A la juventud filipina is a poem written in Spanish by Filipino writer and national hero José Rizal, first presented

in 1879 in Manila, while he was studying at the University of Santo Tomas.

"A la juventud filipina" was written by Rizal when he was only eighteen years old, and was dedicated to the Filipino
Youth.

SummaryIn the poem Rizal praises the benefits that Spain had bestowed upon the Philippines. Rizal had frequently
depicted the renowned Spanish explorers, generals and kings in the most patriotic manner. He had pictured
Education (brought to the Philippines by Spain) as "the breath of life instilling charming virtue". He had written of
one of his Spanish teachers as having brought "the light of the eternal splendor".

In this poem, however, it is the Filipino Youth who are the protagonists, whose "prodigious genius" making use of
that education to build the future, was the "Bella esperanza de la Patria Mia!" (beautiful hope of the motherland).
Spain, with "Pious and wise hand" offered a "crown's resplendent band, offers to the sons of this Indian land."

The poem has been translated to Tagalog by several authors.

Early in the 20th century, the American translator Charles Derbyshire (whose English translation of Rizal’s ―Mi
Ultimo Adios‖ is the most popular and most often recited version) translated the poem, but the translation contained
flaws, as can be seen for example in the fifth line, where he translates "Bella esperanza de la Patria Mia!" as ―Fair
hope of my fatherland!‖ Alfredo S. Veloso made a translation of the poem into English. Philippine National Artist
Nick Joaquin also translated the poem.

Sa kabataang Pilipino

Itaas ang iyong

Malinis na noo
Sa araw na ito,
Kabataang Pilipino!
Igilas mo na rin ang kumikinang mong
Mayamang sanghaya
Magandang pag-asa ng Bayan kong Mutya!

Makapangyarihang wani’y lumilipad,

At binibigyang ka ng muning mataas,
Na maitutulad ng ganap na lakas,
Mabilis na hangin, sa kanyang paglipad,
Malinis na diwa, sa likmuang hangad.

Ikaw ay bumaba
Na taglay ang ilaw
Ng sining at agham
Sa paglalabanan,
Bunying kabataan,
At iyong kalagiun ang gapos mong iyang
Tanikalang bakal na kinatalian
Ng matulain mong waning kinagisnan.

Ikaw na lagi nang pataas nag lipad,

Sa pakpak ng iyong Mayamang pangarap,
Na iyong Makita sa Ilimpong ulap
Ang lalong matamis
Na mag tulaing pinakananais,
Ng higit ang sarap
Kaysa “ambrosia” at “nectar” na awagas
Ng mga bulaklak.

Ikaw na may tinig

Na buhat sa langit,
Kaagaw sa tamis
Na kay Filomenang Malinis na hiomig,
Sa gabing tahimik
Ay pinaparam mo ang sa taong sakit,
Ikaw, na ang batong sukdulan ng tigas
Sa lakas ng iyong diwa’y nagagawad
Ng buhay at gilas,
At ang alaalang makislap
Ay nabibigayan ng kamay mong masikap
Ng buhay na walang masasabing wakes.

At ikaw, na siyang
Sa may iba’t ibang
Balani ni Febong kay Apelas mahal,
Gayundin sa lambong ng katalagahan,
Na siayng sa guhit ng pinsel mong tanga’y
Nakapaglilipat sa kayong alinman;

Hayo na’y tumakbo! Sapagka’t ang banal

Na ningas ng wani’y nais maputungan
Kayong naglalama’y,
At maipamansag ng tambuling tangan,
Saan man humanggan,
Ang ngalan ng tao, sa di matulusang
Lawak ng palibot na nakasasaklaw.

Malwalhating araw,
Ito, Pilipinas, sa lupang tuntungan!
Ang Lumikha’y dapat na pasalamatan,
Dahilan sa kanyang mapagmahal,
Na ikaw’y pahatdan.

