Chapter 2

Rizal Childhood Years in Calamba & Biñan

Artistic Talent
• Since early childhood Rizal revealed his God- given talent for art. • At the age of
five, he began to make sketches with his pencil and to mould in clay and wax
objects which attracted his fancy.
 First Poem by Rizal • Since early boyhood he had scribbled verses on loose sheets
of paper and on the textbooks of his sisters.
• At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem in the native language entitled Sa
Aking Mga Kababata (To My Fellow Children)

Rizal as Boy Magician

• Since early manhood Rizal had been interested in magic. He learned various
tricks such as making a coin appear or disappear in his fingers and making a
handkerchief vanish in thin air
• He entertained his town folks with magic-lantern exhibitions.
• He also gained skill in manipulating marionettes (puppet show).
In later years when he attained manhood, he continued his keen predilection for
magic. He read many books on magic and attended the performances of the famous
magicians of the world.
• In chapter XVII and XVIII of his second novel, El Filibusterismo (Treason), he
revealed his wide knowledge of magic.
Influences on the Hero’s Boyhood

1. Heredity Influence:
• Malayan ancestors- love for freedom, innate desire to travel and indomitable
courage. • Chinese ancestors- serious nature, frugality, patience and love for
children.
• Spanish ancestors- elegance of bearing, sensitivity to insult and gallanty to
ladies.
Father- Profound sense of respect, the love for work and the habit of independent
thinking.
• Mother- religious nature, the spirit of self- sacrifice and the passion for arts and
literature.

2. Environmental Influences:
• The scenic beauties of Calamba and the beautiful garden of the Rizal family-
inborn artistic and literary talents of Jose Rizal.
 The religious atmosphere at his home- religious nature. • Brother, Paciano- love for
freedom and justice. • Sisters- courteous and kind to women. • Aya (Nurse Maid)-
interest in folklore and legends. • Tito Jose Alberto- artistic ability. • Tito Manuel-
frail walking and wrestling. • Tito Gregorio- voracious reading of good books.
 Father Leoncio Lopez- love for scholarship and intellectual honesty. • Sorrows in
his family- character, enabling him to resist blows of adversity in late years. 3. Aid
of Divine Providence: • God- versatile gifts of a genius, the vibrant spirit of
nationalism and the valiant heart to sacrifice for a noble cause.
 Injustice to Hero’s Mother • Before June of 1872,tragedy struck the Rizal
family.Dona Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her
brother. • Jose Alberto wife was poison • Jose Alberto ,a rich Binan ilustrado ,had
just returned from a business trip in Europe. • After arresting Dona Teodora, the
sadistic Spanish Lieutenant forced her to walk from Calamba to Santa Cruz a
distance of 50 kilometers.

Prepared By: Lia Lin S. Regalado