Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND

Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
PAPAYA-OFF CAMPUS

NAME: Ervin C. Verdillo.

COURSE & SECTION: BSE – English IV

Life and Works of Rizal

INTRODUCTION

Jose Rizal has been a great inspiration to the Filipinos. He

served his country by his own life and is the reason why the

Philippines has freedom. Our national hero even beyond death is

continuously able to inspire and encourage the Filipinos to be

patriotic and to fight against unfair treatment.

The subject of Life and Works of Rizal has been mandated by

the law to include any course in any college or university in the

Philippines. This is the Republic act 1425 also known as the

Rizal’s Law. The purpose of this subject is to introduce college

students to the principles of freedom and nationalism. This

subject is also a way to pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifice

that he did. By studying Rizal’s life and works the students

understanding of our national hero will be broadened. It will

allow them to appreciate more the freedom that they enjoyed. This

subject plays an important role in my course. As an education

student and as a future teacher it is one of my roles to foster

my future students to be nationalistic. And one way of doing that

is by showing them examples of nationalistic people that fought

for their countries. Teaching them how Rizal makes a different

way to fight against the Spanish colonization and to capture our

freedom will surely motivate them to do heroic deeds in their

ways. By also teaching the works of Rizal to my future students,

it will make them discover the genius behind his words and the

braveness within them.

Rizal’s ideas and teachings never fade their importance

concerning present conditions and situations in society.

TEACHINGS OF RIZAL

Being a well-educated man, Jose Rizal has left us wisdom

that is timeless and helpful. He’s not only academically

competent but also rich in virtues. In the span of his life, he

was able to give us many principles to live by. Here’s what we

can learn from his life and implement in our own:

Against all odds

Being a Filipino, Rizal showed the best virtues. He

persevered and succeeded in the face of adversity, inspiring the

Katipunaneros to revolt to reclaim freedom from the hands of the

Spaniards.

Importance of Education

Education is one of the key elements why Jose Rizal

succeeded in his goals. In writing his two famous novels he first

learned how to fluently speak and write in Spanish. He then went

to a different country to study not only to become a surgeon but

also to build connections with other nations while writing the

novels that eventually caused the revolt.

Hope in Younger Generations

 One famous quote by Rizal is “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng

bayan”. He said it because he possibly saw that the Filipino

youth in his time had the potential to stand against the

Spaniards. He believed that the future will be better sooner or

later. And it is seen that his belief caused the youth to show

their bravery and courage after he died. Decades after, we can

say that the youth is still the hope of our future as it is

dependent on the next generation if it will succeed.

Loved for own Language and Nation

“He who does not love his language is worse than an animal

and smelly fish.” it is one of the famous sayings in the

Philippines and it is coming from Dr. Jose Rizal. Rizal

exemplifies the importance of loving for our own country through

his words and actions.

There’s a virtue in giving

On September 21, 1892, Rizal won the second prize in a

lottery. He won a prize of P20,000 in the government-owned Manila

Lottery. But instead of using the prize in his good, he hands

over all his winnings to build light and water infrastructure,

and a school for fellow citizens, where he taught as well as

offered free medical treatment. Rizal is truly admirable because

not only he helped his fellow countryman with his money but also

his own life when he was sentenced to death.

APPLICATION TO THE CURRENT SITUATION

We can all agree that our current conditions are much harder

than before. We are limited to move because of the widespread

pandemic causing our financial stability to collapse. We are also

experiencing distress and uncertainty. But the teachings of Rizal

are ageless and is applicable in a lot of circumstances. Those

virtues will certainly benefit us in various ways. For instance,

we can learn from Rizal the importance of giving through his

teachings. Acts like giving plays a vital role in our current

situation. It helps people, particularly the poor, who are

struggling to get enough food and medicine. One example of these

kinds of an act is the so-called “Community Pantry”. The

community pantry was created with the concept that people could

take as much as they needed and donate whatever they could. It

encourages people to work together by donating goods and other

resources.

Another lesson that can be taken in the teachings of Rizal

is the significance of loving your language and country. The new

generations nowadays are so focus on the other countries. They

knew all the latest news and trends in another country

particularly in Korea but knew very little information about

their own country. They are even trying to learn more about the
language they do not own instead of broadening their

understanding of the Filipino language. This is very

disheartening to see that they are more interested in the culture

of the foreign countries. the Filipinos needed to hear the

sayings of Jose Rizal even more than before.

But not all teenagers are interested in those. There are

still those who give importance to what they have and what they

own. There are still hope for the nation in the hands of the

younger generations. I still believe in Jose Rizal when he said

that “The youth is the hope of our future.” There are always a

man or woman from the society that will build up the community.

CONCLUSION

The life and works of Rizal are truly full of values and

inspirations. We should be thankful for him for providing an

inspiring source of patriotism through his writings.

By understanding his principles and teachings we can develop

a greater appreciation and comprehension of all that Rizal fought

and died for. We must improve ourselves as young adults who have

been given the burden of controlling our country's future.