SARMIENTO, JEMMUEL A.

BSAR 3A
ACTIVITY FOR LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

1. Besides from studying, what was Rizal’s secret mission in going abroad
specifically in Spain?
 As it turned out, Rizal's secret mission was to observe the lives, cultures, laws,
and governments of the countries in Europe, in preparation for liberating the
Philippines from Spain's tyrannical rule.
2. Why was the Propaganda Movement described as a Moderate Revolution?
 Propaganda  is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or
behavior of large numbers of people. The main goals of the Propaganda
Movement was to create reforms in the Philippines. They are aiming for the total
independence of the Philippines from Spain. They are described as Moderate
Revolution because it advocated the moderate aims of legal equality between
Spaniards and Filipinos, Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes
(parliament), free speech and association, secular public schools, and an end to
the annual obligation of forced labour.
3. Why did Rizal join the Free Masonry?

 Masonry is one of the world's oldest and largest secular fraternal organizations,
whose members are concerned with moral and spiritual values.

Rizal's prime encounter with Freemasonry occurred when he was in Spain, where
he made the acquaintance of some liberal and republican Spaniards who were
mostly Masons.  His central motive in joining the society was to secure the aid of
the Freemasons in his battle against the abusive friars in the Philippines.  

He admired the way these Masons scrutinized and criticized the methods of the
government and criticized the haughty friars, a freedom which could not be
practiced in the Philippines. On November 15, 1890, Rizal became a Master
Mason in Lodge Solidaridad in Madrid. Two years later he was awarded Master
Mason in Paris by Le Grand Orient de France.
4. Why did he decide to return to the Philippines?
 Rizal was determined to come back to the Philippines for the following reasons:
– To operate his mother's eyes – To serve his people who had long been
oppressed by Spanish tyrants. – To find out for himself how the Noli Me Tangere
and his other writings were affecting Filipinos and Spaniards.
5. What was the inspiration for the title of Noli Me Tangere?
 Noli Me Tangere, Latin for "Touch me not", is an 1887 novel by Jose
Rizal during the colonization of the Philippines by Spain to describe perceived
inequities of the Spanish Catholic friars and the ruling government. Rizal entitled
this novel as such drawing inspiration from John 20:13-17 of the Bible, the
technical name of a particularly painful type of cancer (back in his time, it was
unknown what the modern name of said disease was). He proposed to probe all
the cancers of Filipino society that everyone else felt too painful to touch.
6. Who is your favorite character in Noli Me Tangere and why?
 I love Basilio’s character in Noli because he’s a dreamer. He has determination
and passion to achieve his dreams and he’s also a very studious boy. Following
his mother's death and his brother's disappearance, Basilio became an optimistic
and hopeful individual in spite of the hardships he faced. At a young age, Basilio
demonstrated a certain maturity, aware of his father's abuse towards his mother.

Basilio's optimism extended into his life as a young man, working tirelessly to
become a doctor and participating in the student organization's efforts to establish
the Castilian Academy.

Because of his values, I am amazed of how he has a positive outlook in life even
if there’s a challenge that may come to your life. Through Basilio’s character, I
learned that whatever happens in your life, just trust God in the process and no
matter how many times life gets you knocked down, always find a positive reason
why you will still keep getting back up.