1.

Is the enactment of Martial Law and/or the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus ever
justified?
2. Who are behind Martial Law? What are their contributions/roles in the said event?
3. Was Marcos justified in declaring Martial Law?

This section discusses Jose Rizal’s two famous novels: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo
Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:

(1) Compare and contrast the characters, plot and theme of Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo; and
(2) Assess the significance of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in the 21st century
Philippines.

OVERVIEW OF THE TWO NOVELS

The greatest Philippine social documents ever written in the 19th century are the Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo. Some would call these as the bible of the Philippine nationalism. The
profundity of these novels have made Rizal known all over the world, and more so in Spain.
Through the characters of the Noli and El Fili Rizal was able to personify the characters of the
colonizers, the Spaniards. Rizal was very bold in his goal of ending the exploitation and
colonization. These novels aim to agitate the Spaniards for political and social reforms. Ironically
these works strongly warned against rebellion against Spain but these triggered a national
consciousness and uprising.
These two novels are long however the characters like Maria Clara, Sisa, Pilosopo Tasyo and
Padre Damaso have been absorbed in our culture and society. Many of the events and conditions
mentioned in the novel are still politically and socially relevant to our situations. These novels
serve as the catalyst for patriotism, nationalism and reforms.
Nationalism in the Novels
Rizal was a cultured man of ideas, a scholar with versatile talents, an intellectual humanist
obsessed with the fact that his people must be liberated from their oppressive ignorance and
delivered into a conscious awareness of unity and freedom by means of education.
None of Rizal’s writings has had a more tremendous effect on the Filipino people than his two
novels that courageously criticized Philippine life during the 19th century – Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibustirismo. These works of fiction expressed the theme of Philippine nationalism in a most
profound and dramatic manner to arouse the latent spirits of a frustrated people. And though Rizal
aimed his message to the people of his own generation, the novels remain the most potent
inspiration for national unity today. They are considered “the greatest Philippine social
documents.” And in official recognition of the “gospels of Philippine nationalism,” the Congress of
the Philippines passed Republic Act 1425 on 12 June 1956, making the reading of the two novels
compulsory in all the country’s colleges and universities.
The profundity of these two novels has made Rizal known all over the world as the foremost Asian
nationalist. With utmost perspicacity the novels express his concept of love of country with an
innate sense of dedication. Through them he boldly spoke out against unjust Spanish colonial
exploitation and he agitated for political and social reforms. Ironically these works strongly warned
against rebellion against Spain but they triggered off the first nationalist uprising in Asia. And for
his temerity in speaking out his mind, Rizal paid dearly with his life leaving behind a conscious
people aware of what they had to do.
The alert reader today will find the Noli and the Fili two delightful, if somewhat poignant comedies
of manners, not unlike many novels of Victorian England. Running through their pages is an
unforgettable array of Dickensian characters, ranging from true nationalists and
pseudonationalists to pitiful victims of the society’s malaise.
The reader will find the novels irreverent at times and out-spokenly anti-clerical for fiction of the
19th century, but they were written to present an anarchy of unbridled greed existing in the
country. Rizal was not necessarily anti-religious. But as he trained his guns with impunity on the
Spanish friars whom he felt were responsible for the misery of his countrymen, he inevitably
condemned some procedures and practices of the religion behind which the friars were shielding
themselves.
Rizal’s novels are more meaningfully studied as political satires for his reform propaganda. With
disarming honesty, Rizal wrote to free the human spirit from deterioration as depicted in the
historical situation from 1877 to 1887.
To the Filipino reader who understands the historical background of the novels, Rizal traced the
delicate portrait of a people faced with social problems and political enigma. Many of the
predicaments presented have contemporary relevance. And the novels provide an inexhaustible
source of inspiration for solutions to current conditions and problems.
Noli Me Tangere literally means “touch me not.” It sketches a wound painful even to the healer’s
touch causing more agony than relief. The concerned healer reveals the actions that a frustrated
society resorts to in the moment of despair. Such despair could force the oppressed to insurgence,
as El Filibustirismo, the sequel, suggests.
Rizal did not advocate revolution. But while he spoke vehemently against it in his novels, he
emphasized that revolution would be the inevitable alternative if no attempt were made by the
Spanish government to introduce social and political reforms and check the injustices committed
against the natives. An enslaved people, Rizal claimed, eventually would revolt against their
oppressors. To the philosopher Rizal, freedom meant liberty, and liberty meant the free exercise
of people’s rights.
With a sensitive pen, Rizal portrayed in his novels the miserable plight of the Filipino masses in
an effort to convince the Spanish authorities that there was an urgent need for reforms in society,
in the government, and in the Catholic Church of the Philippines. He did not put the blame of
society’s malaise entirely on the Spaniards; he felt that the indios had an equal share of hypocrisy
and indifference. Thus, while the novels are sincere denunciations of the abuses and excesses
of authority committed by the friars and the civil administrators, they are also an honest exposure
of the weaknesses and defects of the Filipinos. “There are tyrants where there are no slaves,” he
often said. And he hoped that by presenting an authentic picture of decadent Philippine society –
a picture he ahd largely drawn from his own experiences and observations - he would awaken a
lethargic people to a realization that only through education of the masses could a strong moral
fiber be developed.
To understand Rizal’s purpose in writing the novels, one has only to look at his dedication of the
Noli Me Tangere, which reads thus:
 
