The Life of Jose Rizal

In partial fulfillment of the

requirements in English 10

Submitted by: CARL JAN C. CACAPIT

Submitted to: Juliet R. Lamug

JUNE 20,2023
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DEDICATION
English is one of the hardest subject to teach the students, especially when they are
not interested in the subject matter. In addition, in our case, the schedules for our
class was not smooth flowing since our schedule was not fitting to the available
schedule. However, despite the challenges that we encountered. You were still able
to continue to teach us with energy, compassion, and love. We saw how you exert
your efforts in teaching us and we are greatly privileged to experience that kind of
passion from a teacher like you. You were able to surpass the standards of your
students even they were high. As one of your students. I am happy and proud to say
that Ma’am Juliet Lamug was one of my teacher.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 This paper and the research behind it would not have been possible without the
exceptional support of my teacher, Ma’am Juliet Lamug also my mother, Hazel Caluya and
my grandmother, Cynthia Caluya who teach me how to manage my research.

I respect and thank our teacher, Mrs. Juliet R. Lamug for providing me an opportunity to do
the research and giving us all support and guidance which made me complete this research I
am extremely thankful for providing such a nice support and guidance.

I would say THANKYOU for all the people who still giving me inspiration, guidance, and encouragement
during my research.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ………………………………………….I

DEDICATION…………………………………………II
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………………………….III
BODY
A. PERSONAL BACKROUND……………………….1
B. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT…………………3
C. GREATEST CONTRIBUTION……………………6
D. LIST OF HIS/HER WORK………………………...8
GLOSSARY…………………………………………….11
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………...…….12

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 PERSONAL BACKROUND OF JOSE RIZAL
The Mercado - Rizal Family
The Rizals is considered one of the biggest families during their time. Domingo Lam-co, the family's
paternal ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese who came to the Philippines from Amoy, China in the
closing years of the 17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name of Ines de la Rosa.

Researchers revealed that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malay and
Even Negrito blood aside from Chinese.

Jose Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and
Teodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother

FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898)

Father of Jose Rizal who was the youngest of 13 offsprings of Juan and Cirila Mercado. Born in Biñan,
Laguna on April 18, 1818; studied in San Jose College, Manila; and died in Manila.

TEODORA ALONSO (1827-1913)

Mother of Jose Rizal who was the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de Quintos. She studied at the
Colegio de Santa Rosa. She was a business-minded woman, courteous, religious, hard-working and well-
read. She was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827 and died in 1913 in Manila.

SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)

Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas.

PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)

Only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child. Studied at San Jose College in Manila; became a farmer and
later a general of the Philippine Revolution.

NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939)

The third child. married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal; a teacher and musician.

OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)

The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo; died in 1887 from childbirth.

LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919)

The fifth child. Married Matriano Herbosa.

MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)

The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.

JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896)

The second son and the seventh child. He was executed by the Spaniards on December 30,1896.

CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)

The eight child. Died at the age of three.

JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)

The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster.

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TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)
The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die.

SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)

The youngest child married Pantaleon Quintero.

In Calamba, Laguna
19 June 1861
JOSE RIZAL, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos, was born in
Calamba, Laguna.

22 June 1861
He was baptized JOSE RIZAL MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish priest Rev. Rufino
Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casañas as the sponsor.

28 September 1862
The parochial church of Calamba and the canonical books, including the book in which Rizal’s baptismal
records were entered, were burned.

1864
Barely three years old, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother.

1865
When he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in the Rizal family, died at the age of
three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real tears for the first time.

1865 – 1867
During this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father hired a classmate by the name of
Leon Monroy who, for five months until his (Monroy) death, taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin.

6 June 1868
With his father, Rizal made a pilgrimage to Antipolo to fulfill the vow made by his mother to take the child
to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of delivery which nearly
caused his mother’s life.

From there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister Saturnina who was at the time studying in the La
Concordia College in Sta. Ana.

1869
At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem entitled "Sa Aking Mga Kabata." The poem was written in
tagalog and had for its theme "Love of One’s Language."

