Life and works of Rizal
JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was
born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of
11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished
families. His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal called "a model
of fathers," came from Biñan, Laguna; while his mother, Teodora Alonzo y Quintos, a highly
cultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal called "loving and prudent mother," was born in
Meisic,
Sta.
Cruz,
Manila.
At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write,
he already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family and relatives by his
pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he wrote a Tagalog
poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on the love of one’s language. In
1877, at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of "excellent"
from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In the same year, he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters at
the University of Santo Tomas, while at the same time took courses leading to the degree of
surveyor and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He finished the latter course on March 21, 1877
and passed the Surveyor’s examination on May 21, 1878; but because of his age, 17, he was
not granted license to practice the profession until December 30, 1881. In 1878, he enrolled in
medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop in his studies when he felt that the
Filipino students were being discriminated upon by their Dominican tutors.
On May 3, 1882, he sailed for Spain where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central
de Madrid. On June 21, 1884, at the age of 23, he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in
Medicine and on June 19,1885, at the age of 24, he finished his course in Philosophy and
Letters with a grade of "excellent." Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he
mastered 22 languages. These include Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German,
Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish,
Tagalog, and other native dialects. A versatile genius, he was an architect, artists,
businessman, cartoonists, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor,
journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, ophthalmic surgeon,
poet, propagandist, psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian. He was an
expert
swordsman
and
a
good
shot.
In the hope of securing political and social reforms for his country and at the same time educate
his countrymen, Rizal, the greatest apostle of Filipino nationalism, published, while in Europe,
several works with highly nationalistic and revolutionary tendencies. In March 1887, his daring
book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of the
Spanish clergy, was published in Berlin; in 1890 he reprinted in Paris, Morga’s SUCCESSOS
DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS with his annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilization
worthy to be proud of even long before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil; on September
18, 1991, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, his second novel and a sequel to the NOLI and more
revolutionary
and
tragic
than
the
latter,
was
printed
in
Ghent.
Because of his fearless exposures of the injustices committed by the civil and clerical officials,
Rizal provoked the animosity of those in power. This led himself, his relatives and countrymen
into trouble with the Spanish officials of the country. As a consequence, he and those who had
contacts with him, were shadowed; the authorities were not only finding faults but even
fabricating charges to pin him down. Thus, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago from July 6,
1892 to July 15, 1892 on a charge that anti-friar pamphlets were found in the luggage of his
sister Lucia who arrive with him from Hong Kong. While a political exile in Dapitan, he engaged
in agriculture, fishing and business; he maintained and operated a hospital; he conducted
classes- taught his pupils the English and Spanish languages, the arts. The sciences, vocational
courses including agriculture, surveying, sculpturing, and painting, as well as the art of self
defense; he did some researches and collected specimens; he entered into correspondence
with renowned men of letters and sciences abroad; and with the help of his pupils, he
contracted water dam and a relief map of Mindanao- both considered remarkable engineering
feats.
His sincerity and friendliness won for him the trust and confidence of even those assigned to
guard him; his good manners and warm personality were found irresistible by women of all
races with whom he had personal contacts; his intelligence and humility gained for him the
respect and admiration of prominent men of other nations; while his undaunted courage and
determination to uplift the welfare of his people were feared by his enemies. When the
Philippine Revolution started on August 26, 1896, his enemies lost no time in pressing him
down. They were able to enlist witnesses that linked him with the revolt and these were never
allowed to be confronted by him. Thus, from November 3, 1986, to the date of his execution, he
was again committed to Fort Santiago. In his prison cell, he wrote an untitled poem, now known
as "Ultimo Adios" which is considered a masterpiece and a living document expressing not only
the hero’s great love of country but also that of all Filipinos. After a mock trial, he was convicted
of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In the cold morning of December 30,
1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with varied activities which proved
that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who treat him as a slave, was shot
at Bagumbayan Field.
