NAME: REMEDIOS ABIERA BIANES

PROGRAM: BSED- E4
COURSE: SOCI A

RIZAL`S HOME
The house is intended to provide an accurate representation of the home Rizal grew up in until his formal schooling
in Biñan. Rizal's anecdotes often reference his childhood home, recounting the nipa hut in the garden where he
learned to sleep and sculpt; the kitchen where he learned the alphabet; the bedroom where he learned to pray; the
library where he discovered books and the azotea where he listened to his grandmother's stories of "skeletons,
buried treasures and trees that bloomed with diamonds.

FEATURES
The Rizal Shrine is a typical rectangular bahay na bato, reminiscent of upper-class Filipino homes built during
the Spanish Colonial era. The lower portion is made of adobe stone and brick, while the upper portion consists of
hardwood. The original interior flooring of the house was discovered during reconstruction and utilized. It has sliding
windows made of capiz shells, the exterior walls are painted green (originally white) and the roof is constructed of
red ceramic tile. In June 2009, the National Historical Institute (now National Historical Commission of the
Philippines) ordered the shrine's repainting to highlight the meaning of Rizal's surname.
The ground floor of the house historically served as a stable for horses and carriages. It contains several exhibits on
Rizal's childhood, including exact copies of Rizal's writings, drawings and original baptismal certificate. The upper
floor served as the family's living quarters and consisted of: the living room, dining area, bathroom and
library. Containing more than 1000 books, a caida serves as Francisco Mercado's library, the largest private library
in Calamba at that time. Adjacent to the library is the family's formal dining room, where Rizal's parents hosted
guests and other prominent members of the society.  The caida is connected to a sala, which leads to three
bedrooms: the boys' room (for Jose and Paciano), the girls' room for his 9 sisters and the master bedroom. The
biggest among all the rooms, the master bedroom contains the four-poster bed where Rizal was born. Going
beyond the sala is an informal dining room or comedor. Prominent in this room is the punkah, a large rectangular
Indian fan. Next to the comedor and the azotea is an old well, one of the only surviving features of the original
house.

CHILDHOOD YEARS IN CALAMBA

Jose Rizal had many beautiful memories of his childhood in his native town Calamba. It’s scenic beauties and it’s
industrious, hospitable, and friendly folks profoundly affected his mind and character. The happiest period of Rizal’s
life was spent in this lakeshore town.

The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was in the family garden when he was 3yrs. old. Because he was a frail,
sickly and undersized, he was given the tenderest care by his parents. His father built a Nipa cottage for him to play
in the daytime.

Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer. By nightfall, his mother gathered all the children at the
house to pray the Angelus.

He also remembered the aya (nurse maid) related to the Rizal children amy stories about the fairies; tales of buried
treasure and trees blooming with diamonds, and other fabulous stories.
Of his sisters, Jose loved most the little Concha ( Concepcion), who was a year younger than him. He played with
her and from her he learned the sweetness of sisterly love.

Unfortunately, Concha died of sickness in 1865 when she was only 3yrs. old. Jose cried bitterly at losing her. The
death of Concha brought him his first sorrow.

Rizal grew up a good catholic. At age of 3, he would take part in the family prayers. When he was 5yrs. old, he was
able to read the Spanish family bible. He loved to go to church, to pray, to take part in novenas, and to join religious
processions.

One of the men he esteemed and respect in Calamba was the scholarly Father Leoncio Lopez, the town priest. He
used to visit him and listen to his stimulating opinions on current events and sound philosophy of life.

On June 6, 1868, Jose and his father left Calamba to go on a pilgrimage to Antipolo, in order to fulfill his mother’s
vow, which was made when Jose was born. After praying at the shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo, Jose and his father
went to Manila to visit Saturnina, who was a boarding student in La Concordia College in Santa Ana.

Of the stories told by Dona Teodora, Jose remembered the Story of the Moth. The tragic fate of the young moth,
which “died a martyr to it’s illusions”, left a deep impress on Rizal’s mind. He justified such noble death, asserting
that “to sacrifice one’s life for it”, meaning for an ideal, is “worthwile”. And, like that young moth, he was fated to die
as a martyr for a noble ideal.

At age of 5, he began to make sketches with his pencil and to mould in his clay and wax objects. Jose had the soul
of a genuine artist. He also loved to ride the pony that which his father gave him and take long walks in the
meadows and lakeshore with his black dog named Usman.

