RIZAL’S LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS

RIZAL’S HIGHER EDUCATION AND LIFE ABROAD

LIFE AND STUDY IN BARCELONA

Rizal's first impression of Barcelona, the largest city of Cataluna and

Spain's second-largest city, was not beautiful. There are dirty little rental houses and
stuck residents. This was his impression
because when he arrived, he went to a
messy rental house on the narrow street
of the "worst part of town," and the
apartment staff and guests ignored him.
Later, Rizal's ugly impression of the city
changed. He found this place to be
great, with an atmosphere of freedom,
and liberalism and the people here were
open-hearted, persistent, and courageous.

THE DIARYONG TAGALOG

The newspaper's content expressed

by the critics here is their thoughts on the
93 treatment of the Spaniards by every
Filipino and how they look at them.

Rizal's first work was "Amor Patrio"

(Love of Country). He wrote in Barcelona, and the 99% pen used was "Laong Laan." He
sent the said poem to his friend in Manila, Basilio Teodoro Moran, the said newspaper
publisher. The publisher liked what Rizal did, and Marcelo H. Del Pilar translated it into
Tagalog. Because of this, they offered Rizal to make some more articles. His second and
final articles were "Los Vajes" (Travel) and "Revista de Madrid" (Review the Madrid). He
wrote his last piece in Madrid on November 29, 1882, and it was not published but was
returned to him because the Diaryong Tagalog had run out of funds.

RIZAL'S LIFE IN MADRID

While Rizal was in Barcelona, he received the sad news that many were dying in
Manila and neighboring provinces due to cholera. From Paciano's letter on September 15,
1882, every afternoon, the people of Calamba are praying to San Roqué, in addition to
nightly processions and prayers, so that God may stop the terrible epidemic, which can
not be suppressed by Spanish authority in health. Another sad news from the Philippines
comes from Chenoy, who recounts the sadness of Leonor Rivera, who, while languishing
 RIZAL’S LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS
are little by little losing her weight due to the longing for her beloved. In a letter (May 26,
1882), Paciano advised his younger brother to complete a Madrid medical course.
Following his brother's advice, Rizal left Barcelona in the autumn of 1882 to settle in
Madrid, the Spanish capital.
On November 3, 1882, Rizal enrolled in two courses in Medicine and Philosophy and
Letters at the University of Central De Madrid. Besides studying at the university, he also
focused on painting and sculpture at the San Fernando Academy of the Arts; he hired
private teachers to give him lessons in French, German, and English; diligently practicing
fencing and shooting in the Arms Hall by Sanz and Carbonell.

THE LA SOLIDARIDAD NEWSPAPER

In Barcelona, the Filipinos founded a patriotic

organization called Asociacion La Solidaridad,
established on December 31, 1884. By unanimous
vote, Rizal was elected Honorary President of
Asociacion La Solidaridad to recognize his leadership
of all of patriotic Filipinos in Europe. On February 15,
1889, Graciano Lopez Jaena was founded in
Barcelona, the patriotic newspaper La Solidaridad,
which appeared on the second and last week of the
month and served as the Propaganda Movement
newspaper.

They want Spanish priests that control the

Philippine government at that time to advance the liberal thought, development, and
just rights of Filipinos for life, democracy, and happiness.

On March 25, 1889, Rizal wrote his first article in this newspaper entitled "Los
Agricultores Filipino." He stated the reasons for backwardness growth of the Filipino
peasants, maybe because of the many obstacles to its progress such as useless leaders,
thieves, natural disasters, forced labor, and many other factors that will not allow the
development of the livelihood of the peasants and the arts of agriculture in the country.