Rizal as to Compare with other Asian heroes
Rizal and Sun Yat sen -- Sun Yat-sen has been attributed as the 'Father of the Chinese
Revolution' but this may not be totally acceptable. To regard Sun as solely responsible for the
making of the Chinese Revolution was but a fantastic inflation by hagiographers. It unfairly
neglects the work of other revolutionaries like Huang Hsing who were also decisive in creating
the Chinese Republic. Again, Sun has been termed 'an idealist rather than a statesman, an
easy prey to any plausible new ideas.' Some went to the extreme to say that Sun had nothing to
do with the actual work of overthrowing the monarchy because the revolution was finished when
he reached China. To accept this last view would mean a total rejection of the significance of
Sun in the revolutionary movement and in the history of modern China. Yet this criticism was
again not based on historical fact. For it is true that he was away when the Wuchang rising
broke out. But well before the outbreak of the revolution, it was Sun that spread the
revolutionary idea and urged for the support of the revolution. Even during the revolution, he
sought for the neutrality of the Powers. Other contributing factors -- The other causes which
contributed to the collapse of the Manchu rule in which Sun played little or no part need to be
scrutinized. The Chinese revolutionary movement in general started well before Sun's
advocacy. People of different walks of life had perceived the decadence of the Manchu rule and
the threat of foreign imperialism. Intellectuals, especially, yearned for either reforms or
revolution in place of the Manchu dynasty. They knew the essential difference between an
ethnic
dynasty
and
the
concept
of
modern
nationalism.
Anti-Manchu feelings were also facilitated by the constitutional movement starting from 1905.
Constitutionalists gathered together to debate and discuss vital current and political issues.
They became the people who resisted Manchu re-centralisation program and seceded from
Manchu
rule
immediately
after
the
Wuchang
Uprising.
The political, social and economic problems which coalesced with the railway controversy in
1910 and 1911 also produced a revolutionary atmosphere conducive to insurrections. The
Railway Protection Clubs' movement became the focal point of anti-Manchu rule. The reallocation of troops into Szechuan, leaving Hunan and Hupei militarily semi-empty, finally
provided the revolutionary spark.
Rizal and Mahatma Ghandi - Mahatma Gandhi and Indian Freedom MovementMahatma
Gandhi was an important part of Indian independence movement even when he was not in
the country. He noticed the political condition of the country while he was still in South Africa
and urged his countrymen to observe non-violence and remain truthful in order to achieve
freedom from the British.
Rizal and Mother Teresa - mother Teresa of Calcutta, the champion of poor and needy was
beatified on 19th October 2003 by Pope John Paul II, after she died in 1997. After her
death, Mother Teresa came to be regarded as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church and
her beatification was the first step on her path to sainthood. The ceremony of the
beatification of this Macedonian nun who dedicated her life to humanity, took place in Rome
leading to an immense increase in her popularity and people’s belief in her vocation.
Rizal’ s Social and poltical Ideas
That body of knowledge relating to society including the wisdom which man's experience in
society has taught him is social philosophy. The facts dealt with are principles involved in nation
building and not individual social problems. The subject matter of this social philosophy covers
the problems of the whole race, with every problem having a distinct solution to bolster the
people’s
social
knowledge.
man in society; influential factors in human life;racial problems;social constant;social
justice;social ideal;poverty and wealth; reforms;youth and greatness;history and progress; future
Philippines.
The above dealt with man’s evolution and his environment, explaining for the most part human
behavior and capacities like his will to live; his desire to possess happiness; the change of his
mentality; the role of virtuous women in the guidance of great men; the need for elevating and
inspiring mission; the duties and dictates of man’s conscience; man’s need of practicing
gratitude; the necessity for consulting reliable people; his need for experience; his ability to
deny; the importance of deliberation; the voluntary offer of man’s abilities and possibilities; the
ability to think, aspire and strive to rise; and the proper use of hearth, brain and spirit-all of these
combining to enhance the intricacies, beauty and values of human nature. All of the above
served as Rizal’s guide in his continuous effort to make over his be
In Rizal’s political view, a conquered country like the Philippines should not be taken advantage
of but rather should be developed, civilized, educated and trained in the science of selfgovernment.