Aside from his sketching and sculpturing talent, Rizal possessed a God-given gift for literature. At age of 8, Rizal
wrote his first poem in the native language entitled Sa Aking Mga Kababata (To My Fellow Children).

After writing his first poem, Rizal who was then 8yrs. old, wrote his first dramatic work which was a Tagalog
comedy.

Rizal was also interested in magic. He learned various tricks, such as making a coin disappear and making a
handkerchief vanish in thin air. He read many books on magic and attended performances of the famous magicians
in the world.

INFLUENCES ON THE HERO`S BOYHOOD

Looking at the life story of our greatest hero, we can see that Jose Rizal was indeed the “chosen one and the most
unique among all.” He grew up in a place and in an environment full of unique influences. Those influences made
him a great hero of the Philippines. Among these factors that influenced him are the Hereditary Influence,
Environmental Influence, and the Aid of Divine Providence. The ancestry of Rizal was a mixture of different races
and cultures. Among these are Malayan, Chinese, Spanish, Negrito, Indonesian, and even Japanese.

From his Malayan ancestors, Rizal inherited his passionate love for freedom and his serenity of life’s outlook.  We
can see this from the very nature of Jose Rizal. Although, he was a frail, sickly, and undersized child, Rizal’s mind
was instilled with deep convictions. He was an introvert by nature and he loves meditating and sightseeing with the
great beauties of our Mother Earth. His love for the nature can be recounted during his boyhood memoirs: Rizal, at
the age of three, watched from his garden cottage, the caliauan, the maya, the maria capra, the martin, the pipit,
and other birds and listened “with wonder and joy” to their twilight songs; the happy moonlit nights at the azotea
after the nightly Rosary; the many stories about the fairies, tales of buried treasure and trees blooming with
diamonds, and other fabulous stories that the aya related to the Rizal children (including Jose); the nocturnal walk
in the moonlight by the river, where the trees cast grotesque shadows on the bank.

On the other hand, another hereditary influence was from his Chinese ancestors where he derived his serious
nature, frugality, patience and love for children. From his Spanish ancestors, he got his elegance of bearing,
sensitivity to insult, and gallantry to ladies. In fact, Rizal’s love life was rich. He met different girls coming from
different races and culture. Among them are Segunda Katigbak, Leonor Valenzuela, Leonor Rivera, Consuelo
Ortiga, O Sei San, Gertrude Beckett, Nellie Boustead, Suzanne Jacoby, and Josephine Bracken. The last girl that
he wanted to marry was the 18-year old petite girl, Josephine Bracken. Josephine went to the Philippines in order to
seek treatment for the eyes of George Taufer-- a blind man from Hong Kong who adopted Josephine as his
daughter. Rizal asked Josephine to marry him, but she was not yet ready to make a decision due to her
responsibility to the blind Taufer. Since Taufer’s blindness was untreatable, he left for Hon Kong on March 1895.
Josephine stayed with Rizal’s family in Manila. Upon her return to Dapitan, Rizal tried to arrange with Father
Antonio Obach for their marriage. However, the priest wanted a retraction as a precondition before marrying them.
Rizal upon the advice of his family and friends and with Josephine’s consent took her as his wife even without the
Church blessings. Josephine later gave birth prematurely to a stillborn baby, a result of some incidence, which
might have shocked or frightened her.

Going back to the influences of our hero, the environment also made a great contribution to the development of
Rizal’s character. The scenic beauties of Calamba and the beautiful garden of the Rizal family stimulated the inborn
artistic and literary talents of Jose Rizal. The religious atmosphere at his home fortified his religious nature. His
brother, Paciano, instilled in his mind the love for freedom and justice. From his sisters, he learned to be courteous
and kind to women. The fairy tales told by his aya during his early childhood awakened his interest in folklore and
legends.

There were three uncles, brothers of his mother, who played a great part in the early education and character
development of Rizal.  Among them are Uncle Gregorio, Uncle Jose and Uncle Manuel. Uncle Gregorio was a lover
of books. He instilled into the mind of his precocious nephew (Rizal) a great love for books. He taught him to work
hard, to think for himself, and to observe life keenly. On the other hand, Uncle Jose, who had been educated at
Calcutta, India, was the youngest brother of Dona Teodora. He encouraged his nephew to master painting,
sketching and sculpting. Furthermore, Uncle Manuel was a big, strong and husky man. He looked after the physical
training of his sickly and weak nephew. He encouraged young Rizal to learn swimming, fencing, wrestling and other
sports, so that in later years Rizal’s frail body acquired agility, endurance and strength.

