Chosen Chapter : Chapter XXIV – Dreams

Summary:

Isagani meets with Paulita and he expresses his dreams to her. He dreams of progress and economic
development for his country. He conversed with Paulita about railway expansions and and cooperation
between Spaniards and Filipinos. Although Paulita heard all of Isagani’s dreams towards the country she
dismisses them and says these are unattainable dreams.

Responses and actions among Filipinos to the fate of Spanish colonialism :

These were excerpts from Dr. Jose Rizal’s famous novel El Filibusterismo or The Reign of Greed.

"A strange destiny, that of some peoples!" he mused. "Because a traveler arrives at their shores,
they lose their liberty and become subjects and slaves, not only of the traveler, not only of his
heirs, but even of all his countrymen, and not for a generation, but for all time! A strange
conception of justice! Such a state of affairs gives ample right to exterminate every foreigner as
the most ferocious monster that the sea can cast up!"

"Ah, I should like to die," he exclaimed, "be reduced to nothingness, leave to my native land a
glorious name, perish in its cause, defending it from foreign invasion, and then let the sun
afterwards illumine my corpse, like a motionless sentinel on the rocks of the sea!"

The conflict with the Germans came into his mind and he almost felt sorry that it had been
adjusted: he would gladly have died for the Spanish-Filipino banner before submitting to the
foreigner.

“with Spain we are united by firm bonds—the past, history, religion, language—”

"provided the liberals in Spain are like those we have here, in a little while the mother country will
be able to count the number of the faithful!"

This led the conversation to Isagani’s town, surrounded by forests, situated on the shore of the
sea which roared at the base of the high cliffs. Isagani’s gaze lighted up when he spoke of that
obscure spot, a flush of pride overspread his cheeks, his voice trembled, his poetic imagination
glowed, his words poured forth burning, charged with enthusiasm, as if he were talking of love to
his love, and he could not but exclaim:

A thousand cities, a thousand palaces, would I give for that spot in the Philippines, where, far
from men, I could feel myself to have genuine liberty. There, face to face with nature, in the
presence of the mysterious and the infinite, the forest and the sea, I think, speak, and work like a
man who knows not tyrants.”

"You don't realize the energy and enthusiasm that are awakening in the country after the sleep of
centuries. Spain heeds us; our young men in Madrid are working day and night, dedicating to the
fatherland all their intelligence, all their time, all their strength.

I see towns arise along the railroads, and factories everywhere, edifices like that of Mandaloyan! I
hear the steam hiss, the trains roar, the engines rattle! I see the smoke rise—their heavy
breathing; I smell the oil—the sweat of monsters busy at incessant toil. This port, so slow and
laborious of creation, this river where commerce is in its death agony, we shall see covered with
masts, giving us an idea of the forests of Europe in winter.
 Free from the system of exploitation, without hatred or distrust, the people will labor because then
labor will cease to be a despicable thing, it will no longer be servile, imposed upon a slave. Then
the Spaniard will not embitter his character with ridiculous pretensions of despotism, but with a
frank look and a stout heart we shall extend our hands to one another, and commerce, industry,
agriculture, the sciences, will develop under the mantle of liberty, with wise and just laws, as in
prosperous England.”

In this chapter which is titled dreams, Isagani expresses his feelings towards what the Philippines should
be. We think that through this novel Dr. Rizal wanted to express his feelings about the country’s progress.
Although it wasn’t physical, we think this is one of the ways Filipinos have fought against the Spanish
Colony. Everything starts with dreams, we think this is the first step towards accomplishing something so
great.