COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

LEARNING MODULES IN GE 7 (LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL)

MIDTERM

LESSON 4. JOSE RIZAL’S MORAL LEGACIES FOR OUR DAILY LIFE

1. Love of God 9. Will-power 17. Tolerance

2. Purity and Idealism 10. Honesty 18. Prudence
3. Noble Conduct 11. Devotion to Truth 19. Obedience
4. Love of Fellowmen 12. Self-sacrifice 20. Courtesy and Politeness
5. Love of Parents 13. Fortitude 21. Thrift
6. Charity 14. Serenity 22. Gratitude
7. Love of Country 15. Self-control 23. Love for Justice
8. Courage 16. Initiative 24. Living by Example

A. LEARNING OUTCOMES:
After engaging in each topic, you should be able to:
1. define in your own words the meaning of the moral legacies of Jose Rizal;
2. correctly illuminate how our national hero portrayed or exhibited these moral legacies
when he was alive; and
3. relate the importance of these moral legacies in our daily living.

B. KEY CONCEPTS:

MEANING OF THESE MORAL LEGACIES:

1. Love of God
❖ it is associated with the concept of worship and devotion towards God
2. Purity and Idealism
❖ Purity means lack of guilt or evil thoughts
❖ Idealism refers to the attitude of a person who believes that it is possible to live
according to very high standards of behaviour and honesty
3. Noble Conduct
❖ having or showing pure thoughts and clean behaviour
4. Love of fellowmen
❖ showing care or concern towards other people in one’s nation
5. Love of parents
❖ the unconditional care or affection bestowed by mothers or fathers to their children
6. Charity
❖ benevolent goodwill towards other people
7. Love of country
❖ showing concern, respect, or loyalty to your homeland
8. Courage
❖ the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous
9. Will-power
❖ control exerted to do something or restrain impulses
10. Honesty
❖ the ability to act and speak truthfully
11. Devotion to truth
❖ it is a feeling of strong or constant regard and dedication to facts or truth
12. Self-sacrifice
❖ the act of enduring pain or denying one’s happiness to achieve something
13. Fortitude
❖ the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship
14. Serenity
❖ the quality of being calm or peaceful
15. Self-control
❖ the ability to control one’s emotions in a given situation
16. Initiative
❖ the ability to do something even without an order or command
 17. Tolerance
❖ the capacity to endure what is difficult or disagreeable without complaining
18. Prudence
❖ the quality of rendering good or wise decisions or judgments
19. Obedience
❖ complying to one’s order or bending to the authority of another
20. Courtesy and Politeness
❖ Courtesy is being graceful and considerate towards other people Politeness is the quality
of being well-bred
21. Thrift
❖ the virtue of being economical on the use of materials, money, time and other resources
22. Gratitude
❖ the act of acknowledging receiving something that is good from another
23. Love for Justice
❖ the moral habit by which a man gives to another what is due to him
24. Living by Example
❖ the act of being a role model

Moral Legacies HOW JOSE RIZAL SHOWED OR EXHIBITED HIS MORAL LEGACIES?

1. Love of God He showed his love for the Almighty God by:
● Carving a statue in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Ateneo de Manila
when he was just 14. There was something unique and dynamic in Rizal’s
representation of the Heart of Jesus: Our Lord’s chest emptied and the Sacred
Heart in His fist. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is not a symbol but a true heart
that loved and continues to love humankind. “And the Word was made Flesh,”
assumed a human heart, “and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
● Regularly attending masses in the Dapitan church during his exile because he
never lost faith in God.
● In his struggle for his country’s freedom, Rizal called on his countrymen to
place their confidence in God.

2. Purity ● Another virtue of Rizal worth emulating was his insistence in purity of thoughts
and Idealism and clean behaviour.
● In his famous El Filibusterismo, a Decalogue for the Political Redemption and
Human Dignification of the Filipinos, Father Florentino softly pressed the
challenge to perfection of character traits on the dying Simoun who used his
ill-gotten wealth to destroy the Philippine society in working woes, distorting
justice, and fomenting avarice.
● “Pure and spotless must the victim be that sacrifice may be acceptable.”

3. Noble conduct ● Do good always.

● Rizal exhorted mothers to teach their children love for honour, sincere, and
firm character, clear mind, clean conduct, noble action, love for one’s
fellowmen and respect for God.
● During his exile in Dapitan, he impressed the value of good character among
the pupils he taught.

4. Love of He showed his love for his fellowmen by:

fellowmen ● Thinking well of his fellowmen.
● Rizal reminded her sister, “Do not try to have the best thing for yourself. Do
the best for others.”
● When his parents were worried because of a disquieting news about him in
Dapitan, Rizal said, “Let us not be hasty in our judgement, but let us think well
of our fellowmen.”

