About Jose Rizal
Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, widely known as Jose Rizal, was a Filipino nationalist and polymath during the tail end of the Spanish colonial period 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.
Additional Facts
Early Life
The childhood of Jose Rizal can be characterized by his desire to learn, even frequenting the church nearby his home to watch and observe people but not to be religiously inclined. Jose Rizal was not a physically blessed or strong child however, he had a strong will guided and taught by his mother, his first teacher. He learned almost without the use of books. His mother was the one who laid the foundation of his great knowledge achieved in such a short time. His brilliance was also the character of the young Jose Rizal.
Jose Rizal also owned a pony and used it to have long rides into the surrounding country which was rich in scenery. He also took long walks together with his big black dog named Usman. He also loved to play with the doves in his neighborhood. He learned about the myths and legends in Laguna after sleeping through the nut in a little straw hut used by Laguna farmers during the harvest season. Rizal was also good in hand tricks which he perfected to amaze the simple folk and performed magic lantern exhibitions. Even in his childhood, Rizal already knew how to respect the rights of others and requested his elders to reason with him rather than get mad at him for small offenses. He became a welcome companion for adults even at his young age since he respected their moods and was never a hindrance to their activities.
His Love Interests
� Segunda Katigbak
� Leonor Valenzuela
� Leonor Rivera
� Consuelo Ortiga
� O-Sei San
� Gertrude Beckette
� Nelly Boustead
� Suzanne Jacoby
� Josephine Bracken
These women might have been beguiled by his intelligence, charm and wit.
Known Works
While in Europe, Jose Rizal became part of the Propaganda Movement, connecting with other Filipinos who wanted reform. He also wrote his first novel, Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not/The Social Cancer), a work that detailed the dark aspects of Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines, with particular focus on the role of Catholic friars. The book was banned in the Philippines, though copies were smuggled in. Because of this novel, Rizal's return to the Philippines in 1887 was cut short when he was targeted by police.
Rizal returned to Europe and continued to write, releasing his follow-up novel, El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed) in 1891. He also published articles in La Solidaridad, a paper aligned with the Propaganda Movement. The reforms Rizal advocated for did not include independence he called for equal treatment of Filipinos, limiting the power of Spanish friars and representation for the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes (Spain's parliament).
Educational Background
Jose Rizals first teacher was his mother, who had taught him how to read and pray and who had encouraged him to write poetry. Later, private tutors taught the young Rizal Spanish and Latin, before he was sent to a private school in Binan.
Rizal eventually earned a land surveyors and assessors degree from the Ateneo Municipal while taking up Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas. Upon learning that his mother was going blind, Rizal opted to study ophthalmology at the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. Without the knowledge of his parents, Rizal traveled to Europe in May 1882. Rizal earned a Licentiate in Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid, where he also took courses in philosophy and literature. It was in Madrid that he conceived of writing Noli Me Tangere. He also attended the University of Paris and, in 1887, completed his eye specialization course at the University of Heidelberg. Rizal is said to have had the ability to master various skills, subjects, and languages. Our national hero was also a doctor, farmer, naturalist (he discovered the Draco rizali, a small lizard; Apogania rizali, a beetle; and the Rhacophorus rizali, a frog), writer, visual artist, athlete (martial arts, fencing, and pistol shooting), musician, and social scientist.
Execution and Death
By 1896, the rebellion fomented by the Katipunan, a militant secret society, had become a full-blown revolution, proving to be a nationwide uprising.[citation needed] Rizal had earlier volunteered his services as a doctor in Cuba and was given leave by Governor-General Ramon Blanco to serve in Cuba to minister to victims of yellow fever. Rizal and Josephine left Dapitan on August 1, 1896, with letter of recommendation from Blanco. Rizal was arrested en route to Cuba via Spain and was imprisoned in Barcelona on October 6, 1896. He was sent back the same day to Manila to stand trial as he was implicated in the revolution through his association with members of the Katipunan.
Moments before his execution on December 30, 1896, by a squad of Filipino soldiers of the Spanish Army, a backup force of regular Spanish Army troops stood ready to shoot the executioners should they fail to obey orders.[45] The Spanish Army Surgeon General requested to take his pulse: it was normal. Aware of this the Sergeant commanding the backup force hushed his men to silence when they began raising "vivas" with the highly partisan crowd of Peninsular and Mestizo Spaniards. His last words were those of Jesus Christ: "consummatum est", it is finished.
Known Quotes
The youth is the hope of our future.
He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish.
He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.
There can be no tyrants where there are no slaves.
It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any edifice.
One only dies once, and if one does not die well, a good opportunity is lost and will not present itself again.
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