Grace Mission College

Catiningan, Socorro
Oriental Mindoro

NARRATIVE REPORT ON LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements in
Life and Works of Rizal

Submitted by:
Castillo, Millet M.
BSEd-Mathematics
Block 3M28

Submitted to:
MR. RIC MAGPAYO
Life and Works of Rizal Instructor

May 30, 2023

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------i

Table of Content----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ii

Acknowledgement-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------iii

Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------iv

Jose Rizal’s Background-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------v

Work and Writings of Rizal---------------------------------------------------------------------------------vi

Other Works--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------vii

The Death of Jose Rizal------------------------------------------------------------------------------------viii

The Implications of Rizal’s Death to the rest of our history--------------------------------------------ix

Individual Reflection-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and for most I want to give thanks to all the people who helped me in doing my
narrative. For giving me information and knowledge about the topic. To my love ones for their
infinite love and support, for being there for me no matter what happen and for providing all my
needs emotionally and financially, they keep on encouraging me when I’m feeling down and
make the best out of me. With my deepest gratitude, I also want to thanks my classmate and
friends in helping and cheering for me. Lastly, I want to give thanks to God for being such a
good reminder and guidance.

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 INTRODUCTION

"I have always loved my poor

count and I am sure that
I shall love her until death, if by
chance men are unjust
to me; and I shall enjoy the happy life,
contented in the
thought that all that I have suffered,
my past, my present
and my future, my life, my love, my
pleasures, I have
sacrificed all of these for love of her."
"Happen, what may, I shall die
blessing her and desiring
the dawn of her redemption"
-Jose Rizal
"I have always loved my poor country
and I am sure that
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I shall love her until death, if by
chance men are unjust
to me; and I shall enjoy the happy life,
contented in the
thought that all that I have suffered,
my past, my present
and my future, my life, my love, my
pleasures, I have
sacrificed all of these for love of her."
"Happen, what may, I shall die
blessing her and desiring
the dawn of her redemption"
-Jose Rizal
One of the most renowned characters in Philippine history is José Rizal (1861–1896). His
political writings, which spurred the Philippine revolt and ultimately led to his execution by the
Spanish invaders, made him a versatile intellectual and political activist who is most known for
his political writings. In addition to being a doctor, Rizal had his training in ophthalmology from
two eminent European eye specialists, Louis de Wecker and Otto Becker.
In contrast to what the Spanish intended, Rizal's passing merely fueled the revolutionary
cause. Outraged by the loss of their hero, Filipinos united in support of independence and ignited
the uprising that ultimately led to the end of Spanish rule over the Philippines. Rizal was a real
martyr who stood out against injustice when others remained silent. His concepts contributed to
the creation of the Philippines' national identity, a novel idea in colonial-era Asia. He died
upholding his convictions. The passing of this intellectual titan, who would have certainly
contributed significantly to the Philippines gaining independence and recognition, was a great

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loss for his country. The world lost a multi-talented, brilliantly intelligent, and model citizen. He
accomplished so much in his limited 35 years that it is impossible to envision the contributions to
society and the field of ophthalmology he may have made if he had lived a longer life. He
provided sight to his patients and vision to his nation.
As the national hero of the Philippines, Rizal has come to represent the country's struggle
for freedom. In the Philippines, December 30 is observed as a national holiday in remembrance
of Rizal's execution on that day in 1896. In Manila, the Jose Rizal College was established in his
honor in 1919. There are memorials to Rizal in Heidelberg, Chicago, his hometown of Manila,
Luneta Park, the majority of the towns in the Philippines, and close to where he was put to death.
The 2-peso currency in the Philippines features a picture of him. His hometown of Calamba was
included in the region around Manila that was given the name Rizal and became a province.
His books are obligatory reading for high school students in the Philippines. The poem
Jose Rizal wrote from his cell the night before his execution offers possibly the best summary of
the man in his own words. His unselfish dedication to his country, his steadfast love for his
family, his profound spirituality despite criticism of the church, and his creative flair are all
displayed in one of the final stanzas of "Ultimo Adios" (Final Farewell).

