ACTIVITY 19

Earl Bien D. Celestino BSIT-DS 12

Answer the following questions.

1. What are the recurring themes in the other novels of Rizal?

The recurring themes of Rizal’s novels are:

Colonialism, Religion, and Power:

Noli Me Tangere, a political book by José Rizal, explores how

Spanish colonialism of the Philippines gave the Catholic church the
power to dominate and rule the area. A decade or so after Rizal's
book was released, colonialism created tensions that eventually
sparked the Philippine Revolution, which saw the native Filipinos rebel
against Spain's oppressive religious and governmental institutions.
Rizal demonstrates the shocking degree to which the Catholic friars
have taken control of the nation's politics and culture by manipulating
the lives of Filipino citizens in an effort to establish their dominance
and influence through Ibarra, the book's protagonist who returns to the
Philippines after spending seven years in Europe. Thus, Rizal shows
how the Catholic priests' corruption and unfettered power are caused
by a love of supremacy that colonialism has enabled and promoted
rather than by real religious fervour.

Education:

As a means of fighting tyranny, Rizal emphasizes education. By

constructing a school in San Diego, Ibarra, a well-known individual
who gained respect for himself by studying in Europe, fervently
promotes the value of intelligence and education. By doing this, he
hopes to empower the locals in ways that are independent of the
church. Ibarra must persuade the friars that his educational goals are
directly tied to their own religious ideals because they are reluctant to
support such activities. However, the friars do everything in their
power to surreptitiously thwart his attempt to further secular
knowledge as it becomes evident that he has no loyalty to the church.
As a result, in the colonized Philippines, Rizal opposes religion and
education, depicting religion as an oppressive force and education as
a liberating force.

Revolution and Reform:

 Given the extent of the dominance of Spanish friars and the
Spanish colonial administration over the Philippines, it is only logical
that Rizal would concentrate most of his emphasis on the prospect of
political reform. He contrasts the violent revolutionary ideology of Elas
with the moderate liberalism reflected by Ibarra as two schools of
thought for enacting political change. The first strategy promotes
reform within the framework of the oppressive governmental and
ecclesiastical forces already in place in the Philippines. This viewpoint
claims that there is still value in preserving the current system. The
second strategy, promoted by Elas, calls for the total overthrow of the
current power institutions, which are fundamentally defective and
incapable of experiencing organic change.

Isolation:

Isolation, whether it be political, religious, or intellectual

isolation, is one of the main ways characters in Noli Me Tangere lose
their authority. Politically speaking, none of the personalities are
connected to Spain, the country that rules over the Philippines. The
populace are harmed while the friars profit from the isolation. Any
character who rejects Catholic dogma is shunned and called a heretic
in terms of religion. When characters like Tasio openly express a
preference for alternative views, such as those supported by
philosophy or logical reasoning, they frequently experience intellectual
isolation, which is often tied to this religious seclusion.

2. What could be the reasons why the novels were never completed?

Perhaps as a result of Rizal's execution, although there is no

recognized explanation for why the novel was not completed.
3. Considering it took Rizal five years to write the Noli Me Tangere and
four years to write El Filibusterismo, could it be possible for Rizal to
write other novels? Why?
Rizal didn't just concentrate on the two works; he also wrote
additional novels at the same time.
4. If El Filibusterismo was a sequel to Noli Me Tangere, why was Rizal
not able to write its sequel?
Rizal may have been struggling at the time due to a lack of funds
for publication and the two books that the Spaniards saw as a threat to
them.
5. What could be the reasons why Rizal considered writing about the
old Filipino nobility in the context of his studies on the precolonial
past of the Philippines?
 In an age where the Spanish are revered, Rizal wishes to remind
people that we have our own culture to be proud of.
6. Compare how does the Church influence politics in the time of Rizal
and in contemporary times
Churches had a significant impact on Philippine politics during
Rizal's period, and they might endorsing the position contender. Church
influence is still seen in the present, just like it is during elections.