These are the exact words (albeit written in Spanish) which introduce the first stanza of Jose Rizal's famous poem, A
la juventud Filipina – To the Filipino Youth. A poem that's been used and re-used/quoted and re-quoted time and
time again, it currently exists in a better known, watered down version which caters better to the current generation's
modern taste: ―The youth is the hope of the nation‖.
Rizal wrote this poem when he was but a child himself, yet he was far removed from his own time and his peers. In
a time when his fellow youth were reeling and cowing under the harsh rods of their primitive-minded teachers, he
had already learned how to look ahead and see bad things for the good that they might become. Even during his
childhood, he had already been awakened to the harshness of his reality, and thus possessed a deep love of country
which overshadowed the common concerns of the youth today: family, romance, friendship, pride, safety. To this
effect, he exorted his fellow youth to cultivate a love of country that can resist abuse and lift the Philippines to a
greater plane of existence as a result.

You mean what our reaction is to Rizal's La Juventud Filipina?

He says there that we, the youth, are capable of bringing changes for the betterment of our country; we are to serve
the nation. He wrote this for the youth to realize that "they are the hope of the father land."

Even though it was written in the context of Spanish colonization, it can be applied to our context. We are to serve
the nation and the Filipino people, to bring progress in our country as well as our economy.

Through the poem, Rizal reminds me of my responsibility as a Filipino youth.

Noli me tangaere

Noli Me Tangere Summary

Having completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin comes back to the Philippines
after a 7-year absence. In his honor, Don Santiago de los Santos, a family friend commonly known as Captain Tiago,
threw a get-together party, which was attended by friars and other prominent figures. One of the guests, former San
Diego curate Fray Dámaso Vardolagas belittled and slandered Ibarra. Ibarra brushed off the insults and took no
offense; he instead politely excused himself and left the party because of an allegedly important task.

The next day, Ibarra visits María Clara, his betrothed, the beautiful daughter of Captain Tiago and affluent resident
of Binondo. Their long-standing love was clearly manifested in this meeting, and María Clara cannot help but reread
the letters her sweetheart had written her before he went to Europe. Before Ibarra left for San Diego, Lieutenant
Guevara, a Civil Guard, reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a rich
hacendero of the town.

According to Guevara, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic, in addition to being a subservient — an
allegation brought forth by Dámaso because of Don Rafael's non-participation in the Sacraments, such as
Confession and Mass. Dámaso's animosity against Ibarra's father is aggravated by another incident when Don Rafael
helped out on a fight between a tax collector and a child fighting, and the former's death was blamed on him,
although it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all of those who thought ill of him surfaced with additional complaints. He
was imprisoned, and just when the matter was almost settled, he died of sickness in jail. Still not content with what
he had done, Dámaso arranged for Don Rafael's corpse to be dug up from the Catholic church and brought to a
Chinese cemetery, because he thought it inappropriate to allow a heretic a Catholic burial ground. Unfortunately, it
was raining and because of the bothersome weight of the body, the undertakers decide to throw the corpse into a
nearby lake.[1]

Revenge was not in Ibarra's plans, instead he carried through his father's plan of putting up a school, since he
believed that education would pave the way to his country's progress (all over the novel the author refers to both
Spain and the Philippines as two different countries as part of a same nation or family, with Spain seen as the mother
and the Philippines as the daughter). During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a
sabotage had Elías — a mysterious man who had warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him — not saved him.
Instead the hired killer met an unfortunate incident and died. The sequence of events proved to be too traumatic for
María Clara who got seriously ill but was luckily cured by the medicine Ibarra sent.

After the inauguration, Ibarra hosted a luncheon during which Dámaso, gate-crashing the luncheon, again insulted
him. Ibarra ignored the priest's insolence, but when the latter slandered the memory of his dead father, he was no
longer able to restrain himself and lunged at Dámaso, prepared to stab him for his impudence. As a consequence,
Dámaso excommunicated Ibarra, taking this opportunity to persuade the already-hesitant Tiago to forbid his
daughter from marrying Ibarra. The friar wished María Clara to marry Linares, a Peninsular who had just arrived
from Spain.