To My Country:
In the catalogue of human ills there is to be found a cancer so malignant that the least touch
inflames it and causes agonizing pains; afflicted with such a cancer, a social cancer, has your
dear image appeared to me, when, for my own heart’s ease or to compare you with others, I have
sought, in the centres of modern civilization, to call you to mind.
Now desirous of your welfare, which is also ours, and seeking the best cure of your ills, I shall do
with you what was done in ages past with the sick, who were exposed on the steps of the temple
so that the worshippers, having invoked the god, should each propose a remedy.
To this end, I shall endeavor to show your condition, faithfully and ruthlessly, I shall lift a corner
of the veil which shrouds the disease, sacrificing to the truth everything, even self-love for, as your
son, your defects and weaknesses are also mine.
                                                                           
The Author
 
Europe, 1886

The fervor in Rizal’s nationalism is articulated in the dedication of El Filibustirismo:

To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez, eighty-five, Don Jose Burgos, thirty, and Don
Jacinto Zamora, thirty-five, who were executed on the scaffold of Bagumbayan on 28 February
1872.
The Church, by refusing to unfrock you, has put in doubt the crime charged against you; the
Government by enshrouding your trial in mystery and pardoning your co-accused has implied that
some mistake was committed when your fate was decided; and the whole of the Philippines in
paying homage to your memory and calling you martyrs totally rejects your guilt.
As long therefore as it is not clearly shown that you took part in the uprising in Cavite, I have the
right, whether or not you were patriots and whether or not you were seeking justice and liberty, to
dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil I am trying to fight. And while we wait for Spain to
clear your names some day, refusing to be a party to your death, let these pages serve as a
belated wreath of withered leaves on your forgotten graves. Whoever attacks your memory
without sufficient proof has your blood upon his hands.
                                                                   
J. RIZAL
This section discusses the Rizal’s novel “Noli Me Tangere” including its history and manner of
distribution Through this novel Rizal is able to exposed the social cancer during the Spanish
colonial era.
Intended Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:
(1) Appraise important characters in the novel and identify their symbolic representations as used
by Rizal in the Novel;
(2) Analyze the present Philippine situation critically through the examples provided in the Noli Me
Tangere; and 
(3) Assess how Rizal’s message in the Noli Me Tangere can be applied to the present political and
social
conditions of the 21st century
 
