Life and Works of Rizal Module 2

Bataan Heroes College
Module No.2
Childhood Days in
Calamba
LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL
i
Childhood Days in Calamba
TOLENTINO- ESTRADA- CARULLO- SILVERIO
This module or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or distributed
in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the College or the Author
ii
Course Information
1. Course Title : Life and Works of Rizal
2. Program :
3. Course Code : RIZAL
4. Credit Units : 3
5. Pre-requisite/s : none
Instructor Information
1. Name : Ardhel Reyes Tolentino, LPT
2. Contact Information
a. Number : -
b. Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/ardhel.tolentino
c. Email : ardhelstolentino20@gmail.com
Course Purpose and Description

As mandated by Republic Act, 1425, this course covers the life and works of the country’s
national hero, Jose Rizal. Among the topics covered are Rizal’s biography and his writings,
particularly the novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, some of his essays, and various
correspondences.
Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the student should be able to accomplish the following outcomes to:
a. discuss Jose Rizal’s Life within the context of 19th century Philippines;
b. analyse Rizal’s various work, particularly the novels Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo;
c. Organize Rizal’s ideas into various themes;
d. demonstrate critical reading of primary sources;
e. interpret the values that can be derived from studying Rizal’s life and works; and
f. display an appreciation for education and love of country.
iii
Course Schedule
Intended
Module
Weeks Module Learning
No.
Outcomes
1st 1 1. Introduction to Rizal Course R.A 1425 A Hero is
Born a, c, d, f
A Hero is Born
2nd 2 2. Childhood Days in Calamaba

a, c, d, f
2nd 3 3. Rizal’s National Consciousness

- Higher education of Rizal
- Rizal’s Life Abroad
a, c, d, f
- The Propaganda Movement and La Solidaridad
- In the Eyes of Noli Me Tangere
3rd Midterm Assessment

4th 4 4. The Search for Filipino Origins
- Pacto de Sangr: Why We Were Conquered
a, c, d
- Pre- Colonial Philippines and Rizal’s
annotations of Marga
5th 5 5. Rizal’s Change in Perspective on the Spanish b, c, d, e, f
Rule
- Indolence and the Spanish Colonial Rule
- Rizal’s Abandonment of Assimilation
- El Filibusterismo
6th 6 6. Rizal’s Heroism, the Nation, and the World a, c, d, e
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- Life in Exile
- Trial and Execution
- The Transcendental Hero
6th Final Assessment
Text Book and Reference Books
Janet Espina- Clemente, and Geoffrey Rhoel Cruz (2019). Life and Works of Rizal.
Published and copyrighted C&E Publishing, Inc.
v
Module 1: Childhood Days in Calamba
This module deals with the childhood life of Pepe or Jose Rizal in Calmba. Including
in this module is the appreciation and nurturing of a genius mind of Pepe as he
became a learner through his mother. This module also shows the steps or process
of Rizal’s life including his master pieces during his younger days.
Objectives of the Module:
At the end of this module, the students should be able to:
a. analyze the masterpieces made by Rizal during his younger days;

b. identify the reasons of Rizal’s tears and his learning process when he was a child and
c. appreciate the ability of Jose Rizal in making poems and appreciation of what he
experienced as child.
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Note: Before going further into this lesson two (2): Childhood Days in Calamba., let’s have first
some brain refresher activity.
Direction: Try to analyse and give your insights about this quotation given by Dr. Jose
Rizal.
“Ah, tender childhood, lovely

town, Rich fount of my
felicities.”
-Jose Rizal
Insights here
This image is under the property of: Childhood of Jose Rizal JoseRizal.com
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Study Guide No. 2
Childhood days in
Calamba
LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL
3
2. Childhood days in Calamba
Jose Rizal, like many Filipino boys, had many beautiful memories of his childhood. He
belongs to a happy home filled with parental affection, impregnated with family joys, and
sanctified by prayers. In the midst of such peaceful, refined, God loving family, he spent the
early years of his childhood. The beauties of Calamba impressed him as a growing child and
deeply influenced his mind and character.
The happiest period of his life was truly his childhood days in his natal town.
Calamba, “Cradle of a Genius
Rizal loved Calamba with all his heart and soul. In 1876, when he was 15 years old and was
a student in the Ateneo, he remembered his beloved town. Accordingly he wrote a poem Un
Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of my Town),
Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of my Town),

