Xander R. De Vera Aug.

29, 2023

11 – St. John Macias

Reflective Journal (Padre Faura Witnesses the Execution of Rizal)

The poem mostly talks about Rizal’s execution which he is a national hero and a shining symbol

to our country, he’s also known for his political writings that inspired many people and the

Philippine revolution. After reading the poem even though it talks about Rizal’s execution, its

relevance to me as a young Filipino and a student is still mostly about Rizal himself, because part

of his history he showed dedication for education and passion for achievements which is a thing

that i’m trying or want to do, he also teach me that even under very difficult circumstances it is

still possible if we focus and work really hard for them. I do actually believe that even today

Rizal does continue to be relevant as a model for some young Filipinos out there, which inspires

them to break barriers and achieve or reach more of their own goals.

After reading the poem, I did felt very sad because I can’t imagine having someone close to me

or someone that I really know, be executed in front of me, and imagining being in that place, I

would probably feel a lot or a variety of emotions, like guilt for not being able to do anything or

to even do stuff to change things, and anger towards those who want my close one to be

executed, and of course sadness for knowing I won’t be able to see them or even have the chance

to interact with them anymore. Which I did also realized after reading the poem on how hard it is

for Padre Faura to be able to witness everything or be even on that place or moment, even though

Rizal’s death leaves a big impact to the nation and its people it’s still a very sad moment to have,
I realized as well on how much big of an impact Rizal’s work did to our country, and how he also

able to changed our nation and inspire many other people to also fight for our country and to

follow his path. Not to mention the poem made me want to know more about Rizal about his

methods, the people he have met, and many more, it also made me realize and gave appreciation

on how heroic he is and how he really is a national hero because of the way he fought for our

freedom in a silent way and also in a powerful way, he also expressed his love for the Philippines

through his novels rather than through the use of force or aggression, also his way of methods is

also very interesting which made me amazed. I do also wonder what could happened if Rizal

doesn’t exist, on who would be the individual to fight or stand up for our country except for

Andres Bonifacio and other national heroes, however there could be no one, and what are the

methods or ideas would he / she use, also what specific goals would they try to do or reach, and

what impact and inspirations would it leave to the country and to the people. This thoughts are

probably in my mind because of how good Rizal’s way of methods are, and how he leave an

impact to the nation and to the people.