With the help of the Governor-General, Ibarra's excommunication was nullified and the Archbishop decided to
accept him as a member of the Church once again. But, as fate would have it, some incident of which Ibarra had
known nothing about was blamed on him, and he is wrongly arrested and imprisoned. The accusation against him
was then overruled because during the litigation that followed, nobody could testify that he was indeed involved.
Unfortunately, his letter to María Clara somehow got into the hands of the jury and is manipulated such that it then
became evidence against him by the parish priest, Fray Salví. With Machiavellian precision, Salví framed Ibarra and
ruined his life just so he could stop him from marrying María Clara and making the latter his concubine.
Meanwhile, in Capitan Tiago's residence, a party was being held to announce the upcoming wedding of María Clara
and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of Elías, took this opportunity to escape from prison. Before leaving, Ibarra spoke
to María Clara and accused her of betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. María
Clara explained that she would never conspire against him, but that she was forced to surrender Ibarra's letter to
Father Salvi, in exchange for the letters written by her mother even before she, María Clara, was born. The letters
were from her mother, Pía Alba, to Dámaso alluding to their unborn child; and that María Clara was therefore not
Captain Tiago's biological daughter, but Dámaso's.

Afterwards, Ibarra and Elías fled by boat. Elías instructed Ibarra to lie down, covering him with grass to conceal his
presence. As luck would have it, they were spotted by their enemies. Elías, thinking he could outsmart them, jumped
into the water. The guards rained shots on him, all the while not knowing that they were aiming at the wrong man.

María Clara, thinking that Ibarra had been killed in the shooting incident, was greatly overcome with grief. Robbed
of hope and severely disillusioned, she asked Dámaso to confine her into a nunnery. Dámaso reluctantly agreed
when she threatened to take her own life, demanding, "the nunnery or death!" [2] Unbeknownst to her, Ibarra was still
alive and able to escape. It was Elías who had taken the shots.

It was Christmas Eve when Elías woke up in the forest fatally wounded, as it is here where he instructed Ibarra to
meet him. Instead, Elías found the altar boy Basilio cradling his already-dead mother, Sisa. The latter lost her mind
when she learned that her two sons, Crispín and Basilio, were chased out of the convent by the sacristan mayor on
suspicions of stealing sacred objects. (The truth is that, it was the sacristan mayor who stole the objects and only
pinned the blame on the two boys. The said sacristan mayor actually killed Crispín while interrogating him on the
supposed location of the sacred objects. It was implied that the body was never found and the incident was covered-
up by Salví).

Elías, convinced that he would die soon, instructs Basilio to build a funeral pyre and burn his and Sisa's bodies to
ashes. He tells Basilio that, if nobody reaches the place, he come back later on and dig for he will find gold. He also
tells him (Basilio) to take the gold he finds and go to school. In his dying breath, he instructed Basilio to continue
dreaming about freedom for his motherland with the words:

“ I shall die without seeing the dawn break upon my homeland. You, who shall see it, salute it! Do not forget
those who have fallen during the night." ”

Elías died thereafter.

In the epilogue, it was explained that Tiago became addicted to opium and was seen to frequent the opium house in
Binondo to satiate his addiction. María Clara became a nun where Salví, who has lusted over her from the beginning
of the novel, regularly used her to fulfill his lust. One stormy evening, a beautiful crazy woman was seen at the top
of the convent crying and cursing the heavens for the fate it has handed her. While the woman was never identified,
it is suggested that the said woman was María Clara.

Major characters

Ibarra

Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin, commonly referred to the novel as Ibarra or Crisóstomo, is the protagonist
in the story. Son of a Filipino businessman, Don Rafael Ibarra, he studied in Europe for seven years.[6] Ibarra is also
María Clara's fiancé. Several sources claim that Ibarra is also Rizal's reflection: both studied in Europe and both
persons believe in the same ideas. Upon his return, Ibarra requested the local government of San Diego to construct
a public school to promote education in the town.[7]
In the sequel of Noli, El filibusterismo, Ibarra returned with different character
and name: he called himself as Simoun, the English mestizo.