He bitterly assailed and criticized in publications the apparent backwardness of the Spanish
ruler’s
method
of
governing
the
country
which
resulted
in:
the
bondage
and
slavery
of
the
conquered
;
the Spanish government’s requirement of forced labor and force military service upon the n
natives; the abuse of power by means of exploitation; the government ruling that any complaint
against the authorities was criminal; andMaking the people ignorant, destitute and fanatic, thus
discouraging
the
formation
of
a
national
sentiment.
Rizal’s guiding political philosophy proved to be the study and application of reforms, the
extension of human rights, the training for self government and the arousing of spirit of
discontent over oppression, brutality, inhumanity, sensitiveness and self love.loved Philippines.
Rizal’s Novels
Noli Me Tangere - Having completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisostomo Ibarra
comes back to the Philippines after a 7-year absence. In his honor, Captain Tiago throws a gettogether party, which is attended by friars and other prominent figures. In an unfortunate
incident, former curate Father Dámaso belittles and slanders Ibarra. But Ibarra brushes off the
insult and takes no offense; he instead politely excuses himself and leaves the party because of
an allegedly important task
The day after the humbling party, Ibarra goes to see María Clara, his love interest, a beautiful
daughter of Captain Tiago and an affluent resident of Binondo, Manila. Their long-standing love
is clearly manifested in this meeting, and María Clara cannot help but reread the letters her
sweetheart had written her before he went to Europe. Before Ibarra left for San Diego,
Lieutenant Guevara, a guardia civil, reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his
father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a rich hacendero of the town.
According to the Lieutenant, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic, in addition to
being a filibuster—an allegation brought forth by Father Dámaso because of Don Rafael's nonparticipation in the Sacraments, such as Confession and Mass. Father Dámaso's animosity
against Ibarra's father is aggravated by another incident when Don Rafael helped out on a fight
between a tax collector and a student fighting, and the former's death was blamed on him,
although it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all of those who thought ill of him surfaced with
additional complaints. He was imprisoned, and just when the matter was almost settled, he got
sick and died in jail. Still not content with what he had done, Father Dámaso arranged for Don
Rafael's corpse to be dug up and transferred from the Catholic cemetery to the Chinese
cemetery, because he thought it inappropriate to allow a heretic such as Don Rafael a Catholic
burial ground. Unfortunately, it was raining and because of the bothersome weight of the
cadaver, the men in charge of the burial decided to throw the corpse into the lake.[1]
Revenge was not in Ibarra's plans; instead he carries through his father's plan of putting up a
school, since he believes that education would pave the way to his country's progress (all over
the novel the author refers to both Spain and the Philippines as two different countries which
form part of a same nation or family, being Spain the mother and the Philippines the daughter).
During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had Elías—a
mysterious man who had warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him—not saved him.
Instead the hired killer met an unfortunate incident and died. The sequence of events proved to
be too traumatic for María Clara who got seriously ill but was luckily cured by the medicine
Ibarra sent her
After the inauguration, Ibarra hosts a luncheon during which Father Dámaso, uninvited and
gate-crashing the luncheon, again insults him. Ibarra ignores the priest's insolence, but when
the latter slanders the memory of his dead father, he is no longer able to restrain himself and
lunges at Father Dámaso, prepared to stab the latter for his impudence. As a consequence,
Dámaso excommunicates Ibarra. Father Dámaso takes this opportunity to persuade the
already-hesitant father of María Clara to forbid his daughter from marrying Ibarra. The friar
wishes María Clara to marry a Peninsular named Linares who just arrived from Spain.
With the help of the Captain-General, Ibarra's excommunication is nullified and the Archbishop
decides to accept him as a member of the Church once again. But, as fate would have it, some
incident of which Ibarra had known nothing about is blamed on him, and he is wrongly arrested
and imprisoned. But the accusation against him is overruled because during the litigation that
followed, nobody could testify that he was indeed involved. Unfortunately, his letter to María
Clara somehow gets into the hands of the jury and is manipulated such that it then becomes
evidence against him.
