Jean Bhea H.

Valencia The Life and Works of Rizal

BSA 1 Monday and Thursday 10:30-12:00 pm

1. Identify the leading characters and their symbolism.

 Juan Crisostomo Ibarra - One of the leading characters in Noli Me

Tangere or the main Protagonist in this novel is a young Filipino who study
in Europe for seven years. He represent Rizal and symbolize a patriotic,
educated, and liberty minded of a Filipino. Ibarra is Rizal’s reflection of
himself.
 Ibarra’s father, Don Rafael - a wealthy land owner and died in prison
after quarreling with Padre Damaso. Rizal used him in the Noli to represent
a wealthy landlord with a social conscience.
 Padre Damaso- a parish curate and godfather of Maria Clara which it
turns out that he was the real father of Maria Clara. Symbolizes a typical
Spanish friar from Rizal's time, as well as the corrupt and power-hungry
Spanish government.
 Maria Clara- a beautiful and accomplished girl who’s engaged to Ibarra
and the supposed daughter and only child of the rich Capitan Tiago and
after she hears Ibarra’s death she joins a convent. She is a representation
of Leonor Rivera as well as an ideal Filipina woman who is demure,
religious, gentle, and possesses the purity and innocence of a sheltered
native (Filipino) woman during the Spanish occupation.
 Capitan Tiago or Don Santiago de los Santos- known as rich father of
Maria Clara and the town head of San Diego. He is the depiction of a
wealthy Filipino who oppresses his countrymen. A politician who is greedy
and only concerned with his own personal interests.
 Elias- the mysterious friend and saved by Ibarra in return he also help
Ibarra to fake his death and sacrificed himself to divert the attention of the
civil guards and got shot, escaped and ask the young Basilio to build a pyre
and burn his body. He represent a common Filipino, he did everything he
could to defend and protect them from the Spaniards' injustices. It was
also stated that he was the representation of Andres Bonifacio.
 Padre Salvi, - young and gloomy Franciscan, the successor of Padre
Damaso and he plots a violent uprising against the Civil Guards and blames
Ibarra for it and he secretly admired Maria Clara. Padre Salvi represents
those who use their power to manipulate the weak and poor for personal
 gain. He was based on a real person named 'Padre Antonio Piernavieja.'
He was the loathed Augustianian friar of Bulacan, Cavite, who was
assassinated by patriots during the Revolution.

2. C. What are the objectives of Dr. Jose Rizal in writing the Novel (2)

Rizal main objective in writing these novels because he wants the Filipinos
to have freedom and to awaken Filipinos' ignorance of their own country's rights from
the Spaniards. Rizal wishes to change Filipino freedom and rights. Basically, his novel is
dedicated to the Philippines and its people, and it discusses Filipinos' sufferings under
the Spanish government. It also discusses the brutality and corruptions of Spaniards, as
well as the power hold of the Catholic Church, and this novel serves as an eye
opener for every Filipino about what's really going on. His objective also is to expose
the ills of Philippine society during the Spanish colonial era, when the Spaniards forbade
Filipinos from reading the controversial novel due to the novel's depiction of illegal acts.
It tells us that we must patronize our country by following the law, promoting our own
culture, and realizing the true goal of the country by working together to improve it.

Officials in El Filibusterismo attempted to maintain an educational monopoly.

This meant that not everyone had an equal opportunity to improve themselves through
education. Rizal proved that those in power prefer to rule over the ignorant. He desired
for Filipinos to live better lives. As a result, Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo to illustrate to
his countrymen that proper education and a decent standard of living are accessible for
all. Moreover, he emphasized that in order to obtain the freedom he hoped, we must all
work together as a nation to fight the wrongdoings in our society. Both novels aim to
educate Filipinos about what is going on in the country. They also want people to fight
for their nation and have complete liberty.