STORTY TRAILS AND HISTORY TRAILS
Maurren Salido
1 The Birth of Rizal and his
Earliest Years in Kalamba
Jose Rizal was born on
Wednesday, June 19, 1861.
Rizal was born into a
middle-class
household.
Fransisco Rizal put in a lot of
effort to ensure that his 9
daughters and 2 sons
received a good education.
Teodora, Rizal's mother, led
the family in midnight
prayers, and his nurse
would tell them interesting
stories.
Rizal experience misfortune
when Concepcion, his
younger sister, died when
he was four years old.
Trinidad Jose traveled with
his father after the birth of
his brother. This occurred in
June of 1868. They traveled
through Cainta, Taytay, and
Antipolo before arriving in
Manila to visit Saturnina,
who was a Concordia
College student.
2 The Schooling of Rizal in Biñan
They transferred to his aunt's house, where he will be staying. Jose
thought Bian to be enormous and wealthy, but neither handsome nor
joyful, as his cousin showed him about. Francisco, who was born in Bian,
desired for Jose, who was nine years old at the time, to study Latin there.
Jose set out under the supervision of his older brother. His brother fled
after being led to the schoolmaster, who spoke Latin and Spanish
fluently. Jose was making fun of himself because of his lack of
understanding of both languages, which led to him winning a fight with
one of his classmates. His peers thought he was a skilled wrestler as a
result of the incident. One day, a boy challenged him to a fight, which
nearly resulted in Jose breaking his head on the sidewalk, as well as the
other penalties he received as a result. Despite this, he always placed
first in competitions and was referred to as a decent youngster. He and
his pals got along swimmingly. He and his classmate José Gueverra were
class painters who had an appreciation for art. He also assisted his
teacher's father-in-law in painting.
3 The Daily Life of Rizal in Biñan
With them, his life was simple. He gets up at four a.m. to go to mass or
to study before going to mass. After admiring the trees in the yard, he
has breakfast.
Jose shared a home in Bian with his aunt, two cousins, and three halfcousins. He became acclimated to their regular routine during his stay
there. His aunt used to sit on the floor and read the Tagalog bible. His
cousin was a maiden who frequently confessed and performed
penances, while his cousin's brother was a widower. Because the elders
forbade the children from playing inside the house, he spent much of his
time outside with cousins his age. One of them was tomboy, a fierytempered but forthright and kind-hearted young lady who treated him
as if he were her own brother.
Jose left Bian in December 1870. With regret and heartfelt thanks, he
said his farewell to the close ties he built during his time there. It was
then that he first saw a streamer, which startled and awed him. To look
after him, he was accompanied by a French friend of his father.
4 The Birth of Rizal in Earlier years in
Kalamba
Jose's parents decided that he
should stay in Kalamba for now and
then relocate to Manila for his
schooling. Despite his desire to
study with the town's greatest
instructor, there was nothing more
he could learn from him except
multiplication. As a result, he
enrolled in a village school. Don
José, his uncle, returned from
Europe during this time to an
absent wife and neglected children.
Don José agreed to take Teodora
back when he found her, which he
did. A few days later, the wife
planned with a Guardia Civil officer
who happened to be a Rizal family
friend.
The aim was to accuse Don José of
attempting to poison his wife with
the help of Teodora. Teodora was
unfairly imprisoned as a result of
this. The alcalde took a stand
against Teodora, behaving harshly
and brutally towards her. He
offered her an ultimatum to
confess to what they wanted in
order for her to return home and
see her children. She lost her spirit
as a result of the threat and
submitted to their will.
It wasn't until the matter went to
the Supreme Court that the alcalde
petitioned for her pardon because
he was beginning to feel guilty.
Teodora's lawyer was able to prove
her innocence two and a half years
later.
5 Rizal as a Student in Manila
Jose arrived late at Ateneo Municipal, appeared frail, and was
undersized for his age. This was one of the reasons why the Jesuit
priest in charge of the school was hesitant to admit Jose.
Fortunately, Padre Burgos' nephew spoke well of him.
He begins by attending mass in his uniform before proceeding to
the classroom. He got along well with his peers and had a
positive relationship with his professors. His studies were
successful. He was always at the end of the line, however, due to
his inability to communicate adequately in Spanish.
He stayed in a tiny house about a quarter-mile from the campus.
He began his week in class before spending his leisure time at
Santa Isabel College, where he paid three pesos per month to
learn. He was heading his team a month later. He was soon
winning awards and getting good marks. After achieving his
objectives, a teacher said something to him that made him
unhappy, and he only came in second place at the end of the
year.
He went to the event with his sister on his vacation. He went to
meet her mother alone after not seeing her for about a year,
hoping to surprise her with his good grades, but they ended up
crying in each other's arms.
Following his vacation, he looked for a place to live near his
school and resumed his studies. At the conclusion of the year, he
was awarded a medal. In his spare time, he enjoyed reading
historical fiction. He won awards towards the end of his third
year.
When he returned for his fourth year, he took a room with his
brother, praying and playing with the children of his landlord. His
mother was released free after a short time. Despite her best
efforts to dissuade Jose from attending school in Manila, he
stayed in the Walled City.
He studied metaphysics for the wishes of his father despite his
obvious dislike. He continued his studies with his friend,
frequently visiting his youngest sister in La Concordia College. He
went home to his Mother and saw that she had almost lost her
eyesight but nevertheless was joyful.
He realized that he does not know where he’s going for he had
always followed the path the others have intended for him.
5 The First Reading Lesson
Jose and his mother were
awakened in the middle of the
night on one occasion. Jose was
being taught Spanish by Teodora,
who was using a worn-out book.
She became irritated after hearing
her kid speak the language so badly
and reprimanded him after seeing
the amusing drawings on the old
pages. As his mother read the
novel, Jose sat raptly listening. He
quickly became bored with the
words and became indifferent,
opting instead to gaze at the
beautifully dancing fire. Teodora
became aware of this and read him
a fable about a moth, heeding a
caution not to approach the flame
too closely. He realized as he grew
older that the heart he had as a
child was still inside him. He still
believes in the need of protecting
the light, even if it means giving
one's life.
The Childhood Expressions of Rizal
Jose considered how people lived in different parts of the
world that he couldn't see. He witnessed the Guardia Civil
oppressing the inhabitants in his village for failing to show
respect at a distance. Within the hamlet, acts of violence and
brutality had become the norm. He was intrigued by the idea
of peace.