Reign of Greed, is the second novel written by Jose Rizal and the sequel to Noli Me Tangere.

Published in 1891, it continues the Noli’s criticisms of the abuses and corruption perpetrated by
the Spanish government.

What is the moral lesson of Noli Me Tangere?

Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere tells us that we should reflect on our actions and beliefs for our
country. The theme of the novel is to promote nationalism and to accept change in ourselves is
still applies to us today.

Why did Rizal dedicated El Filibusterismo to Gomburza?

He dedicated El Filibusterismo, which main theme is to convey the message that the system of
government in the Philippines governed by corrupt officials and dominated by the friars can
lead to the downfall of the Spaniards, to GOMBURZA because they are the ones who inspired
him to do everything in the first place.

How Noli Me Tangere is important to the modern Filipino?

After publication, Noli me Tangere was considered to be one of the instruments that initiated
Filipino nationalism leading to the 1896 Philippine Revolution. The novel did not only awaken
sleeping Filipino awareness, but also established the grounds for aspiring to independence.

What does Noli Me Tangere mean in Filipino?

Noli Me Tángere, Latin for “Touch me not”, is an 1887 novel by José Rizal during the
colonization of the Philippines by the Spanish (European (White) Colonial European (White)
Colonial Empire under the Kingdom of Spain, Iberian Peninsula, Southwestern Europe, Southern
Europe, Western Europe, Mainland Europe, Europe to …

Why Rizal wrote Indolence of the Filipino?

It was written by José Rizal as a response to the accusation of Indio or Malay indolence. He
admits the existence of indolence among the Filipinos, but it could be attributed to a number of
reasons. He traces its causes to factors such as the climate and social disorders.

What does Gomburza mean?

GOMBURZA Gomez Burgos Zamora

What are the causes of Filipino indolence?

Indolence therefore has more deeply rooted causes such as abuse and discrimination, inaction
of the government, rampant corruption and red tape, wrong doctrines of the church and wrong
examples from some Spaniards who lead lives of indolence which ultimately led to the
deterioration of Filipinos values.

What is the importance significance of martyrdom of Gomburza?

The martyrdom of the three secular priests would resonate among Filipinos; grief and outrage
over their execution would make way for the first stirrings of the Filipino revolution, thus
making the first secular martyrs of a nascent national identity.

What are the major differences between Noli Me Tangere as compared to El Filibusterismo?

Noli is a love story or a romantic novel, dedicated to our motherland while El fili is a political
novel associated with revenge and anger and is dedicated to GOMBURZA. The first is more on
action and motion, the latter is thoughtful, discursive and dialectal.

What did Rizal believe can cure the cause of indolence among Filipino?

Education and liberty, according to Rizal, would be the cure to Filipino indolence.

El Fili Symbolisms - It is about the el feli.

EL FILIBUSTERISMO

• It is the second novel written by José Rizal as the sequel to Noli Me Tangere.

• Started writing it in Calamba, he made some changes in the plot in London

• He wrote more chapters in Paris and Madrid and finished the manuscript in Ghent,Belgium

• Like Noli Me Tangere, it was written in Spanish.

• “The Reign of Greed” in English

• It was dedicated to the three martyred priests of Cavite mutiny. The execution of the three
priests was significant to the title of the novel.

• It consist of 38 chapters

• With the help of Valentin Ventura the printing of the El Filibusterismo resumed. The title Rizal
had to define the word filibustero to his German friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, who did not
understand his use of the word in Noli MeTangere. In a letter, Rizalexplained: "The word
filibustero is little known in the Philippines. The masses do notknow it yet. I heard it for the first
time in 1872 when the tragic executions took place.”“I still remember the panic that this word
created. Our father forbade us to utter it, aswell as the words Cavite, Burgos, etc. The Manila
newspapers and the Spaniardsapply this word to one whom they want to make a revolutionary
suspect.“The Filipinos belonging to the educated class fear the reach of the word. It doesnot
have the meaning of freebooters; it rather means a dangerous patriot who willsoon be hanged
or well, a presumptuous man.Jose Alejandro, one of the new Filipinos who had been quite
intimate with Rizal, said,"in writing the Noli Rizal signed his own death warrant." Subsequent
events, after thefate of the Noli was sealed by the Spanish authorities, prompted Rizal to write
thecontinuation of his first novel. He confessed, however, that regretted very muchhaving killed
Elias instead of Ibarra, reasoning that when he published the Noli hishealth was very much
broken, and was very unsure of being able to write thecontinuation and speak of a
revolution.Noli Me Tangere’s Basilio, now a young man and a skilled medical student,
isrecruited by Ibarra to aid him in detoning a bomb at a social gathering, signalingthe beginning
of the revolution.However, Basilio warns his friend Isagani. Realizing that the woman he loves is
in thebuilding, Isagani throws the bomb into the river, averting the explosion and therevolution.
Implicated in these matters, Simoun commits suicide by taking poisonand finds resting place at
the home of a priest, Father Florentino, who hears his lastconfession and assures him that not
all hope is lost.The priest (Father Florentino), upon Simoun’s death, commends the jewels into
thesea, remarking that the jewels once used to bribe and corrupt people, would oneday be
hopefully found to be used for a meaningful purpose.

