1.

Compare and contrast the characters, plot, and theme of the Noli Me Tangere and the El
Filibusterismo

NOLI ME TENGERE EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Leon Ma. Guerrero claimed that the theme El Fili theme, like the Noli revolves in “the
of Noli could be “the use and abuse of greed for power”
power.”
The round characters in El Fili consist of
The round characters in the Noli include Simoun, Isagani, Tales and Fr. Florentino.
Ibarra, Tasio, Sisa and Ma. Clara. Flat The flat characters include Fr. Salvi,
characters are Fr. Damaso, Fr. Salvi, the Camorra, Sibyla and Irene.
Alferea, Dona Consolacion and Dona
Victorina.

Noli Me Tangere is a novel filled with The denouement was a scene where
controversies. The first five chapter deals Isagani snatched the lamp and threw it out
with conspiracy, murder and coded into the river. Commotion followed, Simoun
communication. It started with a party that spends his last hours with Fr Florentino.
present the different sectors of Hispanic-
Philippine society. A lieutenant intrigues
those around him in a party with his clues
on the mystery surrounding the death of
Don Rafael Ibarra, the father of Crisostomo
and the hero of the novel.

Later events invite curiosity on Maria

Clara’s paternity. Ma. Clara had to make a
choice between creating a scandal
regarding the identity of her biological
father or to surrender the letter of Ibarra to
the church. She wanted to protect her
foster father Tiago, the good name of her
mother, and his biological father. The
same was later affirmed when Capitan
Tiago was ordered by Fr. Damaso to break
off the relationship between Ibarra nad Ma.
Clara. This too is related to the blocking of
Ibarra’s construction of a schoolhouse.

The denouement was the death of Maria

Clara and Ibarra’s slipping out of the
country.

2. Choose three (3) most important characters in the novels and explain why you consider
them as such.
- Rizal clearly acknowledge the importance of education in his novels. In his novel Noli Me Tangere,
Ibarra stressed the contribution of education to the country when he said:

“ I want my country’s good that is why I am building the school house, through education
there is progress, we cannot find our way without the light of knowledge”.

- The novels also contain messages that pertain to the willingness to sacrifice as a necessary
component in nation-building. Near the end of the Noli, when Ibarra invited Elias to leave the
country, the latter who had accepted the reality of the disunity and misfortunes of the people
say:
- “Impossible! It is true that I cannot live or be happy in my country but I can suffer and die in it
and perhaps, for it, and that is always something . Let the misfortunes of my country be my
own, and since our people are not all united by a noble ideal, since our hearts do not beat ….
At least our common unhappiness may unite me with them. I shall weep with them over our
sorrows, and let the same misfortunes oppress all our hearts.”
- the El Filibusterismo contains more messages to show the importance of education. In the
chapter “The Friars and the Filipinos,” Isagani in his conversation with Senor Pasta said:
- “…that even if the sole wish of the Spaniards is to make the country a country of
farmers and laborers, I do not see any evil in enlightening these same farmers and laborers in
giving them at least an education that will aid them in perfecting themselves and in perfecting
their work and in placing them in a condition to understand many things of which they are at
present ignorant.