Noli Me Tangere,

Letter to the
Women
Young of
Malolos, The
Indolence of the
Filipinos

P age
01
Noli Me
Tangere
Rizal drew his inspiration in writing Noli Me

Tangere from a book entitled Uncle Tom’s

Cabin which was authored by Harriet Beacher

Stowe.
Toward the end of 1884, he began writing in

Madrid, where he finished about half of the

book. l W hen Rizal went to P aris, in 1885, after

completing his studies in the Central University

in Madrid, he continued writing the novel, P age
02
Noli Me Tangere
Rizal finished the last fourth of the novel in Germany.
He wrote the last few chapters of the Noli in

Wilhelmsfeld in April-June, 1886.

In Berlin during the winter days of February, 1886. Rizal

made the final reversions on the manuscript of the Noli.

Maximo Viola- Rizal friend from Bulacan, arrived in Berlin at

the height of Rizal despondency and loaned him the

needed funds to publish the novel: savior of Noli

P age
03
Noli Me Tangere
After the Christmas season, Rizal put the finishing
touches on his novel. To save printing expenses, he

deleted certain passages in his manuscript, including

a whole chapter- “Elias and Salome”

February 21, 1887 the Noli was finally finished and

ready for printing

Berliner Buchdruckrei-Action-Gesselschaft - a

printing shop which charged the lowest rate, that is

300 pesos for 2,000 copies of the novel

P age
04
Noli Me Tangere
And immediately Rizal sent the first copies to his
intimate friends. They were Blumentritt, Dr.

Antonio Regidor, G. Lopez Jaena, M ariano

P once, and Felix Hidalgo

M arch 29, 1887 Rizal, in token of his appreciation and

gratitude, gave Viola the galley proofs of the Noli

carefully rolled around the pen that he used in writing

it and a complimentary copy, with “To my dear friend,

Maximo Viola, the first to read and appreciate my

work- Jose Rizal”

P age
05
Noli Me
Tangere
The title Nole Me Tangere is a Latin phrase

which means “Touch Me Not”. The title has its

origin in a famous biblical passage; the Gospel

of John (Chapter 20 Verses 13 to 17).

Rizal dedicated his Noli M e Tangere to

the P hilippines- “To M y Fatherland”

P age
06
 The cover
Upper
Triangle
-This represents Rizal's past
life.
Silhouette of a
Filipina
- believed to be M aria Clara or as the "Inang Bayan" to whom Rizal dictates
of
Noli
the
novel

Me
Cross/Crucifix

- represents the Catholic faith as it rises above Inang Bayan and Filipinos
(shows
dominance) it also symbolizes sufferings and
death Tangere
-it was designed by Rizal. It is
a ketch of explicit
symbols.
P age
07
 The cover
P omelo Blossoms & Laurel
Leaves
- they represent faith, honor and fidelity, which are the values Rizal aspires to
be
embodied by
Filipinos
- pomelos are used to scent their air commonly during prayers and
of
Noli
cleansing
rituals. Laurel leaves are used as crowns during Greek
Olympics

Me
Burning
Torch
- refers to the Olympic torch (awakening of Filipino consciousness) it also
sheds
light to the text of the
manuscript Tangere
-it was designed by Rizal. It is
a ketch of explicit
symbols.
P age
08
 The cover
Sunflower

- it symbolizes a new beginning, it is compared to the happiness of

which
appears to be always bowing
down
Lower
of
Noli
Triangle
-This represents Rizal's currents
situations.

