Literature is one of the timeless classics that has existed.

The idea, concept, or

message of a literary work created in the past can still be relevant today, or even in the

next 20 years—-that's how magnificent and prodigious it is. A Spanish poem written by

the Filipino patriot Dr. Jose Rizal in 1879 called "A La Juventud Filipina" or "To the

Filipino Youth" in English translation is an epitome of this. This nine-stanza poem came

about when an eighteen-year-old Rizal decided to join a literary contest held by the

Artistic-Literary Lyceum of Manila in the aforementioned year where he left the judges

astounded and eventually won him the first prize.

The classical piece was composed with the intention of encouraging the Filipino

youth to exhaust their full potential by recognizing and discovering their skills, talents,

and capabilities that can be utilized not only for their personal gain but also in

contributing to the successes of the nation and quintessentially serving their own

motherland. This dominantly implicates the sociopolitical movement that he is trying to

build for the betterment and preservation of our nation, as he believes that the youth are

the hopes of our nation.

This poem might have been written ages ago, but its core message stands still to

this day and will continue to linger for future generations to come. Nowadays, some of

the youths are out-of-control to the point that they are more interested in doing immoral

acts and acquiring material things rather than learning the history of the country and

plotting how to serve it back in any way possible. As we all know, the current state of

our social and economic landscape in the country is not doing well. Hence, this is the

perfect time to learn and embody the words of Rizal. We, the youth, must motivate
ourselves to save our motherland and call for change towards a brighter and promising

future.