The Life and Works of Jose Rizal

Metacognitive Reading Report # __

2B HAU Introduction – Necessary Fiction

Title of Article:______________________________________________________________________

Cordova, Martin Sydney V.

Name: _______________________________ 01/04/24
Date: ____________

1. Three (3) Things that I significantly learned from the readings

I learned from this reading that authors such as Jose Rizal, Nick Joaquin, and

Carlos Bulocan have left a legacy of not only resurrecting the nationalist charter of the

past, but also of empowering us to feel free and dignified since we are on an equal

footing with the Spanish. By gaining knowledge from their works, we may become more

resilient and muster the bravery to stand up for ourselves as well as the country.

I now know that the government spent millions to preserve Jose Rizal's legacy

and memory. In addition to erecting monuments, naming streets in his honor, and

establishing a national holiday on the anniversary of his passing, pictures of Rizal have

been shown in classrooms. Additionally, the portraits of Rizal are seen on the bills.

Despite these initiatives, Rizal's writings continue to be disregarded, and not many people

genuinely read or comprehended what he had to say. A crucial role that Rizal's legislation

plays in rebuilding our nation's identity.

Reading Rizal's writings carries certain risks. It runs the risk of being viewed in

an inherently biased way and of being interpreted politically by ideological readers.

Because of this, the Catholic hierarchy disapproves of Rizal's writings because they

damage the Catholic church's reputation. Although Rizal's books don't aim to harm the

Catholic church's reputation, there is a risk that reading them might cause strong

emotions or sensations to surface. Therefore, reading Rizal's book runs the risk of being

misinterpreted.

2. Three (3) Things that are still unclear to me

Rizal's demise allows us to mock the pervasive horrors of the Spanish era. Even

more perplexing is the fact that some people who choose to ignore the truth are wealthy

and well educated. What steps can we take to revive the nationalist spirit that overthrew

the last Spanish government? As well as How abrupt shifts in a country's history have
 complicated the fundamental aspirations of that nation—freedom and growth. What are

the contributing reasons to this situation? How can we stay away from it?

How culture may be a viable solution to an issue still a mystery. What are the

potential ways that culture might help address an issue? How does culture react to an

issue?

3. I used to think that….

The accusations and issues raised by various points of view during Spanish

colonialism are the sole things that Rizal's comments on The Morga concentrate on. His

works mostly illustrate the Filipino people's absorption into the Spanish colony and the

effects this had on the local populace at the time. However, after closely reading and

comprehending the texts, I discovered that his annotations covered more ground than just

the negative implications of what actually occurred at the time. They also discussed how

colonialism affected society at the time and how it altered people's practices, beliefs, and

mindsets about the past. The book focused on the positive and negative effects of

colonialism, providing an eyewitness account of what occurred to Philippine society.

4. Three (3) questions that I want to ask about the readings

Why are Rizal's writings still considered heretical by the Catholic hierarchy?

Rizal had no intention of harming the reputation of the Catholic church. Rizal wished to

confront the mistreatment committed by Catholic friars in the era of Spanish rule.

If the Rizal Bill had remained the same, would our feeling of national identity

have become stronger? Would we have fully accepted Rizal's life and works and aroused

the spirit of nationalism that once sparked a revolution if the Catholic hierarchy had not

voiced concerns about his novels?

Lastly, if other writers like Nick Joaquin, Carlos Bulosan, and the writer of

Hulagpos areas prolific to make nationalist themed works, why do we not study their

works as well?