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 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Early Education in Calamba and Biñan

Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Biñan. It was a typical schooling that a son of an
ilustrado family received during his time, characterized by the four R’s- reading, writing, arithmetic, and
religion. Instruction was rigid and strict. Knowledge was forced into the minds of the pupils by means of the
tedious memory method aided by the teacher’s whip. Despite the defects of the Spanish system of
elementary education, Rizal was able to acquire the necessary instruction preparatory for college work in
Manila. It may be said that Rizal, who was born a physical weakling, rose to become an intellectual giant not
because of, but rather in spite of, the outmoded and backward system of instruction obtaining in the
Philippines during the last decades of Spanish regime.7

The Hero’s First Teacher

The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was a remarkable woman of good character and fine culture.
On her lap, he learned at the age of three the alphabet and the prayers. "My mother," wrote Rizal in his
student memoirs, "taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to
God."

As tutor, Doña Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding. It was she who first discovered that
her son had a talent for poetry. Accordingly, she encouraged him to write poems. To lighten the monotony
of memorizing the ABC’s and to stimulate her son’s imagination, she related many stories.

As Jose grew older, his parents employed private tutors to give him lessons at home. The first was Maestro
Celestino and the second, Maestro Lucas Padua. Later, an old man named Leon Monroy, a former classmate
of Rizal’s father, became the boy’s tutor. This old teacher lived at the Rizal home and instructed Jose in
Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he did not lived long. He died five months later.

After a Monroy’s death, the hero’s parents decided to send their gifted son to a private school in Biñan.

Jose Goes to Biñan

One Sunday afternoon in June , 1869, Jose, after kissing the hands of his parents and a tearful parting from
his sister, left Calamba for Biñan. He was accompanied by Paciano , who acted as his second father. The
two brothers rode in a carromata, reaching their destination after one and one-half hours’ drive. They
proceeded to their aunt’s house, where Jose was to lodge. It was almost night when they arrived, and the
moon was about to rise.

That same night, Jose, with his cousin named Leandro, went sightseeing in the town. Instead of enjoying the
sights, Jose became depressed because of homesickness. "In the moonlight," he recounted, "I remembered
my home town, my idolized mother, and my solicitous sisters. Ah, how sweet to me was Calamba, my own
town, in spite of the fact that was not as wealthy as Biñan."

First Day in Biñan School

The next morning (Monday) Paciano brought his younger brother to the school of Maestro Justiniano
Aquino Cruz.

The school was in the house of the teacher, which was a small nipa hut about 30 meters from the home of
Jose’s aunt.

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Paciano knew the teacher quite well because he had been a pupil under him before. He introduced Jose to
the teacher, after which he departed to return to Calamba.

Immediately, Jose was assigned his seat in the class. The teacher asked him:

"Do you know Spanish?"

"A little, sir," replied the Calamba lad.
"Do you know Latin?"
"A little, sir."

The boys in the class, especially Pedro, the teacher’s son laughed at Jose’s answers.

The teacher sharply stopped all noises and begun the lessons of the day.

Jose described his teacher in Biñan as follows: "He was tall, thin, long-necked, with sharp nose and a body
slightly bent forward, and he used to wear a sinamay shirt, woven by the skilled hands of the women of
Batangas. He knew by the heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza. Add to this severity that in my
judgement was exaggerated and you have a picture, perhaps vague, that I have made of him, but I remember
only this."

First School Brawl In the afternoon of his first day in school, when the teacher was having his siesta, Jose
met the bully, Pedro. He was angry at this bully for making fun of him during his conversation with the
teacher in the morning.

Jose challenged Pedro to a fight. The latter readily accepted, thinking that he could easily beat the Calamba
boy who was smaller and younger.

The two boys wrestled furiously in the classroom, much to the glee of their classmates. Jose, having learned
the art of wrestling from his athletic Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. For this feat, he became popular
among his classmates.

After the class in the afternoon, a classmate named Andres Salandanan challenged him to an arm-wrestling
match. They went to a sidewalk of a house and wrestled with their arms. Jose, having the weaker arm, lost
and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk.