5. Love of parents He showed his love for his parents when:

 ● A week after their classes started in Madrid, Rizal wrote to his mother, “I beg
my beloved parents to always bless their son who never forgets the sacrifices
that they do for him nor the benefits he owes to them. I trust within a short
time to have the pleasure of embracing them and never separate from them
again, live with them, help them with everything and contribute to the common
welfare.”
6. Charity Rizal said “I feel happy when I can give joy to somebody”. He showed charity by:
● Teaching Latin to many boys in Calamba, Laguna during summer vacations
when he was a student in the University of Sto. Thomas;
● Teaching several subjects including good manners and right conduct to a
number of boys during his exile in Dapitan.
● Performing medical services even when the patients cannot afford to pay for
them when he returned in Calamba on August, 1887.
● Constructing little hospitals and giving away medicines free during his exile.

7. Love of country He showed his love for his country by:

● Dreaming for his country’s prosperity
● Dedicating his whole life in securing freedom for his country and happiness
for his people
● Practicing patriotism
● In his last testament, a nationalistic message was: “I have always loved my
poor country and I am sure that I shall love her until my last moments.”

8. Courage ● He said, “If I’m to be condemned for desiring the welfare of my country,
condemn me.”
● Knowing the dangers that may befall upon him, he still continued to resist the
colonizers and fought for our country.
● He actively exhorted his friends towards nationalism upon his return on 1891.
He pointed out to these that the battlefield for reforms was the Philippines
itself.

9. Will-power ● Spain had adopted a policy of implanting an inferiority complex among the
Filipinos the better to govern them but Rizal did not accept the belief that his
people were irredeemable. This shows his will-power to resist the restrains of
the Spaniards.
● He had a clear vision of what to do to make his people happy and he exerted
his best to accomplish this objective.

10. Honesty ● Rizal’s honesty was the result of his constant love and search for truth.
● As he wrote the two novels he was attempting to unmask the cancer that
prevailed in his beloved homeland. The novel attacks not only the friar control
over the land and the vices that came with it but some rather brutally honest
depictions of the lives of average Filipinos.
● In his relationship with the flagship propaganda organ La Solidaridad. His
moral compass led him to insist that the "propaganda" be as factual and free
of bias as was possible. He encouraged the writers to stop using pen names
but their own so that people could judge their writings with a real and not
imagined author.

11. Devotion to ● “It is not good to hide the truth.”

truth ● Wanting to get at the cause of his people’s backwardness, Rizal made intensive
studies and carried on extensive observations on the progress of nations.

12. Self-sacrifice ● “My ambition is not to win honours.”

● As a leader, Rizal was transformational, charismatic, visionary, and most
importantly, incorruptible. He displayed a kind of leadership that was not
motivated by personal interest but the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the
good of the majority which he described in his novels as the national
sentiment.
 ● He believed that light is the most beautiful thing there is in creation and that
it is worthy for a man to sacrifice life for it. He told Father Pablo Pastels in
Dapitan, “I have catch a glimpse of light and I believe that it is my duty to
teach it to my countrymen.”
● After 5 years of absence in the Philippines from May, 1882 to July, 1887, Rizal
came home eager to initiate some changes and anxious to apply some of the
things he had observed in the countries he had visited. He endured to be away
from his family just to seek for solutions to make his town mates hardworking
and practical like Germans.

13. Fortitude ● “Do not fear that some may fall.”

● Rizal’s family property was confiscated, his brother-in-law was exiled, and
there were untold suffering of his parents. He saw his people’s continued
enslavement and the slow death of his country but this did not stop him to
fight for his country. Instead, he used this reasons to work harder.

14. Serenity ● “It is necessary that there be serenity of spirit.”

● Serenity of spirit stems from strong personal discipline. Rizal related a
conversation between a school teacher and Crisostomo Ibarra wanted to know
the problems of learning and teaching. When asked by Ibarra about his
problems, the teacher spoke against corporal punishment inflicted on the
pupils.

15. Self-control ● Rizal showed much self-control his lifetime. During his student days in Madrid,
he manifested self-control. Once he visited the house of the Paterno brothers
(Antonio, Maximo and Pedro). They showed him their house and Rizal was
thankful for their hospitality. When Pedro proposed that Rizal exhibit the
pictures he had, he refused.

16. Initiative ● “The Greatness of a Man is in Guiding the People in its Forward Way”
● Rizal showed initiative to secure freedom for his country and for his people.
He led several activities to fight for our country’s freedom.

17. Tolerance ● He forgave lieutenant Porta for lashing him on the back.
● He asked the soldiers to shoot him through his heart but they said that they
should shoot him at the back, Rizal said, “Shoot me the way you want then.”

18. Prudence ● In one of his writings, he said: “People and government are correlated and
complementary, an aimless government would be an anomaly among a
righteous people, just as corrupt people cannot exist under just rulers and
wise laws. Whatever social and political environments we are in are products
of men’s deliberate choice.”
● As Rizal emphasized: “There are no tyrants where there are no slaves.”