Characters

Simoun

Crisóstomo Ibarra reincarnated as a wealthy jeweler, bent on starting a revolution.Unlike Ibarra

in Noli, he is now vigilant; he now embodies the Filipinos who had hadenough of the cruelties of
the Spaniards.

 represents the revolutionaries during that time who supported the idea of holding
bloody revolt against the Spanish government. His death in El Filibusterismo tells
readers that Rizal does not support the armed revolution.

Basilio

 He is the son of Sisa.

 A very promising medical student. At first he refuses to join Simoun's plan of
overthrowing the Spanish government; Juli's death makes him decide to join Simoun's
troop.
  He represents the young educated Filipinos who are apathetic to the needs of the
society.

Isagani

 He is the nephew of Padre Florentino and the lover of Paulita Gomez. Once a person full
of hope and aspirations for his country, he was disheartened and let go of his ideals in
favor of personal gains.
 He symbolizes the youth who, despite their being very aggressive and idealistic,cannot
be relied on in times of adversity.

Señor Pasta

 He is an old Filipino lawyer who refuses to help the Filipino students in their clamor for
educational reforms.
 He represents the part of the society that is only generous and sympathetic to the rich
and powerful. His self-centeredness overshadows his patriotism.

Placido Penitente and Pecson

 They are the students who asked for educational reforms.

 They represent the people who have yet to cultivate their nationalistic attitude.

Father Irene

 He is a kind friar who is a friend of the Filipino students.

 He supports the students whoappeal to the government for an academy of Spanish
language.
 He embodies the few Spaniards who are sympathetic to the Filipinos.

Father Florentino

 He is a retired scholarly and patriotic Filipino priest.

 He believes that the Philippineswill have its freedom.Isagani's godfather, and a secular
priest; was engaged to be married, but chose the priesthood instead. The story hinting
at the ambivalence of his decision as he chooses an assignment to a remote place, living
in solitude near the sea.
 represented the secular Filipino priests in Rizal’s time. It was alsothrough his character
that the author stressed his disapproval of a bloody revolt.

Kabesang Tales (Telesforo Juan de Dios)

  a former cabeza de barangay who resurfaced as the feared Luzón bandit Matanglawin
(Tagalog for Hawkeye).
 Juli's father.
 The friars dispossessed him of his land; in real life, Rizal's father met thesame fate.He
symbolizes the natives and farmers whose lands were seized by the friars. Hisstory
presents the cause of the revolution.

Maria Clara

 She is Ibarra's girlfriend.

 She enlisted in the nunnery when she learned that Ibarra was already dead. Simoun
planned to sneak her out of the convent; she died before the plan was put to action.

Doña Victorina

 She is the ridiculously pro-Spanish woman who is going to Laguna in search of

herhenpecked husband.Her search for her husband symbolizes her search for the
foreign identity that she didnot have.

Juli/Juliana

 Basilio's sweetheart.
 Chose death over the loss of honor and dignity.
 She represents the Philippines which would rather suffer with pride and honor.

Paulita Gomez

 The beautiful niece of Doña Victorina.

 She rejected Isagani because of his liberalideas.
 is a caricature of a woman who chooses the best option for a more stable future.
 She knows what is best for her and would take advantage of her admirers to get what
she wants.
 She represents the women who have no sense of nationalism and sympathy towards
others.

Makaraig

 represented the well-to-do Filipino youth during the Spanish era who hadgood dreams
for the country. His character also provided readers a glimpse of how different the rich
and the poor were treated during that time in society. Both he and Isagani led the
student movement, yet, he was still favored upon by the friars because of his social
status.
  Ben ZaybAbraham Ibañez is his real name.
 He is a journalist who thinks he is the only onethinking in the Philippines.Personifies a
corrupted media.

Placido Penitente

 A student of the University of Santo Tomas who is always miserable, and therefore
controls his temper.
 Placido means – silent and Penitente means – suffering.Combining those words, “silent
suffering” or in tagalog “tahimik na pagluluksa”.

Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo compared Noli Me Tangere - romantic novel; it is a “work
of the heart” - a“book of feeling”; it has freshness, color, humor, lightness and wit

El Filibusterismo - political novel; it is a “work of the head” - a “book of the thought”; it

contains bitterness, hatred, pain, violence and sorrow.

Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo have similarities in terms of aim and purpose. Both aim
to enlighten the Filipinos on what is happening in the country. They want the people to fight for
their country and have the total freedom.

