Matt Vincent S. Suello, Wency Kyle Carpio, Dominique Andrei S.

Bael

PSYCH2111-A

Culture, Society, Ideas, and Innovations

RIZAL THE REALIST AND BONIFACIO THE IDEALIST

The difference between Idealism and Realism is that Idealism considers what a situation
can be as well as how it appears. It regards reality as a mental construct. Realism, on the other
hand, looks into what a situation is like in real life. It investigates a situation's actual point of
view.
I believe Jose Rizal's writings "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo" sparked Andres
Bonifacio's revolt against the Spaniards. It only served as a wake-up call for Bonifacio and other
heroes to seek vengeance and fight for human rights against the Spanish government's abuses.
Each character's role revealed the reality of what was happening during the Spanish period.
Though Rizal did not know Bonifacio well or was unfamiliar with him, the character of Elias was
recognized by him.
The majority of people thought Rizal orchestrated the revolution and Bonifacio carried it
out. Rizal never advocated for rebellion at the time, instead expressing his feelings and
observations through the books he wrote. He was a poet, a romantic, and a dreamer. A man of
universal knowledge and comprehension. A man born with extraordinary qualities and
circumstances, whereas Bonifacio was a commoner, raised in poverty with little education,
whose only intellectual experience came from reading the history of the French Revolution,
Dumas' El Conde de Montecristo, Rizal's Noli Me Tangere, and El Filibusterismo.
Rizal carefully considered and researched the implications of any action he might take.
In his writings, he expressed this very clearly through the characters in the Noli and Fili who
voice his thoughts, such as Ibbara, Isagani, and Padre Florentino, and he demonstrated that
belief in his own actions while still alive. Characters such as Elias and Simoun, as well as
Cabesan Tales, who may be regarded as the model for the Huks in fleeing to the mountains of
Luzon for economic reasons, or Capitang Pablo.
The cries of the oppressed Filipinos could be heard by Bonifacio. Bonifacio, an idealist,
was able to apply his knowledge by leading a historic revolution. With a tangible focus, his faith
in Filipinos was so strong that the formally educated dismissed him as a fool. Bonifacio was
aware of what Filipinos wanted at the time.