Life and Works of Rizal

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.
 Discuss Jose Rizal’s life within the context of 19th century Philippines.
 Analyze Rizal’s various works, particularly the novels Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
 Organize Rizal’s ideas into various themes.
 Demonstrate a critical reading of primary sources.
 Interpret the values that can be derived from studying Rizal’s life and works.
 Display an appreciation for education and love country.
WHO IS JOSE RIZAL?

 José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (National Hero of the Philippines)
 José Rizal (June 19, 1861–December 30, 1896) was a man of intellectual power and artistic talent
whom Filipinos honor as their national hero.
 He excelled at anything that he put his mind to: medicine, poetry, sketching, architecture,
sociology, and more.
 Despite little evidence, he was martyred by Spanish colonial authorities on charges of conspiracy,
sedition, and rebellion when he was only 35.
Fast Facts
 Known For: National hero of the Philippines for his key role inspiring the Philippine Revolution
against colonial Spain
 Born: June 19, 1861, at Calamba, Laguna
 Parents: Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonzo y Quintos
 Died: December 30, 1896, in Manila, the Philippines
 Education: Ateneo Municipal de Manila; studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in
Manila; medicine and philosophy at the Universidad Central de Madrid; ophthalmology at the
University of Paris and the University of Heidelberg
 Published Works: Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo
 Spouse: Josephine Bracken (married two hours before his death)
 Notable Quote: "On this battlefield man has no better weapon than his intelligence, no other force
but his heart."
Early Life
 José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861, at Calamba, Laguna,
the seventh child of Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonzo y Quintos.
 The family were wealthy farmers who rented land from the Dominican religious order.
 Descendants of a Chinese immigrant named Domingo Lam-co, they changed their name to
Mercado ("market") under the pressure of anti-Chinese feeling among the Spanish colonizers.
 From an early age, Rizal showed a precocious intellect. He learned the alphabet from his mother
at the age of 3 and could read and write at age 5.
Education
 Rizal attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, graduating at age 16 with the highest honors. He
took a post-graduate course there in land surveying.
 Rizal completed his surveyor's training in 1877 and passed the licensing exam in May 1878, but
he could not receive a license to practice because he was only 17.
 He was granted a license in 1881 when he reached the age of majority.
 In 1878, the young man enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas as a medical student. He later
quit the school, alleging discrimination against Filipino students by the Dominican professors.
LIFE in Madrid
 In May 1882, Rizal got on a ship to Spain without informing his parents.
 He enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid after arriving. In June 1884, he received his
medical degree at the age of 23; the following year, he graduated from the Philosophy and Letters
department.
 Inspired by his mother's advancing blindness, Rizal next went to the University of Paris and then
to the University of Heidelberg for further study in ophthalmology.
 At Heidelberg, he studied under the famed professor Otto Becker (1828–1890). Rizal finished his
second doctorate at Heidelberg in 1887.
LIFE in EUROPE
 Rizal lived in Europe for 10 years and picked up a number of languages. He could converse in
more than 10 different tongues.
 While in Europe, the young Filipino impressed everyone he met with his charm, intelligence, and
mastery of a range of different fields of study. Rizal excelled at martial arts, fencing, sculpture,
painting, teaching, anthropology, and journalism, among other areas.
 During his European sojourn, he also began to write novels. Rizal finished his first book, "Noli
Me Tangere" (Latin for "Touch Me Not"), while living in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany, with the Rev.
Karl Ullmer.
Program of Reforms
  In his novels and newspaper editorials, Rizal called for a number of reforms of the Spanish
colonial system in the Philippines.
 He advocated freedom of speech and assembly, equal rights before the law for Filipinos, and
Filipino priests in place of the often-corrupt Spanish churchmen.
 In addition, Rizal called for the Philippines to become a province of Spain, with representation in
the Spanish legislature, the Cortes Generales.
 Rizal never called for independence for the Philippines. Nonetheless, the colonial government
considered him a dangerous radical and declared him an enemy of the state.
Exile and Courtship
 In 1892, Rizal returned to the Philippines. He was almost immediately accused of being involved
in the brewing rebellion and was exiled to Dapitan City, on the island of Mindanao. Rizal would
stay there for four years, teaching school and encouraging agricultural reforms.
 During that period, the people of the Philippines grew more eager to revolt against the Spanish
colonial presence.
 Inspired in part by Rizal's progressive organization La Liga, rebel leaders such as Andres
Bonifacio (1863–1897) began to press for military action against the Spanish regime.
 In Dapitan, Rizal met and fell in love with Josephine Bracken, who brought her stepfather to him
for a cataract operation. The couple applied for a marriage license but were denied by the Church,
which had excommunicated Rizal.
Trial and Execution
 The Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896. Rizal denounced the violence and received
permission to travel to Cuba to tend to victims of yellow fever in exchange for his freedom.
 Bonifacio and two associates sneaked aboard the ship to Cuba before it left the Philippines and
tried to convince Rizal to escape with them, but Rizal refused.
 He was arrested by the Spanish on the way, taken to Barcelona, and then extradited to Manila for
trial.
 Rizal was tried by court-martial and charged with conspiracy, sedition, and rebellion. Despite a
lack of evidence of his complicity in the Revolution, Rizal was convicted on all counts and given
a death sentence.
 He was allowed to marry Bracken two hours before his execution by firing squad in Manila on
December 30, 1896. Rizal was just 35 years old.
Legacy
 José Rizal is remembered today throughout the Philippines for his brilliance, courage, peaceful
resistance to tyranny, and compassion.
 Filipino schoolchildren study his final literary work, a poem called "Mi Ultimo Adios" ("My Last
Goodbye"), and his two famous novels.
  Spurred by Rizal's martyrdom, the Philippine Revolution continued until 1898. With assistance
from the United States, the Philippine archipelago defeated the Spanish army.
 The Philippines declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, becoming the first
democratic republic in Asia.
Mariano Sayno / Getty Images
 de Ocampo, Estaban A. "Dr. Jose Rizal, Father of Filipino Nationalism." Journal of Southeast
Asian History.
 Rizal, José. "One Hundred Letters of José Rizal." Philippine National Historical Society.
 Valenzuela, Maria Theresa. "Constructing National Heroes: Postcolonial Philippine and Cuban
Biographies of José Rizal and José Martí." Biography.