OVERVIEW
Written in Spanish and published in 1887, José Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere played a crucial role in
the political history of the Philippines. Drawing from experience, the conventions of the nineteenth
century novel, and the ideals of European liberalism, Rizal offered up a devastating critique of a
society under Spanish colonial rule. (Francia, Luis H. Introduction to Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo.2020. Penguin Random House)
At the outset of Rizal’s schooling years in Madrid he planned and proposed to the Illustrados in
Madrid of writing a novel. The illustrados agreed but for some reasons they failed to contribute
hence Rizal, disappointed as he was he decided to write the novel alone. The first half of Noli me
Tangere was written in Madrid, Spain from 1884-1885 while the second half of Noli me Tangere
was written in Germany starting February 21, 1887.
The story of how the Noli Me Tangere was distributed in the Philippines, amidst the strict
censorship implemented by the Spaniards, can be attributed to the efforts of Jose Ma. Basa, the
hero-smuggler of the Propaganda Movement. Through his connections and thriving business, he
was able to arrange Hongkong- Manila trips for Filipinos which became the way for subversive and
anti-friar pamphlets to reach the hands of the Filipinos. One of them was Noli Me Tangere.
According to the reports, the Filipino travelers who served as couriers were instructed to
disembarked the ships without the ooks which were usually hidden in the coal bin of the ships.
They would then hire a carretela and he books, usually placed inside buri sacks, would be loaded
to the carretela. Afterwards, they would pretend to forget something in the ship. They would ask
permission from a crew member to walk back to the ship leaving the buri sacks in the carretela.
After sometime, the cochero would inspect the buri sacks and find the books. He would either
dispose or leave them and another arranged carretela would pick up the sacks for people to freely
get copies, thus disseminating them to Filipinos (Clemente, Janet. (2019). The Life and Works of
Rizal. C and E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City, Philippines, p.127)
The title of Noli Me Tangere is not Spanish, nor Tagalog, but Latin. Rizal, in his letter to his friend
and Czech scientist Ferdinand Blumentritt, admitted that he obtained the title from the Bible. Rizal
took the passage in John 20:17 where Jesus said to Mary Magdalene "don't touch Me!" when she
recognizes him after his resurrection. The passage, when translated in Latin, is equivalent to Noli
Me Tangere. At the time when the novel is ready for printing, he ran out of fund. He contacted his
friend, Maximo Viola, who agreed to lend him money for publishing equal to three hundred pesos
for the first 2,000 copies of Noli. The first edition of Noli was published in Berlin, Germany in 1887.
Rizal preferred that the prospective novel expresses the backward, anti-progress and anti-
intellectual way Filipino culture was. In another letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rizal described
what he expects when the novel will be in circulation. Finally, he pointed out his primary objective:
(1) to defend Filipino people from foreign accusations of foolishness and lack of knowledge; (2) to
show how the Filipino people lives during Spanish colonial period and the cries and woes of
his countrymen against abusive officials; (3) to discuss what religion and belief can really do to
everyday lives; and (4) to expose the cruelties, graft, and corruption of the false government at
honestly show the wrongdoings of Filipinos that led to further failure. The dedication part of the
Noli Me Tangere
reflects the entirety of Rizal’s purpose in writing the novel. To quote “To this end, I shall endeavor
to show your condition, faithfully and ruthlessly. I shall lift a corner of the veil which surrounds the
disease, sacrificing to the truth everything, even self-love—for, as your son, your defects and
weaknesses are also mine.” Such a relentless and unparallel love for the motherland.
The novel has sixty-three (64) chapters and when compared with the El Fili it is a romantic novel,
has freshness, color, humor and intelligence. The major characters of this novel are Juan
Crisostomo, María Clara, Capitán Tiago, Padre Dámaso, Elías, Filosofo Tacio, Doña Victorina,
Sisa, Crispín, Basilio , and Doña Consolacíon.
The plot revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra, mixed-race heir of a wealthy clan, returning home
after seven years in Europe and filled with ideas on how to better the lot of his countrymen through
peaceful means but he is confronted by an abusive ecclesiastical hierarchy and a Spanish civil
administration. The character of Crisostomo is intertwined with the mysterious Elias as his
accomplice to shield him from the cruel and unjust Spaniards.
Using satire brilliantly, Rizal creates other memorable characters whose lives manifest the
poisonous effects of religious and colonial oppression. Capitan Tiago; the social climber Doña
Victorina de Espadaña and her toothless Spanish husband; the Guardia Civil head and his
harridan of a wife; the sorority of devout women; the disaffected peasants forced to become
outlaws: in sum, a microcosm of Philippine society. In the afflictions that plague them, Rizal paints
a harrowing picture of his beloved but suffering country in a work that speaks eloquently not just to
Filipinos but to all who have endured or witnessed oppression. (Francia, Luis H. Introduction to
Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.2020. Penguin Random House)
 
