THE LIFE, WORKS & WRITINGS OF JOSE RIZAL

 R.A 1425 Rizal’s Law – an act to include in the curricula of all public & private schools,
colleges, & universities courses on the life, works, & writings of Jose Rizal, particularly
his novels Noli Me Tangere & El Filibusterismo, authorizing the printing & distribution
thereof, & for other purposes.

 Jose P. Laurel – sponsor of Rizal Law

 Claro Mayo Recto – author/main proponent of the law
 Rizal Law was enacted & signed on June 12, 1958- same day as Philippine Independence
Day

 Three Main Goals of the Law:

- To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of freedom & nationalism, for which our
heroes lived & died
- To pay tribute to our national hero for devoting his life & works in shaping the
Filipino character
- To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through the study of Rizal’s life, works, &
writings

 CONTENTS:
- SECTION 1: Mandates the students to read the two novels of Rizal. These novels
shall be included in the curricula of all schools, colleges, & universities, public or
private
- SECTION 2: Mandates the schools to have an “adequate number” of copies in
their libraries
- SECTION 3: Orders the Board of National Education to publish the works in
English, Tagalog, & other major Philippine Languages.
- SECTION4 4: Prohibits the discussion of religious doctrines by persons engaged
in any public school
- SECTION 5: A sum of PHP3,000 is appropriated to carry out the purposes of the
law
- SECTION 6: Shall take effect upon its approval

 Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda

 Rizal is the Founder of Philippine Nationalism

 The Greatest Hero of the Malayan Race

 He was a polymath, nationalist, & the most prominent advocate for reforms

 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ON RIZAL’S TIME

- FEBRUARY 19, 1861 – the Czar Alexander II issued Emancipation Manifesto

1861
- JUNE 19, 1861 – American Civil War’s raging furiously in US due to Negro
Slavery
- SEPTEMBER 22, 1862 – Benito Juarez was elected President of Mexico
- JUNE 12, 1864 – Archduke Maximillian of Austria was installed by Napoleon III
as puppet emperor of Mexico
- England – Known as the World’s Leading Imperialist Power
- Queen Victoria – proudly asserted “Britannia rules the waves”
- British Colonies
- Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Maldives, Aden, Malaysia, Singapore, Egypt, Australia, New
Zealand
 - JULY 8, 1853 – Commodore Matthew C. Perry reopened Japan to the world
ending Japan’s 214-year isolation.
- Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito) - modernized Japan by freely accepting Western
influences – imperialism.
- Spain – “Mistress of the World”

 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE PHILIPPINES ON RIZAL’S TIME

 Filipinos were unfortunate victims of the evils of the unjust, bigoted, deteriorating
colonial power

 EVILS OF THE UNJUST COLONIAL POWER

- Instability of Colonial Administration

- Corrupt Officialdom
- No Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes
- Human Rights denied to Filipinos
- No Equality Before the Law
- Racial Discrimination
- Forced Labor or “Polo Y Servicios”
- Haciendas Owned by the Friars

 JOSE RIZAL’S EARLY EDUCATION

 Early Education in Calamba & Biñan

- First non-formal teacher was his mom
- Influenced by his Uncles Jose Alberto (sketching, sculpture, & painting),
Gregorio (reading), Manuel (martial arts)
- Private Tutors: Maestro Celestino, Maestro Padua, Leon Monroy
- Aged 8, he was sent to Justiniano Aquino Cruz school in Biñan (1869)
- First day of school, he was asked by Maestro Cruz (teacher) “Do you know
Spanish/Latin?” to which Rizal replied “A little, Sir!” Immediately his classmates
laughed, especially Pedro.
- Had brawls with Pedro (wrestling) which he won & Andres Salandanan (arm
wrestling), where he lost
- He had 2 fights per day brawls
- Penned a Spanish play & played on the school
- Maestro Cruz “knew by heart” the grammars by Nebrija & Gainza
- Rizal surpassed all his classmates in Spanish, Latin, & other subjects
- Received a letter from Saturnina that informed him of the arrival of the steamer
Talim that would take him to Calamba (December 1870)
- Went back to Calamba through with Arturo Camps
- During (1872) heard disgusting events
 Execution of Gomburza & Mother’s Imprisonment
- Teodora Alonso (Rizal’s mom) was said to be forcedly walk in rough roads
before being jailed in Santa Cruz. According to Gregorio Zaide (50 km Calamba –
Santa Cruz), whilst Jacoba Faustina-Cruz, a relative of the Alonso’s (16 km –
Biñan – Calamba)

