Almerah B.

Domagay His5 – A2-1

SUMMARY OF MY LEARNING IN HISTORY 5

In this subject, i have learned about Rizal’s life, works, events, and everything that
had happened to his life, surrounding, and his fellow people. I have learned how
he sacrificed his life for our freedom through his writings in his books. I have
learned how intelligent he is to the point that even on his young age, he excels in
his classes and had finished his doctoring and other courses, i have learned that
even in his difficulty, he still think about the others (his nation) and his family. He
studied medicine to help people who are sick and to cure his blind mother. I have
learned that Rizal has been once a playboy, he used to have more girlfriends
everywhere he goes. I have learned how Rizal fought for his country, for his love,
for his fellow people that it even sentenced him death through firing him facing
his back. I have learned also how the Spanish people affect the lives of the
Filipinos. How the Filipinos are being slayed every day and how are they being
punished. Men are going through very much difficulty doing the masonry,
carpentry, farming, and every heavy works. And for the girls, they are being raped
by the priests or the officials or even their fellow Filipinos. I have learned that in
Rizal’s time, you are nothing when you are poor, the Spaniards treat Filipinos as a
trash, slave in their own country. You are bound to be a prisoned on the things or
sin you have never committed. Spaniards are corrupting everyone because they
handle every Filipino’s neck. Well except for the influential Filipinos who are
working or helping the Spanish officials over-taking the Philippines. I have learned
about Rizal’s greatest love of his life, which is Leonora Rivera.

I have also learned about Rizal’s real name, his background and his family back
ground. His real name is José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. Jose Rizal
came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II
and Theodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother. They are
Saturnina Rizal, Rizal’s eldest sister, Paciano Rizal, Narcisa Rizal, Olympia Rizal,
Lucia Rizal, Maria Rizal, Jose Rizal, Concepcion Rizal, Josefa Rizal, Trinidad Rizal,
and lastly Soledad Rizal, Jose Rizal’s youngest sibling. Jose Rizal took professions
from different schools. He was intelligent and known for his outstanding
performances in school. Jose Rizal finished many professions like law in Ateneo de
manila, Ophthalmology in University of Santo Tomas, and had his medicine
profession licensed in Universidad central de Madrid. Rizal is also a multi-talented
person. He knows how to paint, sketch, make sculptures, wrote poems, essays
and journals.

I have learned that on the books he had written, he stated there the corruption
and wrong doings of government officials as well as the Spanish friars. Rizal even
contributed essays, poems, allegories, and editorials to the Spanish newspaper, La
Solidaridad. Most of his writings, both in his essays and editorials, centered on
individual rights and freedom, specifically for the Filipino people. Two of his works
stands out from the rest of his works; it is the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo. In both novels, Rizal harshly criticized the Spanish colonial rule in
the country and exposed the ills of Philippine society at the time. And because he
wrote about the injustices and brutalities of the Spaniards in the country, the
authorities banned Filipinos from reading the controversial books. Yet they were
not able to ban it completely. As more Filipinos read the books, their eyes opened
to the truth that they were suffering unspeakable abuses at the hands of the
friars.

Rizal also formed an organization. He called it La Liga Filipina. This organization is

advocating social reforms through legal means, and this makes Jose Rizal a threat
to the Spaniards because they might lose their own battle that they have started.
And this is also the reason why they exiled them in Dapitan. Even though he was
exiled, he still chose to continue his reforms. And this made Katipunan which is
led by Andres Bonifacio opened their eyes to harsh truth and they had a full-
blown revolution. And because of this, Rizal has been accused by the officials of
Spaniards or the friars that he is associated with the secret militaries. Rizal was
charged with sedition, conspiracy, and rebellion – and therefore, sentenced to
death by firing squad.
Days before his execution, Rizal bid farewell to his motherland and countrymen
through one of his final letters, entitled Mi Ultimo Adios or my last farewell. Dr.
Jose Rizal was executed on the morning of December 30, 1896, in what was then
called bagumbayan (now referred to as Luneta). Upon hearing the command to
shoot him, he faced the squad and uttered in his final breath: “consummatum
est” (it is finished).

The Philippine revolution continued until 1898 after his death. And with the
assistance of the United States, the Philippines declared its independence from
Spain on June 12, 1898. This was the time that the Philippine flag was waved at
General Emilio Aguinaldo’s residence in kawit, Cavite.

Rizal’s life and works has been a great help to everyone because we Filipinos can
have the knowledge and learning about our past. How Filipinos did to save the
future from cruelties. A big salute to Jose Rizal and to every hero who had
sacrificed their life just to save and set justice.