In succeeding days he had other fights with the boys of Biñan. He was not quarrelsome by nature, but he
never ran away from a fight.

Best Student in School

In academic studies, Jose beat all Biñan boys. He surpassed them all in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects.

Some of his older classmates were jealous of his intellectual superiority. They wickedly squealed to the
teacher whenever Jose had a fight outside the school, and even told lies to discredit him before the teacher’s
eyes. Consequently the teacher had to punish Jose.

Early Schooling in Biñan

Jose had a very vivid imagination and a very keen sense of observation. At the age of seven he traveled with
his father for the first time to Manila and thence to Antipolo to fulfill the promise of a pilgrimage made by
his mother at the time of his birth. They embarked in a casco, a very ponderous vessel commonly used in the
Philippines. It was the first trip on the lake that Jose could recollect. As darkness fell he spent the hours by
the katig, admiring the grandeur of the water and the stillness of the night, although he was seized with a
superstitious fear when he saw a water snake entwine itself around the bamboo beams of the katig.

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With what joy did he see the sun at the daybreak as its luminous rays shone upon the glistening surface of
the wide lake, producing a brilliant effect! With what joy did he talk to his father, for he had not uttered a
word during the night!

When they proceeded to Antipolo, he experienced the sweetest emotions upon seeing the gay banks of the
Pasig and the towns of Cainta and Taytay. In Antipolo he prayed, kneeling before the image of the Virgin of
Peace and Good Voyage, of whom he would later sing in elegant verses. Then he saw Manila, the great
metropolis , with its Chinese sores and European bazaars. And visited his elder sister, Saturnina, in Santa
Ana, who was a boarding student in the Concordia College.

When he was nine years old, his father sent him to Biñan to continue studying Latin, because his first
teacher had died. His brother Paciano took him to Biñan one Sunday, and Jose bade his parents and sisters
good-bye with tears in his eyes. Oh, how it saddened him to leave for the first time and live far from his
home and his family! But he felt ashamed to cry and had to conceal his tears and sentiments. "O Shame," he
explained, "how many beautiful and pathetic scenes the world would witness without thee!"

They arrived at Biñan in the evening. His brother took him to the house of his aunt where he was to stay, and
left him after introducing him to the teacher. At night, in company with his aunt’s grandson named Leandro,
Jose took a walk around the town in the light of the moon. To him the town looked extensive and rich but
sad and ugly.

His teacher in Biñan was a severe disciplinarian. His name was Justiniano Aquino Cruz. "He was a tall man,
lean and long-necked, with a sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward. He used to wear a sinamay shirt
woven by the deft hands of Batangas women. He knew by memory the grammars of Nebrija and Gainza. To
this add a severity which, in my judgement I have made of him, which is all I remember."

The boy Jose distinguished himself in class, and succeeded in surpassing many of his older classmates.
Some of these were so wicked that, even without reason, they accused him before the teacher, for which, in
spite of his progress, he received many whippings and strokes from the ferule. Rare was the day when he
was not stretched on the bench for a whipping or punished with five or six blows on the open palm. Jose’s
reaction to all these punishments was one of intense resentment in order to learn and thus carry out his
father’s will.

Jose spent his leisure hours with Justiniano’s father-in-law, a master painter. From him he took his first two
sons, two nephews, and a grandson. His way life was methodical and well regulated. He heard mass at four
if there was one that early, or studied his lesson at that hour and went to mass afterwards. Returning home,
he might look in the orchard for a mambolo fruit to eat, then he took his breakfast, consisting generally of a
plate of rice and two dried sardines.

After that he would go to class, from which he was dismissed at ten, then home again. He ate with his aunt
and then began at ten, then home again. He ate with his aunt and then began to study. At half past two he
returned to class and left at five. He might play for a short time with some cousins before returning home.
He studied his lessons, drew for a while, and then prayed and if there was a moon, his friends would invite
him to play in the street in company with other boys.