María Clara

A crayon sketch of Leonor Rivera–Kipping by Rizal.

María Clara de los Santos y Alba, commonly referred to as María Clara, is

Ibarra's fiancée. She was raised by Capitán Tiago, San Diego's cabeza de
barangay and is the most beautiful and widely celebrated girl in San Diego.[8] In
the later parts of the novel, María Clara's identity was revealed as an illegitimate
daughter of Father Dámaso, former parish curate of the town, and Doña Pía Alba,
wife of Capitán Tiago.[9] In the end she entered local covenant for nuns Beaterio
de Santa Clara. In the epilogue dealing with the fate of the characters, Rizal stated
that it is unknown if María Clara is still living within the walls of the covenant or she is already dead. [10]

The character of María Clara was patterned after Leonor Rivera, Rizal's first cousin and childhood sweetheart.[11]

Capitán Tiago

Don Santiago de los Santos, known by his nickname Tiago and political title Capitán Tiago is a Filipino
businessman and the cabeza de barangay or head of barangay of the town of San Diego. He is also the known father
of María Clara.[8]

In the novel, it is said that Capitán Tiago is the richest man in the region of Binondo and he possessed real properties
in Pampanga and Laguna de Bay. He is also said to be a good Catholic, friend of the Spanish government and was
considered as a Spanish by colonialists. Capitán Tiago never attended school, so he became a domestic helper of a
Dominican friar who taught him informal education. He married Pía Alba from Santa Cruz.[8]

Padre Dámaso

Dámaso Verdolagas, or Padre Dámaso is a Franciscan friar and the former parish curate of San Diego. He is best
known as a notorious character who speaks with harsh words and has been a cruel priest during his stay in the
town.[12] He is the real father of María Clara and an enemy of Crisóstomo's father, Rafael Ibarra. [9] Later, he and
María Clara had bitter arguments whether she would marry Alfonso Linares or go to a convent. [13] At the end of the
novel, he is again re-assigned to a distant town and is found dead one day. [10]

In popular culture, when a priest was said to be like Padre Dámaso, it means that he is a cruel but respectable
individual. When one says a child is "anak ni Padre Damaso" (child of Padre Dámaso), it means that the child's
father's identity is unknown.

Elías

Elías is Ibarra's mysterious friend and ally. Elías made his first appearance as a pilot during a picnic of Ibarra and
María Clara and her friends.[14] He wants to revolutionize the country and to be freed from Spanish oppression. [15]

The 50th chapter of the novel explores the past of Elías and history of his family. In the past, Ibarra's great-
grandfather condemned Elías' grandfather of burning a warehouse which led into misfortune for Elías' family. His
father was refused to be married by his mother because his father's past and family lineage was discovered by his
mother's family. In the long run, Elías and his twin sister was raised by their maternal grandfather. When they were
teenagers, their distant relatives called them hijos de bastardo or illegitimate children. One day, his sister
disappeared which led him to search for her. His search led him into different places, and finally, he became a
fugitive and subversive.[16]

Filosofo Tacio

Filosofo Tacio, known by his Filipinized name Pilosopo Tasyo is another major character in the story. Seeking for
reforms from the government, he expresses his ideals in paper written in a cryptographic alphabet similar from
hieroglyphs and Coptic figures[17] hoping "that the future generations may be able to decipher it" and realized the
abuse and oppression done by the conquerors. [18]

His full name is only known as Don Anastacio. The educated inhabitants of San Diego labeled him as Filosofo
Tacio (Tacio the Sage) while others called him as Tacio el Loco (Insane Tacio) due to his exceptional talent for
reasoning.

Doña Victorina

Doña Victorina de Espadaña, commonly known as Doña Victorina, is an ambitious Filipina who classifies herself
as a Spanish and mimics Spanish ladies by putting on heavy make-up.[12] The novel narrates Doña Victorina's
younger days: she had lots of admirers, but she didn't choose any of them because nobody was a Spaniard. Later on,
she met and married Don Tiburcio de Espadaña, an official of the customs bureau who is about ten years her
junior.[19] However, their marriage is childless.