Me
Feet

- it symbolizes the power of the friars, it is placed on the base of the

triangle
(foundation) because without friars, the Filipinos cannot stand on their
own Tangere
-it was designed by Rizal. It is
a ketch of explicit
symbols.
P age
09
Shoe
s
- it represents wealth, it is also the footprints left by friars in teaching
The cover
Catholicism
Hairy
Legs
of
Noli
- it symbolizes the Legend of the Wolf, the wolf shape shifts just like how
friars
hide their true nature and

Me
character
Helmet of a Guardia
Civil

Tangere
- it represents the arrogance of those in
authority

-it was designed by Rizal. It is

a ketch of explicit
symbols.
P age 10
 The cover
W hip

- it represents the abuses and cruelties done by the Spaniards and friars
as
depicted in the
novel
Flogs
of
Noli
(Suplina)
- it is used for self-
flagellation

Me
- just like the whip, this also symbolizes the cruelties of the Guardia
Civil
Chain

- it symbolizes slavery and

imprisonment Tangere
-it was designed by Rizal. It is
a ketch of explicit
symbols.
P age 11
Rizal's
Signature
- it shows that Rizal experienced and witnessed the ills and abuses
The cover
that
happened during his
time
of
Noli
Bamboo
Stalks
- it represents Filipino

Me
resiliency
- despite the sufferings, Filipinos can still stand tall and
firm

Tangere
-it was designed by Rizal. It is
a ketch of explicit
symbols.
P age 12
 Noli Me Tangere

Characters
Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y M agsalin

M aría Clara de Los Santos y

The novel Noli M e Tangere contains 63 chapters and an
Alba Dámaso Verdolagas
epilogue
Eliás
Characters of Noli M e Tangere Don

In his letters to Blumentritt, Rizal stresses the fact that every Anastacio

character in the Noli is drawn from real life, that every Padre Salvi

Don Santíago de los

episode can be repeated on any day in the P hilippines, that
Santos Doña Consolacíon
he experienced not only the events depicted in the novel
Doña Victorina de los Reyes de
but also even much worse ones.
Espadaña Don Tiburcio de Espadana

Sisa

Crispin and Basilio

 the
Crisostomo Ibarra is depicted as one of
w ho m an aged to fin ish their studies
Filipinos
for
abroad. He had been living abroad
se v en Unlike h is countrym en . He ha s a liberal
years.
mind. Outspoken and
idealis tic.
is the most dominant
yet weakest
representation of
women in the setting.
When thinking of Noli,
the name of María María C la r a de L o s Santos
Clara can be seen
predominantly as the y Alba
image of the ideal
Filipino woman.
Dámaso Verdolagas
(commonly known as Padre
Dámaso/Padre Damaso or
Father Damaso)
of Franciscan order, was
the former curate of the
parish church of San
Diego.
 Eliás

came from the family which the

Ibarra clan had oppressed for
generations.
He grew up in a wealthy family
until he discovered something
that changed his life forever.
D o n Anastacio
commonly known as Fi
lósofo
o)
Tacio (Philosopher Tasy
one of the most importa
is nt
the
characters in Noli. On
one as
hand, he is referred to
a philosopher/sage
ope,
Pi(hloesnc o Tasyo) because his
ea s w ere ac cu rat e w ith the
id
minds of the townspeop
le
 Padre Salvi
he has a secret admiration
to Maria Clara.
On the later part of the
story he and padre
Damaso devised a plan to
break Ibarra and
Maria Clara apart
 an tía go de
Don S
los S an to s

m o n l y k n o wn as
Elcom s on
it á
Ka Tiago,
p n is t h e o n ly
f a r a d e r in M a labon.
wealthy t
o
t h e r C s c r u e lty,
tDo his mo
u e
any
ap it á
KTiago didn n o t a tta i n
formal educatio
n.
 D a
Co nsola cío
n
once a laundry wom
an
whoworked for the
to
Alfw n z. She
ere
web echay m
alt eer marrying a
aft
Spanis h
hus band.
 Doña Victorina de los
Reyes de Espadaña

is the one who pretended to be a meztisa

(a Spaniard born in the Philippines) and
always dreamed of finding a Spanish
husband, in which she married Don
Tiburcio
 and
Don Tiburcio is the husb
of Doùa
Victorina.
lHe was known for
charging exorbitant fees
for his medical treatment.
 Sis
a
Narcisa is married to the man
named Pedro and the mother of
Basilio and Crispín. She depicts
how Filipino mothers love their
children unquestionably.
 Cr is pi n and
Ba sil io
children of Sisa and were
the
sacris tan and server of San
Diego
Church
To the Young Jose Rizal’s legacy to Filipino women is

Women of Malolos personified

in his famed essay, “To the Young W omen of

M alolos.” Dr. Jose Rizal addresses all kinds of

women – mothers, wives, the unmarried, etc.

and expresses everything that he wishes them

to remember.