Whenever he remembered his town, he thought with tears in his eyes of his beloved father, his idolized
mother, and his solicitous sisters. Ah, how sweet was his town even though not so opulent as Biñan! He
grew sad and thoughtful.

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 Greatest Contribution of Jose Rizal

"My Last Farewell"

translation by Encarnacion Alzona & Isidro Escare Abeto

Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun caressed,

Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,
With gladness I give you my life, sad and repressed;
And were it more brilliant, more fresh and at its best,
I would still give it to you for your welfare at most.

On the fields of battle, in the fury of fight,

Others give you their lives without pain or hesitancy,
The place does not matter: cypress, laurel, lily white;
Scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom's site,
It is the same if asked by the home and country.

I die as I see tints on the sky b'gin to show

And at last announce the day, after a gloomy night;
If you need a hue to dye your matutinal glow,
Pour my blood and at the right moment spread it so,
And gild it with a reflection of your nascent light

My dreams, when scarcely a lad adolescent,

My dreams when already a youth, full of vigor to attain,
Were to see you, Gem of the Sea of the Orient,
Your dark eyes dry, smooth brow held to a high plane,
Without frown, without wrinkles and of shame without stain.

My life's fancy, my ardent, passionate desire,

Hail! Cries out the soul to you, that will soon part from thee;
Hail! How sweet 'tis to fall that fullness you may acquire;
To die to give you life, 'neath your skies to expire,
And in thy mystic land to sleep through eternity!

If over my tomb some day, you would see blow,

A simple humble flow'r amidst thick grasses,
Bring it up to your lips and kiss my soul so,
And under the cold tomb, I may feel on my brow,
Warmth of your breath, a whiff of thy tenderness.

Let the moon with soft, gentle light me descry,

Let the dawn send forth its fleeting, brilliant light,
In murmurs grave allow the wind to sigh,
And should a bird descend on my cross and alight,
Let the bird intone a song of peace o'er my site.

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Let the burning sun the raindrops vaporize
And with my clamor behind return pure to the sky;
Let a friend shed tears over my early demise;
And on quiet afternoons when one prays for me on high,
Pray too, oh, my Motherland, that in God may rest I.

Pray thee for all the hapless who have died,

For all those who unequalled torments have undergone;
For our poor mothers who in bitterness have cried;
For orphans, widows and captives to tortures were shied,
And pray too that you may see your own redemption.

And when the dark night wraps the cemet'ry

And only the dead to vigil there are left alone,
Don't disturb their repose, disturb not the mystery:
If thou hear the sounds of cithern or psaltery,
It is I, dear Country, who, a song t'you intone.

And when my grave by all is no more remembered,

With neither cross nor stone to mark its place,
Let it be plowed by man, with spade let it be scattered
And my ashes ere to nothingness are restored,
Let them turn to dust to cover thy earthly space.

Then it doesn't matter that you should forget me:

Your atmosphere, your skies, your vales I'll sweep;
Vibrant and clear note to your ears I shall be:
Aroma, light, hues, murmur, song, moanings deep,
Constantly repeating the essence of the faith I keep.

My idolized Country, for whom I most gravely pine,

Dear Philippines, to my last goodbye, oh, harken
There I leave all: my parents, loves of mine,
I'll go where there are no slaves, tyrants or hangmen
Where faith does not kill and where God alone does reign.

Farewell, parents, brothers, beloved by me,

Friends of my childhood, in the home distressed;
Give thanks that now I rest from the wearisome day;
Farewell, sweet stranger, my friend, who brightened my way;
Farewell to all I love; to die is to rest.