References:
Almario Virgilio. Si Rizal Nobelista: Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 2008
Rizal, Jose. Noli Me Tangere. Translated by Virgilio Almario
Anderson, Benedict. Why Counting Counts : A study of the form of Consciousness and the
problem of the language in Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Ateneo de Manila University
Press, 2008
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20228/20228-h/20228-h.htm
The Noli and El Fili were taught in the Senior Highschool
Review the novel “Noli Me Tangere”. Focus on character analysis with
emphasis on the symbolism and relevance of the character. The novel is also
available in the internet and you might like to check the Jose Rizal apps from
the google play. There are several apps via google play, you can use it however see to it that the
site is reliable and credible.
OVERVIEW
The El Filibusterism is a sequel to Noli Me Tangere. Like Noli Me Tangere, it was written in
Spanish. Rizal started writing the El Fili in 1888 and finished it in 1889. Valentin Ventura was
Rizal’s sponsor for the publication of the novel. It was published in Ghent in September1891 and
later translated into English, German, French, Japanese, Tagalog, Ilonggo, and other languages.
The El Fili is shorter than the Noli, it has 39 chapters only. The El Fili copies were smuggled into
the
Philippines.
The objectives in writing this novel : (1) To defend Filipino people from foreign accusations of
foolishness and lack of knowledge; (2) To show how the Filipino people live during Spanish
colonial period and the cries and woes of his countrymen against abusive officials; (3) To discuss
what religion and belief can really do to everyday lives; and (4)To expose the cruelties, graft and
corruption of the false government and honestly show the wrong doings of Filipinos
that led to further failure. Rizal dedicated El Filibusterismo to the three martyred priests (Mariano
Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora) of Cavite mutiny. The execution of the three priests
was significant to the title of the novel.
El filibusterismo (transl. The filibusterism; The Subversive or The Subversion, as in the Locsín
English translation, are also possible translations), also known by its alternative English title The
Reign of Greed. Derbyshire, Charles.The Reign of Greed. 2004. Project Gutenberg ) A dark,
brooding, at times satirical novel of revenge, unfulfilled love, and tragedy, the Fili (as it is popularly
referred to) still has as its protagonist Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra. Several characters from
the Noli (Basilio, Doña Victorina, Padre Salvi) returns while new ones are introduced: Simoun, the
transformed Ibarra; Cabesang Tales and his struggle for justice; the nationalist student Isagani;
the Indio priest Padre Florentino. The major characters are Simoun, Basilio,Isagani,
Cabesang Tales, Don Custodio, Paulita Gomez, Makaraig, Juli, Juanito Pelaez. Through them the
colonial milieu is expanded—its officialdom, education, legal system, power plays, social patterns
—and seen anew as context for conflict and insight. Translator Soledad Lacson-Locsin is the first
to have worked from facsimile editions of the original manuscripts. The result is the most
authoritative and faithful English translation to date, one which attempts to preserve in English the
cadence and color of the original.
Juan Crisostomo Ibarra has changed his name and identity to a rich jeweler named Simoun. In
disguise, he travels the world amassing wealth, which he intends to use to topple the corrupt and
abusive regime in his native land. But Simoun's real motive is personal. He wants to rescue his
beloved, Maria Clara, from the convent and avenge the death of his father. In a forest on
Christmas Eve, Basilio, a medical student recognizes Simoun's true identity as the man who
helped bury his mother Sisa more than ten years before, under a tree. Simoun is in the forest to
retrieve the gems he buried near Sisa's grave. As the novel progresses, all the secrets and
intrigues are revealed, and the plotters' plan fails. A good Filipino priest throws Simoun's jewels
away, thereby eliminating the greed, violence and other evils they might have provoked. 
Jose Rizal was not only writing for his time but for the next generation. To quote him "I am writing
for other ages. If this could read me, they would burn my books, the work of my whole life. On the
other hand, the generation which interprets these writings will be an educated generation; they
will understand me and say: Not all were asleep in the nighttime of our grandparents." Rizal has
the talent and power to inspire his readers. Sectors of the society like women and the youth during
the Spanish occupation were often forgotten by leaders, scholars of indios. Essays like Letter to
the Women of Malolos is Rizal’s greatest legacy for all generations of women.
Rizal’s writings formed an integral part of his political and social thinking. Scholars, researchers,
historians and political leaders have drawn inspiration and guidance from his writings on
patriotism and nationalism. Majority of his essays contains his commitment to his mission to his
country and fellowmen. He has published several essays. Rizal’s greatest contribution to the
building of Filipino nation was his untiring efforts in urging his countrymen to work together for
national unity, a condition for national survival. Any man who refused to fight injustice is not for
the welfare of society
“The Philippines Within a Century”
“The Philippines a Century Hence” is an essay towards the forecast the future of the country within
a hundred years. Rizal felt that it was time to remind Spain that the circumstances that ushered
in the French Revolution could have a telling effect for her in the Philippines. This essay, published
in La Solidaridad starts by analyzing the various causes of the miseries suffered by the Filipino
people:Spain’s implementation of her military policies – because of such laws, the Philippine
population decreased dramatically. Poverty became more rampant than ever, and farmlands
were left to wither. The family as a unit of society was neglected, and overall, every aspect of the
life of the Filipino was retarded. Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture –
when Spain came with the sword and the cross, it began the gradual destruction of the native
Philippine culture. Because of this, the Filipinos started losing confidence in their past and their
heritage, became doubtful of their present lifestyle, and eventually lost hope in the future and the
preservation of their race.
The question then arises as to what had awakened the hearts and opened the minds of the
Filipino
people with regards to their plight. Eventually, the natives realized that such oppression in their
society by foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated. Rizal raises in this essay as to whether
or not Spain can indeed prevent the progress of the Philippines. But because of the resilience
and desire for change of Filipinos, keeping people uneducated, poor and ignorant would fail
because great Filipino minds can still emerge; keeping people ignorant
What Rizal had envisioned in his essay came true. In 1898, the Americans wrestled with Spain
to win the Philippines, and eventually took over the country. Theirs was a reign of democracy
and liberty. Five decades after Rizal’s death, the Philippines gained her long-awaited
independence. This was in fulfillment of what he had written in his essay: “History does not record
in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another, of different races, of diverse
usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb.”
What Rizal had envisioned in his essay came true. In 1898, the Americans wrestled with Spain
to win the Philippines, and eventually took over the country. Theirs was a reign of democracy
and liberty. Five decades after Rizal’s death, the Philippines gained her long-awaited
independence. This was in fulfillment of what he had written in his essay: “History does not record
in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another, of different races, of diverse
usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb.”
For the full copy of The Philippines within the Century proceed to this site:
1) Craig, Austin.(2011[EBook#35899]. The Philippines A Century Hence.The Project
Gutenberg EBook. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35899/35899-h/35899-h.htm
2) Romero, Ma. Corona, Sta Romana, Julita. (1978). Rizal and the Development of National
Consciousness. JMC Press, Inc. Quezon City.
 