19. Obedience ● Even in his lonely exile in Dapitan, he himself never forgot to report to the
military commander and civil administrator of Dapitan, Juan Sitges, three times
a day and thus demonstrated obedience.

20. Courtesy and ● Rizal studied at Biñan, the teacher asked him: "Do you know Spanish?" "A
Politeness little, sir," replied the Calamba lad. "Do you know Latin?" "A little, sir."
● During the early days of November, 1893 Rizal was living peacefully and
happily at his house in Talisay when suddenly jolted by a strange incident
involving a spy of the friars. The spy with the assumed name of “Pablo
Mercado” and posing as a relative, secretly visited Rizal at his house on the
night of November 3, 1893. He introduced himself as a friend and a relative,
showing a photo of Rizal and a pair of buttons with the initials “P.M.”(Pablo
Mercado) as evidence of his kinship with the Rizal family. In the course of their
conversation the strange visitor offered his services as a confidential courier
of Rizal’s letter and writings for the patriots in Manila. Rizal became suspicious.
 Irked by the impostor’s lies, he wanted to throw him out of the house, but
mindful of his duty as a host and considering the late hour of the night and
the heavy rainfall, he hospitably invited the unwanted visitor to stay at his
house for the night. And early the next day, he sent him away.

21. Thrift ● Rizal practiced the habit of thrift when he was a student in Madrid, Spain he
would have his shoes repaired instead of buying new ones. Now and then he
economized in food expenses.
● When the Paterno brothers wanted him to join the Ateneo de Madrid Society,
a cultural society, he turned down the suggestion saying, “I find the dues a
little exorbitant”.

22. Gratitude ● Once he visited the house of the Paterno brothers (Antonio, Maximo and
Pedro). They showed him their house and Rizal was thankful for their
hospitality.
● He gave the galley proofs of the novel to Maximo Viola to show his gratitude
for helping him publish his first novel, Noli me Tangere.

23. Love for ● “Let Us Be Just”

justice ● Rizal fought hard for justice not only for himself and his family but also for his
people.
● A close study of Rizal’s novels reveals how he stressed the importance of
national sentiment as essential in guarding society against all kinds of
injustices, and bringing about social change. In a scene in the novel where
Isagani expressed his desire to help the students establish an institute for the
instruction of Spanish, Pasta expressed his surprise as Isagani had already
mastered the language. When Pasta made it clear to Isagani that he was
unwilling to help his noble cause for education and even dissuaded him from
pushing through with his plans, Isagani remarked: “When I have gray hairs
like those, sir, and turn my gaze back over my past and see that I have worked
only for myself, without having done for the country that has given me
everything, for the citizens who have helped me live – then, sir, every gray
hair will be a thorn, and instead of rejoicing, they will shame me!”

24. Living by ● “Gladly I Depart to Expose Myself to Danger to Confirm with My Example What
example I have Always Preached”
● Once, Rizal was offered P100, 000, a huge amount that time, apart from a
professorial chair at a university and an estate of his own if only he would
renounce his two novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Rizal showed
he was made of strong moral fibre for he was not tempted by these bribes,
giving up his personal happiness for the welfare of his countrymen.
LESSON 5: EDUCATIONAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL
1. The right to education is a fundamental human right
2. Rizal’s supreme aspiration is for Filipinos to be educated
3. It is the duty of man to seek his own perfection
4. Man works for a purpose
5. The values of education
6. The Filipinos should be brilliant, enlightened & progressive
7. Without virtue, redemption is impossible
8. Raise your children close to the image of a true God
9. Educate our intelligence & heart to live worthily
10. Teachers should be better than learners
11. Make study a thing of love and joy
12. Rizal saw truth where formerly he saw only error
13. The government has roles in relation to education

A. LEARNING OUTCOMES:
After absorbing these lessons, you should be able to:
1. explicate the meaning of the different educational legacies of Jose Rizal;
2. correctly illuminate how our national hero portrayed or exhibited these educational
legacies when he was alive; and
3. relate the importance of these educational legacies in our daily living.

B. KEY CONCEPTS:

EDUCATIONAL LEGACIES:
1. The right to education is a fundamental human right.
✔ It means that no one should be deprived to be educated. Everyone should have the right
to learn things and that everyone have the freedom to attend school. No one should stop
someone on going to school and learning things.

2. Rizal’s supreme aspiration is for the Filipinos to be educated.

✔ Rizal wished that every Filipino will be educated so that we will not be abused by the
foreign countries for knowing nothing just like the old days. He wants us to be educated
in order to know how to defend our country just like how he did. Because he knew that
there are things that are easily expressed with the use of violence but this will never
surpass the knowledge of words.