Her husband assumes the title of medical doctor even though he never attended medical school; using fake
documents and certificates, Tiburcio practices illegal medicine. Tiburcio's usage of the title Dr. consequently makes
Victorina assume the title Dra. (doctora, female doctor).[19] Apparently, she uses the whole name Doña Victorina
de los Reyes de de Espadaña, with double de to emphasize her marriage surname.[19] She seems to feel that this
awkward titling makes her more "sophisticated."

Sisa, Crispin, and BasilioSisa, Crispin, and Basilio represent a Filipino family persecuted by the Spanish
authorities. Narcisa or Sisa is the deranged mother of Basilio and Crispin. Described as beautiful and young,
although she loves her children very much, she can not protect them from the beatings of her husband, Pedro.

Crispín is Sisa's 7-year-old son. An altar boy, he was unjustly accused of stealing money from the church.
After failing to force Crispín to return the money he allegedly stole, Father Salví and the head sacristan killed
him. Although it was not directly written that he was killed, the way that Rizal carried the novel out, such as
the dream of Basilio suggests that he died during his encounter with Padre Salvi and his minion.

Meanwhile, Basilio is Sisa's 10-year-old son. An acolyte tasked to ring the church bells for the Angelus, he faced the
dread of losing his younger brother and falling of his mother into insanity. At the end of the novel, Elías wished
Basilio to bury him by burning in exchange of chest of gold located on his death ground. He will later play a major
role in El filibusterismo.

Due to their tragic but endearing story, these characters are often parodied in modern Filipino popular culture.

Other characters

There are a number of secondary and minor characters in Noli Me Tangere. Items indicated inside the parenthesis
are the standard Filipinization of the Spanish names in the novel.

 Padre Hernando de la Sibyla – a Dominican friar. He is described as short and has fair skin. He is instructed
by an old priest in his order to watch Crisóstomo Ibarra.
 Padre Bernardo Salví – the Franciscan curate of San Diego, secretly harboring lust for María Clara. He is
described to be very thin and sickly. It is also hinted that his last name, "Salvi" is the shorter form of "Salvi"
 meaning Salvation, or "Salvi" is short for "Salvaje" meaning bad hinting to the fact that he is willing to kill an
innocent child, Crispin, just to get his money back, though there was not enough evidence that it was Crispin
who has stolen his 2 onzas.
 El Alférez or Alperes – chief of the Guardia Civil. Mortal enemy of the priests for power in San Diego and
husband of Doña Consolacion.
 Doña Consolacíon – wife of the Alférez, nicknamed as la musa de los guardias civiles (The muse of the Civil
Guards) or la Alféreza, was a former laundrywoman who passes herself as a Peninsular; best remembered for
her abusive treatment of Sisa.
 Don Tiburcio de Espadaña – Spanish Quack Doctor who is limp and submissive to his wife, Doña Victorina.
 Teniente Guevara - a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He reveals to Crisóstomo how Don Rafael Ibarra's
death came about.
 Alfonso Linares – A distant nephew of Tiburcio de Espanada, the would-be fiancé of María Clara. Although
he presented himself as a practitioner of law, it was later revealed that he, just like Don Tiburcio, is a fraud. He
later died due to given medications of Don Tiburcio.
 Tía Isabel - Capitán Tiago's cousin, who raised Maria Clara.
 Governor General (Gobernador Heneral) – Unnamed person in the novel, he is the most powerful official in
the Philippines. He has great disdains against the friars and corrupt officials, and sympathizes Ibarra.
 Don Filipo Lino – vice mayor of the town of San Diego, leader of the liberals.
 Padre Manuel Martín - he is the linguistic curate of a nearby town, who says the sermon during San Diego's
fiesta.
 Don Rafael Ibarra - father of Crisóstomo Ibarra. Though he is the richest man in San Diego, he is also the
most virtuous and generous.
 Dona Pía Alba - wife of Capitan Tiago and mother of María Clara. She died giving birth to her. In reality, she
was raped by Dámaso so she could bear a child.