One of the great books written by our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, is Noli Me Tangere. It is a
Latin word meaning "Touch Me Not". This book is a societal novel. He started writing it in
Madrid, Spain on 1884, continued in Paris, France and was finished in Berlin, Germany on
February 1887. Noli Me Tangere was dedicated to his Inang Bayan, the Philippines. The history
stated in the book"Uncle Tom's Cabin" of Hariet Beecher Stowe, that tells the suffering of
Negro slaves under the cruelty of the Americans, gave our hero the idea. in writing this book.
He saw the similarity of this to the cruelty experienced by the Filipinos under the Spanish rule.
This was published at Imprenta Lette in Berlin, Germany on March 1887 by the help ofDr.
Maximo Viola. As thanks, Dr. Rizal gave the original manuscript and the PLUMAhe used in
writing the novel to Dr. Viola.

Another important writing of our hero is the El Filibusterismo. It comes from the word
"filibustero" which means a person who is against the Roman Catholic. This book is a political
novel. He started writing it on 1890 in London, England and was finished in Brussels, Belgium on
1891. This was dedicated to the "Three Martyrs", GomBurZa (Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jose
Burgos, Fr. Jacinto Zamora). Dr. Rizal believed that the three martyrs were only a victim of
cruelty and loss of justice. They was blamed, with a Sgt. Lamadrid, to be the leader of Cavite
Mutiny on January 1872 and sentenced by garote on February that year. El Filibusterismo was
firstpublished in a publication company in Ghent, Belgium. The publication of the book was
stopped because of financial problem. By the help of Dr. Valentin Ventura, the publication
resumed and was finished on September 1891. As a favor, Dr. Rizal gave theoriginal manuscript
of the novel with an autographed copy of the book.

Summary:

 El Filibusterismo is a sequel to Noli Me Tangere. A dark, brooding, at times satirical novel

of revenge, unfulfilled love, and tragedy, the Fili (as it is popularly referred to) still has as
its protagonist Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra. Thirteen years older, his idealism and youthful
dreams shattered, and taking advantage of the belief that he died at the end of Noli Me
Tangere, he is disguised as Simoun, an enormously wealthy and mysterious jeweler who
has gained the confidence of the colony’s governor-general.

Simoun represents the revolutionaries during that time whosupported the idea of holding
bloody revolt against the Spanish government. His death in El Filibusterismo tells readers that
Rizal does not support the armed revolution. The author has also made this clear through the
scene where Padre Florentino, after Simoun’s death, threw his remaining jewels to the Pacific
Ocean so it may no longer be used for bribery and corruption that can spark a revolt.

Jose Ma Basa played a significant role in smuggling copies of Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibustersimo in the Philippines.

synopsis characters

The message of the novel is clear: the present system of governing the Philippines through
corrupt and self-seeking officials, dominated by the friars and being submissive to their
interests in one fashion or another, can only lead to disaster for Spain. By its nature and
operation the system without doubt drives all intelligent, generous, hard-working, courageous,
and loyal citizens, even those most devoted to Spain, into opposition, crime, and subversion.
The government is subjective, cruel, completely lacking in a sense of justice or of responsibility,
and without interest or trust in the people it governs. The friars are painted in even harsher
colors than in the Noli: they abuse their power to satisfy vile lusts; to rob men of their lands; to
preserve their monopoly of education; always seeking their own interests rather than those of
the country, or even of Spain.

Yet in this harsh picture there are bright spots: the high official who opposes the governor-
general over his subjective proceedings, and who sympathizes with and defends the Filipino
people; and the open-minded Dominican, Father Fernandez, who favors the petition of the
students for a Spanish academy, and is willing to discuss with the student Isagani on equal
terms what the students expect from the friars.
Rizal sees little hope that Spain will rule on the basis of justice rather than prestige, and though
he must record the rays of hope that still remain, he is essentially pessimistic.

Along with his warning to Spain, Rizal conveys to his countrymen the action to be taken if Spain
does not heed his warning. If Rizal is ruthless in denouncing Spanish corruption, greed,
exploitation, and injustice, he is no less hard in condemning Filipino corruption, greed, self-
righteousness, hypocrisy, and cowardice, which share in, or permit Spanish abuses. The Filipina,
Doña Victorina, ashamed of her race; the cowardly, time-serving Filipino lawyer, Señor Pasta;
the brutalized civil guard, cruelest of all of their own countrymen; the corrupt municipal officials
--- to name a few.

Moreover, he criticized weak-willed students who lack self-respect and courage to fight a
dampening system of education; the silliness of Paulita, who chooses the cowardly but wealthy
braggart Pelaez over Isagani whose bravery and patriotism have gotten him into trouble with
the authorities; the superstition and fanaticism of the women of San Diego.

He proclaims the unstable and presumably irreversible status of Spanish sovereignty in the
Philippines. Yet he never urges revolution. Not only does he condemn an independence won by
immoral means, like Simoun's; he does not even want immediate independence, which could
only mean a new slavery. The task for the Filipinos is to prepare themselves, to make
themselves worthy of freedom, and then God will grant the means, be it revolution or peaceful
separation from Spain.

Education, decent lives, and willingness to sacrifice for one's convictions, even to suffer
martyrdom - this is the road to freedom that Rizal would have his countrymen travel.