EDRIAN B.

CABALLES
BS CRIM-3 BLK-1
THE LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL
ASSIGNMENT #8

QUESTIONS:
1. Make a reaction paper about the “Letter to the Woman of Malolos”.
Everything starts with women. It was women who carry and give birth to a child. It was
also them who started raising them. And from the moment a child is born, they are influenced
by their mother because she is the one nurturing, guiding, and caring for them. He had
enumerated the traits on what a mother should teach her children, sincere and firm of purpose,
clear judgment, clean procedure, honesty in act and deed, love for the fellowman and respect
for God.
While reading Rizal’s letter to the Malolos’ young women, I noticed that he discussed a
few points regarding the friars. It made me think, how are the friars and their evils correlated to
his letter for the young women of Malolos who strive for a privilege to get an education? It was
because the friars, the corrupt and evil friars, are using their authority and faith of the people, of
the women, for their immoral and selfish interests
Jose Rizal has unfolded the abuses and the manipulation of the friars in order to open up
the eyes of the Filipinos, of the women, to stop being blinded by their preaches and be
reasonable. Hence why education is really important, in order to stop the blind faith and
ignorance. Rizal is very open on his educational reforms wherein both men and women are
granted the same rights and privilege in accessing education. Rizal believes that men and women
are equal and that it is not nonsensical to nurture talent and intellect. The true foolishness is
making use of religion and limiting the education by only teaching about religion which stops
their development and progress.
 In conclusion, I do respect Rizal’s opinion on women. I can see that he values, and he
treats everyone equally. I can also see how he respects mothers and their roles and
responsibilities. I really do appreciate Rizal’s thoughts and amazement towards the Filipino
women of Malolos. He has grasped the need for the equality and rights of both men and women.

2. What is the Rizal’s concept of the Indolence of the Filipino?

Rizal wrote Sobre la indolencia de los filipinos as a five-piece essay for La Solidaridad (just
like Filipinas dentro de cien años). Published in 1890, Sobre la indolencia de los filipinos was
written as a response to the accusation that Filipinos were lazy who would rather gamble their
money than work in the farm. He started the essay by illustrating what the Philippines was like
before the Spanish came into the archipelago. Citing Pigafetta, Morga, among others who
recounted the abundance of the islands and the diplomacy of the natives when trading with the
foreigners. Then, Rizal elucidated how the Filipinos were reduced into idiocy when the Spaniards
came to conquer the country.