3. Rizal believed that it is the duty of men to seek their own perfection.
✔ Rizal exhorted that seeking our own perfection is a duty imposed by God as the Holy Bible
tells us, “Be perfect as Thy Heavenly Father is perfect.” It means that we should follow
the teachings and actions of God. He believed that if a man is not perfect then he is
capable of being perfect. Perfection in virtue is a condition of our union with God.

4. Man works for a purpose.

✔ It means that there is a purpose in everything we do. We work because there is a reason
behind it. We do things for something or someone we love. The reason can either be
personal or not.

5. Rizal believed that education has values or importance.

✔ Rizal always considered education as a medicine or something that could cure the
problems of Colonial Philippines. He believed in education that is free from political and
religious control. He asserted that reform cannot be achieved if there is no suitable
education, a liberal one available to Filipinos.

6. Rizal wanted the Filipinos to be brilliant, enlightened, intelligent, and progressive.

✔ Rizal wants us to have strength in mind in meeting and enduring pain. We should learn
how to understand the things happening around us and learn to adapt to survive. We
should be intelligent in making solutions to our and the country’s problem for our nation
to progress.
7. According to Rizal, redemption is impossible without virtue.
✔ It means that perfection in virtue is a condition of our union with God. We should accept
that whatever we possessed is what we owe to God who has planned duty for us. We
cannot be saved without bravery, courage, and without our good morals.

8. Rizal asked the mothers to raise their children close to the image of a true God.
✔ It means that mothers should prepare to awaken the minds of their children and prepare
it for a good desirable idea. He wants the mothers to teach their children to always do
well. He wants them to be in good conduct, have a clear conscience and upright thinking.

9. Rizal believed that Filipinos should be educated in intelligence and heart for them to live a
worthy life.
✔ Rizal believed that a man is serene if he has an unruffled mind. The mind and the heart
should not overpower one another, they should be united instead. A united mind and
heart will lead to a less stressful life; there will be no internal conflict.

10. Rizal emphasized that teachers should be better than their students.
✔ Great teachers have the ability to change lives better. Teachers should know better than
their students in order for them to teach effectively. Effective teaching is a great factor
contributing to a student’s achievement.

11. Studying should be full of love and joy

✔ We should enjoy learning and we should love it so that it will be manifested in us. We
should love it because it is a treasure that no one can steal from us. It is an illustrated
excursion into the minds of the noble and the learned.

12. Rizal believed that teachers should improve themselves professionally.

✔ Teachers should improve themselves professionally in order to produce effective teaching.
Improved teachers mean that they can produce a higher standard of education and a
different level of learning.

13. RIZAL BELIEVED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS THE FOLLOWING ROLES IN RELATION TO
EDUCATION:
⮚ Rizal asked the government to solve the problems of education
⮚ Rizal believed that the school is the basis of society
⮚ Rizal wished the education of the masses
⮚ Rizal battled for primary education
⮚ Rizal advocated vocational education
⮚ Rizal believed in the usefulness of science
⮚ Rizal believed in academic freedom
⮚ Rizal emphasized the great importance of personal discipline
⮚ Rizal pointed to the need of fulfilling our duties as citizens of the Philippines
⮚ Love of country should be taught
⮚ Rizal believed in man’s duty to respect the rights of others
⮚ Rizal would stimulate arts and letters
⮚ Rizal believed in an education that meets the demands of modern times
⮚ Rizal championed the right of teachers to a better pay
⮚ Rizal practiced a work-oriented type of education
LESSON 6: INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL IN HIS POEMS
1. “Sa Aking mga Kababata”
2. “Education Gives Luster to the Motherland”
3. “To the Filipino Youth”

A. LEARNING OUTCOMES:
After reading this lesson, you should be able to:
1. read in detail the poems of Jose Rizal;
2. cull out the principles embodied in these poems; and
3. give ways on how we can apply these principles in our life.

B. KEY CONCEPTS:

1. SA AKING MGA KABATA

Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibig

Sa langit salitang kaloob ng langit
Sanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapi
Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid

This first stanza in Rizal's poem shows that long before he sprouted the first fruits of his youth,
he had already placed distinguished value in the importance of one's mother tongue. According
to these verses, if a nation's people wholeheartedly embrace and love their native language, that
nation will also surely pursue liberty. He likens this idea to a bird soaring freely in the vast,
eternal sky above.

Pagka’t ang salita’y isang kahatulan

Sa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharian
At ang isang tao’y katulad, kabagay
Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.

Language here is likened to a people born into freedom. In Rizal's time, Filipinos were held in
slavery by Spain. Rizal, however, believed that if the people treasured and loved and used their
mother tongue, it would become a symbol of relative freedom, and of identity.

Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita

Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda
Kaya ang marapat pagyamanin kusa
Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala

It is here in these lines of verse that we find Rizal's famous quote: "He who does not love his own
language is worse than an animal and smelly fish." He further adds that Filipinos must work to
make the language richer, and likens this endeavor to a mother feeding her young. The native
tongue is now compared to a helpless child that must be nurtured in order to grow and flourish.

Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin,

Sa Ingles, Kastila, at salitang anghel,
Sapagkat ang Poong maalam tumingin
Ang siyang naggagawad, nagbibigay sa atin.

The Tagalog language is, according to these lines, equal in rank to Latin, English, Spanish, and
even the language of the angels. It is not inferior to any other language, nor must it be considered
so. It is God who has bestowed upon the Filipinos this gift, just as He has blessed the other
nations and lands with their native tongues.

Ang salita nati’y tulad din sa iba

Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,
Na kaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwa
Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.
These last lines may very well be referring to the Alibata, or the old Filipino alphabet whose
characters are unique in every essence, finding no likeness in any other alphabet. The Tagalog
language, according to Rizal, has letters and characters of its very own, similar to the way other
"elite tongues" do. These letters, however, were overthrown by strong waves and lost, like
fragile, fickle boats in the stormy sea, many long years ago.

2. EDUCATION GIVES LUSTER TO THE MOTHERLAND

Wise education, vital breath

Inspires an enchanting virtue;
She puts the Country in the lofty seat
Of endless glory, of dazzling glow,
And just as the gentle aura's puff
Do brighten the perfumed flower's hue:
So education with a wise, guiding hand,
A benefactress, exalts the human band.

In this first stanza, Rizal expresses that education is what builds up a country and allows her to
rise above the rest in matters of honor and a good name. He likens a guided and relevant
education to the vibrance of a flower.

Man's placid repose and earthly life

To education he dedicates
Because of her, art and science are born
Man; and as from the high mount above
The pure rivulet flows, undulates,
So education beyond measure
Gives the Country tranquillity secure.

From the time of a man's birth to the moment of his death, he is constantly engaged in the
journey of learning. This can come in the form of a formal education and a structured curriculum,
or in the essence of daily living. And in this continued journey, people begin to discover and
innovate, create and recreate, giving birth to great discoveries and breathe taking wonders. Rizal
likens education to a rivulet, a stream, a brook, that provides a certain peace as the water
endlessly flows.

Where wise education raises a throne

Sprightly youth are invigorated,
Who with firm stand error they subdue
And with noble ideas are exalted;
It breaks immortality's neck,
Contemptible crime before it is halted:
It humbles barbarous nations
And it makes of savages champions.

Knowledge and wisdom enliven and embolden the young. With the sword of education they are
able to identify errors and correct them. They are able to find fault in the seemingly faultless
fabric of earthly knowledge and smother it with truth. They are well-respected for the ideas they
bring to the world.

A good education is an effective remedy to the problem of criminal acts and unlawful pursuits.
Even nation who wishes nothing more than to divide, conquer, and control is silenced when they
open their ears to the voice of wisdom, which stops hatred in its tracks and promotes the welfare
of the people. Even savages, turn into champions when they are afforded a good education.

And like the spring that nourishes

The plants, the bushes of the meads,
She goes on spilling her placid wealth,
And with kind eagerness she constantly feeds,
The river banks through which she slips,
And to beautiful nature all she concedes,
So whoever procures education wise
Until the height of honor may rise.
From her lips the waters crystalline
Gush forth without end, of divine virtue,

Knowledge is likened to a spring that nourishes everything its water touches. The spring of
knowledge is everlasting; there is no end to it.

And prudent doctrines of her faith

The forces weak of evil subdue,
That break apart like the whitish waves
That lash upon the motionless shoreline:
And to climb the heavenly ways the people
Do learn with her noble example.

In the education and enlightenment of the soul, man is able to overcome the powers of evil,
which in this stanza, are likened to the waves that lash upon the shore. Yet when man opens his
eyes to the divine revelation and acquires knowledge in matters of the spirit, he is able to defeat
the oppression of evil and "climb the heavenly ways."

In the wretched human beings' breast

The living flame of good she lights
The hands of criminal fierce she ties,
And fill the faithful hearts with delights,
Which seeks her secrets beneficent
And in the love for the good her breast she incites,
And it's th' education noble and pure
Of human life the balsam sure.

Here, education is likened to a balsam, producing medicinal effects to the many afflictions of the
human race, which are generally and singularly rooted in the propensity for evil. The acquisition
of good wisdom enables man to magnify his passion for good and continually shun temptation.

And like a rock that rises with pride

In the middle of the turbulent waves
When hurricane and fierce Notus roar
She disregards their fury and raves,
That weary of the horror great
So frightened calmly off they stave;
Such is one by wise education steered
He holds the Country's reins unconquered.

An educated man does not sway when trials come. He stands firm in the midst of trouble and
remains courageous in times of despair. Great horrors cannot frighten him as they do other
people. Education provides her country with strong and respectable citizens who are ready to
fight for her honor no matter the cost.