Jose Rizal
When I remember the days
that saw my early childhood
spent on the green shores
of a murmurous lagoon;
when I remember the coolness,
delicious and refreshing,
that on my face I felt
as I heard Favonius croon;
4
when I behold the white lily

swell to the wind’s impulsion,
and that tempestuous element
meekly asleep on the sand;
when I inhale the dear
intoxicating essence
the flowers exude when dawn
is smiling on the land;
sadly, sadly I recall

your visage, precious childhood,
which an affectionate mother
made beautiful and bright;
I recall a simple town,
my comfort, joy and cradle,
beside a balmy lake,
the seat of my delight.
Ah, yes, my awkward foot

explored your sombre woodlands,
and on the banks of your rivers
in frolic I took part.
I prayed in your rustic temple,
a child, with a child’s devotion;
and your unsullied breeze
exhilarated my heart.
5
The Creator I saw in the grandeur

of your age-old forests;
upon your bosom, sorrows
were ever unknown to me;
while at your azure skies
I gazed, neither love nor tenderness
failed me, for in nature
lay my felicity.
Tender childhood, beautiful town,

rich fountain of rejoicing
and of harmonious music
that drove away all pain:
return to this heart of mine,
return my gracious hours,
return as the birds return
when flowers spring again!
But O goodbye! May the Spirit

of Good, a loving gift-giver,
keep watch eternally over
your peace, your joy, your sleep!
For you, my fervent pryers;
for you, my constant desire
to learn; and I pray heaven
your innocence to keep!
6
In this nostalgic poem, Jose Rizal remembers his childhood days in Calamba, Laguna.
Rizal had the happiest and most beautiful memories of the place, the hospitality and friendliness
as well as the industry of the people of Calamba. Those memories were influential in molding his
character and his values.
2.1 Early Childhood Memories