JOSE RIZAL’S BACKGROUND

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso

Realonda, Tagalog: [hoˈse ɾiˈsal]; June 19, 1861 – December 30,
1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the
end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is
considered the national hero (pambansang bayani) of the
Philippines. An ophthalmologist by profession, Rizal became a
writer and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement,
which advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain.
He was executed by the Spanish colonial government for
the crime of rebellion after the Philippine Revolution broke out; it
was inspired by his writings. Though he was not actively involved
in its planning or conduct, he ultimately approved of its goals
which eventually resulted in Philippine independence.

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 Rizal is widely considered one of the greatest heroes of the Philippines and has been
recommended to be so honored by an officially empaneled National Heroes Committee. However, no
law, executive order or proclamation has been enacted or issued officially proclaiming any Filipino
historical figure as a national hero.[  He wrote the novels Noli Me Tángere (1887) and El
filibusterismo (1891), which together are taken as a national epic, in addition to numerous poems and
essays. José Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, to Francisco Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora
Alonso Realonda y Quintos in the town of Calamba in Laguna province. He had nine sisters and one
brother. His parents were leaseholders of a hacienda and an accompanying rice farm held by
the Dominicans. Both their families had adopted the additional surnames of Rizal and Realonda in 1849,
after Governor General Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa decreed the adoption of Spanish surnames among
the Filipinos for census purposes (though they already had Spanish names).
On his mother's side, Rizal's ancestry included Chinese and Tagalog. His mother's lineage can be
traced to the affluent Florentina family of Chinese mestizo families originating in Baliuag, Bulacan. He
also had Spanish ancestry. Regina Ochoa, a grandmother of his mother, Teodora, had mixed Spanish,
Chinese, and Tagalog blood. His maternal grandfather was a half Spanish engineer named Lorenzo
Alberto Alonzo.
From an early age, José showed a precocious intellect. He learned the alphabet from his mother at
3, and could read and write at age 5. Upon enrolling at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, he dropped the
last three names that made up his full name, on the advice of his brother,  Paciano and the Mercado
family, thus rendering his name as "José Protasio Rizal". Of this, he later wrote: "My family never paid
much attention [to our second surname Rizal], but now I had to use it, thus giving me the appearance of
an illegitimate child!" This was to enable him to travel freely and disassociate him from his brother, who
had gained notoriety with earlier links to Filipino priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto
Zamora (popularly known as Gomburza), who had been accused and executed for treason. José, as
"Rizal", soon distinguished himself in poetry writing contests, impressing his professors with his facility
with Castilian and other foreign languages, and later, in writing essays that were critical of the Spanish
historical accounts of the pre-colonial Philippine societies. By 1891, the year he finished his second
novel El filibusterismo, his second surname had become so well known that, as he writes to another
friend, "All my family now carry the name Rizal instead of Mercado because the name Rizal means
persecution! Good! I too want to join them and be worthy of this family name.
WORK AND WRITINGS OF RIZAL
Rizal wrote mostly in Spanish, the lingua franca of the Spanish East Indies, though some of his
letters (for example Sa Mga Kababaihang Taga Malolos) were written in Tagalog. His works have since
been translated into a number of languages including Tagalog and English.
Novels and essays

 "El amor patrio", 1882 essay

 "Toast to Juan Luna and Felix Hidalgo", 1884 speech given at Restaurante Ingles, Madrid
 Noli Me Tángere, 1887 novel (literally Latin for 'touch me not', from John 20:17)
 Alin Mang Lahi ("Whate'er the Race"), a Kundiman attributed to Dr. José Riza
 "Sa Mga Kababaihang Taga-Malolos" (To the Young Women of Malolos), 1889 letter
 Annotations to Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, 1889
 "Filipinas dentro de cien años" (The Philippines a Century Hence), 1889–90 essay
 "Sobre la indolencia de los filipinos" (The Indolence of Filipinos), 1890 essay
 "Como se gobiernan las Filipinas" (Governing the Philippine islands), 1890 essay
 El filibusterismo, 1891 novel; sequel to Noli Me Tángere