His achievements on sapphires are engraved;

The Country pays him a thousand honors;
For in the noble breasts of her sons
Virtue transplanted luxuriant flow'rs;
And in the love of good e'er disposed
Will see the lords and governors
The noble people with loyal venture
Christian education always procure.
The achievements of an educated man are not forgotten, and he passes his wisdom on to the
generations that come after him. He becomes a beacon to his family and sets a good example
for the youth. In this stanza, Rizal also stresses the great importance of a Christian education,
as opposed to one that lacks the spiritual aspect, which he obviously considers an essential
cornerstone.

And like the golden sun of the morn

Whose rays resplendent shedding gold,
And like fair aurora of gold and red
She overspreads her colors bold;
Such true education proudly gives
The pleasure of virtue to young and old
And she enlightens out Motherland dear
As she offers endless glow and luster.

The poem ends in a splash of color as the author likens a good education to lights of the sun and
the aurora. Great wisdom picks no favourites; young and old benefit from it and delight in its
joys. Rizal closes the verse with an image of his country with the sun overhead, a sun that
embodies the virtues and wonders of a good education, which he dreams for every citizen to
enjoy.

3. TO THE FILIPINO YOUTH

Unfold, oh timid flower!

Lift up your radiant brow,
This day, Youth of my native strand!
Your abounding talents show
Resplendently and grand,
Fair hope of my Motherland!

Soar high, oh genius great,

And with noble thoughts fill their mind;
The honor's glorious seat,
May their virgin mind fly and find
More rapidly than the wind.

The first line, "unfold, oh timid flower," implies that the youth is silent, maybe daunted, and
consequently has not yet gone into full bloom for whatever reason there is that may have silenced
them. In the beginning stanza, Rizal encourages the youth, by telling them to hold their heads
high for they possess talents and skills and abilities that would make their country proud.

The second verse can be rearranged in contemporary English to say: "Oh genius great, soar high;
and fill their mind with noble thoughts. May their virgin mind fly and find the honour’s glorious
seat more rapidly than the wind." Here, Rizal calls to genius to fill young minds with noble
thoughts and hopes that as they release their thinking from the chains that bind, they may be
able to soar swiftly high where the joy of honour is.

Descend with the pleasing light

Of the arts and sciences to the plain,
Oh Youth, and break forthright
The links of the heavy chain
That your poetic genius enchain.

Contrary to the second verse, which talked about ascending and soaring to the heights, this third
stanza now talks about descent, and a downward motion of the great genius to fill the earthly
strokes of art and science with their magnificent ideas? Again, Rizal calls them to break the chains
that bind their intellect. "Poetic genius" here does not necessarily pertain to the talent of writing
poetry. Instead, the term "poetic" is simply an adjective to describe genius, meaning that it is
deep and mystifying and heavy with meaning.

See that in the ardent zone,

The Spaniard, where shadows stand,
Doth offer a shining crown,
With wise and merciful hand
To the son of this Indian land.

Rizal challenges the youth; that in their pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, they may humble the
hand of Spain, whose proud chin did not look kindly upon the people whom they labelled as
"Indios" and whom they treated with contempt. He dreams that in their journey to intellectual
greatness they may humble even the proudest nations that look down on them and rightfully
deserve "a crown that shines, even where shadows stand."

You, who heavenward rise

On wings of your rich fantasy,
Seek in the Olympian skies
The tenderest poesy,
More sweet than divine honey;

You of heavenly harmony,

On a calm unperturbed night,
Philomel's match in melody,
That in varied symphony
Dissipate man's sorrow's blight;

In these two stanzas, Rizal calls the youth to seek the beauty of poetry and music, which he
himself values greatly as essentials in every manner of life. He claims that poetry is "sweeter than
divine honey," and that music can "dissipate man's sorrow's blight."

You at th' impulse of your mind

The hard rock animate
And your mind with great pow'r consigned
Transformed into immortal state
The pure mem'ry of genius great;

Speaking to the youth, Rizal says that by the very impulse of their mind, they are capable of
bringing to life or animating even something as lifeless and unmoving as a hard rock. He continues
to say that the youth is able, to immortalize their thoughts and their words through the help of
great genius (as he has done himself. This stanza can be arranged in a more contemporary
English structure as follows: "You can animate the hard rock at the impulse of your mind; and
transform, with the great power of your mind, the pure memory of great genius into immortality."

And you, who with magic brush

On canvas plain capture
The varied charm of Phoebus,
Loved by the divine Apelles,
And the mantle of Nature;

Rizal here addresses the youth, comparing their abilities to a magic brush that can capture even
the most majestic views and the most glorious charms on a blank canvas.