 NOLI ME TANGERE
PROPOSAL ON WRITING A NOVEL ABOUT THE PHILLIPINES
- Filipinos were not known in Europe, practically mistaken as Chinese in Spain &
Japanese in Germany
- Indios Bravos – term coined by Rizal which was used by the Filipino expatriates
in the Paris exposition in 1889 to have a sense of National Identity
 - Circulo Hispano-Filipino - where Rizal presented a proposal on writing a novel
about the Philippines
- His proposal was unanimously approved by his friends
- But this proposal did not materialize because those whom he expected to
collaborate with him did not do anything
- His expatriates were indifferent to the project since they were more interested in
gambling & flirting with women
- Pedro Paterno – published his novel entitled “Ninay: Costumbres Filipinas”
(Filipino Customs), this made Rizal happy because somehow someone reacted to
his proposal

 IDEAS ON WRITING A NOVEL ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES

- Spoliarium by Juan Luna – reflection of the spirit of the social, moral, & political
life of his time because it clearly showed mankind under severe ordeal, mankind
unredeemed, & reason & aspiration in an open struggle with fanaticism &
injustice
- The Wandering Jew by Eugene Sue – an anti-clerical novel

 THE WRITING OF THE NOVEL

- Madrid – Rizal completed the first half of the novel
- Paris – completed ¼ of the novel
- Berlin – finished the novel on February 21, 1887

 PEOPLE INVOLVED
- MAXIMO VIOLA
- Savior of the Noli Me Tangere
- Visited Rizal in Berlin before Christmas of 1887
- Was shocked to see Rizal living in poverty & deplorably sick because of lack of
proper nourishment
- Financed the printing of the Novel by giving Rizal PHP300
- He also received the original handwritten manuscript with the pen used by Rizal
in writing the novel as a sign of his gratitude to the man who helped in the
printing of his novel
- Berliner Buchdruckei-Action-Gesselschaft – published the novel, charged the
lowest rate of PHP300 for 2,000 copies
- Ferdinand Blumentritt, Antonio Ma. Regidor, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, Mariano
Ponce, & Felix Resurreccion-Hidaldgo – received the first copies of the novel

 TITLE OF THE NOVEL

- Noli Me Tangere – Latin phrase for “Touch Me Not”, phrase Rizal got from the
Bible
- In a letter addressed to Felix R. Hidalgo, Rizal claimed that the phrase came from
the Gospel of Luke, Rizal made a mistake
- It was actually Gospel of St. John – CH. 20 Verses 13-17
- Motherland – where the novel was dedicated
- Social Cancer – a disease that Rizal used to convey the condition of the
Philippines

 COVER OF THE BOOK

- Title – cuts diagonally across the front covering a handwritten dedication
- Handwritten Dedication – apparently for his parents
- “In writing… thinking… always… it was you who implanted in me… the first
ideas… this manuscript… proof of love.”
- Silhoutte of a girl’s head – Maria Clara
- Two hairy calves protrude from a haze, the feet enclosed in sandals – Padre
Damaso
- Constabulary helmet
 - Whio
- A length of chain
- Thorny bamboo branches
- Flowers
- Graveyard cross

 CHARACTERS OF THE NOVEL (drawn by Rizal, actually existed during his time)
- Juan Crisostomo Ibarra – protagonist, represented the affluent & liberal European
educated Filipino (Illustrado), desired the education of the people
- Elias – represented the Filipino masses, wanted to liberate the people from the
injustices suffered from the Spaniards
- Represented Rizal himself
- Maria Clara – object of Ibarra’s love & affection, trained in a convent &
immersed in education that is religious in orientation
- Salome (Elias’ girlfriend) – similar with Maria Clara epitomizes womanhood in
their fidelity, shyness, & modesty.
- Represents Leonor Rivera
- Padre Damaso – the main antagonist in the novel, typical domineering friar during
Rizal’s tome, arrogant, immoral & anti-Filipino, often mistaken as a Dominican
priest
- Pilosopo Tasyo – perceived to be a sage by the educated & a lunatic or weird by
those who did not know him
- Represents Paciano, Rizal older brother
- Capitan Tiago – Don Anastacio de los Santos, husband of Pia Alba, his wealth
came from illegal opium trade, example of a subservient Filipino to the Spanish
authorities for protection & security
- Sisa – mother of Crispin & Basilio, symbolizes the Filipino’s lack of concern in
facing & resolving problems confronting Filipino society, this character illustrates
the typical Filipino mother, ready to defend their children from all forms of
injustice & accusations
- Basilio & Crispin – represents the Crisostomo brothers in Bulacan

 RZAL’S DIAGNOSIS OF FILIPINO SOCIETY

- Friars – were the enemies of reforms progress & justice in the Philippines,
- (1) Agrarian problem in Calamba between the Dominicans & the tenants like his
family, while he was in Europe
- (2) The influence of the Spanish friars against secularization of the parishes
- Rizal’s overall assessment of the Philippine political situation in 1886 & 1872
- Abuses of the friars were evident (forced labor, tax collection, school inspection,
intelligence officers)