The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days in the family garden when he
was three years old.
 He was frail, sickly and undersized child, he was given the tenderest care by his
parents.
 His father build a little nipa cottage in the garden for him to play in the daytime.
 A kind old woman was employed as an aya (maid) to look after his comfort.
In his boyhood memoirs, he narrated how he, at the age of three, watched from
his garden cottage the culilan, the maya, the culae, the maria- capra, the martin, the
pipit, and other birds, listening “with wonder and joy” to their twilight songs.
Another childhood memory was the daily angelus prayer. By nightfall, Rizal related, his
mother gathered all the children at the house to pray the Angelus.
 The aya related to the Rizal children (including Jose) many stories about fairies: tales
of buried treasure and trees blooming with diamonds, and other fabulous stories.
 The imaginary tales told by aya aroused Rizal an enduring interest in legends and
folklore.
Another memory of his infancy was the nocturnal walk in the town , especially when
there was a moon.
 The aya took him for a walk in the moonlight by the river, where the trees cast
grotesque shadows on the bank.
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Recounting this childhood experience, Rizal wrote: “Thus my heart fed on sombre and
melancholy thoughts so that even while stills a child. I already wandered on wings of
fantasy in the high regions of the unknown.”
First Sorrow
The Rizal children were bound together by ties of love and companionship. They were
well- bred, for their parents taught them to love one another, to behave properly in the presence
of elders, to be truthful and religious, and to help one another. They affectionately called their
father Tatay, and their mother Nanay.
 Jose was jokingly called Ute by his brother and sisters. The people in Calamba knew
him as Pepe or Pepito.
 Jose was closest to his older brother Paciano.
 Paciano loved his younger brother and was proud of his genius.
 Of his sisters, Jose loved most his younger sister Concha (Conception). He was one
year older than Concha.
Unfortunately, Concha died of sickness on 1865 when she was only three years old. Jose
who was very fond of her, cried bitterly to lose her. “When I was four years old,” he said, “I lost
my little sister Concha, and then for the first time I swept tears of love and grief…” The death of
little Concha brought him his first sorrow.
Devoted Son of Church
At the age of three he began to take part in the family prayers. His mother, who was a
devout Catholic, Taught him the Catholic prayers. When he was five years old, he was able to
read haltingly the Spanish family Bible.
 Evidence of his fervent Catholic spirit is seen in the poems which he wrote during his
boyhood such as Al Nino Jesus (1876), La Alianza Intima Entre La Religion y La
Buena Educacion (1876), and A La Virgen Maria ( no date).
8
 On June 06, 1868, Jose and his father left Calamba to go on pilgrimage to Antipolo,
in order to fulfil his mother’s vow which was made when Jose was born.
 Hi mother Teodora could not accompany them because she had just given birth to
Trinidad.
 After praying at the shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo, Jose and his father went to
Manila. It was the first time Jose visited Manila.
First Education from Mother
Jose’s first teacher was his mother. A woman of good character and fine education,
Dona Teodora was a splendid teacher.
 At the age of three, Jose learned the alphabet and the prayers from her.
 Seeing that her boy had talent for poetry, she encourage him to write poems
 She gave him all her love and all that he learned in college
 But when he misbehaved, she spanked him with the slipper. At one time Jose, at the
age of five, refused to wear a sinamay camisa because it was coarse and was scratchy
to the skin. She spanked him for disobedience.
The Story of the Moth
Of the stories told by Dona Teodora to Jose, that of the young moth made the
profoundest impression on him. Speaking of this incident, Rizal wrote:
On The Story of the Moth
One night, all the family, except my mother and myself, went to bed early. Why, I do not know,
but we two remained sitting alone. The candles had already been put out. They had been blown
out in their globes by means of a curved tube of tin. That tube seemed to me the finest and most
wonderful plaything in the world. The room was dimly lighted by a single light of coconut oil. In
all Filipino homes such a light burns through the night. It goes out just at day-break to awaken
9
people by its spluttering.
My mother was teaching me to read in a Spanish reader called "The Children's Friend" (El
Amigo de los Ninos). This was quite a rare book and an old copy. It had lost its cover and my
sister had cleverly made a new one. She had fastened a sheet of thick blue paper over the back
and then covered it with a piece of cloth.
This night my mother became impatient with hearing me read so poorly. I did not understand
Spanish and so I could not read with expression. She took the book from me. First she scolded
me for drawing funny pictures on its pages. Then she told me to listen and she began to
read. When her sight was good, she read very well. She could recite well, and she understood
verse-making, too. Many times during Christmas vacations, my mother corrected my poetical
compositions, and she always made valuable criticisms.
I listened to her, full of childish enthusiasm. I marvelled at the nice-sounding phrases which she
read from those same pages. The phrases she read so easily stopped me at every
breath. Perhaps I grew tired of listening to sounds that had no meaning for me. Perhaps I
lacked self-control. Anyway, I paid little attention to the reading. I was watching the cheerful
flame. About it, some little moths were circling in playful flights. By chance, too, I yawned. My
mother soon noticed that I was not interested. She stopped reading. Then she said to me: "I am
going to read you a very pretty story. Now pay attention."
On hearing the word 'story' I at once opened my eyes wide. The word 'story' promised
something new and wonderful. I watched my mother while she turned the leaves of the book, as if
she were looking for something. Then I settled down to listen. I was full of curiosity and
wonder. I had never even dreamed that there were stories in the old book which I read without
understanding. My mother began to read me the fable of the young moth and the old one. She
translated it into Tagalog a little at a time.
My attention increased from the first sentence. I looked toward the light and fixed my gaze on the
10
moths which were circling around it. The story could not have been better timed. My mother
repeated the warning of the old moth. She dwelt upon it and directed it to me. I heard her, but it
is a curious thing that the light seemed to me each time more beautiful, the flame more
attractive. I really envied the fortune of the insects. They frolicked so joyously in its enchanting
splendor that the ones which had fallen and been drowned in the oil did not cause me any dread.
My mother kept on reading and I listened breathlessly. The fate of the two insects interested me
greatly. The flame rolled its golden tongue to one side and a moth which this movement had
singed fell into the oil, fluttered for a time and then became quiet. That became for me a great
event. A curious change came over me which I have always noticed in myself whenever anything
has stirred my feelings. The flame and the moth seemed to go further away and my mother's
words sounded strange and uncanny. I did not notice when she ended the fable. All my attention
was fixed on the face of the insect. I watched it with my whole soul... It had died a martyr to its
illusions.
As she put me to bed, my mother said: "See that you do not behave like the young moth. Don't be
disobedient, or you may get burnt as it did." I do not know whether I answered or not... The story
revealed to me things until then unknown. Moths no longer were, for me, insignificant insects.
Moths talked; they know how to warn. They advised just like my mother. The light seemed to me
more beautiful. It had grown more dazzling and more attractive. I knew why the moths circled
the flame.
The tragic fate of the young moth, which “died” a martyr to its illusions,” left a deep
impress on Rizal’s mind. He justified such noble death, asserting that “to sacrifice one’s life for
it”, meaning for an ideal, is “ worthwhile.” And, like that young moth, he was fated to die as a
martyr for a noble ideal.
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Prodigy of the Pen
Rizal was born poet. His mother encouraged him to write poetry. At an early age when
children usually begin to learn their A, B, C, he was already writing poems.
 The first known poem that he wrote was a Tagalog poem entitled Sa Aking Mga Kabata
(To My Fellow Child).
 He wrote it in the year 1869 when he was only eight years old.
 This poem is an appeal to our people to love our national language.
Sa Aking Mga Kabata
Unang Tula ni Rizal. Sa edad 8, isunulat ni Rizal ang una niyang tula na isinulat sa katutubong
wika at pinamagatang "SA AKING MGA KABATA".
Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibig