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 LIST OF WORKS
Rizal's Paintings

Title: Saturnina Rizal

Material: Oil
Remarks: Now in Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago

Title: Dapita church curtains

Material: Oil
Remarks: Made in Dapitan, 1894

Title: A painting on a pair of mother-of-pearl

Material: Oil
Remarks: Shells painted by Rizal in Dapitan and given as a gift to Doña Leonor Valenzuela and later
passed into the hands of Doña Margarita Valenzuel

Sketches Made by Rizal

Title: Singapore lighthouse

Material: Ink or pencil
Remarks: Sketch book of Rizal on his first trip on May 1882 or the diary

Title: Along Suez Canal

Material: Ink or pencil
Remarks: Sketch book of Rizal on his first trip on May 1882 or the diary

Title: Castle of St. Elmo

Material: Ink or pencil
Remarks: Sketch book of Rizal on his first trip on May 1882 or the diary

Title: Room in which El Filibusterismo was begun

Material: Crayon
Remarks: Made in October 1887 in Calamba

Title: Two sketches without description

Material: Crayon
Remarks: Madrid diary of January 1884. Academy of San Fernando

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Sculptures Made by Rizal
Title: Triumph of death over life
Material: Clay
Remarks: Given to Dr. Blumentritt in 1890 in Brussels

Title: Triumph of science over death

Material: Clay
Remarks: Given to Dr. Blumentritt in 1890 in Brussels

Title: Bust of Father Jose Guerrico

Material: Clay
Remarks: Made in Dapitan, 1894

Title: Oyang Dapitana

Material: Clay
Remarks: Made in Dapitan in 1893 - 1894

Maps and Plans Made by Rizal

Title: Relief map of Mindanao
Material:
Remarks: Made in Dapitan church plaza by the end of 1892

Title: Pacific ocean spheres of influence

Material:
Remarks: Made during the administration of Pres. Benjamin Harrison. Mentioned by Rizal in his Article
"The Philippines a Century Hence", made in London in 1889.

Title: Plan for modern college (front and side views)

Material:
Remarks: Owned by Dr. L. L. R, apparently in Paris, 1872

Title: The lake district of central Luzon

Material:
Remarks: Mentioned in "Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila", 1872.

Title: Plan of the waterworks in Dapitan

Material:
Remarks: Made with Father Sanchez, in Dapitan, 1895

Title: Sketch of the Lumanao Hill where jewels were found

Material:
Remarks: Owned by Ateneo. Made in 1895

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Rizal's Poems

-Last Poem of Rizal (Mi Ultimo Adios)

-To The Philippines

-Our Mother Tongue

-Memories of My town

-Hymn to Labor

-Kundiman

-A Poem That Has No Title

-Song of Maria Clara

-To the Philippines Youth

-To Josephine

-Education Gives Luster to the Motherland

-To the Virgin Mary

-Sa Aking mga Kabata

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GLOSSARY
Arithmetic- a branch of mathematics that deals usually with the nonnegative real numbers including
sometimes the transfinite cardinals and with the application of the operations of addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division to them

Conscientious- governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience : SCRUPULOUS

a conscientious public servant conscientiously
Courteous- marked by polished manners, gallantry, or ceremonial usage of a court
Exaggerated- excessively or inappropriately heightened, inflated, or overstated = noun
Grandeur- the quality or state of being grand : MAGNIFICENCE
Love- strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
Monotony- tedious sameness
the monotony of the landscape
the monotony of prison life
fixing a variety of foods to avoid monotony—SHAPE

Nephew- a son of one's brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law

Parochial- confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish : limited in range or scope (as to a
narrow area or region) : PROVINCIAL, NARROW

Poem- something suggesting a poem (as in expressiveness, lyricism, or formal grace)

Religios- especially : excessively, obtrusively, or sentimentally religious

Sense- a meaning conveyed or intended : IMPORT, SIGNIFICATION

especially : one of a set of meanings a word or phrase may bear especially as segregated in a
dictionary entry

Surpassed- to become better, greater, or stronger than : EXCEED

Wealth- all material objects that have economic utility

especially : the stock of useful goods having economic value in existence at any one time

Wrestled- to contend by grappling with and striving to trip or throw an opponent down or off balance
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

hhtp://bayaningrizal.pairserver.com/jru/biographical.htm - Search (bing.com)

ttps://rizal.raphaelmarco.com/travels - Search (bing.com)

Poem:MiUltimoAdiosbyJoseRizal/Pinoystalgia - Search (bing.com)

Hhtps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9Rizal - Search (bing.com)

Religiose Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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