 RIZAL’S FRIENDS WHO PRAISED THE BOOK

- Ferdinand Blumentritt – his congratulating was the most significant, considers
Rizal as a man of extraordinary talent.
- Antonio Ma. Regidor – a Filipino exile in London for his alleged participation in
the 1872 uprising, said that the book is superior & Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere will
be equal to the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes of Spain

 OTHER WORKS PUBLISHED BY RIZAL’S FRIENDS IN EUROPE

- Pedro A. Paterno – Ninay (1885, Madrid)
- Marcelo H. Del Pilar – La Soberania Monalas (1889, Barcelona)
- Graciano Lopez-Jaena – Discursos y Articulos Varios (1891, Barcelona)

 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
- Second novel written by Rizal, sequel to Noli Me Tangere
- Similar to Noli Me Tangere, it was also written in Spanish
- “The Reign of Greed” in English
 - Consists of 38 Chapters
- Book was dedicated to the three martyred priests of Cavite mutiny, their
execution was significant to the title of the novel
- Rizal had to define the word “Filibustero” to his German friend, Ferdinand
Blumentritt who did not understand the use of the word in Noli Me Tangere
- In a letter Rizal explained that the word is little known in the Philippines, he only
came across it for the first time in 1872 when the tragic executions took place

 HISTORY OF THE NOVEL

- Took three years to write
- Began writing in October 1887 while he was in Calamba
- London (1888) he revised the plot & some chapters, Rizal continued to work on
his manuscript in Paris
- He later moved to Brussels where the cost of living was cheaper, would be less
likely to be distracted by social events so he could finish the book
- Completed on March 29, 1891 in Biarritz
- September 18, 1891 – novel was published in Ghent, partially funded by Rizal’s
friend Valentin Ventura, Rizal immediately sent on this date two printed copies to
Hong Kong, one for Basa the other for Sixto Lopez
- Rizal gratefully donated the original manuscript & an autographed printed copy to
Valentin Ventura
- Rizal sent complimentary copies to - Ferdinand Blumentritt, Mariano Ponce,
Graciano Lopez-Jaena, Antonio Luna, T.H. Pardo de Tavera, Juan Luna, & other
friends
- The El Nuevo Regimen-Liberal Madrid newspaper serialized the novel in its
issues of October 1891
- The original manuscript in Rizal’s own handwriting is now preserved in the
Filipiniana Division of the Bureau of Public Libaries in Manila
- Acquired by the Philippine government from Valentin Ventura for PHP10,000
- Consists of 279 pages of long sheets of paper

 OBJECTIVES ON WIRITING THE NOVEL

- To defend Filipinos from foreign accusations of foolishness & lack of knowledge
- To show how the Filipino people live during Spanish colonial period & the cries
& woes of his countrymen against abusive officials
- To discuss what religion & belief can really do to everyday lives
- To expose the cruelties, graft, & corruption of the false government & honestly
show the wrongdoings of Filipinos that led to further failure

 CHARACTERS
- Simoun (Crisostomo Ibarra in Noli Me Tangere) - wealthy jeweler, sporting a
beard, blue-tinted glasses, & a revolver. Secretly plans a revolution to seek
revenge for those who wronged him
- Maria Clara – girlfriend of Ibarra, daughter of Capitan Tiago & Doña Pia Alba,
biologically her father is Padre Damaso
- Basilio (from Noli Me Tangere, son of Sisa) – after his mother’s death, he became
a vagabond until Capitan Tiago took him out of pity, hired him as a houseboy in
exchange for sending him to medical school, as he graduated, he discovered
Simoun’s real identity & befriended him, his girlfriend is Juli
- Juli – Juliana de Dios, youngest daughter of Kabesang Tales, to free his father
from bandits, she worked under Hermana Penchang as a maid, she was freed
eventually but committed suicide after Father Camorra attempted to rape her
 NON-MAJOR CHARACTERS
- Isagani
- Juanito Pelaez
- Paulita Gomez
 - Makaraig
- Father Camorra
- Ben-Zayb (anagram for Ybanez)
- Don Custodio
- Placido Penitente
- Kabesang Tales
- Gobernador Heneral
- Pecson
- Father Florentino
- Quiroga
- Father Fernández
- Doña Victorina
- Sandoval
- Father Sibyla
- Father Irene
- Father Salvi
- Pepay
- Hermana Penchang
- Tiburcio de Espadana
- Don Timoteo Pelaez
- Tandang Selo
- Hermana Bali
- Father Millon
- Tadeo
- Leeds
- Tano

 NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO, COMPARISON CHART

Noli Me Tangere El Filibuterismo

Romantic Novel Political Novel
Book of the Heart Book of the Head
Book of Feeling Book of Thought
Has Freshness Has Bitterness, Color, Humor, Hatred,
Pain, Violence, Intelligence, & Sorrow
64 Chapters 34 Chapters