Meanwhile, in Captain Tiago's residence, a party is being held to announce the upcoming
wedding of María Clara and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of Elías, takes this opportunity and
escapes from prison. But before leaving, Ibarra talks to María Clara and accuses her of
betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. María Clara explains to
Ibarra that she will never conspire against him but that she was forced to surrender Ibarra's
letter to her in exchange for the letters written by her mother even before she, María Clara, was
born. The letters were from her mother, Pía Alba, to Father Dámaso alluding to their unborn
child; and that she, María Clara, is therefore not the daughter of Captain Tiago, but of Father
Dámaso.
Afterwards, Ibarra and Elías board a boat and flee the place. Elías instructs Ibarra to lie down
and the former covers the latter with grass to conceal the latter's presence. As luck would have
it, they are spotted by their enemies. Elías thinks he could outsmart them and jumps into the
water. The guards rain shots on the person in the water, all the while not knowing that they are
aiming at the wrong man.
María Clara, thinking that Ibarra has been killed in the shooting incident, is greatly overcome
with grief. Robbed of hope and severely disillusioned, she asks Father Dámaso to confine her
into a nunnery. Father Dámaso reluctantly agrees when María Clara threatens to take her own
life. demanding, "the nunnery or death!"[2] Unbeknownst to her, Ibarra is still alive and able to
escape. It was Elías who has taken the shots. It is Christmas Eve when Elias wakes up in the
forest, gravely wounded and barely alive. It is in this forest that Elias finds Basilio and his lifeless
mother, Sisa.
El Filibusterismo - Thirteen years after he left the Philippines, Juan Crisostomo Ibarra (the main
character from Noli Me Tangere) returned as Simoun, a rich jeweler sporting a beard and bluetinted glasses, and a confidant of the Governor-General of the Philippines Captain-General.
Abandoning his idealism, he becomes a cynical saboteur, the titular Filibuster (military)|
filibustero, seeking revenge against the Spanish Philippines system responsible for his
misfortunes by plotting a revolution. Simoun insinuates himself into Manila high society and
influences every decision of the Captain-General to mismanage the country’s affairs so that a
revolution will break out. He cynically sides with the upper classes, encouraging them to commit
abuses against the masses so that the latter would be encouraged to revolt against the
oppressive Spanish colonial regime. This time, he does not attempt to fight the authorities
through legal means, but through violent revolution using the masses. Simoun has reasons for
instigating a revolution. First is to rescue María Clara from the convent and second, to get rid of
ills and evils of Philippine society. His true identity is discovered by a now grown-up Basilio
while visiting the grave of his mother, Sisa, as Simoun was digging near the grave site for his
buried treasures. Simoun spares Basilio’s life and asks him to join in his planned revolution
against the government, egging him on by bringing up the tragic misfortunes of the latter's
family. Basilio declines the offer as he still hopes that the country’s condition will improve.
Basilio, at this point, is a graduating student of medicine at the Ateneo de Manila University
Ateneo Municipal de Manila. After the death of his mother, Sisa, and the disappearance of his
younger brother, Crispín, Basilio heeded the advice of the dying boatman, Elías, and traveled to
Manila to study. Basilio was adopted by Captain Tiago after María Clara entered the convent.
With Captain Tiago’s help, Basilio was able to go to Colegio de San Juan de Letrán where, at
first, he is frowned upon by his peers and teachers not only because of the color of his skin but
also because of his shabby appearance which he also experience at Ateneo. Captain Tiago’s
confessor, Father Irene is making Captain Tiago’s health worse by giving him opium even as
Basilio tries hard to prevent Captain Tiago from smoking it. He and other students want to
establish a Spanish language academy so that they can learn to speak and write Spanish
language in the Philippines Spanish despite the opposition from the Dominican Order
Dominican friars of the University of Santo Tomas|Universidad de Santo Tomas. With the help
of a reluctant Father Irene as their mediator and Don Custodio’s decision, the academy is
established; however they will only serve as caretakers of the school not as the teachers.
Dejected and defeated, they hold a mock celebration at a pancitería while a spy for the friars
witnesses the proceedings.
