he started doubting his faith and expressed it to the
novel, Noli me Tangere. In the novel there was a conversation between Mr. Guevarra and
Ibarra (22-23) which Ibarra said “Mr. Guevara, do you believe that God forgives a crime, say
a murder, merely upon Confession to a priest, a man who after all is bound to secrecy?.” If I
was Rizal, I also started questioning my faith upon witnessing how cruel the “missionaries”
are who turns out to be a hypocrite towards the people.

Overall, I rate this book a 10 out of 10 because it contains information that can be used for
education; to share knowledge on how Filipinos bravely fought for freedom and justice. As
well as the contents in the book, it was an eye opener for every reader. Lastly it can serve as
an inspiration and motivation for each individual person to keep in mind that no matter how
difficult life may be, there is always a method to solve the issue that they are now facing just
like what Jose Rizal did to our beloved country, the Philippines.

NATIONAL PRIDE

Dr. Jose Rizal is a truly talented individual who is a nationalist, doctor, writer, an inspiration,
and the Philippine national hero. The pen was mightier than the sword in Rizal's eyes, and he
showed this in his books Noli Me Tangere and El filibusterismo, he exposed the injustice of
Spanish friars and government officials and was outspoken about his dislike of Spaniards

We learn how vicious and utterly evil the Spaniards were in this book, El Filibusterismo. It
also discusses the Filipino nation's courage. It symbolizes the great courage of our people in
overcoming the Spanish's greed and tyranny.

The thing that I like is the fact the even when Rizal was a child, he learned to love his country
and to love his fellow people and as he grew older he helped them in getting justice against
the cruel and corrupt Spaniards who were mistreating the people and the nation.

Nevertheless, Rizal showed that a pen is mightier than a weapon. Rizal had been very vocal
against the Spanish government. The pen represented as a voice of the people at that time.
Because of his writings, it allowed him to persuade all of his people to obtain justice.
Reading this book, you can come to the conclusion that words, in addition to the sword, are
capable of slicing through and shattering the pride of anyone in this world

RIZAL’ S VISION OF REFORM

One of the articles that Dr. Jose Rizal published in La Solidaridad, the article is all about
Filipino farmers. This article discusses how Filipino farmers were handled in various
situations and how Filipino farmers were mistreated while we were still under Spanish
colonial rule.

Filipino farmers, in my opinion, lack the guts to challenge the government. They are too
occupied with the new ideas and initiatives of the colonists. The Spanish's arrogant behavior
deceived them. But in publishing the article it ignites the Filipinos' intellect and is able to
suggest options that could be really beneficial to the farmers in the Philippines.

What I like about the book as well is how Dr. Jose Rizal felt and that his message didn’t
include a single word of hate towards Spain. it rather showed his love for the Spanish
language. He didn’t renegade of his ideas, as he didn’t renegade of his previous words
regarding Spain. But Rizal was a man of both mind and action. However, his ideas were
driven by a passion to transform his society and set his people free even if costing him his
own life.

EPILOGUE: RIZAL AND URAM

From his poetry, to his novels, his essays, articles, speeches, and correspondence, José Rizal
lived and breathed a total love of the Philippines. His life, although brief, was filled with
activities dedicated to the betterment of the nation. He denounced injustice, identified the
perpetrators of corruption, criticized the selfish, and tirelessly encouraged his fellow citizens
to commit themselves to the common good.

In his poem "Mi último â¬nadiós" ("My Final Farewell") written on the eve of his execution
by a Spanish firing squad, Jose Rizal declares that he now gives his life for the Philippines,
his ultimate reality and good. He composed it on the eve of his execution by a Spanish firing
squad on December 30, 1896.

Rizal's dedication of his critical edition of de Morga's Sucesos de la islas filipinas(1609) to

the Filipinos was that he hoped to free his homeland from the "stains and stigma of shame"
associated with its colonial past.

In "Mi último adiós," Rizal defines, in the clearest of terms, and. through the power of poetry,
the deepest meaning of his life – his ultimate reality. Understanding the past would lead to
reform, which in turn led to intellectual and then political freedom. "Mi último adiós," like all
of Rizal's poetry, is not just a mere entertainment or a mere flight of literary fancy. As José
M. Hernández has observed, "patriotism is the wrap and woof of RIZAL's poetry". In "El
amor patrio" ("Love of the Homeland"), the first essay he wrote from a foreign country, he
reminds his readers that everyone has a beautiful idol, brilliant, sublime, but implacable,
fierce and demanding. In his Testamento 150, Rizal offers his entire life as a sacrifice for the
Philippines, if human beings are unjust to him: "I will exhale my life happily, content in
knowing that everything that I have suffered, my past, my present and my future, my life, my
loves, my joys, everything have I sacrificed for her.

My favorite part of the epilogue which is Rizal and Uram is that, José Rizal's life was defined
by love for our country, and dedication to its betterment. He believed that "if one died, at
least let him die for the good of his country". It is no surprise that he is known to this day as
the "Father of the Philippine Homeland". These thoughts made me mesmerized about how
our past was colonized by the Spaniards, how the people leave during their colonization, and
how José Rizal fight our right for the freedom of his beloved country.

The writings of Jose Rizal are a reflection of his love for his country and his people. His
writings show how much he loved freedom, democracy, and justice. This book must read by
the younger ones and even the older Filipino people for them to know what José Rizal did for
our country.

I'll mark this book a 10/10 because this book gives us an insight of how the life of Jose Rizal
was a truly inspiring story. Not just an ordinary story of a Filipino but a story of a very
intelligent and talented Filipino, who is ready to sacrifice his whole life just to give freedom
and peace for his own nation.
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