“To the Women of Malolos” was originally

written in Tagalog. Rizal penned this writing

when he was in London, in response to the

request of Marcelo
H. del P ilar.
P age 26
 The salient points contained in this letter are as
follows:

1.The rejection of the spiritual authority of the friars – not all of the
priests

in the country that time embodied the true spirit of Christ and His
Church. Most of them were tainted by worldly desires and used

worldly methods to force discipline among the people,

2.The defense of private judgment

3.Qualities Filipino mothers need to possess , Rizal is deeply concerned

of the welfare of the Filipino children and the homes they grow up

in.

P age 27
 The salient points contained in this letter are as
follows:

4.Filipino mother's roles and obligations toward their children

5.Wife's duties and obligations to her husband - Filipino women are

recognized for their submissiveness, tenderness, and love. In this section

of his letter, Rizal discusses how Filipino women should behave as

spouses in order to maintain the race's identity.

6.Advice to young ladies on how to choose a lifetime partner

P age 28
 The battling spirit displayed by the young
ladies of inspired Jose Rizal

RIZAL’S
M alolos
expresses considerable
tremendously. He
MESSAGE TO delight and satisfaction at the fight they had
fought in his message. In this section of
FILIPINO Rizal's
letter, it's clear that his ultimate goal was for

WOMEN women to have access to the

same educational possibilities that males did.

P age 29
 Young ladies were not sent to school in those
days since it was widely assumed that
RIZAL’S they
would soon get married and stay at home

MESSAGE TO with
the children. Rizal, on the other hand,
FILIPINO emphasizes the importance of freedom of
WOMEN thought and the right to education for both
boys and
girls.

P age 30
THE
RESPONSIBILITIES
OF FILIPINO In this section of his letter to the young women
MOTHERS TO of

THEIR CHILDREN
Malolos, Rizal emphasizes a few key themes.
However, the key notion is that whatever a
mother demonstrates to her children is what the
children will become as well. If the mother is
constantly kissing the friars' hands in obedience,
her children will grow up to be sycophants and
mindless fools who do nothing but do what they
are told, even if the work at hand violates their
own rights.

P age 31
QUALITIES MOTHERS HAVE TO
POSSESS
Rizal enumerates the qualities Filipino mothers have to
possess:

1.Be a noble wife.

2.Rear her children in the service of the state –

here Rizal gives reference to the women of

Sparta who embody this quality

3.Set standards of behavior for men around her.

P age 32
 RIZAL’S ADVICE
TO
UNMARRIED
MEN AND
WOMEN
Rizal further adds that there are three
Unmarried women, Jose Rizal warns,
things that a young woman must look
should not be fooled by appearances
for in a man she intends to be her
and looks, which can be misleading.
husband:
Instead, they should pay attention to
1.A noble and honored name
men's strong personalities and lofty
2.A manly heart
ideals.
3.A high spirit incapable of being

satisfied with engendering slaves.

P age 33
 Conclusion
According to Zaide &Zaide (1999), “To the Women of Malolos”
centers around five salient points

1.Filipino mothers should 3. Filipino women should

be 5. Faith is more than just
teach
saying
their children love of God, country aware of how to safeguard their
prayers and wearing religious
and fellow countrymen. honor and dignity.
symbols. It entails behaving in
2.Filipino mothers should be 4. In addition to preserving their
and
glad honored, like Spartan good racial Filipino a genuine Christian manner,
values,
mothers, to their sons educate with excellent morals and
offer in women should
defense of their themselves
country. manners.
.