Simoun, for his part, keeps in close contact with the bandit group of Kabesang Tales, a former
cabeza de barangay who suffered misfortunes at the hands of the friars. Once a farmer owning
a prosperous sugarcane plantation and a cabeza de barangay (barangay head), he was forced
to give everything to the greedy and unscrupulous Spanish friars. His son, Tano, who became a
civil guard was captured by bandits; his daughter Julî had to work as a maid to get enough
ransom money for his freedom; and his father, Tandang Selo, suffered a stroke and became
mute. Before joining the bandits, Tales took Simoun’s revolver while Simoun was staying at his
house for the night. As payment, Tales leaves a locket that once belonged to María Clara. To
further strengthen the revolution, Simoun has Quiroga, a China|Chinese man hoping to be
appointed consul to the Philippines, smuggle weapons into the country using Quiroga’s bazaar
as a front. Simoun wishes to attack during a stage play with all of his enemies in attendance.
He, however, abruptly aborts the attack when he learns from Basilio that María Clara had died
earlier that day in the convent.
A few days after the mock celebration by the students, the people are agitated when disturbing
posters are found displayed around the city. The authorities accuse the students present at the
pancitería of agitation and disturbing peace and has them arrested. Basilio, although not
present at the mock celebration, is also arrested. Captain Tiago dies after learning of the
incident and as stated in his will—forged by Father Irene, all his possessions are given to the
Church, leaving nothing for Basilio. Basilio is left in prison as the other students are released. A
high official tries to intervene for the release of Basilio but the Captain-General, bearing grudges
against the high official, coerces him to tender his resignation. Julî, Basilio’s girlfriend and the
daughter of Kabesang Tales, tries to ask Father Camorra’s help upon the advice of an elder
woman. Instead of helping Julî, however, Father Camorra tries to rape her as he has longhidden desires for Julî. Julî, rather than submit to the will of the friar, jumps over the balcony to
her death.
Basilio is soon released with the help of Simoun. Basilio, now a changed man, and after hearing
about Julî's suicide, finally joins Simoun’s revolution. Simoun then tells Basilio his plan at the
wedding of Paulita Gómez and Juanito, Basilio’s hunch-backed classmate. His plan was to
conceal an explosive inside a pomegranate-styled Kerosene lamp|lamp that Simoun will give to
the newlyweds as a gift during the wedding reception. The reception will take place at the
former home of the late Captain Tiago, which was now filled with explosives planted by Simoun.
According to Simoun, the lamp will stay lighted for only 20 minutes before it flickers; if someone
attempts to turn the wick, it will explode and kill everyone—important members of civil society
and the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines|Church hierarchy—inside the house. Basilio
has a change of heart and attempts to warn the people inside, including Isagani, his friend and
the former boyfriend of Paulita. Simoun leaves the reception early as planned and leaves a note
behind;
Initially thinking that it was simply a bad joke by those left behind, Father Salví recognizes the
handwriting and confirms that it was indeed Ibarra’s. As people begin to panic, the lamp flickers.
Father Irene tries to turn the wick up when Isagani, due to his undying love for Paulita, bursts in
the room and throws the lamp into the river, sabotaging Simoun's plans. He escapes by diving
into the river as guards chase after him. He later regrets his impulsive action because he had
contradicted his own belief that he loved his nation more than Paulita and that the explosion
and revolution could have fulfilled his ideals for Filipino society.
Simoun, now unmasked as the perpetrator of the attempted arson and failed revolution,
becomes a fugitive. Wounded and exhausted after he was shot by the pursuing Guardia Civil
soldiers, he seeks shelter at the home of Father Florentino, Isagani’s uncle, and comes under
the care of Doctor Tiburcio de Espadaña, the husband of Doña Victorina, who was also hiding
at the house. Simoun takes poison in order for him not to be captured alive by the authorities.
Before he dies, he reveals his real identity to Father Florentino while they exchange thoughts
about the failure of his revolution and why God forsook him. Father Florentino opines that God
did not forsake him and that his plans were not for the greater good but for personal gain.
Simoun, finally accepting Father Florentino’s explanation, squeezes his hand and dies. Father
Florentino then takes Simoun’s remaining jewels and throws them into the sea, hoping that they
would not be used by the greedy, and that when the time came that it would be used for the
greater good, when the nation would be finally deserving liberty for themselves, the sea would
reveal the treasures.