Non-recurring characters

These characters were mentioned in the novel, appeared once, mentioned many times or have no major contribution
to the storyline.

 Don Pedro Eibarramendia - the great-grandfather of Crisóstomo Ibarra who came from the Basque area of
Spain. He started the misfortunes of Elias' family. His descendants abbreviated their surname to Ibarra. He died
of unknown reasons, but was seen as a decaying corpse on a Balite Tree.
 Don Saturnino Ibarra - the son of Don Pedro, father of Don Rafael and grandfather of Crisóstomo Ibarra. He
was the one who developed the town of San Diego. He was described as a cruel man but was very clever.
 Salomé - Elías' sweetheart. She lives in a little house by the lake, and though Elías would like to marry her, he
tells her that it would do her or their children no good to be related to a fugitive like himself. In the original
publication of Noli, the chapter that explores the identity of Elías and Salomé was omitted, classifying her as a
total non-existing character. This chapter, entitled Elías y Salomé was probably the 25th chapter of the novel.
However, recent editions and translations of Noli provides the inclusion of this chapter, either on the appendix
or renamed as Chapter X (Ex).
 Sinang - Maria Clara's friend. Because Crisóstomo Ibarra offered half of the school he was building to Sinang,
he gained Capitan Basilio's support.
 Iday, Andeng and Victoria - Maria Clara's other friends.
 Capitán Basilio - Sinang's father, leader of the conservatives.
 Pedro – the abusive husband of Sisa who loves cockfighting.
 Tandáng Pablo – The leader of the tulisanes (bandits), whose family was destroyed because of the Spaniard
Mga Paraan ng Paggamit ng mga Senyas na Di-Berbal

1. Ang mga senyas na di-berbal ay kapupunan ng komunikasyong berbal. Kalimitan, inuulit ng mga kumpas o ng
mga aksiyon ang mga ideyang ipinahahayag sa pamamagitan ng wika. Halimbawa maaari nating sabayan ng
kumpas na naglalarawan ang pangungusap na, ―Ganito nang kataas ang aking bunsong kapatid.‖ O kaya naman ay
maaaring sabayan ng ngiti ang pangungusap na, ―Nasisiyahan ako sa nakuha kong marka sa pagsusulit.‖ Kung
kumplementaryo ang gamit ng mga senyas na di-berbal at ng wika, nagsisilbing patibay ang una sa isinasaad ng
wika.

2. Ang mga senyas na di-berbal ay maaaring gamitin sa halip na wika. Sa ating kultura, ang pagtango ng ulo ay
ginagamit na panghalili sa salitang ―oo‖, ang pag-iling ng ulo ay ginagamit na panghalili sa salitang ―hindi‖.
Matapos ang isang laro ng basketball, halimbawa, hindi na kailangang gumamit ng wika ang mga manlalaro upang
ipahayag kung nanalo sila o natalo. Naipapahiwatig ang kanilang kasiyahan sa pagkapanalo o kaya nama'y
kalungkutan sa pagkatalo sa pamamagitan ng galaw ng kanilang katawan.

3. Maaaring pabulaanan ng mga senyas na di-berbal ang isinasad ng wika. Alam na nating higit na ginagamit ng
tao ang kanyang paningin kaysa pandinig. Sa mga senyas na di-berbal at ng wika, higit na pinaniniwalaan ng
tagapakinig ang ipinahihiwatig ng una. Halimbawa, kung ang kasabay ng pangungusap na ―Masaya naman ako‖ ay
malamlam na mga mata at pilit na ngiti, dalwang mensaheng magkasalungat ang ikinukumunika. Nagiging suliranin
ng tagapakinig kung alin sa dalawang mensahe ang dapat bigyan ng reaksiyon.

4. Upang ayusin ang daloy ng komunikasyon. Halimbawa nito ay ang paghipo sa braso upang itulak ang isang
kalahok sa talakayan na magsalita. Ayon sa pananaliksik ni Patricio, nakatutulong ang ganitong senyas sa daloy ng
talakayan.