Furthermore, the Aid of the Divine Providence had the most significant impact on the totality of Jose Rizal’s
character. Dr. Gregorio F. Zaide and Sonia M. Zaide in their book “The Life, Works, and Writings of a Genius,
Writer, Scientist, and National Hero,” stated the following excerpt:

Greater than heredity and environment in the fate of man is the aid of Divine Providence. A person may have
everything in life-- brains, wealth, and power-- but, without the aid of Divine Providence, he cannot attain greatness
in the annals of the nation.

No matter how powerful a person is, God still owns everything for He is the creator of the universe. No matter how
genius, rich or physically attractive the person is, God can still destroy them for He is the owner of every creation in
this universe. Eventually, Rizal was providentially destined to be the pride and glory of the Filipino people. God had
endowed him with the versatile talents of a rare genius, the unsurpassed spirit of nationalism, and the valiant heart
to sacrifice himself for a noble cause. He gave us this particular genius and hero during the darkest period of our
history in order that our suffering people might be emancipated from Spanish tyranny.
Many persons were born during the times of Rizal but he is the only one who reigns above everyone. His existence
was indeed a unique one. This uniqueness contributed to his great work in fostering the freedom of the Filipino
people.  He used his outstanding intelligence and patriotic character in order to free his fellowmen from the dire
atrocities of the Spanish government. Accordingly, his burning desire to free his country inspired him to sacrifice his
life. He saw the ruthless violence of the Spanish officials towards the Filipinos and this scene invigorated his spirit to
fight tyranny.

EARLY EDUCATION IN CALAMBA AND BIÑAN

·The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was remarkable woman of good character and fine culture—her
mother
· Maestro Celestino- Rizal’s first private tutor
· Maestro Lucas Padua- Rizal’s second tutor
· Leon Monroy- a former classmate of Rizal’s father became Rizal’s tutor that instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin.
He died five months later
· Sunday afternoon in June, 1869- Rizal left Calamba for Biñan accompanied by Paciano
· Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz- Rizal’s teacher in a private school in Biñan
-Rizal described his teacher as follows: He was thin, long-necked, with a sharp nose and a body slightly
bent forward
· Pedro- the teacher’s son which Rizal challenged to a fight
· Andres Salandanan- challenged Rizal to an arm-wrestling match
· Juancho-an old painter who was the father-in-law of the school teacher; freely give Rizal lessons in drawing and
painting
· Jose Guevara- Rizal’s classmate who also loved painting, became apprentices of the old painter
· “the favorite painters of the class”- because of his artistic talent
· Christmas in 1870-Rizal received a letter from his sister Saturnina, informing him of the arrival of the steamer
Talim which would take him from Biñan to Calamba
· Saturday afternoon, December 17, 1870- Rizal left Biñan after one year and a half of schooling
· Arturo Camps- a Frenchman friend of Rizal’s father who took care of him on board

DAILY LIFE IN BIÑAN

o Hears mass at 4 a.m. or studies lesson before going to mass
o Goes to orchard to look for mabolo to eat
o Breakfast
o Goes to class at 10 a.m.
o Lunch break
o Goes back to school at 2 p.m.
o Goes home at 5 p.m.
o Prays with cousins
o Studies lessons then draws a little
o Dinner
 o Prays again
o Plays in the street if the moon is bright
o Sleeps

MARTYRDOM OF GOM-BUR-ZA
On January 20, 1872, two hundred Filipinos employed at the Cavite arsenal staged a revolt against the Spanish
government’s voiding of their exemption from the payment of tributes. The Cavite Mutiny led to the persecution of
prominent Filipinos; secular priests Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora—who would then be
collectively named GomBurZa—were tagged as the masterminds of the uprising. The priests were charged with
treason and sedition by the Spanish military tribunal—a ruling believed to be part of a conspiracy to stifle the
growing popularity of Filipino secular priests and the threat they posed to the Spanish clergy. The GomBurZa were
publicly executed, by garrote, on the early morning of February 17, 1872 at Bagumbayan.

The Archbishop of Manila refused to defrock them, and ordered the bells of every church to toll in honor of their
deaths; the Sword, in this instance, denied the moral justification of the Cross. The martyrdom of the three secular
priests would resonate among Filipinos; grief and outrage over their execution would make way for the first stirrings
of the Filipino revolution, thus making the first secular martyrs of a nascent national identity. Jose Rizal would
dedicate his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to the memory of GomBurZa, to what they stood for, and to the
symbolic weight their deaths.