P age 34
T he WHAT?
WHER When
Indolence Sobre la indolencia
de los filipinos
E hed
o f t he
July 15,
("On the Indolence publis in 1890 –
of the Filipinos") La September
is a socio-

Filipinos political essay solidaridad 15, 1890

written by José
Rizal in Madrid

Wha is Indolence re In d o le n c ia de lo s Fi lip ino s?

W hy did R iz al w rite Sob
What is nIdolence
t - a response to the To defend the
accusation of Indio
Filipinos by
-Little love or Malay indolence. -
for work
saying that they
He traces its causes
-lack of to factors such as are by nature not
indolent
energy/activity the climate and
social disorders.
The Indolence of the Filipinos

Indolence is a word synonymous to laziness, avoidance of an activity

or exertion.

"The Indolence of the Filipinos” is an essay written by Jose Rizal to

investigate the causes to what is said was the laziness of Filipinos during
the Spanish reign. In the essay, Rizal stated a number of factors that
caused the inactivity of the Filipino people.

P age 35
 First, the founding of the Galleon Trade

restricted business with only Mexico through

Spain and severed the Philippines' existing ties

with other Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Second, due to the forced labor

implemented by the Spaniards, the natives’

willingness and love for their work was

extinguished. Because of the wars between

Spain and other countries in Europe as well as

the Muslims in Mindanao, the Filipinos were

compelled to work and even recruited as crew

for deployed vessels.

P age 36
 Third, Spain failed to safeguard her citizens Fifth, the Spaniards set a poor example by

against foreign invaders and pirates. As a result, despising manual labor. The officials arrived at

the Filipinos were forced to become nomads, work at midday and left early, doing nothing in

lost interest in cultivating their lands or accordance with their responsibilities.

resurrecting the businesses that had been shut Sixth, during those times, gaming was

down, and just surrendered to God's established and greatly spread. There were

compassion. cockfights almost every day, and on feast days,

Fourth, the questionable education system. the government officials and friars were the first
What were taught in schools were repetitive to become involved in various bets and

prayers and other things that the students gambles.

could not use to lead the country forward.

P age 37
 Finally, taxes were extraordinarily high,

to the point where a significant

Seventh, there existed a twisted amount of their earnings went to the

religious system. The friars persuaded government or the friars. When the
the naive Filipinos that a poor man object of their labor was removed and
had an easier time entering paradise, they were exploited, they were
thus they opted not to work and be reduced to inaction.
poor so that they may easily reach

heaven after they died.

P age 38
L

“A hot, climate requires of the individual

quiet
and rest, just as cold incites to labor and
action.”

“An hour’s work under that burning sun, in

Excerpts from the midst of pernicious influences springing

from nature in activity, is equal to a day’s

the essay... labor in a temperate climate.”

P age 39
 - a response to the accusation
of
Indio or M alay indolence.
Why did Rizal - He traces its causes to factors
such

write Sobre as the climate and social disorders

-To defend the Filipinos by saying
Indolencia de that they are by nature not

los Filipinos? indolent

P age 40
Two main reasons why the
Filipinos are indolent:
·Defects of training
Limited training at home,

school Inactivity results from

this

One will move to being a copycat (suited to

nature) Do what is told to us (e.g., giving gold to

church, etc.)
·Lack of national sentiment
“A man in the Philippines is only an individual; he is not a member of a nation.

He is forbidden the right to association, and is; therefore, weak and sluggish.” P age 41
 Summary
He defends the Filipinos by saying that they are not
indolent by nature because in fact, even before the In the end, Rizal sums up the main causes of
arrival of Spaniards, Filipinos have been engaged in indolence to the limited training and education
economic activities such as agriculture and trade. Filipino natives receive and to the lack of national
Indolence therefore has more deeply rooted causes sentiment and unity among them. Education and
such as abuse and discrimination, inaction of the
liberty, according to Rizal, would be the cure to
government, rampant corruption and red tape, wrong
Filipino indolence.
doctrines of the church and wrong examples from
some Spaniards who lead lives of indolence which
ultimately led to the deterioration of Filipino values.

P age 42
Thank You
For Listening

P age 43