Rizal as a child

- had a personal yaya, who tend to scare him with creatures such as aswang, tikbalang, nuno, or
the bearded Bumbay who will take him away. He was also frail and sickly.
- trained by their parents to “behave well, be obedient, love God, and respect people, especially
the elderly”
- during his baptism, the priest remarked that he will be a great man because of his large head.
- a devout Catholic, he joined his father on a pilgrimage to Antipolo to visit the shrine of the
Nuestra Senora dela Paz y Buen Viaje. This was a pledge from his mother that she made should
Jose be born.
- the story of the moth would left a huge mark on Jose, who now believes that, if necessary, death
shall be the consequence of the ideals.
- at age 5, he was already painting pictures

Rizal in Binan as a student

- he stayed at his cousin’s house while studying in Binan. He excelled in his studies there,
including Spanish, much to the jealousy of his classmates.
- he left Binan in 1870, having only stayed there for a year.
- Jose – now 11 years old – was introduced to the GomBurZa by his brother Paciano in 1872,
inspiring Rizal further on to fight Spanish tyrrany and promote a sense of nationalism and
identity to his people. This idea would be further cemented when his mother was wrongfully
arrested and was made to walk 50 kilometers from Calamba to Santa Cruz, where she was
imprisoned before getting acquitted two and a half-months later.

Ateneo
- Rizal was first placed on the end of the class for being the newcomer and knowing little Spanish.
Eventually, he would climb up and would become the top student of their class.
- Rizal was also interested in reading at this time, with books such as The Count of Monte Cristo.
- one of his professors, Fr. Francisco Sanchez, became Jose’s favorite, and he was being inspired
and motivated by the Jesuit, with Jose calling him a “model of uprightness, earnestness, and love
for the advancement of the students”.
- he was a member of different organizations in Ateneo, both co-curricular and religious. He
would also spend his time writng poetry or painting and sculpting. He even wrote a poem called
“My First Inspiration”, which he dedicated to his mother. He also wrote “Through Education Our
Motherland Receives Light”, where he emphasizes the importance of education in the progress
and development of a nation.
- while at Ateneo, he had his first romance in the person of Segunda Katigbak – the sister of his
friend who came from an affluent family in Lipa. It would also be Jose’s first experience in
heartbreak.

UST
- he took up Philosophy and Letters in UST, while at the same time took up a vocational course of
surveying in Ateneo.
- he wrote the poem “To the Filipino Youth” in 1879 in Spanish, encouraging the youth to soar
high and utilize their intellect in the field of arts and sciences to contribute to the development of
the nation – a message that the youth are the driving force in nation-building.
- they also organized a group called Companerismo to unite themselves against the racially-
prejudiced Spanish students.
Life Abroad
- Aside from studying, Jose’s other mission in Europe was to observe the customs, politics,
culture, and society of the European countries, to prepare himself for the ultimate goal of
liberating the colony. He left secretly – only a handful of people, including Paciano – knew about
his departure.
- while in Barcelona, he wrote an essay titled “Amor Patrio” for the newspaper Diariong Tagalog
in 1882. Here, he again emphasized the need for his countrymen to love their homeland.
- studying in Madrid, he rarely spend his money except on lottery tickets and daily necessities. He
also wrote a poem titled “They Asked Me For Verses” after joining the Circulo Hispanico-Filipino.
- at a gathering in Madrid to celebrate the victory of Juan Luna and Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo’s
artworks, Jose delivered a speech, praising the capabilities of the Filipino and calling out the
blindness of the Spaniards (i.e. the friars) to the talents and skills of ordinary indios
- finishing his studies in Madrid, he went to Gemany and stayed at Heidelberg, where he wrote the
poem “To the Flowers of Heidelberg”. He also translated some fairy tales while in Germany for his
nephews and nieces, aside from improving his optometry skill.

The Noli and El Fili

- he dedicated the Noli to the Philippines, whereas he dedicated the El Fili to the GOMBURZA.
- friars began attacking the two novels, banning its distribution to the colony for supposedly
“heretical, subsersive, and scandalous, especially to the clergy”.

The Calamba Land Dispute

- acting upon Jose’s request, Governor-General Terrero ordered an investigation into the
Dominican lands in Calamba and to find out the gravity of the problem. Because of that, Jose was
even more targeted by the friars, to the point that the Governor advised him to get out of the
colony for his own safety. The investigation was fruitless, as the succeeding Governor sent troops
to expel the tenants. This was after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Dominicans over
the agrarian problem.
- the issue also paved the way for Jose to plan a settlement called New Calamba in British Borneo,
where he plans to move all the tenants in an area in North Borneo.

Second trip abroad

- while traveling to the United States via Japan, he made friends with another Japanese political
writer: Tetcho Suehiro. The two became travel companion until they parted ways in London.
Suehiro would then write two novels based on the Noli and El Fili.
- abroad, he learned that some of his compatriots were persecuted after signing the Anti-Friar
Petition of 1888, written by Marcelo H. Del Pilar. In it was a demand that the Queen Regent of
Spain expel the friars in the colony. He also learned of the continuous plight of the Calamba
tenants and the exile of his brother-in-law to Bohol without due process.
- in London, he annotated the book “Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas” by Antonio de Morga in 1888.
He would continue working for it until it was finally published in 1890.
- Jose also contributed some articles in the newspaper La Solidaridad as the honorary president
for the group Asosacion La Solidaridad. His first article was entitiled The Filipino Farmer, where
he lamented the backward situation of the colony, owing to the deplorable conditions there. He
also wrote “A Letter to the Young Women of Malolos”, praising the bravery of the Filipina women
to put up a school for girls to learn Spanish despite the objection of the friar.
- Rizal, the Luna brothers, and several of their companions formed the Kidlat Club as a temporary
group while exploring Paris. Afterwards, they formed the Los Indios Bravos in an attempt to
impress the foreigners – especially Spaniards – in their intellect and physical aspect.
- while in Madrid, he heard of his family’s persecution by the Dominicans. Unable to seek help
despite approaching liberal Spanish officials and several Filipino elite, he decided to head back
home, reaching Hong Kong in 1891.

Fort Santiago
-during his trial at Fort Santiago, he wrote a manifesto, asking the people to stop the unnecessary
shedding of blood and to instead focus on education and industry to achieve independence. Adn
liberty.