The Impossible Dream

Jack Jones

To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong

To be better far than you are
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star

No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To be willing to give when there's no more to give
To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this

That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

First, I chose to highlight the line “No matter how hopeless, no matter how
far”. Rizal was driven by one thing and one thing only: For the welfare of the
Native Land. In the midst of his journey in fighting against the abuses of the friars
and Spanish authorities, Jose Rizal encountered so many life struggles from his
homeland and Europe. In which he suffered being separated from his beloved
family and friends, then yearning to be with them for years. Sometimes when he
was short on funds abroad, he would eat a few biscuits for breakfast for days in a
row. He would also take exams starving or go for hours without food. But despite
his hardships, he persevered in his efforts to serve his country, eventually
producing his most famous works, the novels Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo.

Secondly, I highlighted the line “To be willing to die so that honor and justice may
live”. Jose Rizal risk his own life and family for his heavy mission in life, which is to
reform Philippine society- a nation free of injustice, oppression and corruption. By that,
he uncovered the flaws and dark methods of the administration. At the same time,
awaken the Filipino youth and lead them toward right action despite knowing how
dangerous the consequences are. Regardless, he fulfilled his foremost cause. He
became part of the Propaganda Movement, connecting with other Filipinos who wanted
reform. He wrote letters and articles in “La Solidaridad”, the Propaganda mouthpiece,
as well as other publications, producing some of his best work during this period. And
more importantly, he wrote and released his very own novels, the Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo, works that resulted to his unfortunate death but also to a lasting place
in the hearts and minds of his fellow men.

Finally, the last highlighted idea in this song that are applicable in the analysis of
Rizal’s biography is the line “And the world will be better for this”. To his patients he
gave sight, and to the country he gave vision. Rizal hesitantly defines and contributes to
the life of freedom and order of the nation in the course of defending against injustice
and promotes the common good through education, agriculture and commerce, and the
pursuit of socio-political reforms. Clearly, Jose Rizal sacrifices for the quality of life and
destiny of the Philippine society, together with becoming a symbol of the Philippine
struggle for independence. And so up until now, Rizal is remembered as a nationalist
icon in the Philippines for helping the country take its first steps toward independence.
Indeed, all his struggle and sacrifices will never be lost, wasted, or even disappear
because it helped shaped a better Philippines we know and live in.