The Indolence of the Filipinos
The La Indolencia de los Filipinos or Indolence of the Filipinos was published in La Solidaridad in
5 installments, that is from July 15 to September 15, 1890 in Madrid, Spain (July 15, 1890 –
September 15, 1890). Rizal wrote this essay to defend the Filipinos from the charge that they
were born indolent. This is an exploratory essay that explains the idleness of his people during
the Spanish colonization. Rizal pointed out that long before the coming of the Spaniards, the
Filipinos were industrious and hardworking. The Spanish reign brought about a decline in
economic activities because of certain causes
Gregorio Zaide summarizes this causes of indolence : Geographical location, natives revolt, the
wars that indios fought for Spain piratical attacks, forced labor, resulting in the abandonment of
industry, commerce and agriculture, lack of stimulus to work harder because the people could
not enjoy the fruits of their labor, government neglect and indifference to agriculture, commerce
and industry, gambling, deprivation of human dignity, the bad example shown by the Spaniards
on despising manual labor, the teaching of the Spanish missionaries, Encouragement and
propagation of gambling by the Spanish authorities, system of Spanish education did not promote
the economic enterprise and activity
It is important to note that indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a hereditary
one. Truth is, before the Spaniards arrived on these lands, the natives were industriously
conducting business with China, Japan, Arabia, Malaysia, and other countries in the Middle East.
The reasons for this said indolence were clearly stated in the essay, and were not based only on
presumptions, but were grounded on fact taken from history.
 
