Dr. Jose Rizal is known as the national hero of our country.

But we know that there are some Filipinos

who do not consider him as our national hero. Maybe it was because he did not fought using swords
just like what the other Filipino heroes did. Honestly, I somehow believe in the saying “the pen
is mightier than the sword” because not everything should be dealt with violence. He used his
intelligence instead of strength and power to let the Filipino people know the truth.

Many Filipinos say that studying the life and works of Rizal is not that necessary for us
nowadays. However, I still find it important and I think it has a great impact on our modern
society. Studying Rizal is not just about being able to know and read his novels and other literary works,
but it is also about understanding how those works helped in fighting against the colonizers in
the past. We get to learn the importance of his novels, essays, and other literary works which is
not only for entertainment.

According to the reading, Rizal’s two famous novels, Noli Me Tangre and El Filibusterismo, are inspiring
source of patriotism of the youth. It somehow inspired the Filipino people, especially the youths, that
they can show their love for the country in different ways, not just through fighting physically.
Rizal might not be one of the people who used violence to fight for our country but he still
sacrificed his life by creating those literary works which gave light to the minds of the Filipinos of what
is happening in our country. He stated his oppositions and other ideas in his literary works. A
specific example of this is he mentioned that the idea of purgatory, which is a Catholic doctrine, is
absent from the bible (Noli Me Tangere, page 72).

He used nonviolent actions and I can say that this way of his is what made him different from the other
heroes. Studying the history of our nation might be boring for some but we should always remember
that what happened in the past is the result of what we are today. In the present time, we are now free
from the countries or nations who colonized us. This was made possible through the hard works of our
heroes and other people who stood for our country