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  Una visita del Señor a Filipinas, also known as Friars and Filipinos, 14-page unfinished
novel written in 1889
 Memorias de un-Gallo, two-page unfinished satire
 Makamisa, unfinished Tagalog-language novel written in 1892

Poetry

 "Felicitación" (1874/75)
 "El embarque" (The Embarkation, 1875)
 "Por la educación recibe lustre la patria" (1876)
 "Un recuerdo á mi pueblo" (1876)
 "Al niño Jesús" (c. 1876)
 "A la juventud filipina" (To the Philippine Youth, 1879)
 "¡Me piden versos!" (1882)
 "Canto de María Clara" (from Noli Me Tángere, 1887)
 "Himno al trabajo" (Dalit sa Paggawa, 1888)
 "Kundiman" (disputed, 1889) - also attributed to Pedro Paterno
 "A mi musa" (To My Muse, 1890)
 "El canto del viajero" (1892–96)
 "Mi retiro" (1895)
 "Mi último adiós" (1896)
 "Mi primera inspiracion" (disputed) - also attributed to Antonio Lopez, Rizal's nephew
Plays

 El Consejo de los Dioses (The Council of Gods)

 Junto al Pasig (Along the Pasig)
 San Euistaquio, Mártyr (Saint Eustache, the Martyr)

Other works
Rizal also tried his hand at painting and sculpture. His most famous sculptural work was The Triumph of
Science over Death, a clay sculpture of a naked young woman with overflowing hair, standing on a skull
while bearing a torch held high. The woman symbolized the ignorance of humankind during the Dark
Ages, while the torch she bore symbolized the enlightenment science brings over the whole world. He
sent the sculpture as a gift to his dear friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, together with another one named The
Triumph of Death over Life.
The woman is shown trampling the skull, a symbol of death, to signify the victory the humankind
achieved by conquering the bane of death through their scientific advancements. The original sculpture is
now displayed at the Rizal Shrine Museum at Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila. A large replica, made
of concrete, stands in front of Fernando Calderón Hall, the building which houses the College of
Medicine of the University of the Philippines Manila along Pedro Gil Street in Ermita, Manila.
Rizal is also noted to be a carver and sculptor who made works from clay, plaster-of-Paris, and
baticuling wood, the last being his preferred medium. While in exile in Dapitan, he served as a mentor to
three Paete natives including José Caancan, who in turn taught three generations of carvers back in his
hometown.[76]

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Rizal is known to have made 56 sculptural works, but only 18 of these are known to be still existing as of
2021.

THE DEATH OF JOSE RIZAL

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 December 30th is the death anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal. The death of Jose Rizal came right
after a kangaroo trial convicted him on all three charges of rebellion, sedition and conspiracy. He was
guided to his cell in Fort Santiago where he spent his last 24 hours right after the conviction. At 6:00 AM
of December 29, 1896, Captain Rafael Dominguez read Jose Rizal’s death sentence and declared that he
will be shot at 7:00 AM of the next day in Bagumbayan.
At 8:00 PM of the same day, Jose Rizal had his last supper and informed Captain Dominguez that
he had forgiven his enemies including the military judges that condemned him to die. Rizal heard mass at
3:00 in the morning of December 30, 1896, had confession before taking the Holy Communion. He took
his last breakfast at 5:30 AM of December 30, 1896 and even had the time to write two letters one for his
family while the other letter was for his brother Paciano. This was also the time when his wife,  Josephine
Bracken and his sister Josefa arrived and bade farewell to Rizal.
Rizal who was dressed in a black suit was a few meters behind his advance guards while moving
to his slaughter place and was accompanied by Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, two Jesuit priests and more
soldiers behind him. The atmosphere was just like any execution by musketry by which the sound of the
drums occupied the air. Rizal looked at the sky while walking and mentioned how beautiful that day was.
Rizal was told to stand on a grassy lawn between two lamp posts in the Bagumbayan field,
looking towards the Manila Bay. He requested the firing squad commander to shoot him facing the firing
squad but was ordered to turn his back against the squad of Filipino soldiers of the Spanish army. A
backup force of regular Spanish Army troops was on standby to shoot the executioners should they fail to
obey the orders of the commander.
Jose Rizal’s execution was carried out when the command “Fuego” was heard and Rizal made an
effort to face the firing squad but his bullet riddled body turned to the right and his face directed to the
morning sun. Rizal exactly died at 7:03 AM and his last words before he died were those said by Jesus
Christ: “consummatum est,” which means, “It is finished.”
Jose Rizal was secretly buried in Paco Cemetery in Manila but no identification was placed in his
grave. His sister Narcisa tried to look in every grave site and found freshly turned soil at the Paco
cemetery, assuming the burial site as the area where Rizal was buried. She gave a gift to the site caretaker
so as to mark the grave with RPJ — the initials of Rizal in reverse.