INJUSTICE TO THE HERO`S MOTHER

•Four months after the martyrdom of the GOMBURZA (February 7, 1872), On June 1872, Dona Teodora Alonzo
was arrested on a malicious ground that she and JOSEALBERTO, tried to poison his wife.
•Jose Alberto just returned from a business trip in Europe. During his absence, the wife abandoned their home and
children to live with another man and he in in fact found out later
•Jose Alberto wanted to divorce her. But Dona Teodora persuaded him to avert family scandal, and to forgive the
wife
•The wife connived with the Lieutenant in the Guardia Civil and led a case in court against Dona Teodora and Jose
Alberto
•The Lieutenant had an ax to grind against the Rizal Family because he was not given fodder for his horse
•With the help of the Gobernadorcillo ANTONIO VIVENCIO del ROSARIO, they arrested DONA TEODORA
ALONZO

SCHOLASTIC TRIUMPHS AT ATENEO DE MANILA

· Ateneo Municipal- a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits
· Escuela Pia (Charity School)- formerly name of Ateneo, a school for poor boys in Manila which was established by
the city government in 1817
· Escuela Pia----> Ateneo Municipal---> Ateneo de Manila
· June 10, 1872- Rizal accompanied by Paciano went to Manila
· Father Magin Ferrando- was the college registrar, refused to admit Rizal in Ateneo for two reasons: (1)he was late
for registration (2) he was sickly and undersized for his age
· Manuel Xerez Burgos-because of his intercession, nephew of Father Burgos, Rizal was reluctantly admitted at the
Ateneo
· Jose was the first of his family to adopt the surname “Rizal”. He registered under this name at Ateneo because
their family name “Mercado” had come under the suspicion of the Spanish authorities
· Rizal was first boarded in a house outside Intramuros, on Caraballo Street. This was owned by a spinster named
Titay who owed the Rizal family the amount of 300 pesos

JESUIT SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

-it trained the character of the student by rigid discipline and religious instructions
-Students were divided into two groups:
· Roman Empire- consisting of internos (boarders); red banner
· Carthaginian Empire- composed of the externos (non-boarders); blue banner
· Emperor- the best student in each “empire”
· Tribune- the second best
· Decurion- the third best
· Centurion-the fourth best
· Stand-bearer- the fifth best

· The Ateneo students in Rizal’s time wore a uniform which consisted of “hemp-fabric trousers” and “striped cotton
coat” The coat material was called rayadillo

FIRST YEAR IN ATENEO (1872-1873)

· Father Jose Bech- Rizal’s first professor in Ateneo whom he described as a “tall thin man, with a body slightly bent
forward, a harried walk, an ascetic face, severe and inspired, small deep-sunken eyes, a sharp nose that was
almost Greek, and thin lips forming an arc whose ends fell toward the chin
· A Religious picture- Rizal’s first prize for being the brightest pupil in the whole class
· To improve his Spanish, Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during the noon recesses. He paid
three pesos for those extra Spanish lessons
· At the end of the school year in March, 1873, Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation
· When the summer vacation ended, Rizal returned to Manila for his second year term in Ateneo. This time he
boarded inside Intramuros at No. 6 Magallanes Street. His landlady was an old widow named Doña Pepay

SECOND YEAR IN ATENEO (1873-1874)

-At the end of the school year, Rizal received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal
· The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas- the first favorite novel of Rizal which made a deep impression on
him
· Universal History by Cesar Cantu- Rizal persuaded his father to buy him this set of historical work that was a great
aid in his studies
· Dr. Feodor Jagor- a German scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines in 1859-1860 who wrote Travels in the
Philippines
-Rizal was impressed in this book because of (1) Jagor’s keen observations of the defects of Spanish colonization
(2)his prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that America would come to succeed her as
colonizer

THIRD YEAR IN ATENEO (1874-1875)

-Rizal grades remained excellent in all subjects but he won only one medal—in Latin
-At the end of the school year (March 1875), Rizal returned to Calamba for the summer vacation. He himself was
not impressed by his scholastic work.

FOURTH YEAR IN ATENEO

· June 16, 1875- Rizal became an interno in the Ateneo
· Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez- a great educator and scholar, one of Rizal’s professors who inspired him to
study harder and to write poetry
-Rizal described this Jesuiot professor as “model of uprightness, earnestness, and love for the advancement of his
pupils”
· Rizal topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term.