For the full copy of The Indolence of Filipinos proceed to this
site: http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6885/pg6885-images.html
 
Letter to the Young Women of Malolos
Jose Rizal’s legacy to Filipino women is embodied in his famous essay entitled, “To the Young
Women of Malolos,” where he addresses all kinds of women – mothers, wives, the unmarried,
etc. and expresses everything that he wishes them to keep in mind. This essay was written by
Jose Rizal while he was in London upon the request of Marcelo H. Del Pilar. On December 12,
1888, a group of 20 young women of Malolos petitioned Governor-General Weyler for permission
to open a night school so that they might study Spanish under Teodoro Sandiko. Fr. Felipe
Garcia, the Spanish parish priest, objected to the proposal. Therefore the governor-general
turned down the petition. However, the young women, in defiance of the friar’s wrath, bravely
continued their agitation for the school – a thing unheard of in the Philippines in those
times. However, the women still continued their petition of the school and they succeeded in
obtaining government approval in a condition that Señorita Guadalupe Reyes should be their
teacher.Del Pilar (who was in Barcelona) wrote to Rizal (who was in London) on February 17,
1889, requesting to send a letter in Tagalog to the brave women of Malolos. Rizal sent the letter
to Del Pilar on February 22, 1889 for transmittal to Malolos.
The following are the main points of the letter which was taken from the book of Zaide: A Filipino
mother should teach her children love of God, fatherland and mankind, the Filipino mother should
be glad, like the Spartan mother, to offer her sons in the defense of the fatherland, The Filipino
woman should know how to preserve her dignity and honor, a Filipino woman should educate
herself, aside from retaining her good racial virtues. Faith is not merely reciting long prayers and
wearing religious pictures, but rather it is living the real Christian way, with good morals and good
manners. The salient points contained in this letter are as follows: The rejection of the spiritual
authority of the friars, The defense of private judgment, Qualities Filipino mothers need to
possess, Duties and responsibilities of Filipino mothers to their children, Duties and
responsibilities of a wife to her husband and counsel to young women on their choice of a lifetime
partner.
The essay contains Rizal’s reminders on Equality, Self- Respect and the true Spirit of Religion :
1. The tyranny of some is possible only through cowardice and negligence on the part of others,
2. What makes one compatible is lack of dignity and abject fear of one who holds one in contempt.
3. Ignorance is servitude, because as a man thinks, so he is; a man who does not think for himself
and allows himself to be guided by the thought of another is like beast led by a halter, 4. He who
loves his independence must first aid his fellowman, because he who refuses protection to others
will find himself without it. 5. If the Filipina will not change her ode of being, let her rear no more
children, let her merely give birth to them. She must cease to be the mistress of the home,
otherwise she will unconsciously betray husband, child, native land and all. 6. All men are born
equal, naked, without bonds. God did not create man to be slave; nor did he endow him with
intelligence to have him hoodwinked or adorn him with reason to have him deceived by others. 7.
Consider well what kind of religion they are teaching you. See whether it is the will of God or
according to the teachings of Christ that he poor be succored and those who suffer alleviated.
Rizal's vision that of women are given rights to education became a reality. We are not anymore
held back as merely servants but instead reach our full potential. We must not take granted of
this right because our ancestors worked hard to achieve it. We must not complain of the works
we receive from school, but instead we must be thankfully of the opportunity that was given to us.
We must not waste this opportunity. Let us seize this opportunity to prove our worth to the world.
(http://writingsofrizal.weebly.com/women-in-malolos.html)
 
