Chapter 2

He was born and raised by Don Francisco Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Doña
Teodora Alonso Realonda y Quintos in the town of Calamba in Laguna.

Calamba
- Rizal’s natal town
- Hacienda town belonged to the Dominican Order
- Verdant plain full of rice fields and sugar-lands.
- South looms: Mt. Makiling; East of the town: Laguna de Bay; Middle of the lake:
Island of Talim; North: Antipolo

1876
- 15 years old student in Ateneo de Manila
- He wrote the poem Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My town)

Earliest Childhood Memories

Memory #1: His happy days in the family garden when he was three (3) years old.
In the cottage, the culiauan, the maya, the maria capra, the martin, the pipit and other
birds and he listened “with wonder and joy” to their songs.

Memory #2: The daily Angelus prayer

Every night, Doña Theodora gathered all the children at the house to pray.

Memory #3: Happy moonlit nights at the azotea after the nightly Rosary.
The aya or nurse maid told the Rizal children various stories about fairies; tales of
buried treasure and trees blooming with diamonds, and other stories.

Memory #4: The nocturnal walk in the town

The aya took him for a walk in the moonlight by the river.

The Hero’s First Sorrow

- His little sister Concha or known as Concepcion.
- She died of sickness in 1865 at the age of three (3) years old.

Devoted Son of the Church

- Catholic
- At the age of three, he began to take part in the family prayers.
- At the age of five, he was able to read fluently the Spanish family Bible.
- He was called Manong Jose by the Hermanos and Hermanas Terceras.
- During boyhood, he adored Father Leoncio Lopez, the town priest.
Jose learned to read and write through private tutor Maestro Calestino and the
second Maestro Lucas Padua later succeeded Calestino

Afterwards a former classmate of Don Francisco tutored Jose Rizal, Leon Monroy

1.) Heredity Influences

Malayan Ancestor - love for freedom, innate desire to travel and indomitable courage.
Chinese Ancestor - serious nature, frugality, patience and love for children.
Spanish Ancestor - elegance of bearing, sensitivity to insult and gallanty to ladies.
Father - profound sense of respect, the love for work and the habit of independent
thinking.
Mother - religious nature, the spirit of self-sacrifice and the passion for arts and
literature.

2.) Environmental Influences

The scenic beauties of Calamba and the beautiful garden of the Rizal family -
inborn artistic and literary talents of Jose Rizal.
The religious atmosphere at his home - religious nature
Brother: Paciano - love for freedom and justice
Sisters - courteous and kind to women
Aya or Nurse maid - interest in folklore and legends
Tio Jose Alberto - artistic ability
Tio Manuel - frail walking and wrestling
Tio Gregorio - voracious reading of good books
Father Leoncio Lopez - love for scholarship and intellectual honesty
Sorrows in his family - character, enabling him to resist blows of adversity in late
years.

3.) Aid of Divine Providence

God - endowed him with the versatile gifts of a genius, the vibrant spirit of nationalist,
and the valiant heart to sacrifice for a noble cause.

Pilgrimage to Antipolo
- June 6, 1868; Calamba to Antipolo
- Doña Theodora could not come with Jose because she had given birth to
Trinidad
- His first trip across Laguna de Bay
- Jose and his father rode in a casco (barge)
 - It was the first time he saw manila; when he and his father visited Saturnina, who
was then a boarding student at La Concordia College in Santa Ana

The Story of the Moth

- Of the stories told by Dofia Teodora, to her favorite son. Jose , that of the young
moth made the profoundest impression on him.
- The moth story is about a young and mother moth who are both flying near a
candle lamp. The mother moth advised her child not to fly too close to the lamp
as it would burn his wings. The young moth did not listen, causing his wings to
catch on fire and he was burned.

Artistic Talents
- At the age or five, he began to make sketches with his pencil and to mold in clay
and wax objects~ which attracted his fancy.
- When Jose was a mere boy in Calamba, a religious banner which was always
used during the fiesta was spoiled. Upon the request of the town mayor, he
painted in oil colors a new banner that delighted the town folks because 11 was
better than the original one.
- One interesting anecdote about Rizal was the incident about his clay and wax
mages. One day when he was about six years old his sisters laughed at him for
spending so much time making those images rather than participating in their
games. He kept silent as they laughed with childish glee. But as they were
departing, he told them: "All right laugh at me now! Someday when I die, people
will make monuments and images of me!"

First Poem by Rizal

- At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem in the native language entitled “Sa
Aking Mga Kababata” (To My Fellow Children)
- This poem reveals Rizal's earliest nationalist sentiment. In poetic verses, he
proudly proclaimed that a people who truly love their native language will surely
strive for liberty like "the bird which soars, to freer space above" and that Tagalog
is the equal to Latin. English, Spanish, and any other language.

First Drama by Rizal

- After writing the poem To My Fellow Children, Rizal, who was then eight years
old, wrote his first dramatic work which was a Tagalog comedy. It is said that it
was staged in a Calamba festival and was delightfully applauded by the
audience.
FUN FACT
Rizal is a polymath, excelling in both science and the arts. He was a renowned
poet, novelist, and playwright, and was also a skilled painter, sculptor, and
musician.

BUT HE WISHED THAT HE COULD SING

Conclusion:
● Rizal's early childhood in Calamba was an important part of his life and legacy.
● His experiences in the city helped shape his views and values, which he used to
fight for justice and freedom.