THE IMPLICATIONS OF RIZAL’S DEATH TO THE REST OF OUR HISTORY

The passing of Rizal had a significant effect on Philippine history. It influenced Filipino
identity and culture, served as inspiration for the nation's independence movement, and left a
long legacy of nonviolent change.
The rest of Philippine history was significantly impacted by Jose Rizal's passing. The
main effects on the nation were: Motivation for the Philippine Revolution; Formation of the
Filipino identity; Influence on Philippine literature and culture; Legacy of nonviolent change.

The execution of Jose Rizal, a well-known Filipino nationalist, author, and revolutionary,
on December 30, 1896, was viewed by many Filipinos as a rallying point for the revolutionary
movement. This is thought to have had a significant impact on the Philippine Revolution as well
as relations between the Spanish colonial government and the Filipino people. His passing,
combined with the great unhappiness and suffering of the Filipino people under Spanish rule,
contributed to the emergence of the Philippine Revolution and the longing for independence.

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 The Spanish colonial regime and the Filipino people saw a deterioration in their
relationship as a result of Rizal's murder, which represented the persecution and disrespect of the
dictatorship for the rights and welfare of the Filipino people. In addition, Rizal's writings,
particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, had a profound impact on the
Filipino people, arousing a sense of national consciousness and pride and inspiring the
revolutionary movement. His death further strengthened the resolve of the revolutionary
movement and increased support for the cause of independence. In the Philippines, his passing
and legacy are still revered and regarded as a key emblem of the nation's war for independence.

For the Filipinos, his death meant much more, though. It triggered a revolt against the
Spanish government, which had dominated the Philippines (then known as Las Islas Filipinas)
from 1565 to 1898. The birth of the nation was inspired by Rizal.
In contrast to the Spanish aims, the killing of Rizal merely fueled the revolutionary cause.
Filipinos rose for independence after learning of their hero's death, sparking a rebellion that
finally led to the end of Spanish rule over the Philippines.
His passing had such an impact on the Filipinos that they were inspired to revolt against
the Spanish authorities and take back control of the Philippines. Rizal Day is a yearly celebration
in remembrance of his passing.
Jose Rizal led a quiet yet effective campaign for independence. Instead of using violence
or aggression, he wrote books, essays, and articles to show his love for the Filipino people.
Filipinos frequently remember him on this day for what he gave up for the nation. Rizal's death
awoke the Filipinos of the past and is still awaking the Filipinos of today to fight for what we
believe is right. He profoundly inspired the Filipino people owing to what he accomplished for
the country and to work extremely hard in life. We may not always come out on top in battles,
but what matters most is that, like Rizal, we continue to fight until our last breath.

INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION
The Rizal Trial is the most well-known historical event in the Philippines, not only
because Rizal was our national hero but also because it was the cause of his demise. He died
because he protected all Filipinos, not so that he could protect himself or his family. This Rizal
trial has been declared a mistrial. Because, as I said, he killed to protect us, it was a big joke from
the beginning and it was so awful that it makes me want to throw up. I am so outraged by the
violence that I have compared the then-existing Spanish authorities to evil-possessed wild
animals. They were much too many, and I can't even put into words how I feel about them; hate
is insufficient. Those Spaniards truly get on my nerves because, had they not assassinated Rizal,
I believe he would have freed our nation with his own two hands. He would have continued to
produce countless poetry that still motivate us now, but Rizal passed away for no apparent
reason.

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