OVERVIEW
Murmurs of pleasant memories, pains and wrongs, Rizal’s poetry sings of exceptional passions,
of humanity’s escapades into freedom. Poetry that soothes and heals, excites and haunts,
embracing the nation’s soul as one, with a kind of chemical solvent to social corruption, to an
“archipelagic nation wrought by centuries of abuse, injustice and repression.”
Poetry often appears at night, wrapped in a darker, sadder mood. Rizal’s most renowned “Mi
Ultimo Adios,” whose exquisite music of a darker, sadder mood, speaks in authentic voices to
and for the country, was written in a familiar style of rhymed cadences about an amorphous
subject (himself) in a strange brew of confession, prophecy and language of the soul.  He believed
in using literature as an instrument for improving the conditions of society, to open the gates to
social justice and benevolence. Though he didn’t believe in didactic homilies at the end of his
poems, he’d rather reach out by teaching in that charming gesture proving that literature itself can
be an anodyne to profit, acquisition and utility. To push away a culture of moral blindness and
rampant selfishness, he pointed out that the true greatness of a nation is the greatness of the
mind, the true glory on its moral and intellectual predominance. De Leon, Myla. The poetry of Dr.
Jose Rizal. 2017. Asian Journal.

Sa Aking Mga Kabata

"Sa Aking Mga Kabatà" (English: To My Fellow Youth) is a poem about the love of one's native
language written in Tagalog. It is widely attributed to the Filipino national hero José Rizal, who
supposedly wrote it in 1868 at the age of seven. Recently, there had been debates on Rizal’s
authorship of the poem. Historians suspects that the actual authors are Gabriel Beato Francisco
or Herminigildo Cruz.
This poem emphasizes that strong sense of nationalism is expressed through love for our own
language. He emphasized the significance and the usage of our mother tongue. Mother tongue
was the language we learned since birth (which was Filipino). It gave us a sense of identity.
Language could not only be our way to communicate but it also served as the reflection of our
culture. Rizal also highlighted on this poem that all languages were equal in terms of its
significance and usage. Filipino language like other languages had its own alphabet and words.
The values and attitude that still valid and usable today is we should be more proud of our
nationality and identity, and by enriching our language we could show our sense of pride as
Filipinos.
/files/7564299/Sa_Aking_mga_Kabata.docx
 
To the Filipino Youth
When he was studying in UST, he submitted a poem entitled “To the Filipino Youth” for the
poetry contest which had been organized for Filipinos by the Manila Lyceum of Art and
Literature, and though he was but eighteen years of age (1879), he won the first prize, a silver
pen. This poem, one of his most famous and most difficult to translate, was dedicated to the
Filipino Youth.
/files/7564299/To_the_Filipino_Youth.docx
 
The Song of Maria Clara
The poem "Song of Maria Clara" is in the novel "Noli Me Tangere." It was sung by the character
named Maria Clara. The first stanza expresses how wonderful everything is in one’s own Native
Land. The hours are sweet, everything is friendly, the breeze is vivifying, love is more tender, and
even death is gratifying. In these four lines, Rizal signifies that Maria Clara’s love for her country
is so great that it colors everything else that she sees. It is this love that makes everything else,
no matter how mundane and ordinary, more beautiful than even the most beautiful wonders
elsewhere. Rizal closes the poem with the line: "It is sweet to die in one's own native land...
 
The Song of Maria Clara

Sweet the hours in the native country,

where friendly shines the sun above!
Life is the breeze that sweeps the meadows;
tranquil is death; most tender, love.
Warm kisses on the lips are playing
as we awake to mother's face:
the arms are seeking to embrace her,
the eyes are smiling as they gaze.
How sweet to die for the native country,
where friendly shines the sun above!
Death is the breeze for him who has
no country, no mother, and no love!
 
Mi Ultimo Adios/ My Last Farewell
Mi Ultimo Adios was the farewell poem of Rizal that originally had no title and was unsigned. This
was believed as Rizal’s last will because he wrote it on the night before he was executed. Also
through this poem, Rizal was giving his last message to his countrymen. For him, offering his life
was the best way he could show his love for the country. Even he was going to die, he was not
resentful instead he challenged the each of the Filipinos to serve and love our country. However
he was also hopeful that his death would serve as inspiration to everyone. He encouraged the
youth to continue to dream and fulfill it.
/files/7564299/Mi_Ultimo_Adios.docx