Run! For genius' sacred flame

Awaits the artist's crowning
Spreading far and wide the fame
Throughout the sphere proclaiming
With trumpet the mortal's name
Oh, joyful, joyful day,
The Almighty blessed be
Who, with loving eagerness
Sends you luck and happiness.

The last stanza is a charge, urging the youth to run, for a glorious crown awaits them. The
"sphere" here pertains to the world, showing that Rizal believed the Filipino youth is as brilliant
as those in any other nation, and is able to contend with even the strongest powers if they only
set their mind to making most of what they already have.

4. MI ULTIMO ADIOS (MY LAST FAREWELL)

Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun caressed,

Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,
With gladness I give you my Life, sad and repressed;
And where it more brilliant, more fresh and at its best,
I would still give it to you for your welfare at most.

These are the words of one about to die for his country. He expresses no regret but only gladness,
knowing that in giving his life, he is giving his country the greatest gift any citizen could offer.

On the fields of battle, in the fury of fight,

Others give you their lives without pain or hesitancy,
The place does not matter: cypress laurel, lily white,
Scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom's site,
It is the same if asked by home and Country.

Here Rizal says that it does not matter where one dies, but why one dies and to what purpose.
Whether it’s “scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom’s site,” all death hold the same honour if
given for home and Country.

I die as I see tints on the sky b'gin to show

And at last announce the day, after a gloomy night;
If you need a hue to dye your mutational glow,
Pour my blood and at the right moment spread it so,
And gild it with a reflection of your nascent light!

Rizal’s execution was set at sunrise, thus the meaning of the first and second lines. He employs
the visual senses in his poetic use of colour, and then in the third and fourth lines, adds the bright
red tint of his blood to the scene, and gilds it with golden sunlight. The use of these devices
ignites passion in the reader, as it is felt – a hundred times more so – in the writer, even without
explicit use of words signifying feeling.

My dreams, when scarcely a lad adolescent,

My dreams when already a youth, full of vigor to attain,
Were to see you, gem of the sea of the Orient,
Your dark eyes dry, smooth brow held to a high plane
Without frown, without wrinkles and of shame without stain.

Since his childhood, even as other children dreamed of childish things, Rizal dreamed of seeing
his country free, esteemed, and with head held high.

My life's fancy, my ardent, passionate desire,

Hail! Cries out the soul to you, that will soon part from thee;
Hail! How sweet 'tis to fall that fullness you may acquire;
To die to give you life, 'neath your skies to expire,
And in your mystic land to sleep through eternity!

Here, he showers her with praise. He is his life’s fancy, his ardent and passionate desire. He
shouts “Hail!” as many would to their God. He says in the third line that it is sweet to fall so that
his country may acquire fullness, and then continues on in the succeeding lines, “to die to give
you, life.” But his joy does not end in the act of dying, but continues beyond the grave, where he
shall sleep in his country’s mystic land through eternity. As one dies for God, Rizal dies for country.
And as one looks forward to heaven, Rizal’s heaven – in these lines, at least – lies in being buried
in the land of his ancestors.

If over my tomb someday, you would see blow,

A simple humble flow'r amidst thick grasses,
Bring it up to your lips and kiss my soul so,
And under the cold tomb, I may feel on my brow,
Warmth of your breath, a whiff of your tenderness.

In this stanza, Rizal likens his soul to that of “a simple humble flower amidst thick grasses.” The
use of this comparison says a lot about how Rizal sees himself – timid, simple, humble, surrounded
by the unrelenting forces of society. He imagines that after his death, he will live on in the bosom
of his motherland, and never cease to enjoy her love, which he begs her to express with a kiss.

Let the moon with soft, gentle light me descry,

Let the dawn send forth its fleeting, brilliant light,
In murmurs grave allow the wind to sigh,
And should a bird descend on my cross and alight,
Let the bird intone a song of peace o'er my site.

Rizal’s love for nature is again depicted in these next four lines. It is interesting that he
enumerates the moon, the dawn, the wind, and a bird to pay homage to his grave, yet does not
mention close friends or specific people. Perhaps it is a simple image of his reunion with nature
that he wants to bring to mind; perhaps it is also an expression of the loneliness and isolation
that he has felt and continues to feel in his fight for freedom.

Let the burning sun the raindrops vaporize

And with my clamor behind return pure to the sky;
Let a friend shed tears over my early demise;
And on quiet afternoons when one prays for me on high,
Pray too, oh, my Motherland, that in God may rest I.

The mention here, of a friend, is the closest he gets to company. And the mention of God in the
fourth line is the closest he gets to praying for a spiritual heaven. That Rizal beseeches his country
to pray that his soul may rest in God is in line with the Roman Catholic belief that all men are
sinners and that salvation is to be earned and cannot be determined before the grave.

Pray thee for all the hapless who have died,

For all those who unequalled torments have undergone;
For our poor mothers who in bitterness have cried;
For orphans, widows and captives to tortures were shied,
And pray too that you may see your own redemption.