Sa langit salitang kaloob ng langit
Sanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapi
Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid

Pagka’t ang salita’y isang kahatulan
Sa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharian
At ang isang tao’y katulad, kabagay

Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.
Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita
Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda
Kaya ang marapat pagyamanin kusa
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Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala

Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin,
Sa Ingles, Kastila, at salitang anghel,

Sapagkat ang Poong maalam tumingin
Ang siyang naggagawad, nagbibigay sa atin.
Ang salita nati’y tulad din sa iba
Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,

Na kaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwa
Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.
In conclusion. Will you please tell me the

things that you’ve learned about this lesson?
Put your answer in the box below.
This image is under the property of : Google Sites Owl School Teacher School Funny Images
13
Review Questions
1. Why as Jose fond of writing poems?
- He became a poet in his very early years. As what Paciano and Donya Teodora saw
when they were with Jose, he was a potential child. Because of these reasons, they made an
attempt to show Jose the things they had learned from collage, as surprised Jose learned it in the
process. Jose heard so many of her mother's stories that ultimately inspired him to compose
poems.
2. What were Donya Teodora 's reasons for telling Jose the Story of Moth?
-Donya Teodora was a committed teacher and mother. He learned in Jose's early age that
Jose was not like an average child like others, and that he had too much talent and intelligence to
nurture. Jose was not in a position to hear from his mother that night; he was not persuaded to
learn. Before Donya Teodora told him as a tale to be concentrated on learning and get his
attention.
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*Give your insights here.
1.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
2.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
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References
de Ocampo, Estaban A. "Dr. Jose Rizal, Father of Filipino Nationalism." Journal of
Southeast Asian History.
Blogspot (2011). A Story of the Moth Retrieved from http://thelifeandworksofrizal.

blogspot.com/2011/12/on-story-of-moth.html
JoseRizal.com (2020). Memories of my Hometown Retrieved from https://www.
Rizal.com/memories-of-my-town/
Jose Rizal University (2004). Sa Aking Mga Kabata Retrieved from http://www.joseriza.
Ph/pm18.html
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Bataan Heroes College

Course Purpose and Description

Intended Learning Outcomes

2nd 2 2. Childhood Days in Calamaba

2nd 3 3. Rizal’s National Consciousness

3rd Midterm Assessment

Text Book and Reference Books

Module 1: Childhood Days in Calamba

Objectives of the Module:

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

a. analyze the masterpieces made by Rizal during his younger days;

“Ah, tender childhood, lovely

Study Guide No. 2

2. Childhood days in Calamba

Calamba, “Cradle of a Genius

Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of my Town),

when I behold the white lily

sadly, sadly I recall

Ah, yes, my awkward foot

The Creator I saw in the grandeur

Tender childhood, beautiful town,

But O goodbye! May the Spirit

2.1 Early Childhood Memories

Devoted Son of Church

First Education from Mother

The Story of the Moth

On The Story of the Moth

people by its spluttering.

Prodigy of the Pen

Sa Aking Mga Kabata

Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibig

Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid

At ang isang tao’y katulad, kabagay

Kaya ang marapat pagyamanin kusa

Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala

Sa Ingles, Kastila, at salitang anghel,

Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,

In conclusion. Will you please tell me the

1. Why as Jose fond of writing poems?

*Give your insights here.

Blogspot (2011). A Story of the Moth Retrieved from http://thelifeandworksofrizal.

JoseRizal.com (2020). Memories of my Hometown Retrieved from https://www.

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