LAST YEAR IN ATENEO (1876-1877)

-Rizal’s studies continued to fare well. As a matter-of-fact, he excelled in all subjects. The most brilliant Atenean of
his time, he was truly “the pride of the Jesuits”
· March 23, 1877- Commencement Day, Rizal, who was 16 years old, received from his Alma Mater, Ateneo
Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors
· Marian Congregation- a religious society wherein Rizal was an active member and later became the secretary
· Rizal cultivated his literary talent under the guidance of Father Sanchez
· Father Jose Vilaclara- advised Rizal to stop communing with the Muse and pay more attention to more practical
studies
· Rizal studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez, and sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus,
noted Filipino sculptor
· Rizal carved an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling (Philippine hardwood) with his pocket knife
· Father Lleonart- impressed by Rizal’s sculptural talent, requested him to carve for him an image of Sacred Heart
of Jesus

POEMS WRITTEN IN ATENEO

1874

1. My first Inspiration – dedicate to his mother

1875
1. Felicitation
2. The Departure: Hymn to Magellan’s Fleet.
3. And He is Spanish: El Cano, the first to Circumnavigate the World
4. ‘The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo
These poems were written through the encouragement of Fr. Sanchez

1876
Poems Jose Rizal written this year was on different topics – religion, war, childhood memories and education.
1. In Memory of My Town – a poem in honor of Calamba, the hero’s birthplace
2. Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education
3. Through Education the Country Receives Light
 4. The Captivity and the Triumph: Battle of Lucena and the Imprisonment of Boabdil – This martial poem
conjured up the defeat and capture of Boabdil, the last Moorish Sultan of Granda.
5. The Triumphal Entry of the Catholic Monarchs into Granda – a description of the victorious entry of King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabel into Granda
1877

Rizal’s Final Year in Ateneo, Poems written were the following:

1. The heroism of Columbus – A poem of praise to Columbus, the discover of America.
2. Columbus and John II – this poem relates how king John II of Portugal lost fame and riches by his failure
to finance the projected expedition of Columbus to the New World
3. Great Solace in Great Misfortune – a description of the tragic life of Columbus
4. A Farewell Dialogue of the Students – the last poem Jose Rizal wrote in Ateneo

STUDIES IN UST
Jose Rizal, having completed his Bachiller en Artes at the Ateneo Municipal, was now eligible for higher education
at a university. His mother, Doña Teodora, had second thoughts about sending her son to school because of the
previous incident involving the execution of friars Gomez, Burgos and Zamora. However, it was Don Francisco who
decided his son should to the University of Santo Tomas, a prestigious institution run by the Dominican order.

Undecided
Rizal, upon entering the university, was not certain which course of study he wanted to pursue. The Jesuit priests
who had been his former mentors had advised him to take up farming, or to join the order and be a man of the
cloth. However, his tastes went towards law, literature, or medicine. In the end, he decided to sign up for Philosophy
and Letters during his freshman year because of the following reasons:

1. It was what his father would have wanted for him.

2. He had failed to seek the advice of the rector of the Ateneo, Father Ramon Pablo.
As part of the course, he had to complete units in the following subjects:

o Cosmology and Metaphysics

o Theodicy
o History of Philosophy
Shifting to Medicine
After completing his first year, Rizal decided to take up medicine as his university course. This change of heart was
due to two factors:
1. Father Ramon Pablo, rector of the Ateneo, had advised him to pursue the course.
2. Rizal's mother had failing eyesight and he thought he owed it to her to become a doctor and cure her
condition. 
Rizal's performance at the University of Santo Tomas was not as excellent as his time at the Ateneo. His grades
after shifting to medicine had suffered as well

Why the poor performance?

Unfortunately, Rizal was not happy at UST and this reflected on his grades (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). There were three
main factors that contributed to his unhappiness at the university, namely:
1. The Dominican professors were hostile to him.
2. Filipino students suffered discrimination.
3. The method of instruction at UST was obsolete and repressive.
Likewise, there were three main reasons for his struggling academic performance (Guerrero, 1998):
1. Rizal was not satisfied with the system of education at the university.
2. There were plenty of things to distract a young man in the peak of his youth.
3.  Medicine was not Rizal's true vocation.
He would later find out that his real calling was in the arts, not in medicine.