In these four lines he gives his motherland a list of the things he wishes her to pray for. He
remembers all of the martyrs who have suffered the same fate as he will, who have died for their
country; the mothers, wives, and children they have left behind who suffer no less for being
abandoned. He also, in a hopeful closing note, asks her to pray for herself.

And when the dark night wraps the cemet'ry

And only the dead to vigil there are left alone,
Don't disturb their repose, don't disturb the mystery:
If you hear the sounds of cittern or psaltery,
It is I, dear Country, who, a song t'you intone.

Clearly Rizal has not imagined that a monument would eventually be built over his grave and has
pictured his final resting place as a humble cemetery where he shall, even after death, sing a
song of devotion for his motherland.

And when my grave by all is no more remembered,

With neither cross nor stone to mark its place,
Let it be plowed by man, with spade let it be scattered
And my ashes ere to nothingness are restored,
Let them turn to dust to cover your earthly space.

In this next stanza, Rizal wishes to then be “plowed by man” when his grave is no longer
remembered, and be scattered as he returns to be part of the dust that covers the land he had
died for. What actually happens in real life, though, is an uncanny parallel. On December 30,
1896, on the day of his execution, Rizal’s remains were buried in an unmarked grave in the Paco
Cemetery. Years later, however, his remains were exhumed and on December 30, 1912, they
were brought to their final resting place in the base of the monument at Luneta.

Then it doesn't matter that you should forget me:

Your atmosphere, your skies, your vales I'll sweep;
Vibrant and clear note to your ears I shall be:
Aroma, light, hues, murmur, song, moanings deep,
Constantly repeating the essence of the faith I keep.

The first line in this stanza begins following the assumption that our hero’s ashes have now been
spread over the land. Rizal envisions that once he has returned to her in this manner, it will no
longer matter if the country forgets him because he will be with her, everywhere, as dust in the
atmosphere, blowing in the skies, in the wind, and still singing songs and murmuring words of
devotion.

My idolized Country, for whom I most gravely pine,

Dear Philippines, to my last goodbye, oh, hearken
There I leave all: my parents, loves of mine,
I'll go where there are no slaves, tyrants or hangmen
Where faith does not kill and where God alone does reign.

Here we come to a more submissive yet hopeful tone. Rizal bids farewell to his one great love –
his country – and yet looks forward to being with God, where there are no slaves, tyrants or
hangmen.

Farewell, parents, brothers, beloved by me,

Friends of my childhood, in the home distressed;
Give thanks that now I rest from the wearisome day;
Farewell, sweet stranger, my friend, who brightened my way;
Farewell, to all I love. To die is to rest.

To close, Rizal now finally mentions specific people: parents, brothers, friends of his childhood.
In other translations, the fourth line reads, “Adios sweet-tender foreigner—my friend, my
happiness,” which historians have interpreted to allude to Josephine Bracken, the daughter of an
Anglo-Saxon father and a Chinese mother, whom many believe – although it is frequently
challenged – he secretly married an hour before his death.
REFERENCES:

A. BOOKS
As-il, E.J. F.2019. Rizal. Saint Andrews Publishing House. Plaridel, Bulacan, Philippines.

Capino, D. G. 2005. Rizal’s Life, Works and Writings: Their Impact on our National
Identity. Goodwill Trading Company, Incorporated. Makati City, Philippines.

Crudo, E.R.P. et. al. 2019. The Life, Works, and Writings of Jose Rizal. Rex Bookstore.
Manila, Philippines.

De Viana, A.V., et al. 2018. Jose Rizal: Social Reformer and Patriot. Rex Bookstore.
Manila, Philippines.

Duka, C.D. & Pila, R.A. 2010. Rizal: His Legacy to Philippine Society. Anvil Publishing,
Incorporated. Pasig City, Philippines.

Ocampo, A. 2008. Rizal without the Overcoat. Anvil Publishing, Incorporated. Pasig City,
Philippines.

Zaide, G.F. & Zaide, S.M. 2012. Jose Rizal: Life, Works, and Writings of a Genius, Writer,
Scientist, and National Hero. All- Nations Publishing Company, Incorporated. Quezon
City, Philippines.

Zulueta, F.M. 2012. Rizal: Life, Works and Ideals. National Book Store. Mandaluyong
City, Philippines.

B. ONLINE SOURCES

http://thelifeandworksofrizal.blogspot.com/2012/01/interpretation-sa-aking-mga-
kababata.html
http://thelifeandworksofrizal.blogspot.com/2013/06/interpretation-education-gives-
luster.html
http://thelifeandworksofrizal.blogspot.com/2013/06/interpretation-to-filipino-youth.html
http://thelifeandworksofrizal.blogspot.com/2018/03/interpretation-mi-ultimo-adios-my-
last.html